‘You’re a good shot,’ he said.
‘Jeykal taught me.’
He ran a finger along my jawline. ‘That boy has a thing for you.’
I shivered. ‘And you don’t?’
The corner of his lip tugged upwards, causing a dimple in his cheek. I snorted, shaking my head. We walked back to our encampment. Skelkra dragged the hawgrald’s carcass.
We cooked the parts of the bird not being used as bait. Once my appetite was satisfied, I noticed my blue feet and warmed them by the fire. I massaged my feet, squeezing and pushing until they reddened and tingled with blood flow. Skelkra went to the river to fetch water. Upon returning, he cut his knapsack in two and used one half to store his belongings and the other to dab water onto my wounds. He washed hawgrald blood from his muscular torso.
‘Aren’t you cold?’ I asked.
‘No more than you would be.’ His gaze lingered on my stomach and moved up to my breasts.
The back of my neck tingled, and I ached for his fingers to stroke my skin. Distracted again. I shook my head and met his eyes. ‘The day is closing. I must set the trap now.’
His fingers took hold of my wrist. ‘You are injured. Rest tonight and hunt tomorrow.’
I leaped to my feet. ‘Now is the time for me to strike. Put this fire out, in case the others see.’ I packed my things, grabbed a portion of the bloody hawgrald carcass, and didn’t even look at Skelkra as I slipped deeper into the forest. Thixal walked behind me, stopping when I stopped, climbing when I climbed. I aimed for a ravine ahead, where I would lure the outermost bear to the meat.
The crunch of nearby leaves made me twirl around. ‘Why are you following me?’ I hissed at Skelkra.
‘You’re going to die out there,’ he replied.
I made a growling noise. ‘Leave me! Make your own way!’
He leapt forward and seized my arm. ‘Listen—’
I shoved him back, but my efforts were wasted on someone his size. Annoyed by my weakness, I stomped away. My heavy steps turned soft as I neared the bears’ fishing grounds. I checked behind me. Only Thixal followed. Thank the stars. I held her gaze for a moment. A smile touched her lips, and I knew she approved that I had left Skelkra behind.
As the sun plunged behind the mountains, the clouds lowered, their bellies full of snow. Most of the bears had moved downstream. A young male stayed behind, determined to catch the last of the fish. He panted and snorted, batting the water with his claws. His youth had no effect on his size, and my heart pounded with fear. On all fours, he stood taller than Skelkra. On two feet, he would tower above the younger pines.
The greying clouds blocked the sunlight and darkened the valley. Light pulsed in the distance where a storm brewed. Above, the clouds spilled their contents, and icy winds whipped the falling snowflakes into a frenzy. I smiled at the skies to thank them for helping my plight. As tree branches groaned, gathered snow fell to the ground with a thump. I timed my steps with the sound.
The bear was tired from the day’s activities. As he swiped at the water, his gaze flickered here and there with wavering focus. He sniffed the air, finally noticing the change in weather.
Now was the time to act.
I slid down the mountainside and into a ravine, placed the bloody hawgrald flesh on the ground, and climbed back up the icy cliff. My fingers dug into the snow in search of a stone. I found one, aimed, and threw it at the bear, hitting him on the backside. I ducked down low and held my breath as the beast growled with irritation, his narrowed eyes sweeping the landscape.
He lifted his snout, twitched his nose, and rose onto his hind legs. His body elongated as he stretched towards the sky, searching the landscape around me. Suddenly, he grunted, went down to all fours, and cantered towards the ravine. I slithered through the snow and carefully peered over the side of the cliff. I reached back, took the hilt of my dagger, and waited. The bear lifted its eyes in my direction and I ducked, tightening my grip on the dagger’s handle and taking a steadying breath. I heard the sounds of ripping and tearing. Perfect.
My veins swelled with blood, my senses heightened, and the world crawled to a stop around me as I contemplated my advance. I had to flank the bear, or I’d be trapped against the mountain base. After silently edging around the beast, I waited. Succumbed by the blood and flesh of his meal, he made no more checks for rivals.
