by P. C. Cast
“That’s perfect!” Rose said. “I’ll carry the other two across if Sora and Jenna are fine going together.”
“We’ll be fine crossing with O’Bryan,” said Sora, still looking pale and shooting nervous glances at the swaying bridge.
“Okay, let’s go,” Mari said. “Nik, would you please lead. Then Lily can follow you. Dove will follow her—holding on to the back of her tunic—and I’ll come after Dove, keeping a hand on her in case she gets unbalanced.”
“Thank you, Moon Woman,” Dove said, smiling and turning her face to Mari. “My balance is usually excellent, but I’ve never crossed a swaying bridge before.”
“Well, I did very briefly at the Tribe of the Trees, and it wasn’t entirely unpleasant,” Mari said.
“I wish I could see it,” said Dove as they stepped out on the wooden slats of the moving bridge.
“No you don’t,” said Lily firmly.
The crossing went surprisingly well. Mari simply didn’t look down. Not once. She stared at the other side of the bridge, where Danita was calling encouragement. Halfway across Lily stumbled, catching the toe of her shoe on an uneven slat of wood. As she tripped Dove’s grip on her tightened, so that in a turnabout of the norm, it was she who righted Lily, and not the other way around.
“Oh, thank you!” Lily said, running a hand across her damp brow.
“You are most wel—” Dove began, but panicked yips and whines from the litter in front of them interrupted her.
Mari looked over Nik’s shoulder to see the little gray bearded pup Lily had so recently been babysitting standing up at the edge of the litter, staring back at Lily, obviously upset.
“He’s worried about Lily,” called Claudia. “Say something to him so he knows you’re okay.”
“Oh! Yes, of course,” Lily said. “Little boy, all is well. I simply tripped, but Dove saved me.”
“Well, you were not really in danger,” said Dove.
“You wouldn’t say that if you could see where we are,” Lily whispered before raising her voice again and calling to the pup. “Almost to the other side. I promise I will give you an extra-big cuddle soon.”
The pup sat his fat butt down, but continued to whine pitifully.
“Precious baby,” Lily cooed from the bridge. “It’s okay.”
Suddenly Mari saw Lily’s back stiffen. At first she thought the girl had tripped again—until Lily spoke.
“Oh! Oh, my! Your name is Dash! Oh, precious one! I’m coming!”
Nik looked over his shoulder at Lily, and his face broke into a radiant smile.
“The pup has Chosen!” he shouted.
Behind them, O’Bryan took up the call. “The pup has Chosen!”
Lily gasped. “Me? He Chose me?”
Dash stood again and wagged his whole body, yipping excitedly.
“Oh, he did! Dash Chose me!” Lily exclaimed. “I’m coming, my precious one! I’m coming!”
Her voice filled with happiness, Dove was the first to congratulate her friend. “Lily, that is wonderful! I am so, so happy for you!”
“May the Sun bless your union!” Nik said.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Lily said.
As soon as the litter had crossed over, Dash jumped from it and started to run toward Lily, who was just a few yards from the end of the bridge.
“Danita, grab him! He could easily slide off the bridge,” Mari called, worry spiking through her as the pup barreled toward the swaying length of rope and wood.
Jenna nodded and reached for the pup, who lunged to the side, trying to avoid being caught.
But Dash had misjudged. He’d moved too far too fast, and his paws slipped on the loose rock. He was going too fast to right himself, and with a scream of terror, the little Terrier slid over the edge of the cliff.
“No!” Lily cried.
Fala’s howl of agony sounded from behind them, echoed by Rose’s grief-stricken shriek.
“Oh, Goddess!” Mari said. “Hurry, Nik!”
They surged from the bridge. Lily was sobbing as she raced to the cliff’s edge. “No! Oh, no no no! Dash! Dash!”
Mari pulled her back. “There’s nothing you can do,” she said as she wiped a tear from Lily’s cheek. “He’s gone.”
“No! He can’t be! I will not let him be!” Lily sobbed. “Dash! Come back to me! Dash!”
From below them came a miserable whine. “It’s him! It’s my Dash!” Lily dropped to her belly, and Mari could think of nothing to do but sit on her legs, trying to anchor her.
