Catch a Wolf

by A. Katie Rose

  His huge arms folded me tight. I melted to him, into his strength, tears of relief stinging my eyes. My arms couldn’t meet, even around the narrowest part of him, his waist. I breathed deep of his masculine scent of horses, sweat and an odor that was his alone. All I wanted in life was here, now, in my arms. If I could, I’d have stayed there forever.

  His head bowed over my shoulder, his chin digging lightly in, a soft pressure on my back. Breath like a sigh heated my skin, I felt the sharp stubble on his cheek through my leather vest. His voice, softer than the sough of the breeze through the trees on a summer’s dawn, spoke those three dangerous words: “I love you.”

  Crap, crap, crap.

  Kel’Ratan’s delicate cough reminded me that reality awaited. Damn it, but it always interfered with life’s simple pleasures.

  Raine straightened, brushing my hair from my eyes. He smiled down at me. Turning slightly, his hand still lightly cupping my back, he gestured to the Tarbane. “Some friends have joined us.”

  I choked on a laugh. “So I see.”

  His fingers tangled with mine, I stepped toward the Tarbane. I curtseyed low, my hair all but striking the grass. “I am Ly’Tana, of Kel’Halla.”

  The grey extended a foreleg, his head brushing his knee. “I am Shardon,” he said.

  The huge black also bowed, his mane coiling up on the soil. “I am Tashira.”

  With the shock of seeing Tarbane in our midst, I belatedly noticed the caked blood on the forelegs they extended. My eyes narrowed, searched and discovered far worse. More cuts stained their huge graceful heads, their thick heavy forelocks almost concealing their cruel injuries.

  My eyes swept over them. Whips. There was no mistaking the marks of a whip lash over their otherwise glossy coats. They all had an interesting story to tell. While I wanted to demand an explanation of who would have dared harm them, it must wait.

  “Greetings to you both,” I said. “And be welcome.” I gestured backward, toward Kel’Ratan. “This is my kinsman by blood, Kel’Ratan, also of Kel’Halla.”

  He stepped forward and bowed low. “Greetings.”

  Awkwardness settled in. I had no idea what to say next. I blushed, wanting to ask a thousand questions, but protocol forbade them all. Too many generations had passed since the Kel’Hallan people and the Tarbane parted company. Once, we were a united people, humans and our Tarbane neighbors, friends and allies. Now, I suspect, we were the first Kel’Hallans to even catch a glimpse of a Tarbane in more than a thousand years. With no little envy, I thought, ’twas not even native born Kel’Hallans who first rode a Tarbane.

  “They’re not exactly criminals,” Raine began, halting, breaking the awkward silence.

  “We are,” said Shardon.

  “You’re his mate,” Tashira said, bending his huge neck down, his nostrils flaring. “Aren’t you?”

  “Well,” I began, flustered. “I—”

  “In a perfect world,” Raine said, smiling. His hand teased the back of my neck, heating my blush.

  I laughed. “Forgive my lack of manners here, I’m quite out of countenance. I suspect you have quite a story to tell.”

  “Which you will hear,” Raine promised. “As soon as is reasonably possible. We mustn’t hang about, we’ve leagues to ride.”

  He began unsaddling Tashira, unbuckling the girth. The huge black bent his head, nuzzling his shoulder. Rygel and Shardon alone didn’t just share a deep connection. Raine and Tashira did, too. I quelled a sudden surge of jealousy.

  Raine’s flashy bay stood quiet as Raine set the saddle on his back and tightened the girth. He opened his mouth obediently for the bit he took off Tashira’s head. Confusion stole over me. He had a Tarbane, loyal and loving, but would not ride him? He would instead ride a half-blood?

  Raine smiled at me over his shoulder, as though hearing my thoughts. “We need another horse,” he said. “That mare should have only one rider, not two.”

  His strange eyes fell on Arianne.

  “But,” I began slowly, remembering the big bay’s temper and animosity toward anyone but Raine. “Is that a good idea? Arianne—”

  “He agreed to it,” Tashira said, thrusting his huge head into my torso, dropping me backwards onto my butt in the grass and dead leaves. I couldn’t help myself. I stroked the huge bony beautiful face. Avoiding the painful cuts, I rubbed and scratched, getting to the itchy parts under his forelock, behind his tiny ears. Tashira closed his eyes to half-mast and snorted softly down his nose.

