XXX Fiction

Chapter One

Tanika wanted nothing more than to prove she could reach the top of the slope before her brother, but she knew such a display could cost her life. Her brother Demur prevails ahead.

“I knew Grandfather made a mistake allowing you to come with us. You belong in the village preparing our kill with the other women. You only slow us down.” He mutters to her, as he continues up the slope.

He maintains a sure footing as he scales the rocky incline. The rest of the hunting party follows obediently behind them.

This was a dire time for their people. Many young hunters were dying in the deep forest, and the valley her tribe settled was bearing less and less food. Traditional gender roles had been abandoned for the practicality of survival, and Tanika would be one the first to help lead an uncertain future.

“My Brother, our grandfather and the elders agreed that I have proven myself with the bow. I will not let our people down. I promise.” Tanika replied, passively.

Demur remained silent and bitter as they continued. The slope felt familiar to her, even though she had never ventured this far from the village. She admires the scenery as they press onward.

The peak of the slope levels out to a lush clearing. It’s beautifully rich with aspen trees, which were losing their leaves from the beginning winter winds.

“This place is where the deer migrate from the mountain, my brothers.” Demur explains, as he removes an arrow from his holster.

“Up ahead, we find cover and wait for our kill. Part ways now, but follow my direction. Keep silent.” He motions forward commanding with his arm in the air.

Tanika wasn’t the only inexperienced hunter in the party. A few of the members were boys who had only reached their tenth sun voyage. Tanika knew it was possible some of them may not return home. She was all too familiar with the sorrow of losing family. She tried to push away those thoughts and tune her senses to nature and for the hunt, as she was taught.

The hunting party continues silently through the forest as they forge ahead in different directions. Tanika walked confidently shoulder to shoulder with her brother through the thick brush.

She stood tall for most women in her tribe but shorter than many of the men. Her stature was lean, yet competitive to a man’s, while maintaining a feminine grace. She stood firm breasted with a fair brown complexion and shiny black hair. It was braided with flowers and reached down to the middle of her back. She’s been told her eyes change colors from brown to gray but she never quite believed it.

Her beauty contrasted greatly to Demur’s, who had faced much rejection for his appearance. It didn’t help that his sister Tanika was always the favored one of the family while Demur had often felt ostracized. His new position as hunting leader seems to have given him a confidence that Tanika wished would disappear. She wanted the old Demur back. The sweet one she grew up with, before the world seemingly ruined him.

Demur suddenly looks in each direction, making sure the other hunters were out of hearing distance. His disfigured face scowls as he inhales abruptly, the usual sign he’s about to utter something really negative. He looms over her.

“I know you think since you’ve reached your nineteenth sun voyage, that you feel entitled to learn the ways of men.” He spouts, as he pulls a tree branch away from his body and steps forward, releasing the branch directly into Tanika’s face.

The sting from the impact stuns her. She winces in pain as thorns from the branch tear the skin above her eyebrow. Blood drips down her cheek as she rubs her forehead.

“However, you need to know that once I’m the tribal leader; I will remove that kind of silly nonsense from our thinking.” He smirks in satisfaction. “Eternal Father is on my side, and his will demands it.”

She looks angrily at him. “You didn’t need to do that.”

He stops to face her as she tends to her wound. “More signs of weakness from a soft heart.” He quips.

“Another reason you should not be here. The deep forest will not be so soft
hearted with you, sister.”

Tankia begins to respond, then stops suddenly stricken with fear. She sees it before Demur does. She feels her heart racing in her chest. The moment seems to stretch out longer and longer. She remembered the tales growing up about people being savagely ripped apart and devoured by them. She never thought she would actually see one, yet there it was.

In the near distance stood a gray wolf, staring directly at her. It was not as large as the tales embellished, but it remained just as frightening. She watched intently as it stood with a confident gaze.

It’s winter fur is long and bushy with patterns of mottled gray and brown. A perfectly white fur chest is stained with dried blood, as is it’s mouth. A peculiar star like pattern is seen on the forehead, as its piercing blue eyes appear to reach deeply into Tanika’s soul.

Just as the fear is starting to leave her, Demur turns to see the wolf and immediately shoves Tanika down, sending her nearly face-first into the dirt. He draws his bow and releases an arrow directly at the animal. She looks up in time to see the arrow miss the wolf’s head. The wolf turns and disappears into the forest.

“That’s right, foul beast! I am the alpha of our tribe now!” Demur yells incredulously. “You will not take away our kills any longer! Hear my voice!”

Tanika brings herself to her feet. “Why did you do that?” she asks with anger, brushing the dirt from her fur coat.

A boy from the hunting party runs to meet them.

“What happened?” He says, with a curious enthusiasm. “Did you kill? Did you kill?”

Demur slings his bow to his shoulder with a quick precision. “That was the alpha of the pack.” He says with authority and scans the horizon. “I did not strike him, but my arrow sent him a message.”

“You should have let Tanika hit it. She can hit anything!” The boy looks over at her, smiling.

“What did you say?” Demur says, un-amused.

“Tanika is the best shot in the village! Me and my friends saw her practice.” The boy replies innocently.

Demur walks over to him and hunches down, meeting him at eye level. He raises his hand and slaps him across the face, making it instantly red as his eyes well up with tears.

“Let me tell you something. If I want to hit something, I will hit it. Even if it’s a smart little boy, like you.” Demur says, with a strange calmness. Tanika gasps in shock.

Demur turns the boy’s face to meet his raging eyes. He pulls out a knife from his
side pouch, a traditional item given to him by their Grandfather. It’s a beautifully crafted weapon made with an Elk horn handle and a long black obsidian blade, sharpened with incredible precision.

Its fine edges gleam in the sunlight as Demur presses the blade against the boy’s chest. The point of the blade cuts his clothing and into his skin, drawing blood.

“I am the hunting leader now, and you will give me respect. Do you understand?” Demur says, viciously.

The boy nods up and down as he sobs with pain and fear.

“That is enough, Demur! Stop it right now!” Takina says with authority. She had never been so forceful with him before, but this was a line she could not see crossed.

She steps closer to the two of them, ready to intervene. Demur pulls the knife from the boy, and stands up. He turns to face his sister. Her eyes remain fixed on his, while his knuckles tighten around the weapon. He steps uncomfortably closer to her.

“You will tell the others that we are done here. Those damned beasts frightened away the hunt. I’m going to retrieve my arrow. When I return, be ready to leave.” He slides the knife back into his belt holster and gazes at Tanika with eyes of fire.

“We talk later.” He turns and struts away.

Tanika removes green herbs out of her shoulder pack, chewing on them. As Demur walks out of range, she leans by the boy and removes the mulch from her mouth. She carefully places the wet green mixture on the boy’s wound with her fingers.

“Everything will be alright, don’t worry.” He sniffs and nods his head up and down.

“Don’t discuss this with anyone.” She says quietly, as she embraces him comfortingly.

“This news is indeed troubling and cause for much concern.” The fire seemed to dance shadows around his wrinkled and wise face. He appears deep in thought as his dry lips sparingly puff on the ceremonial pipe. He holds the smoke in his lungs as he passes the pipe to Demur, who abruptly declines. The elders murmur quietly as the pipe is passed to the next council member. The fire pops and hisses with life as Grandfather releases the smoke slowly. He wheezes and coughs as his lungs sing a tune of his aged days.

“Wolves have never been seen this far beyond the ice fields. Our world is indeed changing, if the beasts are desperate enough to come this close to our village.”

Demur stands up dramatically, kicking dust into the fire and interrupting. “I will gather our hunters and kill them all tonight! We are not afraid. We are ready!” A few of the council members nod in agreement.

Grandfather leans back stiffly as he raises his arm to Demur. “Oh please boy, settle down.” His jovial tone and timing creates much laughter in the council circle. Demur sits down, defeated.

Grandfather continues, “A true warrior knows when to use his strength and when to be clever. This issue will require some thought.” His aged eyes gaze again into the fire.

The last council member finishes his share of the pipe and hands it over to Tanika, who looks surprised to have received it. “Young lady, you are nineteen voyages now. You are also part of the council. Your voice is now equal to each of our own.” Grandfather pauses to reveal his famous smile. “And you may now partake.”

She smiles and nods in agreement. “Thank you, Grandfather. It’s a great honor.” Demur looks disgusted.

Tanika inhales the herbal smoke, cringing as it irritates her throat. The smoke gets hotter and hotter until she cannot hold it anymore and coughs it out. She feels a wave of calmness overtake her. Her senses are heightened. The sounds of the fire are richer, and she can hear the distant insects of the night. Clarity envelops her as she looks down and realizes she has been holding the pipe for what seemed like an eternity. She giggles and hands it to the next man, who politely accepts.

“Tanika, you have remained silent this whole time. Surely you must have some thoughts on this situation?” Grandfather asks inquisitively. She feels all of the council eyes descend on her, and the enormity of what she is about to say comes directly to her. She feels compelled to say it anyway. “We should ally our tribe with the wolves.” She finally says, with a quiet reluctance.

An awkward silence befalls the council. Demur bursts with laughter. “I never thought I would hear such a silly, stupid thing. Wolves are vicious, mindless beasts and they killed our parents. Who knows how many hunters have died from them as well. Or have you forgotten, Sister?”

“I… I have not forgotten, Brother.” She replies defensively.

“This idea of an alliance is an insult to the families who have lost loved ones to the beasts.” He adds, with much reaction from the circle.

“What gave you this idea, child?” asks one of the elders.

Tanika tries carefully to remove any tone of frustration from her voice. “I remember the tales and the great songs of the plains.” She pauses to form her words carefully. “Our ancestors used horses to hunt in Grandfather’s day, before the day of the great walk.” The council listens carefully as Demur waits for a moment to verbally cut into her.

“Surely the men before Grandfather’s time must have thought it was impossible to ally with the horses, if indeed they were wild as the tales say.” The council members nod in agreement as they begin to see Tanika’s point. “If we can figure out how to ally with the wolves, maybe they will help us hunt.”

“Horses may have been wild, but I have never heard of a horse eating a man.” Demur says, gaining laughter from the circle. “I will forgive your sweet naivety because you are merely a girl.” He retorts. “Wolves would rather eat us than ally with us. There will never be an alliance with wolves and man. They are better suited to eat our garbage, if anything at all.” More council members nod and agree with Demur.

“Eternal Father is the only one we need to worry about being allies with, my brothers. All this silly talk about Earth worship and old traditions gives us nothing.” Spit sprays from Demur’s mouth as he becomes more passionate. “The Earth is our greatest foe! It makes life hard for us and takes away our crops. Eternal Father will rule the Earth and make life paradise for all who obey him!”

“Agreed!” Says an elder. “We must be right with Eternal Father!” Adds another.“ Demur continues confidently. “Wolves are the scourges of this land. They were birthed by demons! Sacrificing them to Eternal Father will bring our crops back, as well as our hunts. This is the only real solution.” Demur finishes his rant while looking victoriously at Tanika. She shakes her head slightly in disbelief, as more and more seem to agree with him.

“It is clear that many challenges are at our feet.” Grandfather says in a commanding voice, gaining silence from everyone. “We can not solve every problem tonight, but we need to consider more solutions as we move forward. There will be no action until we learn more. Continue the hunt tomorrow and take anyone who is able. Don’t go out of your way to kill a wolf, only defend yourself if one comes near. If you waste energy in a pursuit, they will have you running in circles. They are clever. I conclude an end to tonight’s meeting.”

Grandfather stands up snakingly as he gains balance with his staff. “Nothing said tonight will leave this circle. We have enough fear polluting the village as it is. Now, who will help me rest these weary bones?”

Everyone stands and gathers their items. Tanika rushes over to take a hold of Grandfather’s arm. Others move to extinguish the flames. Demur seems distracted with a group of men as they stand in a circle laughing.

“All the better.” She thought to herself.

The walk to Grandfather’s shelter was long, and helping him required patience, but Tanika always rushed at the chance. He seemed to divulge the most valuable wisdom to her during these times.

She admired Grandfather very much. He had been the only father to her and Demur ever since their parents were killed. She didn’t always agree with his decisions, but nonetheless felt they were made with good reason.
It was customary for the tribal leader to pass his rites to his kin, which would have been Tanika’s father had he not been killed. The elders agreed to allow Grandfather to retain leadership until Demur became of age and skill, rather than elect a new leader.

Tanika steps carefully while holding him steady and upright as they walk. “Mother’s milk is shining brightly in tonight’s sky, and we are still but a drop of it.” He says, after a long period of silence. She looks up to observe.

“Grandfather, do you think there are other tribes, who live in other spheres, and who light fires as we do?” He smiles and chuckles from her question.

“Yes, I do. I suppose they look beyond their sky as we do, wondering if we are here as well. Maybe someday you will see beyond our sky, and you will see them too.” He finishes.

“But, I thought only men could gain the sight beyond our sky.”

He looks ahead, taking a deep breath to form his response. “Only men have seen beyond our sky, that is true. But, our sphere is changing. There will be many changes in the coming days no matter how many people want to fight against them. The world moves regardless.” She liked the idea and smiled, leaning into his shoulder.

A cool evening breeze sweeps across the path. The bones of Grandfather’s traditional necklace chime together in harmony with the whistling trees.

“Grandfather, I have a request.” She says reluctantly. “I wish to not be involved with the council anymore.” He turns to listen more, expressing concern. “The way they cling to this new faith scares me. I’m afraid our old ways will disappear.” He nods with a certain unsurprised look. “I felt like a fool to share my idea in front of them, the way they tore at it…”

“That is why your voice is more important than ever.” He interrupts. “We need young minds with new ideas, no matter how painful it is to express them.” He pats her comfortingly. “What you did showed true bravery. Do not concern yourself about the thoughts of others. Regardless, it is better to be hated as your true self, than to be loved as your false self.”

As they reach the entrance to his shelter, Tanika parts the cloth drapery and helps Grandfather sit on the edge of his bedding as he enters. The room is large and warm with hanging animal skins fastened to wooden poles using various bones and antlers. She sits on a chair beside him, helping him remove his traditional leadership garb.

“If wolf and man are to ally, it will have to be decided by wolf, not man.” He hangs his staff on a mantle containing many sacred stones. “Man might think it is he who must tame wolf, but perhaps… it is wolf who must tame man.” Tanika contemplates his wisdom as she hangs his ceremonial necklace.

“I’m worried about Demur too… surely you must see that his heart is cold.” She expels quickly, waiting eagerly for a response.

“I understand, and I see how you two quarrel.” He shifts his position and continues. “Demur is the only skilled tracker we have. His place in this world is needed, no matter how difficult it may be. Every Sun needs a Moon. So as it is with the wolf, even though we may not understand it.” She smiles and holds his rough hands.

“The time for conversation must end tonight, you have a long day tomorrow.” Grandfather rests his head back in his fur skin bedding as Tanika’s eyes widen.

“Why is that, Grandfather?” She leans in closer.

“Tomorrow you will have your third eye reading, the priestess agreed to it.”

Her imagination runs wild. “How can this be?” She thinks to herself. Her reading wasn’t supposed to happen for another two sun voyages.

“What do I need to do?” She says with anticipation.

“Do not do anything which requires too much energy, you must refrain from eating all day.” She stands up to leave.

“I don’t think eating will be much of a problem.” She says jokingly and kisses him on the forehead. He smiles in response.

“It’s good you can still maintain humor, even in these desperate times. The night is coming in which I will not wake. You need to be strong when that night comes.”

“You know I hate it when you say that!” She says firmly as she peels away the hanging furs. “Sleep at peace, I’ll see you in day rise.” She says, feeling the cool night air enter.

“I will sleep as peacefully as the night allows.” Grandfather says as he closes his eyes.

Tanika walks to her shelter alone as her sense of excitement makes way for an unknown wave of dread.

*****

They were late returning to the village, but the sight of a fresh kill made the wait worthwhile. Tanika watched as Demur and the hunters proudly carried the body of a young deer, singing songs of praise. She knew it wouldn’t be enough to feed everyone, but it was certainly enough to lift the sinking morale.

She couldn’t partake in tonight’s feast anyway. She had spent the day preparing for her reading. Her closest friends were by her side. They meticulously helped to beautify her body while trading naughty stories about boys in the village. Grandfather told them their laughter sounded like a group of ravens clucking about, which only sent them into further hysterics.

Tanika was able to maintain conversation with her friends even though she never cared much for the pursuit of boys, only the pursuit of boy activities. When she was with other girls learning about plants, foraging, and healing she was thinking of hunting and the old tales of exploration. It was hard to become attached to boys anyway, since so many were disappearing.

Her best friend Amissa painted sacred star constellations along her back, while Delwyn finished a circular representation of the solar system on her forehead. They had all been friends since childhood and she was thankful they could help in the ceremony. It felt good to keep the old traditions alive even if it was only with a handful of people around her.

The sky ignited into a fantastic array of red colors as the sun began to set. Tanika knew it was time. She hugged and kissed her friends and Grandfather goodbye. She wasn’t sure if it was the hunger pains she was feeling or excited nervousness as she made her way alone to the priestess’ shelter.

