Clan of Wolves

by Jo Sandhu

  Utu who-hooed softly on his shoulder and plucked at the leather thong around his wing.

  ‘Stop that, Utu,’ Tarin said. Kaija had already retied the strap many times. He flexed his own arm. ‘We’re a great pair, aren’t we?’ The owl chirped and bit his ear.

  So why did the mammoth choose me? Tarin wondered.

  Spirit of Mammoth must have known I would fail, because don’t the Spirits know everything?

  He stretched his neck and suddenly felt very tired. He returned to the fire and placed some willowbark into the basket of water, ready for heating the next morning. Luuka was already snoring softly, his head cradled on Rohk. Nilkka’s deep orange eyes glowed as Tarin patted her good night.

  He banked the fire and lay on his back, staring up at the star-studded sky. Utu tried to flap his wings, then gave up and settled next to Tarin, his bright eyes watching the night. Nilkka reached her nose forward and sniffed the owl.

  Tarin smiled at his odd clan. He wondered what Mammoth Clan was doing. Tuuli and Jarkko would be joined by now, and the whole clan would be preparing for Summer Gathering. The thought shocked him, as he realised how long he had been away. Spring was over. Perhaps Kalle had sent a runner to Bison Clan, to ask after his son, but they would have no news to give.

  Tarin yawned, fighting against sleep. There was something nagging him – a thought hovering on the edge of his consciousness.

  Summer Gathering! What if Musk Ox Clan had gone to Summer Gathering? He sat up suddenly. Rohk growled and Utu hissed. He glanced down at Kaija and Luuka, but they still slept. So much depended on them restocking their supplies. They needed spears and knives and water flasks and spare skins.

  Tarin closed his eyes and lay back down. Exhaustion finally overtook him, but his sleep was disturbed, filled with dreams that made him wake in a sweat, his heart pounding. But when he tried to recall what he dreamt, the images melted away and all that remained was a feeling of great loss.

  Dawn had barely tinged the sky violet when the travellers continued their journey. In the early gloom, the eyes of the wolves and owl gleamed. Utu ruffled his feathers and hooted softly in Tarin’s ear before pecking him sharply. Rohk and Nilkka loped ahead, their tongues hanging out to taste the wind that swept from the frozen ice shelf far in the north.

  The pale sun rose. The sky deepened to blue, and the river valley opened out to rocky scrubland and wide, tree-less steppes. The travellers stood on the top of a rise and looked out over a sea of undulating grass and flat expanses of lichen-encrusted rock. It was a wild place, dry and cold. Tarin felt the blood in his veins quicken. It smelled of home.

  ‘If we keep the mountains on our right, we should find Musk Ox Clan,’ he said. But the day passed without any sign of human habitation.

  Tarin was becoming dispirited. His arm ached, and the constant wind drove dust into his eyes and dried his throat. The travellers stopped to drink from a small pool of water, but it tasted stale, and they only took a few sips to wet their lips.

  The ground became rockier. Steep ravines opened at their feet, forcing them to change direction or scramble up and down the rocky sides. Few trees grew in this desolate land, and those that did were twisted and misshapen. They made dry camp that night, unable to find a water supply. Luuka picked up one of the leftover bulrush roots and bit into it.

  ‘Everything tastes of dust,’ he said, grimacing.

  Tarin shifted position, trying to find a comfortable place to sit on the hard, rocky ground. He stretched his leg out and wondered which one ached the most – his leg or his arm. He wished he had two hands free to tie his hair back from his face, where the wind whipped it against his eyes.

  Kaija bent over their firepit. Using a couple of sticks, she manoeuvred a hot rock out of the flames and placed it in the cavity of a gutted steppe pika. With no cooking pots, it was one way to cook the small, furry mammal that had been too slow for her sling.

  ‘The animals don’t like the wind,’ she said. Rohk whimpered as though to agree and thumped his tail. He licked his lips and tried to move closer to the cooking, but Kaija pushed him away.

  ‘You’ve already had your share,’ she told the wolf sternly.

  The days passed. The wind still blew, and water was still scarce. Animals were plentiful on the steppes, but there was no sign of Musk Ox Clan. They had passed no traveller’s cairns and no carefully placed rocks.