  “Who did?”

  “Rufus. He didn’t much like Raine and me, together. Bugger tried to kill me.”

  I spun my head toward the flashy bay stallion standing quiet while Raine tightened his girth. “He…tried to kill you?”

  “Father told him that Raine would always love him,” Tashira went on, his eyes half closed, his ears slack. “Raine asked him to ask Rufus to accept his sister, and he agreed.”

  “That’s incredible,” I murmured, still awed over the stallion’s behavior.

  “Why?” Shardon asked. “The beast is loyal and loves Raine more than his own life. What would your horse do if you chose another over him?”

  I glanced askance at Mikk, standing up to his knees in grass, my reins on his neck, watching me.

  “I hope I never have to find out.”

  “Hey, maybe I should have some of that,” Shardon complained, thrusting his head in close for a caress.

  “Humans aren’t so bad,” Tashira breathed.

  I laughed. I laughed, giggled, rubbed their silken ears and rested my head against both their broad foreheads and laughed some more. Nephrotiti’s own Tarbane! Back again after all these centuries.

  “Didn’t I tell you that?” Raine asked, adjusting the bridle to his satisfaction. “Girls are nice.”

  “I suppose you did.”

  “You two are brothers, then?” Kel’Ratan asked, noticing things I failed to.

  “Unfortunately,” Shardon sighed, blowing down his nose, whipping my hair in the maelstrom. “He’s always getting me into trouble.”

  “Bite me,” Tashira replied, his great eyes all but closed under my hands.

  Arianne disentangled herself from a still grinning Rygel finally and stepped toward her brother. For once she shook back her hair from her face, refusing to hide. “Rufus? For me?” she asked, her voice tremulous.

  “For you,” Raine said. “Rufus and you are together.”

  Arianne walked slowly toward her new steed. The bay stallion eyed her with soft eyes, his muzzled reaching for her extended hand. She caressed his long face for a moment before lying full against his broad forehead, her arms around his cheeks, and closed her eyes. “Mine.”

  Like hers, Rufus’s great eyes half-shut in equine bliss, his ears slack, his left rear leg hitched. Somehow, someway, Rufus’s great love for Raine had been neatly transferred to the tiny mite who stood no higher than his shoulder.

  “He will fight for you,” Raine said quietly. “He will protect you.”

  “I know,” Arianne replied simply. “He told me.”

  The Tarbane pair pulled their great heads from my attentions. With short strides, they ambled toward Arianne and sniffed her, their nostrils flaring. Their incredible soft, intelligent eyes glinted with an odd humor. Was that a wink Tashira just tipped my way?

  Tashira eyed Arianne’s tiny form up and down for a long moment. “Is she full grown?” Arianne turned around, her pale face a mask of outrage.

  He glanced toward Raine. “This is your sibling, is she not?”

  For the first time, Raine grinned openly. “She is.”

  Shardon stepped around her, sniffing, ears perked, his eyes travelling slowly up and down her body. Caught between the two, she turned from one to the other, mouth open. Rufus, understanding them while I failed to, stepped aside and began to graze. Yet, he watched his new mistress with wide adoring eyes.

  “Surely she has more growing to do,” Tashira said, his head swinging from Raine’s huge bo
dy to Arianne’s tiny one. “Genetics being what they are.”

  “I think she’s done,” Raine replied.

  Arianne folded her arms across her chest, her mouth now closed and pouting. Her glorious grey-blue eyes darkened as her temper rose.

  “Perhaps she’s deformed,” Shardon suggested.

  “I’m going to guess some form of nutritional deficiency,” Tashira offered brightly.

  “A midget, maybe.”

  “Remember when Katja’s foal didn’t grow? He stayed puny and sickly until he was almost two.”

  “Died soon after, poor thing.”

  Arianne rolled her eyes. “Are you two having fun yet?”

  Tashira flapped his ears. “Yes, I am, actually. How about you, Shardon?”

  “Why, yes, thank you for asking.”

  Kel’Ratan snorted. “Just what this outfit needs,” he snapped. “Two more bloody comedians.”

  He eyed me, rolling in the grass, laughing until I thought my ribs would break. Tears leaked out from my eyes and trickled backwards to my ears, but I couldn’t stop. This was the aftereffects of the last day’s stress and tension, no doubt.