I counted the beats of my heart, knowing each one brought me closer to my fate. I focused on my weapon, ensuring the grip on the handle was faultless. I licked salty sweat from my upper lip, closed my eyes, and pictured exactly what I had to do. When I opened them again, I rose into a low crouch. The bear raised his blood-covered face, taking a break and sniffing the air. Feathers stuck to his neck.
I inched even closer. A bird whistled in a tree to my right. A fish splashed in the river. Thunder clapped in the distance. A breeze cooled my forehead.
Now? I asked myself. My muscles twitched, but my mind remained still. I had to trust my intuition. It would tell me when the time was right. I steadied my breathing, managing my heart rate. Too much excitement would make my movements jerky; too little, and I would miss my mark. The bear collapsed onto the snow, continuing its meal on its belly. It emitted satisfied grunts. I allowed him a few more moments of pleasure.
Now! I leapt from the ridge, flew through the air, and landed on the bear’s back. He reared, tossing his head towards the sky. The bear’s shoulders shuddered, almost throwing me off. I brought my arm down and stabbed his neck as hard as I could. The blade went in, but I’d missed the artery.
The bear thrashed, claws fully extended, each talon the length of my hand. I gripped the animal’s neck and squeezed with my thighs. I brought my hand back and stabbed again; blood sprayed my face and neck. I let go and fell to the ground. The beast turned to face me, his ivory fur stained crimson.
The bear rose onto his hind legs, growled at me, and then struck out. I rolled backwards—wind brush against my back—got to my feet and sprinted away from the ravine. Paws pounded on the ground behind me. I knew I couldn’t outrun him, so I dodged and jumped, but the soft snow slowed me down. Ripping pain ran the length of my back as the bear struck me down. I fell to the snow, but rolled onto my back to meet the beast’s wild, ferocious eyes. I scrambled back as he swiped again; this time his claw caught my thigh, exposing red flesh.
When he leaned down to bite me, I kicked him hard in the jaw and thrust my dagger into his neck. The bear groaned as warm blood drenched my bare skin. He shook his head while the blood leaked out in rhythmic spurts, and I knew I’d hit the artery.
I clutched at my leg. Unsteadily, I moved across the snow, pressing down hard on my wound. The bear staggered away, grunting and moaning. I lay on my side, keeping my back and leg from touching the snow. Unable to move, I lay there panting.
I was going to die.
‘Klawdia!’
Skelkra slid down a nearby hill. He pulled off his loincloth and ripped it into shreds to soak up the blood on my back. I turned away, hiding my pain.
‘Sorry,’ he said, ripping my breast cloth from my body and tying it around my leg. Then he ran to the river, skidding on the slippery surface and almost falling in. He broke off a chunk of ice and came back to press it on my leg.
I flinched in agony, groaning through gritted teeth.
‘Keep still,’ he said.
‘Did you get your wolf?’ I asked in my fragile state.
‘No. Stop talking.’ Putting his hands under my arms, he lifted me and dragged me across the snow, deep into a gully. I stared up at a cliff edge and saw the grey clouds above it. ‘We’ll be out of the wind here,’ he said. ‘Squeeze the skin together to stop the flow of blood.’
I did as he said and cried out at the pain.
‘I’ll be back, I promise,’ he said, and ran off.
For a long time, I lay there alone and in agony. Snow fell, and the flakes were small and light, but soon they grew larger. I pressed hard on the ice on my leg, and it beg
an to melt; pink water trickled down my leg.
When Skelkra returned, he had both our knapsacks and the wood from the fire we’d lit earlier. He made a fresh blaze, took my bow and arrow, and left again. I curled my body into a crescent shape alongside the hot logs. A while later, he returned with three dead rabbits and a fox.
He took my knife and skinned them. I hoped the Watchers wouldn’t penalise him for using my weapons, but given that I had made the attack all on my own and was severely injured, I wagered they’d forgive me. The smell of cooking meat made my mouth water with anticipation.
Skelkra checked my wounds. ‘The bleeding has slowed.’ He sighed with relief. ‘The cuts on your back aren’t deep, but your leg is bad. You’ll need to keep it wrapped. Tomorrow you must go home.’
‘No!’ I said, sitting up and then grimaced at the pain. ‘I have to find the bear. I have to cut off its head.’