The priestess was an eccentric old woman who lived on the edge of the village. Since the old ways started to disappear, few villagers gave her much attention. Tanika didn’t know much about her, but wondered if she was even older than Grandfather. She contemplated how a woman her age could manage on her own in this way, yet somehow she did.

She was about to yell her greeting just as the priestess opened her shelter on time. She appeared dirty and disheveled from head to toe. Her silver hair was completely unkempt and looked as though birds were nesting in it. Her garb was tattered, torn, and completely unappealing to the eyes. This is not the image Tanika had expected from a mystic.

She wondered why she went to such trouble to look beautiful in such a presence. Tanika would have wondered if this was the right place, had the priestess not been the only person living on the fringe.

“Remove your shoes and leave your weapons outside.” She barked.

Tanika did as instructed, unlacing her shoes and dropping her bow and arrow quiver. She entered the shelter and soon noticed how drastically it compared to her Grandfather’s. The entire thing was a mess. It was completely full of useless items, mostly twigs and clutter. The only clearing was in the center of the room, which had an outstretched bearskin on the ground and a small fashioned canister for firelight. She wondered where the priestess could even sleep.

She waited for the priestess to close the shelter entrance. “You’ll have to forgive me, I don’t – “

“Sit down, now!” The priestess interrupted, in a condescending tone.

Tanika sat down on the most comfortable spot on the bearskin.

“Not there! The end! End!!” She pointed with a shaking hand and yellow twisted fingernails. Tanika rolls her eyes and scoots to the end.

The priestess seemed to mumble to herself as she hobbled around the shelter. She gathered items only to put them back where they were, then rearranged them in a slightly different position. She wondered to herself if the priestess had lost her mind.

“I only lose that for which I intend to find again!” The priestess yelled, breaking the silence.

Did she somehow hear my thoughts? Tanika wondered. She couldn’t have. Better to just observe, she thought. She crosses her legs in a more comfortable position.

The priestess finally locates a leather pouch. She reaches inside slowly and carefully, and then in a quick motion throws the contents into Tanika’s face. The sting is irritating and gets in her eyes and nose. It’s a mixture of fine sand and ash. She inhales and coughs violently. As she struggles for breath, the priestess hands her a container.

“The water will not kill you.”

She doesn’t trust her at all, but doesn’t have a choice. She gulps it down and regains her composure as the old woman sits at the other end of the bearskin.

“Now we begin.” She says as she takes the water from away from Tanika, who is still trying to catch her breath.

She feels the old woman’s leathery hands on each side of her face. Her thumbs gently press into the center of her forehead, smearing the design Delwyn made. Tanika looks into her eyes, which appear cloudy and infected. The priestess closes her eyes and begins humming a soft “ahh” sound.

She feels awkward but remains still as the humming gets louder.

After an unusual amount of time the priestess stops. “You will be a leader.” She says in a slow raspy voice. “I can see that you will unite two tribes…A bond that will last for centuries, until both tribes are no more…Our tribe and the other tribe. From now until the end of days.”

“What other tribe?” Tanika retorts. “Our tribe is the only one in this valley.”

“Silence! No questions! Only answers.” They both hear a sound of rustling outside. The old woman continues.

“This bond comes…at a price.” She finally opens her eyes and looks at Tanika. Her expression turns to anger. She pulls her hands away from her face quickly. Tanika looks confused. “You will burn this village! You are a traitor and a whore! Your son is an abomination!”

“What are you talking about? I would never..I don’t.. I’ve never even been with man! And I would never betray this village!” She yells back defensively.

The old woman spits on Tanika’s feet. “Get out! Get out and don’t ever come back!”

Tanika feels astonished and stands up in anger to gather her belongings. “You are banished from this village. Take nothing with you. Follow the north star to the ice!”

“I’ll do no such thing! You are a crazy witch.” Tanika finds her bow and hesitates a moment before holstering it. She storms away from the priestess shelter. The sounds of incoherent ranting echo through the woods as she finds her way to the village.

The opening of Grandfather’s shelter flies open.

“I can’t believe it. I won’t believe it! What a waste!” Tanika paces inside with an animated fury.

“Did everything go well?” He asks with a smirk.

“Amissa was told she would be a teacher. Most girls are told whom they will bond with…” She throws down her belongings. “And I get this?! I think you sent me to the wrong crazy person!”

“I sent you to the right crazy person. Everything that was said was meant for you to hear.” He pulls another empty chair closer to his.

“She told me two different things and none of it makes sense! She said I would unite our tribe with one that doesn’t exist. Then she called me a wh – well… she called me a bad word Grandfather! She banished me to the ice. She can’t do that!”

He sits in his chair and motions for her to sit in the other. “Slow down my child, be at peace.” She plants herself across from him in a confused anger.

“The third eye reading is never complete. It is but a broken pot for which you only get a few pieces. Over time, you will find the other pieces and make it whole. It’s been this way for hundreds of sun voyages.”

“I don’t want any more pieces. Not if they are like that.” Grandfather smiles. “Do not be troubled. There are always things we don’t want to hear but we must. I must tell you something now, a piece for your broken pot.” Tanika leans in, composing herself.

“The priestess was correct. There is another tribe. They live beyond the mountains. When I go on my spirit walks, I meet with their elders. No one has known this, and now you do.”

Tanika is bewildered. “But I thought, we were the last?” He shakes his head.

“They have been here for some time now. They are suffering, just like us.”

“Wait..who are they?” She injects.

He hesitates before he answers. “The P’taul.” He finally says.

“P’taul?! But Grandfather, they made war with us long ago. They took our lands and horses! They are responsible for the great walk! How are you meeting with them? How have you not been killed already? Our people hate them more than the wolves!”

“Yes, I am familiar with the songs. A leader has to make hard choices. Choices no one will like. Our people are weary of travel and war and so are theirs. Our tribe cannot survive in this valley, even if the harvest returns. Their tribe cannot survive either. We are both struggling in a turbulent ocean. If we don’t work together, we will be both drown. A child born in their tribe is just as innocent as a child born in ours. This is something we must understand, if we want to continue.”

“No one will agree to this. Demur will not agree to this.” She replies.

“I know.” Grandfather coughs and wheezes. “That is why you are to become tribal leader in my stead. I cannot make the walk much longer.”

“But I don’t – ”

He continues over her. “Negotiating this peace has not been easy. It will take a bond between our tribes. I have arranged for you to be sealed with the son of their leader. Don’t worry; he has a kind heart. I know it may not be ideal for you, but it is for the good of our people.”

“I can’t do it, Grandfather. I can’t be a leader.. I don’t want it.”

“That is why it must be you, Tanika.” He says holding her hands. “Power belongs to those who don’t wish it. You’ve always been strong. Find your strength again. Everything will come into place.”

She takes a deep breath as she takes everything in. “For the good of our people…Alright. What do I need to do?” He stands slowly. “One thing at a time. Tomorrow night during council fire I will announce your rite of passage, and give the blade to you. Demur will not take kindly to it, so we need to make sure everyone is gathered.”

“I’m not looking forward to that part.” She says while standing up. She holds him steady.

“Demur will be stubborn, but he will be reliable to you when you take leadership.”

“Which won’t be for a long, long time!” Tanika interjects. He just smiles.

“In a few days I will take you on my spirit walk, and show you the meeting place of the P’taul. We won’t tell our tribe until the time is right.”

He looks again in her eyes. “I won’t pretend that our life hasn’t been a struggle, but that struggle will end soon. Life is too short to continue such petty quarrels. Love will once again return in full force, and conquer the fear that has ruled us all.”

He smiles again. “I remember when you two were both little as though it were yesterday. You’ve accomplished a great deal since then. Your parents would be as proud as I am, if they were here.”

She hugs him. “Only because you give us direction. Sleep at peace, Grandfather.”
She’s almost to the point of tears, regretting her negative reception of the priestess ceremony.

“I’ll sleep as peacefully as the night allows. Sleep at peace too, my child. I love you.” He adds. “I love you too, Grandfather.”

A hand extends forth out of the shadows, its fingers covering Grandfather’s face and eyes while pulling his head backward. Tanika falls away in complete shock, gasping. Another hand drags something across his exposed neck. She only sees a flash of red and screams in terror. Grandfather falls to his knees, his throat open.

He pauses and looks into the distance, smiling one last time in awe before collapsing to the ground dead. Demur steps forward into the light.

“For the good of our people.”

*****

Chapter Two

Tanika lunges for her bow and arrow, but he is one step ahead of her. Demur kicks her weapon out of reach. She leaps at him with all of her fury. She rips and tears what she can, scratching the side of his neck before he delivers a powerful blow, shattering her nose and sending her to the ground.

“Bind her!” He yells, holding the side of his neck. His blood drips between his fingers. “Rotten cunt.”

Two men enter the room and pull her arms behind her back as she’s temporarily stunned. They tie her wrists together with strong leather straps as she spits out blood. More warriors arrive outside.

“Find her traitor friends and bring them to me. Send the scouts to kill the old witch, she’ll be easy.” They nod in agreement and march off.

Adrenaline replaces her pain. She kicks and fights with all the energy she can muster. Her eyes remain fixed on Demur who smugly cleans his blade.

“You were always a problem. Tonight I solve it.”

She breaks free of her captors. It doesn’t matter that her arms are restrained. If she’s going to die tonight, she will die fighting.

Her captors regain control of her, picking her up by her hair and standing her upright. They hold her arms and feet while Demur steps closer.

“I never knew your treachery ran this deep sweet sister.”

She spits in his face. “You are not my brother!” She yells with force between heavy breathing. He closes his eyes, pausing before wiping his face slowly.

“This is great news. Since you are not my sister, you can produce a son for me.”

This sends her into further rage. Demur’s thugs wrap a cloth around her head and mouth. She can barely breathe through her broken nose.

“Tonight there will be a trial. If Eternal Father finds you and your friends guilty, you can watch them die, so you truly know what it means to betray the tribe. Once we have a son, you can join them. Only then will the debt be paid.”

One warrior hoists Tanika up and over his shoulder, while the other restrains her ankles together. She does her best to keep her feet as far apart as possible as he does this. He motions for them to leave.

“Call the village together for council fire! Dispose of him.”

She watches two warriors drag Grandfather’s body away in a trail of blood. A tear runs down her cheek.

As the warriors carry her down the path, she can see the young scouts in the distance. They are heading toward the priestess shelter carrying torches and weapons. She sees the priestess run from her tent, her arms open wide as if to embrace them in a hug. They toss their spears into her and cut her down. Other warriors go from tent to tent, waking people from their sleep and directing them to the council fire.

The fire is lit and wide. The violent flames send embers high into the air. She sees three structures built near it. Large poles fashioned from dead trees. Smaller dead branches are built around them in large piles. The hunters set her down and hold her in place. Demur stands vigilant as villagers gather around them, confused and bewildered. Some are weary from their interrupted sleep.

She watches in horror as other hunters hoist Amissa and Delwyn onto two of the poles. They are both completely naked and gagged. The hunters fashion their arms to the pole above their heads. Other men pour a mixture of oil and animal fat over the girl’s bodies as well as the woodpiles beneath them. Their faces are stricken with fear and confusion. They can only utter muffled shrieks along with Tanika.

The elders arrive and approach Demur. “What is this? What’s the meaning of this?” one asks. “We have not agreed to such actions!” Another adds. The villagers murmur and speculate amongst themselves in confusion. Other hunters walk around with torches, maintaining order. Demur breaks the chatter with his commanding voice.

“My brothers and sisters! A great treachery has befallen us this day.” Everyone quiets down and gives him their attention. “Our worst enemy the P’taul has once again arrived within reach. They plan to destroy us!”

The crowd gasps in near unison.

“It brings me great sadness to deliver more terrible news. Our great Grandfather, who was most noble in trying to negotiate peace, has been slain by the P’taul.”

They react more, while hanging on Demur’s every word. He begins a dramatic pace.

“Their evil has corrupted people within our own tribe. Those who you see before you have confessed to aiding our enemy.” He motions to Tanika and her friends. The crowd looks at them with anger.

“They have stolen many of our weapons. They have stolen our hard earned food. They have stolen our furs and supplies and have given them to the P’taul… because, my brothers, they have allied with them, and they lay with them regularly.” The tribe becomes increasingly angry and hateful. The girls can only respond with muffled screams of protest.

“Be not afraid my people, for Eternal Father is with us. We have learned of their plans before it is too late, and I have already begun to exact justice in his name!”

He pulls his obsidian blade from its sheath and holds it in the air.

“Grandfather gave me this sacred weapon, which I have used in honor and will continue to do so!” The crowd starts to cheer. “I am honored to lead and protect our people, as Grandfather wished.”

An elder steps forth. “We must have a council and decide before there is any more action!” Demur places his hand on the elder’s shoulder, looking in his eyes. He turns to face the crowd.

“Do you wish to do as he says? Do you want to waste time debating what is obvious? To give our enemy time to plan their next move?”

“No!” the crowd yells, in unison. He smiles.

“Do you wish to cower and run so our enemy can take our land again?”

“No!” they yell again.

“Then we must act now. My brothers, this is Eternal Father speaking through you. Feel his spirit, as I feel it now!”

They cheer again. A few council members look at each other, bewildered but helpless.

“My people, our great Eternal Father is just, but also merciful. The witches you see before you have used sorcery to corrupt my sweet sister’s mind.” The village begins booing and hissing at them.

“This is what happens when we follow the old ways, and give women power that belongs to men!”

More cheers of agreement echo as the crowd becomes increasingly passionate.

“Fear not, for the old ways end tonight! I will keep you safe in these troubled days! I ask you now, are these witches guilty?”

A resounding “Yes!” from the crowd sends chills through Tanika.

“Then it is decided. Let the flames of purification break my sister’s spell! Let the smell of their flesh send a message to our enemies! Let it tell them this is their fate, if they so dare enter this land!” A resoundingly loud cheer erupts, followed by the chant “Burn! Burn!”

Demur motions to his hunters to set the girls on fire. They nod and begin igniting the wood beneath the girl’s feet. Tanika closes her eyes and turns away, only for Demur to pull them open and turn her head to face them. The flames quickly grow around the girls. Their cries of terror are abruptly cut short as walls of fire cover each of them.

The crowd howls another resounding cheer of disturbing elation. The fire is so great it delivers a quick death for each of them, and spares Tanika the gruesome details. She’s able to force her eyes closed, tears streaming down her face. She’s completely emotionally drained. All hope is lost.

She only hears the crowd cheering and celebrating, and her own heartbeat. She slumps down defeated, trying to block it out. Demur looks around triumphantly, proud of his newfound power.

“This is our turning point, sister. Someday you will accept your fate and join us.”

She opens her eyes to look at the crowd; wondering how good hearts could change so quickly. Their expressions look so contorted with hate. She sees them start to look away from the fire. Demur looks puzzled. People start to fall one by one. Blood sprays in the air in sporadic fountains of red mist.

The crowd’s cheers soon start to sound like screams. People turn away from the fire and start to panic. Some run, others continue to fall. Shadowy figures are moving like blurs, quickly and silently. They kill villagers one by one.

“We’re being attacked!”

Wolves have encircled the entire village. There are too many to count, of all colors and sizes. Their growls and snarls are increasingly louder than the villagers’ cries of terror. The people who fall are quickly ripped apart and feasted upon. Some people in the tribe even push children down to run away.

Demur is tackled by a beast, which he quickly kills as it lets out a loud yelp.

“Kill them! Kill them all! Do not fear!” Demur tries to organize his troops. Warriors fight back. Some of the beasts fall to their arrows and spears. Chaos ensues around Tanika. She sees a vicious black wolf running at her with eyes of rage. It gracefully leaps into the air, directly at her. She falls to her side, unable to run away. She watches the wolf fly in the air over her, and sink its teeth into one of her captor’s throats. The other warrior tries to pull the wolf off of him while another wolf leaps on him, tearing his arm.

Tanika scoots away in the dirt. She looks around her in every direction, full of fear.

“I need a weapon.”

She wiggles her ankles together, trying to use what little space she made to free her legs and feet out of the restraint. It seems to be working, slowly. She watches her captors fighting the wolves. One of them dies. She looks around for Demur but can’t see him.

Fire erupts in the village as more and more people fall to the beasts. For every dead human there is a dead wolf. Blood stains the dirt everywhere. Her restraint is now down to her feet. She continues to struggle, making some progress. She only needs to get one foot free.

Tanika watches her other captor overtake the wolf and slice it’s throat. He rests a moment from exhaustion then turns to see her, struggling in the dirt. Her arms are still behind her back as she continues working on her feet restraint.
She turns in time to see him walking toward her. She moves faster, struggling. He’s getting closer. She slips one foot through a loop of the restraint, but snags it on another. He is now within reach of her. She yells with all her might and finally slips her foot free.

In a quick motion, she rolls over onto her back, laying on her wrists as she looks up at him. She folds her knees into her chest and kicks him squarely in the stomach with both feet. He falls back a few steps. The wind has been knocked out of him, and he nearly loses balance but is otherwise un-phased. He regains composure and walks toward her again.