  Arianne sniffed. “No one introduced me, so I will do it myself,” she announced. “I am Arianne, Raine’s sister.”

  “You smell like him.”

  Arianne wrinkled her nose. “I certainly hope not.”

  “Wolfish, sort of.” Tashira blew her hair around her face in a heavy snort. “But not really. Certainly different.”

  Arianne’s arm raised, ready to slap him.

  Raine seized his sister around her tiny waist and set her in the big bay’s saddle. “If you two are quite finished now,” he said, hauling me, still gasping and crying, to my feet. “We need to get moving. We’re wasting daylight.”

  “He’s no fun at all, is he?” I asked, wiping my streaming face.

  “Not much, no,” Tashira said.

  “Maybe he’ll learn,” Shardon offered hopefully.

  “I doubt it,” Tashira said mournfully. “He’s not the humorous type. Big and dark and glowry, he is.”

  “Cease!” I cried, my helpless laughter beginning all over again, my ribs burning. “You’re killing me.”

  “At least some humans have a sense of humor.” Shardon swiveled his silver head toward me, ears perked.

  “Who’d have thought.”

  Even Kel’Ratan began to chuckle. Rygel wiped his own tears of laughter on his tunic, his face red. Behind me, unnoticed until now, Rannon and Witraz had nearly choked themselves on their attempts to keep their laughter silent. Raine eyed them, as a monarch might inspect guards who had fallen asleep on guard duty.

  Instantly, they sobered, their backs suddenly as straight as though someone suddenly shoved a ramrod down their spines. Witraz thrust the wolf pup behind his back in a swift motion. Nodding to himself, Raine seemed satisfied with what he saw. My own giggles could not be contained, though I struggled to hide them.

  Raine turned to seize me about the waist, and those two immediately vaulted into their saddles.

  He set me on Mikk’s broad back with a rueful grin. “Think they’ll do?”

  I glanced at Tashira and Shardon, standing nose to nose, watching us. “They’ll do.”

  “You always wanted to do, haven’t you, Tashira?”

  “Ever since I was little.”

  Helpless giggles threatened my aching ribs all over again. I managed to prevent myself from collapsing on Mikk’s mane, though it was a gallant effort indeed.

  Raine sighed. Turning around, he faced the pair. “Thanks, you buffoons. Now she likes you better than me.”

  “Then she has exceptional taste.”

  “Um,” Witraz said diffidently, his piebald shifting beneath him. His left, he still hid behind his back.

  I turned around, as did Raine.

  Like a magician and his last trick, Witraz drew forth the wolf cub, the dark ball of fur set with spots of blue wiggling in his hand. Raine fetched a deep sigh.

  Taking the offered pup from Witraz, he dug the cloth bag Arianne constructed from his saddlebag and stuffed the pup in. Who promptly set to crying, quite loudly, in fact. Hanging the bag over the pommel, he set Arianne’s hand on his small head, her other on her reins. “He’s still yours,” Raine said quietly.

  “No, he isn’t,” she retorted. “I’ll keep him until you finally grow some sense. Then I’ll give him back to you.”

  Raine shrugged his immense shoulders. “Whatever.”

  “What a novel way to carry a baby,” Tashira said.

  “We should send that trick back home,” Shardon added. “Everyone will want one.”

  “Especially the birds. You know, carry their babies in a bag from their beaks.”

  I lost all semblance of control. I fell forward over my saddle, crying into Mikk’s thick mane.

  “If you two are finished—”

  The thunder of hooves from behind us jolted me up. I looked around through tear-blurred eyes, seeing Yuri and Yuras, with Tor holding tight to Yuri’s waist, galloping headlong down the hill to our rear. Witraz and Rannon trotted their horses toward them in a flanking move, in case they ran, not with information, but from enemies.

  The blonde warriors reined their mounts to a halt, saluting. “The wolves are back, Your Highness,” Yuras gasped.

  “Just up yonder,” Yuri pointed back the way they had come. He gestured into the high green hills behind us. “A big bunch of them, still tagging along like homeless puppies.”

  Only then did they notice the two newcomers. Sibling jaws dropped, revealing red tongues and white molars. They, of course, recognized Tashira and Shardon instantly for what they were. As one, they bowed low in their saddles, offering salute.

  Tor, confused, had no idea why the pair bowed. He’d noticed the new pair also. Yet, by the way he immediately dismissed them, he obviously thought we merely had two new horses.