  ‘We must have missed the signs,’ Kaija said, as they stopped for a meal. They huddled together in the shadow of a rocky outcrop that gave some protection from the driving wind.

  ‘We can’t have,’ Tarin said, tiredness and worry sharpening his voice. ‘The mountains are still on our right. The camp must be here somewhere.’

  ‘Then why haven’t we found it yet? I think we should go back and find Yoben’s Clan. At least we can restock our supplies.’

  ‘But we can’t go back that far!’ Tarin ran a frustrated hand through his hair. ‘We have to keep going.’

  Kaija chewed her lip. ‘We can’t go much further without water. You have to be sensible about it, Tarin –’

  ‘I am being sensible. It makes no sense to go back –’ He broke off. He didn’t want to argue, but he couldn’t understand why Kaija wanted to go back. ‘We need to keep going,’ he said finally.

  ‘We need water.’ Kaija’s voice rose. ‘And we need food supplies, spears, knives. We need extra furs. Summer is here. Have you realised that, Tarin?’

  ‘I know,’ Tarin said, but Kaija continued as though he hadn’t spoken.

  ‘The grass is already turning brittle. The berries are ripening, and the snow birds have all turned brown. That means Summer will be short. We need to find people to help us, because we won’t survive out here by ourselves once Winter comes.’

  Tarin rubbed his face with his hands. It felt hot and itchy from the dust. ‘I know,’ he whispered harshly. In a land ruled by the great glaciers, Winter’s threat was ever present.

  ‘If it takes us a moon’s cycle to reach your clan . . .’ Kaija stopped and shook her head.

  Tarin jumped to his feet. He didn’t want to talk anymore. He didn’t want to admit that every night he lay awake, worrying. That a bubble of fear constantly churned his stomach and tainted his dreams. He didn’t want to admit that every night he called to Owl and Wolf, but still they stayed silent.

  He didn’t want to admit that maybe Kaija was right.

  He scooped Utu up and placed him on his shoulder before storming away. The wind blasted him with fine grit as he left the protection of the rocks, but he scrambled his way to the top of the outcrop and stood looking out over the rugged countryside. He pinched his nostrils against the wind and narrowed his eyes, and slowly, the anger inside settled.

  Kaija was right, he thought. They needed supplies. If theirs hadn’t been buried back in the mountain, they could travel all Summer and into Autumn, but with only a sling and a couple of spears between them, they would be in trouble once the weather started to cool. Survival in this climate depended on forward thinking and planning.

  Luuka joined him, sending a cascade of loose rocks rolling down toward their small camp.

  ‘Have you come to talk sense into me?’ Tarin glared at him.

  Luuka grinned, and rubbed his nose. ‘No. She said to find a big rock and bang it into your head.’

  Tarin snorted, then sneezed. He looked out at the undulating steppes, following the horizon as far as he could. A cluster of stubby trees drew his attention.

  ‘That could mean water down there.’ He pointed to the trees.

  ‘Could be,’ Luuka agreed cautiously. He glanced up at the sun. ‘The day’s only half gone. We could still cover a lot of distance today.’

  Tarin nodded. ‘We could. Or we could go and look for Yoben’s clan.’ He sniffed and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Kaija was right. We could have missed Musk Ox Clan.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Luuka said with a shrug, as he started back down the rocks. ‘But no need to tell her that.’
<
br />   When Tarin reached the bottom of the outcrop, Kaija had already broken camp. Her eyes were red, and her lips pressed together.

  ‘Tarin’s seen trees that could mean a water supply,’ Luuka said.

  Kaija nodded, but didn’t speak. Luuka winked at Tarin and whistled to the wolves as he led the way. Kaija marched behind him, staring ahead in stony silence.

  ‘Kaija?’ Tarin sounded hesitant. She turned her head toward him, but kept her eyes on the ground. She quickened her pace, forcing Tarin to walk faster. ‘I am sorry.’

  Her steps slowed, and she bit her lip. Tarin continued.

  ‘You were right. It might be the sensible thing to look for Yoben’s Clan.’

  ‘Might be?’

  Tarin sighed. ‘It is the sensible thing to do.’ They walked in silence for a time, then Tarin tried again. ‘I’m being stubborn, I know.’

  ‘Yes, you are.’ Kaija nodded and picked up the pace again. Luuka and the wolves were far ahead.