He tried to push me back down, but I fought him off. Grabbing a jutting stone I pulled myself onto my feet. Blood leaked from my wound again. I ignored it, grabbed the knife from my bag, and hobbled forward.
Skelkra muttered something and swept me up into his arms, holding me close. He laid me gently on the ground. ‘Stay here, and I’ll track it down.’
He hesitated for a moment, ensuring I wouldn’t try and stand again, and then left. I stared at the browning meat on the fire, its edges starting to blacken. I rescued the tasty morsels by shoving them into my mouth. Dust and rocks tumbled down the cliff side, and I glanced up to meet Thixal’s eyes.
‘I’m alive,’ I said, waving at her before shoving more of the food into my mouth. I grabbed my water skin and slurped.
Skelkra reappeared. ‘The tracks lead this way.’
He picked me up and carried me until we found the bear corpse. I collapsed to the ground and said a silent prayer out of respect for the animal. Thixal and Abel came up beside us.
‘We have decided not to disqualify you, Skelkra of the Wolves, for using the weapons of another challenger to hunt game before you’ve obtained your own prize,’ said Abel.
Then Thixal said to me, ‘You fought bravely, so we will overlook that Skelkra carried you here to complete your task. However, you must cut the bear’s head from the body.’ Thixal presented me with a cleaver.
I sat beside the bear, keeping my injured leg straight, and swung the cleaver. Every movement made my back twinge and my wounded thigh leak blood. The landscape was almost dark when I finally reached the bone. I looked back at the gully, worrying about the fire.
‘I’ll take care of it,’ Skelkra said and left.
I bashed the blade through the bone and used the last of my energy to twist the head and snap the remaining ligaments. I rolled the head into a bag and lay down on the snow, letting the cold numb my body. Too exhausted to stay awake, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
I lay on a bed of leaves, leather, and canvas. A naked Skelkra crouched near a flickering fire. The bear’s head sat nearby, its eyes lifeless, its open jaw revealing sharp canines. I closed my eyes and basked in the warmth and safety. Even the pain had lessened.
‘Thank you,’ I whispered to Skelkra.
As he turned to meet my gaze, his hair shimmered in the firelight. He crawled across the ground towards me, like a lion meeting his mate. His muscles flexed and swelled, and I glimpsed at what swung between his legs. His thighs were thick from training, and his lips spread into a smile as he neared. He lay parallel to me and brushed a strand of hair from my face.
My breath caught in my throat. I closed my eyes, basking in his touch. To my surprise, soft skin touched my lips, and I opened my eyes to see Skelkra kissing me. As if they were possessed, my hands rushed to his body, desperate to touch what I had always admired. My fingers found the edges of his shoulder blades, the curve of his spine, and finally his firm backside.
He pressed against me, his warmth pushing away the frigid air. Leaves rustled underneath us as his hands found their way to my breasts and my left leg pulled at him, urging him to climb over me. His own leg rested between my thighs and pushed against my throbbing ache, hiking up my loincloth. It did little to satisfy me, and I ground myself against it. His tongue explored my mouth, and my own pushed back. I felt his length twitching against my leg and I moved for him to lie on top. He carefully lowered himself between my legs, being careful to avoid my injury, and his hardness flicked against my wetness, making me moan.
I thrust my tongue into his mouth, but he moved southward to flick his tongue over my breasts and circle my nipples. Returning to my neck, he nipped at skin and then pulled back to smile at me. The next time he kissed me, he inserted his tongue, and his length, at the same time. I gasped, arching my back to accommodate him. Heat spread throughout my body, and pleasure erupted below. I cried out, digging my nails into his back. His own body tensed, and he gasped and moaned over and over. I felt him swelling within me until his release.
He collapsed onto his back, panting, and then propped himself up on one arm and traced my stomach muscles with his fingertips. His lips brushed my shoulder and kissed my ear. We lay there nuzzling for a while, revelling in our bliss. Soon the pain returned, and I felt how much we had disrupted my injury. I adjusted the soaked bandages, and Skelkra fetched more ice.
After the ice stopped the bleeding, I said, ‘You must hunt your prize tomorrow.’
He swatted at a rogue snowflake that managed to make it under the cliff.