“There he is! I see him! He’s on a ledge below us!” Lily cried.
“Tell him to stay calm. We’ll go down and get him,” said Nik.
“Dash! Dash! Listen to me! We’re going to come down to you. Just stay really still,” said Lily.
The pup yipped pitifully.
“He understands, but he’s afraid!” Lily said. “And he’s hurt!”
Mari focused on connecting with the pup. Unlike the other Companions, she had the ability to communicate with all the canines. She could even talk with Bast, though the feline’s mind felt decidedly different from a Terrier’s or Shepherd’s. Mari didn’t like to use her special ability, as she felt it was an intrusion, but as she connected with the distraught pup she silently thanked the Goddess for her gift.
It’s okay, little Dash. We’re coming for you. While she spoke to the pup Mari painted a picture of him being very still as hands reached out to lift him to safety.
Dash whined and yipped again.
Where do you hurt? she asked him.
He sent her an image of his right front leg. Mari was trying to decide whether it was broken or not when the pup relayed another picture to her that had Mari’s breath stopping.
“Nik!”
He hurried to her as he tied a noose into a long length of rope. “I’m hurrying,” he said.
“The pup’s hurt, but I don’t think badly. It’s his right front leg.” Then she lowered her voice and whispered to Nik, “And he isn’t alone down there.”
His eyes widened. Danger? he mouthed.
Mari nodded.
The pup whimpered and whined.
“It’s okay, my precious one!” Lily soothed. “We’re coming to save you!”
O’Bryan rushed over to them. “Set up the anchor. I’m better at rappelling than you are. I’m going over the edge.”
“Agreed,” Nik said. Then Mari watched him whisper to his cousin.
O’Bryan nodded grimly and unsheathed the long knife he wore on his belt. “Sora, I need that sling you carry Chloe in.”
“Of course!” Sora unwound the sling and then rushed to O’Bryan, rewrapping it around him. “Just stuff the pup in the front here. He’ll stay.”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
Sora touched his arm gently. “Please don’t fall.”
“I’ll do my best,” he said.
Nik worked quickly, with Antreas helping him. First they looped rope around Lily’s legs, securing it to a scrub tree that grew by the bridge. Then they used a boulder as an anchor for O’Bryan’s rappelling line, wrapping the thick length of braided hemp around it.
Wilkes and Sheena hurried off the bridge. Immediately they helped with the anchor. Rose rushed to Lily’s side, dropping to her stomach to peer over the edge as she took Lily’s hand in hers. Davis tied another rope around Rose’s legs, securing her to another immovable rock.
“It’s okay. O’Bryan will save you—just like he did during the forest fire,” Rose called down to Dash. Fala, pressed against her Companion, barked encouragement down to her puppy.
Behind them, Mari could hear Dove praying to the Goddess to keep Dash and O’Bryan safe.
O’Bryan stepped into the makeshift harness Nik had created with an intricate series of knots. He nodded to Nik, who moved back, following the rope. Most of the Pack had crossed, and when Nik called, “I need the strongest of you! Wrap your hands and take hold of this rope. We anchor O’Bryan and drop him over the
side slowly,” Wilkes, Jaxom, Mason, Davis, Antreas, and Sheena didn’t hesitate in joining Nik on the rope.
“Okay, I’m ready,” O’Bryan said.
“Start rappelling. We’ve got you,” said Nik.
“I don’t doubt you for a second, Cuz.” O’Bryan flashed a smile at Nik and patted the handle of his wickedly sharp knife. “And I’m ready for whatever I find down there.” Then he disappeared over the edge.
The rope went taut.
“Steady!” Nik said. “We release him slowly.”
Mari moved off Lily’s legs and someone anchored her legs as she lay on her belly beside the distraught newly Chosen Companion, watching O’Bryan rappel smoothly down the impossibly steep cliff.
“Almost to the ledge!” O’Bryan called.
“About three more feet,” Mari told Nik.
“Got it—let him down gently—three feet,” Nik said.
“He’s on the ledge!” Mari said.