She repeats the same motion, pulling her knees as close to her chest as she can. She takes a deep breath and rolls backward, trying to pull her wrists around her butt and feet. The task is not easy. She struggles with pain and nearly dislocates her shoulders in the attempt. The restrains around her wrists tighten and cut off circulation as she winces in pain and struggle. She finally completes the action; her confined wrists slip around her ankles and pull her shoes off. Her arms are finally now in front of her.

She rolls back one last time and uses her legs to spring her body upward in a smooth arc. She lands on her feet and arises, facing her captor. He lunges his weapon quickly at her. She barley dodges, and quickly dances around his feet. He looks for her, but it’s too late. She’s directly behind him.

Her wrists wrap around his head and neck. She leaps onto his back and wraps her legs around his waist from behind, tightening her restraint around his throat as hard as she can. He gasps and struggles as she closes around his windpipe. He desperately flails his arms backward trying to strike her. He lands a few good hits until she shifts her position. He twirls around in a circle trying to free her from his back, but she remains steady. His face is red from lack of air as he gurgles and struggles for breath.

“This is taking too long.” She thinks to herself.

In a quick move she shifts her weight and slides around, bringing his head with her. A loud crack signifies that she successfully snapped his neck. They both fall to the ground.

She looks around for his weapon and sees it in the dirt. She reaches for it. A flaming arrow whizzes into the dirt in front of her outstretched hand. She looks up startled, in time to see Demur.

Most of the wolves are dead, and the hunters have regained control. Demur calls them forward.

“Capture her!” he yells. She sees one last glimpse of her friends’ bodies, which are now just disturbing black skeletons. More arrows fly at her. She turns toward the forest, running for her life.

She struggles to breathe while running. The gag in her mouth is difficult to remove. She can hear Demur and his soldiers right behind her as they peruse her through the woods. The occasional arrow whizzes past her. One wrong step and it’s over. Moonlight guides her way as her eyes adjust to the black void of the wild.

Tanika and her friends ran through these woods countless times but never at nighttime. Regardless, she gains ground from her pursuers. She finds a covering of rocks and hides behind it. She manages to pull the gag from her mouth and breathe in the cool night air. Her breaths are heavy while trying to remain completely silent. Her heart is racing. She can feel leaves and dirt clinging to her cold bloodied feet.

The hunters become silent once they lose track of her. Tanika listens carefully, looking for a sharp rock to cut her final restraint. She doesn’t want to give away her position. She leans flatly against one of the rough edged boulders, intently looking and listening for anything. She slowly peeks over her cover. She can see the firelight from the hunter’s torches. Not nearly far away enough, but it will have to do.

She feels the boulder’s texture in the dark and finds a suitable rough edge. She rubs her wrists up and down the edge frantically. One of the straps breaks. It’s working. She looks back over her cover again. The torches have been extinguished. She knows from experience the hunters must be splitting up to find her.

Tanika rubs furiously until each leather strap snaps away. The last one breaks, freeing her hands at last. The restraint leaves red marks all around her wrists and arms. She flexes her fingers and feels the circulation flowing freely again. Her eyes are now better adjusted to the dark.

She finds a rock and tosses it as far away from her as she can. It bounces off a tree trunk and lands in some leaves.

“There!” someone yells.

She takes off in the opposite direction. Demur is not far behind. He spots her and slowly tracks her with his bow. He fires an arrow.

Tanika feels the arrow as it slices her waist. She can’t help but yell out in pain. Blood drips slightly as she holds her wound. She continues running anyway.

Branches break and scratch her all over, sometimes catching her fur coat. Demur fires another arrow. This one grazes her shin and she cries again. He’s trying to slow her down and it’s working.

The pursuit continues. The thick forest finally makes way to a clearing. She looks ahead to see a large slope. It’s same one she scaled during her first hunting expedition.

She turns around to hear the attackers coming near. She has no choice; she must hike it or be captured. She begins the incline.

It feels like an eternity but she is now halfway up the slope. At this point she is vulnerable. She’s an easy target to hit, but Demur has not fired. He must be out of arrows. She looks down to see him climbing steadily behind her. No other hunters have caught up to them.

She finally reaches the top and travels through another lush clearing. Her wounds leave behind small traces of blood. She is struggling to breathe and can’t run much further. The pain is too great. She is further now than she’s ever been, now entering what is considered to be the wolf’s territory.

The air is even colder here. Her feet are numb as they crunch into the snow. She can only hobble onward. The trees part way as she approaches a cliff. Below the drop lies a vast and frozen stretch of lake, the ice fields.

She stops to catch her breath. Demur can’t be too far behind. “I can no longer continue.” She thinks to herself. This is where she will make her last stand.

The sound of a bowstring stretching breaks the silence. Demur stands within range of Tanika. His final arrow is precisely aimed at her. She turns to face him, holding a sizeable jagged rock. She raises it above her head, ready to throw it into Demur’s face.

“It’s over. Come home with me.” He says.

“You should never hold your bowstring taut for so long, Demur.” She utters in a shaky but resilient voice.

She arcs the rock backward, about to throw it with all of her might. Demur scowls and closes one eye, fine-tuning his aim at Tanika’s heart.

A lone wolf leaps from the darkness and attacks Demur, causing him to release the arrow and fall to the ground. The arrow impacts Tanika’s left shoulder, and the weight of the rock makes her lose balance. She falls backward down the mountainside.

She tumbles down relentlessly. Rocks and other debris fall with her until she lands with a thud on the thick ice below.

Demur struggles on the ground amidst a fury of snarls and biting before a loud wolf whimper shrieks through the landscape. Tanika brings herself to her feet, the frozen ice surface sticking to her skin.

She shivers from the frigid coldness all around her. She can hear distant voices talking as Demur’s hunting party meets with him above.

The moon’s light reflects off of the ice surface, casting a moody white glow around the cliff side, which stretches down the fields for a vast distance. She squints her eyes to focus on the tiny shadowy figures, as they seem to be pointing down and talking about her.

One by one they ignite their arrows, which look like dancing fireflies from her perspective. Demur signals them to fire.

The arrows fly through the air one by one slowly, until they complete their arc and speed swiftly to the ground near her. She runs away from the cliff as they continue to volley all around her, spearing into the ice with great force.

Her bare feet slide on the ice as she nearly loses balance while trying to regain traction. Arrows and rocks continually land all around her.

In front of her lies a wall of white fog. She is unsure if there is even another side of this ice field, or if just stretches on forever. If she can just make it to the fog, they won’t see her. She only hopes the ice will support her weight.

Tanika regains traction, heading directly for the fog. The ice creaks and cracks like spider webs beneath her feet as she runs. Just a little bit closer and she’ll be out of sight.

Suddenly her worst fear happens. She feels her right foot crash down through the ice. The water is so cold it feels as though her foot is on fire. It’s not long before the rest of the ice around her shatters, bringing her other foot with her. She’s now in free-fall, as if being pulled down by an unseen force.

She flails her arms, desperately trying to cling to something but it’s too late. She’s fallen completely through the hole in the ice, deep into the frigid depths below.

*****

Chapter Three

The freezing water nearly paralyzes Tanika. She holds what little breath she has. The undercurrent carries her away from the opening in the ice she fell through. She tries to swim and kick her feet but it feels more arduous than ever. She drifts slowly and silently away from her only known chance of escape.

Under the ice, the water is a dark hue of green that shifts into an empty blackness, masking the unknown depths below. Above her, the ice sheet is textured and white, sparkling like stars in the night sky. Diagonal shafts of moonlight pierce through the water like morning sun rays in a cathedral, varying in shapes and sizes.

Her thick winter furs are soaked, heavily restricting her movement in the water. They act as anchors, pulling her away from the surface, down to the deep dark below. She’s able to wiggle out of them, her naked body now more able to move freely. She loses precious air in the process.

She’s able to swim her way to the surface, searching frantically for a pocket of air. There is nothing but thick ice. She runs her hands and fingers along the ice ceiling, punching and hitting a few translucent areas. Nothing gives way. The pain of holding her breath is increasing as the current continues to carry her along.

She swims down a bit deeper to gain a new perspective. To her left, she spots a wide column of circular light. This is her best chance. She swims toward it. Looking up, the ice is thin enough to see the night sky. She arcs her arm back and punches upward. Her knuckles smash into the ice, creating a muffled thud in the water. The ice cracks but doesn’t break.

The current sweeps her away and she loses more air. Holding what little remains is becoming more and more unbearable. She fights the current and returns to the circular column of hope. She punches the ice again, sending more cracks in all different directions, but the ice remains intact. The impact of her punch forces all the remaining air from her lungs, bubbling out her nose.

This is it. In a moment she will be unable to stop the inevitable inhale of cold water, followed by slow and painful drowning. One more time, she arcs her arm back, and fights against the current of water as it moves forward. She feels her already battled knuckles as they smash into ice one final time. The ice shatters, her arm thrusts up through the barrier along with shards of broken ice and water. Success.

Her arm is out of the water past her elbow as she digs her nails into the snowy ice surface. She uses her other hand to further open up the puncture mark. She’s able to pull her head and shoulders up and out of the water inhaling much needed air. She’s coughing and trembling, trying to regain her composure but her strength is failing fast. She kicks her legs and pulls herself up as high as she can. Her upper half folds over the broken ice ledge, which is thankfully strong enough to support her weight.

With one final pull, her legs are free of the water. She lays her side, her naked body convulsing uncontrollably. Beads of water freeze to her skin as it adheres to the ice again. She folds her arms together and curls into a fetal position, trying to save what’s left of her fleeing warmth.

She musters the strength to stand up. Her breaths are shallow and shaky while she hugs and rubs herself, trying to stay warm. Her long hair is already separated into frozen chunks of ice. She won’t last long out here.

Ahead of her is another white wall of fog. She’s completely disoriented, but finds the North Star. She follows it through the mist behind her until a shoreline comes into view. It’s completely unlike anything she’s seen. It’s a stretch of rocky beach expanding for miles.

The rocks are molten, misshapen. Some formed at fine sharp points, jetting out in all directions. A knotted mixture of dead and living trees sometimes breaks through the conglomerate of rock formations.

She must be on the other side of the iced expanse. A flurry of footsteps is drawing near to hear. She hears them coming from the ice. Her pursuers must have scaled down and tracked her across the field. Unbelievable.

Tanika only has enough energy to stagger her way off of the ice. Her frozen breath streaks away behind her as she slowly paces forward. Moonlight guides her through an opening in the thick brush. It’s a slight triangular slope stretching out to an opening with a giant dead tree. Other giant redwood trees jet upward and cast shadows along the open path. She can barely concentrate as she follows the path upward, about to freeze to death.

She’s too cold with nothing to find for cover. She huddles her arms closer to her chest shivering uncontrollably. She hears the steps again, closer. It seems to be a never-ending nightmare she can’t run away from. Will she really have to face death yet again? She can only think to move forward, toward the tree.

The thick sides of the forest open up to reveal the end of the slope. The sides of the precipice reveal another steep drop below. It’s a nearly straight drop, with a blanket of fog masking the likely jagged field of rocks beneath. She won’t risk another fall. The end of slope is the dead tree, it’s roots cling to crumbling rock. There is truly nowhere to go from here. She knows she’s being followed.

Tanika lowers herself down on a section of dead grass near the base of the tree. She lays her side on a kind of raised up formation of a platform. She has nothing. No tools for a fire, no weapons. She’s far from home, in unknown territory. She’s naked, exposed, and completely vulnerable. Her hypothermia is setting in. She is moments away from death and a gleaming pair of eyes is watching her from the darkness.

She feels the eyes on her. The same way prey must feel while being stalked by a hunter. She rolls onto her back, looking down the incline she just walked up. A pair of glowing eyes looks back at her from the dark. They blink and shift position occasionally but remain fixed on her.

Is this real?

The figure steps out of the darkness and into the pale moonlight. It’s a grey wolf. The beast walks with a slight limp toward Tanika and stops. Its ears are held back. It seems to approach with a slight reluctant caution and stops again. She knows the creature is within striking distance. She has nothing to defend herself, and no strength for a fight.

“If you’re going to eat me, just do it now!” She yells at him, defiantly and with shaky breaths. He only stares back at her, and steps forward more. He lowers his head, looking down on her, smelling. He’s at her feet now. He must know how truly helpless she is, and Tanika can only look at him.

His blue eyes seem familiar as she feels a sort of perplexed fear. He walks closer. His paws are at both sides of her body as he hovers over her. His head hangs low over her stomach as he examines her. His shallow breaths feel warm but cast frozen mist into the air.

No one has ever been this close to a wolf and lived.
She watches the wolf’s face suddenly contort to an expression of hostility. His ears pull back again. His lips curl upward, revealing a set of viciously sharp white teeth.

Tanika closes her eyes and prepares herself for the end.

Razor sharp teeth are soon overlapped by his lavish pink tongue as he licks and laps at her skin. The action doesn’t make sense to her at first, but it means everything all in an instant. Her head jolts backward out of surprise and an unexpected sense of delight. She opens her eyes to see him. All the fear she once had is completely gone.

The wolf continuously licks at her face. He’s gently sporadic on her cheek, chin and ear, even her lips. It feels warm to her, soft and ticklish. Tanika does something she didn’t think she would do in a long time, if ever again. She smiles, and laughs.

She feels every ounce of her pain and torment, all of the stress and despair, All of the horrors she witnessed gone in this moment, from a simple act of kind affection.

He’s no threat to her. She knows it for certain now. He continues to hover over her, pausing and sniffing at her. She feels warmth radiating from him over her cold and shivering naked body. She laughs and winces when he licks at her broken nose. It stings but feels healing and the pain starts to vanish.

She wants to hold him, to feel his fur in her fingers. She extends her right hand. He becomes startled, backing away. She moves her hand away from him. He looks back at her cautiously and unsure. The moment seems to be ruined until he steps back into position.

Slowly and steadily she touches the back of his neck. His fur is soft and warm, parting between her fingers. He flinches as her fingers softly feel and trace down his back. She massages his skinny yet muscular features. He allows her human touch, as it seems his fear is now gone as well. He returns to his affectionate licking.

Both of her hands are now slowly petting and stoking him affectionately along his back. He responds to it well, as Tanika likely itches places he can’t reach himself. He licks at frozen drops and chunks of ice stuck to her skin. He moves methodically around her neck and shoulders. The sensation is invigorating to her and she can’t help but shiver and cling to him more for warmth.

He licks at her chest and breasts. Her skin is covered in goose bumps. Her nipples hard and shriveled already from the cold are reinvigorated by the surface of his wet warm tongue, gliding over and around both of them. The pleasure helps her slowly warm up as she welcomes it, regardless if it makes sense or not.

She watches him, studying the patterns in his fur. She traces her finger along his forehead, around a star pattern. “It is you.” She says out loud. She doesn’t even know if he understands but she continues anyway.

“I wondered if I would see you again.”

He only looks back at her with a puzzled expression.

She’s too cold to say much more. Each breath they both make sends clouded frozen mist into the air. She remembers her first hunt. It seems like ages ago but this wolf had remained fixed in her mind. She’s lost in his piercing blue eyes just as she was that day.

He steps back from her and lowers his head. Cold air sweeps over her in his absence. She covers her breasts with her hands as he moves lower. She watches him intently as he moves, now to her tummy.

Her heart is racing between shallow breaths. She feels a sense of trepidation as he sniffs at her crotch. She could easily push him away with her feet, but she doesn’t. His snout presses into her and his wet tongue once again laps her skin.

His tongue is long and warm as it parts her puffy and hairless vaginal lips. He tastes her again and again. The rough surface of his tongue clings to her skin a bit as it darts and moves all around her most sensitive areas. She can’t help but moan and open her legs more to him.

She scoots higher on the ledge to give him more access. Her fingers scratch and rub behind his ears as if to give approval. She wondered how such a thing could be happening. It felt so strange.

The pleasure is too intense to question. His tongue continuously clings and massages her clitoris. She can only give him more to feast upon, which he does. He seems to love her taste. He doesn’t stop. Is it out of instinct, lust, or out of love? It didn’t matter.

His tongue continuously makes long strides inside and outside of her. She breathes heavily. The pleasure is too great. It resonates through her like nothing she’s felt in her life, and her heart is pumping warmer blood through her body.

Her fingers cling to him. She closes her eyes. He makes a slurping chopping sound as he digs into her more. His teeth are getting too close for comfort and she has to push him away for a moment.

“No.. I can’t…no more, please.” She says to him. Her breathing starts to slow.

“I’m cold, please… cover me again.”

She pulls at him a bit to indicate.

“Come up here.”

He starts to understand and walks up her body. His hanging tummy fur traces up her bare skin.

“Yes.”

She says to him and scratches along his back, lower than before. His tail wags and she pets him more.

“I’m so cold.”

She wraps her legs around him a bit, pulling him closer. His front paws are firmly planted at either side of her, near her armpits. She wraps her hands around his back, hugging him closer to her. He looks back at her with a friendly, yet tempered ferocity. She’s attracted and intrigued by it.

She arches herself up the slope so she can press her body against his. She nuzzles her head close to his, pressing her cheek into the side of his neck. The warmth feels so good to her. His fur is warm and ticklish in a sensual way.

“Stay with me.” She whispers, stuttering in his ear.

Suddenly she feels him shifting and scooting close. His movements soon turn into a vigorous thrusting motion against her.