  “Maybe they want their baby back,” offered Tashira helpfully.

  Tor gawped. “It talks!” he gasped.

  “It?” Tashira said, indignant, blowing down his nose in a sharp snort. “It?”

  “Perhaps he has you mistaken for a gelding, brother,” Shardon commented dryly.

  “Don’t be absurd,” Tashira snapped, aggrieved. “It’s obviously too stupid to know what to look for.”

  “Just because you’re small—”

  “Can I kill that one, Raine?” Tashira asked, his ears flat, buried in his jet mane.

  Chuckling, Raine laughed. He shook his head, his wealth of black hair dancing about his shoulders. “Sorry, my lad.”

  “Why not? It’s just a mouth with legs.”

  Tor hid behind Yuri’s broad shoulders, his face pale.

  Lady, make him stop. He’s going to slay me, I swear. Tears once more coursed down my face, my ribs on fire.

  “We do need him,” Raine explained. “After we’re finished with him, then you can kill him.”

  “Oh, all right.” Tashira snorted, rubbing his nose on his foreleg. “I’ll wait. Be sure to let me know?”

  “I will,” Raine replied soberly.

  “If you want to talk small, bird-brain—”

  Tor looked ready to faint. Raine took the grey mare’s reins from Corwyn. With an affectionate thump to Corwyn’s knee, he walked the mare over to Yuri’s horse and a pale, trembling Tor.

  Yuri saluted him absently, fist to chest, his eyes alight with avid Kel’Hallan curiosity as he stared at the two Tarbane.

  “You certainly don’t deserve her after your rudeness,” Raine said. “If you abuse her even slightly, I’ll feed you to Tashira.”

  “Raine.” Tashira’s eyes rolled. “I don’t want to eat him. Only kill him.”

  “Mine?” Tor’s eyes lit up, the threat to his life notwithstanding. A broad grin exploded over his face.

  Raine handed the reins up. “Yours.”

  “All right!”

  Tor slid down from Yuri’s stallion’s rump and took the
proffered reins. His horsemanship had advanced enough that he could step into the stirrup and mount unassisted. Raine adjusted the stirrups to fit him, as Tor bounced up and down in the saddle with glee. The mare sighed, clearly put upon. Raine rubbed her neck under her charcoal mane affectionately before looking up at Yuri. He pointed to Tor. “He’ll still need some babysitting.”

  Yuri nodded. Tor didn’t even protest the remark, so enamored was he of his new horse. Raine made sure Arianne fit well into her new saddle, stroked the stallion’s blazed face for a moment, and shared a quick eye exchange with Corwyn that had him nodding as well.

  Grabbing a fistful of Tashira’s thick mane, he vaulted onto Tashira’s bare back. “Shall we?” he asked.

  “What about him?” Rygel asked, pointing to his slack-eared black gelding.

  “We’ll probably need a pack horse before long,” Raine said.

  “Poor fellow. He’s better than that.” Rygel vaulted into Shardon’s saddle.

  “Wait,” Kel’Ratan called. “Did you find the monks?”

  “No,” Rygel replied. “Just these two criminals.”

  “Rygel,” I warned.

  He grinned impudently at me, my veiled threat rolling off him as though well oiled. “Truth hurts, Princess.”

  “We did find something interesting, though,” Raine said, turning to set a hand on Tashira’s broad rump. His half-smile sent my heart to flopping about in my chest like two fish in a wet sack.

  “What?” Kel’Ratan demanded, his need for haste making him rude.

  “Wil Dar is filled with deserters.”

  That froze Kel’Ratan into sudden silence.

  “Deserters?” I asked. “From Brutal’s army?”

  “Exactly,” Rygel added, swinging Shardon around, his own grin busting his face. “Cavalry men who don’t much like Brutal gallivanting off and leaving them to die, cut to pieces by wolves.”

  “Can’t say I’d much like that either,” I murmured. “What kind of numbers are we talking about?”

  “If I were to hazard a guess,” Raine said slowly, his smile lighting my soul. “Probably seventy five percent of the survivors of yesterday.”

  My shocked heart ceased beating. “No way.”

  “Way,” Rygel replied, grinning. “Between your bodyguard and those wolves, Brutal lost more than two thirds of his fighting force. Some through death. But he lost many more via a strong urge to discover new lands, territories and new, healthier, occupations.”