“Hey there, little Dash. I’ve got you!” O’Bryan said, squatting to pick up the pup. Dash cried sharply. “Oh, I see! Come here. That hurts, doesn’t it? Okay, I’ll be careful, but let me wrap you in this sling.” As he gently put the pup in the sling, O’Bryan looked up and shouted, “Looks like he might have broken his leg, but other than that he seems scared, but fine.” Then his gaze slid to the far side of the ledge, which was covered in shadow. “Give me a foot or so. I have to check out—” O’Bryan began. His words cut off, and Mari tried to see what he was looking at, but she could only make out something that looked like a pile of forest debris.
“Be careful, O’Bryan. You have the pup. Let’s get you two up here,” said Mari.
“I’m coming. I just—” O’Bryan stopped abruptly and then he crouched, staring at the pile of debris and poking it with his long knife. Mari saw him jump in surprise. “Bloody beetle balls! I don’t believe it!”
“What is it?” she asked.
He reached into the shadowy pile and pulled out something white that wriggled and cried. “Bloody beetle balls!” he repeated, staring up, up, up above Mari and the rest of them to the cliff that protruded over them, before stuffing the white thing in the sling with Dash.
O’Bryan stood, put away his knife, and went to the cliffside, reaching up to find two secure handholds. “Okay, I’m ready! Pull me back up. I’ll do what I can to help.”
It took a lot longer to pull him up than it’d taken to drop him down, but O’Bryan was finally within reach, and Mari, Lily, and Rose grabbed onto him, helping him the final few feet.
He spilled out onto the path with a grunt, landing on his back to protect the pup wrapped against his chest.
Dash immediately began whining pitifully, and Lily went to her knees beside O’Bryan, reaching for her pup.
O’Bryan sat and carefully pulled Dash from the sling, handing him to Lily. “It’s his right front leg. Don’t worry. Mari’s fixed far worse.”
“Oh, precious one! My boy! Oh, Dash, let me look at you!” Lily cooed as the pup buried his head against her neck. He was still whining and in obvious pain, but his little tail was wagging.
“Hold him close for a little while to calm him, and once he understands he’s safe I’ll take a look at that leg,” said Mari. Then she turned to O’Bryan, who was peering down into the sling. “What else was down there?”
“Well, I think it was a dead wolverine,” said O’Bryan.
Antreas pushed through the crowd that had formed around them. “Long brown fur with some white—usually framing the face and sometimes on the body? Huge paws—as big as Bast’s—with long, visible claws?”
“Yeah, that’s what it looked like,” O’Bryan said as he reached back into the sling. “And this was pressed against its belly.”
He lifted the little creature from the sling. It was perfectly white and about the size of the smallest of Mariah’s pups, though this baby was obviously much younger—maybe even newborn. Its eyes were tightly closed and it was hardly moving and mewing weakly.
“Great Stormshaker! That’s a wolverine kit! I’ve never seen one before—only heard about them from another guide who found a mother and two kits dead after a bad flood one spring. But that’s exactly what he described.”
“It looks really young,” said Rose. She held out her hands. “May I?”
O’Bryan nodded and handed the baby to Rose. She studied it, turning the kit and looking for injuries.
“It looks uninjured, but this is a newborn. There’s no telling how long it’s been down there.”
“The mother was rigid. She’d been dead a while,” O’Bryan said.
“This baby is close to death as well,” Rose said sadly, handing it back to O’Bryan.
“But, we can save it, right?” Mari asked, reaching out to stroke the baby gently with one finger.
“It needs milk,” said O’Bryan, his gaze searching the Pack until he found Claudia. “Excuse me,” he said as he started pushing his way through the crowd to her.
Mari and Nik followed. She understood what O’Bryan intended—and she hoped it would work.
Once he reached Claudia he wasted no time. “This is a newborn wolverine kit—that’s what Antreas says to call a baby wolverine. Its mother is dead on the ledge.” O’Bryan pointed up. “From down there I could see that there’s an opening to a den on the face of the cliff above us. The mother must have somehow fallen, and the pup came with her. Her neck was twisted at a weird angle, so I’m thinking she died instantly, but she must have broken the fall for her kit. May I show it to you?”
Claudia was already looking with obvious curiosity at the mewing baby in his hands, and she nodded. “Of course!”
He opened his hands, and Claudia gasped. “It looks so much like a puppy!”
Davis moved up beside her and touched the kit hesitantly. “It really does.”