The wolf humps and thrusts against her naked body. She tightens her legs around his back. She can feel his member poking and prodding, trying to find his mark. She reaches down with her hand, feeling his sheath as she guides him.

His member emerges through her fingers and presses against her tummy momentarily. His penis is unlike anything she’s seen, certainly different than a human’s. She finds it beautiful.

It’s half erect with a red-purple hue. A series of intertwined veins lead up the shaft to his pointed triangular tip. It drips warm pre-ejaculate onto her as it slides around her skin with his thrusting.

Her fingers remain gently wrapped around his furry sheath, allowing her to guide it however she wants. She moves it lower.

It shines in the moonlight momentarily as it retreats halfway back into his sheath. She manages to align the tip to her vaginal opening. He feels it and starts moving again. With a few short thrusts he parts her fleshy wet lips and he’s inside of her.

“Yes!”

She moans out loud.

He’s not fully hard but grows with each thrust. Her tunnel is very tight but welcomes him regardless. She can feel him growing inside of her, stretching her internally. He can’t help but thrust against her ribbed walls as they wrap around him, massaging and enticing more of his instinctual mating.

His powerful thrusts radiate up her body and bounce her young breasts. She holds him and breathes heavily. His paws move and scratch at her legs. He finds better footing with his front paws above her shoulders but collapses front first against her.

They are cheek to cheek once more, her breasts pressed against him firmly as she fully hugs him with her arms. Her ankles cross around his lower back, helping to guide with each thrust he makes.

His penis is now fully hard with a curious bulb at the base of his shaft, his knot. It’s a bit uncomfortable as he presses himself and his knot all the way in and out of Tanika. She continues it regardless. There’s not much to stop him, and she doesn’t want to. She wants more of him.

With a few more bucks and thrusts, his engorged knot slips all the way inside. Her outer lips stretch and wrap around it, swallowing it until they kiss the edge of his sheath. He’s completely locked inside of her now. The entirety of his penis fills her up internally, throbbing and pulsing. She can feel his warm pre ejaculate occasionally spurting deep within her.

He pauses his thrusting for a moment. She won’t let go of him, and moves her hips in a slow circular motion, enjoying his swollen knot as it rests against her g-spot.

She moans and kisses him, caressing him all over. His warmth is much needed and she feels more invigorated with each passing moment. He’s panting, eyes half closed in an expression of pleasure.

“Don’t leave me.”

She whispers in his ear.

“Don’t ever leave.”

She opens her eyes and examines her surroundings. The trees seem to slowly sway back and forth even though there is no wind. She examines them more closely. Now they seem to be growing, shrinking, then returning to their normal state.

It’s as if she is witnessing them phase shifting between different time periods. Even the rock that forms the precipice appears molten and flowing, then cools and solidifies. The dead tree behind them expands with life, and then shrivels again to decay.

“Am I in a dream?”

She wonders to herself.

But it must be real. Everything she’s seen and experienced has seemed real. Everything she’s felt has been real including him, and him inside of her. The pleasure from him certainly feels real.

She examines her hand. Amazingly she can start to see through her own skin. She can see her veins and tendons, her bones. She can see her own blood flowing through her, down to the microscopic level. Life is all around her. She inhales life into her lungs and exhales life back into the air. She starts to feel a sense of oneness with everything.

Tanika can even see into the wolf. She sees energy flowing through him and into her. She follows his circulatory system to a strong heart beating behind his rib cage. She can hear it beating, as well as her own. Both of them thump together in unison.

She looks down at her tummy and can see into her own womb. She can see her ribbed vaginal canal, soaking and clenching around his shiny swollen member as it continues to throb within. His enclosed knot prevents most of the built up fluid from leaving.

She sees his testicles. Inside they are beaming with life, seed yet to be released. She reaches for them and traces her fingertips gently around each one. The wolf responds in delight, shifting around his position as his scrotum shrivels to her touch.

She knows he enjoys her caress, because she does too. It’s in this instant she realizes she can feel what he feels, in addition to her own pleasure. She can feel her own fingers scratching where he needs to be scratched, and the relief it brings.

She can feel how good it is to be inside of her, as well as how good it feels to have him in her. They are both one.

His memories flood and blend into hers. She experiences his history and emotions. She can see his triumphs and failures, his victories and defeats. She can see him rising through the ranks of wolves to become alpha. She learns how they communicate with each other through body language and emotion, and their hunting tactics.

She sees them as they watch and study her tribe. They observed and knew more about her people than she ever thought was possible. She can feel them starving and scrapping for food, just as her own tribe did. She knows the attack on her people was made out of desperation.

She continues caressing and playing with his testis, as if to encourage them to produce more seed. He responds with more thrusting. The pleasure only increases throughout her body. She feels a high similar to the one she experienced during her first council meeting.

Her body is too small and tight for his knot to escape. His fully hard member is just grinding and bouncing within her.

“Don’t stop.”

She utters.

Her visions intensify as her climax builds. She can see atoms and microscopic life all around her. They form geometric patterns in the air, ground and trees. The stars above her move in synchronously circular motions.

The walls of reality crumble around her. She’s entered a sort of inter-dimensional energy plane. She can see the history of the world unfolding before her. An exploding star creates a new sun. She sees dust swirling in outer space, forming the planets. She witnesses every life form born and extinction of a species. Every evolutionary step unfolds before her in mere moments.

A history of humanity begins. People of all shapes, colors and sizes are all fighting and killing, and disappearing into dust. Out of all of the would-be rulers, poets, artists, craftsmen, warriors and lovers, she knows that she’s the first one to bond with a wolf in this way.

The next vision takes her beyond the solar system. She sees Mother’s Milk in all of its glory. She had no idea the vastness of this great collection of stars, each with their own planetary systems. There are too many to count, hundreds of millions.

Her own solar system is only one of many on the fringe of this great cluster. Soon she sees that even Mother’s Milk is only a speck among other countless specks of clusters flying past her face. This grand vision of the universe comes to a sudden end.

*****

Back in the moment, the oneness with the beast. She’s not shaking from the cold anymore. She shakes from insurmountable pleasure. It’s unlike any sexual experience she’s had before, a kind of euphoria her very body and life was given to her for.

Tanika feels a strong sense of destiny, as though it could not have happened any other way.

She feels fully invigorated. All of the freezing coldness from before is completely gone as she’s warmed from the inside and out. The wolf’s breathing is heavy and warm against her.

His slippery bulbous knot is once again locked inside. He’s as far internally as he can go. His swollen member completely fills her, and continuously spurts warm ejaculate that only slowly leaks out of her, if at all.

He becomes tired from humping her once more. She’s happy to hold on and do her own thrusting. It doesn’t take much movement anyway; his pulsing member doesn’t have much room to move inside, just grind.

She’s unsure the number of times she’s climaxed, nor how long they’ve been lying here making love in the wild. Its still nighttime and the sounds of wilderness slowly fill her ears again.

She feels her climax building and she wants his release. She knows he hasn’t fully released either. She continues her working, slow circular thrusting combined with massaging herself. Her other hand is free to stimulate his testicles again, as she remembered how beaming with life they were.

She tightens her muscles around him with each movement, as if to slowly coax his creamy prize. She can see flashes of energy flowing from his penis through his body and to the pleasure center of his brain.

He whimpers in pleasure and twitches from each thrust she gives. A field of energy radiates from both of their genitals as she watches her tummy. The energy swirls and sparkles within both of them like fine grains of sand twinkling in the sun.

It builds within both of them with each pressing movement. She can see inside of herself once more. She loves the sight of his member engorged in her body. A welcoming fusion between species and they’re both the first to experience it. He must be thinking the same thing.

She sees it just in time. First, a beautiful sparked field of pleasure exploding through the wolf. Next is followed by the eruption of sparkling beaming life that is the wolf’s seed as it begins to spray.

He grunts and collapses, scratching on Tanika as he spasms. She holds him tighter. He leans forward into her more. The tip of his penis reaches the top of Tanika’s inside as it thrives and pumps forth semen. She can feel his ejections internally as warm jets.

She watches the seed fill her womb more and more.

“Yes!”

Her voice and moaning continually gets louder and echoes through the woods.

“Please give them to me…” She feels his orgasm as it resonates with her own. Continually she holds and rubs him. She feels nothing but love for him, and he for her. The explosive field of pleasure radiates through her now.

Her walls close around him in her spasms, as if to push him out, but his bulbous knot prevents his escape. This causes her body to milk every last drop of sperm from him.

He’s ejected everything deep into her. Filling her womb so much it’s nearly to the point of discomfort for her.

The feeling is too euphoric. She can feel and see his countless gametes swimming within her. His seed seems to add to her high, a craving she’s sure to want more of after this experience. It’s like a drug to her and she welcomes it, watching in awe as his sperm race toward her fertile eggs.

The wolf’s eyes are closed as he regains his breath. His heart beats strongly into Tanika’s breasts. The side of her cheek presses against his again. He’s not the only one feeling completely drained.

Tanika lost the strength to hold him as tightly as she was, she can only rest in their embrace. She traces his fur, lost in the afterglow.

“What is your name?”

She says, and kisses his face.

“What should I call you? I don’t know if a human has ever named a wolf.”

His member is still inside her, continually throbbing and spurting.

“Mmmm…”

She moans.

She traces around his fur and once again the star-like pattern.

“I will name you.”

She turns to nuzzle her forehead against his, looking in his eyes. He seems to be smiling.

“I name you…Nova!”

“Do you like that name?”

She says, scratching and rubbing his tummy playfully. He remains locked inside of her, continually panting in delight. He licks the side of her face as if to give approval.

She smiles again, and feels fully invigorated with a renowned sense of purpose. She feels true unconditional love radiating from him. Nova provided so much warmth during their lovemaking that Tankia finds herself sweating, even in the cold afterglow.

“I think we lost both of our tribes, Nova.”

She kisses his face and pets the side of his neck.

“At least we have each other.”

Nova stands up, trying to tug his penis out of Tanika’s body. Her genitals are still tightly wrapped around his knot. He walks in a semi circle around her. She pulls her legs away from his back, allowing him more mobility as he steps.

He lifts his hind legs up over her as he turns to face the opposite direction. Tanika keeps her legs spread as the wolf’s rear presses into her groin. His member continues to remain locked inside of her.

She learned from her visions that a wolf’s anatomy is able to swivel this direction without causing him any discomfort. He’s turned away not as a sign of rudeness. On the contrary, it’s so he can see any potential approaching predators. He is her true and loyal guardian.

His member slowly decreases in volume, allowing the slippery bulbous knot to pop free from her vaginal grasp. Tanika arches forward and watches the length of his shaft slide away.

Nova steps forward and the tip of his penis falls free from her. It shines in the moonlight from their bodily mixture. It folds between his legs like a swinging pendulum, radiating steam into the air between Nova’s wagging tail.

The organ continually spurts small drops of clear fluid.

Tanika feels a rush of excess semen spill out of her vagina. It trails down her body and flows like a waterfall into the earth below.

Nova continually scans the horizon, never forgetting his sentry duties. His dripping member throbs with his heartbeat between his micro-orgasms. He’s panting in total bliss.

She’s surprised when Nova flips around to face her. He quickly sniffs at her crotch before licking it clean, all over.

She moans again at the sensation.

Nova steps back and away, again scanning the horizon. Her eyes remain fixed on him. She watches his still throbbing, and ejaculating penis.

“Nova…”

She says to him.

“I want to taste you. I want to taste…us.”

She crawls forward toward him on her hands and knees, mimicking a wolf in a sexual way. She butts her head into his shoulder playfully before turning onto her back once more.

She scoots her head under his hind legs, placing her face near his hanging member.

One hand holds his lower back as the other finds a soft grasp under the base of his knot. Nova doesn’t object. Tanika guides his penis across her face. Feeling it’s warmth against her as it delivers clear trails on her skin. She lightly kissing the tip, and teasing it with her tongue.

“This is how our tribe does it, Nova.”

She grinds her tongue all around the features of his spurting tip.

“I don’t think other wolves can do it this way, Nova.”

She says as she teases the length with small kisses and licking. She opens her mouth and welcomes the tip. Her tongue slides down it as she feeds it in, parting her lips more and opening her jaw.

She bobs her head up and down, taking a bit more each time. Pausing for breath. With each plunge into her mouth, Nova delivers more fluid. She tastes and swallows it, drinking it in.

Occasionally the seed/saliva mixture oozes from her lips between plunges, trailing down her chin and neck. She presses forward as far as she can, trying not to gag as she lets Nova penetrate her throat.

She rubs herself again as she makes love to his organ. Her lips nearly meet the base of his knot as it travels within her.

She moans and hums into her sucking.

Nova begins to whimper as she feels his member pulsing an ejaculation of sperm into her throat. She tries to contain it all but can’t. She pulls his member free and coughs and spits his sperm out of her.

Nova continues to ejaculate onto her breasts as she regains composure.

“I told you that you’d like it.”

She says, caressing his penis up and down slowly with both of her hands. He slows his breathing, becoming more relaxed.

She pets him with her other hand, up the length of his tummy and his sides. His penis folds back into his sheath.

Their intimate moment is over, for the time being.

Tanika rests while she’s lost in the moment, occasionally looking up at the stars. Moments pass as she scratches him sensually, and lightly traces both her hands up his hind legs.

He enjoys her touch until she reaches a certain point. Nova lets out a loud yelp and suddenly jumps away from her.

“What?” she yells.

She stands up quickly. Nova lays down on his side, turning to lick a wound on his hind leg. He can’t reach it. She sees something protruding from his upper leg, a bone.

“How did you break your leg? You couldn’t have!”

She gets closer to him. She follows a dried trail of blood up his leg to the point of the object.

“How did I not see this?”

She folds his leg gently to get a better view.

“You’ve got something stuck in you. How long have you had this?”

Nova quietly looks at her.

“Did you have this on the ice?”

Nova’s eyes look around. Tankia shifts her stance.

“You walked all that way, on the ice, with this injury?”

His ears fold back again.

“You traveled all this way..and you.. we made love and everything?” She folds her arms.

Nova hangs his head, sniffing and letting soft whimper noises.

She smiles.

“Unbelievable. You really are a true warrior, you know that?”

She unfolds her arms as his body language suggests acknowledgement. She reaches toward his wound again. His expression turns to defensiveness as he bares his teeth, growling at Tanika, loudly.

“Hey!”
She yells with force. He stops growling.

“Listen to me! I need to remove it, or it will get worse. You understand?”

She tackles him, pinning him in a headlock and using her weight to submit him to the ground. He scurries and tries to escape, whining. She folds her fingers across the bone. She closes here eyes. She pulls forcefully, and with one jerk the item is free.

Nova shrieks louder than before, and breaks free of Tanika’s hold. He limpidly scurries away from her, crying in pain. He looks at her in a pained and confused expression before running farther and farther away into the woods.

“Nova! Come back!” She yells, as loudly as she can.

“Now I’ve done it.” Tanika says regrettably.

She calls for Nova again, and waits for a response. She hears nothing.

Tanika steps more into the moonlight, and examines the object she removed from Nova’s body. It’s an elk horn handle attached to a long black obsidian blade. It’s the same blade that was passed to Demur by their Grandfather.

*****

Chapter Four

She holds the dagger. It was Nova, she thought. He had attacked Demur. He saved me.. not once, but twice. Once on the cliff, and once below when she fell in the ice. If Demur hadn’t gotten her, the cold would have.

“Where did he go?” I fear his wound will get worse if I don’t treat it.”

She hopes he will return, but there are pressing priorities ahead. She needs to make a fire and find shelter, build one if necessary. In her belongings, she carried flint and stone, along with handfuls of dried tree fungus fir quick fire starting. Unfortunately, her survival kit is gone.

She’ll have to start from square one. At least she has the blade. Its importance to her is greater now than at any time. Tanika finds a sense of irony having it in her possession, especially without the will of her people behind her.

She examines the surroundings. The triangular precipice doesn’t provide any suitable campsites. Its height provides a good vantage point. The top of the ancient tree will give her an even greater view. Its narrow branches will provide useful tools. She decides to climb it.

After placing the blade down, she leaps straight up as high as she can, clinging her fingers around the lowest branch. She swings her body and uses the momentum to pull herself up in a smooth, almost gymnastic fashion. The wood creaks and groans, remaining sturdy. She folds her tummy over the branch, and rotates her body in order to sit on it.

She steadies herself along the base as she stands. At this point she’s well balanced, leaning into the tree for support. She twists and breaks away two branches, testing them for durability.

“These will do.” She comments, tossing them to the ground.

The sticks land near the place she and Nova had just made love.

If she climbs higher, she can see beyond the surrounding tree line. She continues on upward, breaking smaller misshapen branches for firewood. The tree’s body narrows the higher she goes. Unknown to her, the tree slowly leans toward the cliff’s edge.

She finally reaches the point where she can see above the tree line. There are rolling hills of thick forest between sporadic patches of silvery moonlit fog. She can see that she’s on a small island surrounded by ice. To her left lies the wall of fog still obscuring the island from the continent she came from.