  ‘But I just can’t give up yet.’ Tarin stopped and grabbed Kaija’s arm, turning her to face him.

  Kaija stared over his shoulder, determined not to meet his eyes. Her shoulders slumped. ‘My opinion is important, too,’ she said.

  ‘I know –’

  ‘No, you don’t.’ She looked at him fiercely. ‘Luuka and I nearly starved because we didn’t think sensibly. We left River Clan with nothing.’ She rubbed her forehead and Tarin saw her hand shake. ‘I’m so . . .’ She stopped and clenched her jaw. Her eyes squeezed shut and she shuddered. Tarin leaned closer to hear her hoarse whisper. ‘I’m so . . . frightened.’ She opened her eyes and stared at him, refusing to let any tears fall. ‘I won’t let us starve, Tarin. I’ll fight you every step of the way if I have to.’

  Tarin shook his head. ‘You don’t have to. And we won’t starve. Summer is the richest time on the steppes because all the herd animals come to eat the grass.’

  ‘And how are we going to hunt the herd animals?’

  ‘We still have the spear thrower. Once we find a place to camp for a few days, we can make more spears.’

  We only have one knife . . .

  The bubble of fear rose. Tarin forced it down.

  He wanted to tell Kaija to trust him, but the words stuck in his throat. And why should she trust you? he asked himself. He, too, nearly starved on his journey with Niko, and since then, it had been Kaija who had saved his life – twice. He raked his hand through his hair and stared at the ground.

  ‘I think we should go back.’ Kaija’s voice was a whisper.

  ‘I . . .’ Tarin stopped and groaned.

  I can’t go back . . .

  He wanted to shout. He wanted to stand on top of the highest rock, and shout that this savage, wild land wouldn’t beat him. He had been swept down rivers, delved deep into mountains, and crossed endless plains, and now when his journey was finally leading him home – he would not give in.

  But a part of him realised Kaija was right. They needed supplies to survive. If that meant retracing their steps, then that’s what they should do. He felt the weight of Kaija’s gaze on him.

  ‘You haven’t failed, Tarin. There’s no disgrace in going backwards, if it makes us stronger then to go forward.’

  ‘That sounds like something Worj would say,’ Tarin said with a crooked grin.

  Kaija snorted. ‘It was.’

  ‘Hei O!’ Luuka shouted. ‘Water. Hurry up, you two. We’ve found water!’

  Tarin and Kaija stared at each other for one moment, then both of them turned and ran.

  Luuka had found a fast-flowing stream that pooled at the base of a rocky overhang. A row of wind-twisted conifers traced the course of the water as it carved its way through the rock. The travellers cupped their hands beneath the waterfall and drank deeply of the icy water before splashing their faces clean of the layers of dust. The wolves yelped and splashed and ran around in circles. Even Utu fluffed his feathers in the spray, and then sat on a rock and watched the wolves with disdain.

  ‘So, you admit I was right.’ Kaija scooped water through her hair and over her arms. She licked the moisture from her lips and glared at Tarin.

  ‘I admit you were right.’ Tarin followed the course of the stream with his gaze, studying the shape of the rocks and the wide grassy plain opening before them.

  ‘So,’ Kaija said with a frown, ‘why are you still looking undecided?’ She pushed Rohk away as he tried to jump on her with wet paws and lick her face.

  Tarin didn’t answer. He stood staring out at the steppe.

  Kaija clicked her tongue in annoyance. ‘Can you give me one good reason why we shouldn’t turn around right now?’

  Tarin turned toward her, a smile lifting his lips and his eyes glowing.

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Because I know this place. I’ve been here before, two years ago. We’ve found Musk Ox Clan!

  ‘I didn’t recognise it at first,’ Tarin said. ‘Because Mammoth Clan approached it from a different direction. We came across the tundra, so the mountains were always before us.’

  ‘And now, we’ve come from the south.’ Luuka nodded his head. He held his hand up to his eyes to shade them from the sun and stared in the direction Tarin was pointing.

  ‘We can be at camp by early evening.’ Tarin couldn’t keep the excitement out of his voice.

  ‘So, no going back?’ Luuka said. Tarin smiled and shook his head, and Kaija pulled a face at her brother.