‘Yes. I cannot return empty-handed. Although…’ he trailed off to stare at me. ‘My hands have already claimed the superior prize.’ My cheeks flushed with heat, and he smiled back, cupped my chin with gentle fingers and kissed me. ‘Now, you need sleep before I damage you again.’ Skelkra extinguished the fire before tending to our camp.
I had the bear head. I had Skelkra. Tomorrow, I would start the journey home.
Chapter IV
A CHORUS OF BIRDS WOKE me from a dreamy sleep. Blurry white shapes formed as my eyelids parted. Above, mist drifted and curled along invisible puffs of wind. The slow beat of my heart, and the caress of an icy breeze, made me lucid. I moved my right foot, the accompanying pain about my upper thigh reminding me of the previous day’s injuries. Then, the memories of my entanglement with Skelkra came to mind. I smiled, basking in the leftover sensations of our embrace.
I touched my lips and thought of his kiss and his hands running along my body. I rubbed my face and lifted myself up to my elbows. My eyes found nothing. No weapons, arrows, or bear’s head, and most noticeably, no Skelkra.
In the distance, Thixal had set up camp by the icy river; she’d dragged a log to the fire and perched on the edge. Her eyes flicked to me and then back to the flames.
‘Where is he?’ I shouted, feeling the depth of the Wolf’s betrayal.
She pursed her lips and I froze. Pity. She pitied me!
I winced as I got to my feet. The ache in my leg had worsened. I checked my hip for my knife, finding it there, I sighed with relief.
I hobbled over to Thixal. ‘He pretended.’
‘A good ruler leads with her head as well as her heart.’
How dare she imply I hadn’t been using my head! Skelkra had never given me any indication of insincerity. He’d worried that I’d be killed by the bear. He’d stopped my leg from bleeding and had given up his own clothes to do so.
I kicked at the snow, and it sprayed over Thixal’s fire. Not waiting around to see her disapproval, I stormed back to the gully. On the way, I glanced down at my toes to check the frostbite, but saw my bare chest first. Taking the canvas Skelkra had covered me with, I concealed my nakedness. My toes were a grey-blue. Giving in to necessity, I plonked beside Thixal on her log to warm my freezing feet.
I cradled my head in my hands and considered killing another bear, but my injuries were serious, and another attack would see me dead. Especially given that my skinning knife was nowhere near as effective as my piercing dagger. My eyes watered, and I swatted at them angrily. The sun had not yet risen
over the mountains. Clouds drifted through the valley like ghosts.
‘He planned this the whole time, didn’t he?’ I asked.
Thixal regarded me for a moment and put her finger to her lips, signalling she could no longer discuss the matter.
‘He’ll pay for this.’ I hobbled weakly to the gully, checking for footprints. Many sets led in and out, but his were the largest. One set sunk deeper than the others; they were fresh. They led downriver, and as I followed them, I spotted drops of blood on the recently laid snow. Skelkra wasn’t injured, so it must have been blood from the severed bear head. The only reason he would travel in the opposite direction of Vilseek was if he hadn’t yet killed a wolf.
The droplets of blood led up the mountain. As I followed, I bent my knees, trying to stay low, but the pressure on my wound became too great, and I was forced to hobble upright. Perspiration formed on my brow, and I checked the skin under my bandage to see the edges of the pink flesh turning yellow. The wound festered, but I didn’t care. I would gladly lose my leg if it guaranteed my winning the challenge.
The spots of blood ended, but the footprints continued horizontally around the mountain side. Around the bend I heard a splash, and squinted to see Lild breaking sections of river ice. His fire blazed and I envied the warmth. The boy dived into the water before pulling himself from the river and huddling by the flames. I heard the faint cry of a hawgrald in the distance.
Jeykal! Then I wondered if it was possible that he’d venture so far away from the hawgralds’ nesting grounds to hunt here where the birds were scarcer. Screech. I headed in the direction of the sound to find Skelkra instead of Jeykal. His boots, which he wasn’t wearing before, were holding down the hawgrald’s right wing while he slashed the beast’s throat with my dagger. One of its talons caught him across the chest and pushed him to the snow. Feathers and blood scattered. The predator’s wings fell back, its eyes half closed. Skelkra seemed unaffected by the gash on his torso and crouched low to the ground, ready to strike again.
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