She’s unsure of the distance separating the two lands. It was unknown how far she had traveled on the ice, and how far the frigid undercurrent had carried her. She shudders at the thought. It’s definitely not an experience she wants again. There was no point in returning home anyway. She has nothing to return to.
Even thoughts of the old witch return.

“I should have listened to her.” Tanika says. “She told me to leave and I didn’t. What else did she tell me?”

The tree shifts suddenly, falling toward the cliff before stopping. She loses balance and screams. She hugs and clings to the narrow treetop as it folds over the edge. The rough bark scratches her skin all over.

She looks down past her dangling feet. The wind beneath the steep drop makes an eerie whistling and stillness. Debris and rocks break free of the root system and fall.

They reach the clouded blanket beneath, disappearing one by one. They never make an impact sound.

“I’ve seen enough cliffs in my lifetime!” She yells, her voice echoing into oblivion.

Her heart is racing. She swings around the tree in a similar way she had done with her captor back in the village.

She’s on the other side, and her momentum makes the tree lean back toward the ground. She slides down the base, catching a few branches before letting go. She falls to the ground, tucking and rolling to minimize the impact.

The tree falls with her, it’s foundation thoroughly weakened. Its branches dig in the earth as it slides closer to the edge, as if it was trying to cling on before falling free. She watches it break and disappear from the edge. She arises from the dirt triumphantly.

“Ha!”

She returns to the former base of the tree, now just an empty pit. She shakes her head and gathers the sacred blade, along with her precious fire kindling. She walks down the triangular precipice back toward the frozen beach.

Looking down, she spots wolf tracks in the fine white sand. Nova. Two sets of tracks lead toward and away from precipice entrance. If she spent the time, she could determine the direction he went. She needs to establish her new camp.

The cold air is starting to catch up to her once more. She needs sleep, even for a few moments. The dark forest around her is uninviting for any exploration. She hopes to find a good shelter site along the beach. The molten wall of rock will likely provide a natural opening, but she’ll have to travel a considerable distance away.

Nova will be able to smell the fire if he chooses to find her again. When they were linked, Tanika learned a wolf’s sense of smell is thousands of times greater than a human’s. She had no idea.

Along the beach, she collects some shells and dried reeds and moss. She can fashion the reeds into useful twine. A bit further, the molten wall slopes inward. Not quite a cave, but perfect for shielding the elements. The precipice entrance has disappeared from view.

This area would make her vulnerable to her human pursuers, though she’s sure they are long gone. She digs a fire pit in the sand, clearing debris and brush with her fingers. She moves large rocks to form a circle around the pit.

Nearby, a fallen tree provides additional bounty. She peels away sections of dead tree bark with ease. Then she layers the sections of bark together forming a hearth, and places it in the center of the ring of stones. She gathers a perfectly curved tree branch, about the length from her shoulder to her fingertips. It will make a perfect bow. This one will not be used for hunting, but rather a bow drill, used to start a fire.

She forms tinder using dried moss and bark. She folds the earthly mixture into the shape of a bird’s nest. Now she needs to make twine. The task is tedious, braiding dried reeds with shaky fingers. Soon the moon will pass away, and her pale light source will be gone. She finally reaches a length with enough slack to wrap around a spindle. She carves notches in the bow, and ties the twine at each end.

Another branch from the ancient tree will make the spindle. She sharpens the spindle slightly at one end, keeping the precious shavings. She points the end down in a notch in the bark hearth. She wraps her newly forged bowstring around the spindle.

In her left hand, she cups a clamshell and places it over the top of the spindle, allowing her to hold it upright as it spins like a socket. With her right hand, she will hold the bow. The tension in the twine wrapped around the spindle will make it spin when she moves the bow back and forth.

She attempts the action. With a few spins, the spindle collapses. She repositions it, finding a better center. A few more spins and the spindle point drills into a mark in the hearth. The continued friction scoots the hearth away.

Tanika repositions herself, getting on one knee and using her foot to steady the hearth. She locks her left wrist to her knee as she moves the bow back and forth again. The wood creaks as the friction increases. Smoke begins to trail from the point. It’s working.

She carves an additional ‘v’ shaped notch, jetting outward from burn point. Next she places a small piece of bark under the ‘v’ notch. She just needs enough heat to form an ember, which she can then transfer to her tinder bundle using that small piece of bark. She continues the saw like motion. The point of the spindle drills into the hearth and generates more coal dust. Smoke begins again. She knows she only needs to continue for about a minute to be sure of a good ember.

She increases the velocity of the saw-like motion.
Snap! The twine of the bow breaks. Frustration is setting in. She repairs the bowstring and returns to the bow drill. It breaks once more. She repairs the bowstring yet again. It only needs to last once.

This time, she’s able to continue. She presses her thumb into the bowstring to guide the tension. She moves back and forth, faster and faster. She’s breathing heavily. Her wrists are getting tired, as well as her arms. More and more smoke emerges until she finally stops.

She pulls away the hearth. In the catch piece, there is a perfect smoldering ember. She fans in gently with her hands, allowing it to breathe. She slowly and steadily moves the piece toward the tinder bundle. The ember slips off the catch piece and falls into the dirt.

She gasps.

She hurriedly tries to scoop up the smoldering ember, but ends up destroying it in the process. She drops everything.

Tanika grabs handfuls of dirt and rock, throwing things in all directions. She dances around like a mad woman, screaming every obscenity in her native tongue. The moon disappears, leaving her in even more darkness as she curses frustration into the night.

She calms herself down and decides to make another attempt. Her tired hands work the spindle yet again. The back and forth saw motion generates another trail of smoke. She stops from exhaustion.

Moving the hearth again reveals another ember. She gently fans it while grabbing the tinder with her other hand. This time she places the tinder nest over the top of the ember, and flips the catch piece and tinder upside down.

After removing the catch piece, she quickly and gently wraps the tinder into a ball around the ember. She holds the tinder sphere to her face. There is smoke coming out of it. In the darkness, she can see the tiny glowing orb inside. She makes an ‘o’ shape with her lips, gently blowing on it.

Within a few moments, the tiny ember sparks in all directions. The earthly tinder pops and hisses and after a flash of smoke, ignites into a fireball.

Success.

Tanika smiles as she rotates her fingers around the fireball, keeping it alive while she places it in the center of the fire pit. She feeds the tiny fire, using bark shavings until it’s large enough to add branches. She’s careful not to add too much too quickly. Her morale is lifting.

Eventually the fire is wide and very warm. It brightly illuminates her surroundings. It’s the perfect distance from her alcove, which she’s filled with soft bedding materials.

Tanika dances around the fire. This time it’s out of joy, not frustration.

“I am woman! Master of fire!” She yells goofily.

She decides to call on the wolf.

“Nova! Look what you’re missing!” She listens for anything, looking around the beach.

Nothing.

She pokes the logs in the fire. The pile shifts around and collapses, sending embers into the air. She adds one last chunk of dead tree into the pit. There is enough for tomorrow if needed.

“Nova! It’s really warm over here!”

Still nothing.

Tanika is feeling more and more exhausted. She sits with her back to the fire. If she stares into the hypnotic flames much longer, she will certainly drift asleep.

“Nova!” She yells again.

“In my visions, I saw how the wolf mate with each other!”

She pauses.

“If you wish, I can bend down like that for you! We can try it!”

She waits a moment.

No sign again.

She stands up to walk back to alcove. Two glowing eyes appear in the darkness.

It’s Nova. His eyes continue to glow in the reflected firelight. He’s holding something in his mouth. He approaches her, still with a slight limp. He’s carrying the body of sizeable dead rabbit, which he drops by her feet.

“Did you bring this for me?” She says.

Nova barks in response.

“How thoughtful.” She scratches his head playfully.

His eyes close while he pants in delight, nuzzling her hands.

“I knew you’d return.”

Tanika takes the rabbit around to the other side of the fire pit. Nova seems apprehensive, keeping his distance from the flames. She finds the blade, and begins to skin the animal.

Nova paces around for a few moments until he finds a comfortable spot to lay and watch her. Tanika stretches the animal fur skin around a rocky protrusion on the rock wall.

“I don’t think you’ve tasted cooked meat before.” She says to him.

Nova moves his eyebrows and rests his chin on his outstretched front paws.

“I think a warrior deserves a warrior’s meal, Nova. I wish I had some spices…”

Tanika continues to prepare the animal, fastening it to a long stick. She builds a suspension structure around the fire. It’s a makeshift skewer she can rotate. She suspends the animal above the fire.

Nova looks puzzled.

“You’ve got to trust me.” She says to him.

The meat pops and sizzles as she thoroughly cooks it. The odor is sweet and her stomach rumbles loudly. Nova’s ears have perked up and he licks his chops.

“You’ve got to be patient, my friend.”

Nova barks.

After a fair time, Tanika removes the body from the fire, and rests it on a flat piece of outstretched bark. She carves out a tiny section for a taste. It’s perfect. She fights the urge to not devour everything herself, placing her hands on the body. She begins reciting a prayer out loud, closing her eyes.

“Sacred creature of the forest. You have given your life so that I may continue mine. Your energy is gone, but will be reborn within me. I will carry your nobility with me until the end of my days, when I will give my own body back to the Earth which I took from myself. I will never forget.”

Tanika begins to carve out all of the edible meat. She divides it evenly, placing half of it on a separate slab. She carries the slab over to Nova.

He stands up, wagging his tail and licking his chops. He whimpers and whines slightly in anticipation.

“Next time, tell me when you’re going to leave.” She says, placing the meal in front of him. He moves swiftly, barely sniffing it a moment before devouring the meal in only a few bites. Tanika laughs.

“That is good, yes?” Nova chews and licks at the slab.

Tanika can’t help but devour her portion in a similar manner. The meal is not much, but very welcome for both of them.

“Tomorrow we will explore. I’ll find healing plants for your wound.” She walks over to him again, placing the rabbit’s bones down for him.

“Let me heal it this time.” She adds.

Nova is distracted by his new treats.

The fire has died down, now mostly a series of glowing smoldering coals. She walks over to the alcove, making some final adjustments to her bedding. Nova walks across the campsite and follows her. She sits down, greeting him as he approaches.

He licks her face and lips. She smiles and strokes his neck fur. She opens her mouth like she was about to receive a kiss from a human. Nova understands and licks the inside of her mouth.

She continually moves her jaw to accommodate him. Her tongue darts and presses against his, massaging it. She moans into his mouth, leaning into him. He tilts his head, continually loving on her lips and mouth. She caresses her breasts with one hand. Her vagina throbs as they make out.

Tanika has to pause for a moment.

“Oh Nova…”

She crawls on her hands and knees, nuzzling her forehead against his shoulder playfully.

“Maybe I should deliver on my promise. What do you think?”

He walks behind her, loving the sight of her small-outstretched rear end.

She feels his snout as he licks her. His long tongue once again parts her vaginal lips, this time from behind. He makes long strides in and out of her, even making love to her anus.

She moans even louder, clenching around his tongue. She pets her own breasts more, squeezing around her hardened small nipples.

She feels Nova as he jumps up onto her back.

She arches her back more, accepting and inviting him. He hugs her from behind, His front paws grip at her sides, sliding down to her hips as he pulls himself forward. His furry chest presses into her back as he rests his chin on her right shoulder. She looks under her body and guides his sheath once again.

He bucks and thrusts, finding his mark nearly right away. He breathes strongly through his nose and she feels his warm breath trace down the back of her neck. It sends chills through her as her young lips part for him, and pull him inside her body once more.

His thrusting is vigorous and forceful. She’s nearly pushed down to the ground from him. She uses her arms to push herself back up. She moans more as he swells within her.

He loves the cushion her rear end provides. Her cheeks jiggle as they absorb the shock of his pounding. It radiates through her body and sways her dangling breasts.

Nova moves his head to her left shoulder. His hind legs move off the ground in a bit of a swimming motion as he tries to find footing, occasionally scratching her. Nova grunts and moans in pleasure.

She joins in his moaning, and repeats his name over and over. She doesn’t feel his knot inside of her this time. It is swollen and out of his sheath, and her lips kiss the top of it, but it doesn’t enter her.

She enjoys his flanged tip as it digs in and out of her. It stretches most of her tunnel. He slides all the way out of her, and jumps away, taking a break for a moment. The pleasure must be too intense for him.

His throbbing member swings and spurts clear fluid onto her bedding. He pants in pleasure, breathing heavily.

Tanika takes the moment to crawl in a semi circle to face the beach. She smiles at Nova, and slaps her butt. She whips her hair around to the other side, motioning for him to jump on her once more. He understands.

She feels him leap onto her once more, and grip her in a loving embrace. His swollen dripping member slides between her lips, parting and teasing them before he’s back inside of her again.

She doesn’t even need to guide him.

His chin once again on her shoulder, and his eyes closed as he penetrates her. His wound must be getting better if he has this kind of accuracy. His paws leave slight red scratch marks all over her body but she doesn’t mind.

Her tight suction makes sloppy noises in between her breathing and moaning. She can feel his testicles swaying and slapping against her as her outer lips kiss his knot.

Her walls clench around the swollen middle of his shaft as she feels his familiar pre-ejaculate. Nova even licks her ear, adding to her pleasure.

“Give me babies…” She says in ecstasy.

She holds herself up with one hand and uses the other to grip and caress his hide, before touching her own dangling breasts.

“I love you Nova…I love you so much.” She feels her climax building.

“It feels so good…”

There are no visions this time, only the familiar intense pleasure. She looks down to her tummy. Nova’s penis makes a lump in her tummy that travels up down to his thrusting. She watches it intently.

The sight is enough to make her cum.

“Oh Nova!” she yells as her tight walls spasm and flood his member with her warm juices.

He ejaculates immediately after she does, causing their fluids to mix. He spasms and collapses into her, shaking from intense pleasure. She feels the familiar ejection of sperm filling her up internally.

“Yes!” she cries, loving the sensation.

She reaches behind and grips his rear end, as if to tell him to stay inside her until he is finished pumping her with his warm DNA.

Nova obeys, and rests from his humping. His throbbing member continues to deposit every drop as he wags his tail in delight. His tongue hangs as he pants with his eyes closed.

Tanika breathes heavily, touching herself all over. She opens her eyes to see an amazing field of energy in the sky.

The field is translucent, and dances across the sky like fire. It’s the aurora borealis. Several shades of green radiate throughout the field. The shapes are random in their dance.

She smiles, and reaches behind herself again to scratch Nova. He’s lost in his pleasure, panting heavily, eyes closed and ears back.

Her people believed the aurora borealis brought good fortune, including a healthy harvest. It had been ages since she had seen one. She didn’t think she would again.

Tanika rhythmically clenches around Nova’s soaked organ, still spurting inside of her.

“I think we make good allies, Nova.” She says and nuzzles him.

She continues watching the field. The random shapes start to look familiar to her. She sees the shape of a wolf. It becomes animated, and seemingly runs across the stars before stopping.

The giant apparition sits down and tilts it’s head upwards in a howling motion. The wolf vapor turns to look at her before dissolving back into the random field.

“Nova! Did you see that? Was that you?”

He barks and licks the side of her face in response.

She nuzzles him in return.

He backs away, pulling his penis out. His sperm leaves with it, into the sand of her alcove.

Tanika arises and stretches, sitting on her bedding. The coals from the fire radiate enough heat into the alcove. Tanika estimates it will be enough until morning. She yawns and lies down on her side. She stretches her left arm outward and rests her head on it.

Nova watches her the whole time, sitting patiently.
She motions with her right arm for him to come over. He steps close to her and collapses down, resting his back against her. She wraps her right arm around his front, petting his tummy up and down as they spoon.

His fur feels sensual against her naked skin. He pants and rests his chin on his front paws, looking out to the beach and the aurora.

“Don’t leave tonight.” She whispers in his ear, and kisses it softly.

Her eyes are heavy as they sink. She’s nearly instantly asleep, feeling more warmth, comfort, security, and love than she’s felt in a long time.

There are not many hours until sunrise. Tanika doesn’t know it, but the longest night of her life will give her the best sleep she’s ever had.

*****

Chapter Five

The late morning sun shines between rolling patches of fog. Nova paces around the campsite occasionally sniffing at the ground. The fire pit is mostly ash. It pops with signs of life between sporadic puffs of smoke. The birds sing praise to the sun that carry through the wilderness of the island.

Tanika lies in the alcove partially asleep. She’s feeling the day slowly calling her. Suddenly she hears the sound of sniffing in her ear, before a wet wolf tongue licks and tickles her face. She twitches and giggles as she’s brought back into reality. It’s a good way to wake up. She feels fully rested.

She opens her eyes to Nova, who eagerly and affectionately greets her. She smiles.

“Hello, boy. It wasn’t a dream after all.” She yawns and sits up.

Nova wags his tail and sits before her. Tanika stretches her arms before wrapping them around the wolf in a hug. She scratches down his back before rubbing his face between her breasts.

“We have a whole island to ourselves. Shall we explore?”

Nova pants happily back at her. She steps out of the alcove.

The morning sun feels good on her skin. She knows it’s still cold, but somehow she feels a stronger tolerance to it. The rabbit fur remains stretched over the rock. It’s dry and stretched enough that it can be made into clothing.

Tanika sits by the small warmth of the dead fire, cutting the fur into small sections. She uses portions of her twine to make a bra. She adjusts it to her liking before using more fur to form a bottom piece.