“It’s going to die without help. Claudia, I would like to ask that you allow Mariah to feed the kit. Please. It would mean a lot to me.”
“Before you answer, I just want to add some common sense,” said Antreas. “I have never known of a wolverine to tolerate the presence of a human, a canine, or a feline. They are ferocious and solitary. I am not saying we should let this young one die. I only want you to understand you might be saving a creature that will turn on you, on a pup, on any of us.”
Danita slid her hand into Antreas’s and spoke in a clear voice that carried through the watching, waiting Pack.
“Didn’t you tell me Lynxes are solitary as well—always?”
“Yes, that’s true,” said Antreas.
“But you and Bast were not happy with that life. You wanted—needed our Pack. So, just because people see wolverines one way, like people see Lynxes, that doesn’t hold true for every Lynx.” Beside her, Bast chirped in agreement.
Antreas looked at Mari. “What do you think, Moon Woman?”
Mari answered without hesitation. “I think that’s a newborn who needs our help, and I wouldn’t want to withhold that help because we’re judging the baby by the mother. Sora?”
“I am in complete agreement with you,” said the other Moon Woman. “We are not heartless. Nor are we cruel. And we would have to be one or both to allow a newborn to die.”
“Claudia?” O’Bryan asked.
“I agree with our Moon Women. That’s a baby—not an enemy. And maybe if we take it in and love and nurture it, the baby won’t grow up to be an enemy. But I cannot answer for my Companion. It is Mariah’s decision, and I will abide by that.”
“I agree, with one additional thought,” Davis said. “I hope very, very much that Mariah agrees.”
Mari saw that the Pack was nodding in response to Davis’s comment, and it made her heart soar to see their compassion.
“Let’s ask her,” said Claudia, leading the way to their litter.
Cammy was curled up beside Mariah, who was nursing her puppies and looking utterly content. As they approached, Cammy and Mariah pricked their ears, sniffing the air curiously.
“Go ahead, show her. And then ask her. I’ll let you know if she has any questions,” said Claudia.
O’Bryan went to Mariah. He still had the kit in his hands, cradling it against his chest, trying to keep the baby warm.
“Mariah, I need to ask a large favor. I found this newborn wolverine kit by its dead mother. It’s going to die, too—soon, if it doesn’t nurse and stay warm. Would you please allow it to nurse with your litter?”
Mariah looked from O’Bryan to her Companion.
“She would like to sniff it,” explained Claudia.
“Oh, sure.” O’Bryan sat on the side of the litter and held the kit so the female Shepherd could inspect it.
As Mariah sniffed the baby, Cammy limped to join her, his stub wagging in welcome. Then Mariah nuzzled the kit and licked it—tentatively at first. Then, as it wriggled and cried pathetically, she whined and licked it some more.
“Oh, that’s my kind, wise girl!” Claudia’s eyes were shining with tears when she told O’Bryan, in a voice that carried throughout the Pack, “Mariah will mother the kit!”
“Oh, thank the Sun!” O’Bryan said. “Now?”
“Yes! Yes! That baby needs milk and comfort right away!” said Claudia.
O’Bryan quickly guided the kit to an empty nipple in the middle of the pile of Mariah’s fat, sleepy puppies—who mewed and complained and then fell immediately back to sleep.
The kit sniffed at the nipple, and it looked for a moment like it was going to refuse. Then Mariah took over. She pushed O’Bryan’s hands away and nuzzled the kit, licking it and whining softly to the baby. The kit responded quickly and began rooting around her stomach until finally it latched on and began suckling with enthusiasm and kneading Mariah’s soft belly fur. The mother sighed and lay back as Cammy huffed and wagged.
“He does understand that’s not his kit, right?” Nik asked Davis.
“Oh, make no mistake, Cammy has claimed the baby just as surely as O’Bryan and Mariah,” said Davis. Then he added in a reverent voice, “Thank you, Great Earth Mother! Thank you for this small, special life and the heroes who are saving it.”
O’Bryan petted Mariah. “Thank you! What a good, good girl you are. Thank you so much.” Then he stood and faced Mari and Sora—and the rest of the Pack. “And I give my word that I will take full responsibility for this kit. If he, or she—I’m not even sure which it is.”