  The sun was just touching the horizon as the travellers approached the camp. Musk Ox Camp was situated on an elevated terrace above a wide, shallow river. It gave them a clear view of the surrounding grasslands. If it hadn’t been for the pile of rocks topped with a musk ox skull, the travellers might still have missed the rounded earth-lodge. It blended perfectly with the surrounding hills.

  Tarin approached the river with trepidation. On their approach across the flat plain, he had searched the area for signs of habitation, but the camp appeared deserted. The worry that they were already at Summer Gathering grew, until Tarin felt sweat break out across his forehead and his lungs felt as though they couldn’t breathe. He glanced at Kaija and saw the familiar frown creasing her forehead.

  The river was shallow enough to ford, and so they didn’t worry about removing their footwear. The wolves stayed close to Luuka, sensing the smells of unfamiliar humans. Tarin thought if he were a wolf, he’d be wary, too.

  He paused by the rise to the second terrace and studied the earth-lodge. It was rounded, like the lodges of Mammoth Clan, but where Mammoth Clan consisted of many separate lodges shared by one or two family groups, Musk Ox Clan all lived in one long lodge. Towering mammoth tusks still framed the doorway, but instead of animal hides covering the latticework of bones, Musk Ox lodge was covered in a thick layer of grass and earth.

  A thick hide of bison hair covered the doorway, blocking the wind and keeping the heat inside. It was hard to tell whether there was a glow from a fire behind the thick curtain, but from a small smoke hole in the roof of the lodge trickled a thin stream of smoke. Someone was home.

  Tarin waved the others behind him, motioning to the wolves to sit. He was surprised when they obeyed. Utu hissed softly in his ear.

  ‘Hei O!’ Tarin called. His voice sounded thin in the wind. He cleared his throat and called again.

  The door flew open, and four men stood silhouetted by the glow of the fire. They were tall, broad-shouldered, and carrying spears.

  ‘Strange ones. You have no business here.’ The tallest of the men stepped forward, waving his spear. Tarin swallowed and took a step back.

  ‘Strange ones?’ he whispered to Luuka and Kaija. ‘What do they mean?’

  Kaija sighed. ‘Tarin, you have an owl on your shoulder. And we travel with two wolves . . .’

  ‘Oh.’ Tarin drew a deep breath and nodded. He passed Utu to Luuka and bent to touch Rohk and Nilkka with a steadying hand. He could feel Rohk’s growl deep in his throat. ‘Stay,’ he whispered. ‘And be good.’<
br />
  He took a step closer to the men and raised his hands to show he had no weapon, although it hurt him to raise his injured arm. He had seen Jarkko do the same, and traders that came to Mammoth Camp. It was the generally understood sign of friendship.

  ‘I am Tarin. Once Tarin of Mammoth Clan. Now Tarin of the Wolves.’ He paused as the men murmured amongst themselves. ‘We mean no harm.’ He glanced back at the others. ‘I travel with Luuka and Kaija. Once they were of the Third Cave of the River Clan. Now they also are Wolf Clan.’

  ‘You travel with Spirits,’ another man said.

  ‘These animals are no Spirits,’ Tarin said.

  ‘Then they are real animals?’ The speaker was slighter than the other men, and he took a step closer to Tarin.

  ‘They are real,’ Kaija said. She knelt down and rested her hand on Nilkka. ‘We rescued these wolves from a cruel fate when they were babies. They have grown with us, and they will not harm us.’

  ‘But will they harm us?’ a Musk Ox man asked.

  The murmuring rose again.

  ‘No.’ Luuka said. He scratched Rohk’s ears and Rohk opened his mouth and yawned. He licked Luuka’s fingers and sat grinning at the people around him.

  ‘And the owl? He is a fledgling? What is wrong with his wing?’ The slighter man took another step closer.

  ‘It was broken. We strapped it.’

  ‘You strapped an owl’s wing? Why?’

  Tarin scratched his nose. His shoulders slumped. He wasn’t sure how to explain to these strangers the reasons for rescuing Utu, or the wolves, or why they were standing there in stained and torn clothes with no supplies or packs.

  ‘Owl is my totem,’ Tarin said. ‘It was the right thing to do. When I was a baby, Owl saved me. I have repaid my debt.’

  The slight man exclaimed, and came toward Tarin. He grasped his shoulders before Tarin could take a step back.