Nova walks around the frozen beach, trying to coax Tanika to follow.

“I’m almost ready! Do you like it?” She jokes as she poses for him in her new outfit.

She quickly stitches the remaining fur together, forming a small shoulder pack. She gathers rabbit bones for useful tools. As she’s packing them away, something in the fire pit catches her eye.

She scoots the ashes away to reveal an intact tree branch. Further investigation reveals even more branches. They are blackened and warm to the touch. Tanika recognizes them as the branches she gathered from the ancient tree.

She hits a branch against a rock. It’s even stronger than before.

Curious.

She includes them in her pack. Finally, she fastens the sacred blade to the end of a long stick, forming a spear. Nova whines impatiently.

“I’m coming!” she yells back at him.

He waits for her as she runs toward him. She reaches into her pack, presenting a rabbit bone for Nova to smell.

“Where did you find this? Show me!”

Nova takes off, running at full speed down the beach. Tanika runs behind him. Nova is fast, but she finds she can maintain a fair distance.

It feels good to run. She feels an endurance she’s never felt in her life. Soon they reach the precipice entrance, and quickly pass it. Molten jagged rocks are jetting up all over the beach. They are easy obstacles to overcome.

She climbs and leaps over them as easily as Nova does. He maintains a strong lead, occasionally looking back at Tanika.

Her heart races in her chest. The cold wind against her feels good. They are quite a distance from camp site and she’s not even tired. Soon the molten formations along beach become impassible, and a suitable opening to the forest is on their right.

Nova leaps into the forest.

She enters the forest behind him. The frozen rough terrain doesn’t even hurt her bare feet. Nova weaves around the trees and rocks. She slips on the snowy surface at times.

Nova presses ahead, swiftly and silently. He barely disturbs the terrain. No wonder he makes such a good hunter, she thinks to herself. She adjusts her route still keeping an eye on him while he presses onward.

The trees start to become taller and livelier the further they go. There is not as much snow on the ground either. Giant redwood trees stretch upward into the sky.

The ground feels warmer to her feet. She loses sight of Nova, but continues onward in the direction she last saw him.

She notices green moss on the sides of the trees, even some green vegetation in the ground. She stops to look around for Nova, but there is no sign of him.

She doesn’t call for him for fear she will scare away any potential prey. She spots some tracks in the ground and follows them. Up ahead, she quietly clears some thick brush.

Beyond the brush lies a vast and lively forest. The ground is considerably warmer, and the air is humid. Columns of ancient redwood trees stretch upward into unknown heights. There is grass everywhere. It’s a patch of land that somehow escaped the frigid winter, still neatly preserved.

Tanika spots a pile of animal droppings. It looks to be from a deer. This area is very active. She scans around for Nova. There is still not a trace.

To her right there is a giant bed of wild white flowers. The flowers move and form a head, which turns to look at her. It’s Nova. His gray white fur perfectly blends in to his surroundings. She would not have seen him otherwise. He turns back toward the forest, looking very intently straight ahead.

What’s he looking at? She wonders as she hunches down. She quietly crawls toward him, doing her best to blend in to the surroundings herself. She gets close to him, but he remains still and serious. He looks straight ahead with a look of concern.

She squints her eyes, looking the direction he’s facing.

Finally she sees it.

Through the vast column of trees there is a large Elk. He hunches his head down, eating the lush grass. He pulls his head up, chomping his green meal with his slack jaw and open mouth.

He looks majestic, his antlers are quite large with several jetting points, indicating his old age. He looks around for prey, never noticing the two of them lying in the flowers. He returns to the sweet grass.

Tanika hates the idea of killing him, but they are desperate. An opportunity like this may not come again.

When a wolf pack hunts a creature that size, they usually split up. Half of the pack will chase the creature, and guide it to an area where the slower wolves can ambush it, a type of flanking maneuver. When the wolf pack reunites, their numbers will overwhelm the prey and bring it down.

This time, there are only two of them, one wolf and one human.

It’s time to put their skills to the test.

She lightly touches Nova’s shoulder as if to say, “I’m ready.”

Nova looks into her eyes before turning to the right and running. Tanika grips her spear and runs as fast as she can in the other direction, to her left.

She makes more noise than Nova, snapping branches along her way. The Elk is startled, and looks up immediately. He traces the path of noise Tanika makes. He knows something is wrong. While he’s distracted, Nova circles around the other side, and catches up to the Elk, remaining completely unseen.

Quickly Nova leaps onto the Elk’s rear, standing on his hind legs as he sinks his teeth into his hide. The Elk cries out in terror, and shakes Nova free of his grasp. He retreats; running full speed in the same direction Tanika went.

She watches the action unfold in between trees whizzing past her as she runs, searching for a suitable ambush site.

She can hear his powerful galloping as Nova leads him toward her. She maintains a lead over both of them. Nova occasionally leaps up at the creature, nipping and snapping at him. The animal is terrified, and tries to evade Nova to no avail. He persistently chases the Elk, never leaving his side.

Tanika is sure footed as she runs through the forest. Up ahead, there is a large boulder before a clearing in the trees. It will provide the perfect sniping position.

She leaps up onto the boulder, standing atop and readying her spear. She can almost hear her Grandfather’s words in her mind:

“Do not fire your weapon where the creature is, fire your weapon where the creature will be.”

She can see and hear the two of them approaching her window of opportunity. She stands properly, aiming her spear ahead of the charging Elk.

She hesitates.

One problem, Nova is at the creature’s left side as he leaps and nips at him. Tanika fears she will hit Nova by mistake.

“Nova! Move away!” She yells.

“The other side! Hurry!”

She watches as both of them pass by, missing her opportunity. She curses out loud, and heads toward the opening, keeping her eye on both of them as they run by.

She reaches the opening on foot and aims her spear again. There is still another chance.

Nova switches sides and is no longer vulnerable.

She throws the spear as hard she can, and watches it fly right over the Elk, barley missing. She curses again and runs to retrieve her only weapon.

Nova bolts ahead of him, growling violently. He gets the Elk to turn around, and run back toward Tanika. She readies her spear again, her heart racing. She fine-tunes her aim, but the Elk is still too far away.

She steadies herself, slowing her breath. The Elk pivots and runs diagonally away from her. Nova compensates in his pursuit. She throws the spear.

Tanika watches in horror as the Elk kicks his hind legs. He strikes Nova. He yelps and rolls in the grass just as Tanika’s spear sinks into the Elk’s chest.

“No!” she yells.

Nova lies still, panting heavily and whining.

The Elk cries out in pain, running into the forest in the opposite direction, taking the spear with him.

She runs over to Nova. He’s whimpering, trying to stand but can’t.

“Let me see!” She gently rolls him onto his side.

She feels his body for broken bones. She can’t find any. She looks for blood but sees none. She can only see a nasty bruise where the animal kicked him. She feels a sense of relief.

“I think the Elk has taken your wind but nothing else. You’re going to be – ”

Before she can even finish her sentence, Nova springs back up and runs into the forest on the other side, perusing the Elk once more.

“Well…okay then.” She runs behind Nova.

She can see the traces of blood the Elk left behind. He will not be able to run far.

Tanika catches up to Nova, who is pacing around the fallen Elk cautiously. The spear is still inside. The Elk’s eyes are wide as he looks at both of them. He shakes with pain, fear and shock. He lies on his side, breathing shakily. She knows she must end his suffering.

She kneels before the creature. She covers his eyes with her hand.

“Shh…be at peace.” She pulls the spear out of him.

He doesn’t fight anymore.

She caresses him slowly with her other hand, finding his heart. It’s still beating strongly.

“Sacred creature of the forest…” Nova watches patiently.

“You have given your life so that I may continue mine.” His breathing slows as she points her spear.

“Your energy is gone, but will be reborn within me.” The Elk is completely relaxed. She thrusts the spear into him one final time.

“I will carry your nobility with me until the end of my days, when I will give my own body back to the Earth which I took from myself.”

She removes the spear, feeling his life force fade away.

“I will never forget.”

Nova doesn’t want to wait for a cooked meal this time. He digs in immediately at the rump of the Elk.

Tanika lets him feast as she cleans the blade and begins to skin the animal.

There is one hunter in these woods with an interest in this kill, besides Tanika and Nova.

He has remained quiet this whole time, but decides to make his presence known.

They both turn quickly to see him as he steps forward.

A giant brown grizzly bear.

“Nova…stay still…”

He begins a slow growl. It changes in pitch and tone with each step the bear takes toward them. His fierce blue eyes remain fixed on the intruder. Tanika points her spear at the grizzly beast.

“Nova, do not attack. If you attack this bear, I will hurt you worse than the bear will. Do you understand?” Her spear shakes nervously along with her heartbeat.

Nova steps to her side, curling his lips while he takes a defensive stance. The two of them stand vigilant, guarding the dead Elk.

The bear turns its head to its side, eyeing each of them analytically. It grunts and snorts at them. Its body language is hostile, aggressive.

Tanika knows she must stand her ground. If she makes a run for it, it’s over.

“Y..You should be asleep!” She yells.

“Go away! Go sleep!” She opens her arms wide and jabs her weapon in the air at it.

The bear responds by scratching the grass with its massive claws. Nova joins in, barking and growling continually. The bear lets out a loud grunt before charging directly at them.

She feels fear and adrenaline. Her eyes widen as it gallops forward, sending chunks of dirt into the air with each thump of its feet. The impacts into the Earth send shock waves through its massive body and fur. Her knuckles whiten as she tightens her grip on her only weapon.

Nova arches his back, readying himself to leap on the beast. He will die defending Tanika if need be.

“Nova, stay!” She yells at him. She’s really saying it to herself, as she fights every instinct to retreat.

The bear is getting close. It puffs loudly through its nostrils as it runs. Just as it looks like it will trample over them, it stops. The bear stretches his front legs forward, sliding and skidding to a halt just a mere few meters in front of them. The two of them hold their ground.

“You will not take my kill! Hear my voice!” She yells as loud as she can, looking directly in its big brown eyes.

The bear pushes itself upward, standing on its hind legs. It towers over the two of them, as they stand in its shadow. The bear stands at more than twice Tanika’s own height. They both tilt their head up to look at it. The bear opens its mouth.

Its saggy lips drooling as it inhales, looking down on them with anger. It pauses a moment and steps forward before falling back down on all fours. Its front paws hit the ground with force and Tanika feels the ground shake in her feet.

The bear meets her face to face and at eye level, opening its jaw as wide as it can before letting out a tremendous roar. It’s nearly deafening and radiates through her entire body, shaking her to the core. She’s completely frozen.

Trails of spit and snot fly into her face as she’s met with a massive blast of warm rotten breath.

Nova, for as brave and fierce as he was, even finds himself stepping behind Tanika during this moment. She squints her eyes as the roar continues. It seems to be never ending. She closes her eyes and looks away. Finally the roar stops. She breathes heavily, unable to open her eyes.

The bear lets out grunts of annoyance, swaying his head as Tanika remains in place. The bear looks down at Nova, who continues to have his teeth bared. He growls at the bear but continues to obey Tanika’s command not to attack, though he sure wants to.

The bear takes one last look at the dead Elk, realizing it is unable to claim the sought after prize. It lets out one last noise of disdain toward Nova, before slowly turning completely around and strutting away.

Nova steps forward, monitoring the beast while it walks through the foliage. Tanika opens her eyes, watching the bear disappear into the forest. She feels light headed, nearly to the point of fainting.

Their bluff worked.

Nova stops growling when he realizes they are finally safe. He begins a frantic pace, continually eyeing Tanika, who remains looking ahead and shakily breathing.

She drops her spear and falls to her knees, slowing her breathing and trying to calm down.

Nova pulls his ears back and whines. He licks her sporadically, begging for reassurance that she’s unharmed. She finally manages to respond by petting his fur. She looks at him while he licks her face.

“I’m alright… you did good.” She embraces him more.

“You know I would never hurt you, right? Don’t ever let me face a bear again…”

He nuzzles against her. She finds her spear again.

“You didn’t tell me we were in bear territory, Nova.” She removes the blade.

“Lets get out of here.” She kneels by the Elk, cutting and removing essential fur.

Nova guards her once more, continually watching through the forest in all directions. She carves the animal into manageable sections as she was taught.

There is a lot of meat, too much for her to carry alone. She’ll gladly leave a good portion for the bear. She lets Nova feast before she gathers her items. She slings huge sections around her shoulders.

The idea of carrying it all the way back to the beach camp is too arduous. She decides to forge through the forest, the opposite direction the bear went. Nova agrees, as long as he can scout ahead.

Tanika is getting a lot of exercise today. Her shoulders ache as the weight of their future meals is pulling her down. She continually looks for signs of predatory animals, but never finds any. She worries about the odor of the meat, but trusts Nova’s guidance.

Up ahead the trees part way to a rolling hill. Nova runs ahead and climbs to the top of the hill. He looks back and Tanika, panting and waiting patiently.

Tanika notices a peculiar sulfur smell in the air. The ground feels increasingly warmer to her feet. She slowly takes her time up the hill. Nova looks up at her once she arrives.

Down the hill on the other side is a nice opening to the forest with great vantage points in all directions.

The ground in the clearing is mostly pebble, outlining a series of large natural springs of water. Some pools appear frozen while others bubble with life, sending columns of steam into the air. The smell of sulfur is thick.

Across the clearing, large formations of familiar molten rock jet upward. Immediately she spots a perfect spot for a new campsite.

A jetted precipice will provide height as well as perfect vantage point for any potential approaching bears. The smell is not ideal, but she feels it will keep the unwanted visitors away.

She drops the precious Elk meet down to the ground, enjoying the relief and freedom it brings. She holds her shoulder and cracks her neck.

“Nova, I think you just found our new home.”

Crack! The large rock impacts the sheet of ice and slides to the other side of the frozen pool. Tanika follows it. She picks up the rock and tosses it into the ice again.

This time, the impact shatters the ice into fragments. There’s no water flowing beneath, just another darker layer of frozen ice. She continues using the strength of the rock, breaking each layer.

Nova walks around and examines the pebbled expanse. He sniffs at the ground, occasionally pulling his head back with a look of disgust. Some of the pebbles are too hot to the touch, making him dance away and change directions.

Tanika digs through the broken ice layers until she finds the depth of her pit is suitable. Finally she throws the huge slabs of Elk meat inside of the pit and buries them with the broken ice shards. This will help preserve the meat.

Now that the work is over, she can explore the remaining springs. The whole area seems to have been untouched by any human presence. The next natural spring isn’t radiating steam but bubbles from the depths below.

She had seen Nova drinking from it earlier. She tosses a pebble into the water and watches it slowly sink. It disappears into the beautiful turquoise depths below.

The water is perfectly clear, as if the Earth had filtered it for eons. She kneels down, using both hands to scoop out a taste. The temperature is ice cold, hurting her joints a bit as she brings it up to her lips.

The taste is delicious, much better than the melted snow ice they were drinking before. She gulps it down, feeling instantly refreshed.

The adjacent pool bubbles with life, sending a copious amount of steam into the air. The boiling water spills out in all directions, forming mini streams in-between the stones. A large area nearby doesn’t have any rocks, just a blackened mineral mud pit where the boiling water has seeped into the ground.

As she walks closer the water’s edge, she makes the same discovery Nova did. The rocks themselves are much too hot to even touch. She nearly blisters her feet in the attempt. Tanika realizes she can use the hot surface to cook on, without the need for a fire.

A branch of the boiling stream leads her to the final water pit. She tiptoes around cautiously until she reaches it. The water is murky with grayish brown mineral silt flowing through it. The depth appears to be fairly shallow. She looks for Nova, who is busy marking his territory at the far end of the camp.

The entrance to this water pit is free of rocks, just soft mineral clay varying in multiple colors of swirling rust. The water itself is ankle deep and slowly slopes down into further depths.

She slowly steps into it until her foot is submerged. The water is perfectly warm. It seems to be an ideal fusion of the two prior springs. She rests her weight down, feeling the soft clay as it squishes between her toes.

She puts her other foot in and steps forward. The soft Earth squishes and bubbles around both of her feet, releasing much tension and ache.

She smiles, and reaches behind her back, slowly untying her top. She adjusts her shoulders and pulls it off her body, tossing it onto some dry rocks to the side.

Next she runs her thumbs along her waistband, bending forward slightly and wiggling her body as she pulls her bottom piece down past her knees. She points her right toes down as she lifts her leg up and over it. Next she uses her left leg to step out of her bottom. She tosses it next to her bra top.

Tanika feels eyes on her naked body. Of course, they are Nova’s. She turns around to see him nearby. He’s eyeing her up and down with dilated pupils. It seems he has missed the sight of her naked beauty. He licks his lips and pants.

She smiles in return, and turns around to pull her hair back. She walks forward until the water is up to her knees. It’s almost too hot but she can easily adjust to it.

Nova lies down, watching patiently.

She steps forward until her waist is submerged. The water feels so good. It bubbles and massages every inch of her naked body. She drops to her knees in the warm water, letting it cover her shoulders.

She turns to face Nova, and playfully splashes water on him.

“Nova! Come in! The water is perfect!”

He responds by shaking the water from his fur. He doesn’t seem interested.

She laughs and continues enjoying the mineral bath. She can feel all of the dirt and dried Elk blood leaving her skin. She closes her eyes, and plugs her nose as she completely submerges herself in the welcoming waters. She uses her other hand to scoop up some silt from below.

She raises her face from the water, floating on her back as she treats her arms and legs with the cleansing soil. Nova guards dutifully, watching for any approaching predators. Luckily there are none.

She runs her fingers through her wet hair, feeling built-up dirt and oil leaving it. She stands up; letting her upper half feel the cool air.

Her fingers easily move through her hair as she pulls it behind her back, wringing out the water. The cool air is inviting as she steps forward up the slope. Nova watches as she emerges from the water.

Steam radiates from her naked brown skin. He admires her full frontal beauty again as water drips from her feminine curves.

The pool is once again up to her ankles as she wipes the cool water droplets from her skin. Nova stands up and walks toward her clothing. He leans down and grips both items in his mouth, carrying them over to her.

She smiles.

“You are so helpful!” Tanika leans down to retrieve them from his grip. Nova jerks his head away, stepping back out of reach.

She steps forward to him again, and swipes her hand quickly trying to grab her garments. Nova is too quick and bolts away a few meters. He stands with his back toward her, but turns his head to meet her eyes.

Tanika raises an eyebrow. Nova drops the items down in front of him. He raises his head and looks at her flirtatiously as he pants.

“Hm…” she says out loud, folding her arms as she walks casually toward him. She quickens her pace slightly. His ears perk up and he closes his mouth, watching closely.

Just as she’s getting within reach, she leans down and extends her hand to quickly snatch the items.

Nova is one step ahead of her.

He quickly grips them in his mouth, looking up at her before bolting away. Tanika collapses to the ground in her attempt.

She’s laughing while Nova runs toward the forest.

“Nova! You are a scoundrel!” She yells at him. “I’m going to catch you!”

*****

Chapter Six

Nova runs at full speed, escaping the pebbled clearing. Tanika is not far behind, despite his head start. The clouds above move like flowing foam. The sky slowly turns from blue to a purple hue as it enters pre-sunset.

Nova darts and moves between the jetting redwoods. Tanika tries something new, using the trees to pull herself forward as she runs. Nova changes course but she compensates.

She’s laughing when she can, trying to use her breath efficiently. Her joy echoes throughout the woods. Nova hunches down and runs underneath a fallen tree. When Tanika reaches it, she flows over the top like rushing water.

Golden rays of sunlight shine between rolling mist in diagonal columns. Small insects flutter about in the light. She can feel them parting over her face as she passes through them. Nova weaves again, trying to throw Tanika off his trail.

She grips low hanging branches and kick boosts herself forward. Her body is moving gracefully, contorting in new ways to avoid and navigate obstacles. The cool air quickly dries her wet naked skin.

She can feel the endorphins rushing through her blood. She never stumbles, and begins to feel a type of invincibility in her pursuit. The rough terrain no longer hurts her feet, but feels good. She welcomes the fallen branches instead of avoiding them. They provide traction.

Nova finds a moment where he can look back; even he is surprised that she has kept up this far. Tanika’s garments continue to flap in the wind, never leaving his grip.

“Nova!” she yells between massive breaths.

“I told you I’m going to catch you!”

Tanika’s nose twitches to a familiar scent. It smells similar to a skunk, but not as foul. The smell is sweeter, more inviting. She recognizes it. It’s the sacred herb she smoked during her first council fire.

Nova darts into a field of tall wheat-grass, disappearing. She loses sight of him, but she can see the tall foliage parting and swaying as he presses forward. She slows her pace, parting the wheatgrass with her arms as she follows him. Small white moths flutter about the field. The sky turns to a pink orange hue.

The foliage changes to a mixture of wildflowers. Honeybees and other insects fly between them as she carefully steps around. She’s lost sight of Nova but carefully studies the broken foliage to trace his steps.

He can’t have gone far.

She notices wild berries and other useful herbs as she moves about. She’ll have to collect some later.

Something catches her eye on the ground. Upon closer inspection she recognizes her clothing. She steps over her articles and continues to press forward. They are no longer the object of her pursuit, but rather the capture of a certain devious wolf.

Then it suddenly hits her. It’s a wall of pungent herbal aroma emanating from a huge grouping of leafy plants, many of them taller than Tanika. It’s the same one she detected before, but it’s much stronger here. This must be the source of it.

There’s a rustling in the center of the plants. She feels the flowery sticky sap on her skin as she parts the plants and finds the source of the rustling.

Nova is lying on his back, playfully rolling around on the soft soil beneath. He moves from side to side nipping at the air. Tanika leaps on top of him, lightly pinning him to the ground. He growls quietly. Tanika rolls and wrestles with him.

“I’ve got you now!”

He playfully nips at her wrists as they roll and play with each other. She giggles as he licks her. She tickles him in response.

“Nova is a bad wolf. Very Bad!”

He growls and barks. She rolls on her back, bringing him on top of her. He attacks her with vigorous licking. She giggles uncontrollably and shutters. He’s hitting all of her ticklish spots along her neck and ears.

“Nova you can’t! No!” she yells between laughter.

She tries pushing him away but it only encourages him more. She wraps her arms around him and rolls back on top of his body. She nuzzles her head into his shoulder. He barks at her quietly. She pets him before lying by his side to take a few breaths.

Looking up the sky, she admires the colorful red and orange streaks. Nova sniffs and pants, lying still as he catches his breath too.

Tanika rolls to her side, cuddling against him. She scratches her fingers gently up and down his tummy. She looks further down and notices that Nova has a sizeable erection emerging from his sheath.

“Oh…did I do this?” she says sensually.

Her hand caresses his nipples before wandering lower. She wraps her fingers around the bottom base of his penis, aiming it straight up before stroking the shaft up and down slowly.

Nova sniffs in pleasure and closes his eyes. She loves the warmth she feels from it. She lets go for a moment so she can move her hand even lower to massage his testicles.

He opens up his legs to give her more access. She fondles them gently, circling them in her fingers before moving back up to stroke him. She traces her fingertips around his knot before moving up his member to feel each detail of his triangular tip before clasping her fingers around the center of his shaft.

He instinctually bucks and thrusts up and down as though he were inside of her. She feels as his organ expands even more inside of her closed hand, becoming fully erect. She kisses the side of his face, smiling.

He’s totally lost to her touch. She continues her kissing, moving down his body.

She repositions herself, switching which hand holds his erect member so she can hold herself upright. Her hanging breasts slide down his body until she softly presses her face against his member.

She delivers soft kisses up and down before running her tongue along the center of his organ and deciding to tease his testicles again. She kisses and sucks them, parting her tongue between them. She runs the tip of her tongue all over the texture of his scrotum.

Nova turns his head to the other side, his eyes closed.

“Is this why you brought me here?”

She crawls up his body, placing her knees on either side of him, hovering. She parts the fur on his chest softly, examining the bruise the Elk left behind.

“Nova…you were so good. Let me heal you…” She reaches down between her legs, once again clasping his swollen member.

She points it up toward her, touching it to her vagina. She moves it around, teasing herself before dipping his tip inside.

“Mmm…” she moans.

She places her hands on his upper shoulders as she lowers herself down, slowly taking all of him in. This time she wants to be the one who rides him. He sniffs in pleasure again.

She moves up and down, slowly coating his bare penis with her human wetness. Nova places one paw on her shoulder, as if to stable his body to her grinding. He opens his eyes, turning to look at her.

She looks deep in his eyes, tightening herself around him, holding him deep. She can feel him spurting already, which only makes her move faster. She uses her right hand to hold herself up, closing her eyes while she caresses her own breasts. His member feels twice as warm inside of her.

She places her hand down into the grass again, pushing herself up and down. Nova’s bushy tail wags and moves between her cheeks, sensually teasing her as she moves up and down.

She leans downward more, pressing her breasts into his fur. Moaning into his neck. She arches upward, feeling an orgasm building. She slowly circles her lower body around his erect fountain, letting it circle her internal tunnel.

The pleasure feels intense. Once again her body tightens around his foreign member and floods it with her ejaculate. She rises up while she convulses around him, letting her tunnel collapse around his tip. This causes him to release his load into her.

His penis nearly slips out until she lowers again, making sure she can feel it deep.

She leans against him again, resting and breathing heavily. Keeping him inside of her.

“Oh Nova…” she moans quietly.

Several multi colored butterflies swarm around the two of them as they lie in the comforting afterglow. The sky turns into a beautiful dark orange hue as the sun slowly starts to disappear.

There will not be much light left before nightfall. She kisses Nova’s forehead and stands up. He does as well.

Tanika collects a sizable section of flowery herb before the two of them make their way through the foliage. Nova keeps pace with her. She smiles when she finds her clothing once more on the ground.

She quickly fastens her top and bottom before gathering a series of berries and healing herbs.

“This was a good idea.” She says to Nova, affectionately petting his head.

Nightfall creeps into the forest as they make their way back to the campsite. The forest becomes disorienting in the dark, but luckily they can follow the sulfur smell. Finally they reach the familiar clearing, and trace their steps back across the pebbled surface.

The Moon creeps it’s way through the clouds. It’s completely full tonight. The entire area is warm enough that Tanika doesn’t feel the need to make a fire. Her belongings are still there, as well as the frozen Elk Meat.

She finds a soft patch at he edge of the rocky precipice incline. She stretches before lying down. Nova lies in front of her as usual so she can cuddle up next to him.

She quietly chews some healing herb before placing it along Nova’s knife. He flinches a bit as she holds it in place.

The sounds of the bubbling springs along with the chirping crickets help her drift to sleep almost immediately. Hours pass by in mere moments.

Tanika wakes up in the middle of the night, sensing something is wrong. She feels bewildered as her eyes adjust to the darkness. She reaches out for Nova but he is gone.

The realization that he is missing sends her upward instantly. She looks around frantically for her companion.

Just as she is about to call his name, her train of thought is interrupted by a loud wolf howl. She turns to look up the slope, spotting Nova. He stands atop the incline, sitting and arching his head upward to the sky.

He lets out another long howl. It’s the first time Tanika has heard him do this. She listens for a moment. The howl is long and beautiful, but it feels longing with a sense of sadness to it.

“Nova…who are you calling for?”

Every night it’s the same. He leaves her to sound his mournful cry. Sometimes she can sleep through it, other times it’s more difficult. Each time he disappears, she knows he’ll return.

The two of them have become effective hunters. They mostly target smaller game, and only when it’s absolutely necessary. Tanika has converted her bow drill into an efficient hunting bow. The branches from the ancient tree make perfect arrows, and fly with incredible precision and speed.

She occasionally finds traces of the bear. She knows their alliance with it is fickle at best, and it’s always a source of tension in the back of her mind.

For every mistake she makes during the hunt, she learns and adapts on their next run. She and Nova communicate like a well-oiled machine. She even taught Nova a series of whistles. One for parry left, parry right, return it back, and ambush.

Nova’s howling is something she can’t quite grasp. Additionally, she feels an unknown sense of longing within herself.

Tanika sits by the rocky precipice, carving a ceremonial wood pipe. Nova carries his favorite toy, a half chewed up piece of driftwood, toward her. He drops the item by her feet, looking up at her.

“Not now, Nova.”

He barks in response with a soft whine. She ignores him.

Nova nuzzles his head under her hands as she continues carving. Tanika impatiently turns away. Nova doesn’t give up easily, taking the toy in his mouth and half jumping up in her lap.

“I said no!” She yells, pushing him away.

Nova drops the item, pausing to look at her with a puzzled expression. She refuses to meet his eyes. He walks away and slumps down, letting out a sigh while he rests his chin on his front paws.

She can only continue carving for so long. She drops her tools to examine the chewed up driftwood.

“Nova!”

His ears perk up as he looks up at her. She stands up and throws the wood in the air as hard as she can. Nova arches his head, tracking it as it sails across the enclosure.

He springs into action, chasing it with great speed. She watches him leap into the air and catch the item in his jaws gracefully. He shakes his head playfully when he lands, then trots back toward her.

She starts to sob as he drops the item by her feet again. She kneels down to meet him, gently petting the soft fur of his ears.

“I’m sorry.” She says, sniffing.

Nova licks the tears off her cheek without hesitation.

“I don’t know why you stay with me.”

She’s easily forgiven. His love for her is truly unconditional. She spends the rest of the late afternoon with him. They run together and play fetch until hunger starts to catch up once more.

As the evening starts to encroach, she decides to build a fire. She will prepare a delicious meal with blended vegetation, herbs and spices. While the meat cooks, she ignites the traditional herb in her newly forged pipe. It’s the first time she will partake of it since her first council fire.

Nova nips and chases the smoke when she exhales it from her lungs, making her laugh. She can feel the welcoming high and her heightened senses overcome her.

Nova becomes increasingly playful and silly. She adds the finishing touches to his dish, making sure it’s perfect. He wags his tail and sniffs at it before he feasts. She can tell he approves.

She sits by the fire and begins her meal. The taste is incredible as she gazes into the dancing flames.

“Nova, do you want to leave? Are we in danger here?”

He tilts his head at her while he licks and chews on a rib bone.

“I don’t know the answer.” She says thoughtfully.

Darkness surrounds them and the sounds of the night fill the air. The fire has died down to glowing radiating coals. Tanika yawns and stretches her arms. She walks toward their sleeping area.

Nova runs ahead of her. He blocks Tanika from her bedding.

“What?” She asks.

He responds by simply burying his snout into her crotch. He sniffs before pawing at her loincloth, trying to remove it.

“Oh…” she says and smiles.

She seductively and slowly slips it down her knees, making her genitals available to him. His tongue is quick to lap them. She notices the feeling right away; it’s different this time. Her loin is more sensitive; the pleasure is twice what it normally is.

His tongue lavishly laps her, even as she lies down. He follows her while she lays and parts her legs. The pleasure is intense as she grips and holds his fur.

“Nova…stop. It’s too much…”

He doesn’t obey. He just growls as he sensually eats her. She moans louder than before. Her orgasm is twice as long and intense. She squeezes her thighs around him as she uncontrollably convulses. Every detail of his long tongue radiates through her.

It must have been the herbal smoke; even her sexual senses are heightened. It seems to have the same affect on Nova. Their lovemaking is drawn out throughout the night.

Both of them shake and convulse like never before, even as they mate.

“We need to do this more often…” She says as she trails off into sleep.

Nova falls asleep along with her as he finishes. His engorged knot remains deep inside of her body as both of them slip into unconsciousness.

Later, an otherwise perfect evening is contrasted by an intense nightmare.

Tanika grimaces in her sleep. She hears people screaming. She feels terror as they run around her. She calls out to them with no response. Soon the people are on fire, and all of the shelters around her ignite. The entire village in her vision goes up in flames.

Tanika screams as she bolts up from her sleep. She drips a cold sweat, breathing heavily.

Nova is by her side. He whines in concern, sniffing at her face.

She stands quickly, throwing on her thick Elk furs and shoes. Nova stands and paces around nervously. She gathers her weapons and other supplies, quickly slinging them over her shoulder before she runs into the forest, leaving their camp behind.

Her eyes adjust quickly to the darkness as she makes her way through the woods. Nova loyally follows. The two of them comb their way through the thick obstacles, finally making their way to the frozen beach.

She stumbles onto her knees in the fine white sand, breathing heavily as she looks onward, across the frozen ice field.

The wall of fog separating the island from her home continent has lifted. She can see far into the vast distance.

Her heart sinks dreadfully.

In the sky, the Moon is dark and blood red. It casts an eerie orange glow in the clouded night sky. A column of black smoke, rising from the distant mountain range, divides the glowing sky.

The smoke is not coming from her home. She knows its origin.

It’s the P’tauli village.

“Nova…” She utters between heaving breathing.

“We must cross the ice.”

The atmosphere paints unyielding sorrow all around while she cautiously steps onto the field. Her breath once again freezes in the air, and seems to trail endlessly away.

The ice softly crunches under her feet and she can only recall the time she broke though. She tries to push the thoughts away and follow her determination forward.

Nova is less reluctant, walking across with ease. The faint clicking of his nails on the surface helps to break the silence. She turns to look back at the island, as it may be the last time she sees it.

Nova patiently waits and looks up at her.

“You’ll save me if I fall again, right?” She adjusts her shoulder pack and presses forward.

Nova walks ahead of her, but never out of sight. His guidance helps to quicken her pace.

She can hear and feel the energy of the frigid waters flowing beneath her feet. The ice creaks and moans to her steps.

Before long, the two of them are halfway across the field. The fateful cliff she fell from comes into view. She can even see the arrows still stuck in the surface, undisturbed.

The idea of scaling this cliff is unthinkable.

“Show me the way.” She says to him.

Nova diverts to the left, and they head toward an easier access point. The foreboding silhouette of land is getting closer. The ice changes in degrees of thickness, occasionally splintering to her footsteps, as they approach.

Nova runs ahead and reaches land. He turns back to look at her, panting. She takes her final steps off the field, feeling a sense of relief.

The two of them travel up the mild incline. The familiar sight of aspen trees reminds her she’s closer to home. The distant billowing smoke remains her only compass. She estimates it will take a full day to reach.

The journey ahead is unknown. She wishes she could have seen the route her Grandfather had promised to reveal. Luckily for her, this territory once belonged to Nova and his pack. If anyone is to be her best guide, it’s certainly him.

She removes the sacred obsidian blade and secures it to the end of a long stick forming a new spear.

A pain in her stomach has her take a moment for a break.

“Nova time to eat!”

She pulls out two sizeable chunks of dried Elk jerky. She tosses the first to Nova as he sits before her.

She slumps down against a tree, stroking his fur as they eat. She looks upward at the sky. A handful of stars sporadically pierce through the orange polluted clouds. It will be morning soon, time to press onward.

The distant owl calls amidst the symphony of crickets surrounding them. Their footsteps crunch on frozen tree leaves as the land slopes downward. The sky begins to change into a dark purple hue, the subtle hints of predawn.

They traverse down one of the many rolling valleys they will have to overcome. Traveling in a straight line will not be an easy task.

The day moves on as they travel down a seemingly never-ending coastline. Glacial formations jet up all around the outskirts, occasionally tearing into the landscape. For every clear path ahead, another one is disrupted by the formations.

Tanika finds herself backtracking to find new routes as more fields become impassible.

Mid day turns to afternoon, then to evening. The frustrating realization that she will need to set up camp is setting in. It appears as though she hasn’t made much progress toward their destination.

That night, she sleeps naked with Nova. He doesn’t howl this time, and she gets a much-needed deep sleep cuddled next to his warm body.

The next day yields better results. They traverse many valleys and streams. Glacial walls continually disrupt the flow of the land. The black billowing smoke continues to rise into the sky, albeit more faintly today.

The two of them stop to take a rest. The sun shines high in the sky. Tanika divides the remaining meat from her pack. It’s the last of their food but she has plenty of water for the rest of the trek.

As she looks upward at the sky, a large black figure circles high above. Judging by the wingspan it’s an eagle. Tanika sips at her water, lost in the hypnotic trailing. She pours out more water for Nova, who nips at the stream in the air.

“Lets go.”

They pass from their clearing into another thick series of trees. Nova stops and looks around frantically.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Before she can react, a series of lines cross her face silently and quickly. She can barely focus on it before she feels the chords and cables constrict around her, limiting her movement.

Nova growls and barks viciously. He’s been trapped in separate netting, made from the same material that restricts Tanika. Figures are moving behind them. Hands reach through and snatch her items away.

They take her bow and arrows, her pack, even her decorative necklace snaps free of her neck painfully.

She grips her spear and prepares to fight.

Warriors surround them, pointing their weapons aggressively close. The spear tips are Clovis points made from a cloudy translucent material. She’s never seen it before. Tanika uses her limited range of movement to swing her spear at them, then thrusts her weapon forward at the closest man.

Someone in her blind spot grabs her spear, forcefully twisting and pulling it from her grasp. He nudges her off center, and she falls on her backside. The other warriors tighten the netting around her.

The man who took her spear is looking at it intently as he slowly steps into her view. He has a masculine look, red and black war paint striped all over his body and face. He wears a ceremonial necklace with eagle feathers jetting from his long black hair.

He looks distinguished between the other men in the party. A long leather shroud wraps around his right arm. He’s lean and muscular, shorter than Tanika. He seems to have a commanding presence as he runs his finger along Tanika’s ceremonial obsidian blade.

“Kill the beast!” One of them yells.

“No!” She returns defiantly, struggling in the netting.

She manages to roll in front of Nova as a shield. She spouts a colorful barrage of threats and curse words at the men.

The leader points a clenched fist in the air and shakes his head in a ‘No’ motion, never taking his eyes away from the black blade. Tanika hurls her insults at him, which escape his ears as he continues to ignore her.

Nova growls a deep guttural ferocity as he chews on the netting, eyeing the men. The warriors step backwards nervously, but keep their spears aimed. The leader hands over Tanika’s spear to a man next to him, asking him to examine it. Then the leader hunches down and meets Tanika at eye level.

“You’re ungrateful.” He says smugly.

“What?!” She snarls. “Give that back!”

He continues. “My men saved you from this beast, and this is the thanks we receive? And you won’t even let us kill it? Shame.”

“Listen! ‘It’ is named Nova! He is my ally! You saved me from nothing. You are a fool!” She retorts.

The leader seems to grin. He tilts his head.

“Allies? Allies! Ah Ha Ha!”

His tone is jovial and booming. He stands up and folds his arms. He looks down at her before arching his head backwards in another of his exaggerated laughs.

“Ha ha ha!”

The other man returns the spear to the leader and nods his head. The leader thrusts the end into the ground in a dramatic motion. He pulls out a small wooden whistle, pressing it to his lips. It doesn’t seem to make an audible noise, but Nova reacts to it. He places his whistle away and extends his right arm horizontally.

Within a few moments, a gust of wind swirls around the leader. A mild tornado of debris twists in the air as the source of the wind gust comes into view amongst the flurry.

A large golden eagle, the one which had been circling high above, swoops down and grips the leather arm shroud with its mighty talons.

The eagle stretches his wings out as he lands, giving the leader an almost angelic appearance before it finds its balance and folds its wings away. It shines dark brown feathers with lighter golden-brown coloring along his napes. The eagle has additional white markings along his and tail. It looks down at Tanika, tilting his head and blinking its predatory yellow eyes.

The leader feeds it a piece of meat before slipping a small leather hood over its beak and head, blinding it. He moves the eagle up to an unseen perch along his shoulders.

“Allies. Ha!” The other warriors seem to find his performance entertaining.

He steps to the side, hunching down to meet Nova.

“What is this word…’Nova?’ I have not heard this word.” He says to Tanika.

His eyes remain fixed into Nova’s, as they have staring match.

“It means ‘star birth.’” She replies.

Snap! Nova lunches forward with a slight growl, nipping in the air toward the man’s face. He flinches instinctively backward, startled. The eagle flaps his wings as it regains its balance. The man can only respond with a nervous laughter to save face.

“Star Birth! Fascinating… I don’t thinking our netting will contain a Star Birth. Sorry men, you will be killed first when he breaks free. But…when I fight Star Birth and win, he will make a fine fur coat.” He folds his arms as he stands, seemingly analyzing how Tanika will respond.

“It’s your skin he will wear as a coat!” She hisses back at him.

“Good one!” He says before pausing. The men around him seem to look concerned. The leader continues.

“No. It’s your people who wear wolf skins. Not ours.” He pulls Tanika’s spear from the ground before squatting down to meet her at eye level once more.

“What are you taking about?” She quips defensively.

He points her spear tip toward her. “Why do you approach our village with weapons of war??” He says inquisitively.

“They are not weapons of war! I am a hunter. Release me at once!” She replies.

“Ha! A girl hunter… with a wolf as an ally…now I’ve seen everything! I think if I release you, you’ll finish the attack your people started and kill us all.” He inhales slowly through his nose.

“I am no warrior. I don’t know what happened…I came here because I want to help. I have seen the black smoke!”

“You’ve seen nothing.” He retorts. “You wish to help? You’re too late. I think you led your people here.”

“I did no such thing! I have been exiled. I am no leader.”

“A likely story!” He injects sarcastically. “A girl hunter arrives holding a leader’s blade, with weapons of war, all after a sudden attack on my people? If I’m to believe you…can you command the wolf to spare our lives?”

“I can try.” She says ominously.

“You can try?” He replies. ”Good enough! Let’s try it.” The leader says confidently.

“Are you crazy?” One of the men blurts out.

“Of course I am, but what more do we have to lose? Set the wolf free!” He booms toward them.

“Release me first!” Tanika demands.

He eyes her up and down. “Hm. Very well. Put your arms behind your back.”

She does as instructed. She shifts her shoulders to move her arms in the constrictive netting. A warrior lifts the netting up behind her and begins to tie Tanika’s wrists together.

“If you attempt anything, you and your wolf are dead.” He says matter-of-factually.

“Fine. If you or your men do anything to Nova or myself, I will show you what I can do with restrained wrists.” She says with confidence.

The leader grabs her netting and lifts it up over her. The other warrior stands her upright once he’s done tying her wrists together.

“Someday I would like to see what you could do with restraint.” He says with a grin. “Please, see to your ally.” He motions his arm over to Nova.

She walks around to Nova, still tangled in his own netting. Seeing him trapped this way makes her angry. She hunches down to see him.

“Nova, it’s alright. I’m alright.” He whines a confused tone as he tries to lick at her face. “We have to trust them…for now. Do not attack!”

“Why do you speak words at it?” One of them blurts out. “It won’t understand. It’s just a beast.”

She looks over at him. “He most certainly understands words. Don’t interrupt!”

The leader nods his head. “Continue.” He says to Tanika.

“We’re going to be alright.” She says to Nova.

He seems to understand despite his confused expression.

“Release the netting.” She says to them.

It takes a moment for one of the men to be brave enough to step close. He leans down and grabs the net, pulling it away from Nova and swiftly stepping away. He quickly aims his spear in a defensive position. The rest of the men aim their spears in a synchronized militant fashion.

“Put your weapons away! Now!” She yells.

The leader motions for them to comply. They each holster their weapons, reluctantly. Nova growls and sidesteps, looking each man in the eye. He turns completely around to guard Tanika.

“Nova! It’s all right. Be at peace!” He slows his breathing, never making himself vulnerable as he moves around her. He sniffs at her wrist restraints before nipping at them, trying to free her.

She scoots away. “Not now. Stay with me.” He whines in anxiety but keeps by her side.

“Fascinating.” The leader says. “I never thought I would see such a thing. So far, you have spoken truth. What is your name, girl?”

“I am Tanika.” She straightens her posture. “What is your name?”

“I am called Anax.” He replies. “I am leader of the mighty P’taul. We will lead you and Star Birth to our village. Our elders will decide if the rest of your story is the truth. You will remain restrained, and walk ahead of us. We must move now, before nightfall.” He points his finger at the trailing black smoke.

“I agree, Anax.” She motions to Nova, who starts walking ahead of her. She follows him as the rest of them slowly gather behind, aiming their spears once more. They remain mostly silent as they trek forward.

One man behind the party is holding Tanika’s pack around his neck. He doesn’t carry any weapons. His right arm is missing from the elbow onward. He uses his left arm to open her pack, and sift through her belongings. He puts something in her pack up to his nose, and makes a peculiar expression.

“What are you doing, Protis?” Anax barks.

“She carries a stink weed. I’ve never seen it before.” Protis replies.

“Don’t put that in your mouth! It could be poison.” He pulls it back suddenly, still looking at it as they walk.

Tanika turns her head back. “That’s not poison! It’s sacred. It’s meant to bring tribes together!”

“I trust her. I will taste it!” He says jovially.

“It’s not meant for eating, it’s meant for smoking. It’s not yours it’s for everyone. Maybe I will share it, if you spare our lives!” She yells back.

“Enough! No talk. Put it away Protis!” Anax sounds a bit irritated.

Protis sighs and returns it to her pack. “You’re no fun, Anax. Can I at least touch the wolf’s fur?”

“If you wish to lose your other arm, you can try it!” Another man yells jokingly.

“What is an arm for, if not to lose it?” He quips back. The men start laughing.

“Enough!” Anax injects. “Keep walking.”

They don’t have to travel much further until the village comes into view. A huge mountain of glacial ice surrounds an enclave. The glacial ice slopes down, blinding the source of the billowing smoke, which lies around the bend.

There are makeshift structures built up around the edge of the ice wall. Burned shards of wood and debris are scattered all around. Tanika squints her eyes to see people, which she can’t.

Nova stops and appears cautious.

A familiar and faint voice carries down to her.

“Tanika! Tanika! Is that really you?”

*****

Chapter Seven

A young boy runs toward them. “You’re alive!” He yells at Tanika, before stumbling to a stop. A look of fear strikes his face as he stares at Nova.

“It’s alright!” She yells back at him.

Anax walks quickly in front of Tanika. He hunches down to the boy.

“You know this girl, Raj?”

“Yes! She saved me from her brother Demur!” Raj opens his fur coat, revealing a scar on his chest.

“I never thought I would see you again!”

Tanika slumps down as Raj runs up to hug her.

“When the wolves came, I got really scared and I hid in the forest. I thought you were dead!” He explains as he hugs her.

“I’m glad you’re safe!” She says to him. Anax stands up.

“Demur…is your brother? Great! Fantastic. What a wonderful person he is! So much honor and integrity…” He trails off sarcastically.

“How come she’s all tied up?!” Raj asks insistently.

“We have to be sure. I need to consult the elders.”

“No you don’t! She’s good, not bad!” Raj looks up at him assuredly.

“Ha! Very well. I’ll take the wisdom of a child over our elders today. Auctor! Please do the honors.”

The man who analyzed Tanika’s spear steps out of the group. He’s the same height as Anax but more lean with a slightly feminine look. He steps behind Tanika and works to untie her restraints.

“Where are the rest of your people?” Tanika asks Anax.

He turns and motions the men to holster their weapons for good, ignoring her question. Auctor pulls the straps away from her wrists. She pulls her arms in front of herself, rubbing them before hugging Raj again briefly.

“Raj, I want you to meet Nova.” She motions over to him. Raj walks toward him slowly. “It’s alright, he’s a friend.”

Raj walks near him cautiously extending his hand. Nova pulls his ears back in a friendly expression. He sniffs Raj’s hand before licking it. He laughs and runs back toward the P’tauli encampment. Nova barks playfully, and runs with him.

“He certainly likes you more than he does me!” Anax yells at him.

Raj throws open one of the large shelters. Nova waits at the entrance, his tail wagging.

“Come see!” He yells inside.

A group of children come out slowly. They are younger than Raj, boys and girls. They look disheveled; their faces are stoic until they see Nova, who greets them in a friendly way.

Their expressions start to change as they circle around Nova, approaching him without hesitation or fear. Nova nuzzles against them affectionately, letting them pet his fur. They start to smile in wonder and amazement, jabbering in curiosity.

A little girl holds a worn piece of rope up to Nova, allowing him to sniff it. He gently grips the rope in his mouth before shaking his head away, freeing it from her grasp.

“Hey!” she yells.

A few warriors pull their spears out and charge toward the wolf.

“Wait!” Anax booms at the men with authority. He steps in front of them with his arm out, blocking their movement. They look at each other with concern before watching Nova intently.

Nova darts away from the children, then hunches down with the rope on the ground, barking at them. Raj runs toward Nova and the rest start to follow, giggling. As they get closer, he grips the rope again and runs away at full speed.

The children boom with laughter and chase after him. Nova runs just fast enough for them to catch up before he darts in a circle, weaving and leading them between the shelters in the encampment. Their laughter echoes throughout the glacial surroundings along with their smattering footsteps.

One by one, the shelters open up. The elders living inside step out to witness the commotion. They watch the children playing with Nova in complete shock. They remain silent with dumbfounded expressions.

Raj finally grips the rope, trying to pull it away from Nova. He growls and refuses to let go, digging into the ground. Raj laughs as Nova shakes his head and frees it from his grasp, running away again. Tanika laughs.

“Amazing.” Anax comments. “These children… they have all watched their parents die. I never thought I would see joy return their lives.”

Tanika pauses for a moment. “If enemies can become friends, I think anything is possible.”

“Hm.” He mutters.

“What happened here?” She inquires.

Anax turns away from her. “Auctor! Tell the elders to prepare council fire.”

Auctor nods and walks toward the encampment with the rest of the warriors. Protis walks toward them. He bows politely before handing Tanika her belongings.

“We must talk more about the stink weed.” He says with a grin.

“We will. Thank you.” She slings everything around her shoulder and holsters her spear. He waves at her with his stump and walks toward the camp.

“Walk with me.” Anax says to her, motioning toward the black smoke. Anax reaches behind his shoulders, nudging the eagle’s feet. The eagle grips his arm shroud and he lowers it down again. He removes its hood slowly.

The creature blinks as it adjusts to the light, looking at Tanika briefly. It turns to meet Anax’s eyes. He nods and raises his arm. The eagle stretches his wings and takes flight. The two of them watch as it lifts off and soars into the sky. It continues flying into the distance until it disappears.

“I never thought man could ally with the hawk.” Tanika comments.

“I thought the same thing about the wolf.” Anax replies. “The eagle is a symbol of power to us, but even power is fleeting. Ever since the famine, the eagle has to fly greater and greater distances for his hunt. Each time I free him, I fear there is a day where he will not return.”

“Have you given him a name?” She asks.

“I have not. Perhaps you could help me find one?” He says as they walk.

“Certainly.”

Anax looks at the ground. “The night your people came…we were having council fire.” Tanika looks at him attentively. “They came wearing wolf skins and bones. We weren’t prepared.”

They slowly approach the bend in the glacial wall. Tanika shudders as the smell of death begins to fill her nostrils.

“We don’t allow the children to cross this point. Not that they want to.”

Anax stops and looks at Tanika. He motions his arm for her to walk ahead of him. She hesitates a moment. Anax looks at her insistently. She takes deep breath and braces herself before walking around the bend.

 

The End as the story was never finished.