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.Every pack had at least one member who thought he or she should be One instead.The matter must bemore complicated for these Bound, who must remain within a limited territory.She had spoken of dogs and of wolves, but now as she considered this cage with its walls of promise, shewondered if she were not closer to the truth than she had imagined.The Bound Wolves had chained themselves,brought themselves to heel with the snapped command of an old promise or was there something more? Was theresome other hold Virim and his allies had over the Bound than an old pact, fulfilled in spirit if not in fact long before?A high, shrill scream from Elation brought Firekeeper's attention away from the wolves. "Trapped!" the peregrine shrieked."We have been trapped." Into the edges of the meadow, filling every gap, largeor small, came members of the Bound.They showed themselves beneath shrubs or in the branches or trees.Wingedfolk laced the air with the intertwining net of their flight so that even Elation had no escape open to her.An enormous bear, honey gold of coat, reared onto his hind legs.He was taller by a head and more than Derian,and seemed at least twice as wide, a living wall of fur, but fur that snarled to show solid white fangs, and spread pawsto make clear the reach of the strong arms that terminated in long, curving black claws."Trapped," the bear growledcomplacently."The wolves did their part in baiting that trap.I must say, you did better with them than any expected,but then they are only wolves and have odd thoughts about the value of surrender."Firekeeper read the bear's contempt for those who would surrender in the bristling of his fur and the wrinkling ofhis wide black nose.She thought the One Female cringed a little under that contempt, and found herself angry onbehalf of one who would have gladly slain her only moments before.The wolf-woman watched the One Female carefully, all too aware that the arrival of the other Bound made thewounded wolf strong where she had been weak that is, if she could count on the non-wolfish Bound to support her ifshe were to attack.For his part, Blind Seer sat back on his haunches and scratched with a hind foot at one ear as if the actions of anerrant summer flea were more interesting to him than the hostile attentions of the gathered Bound.The bear did not like this at all, nor did the others.A puma hissed and lashed its long tail.Other creatures bristledor hunched or showed teeth after the manner of their kind.Blind Seer was unperturbed, and Firekeeper had neveradmired him more than for this foolish courage.Almost imperceptibly, the Bound wolves drew back from the meadow's center, leaving the three intrudersvulnerable in the center.Elation glided down from the tree limb on which she had been perched, taking a seat onFirekeeper's padded shoulder."Might as well see this through from here," she said."The air above is full of shit, lice, and molting feathers."Angry screeches and caws from above said that Elation's insult had been taken, but none of the many wingedhunters dove to punish the peregrine as they might have easily done.Firekeeper took her lead from her companions.Wiping onto the thick grass the worst of the One Female's bloodfrom her Fang's blade, she made as if polishing off the remainder was the most important thing she could do.Shewould have liked to feel confident enough to sheath the weapon entirely, but there was a difference between a displayof confidence and pure stupidity.Elation and Blind Seer could not be disarmed short of death, but without her toolsFirekeeper knew she would be even more defeated than she felt already.Blind Seer sniffed the air, as if scenting their many visitors for the first time."So, we have returned, and you have come as you have promised.Very nice.Very neat.Now, who dies first?"The bear rumbled in admiring astonishment."I think you will die, wolf, you and the human wolf and the peregrine all.We will not die.""Do you think we will simply lie down and let you have our throats?" Blind Seer asked."I think not.""I think," the bear said, "I could take you one and all, myself alone."Firekeeper slid her Fang into its Mouth, and in the same motion pulled her bow from where it rested against herback.She leaned against the supple wood, stringing it and setting arrow to string."Still," she said, "my quills might sting a little even after I am gone.Will you have your masters pull them out foryou?""I have no master but the promise I keep as it has been kept for over a hundred years," the bear growled, but hissmall eyes hardened as he studied the bow.Unfamiliar with humans these Bound might be, but apparently he knewenough about bows to take one seriously."Two-legged wolf, you have fewer quills than a porcupine," a lynx taunted from a tree branch, "and are soft allover, not merely underneath.Take care.""Why?" Firekeeper asked, affecting innocence."It is as my companion says, 'Who dies first?' for we will not sitquietly and wait for you to take our lives."There was an uncomfortable ripple through the gathered Bound, and Firekeeper was fairly certain that at least afew of those who had so confidently blocked the paths from the meadow had drawn back a pace or so.Even the aerialguard took their circles a little higher."It is true," Blind Seer said, pausing to lick beneath his tail."No one goes into a hunt expecting death rather thanhot meat at the trail's end.Here, though, this hunt will end in someone's death and certainly many will limp or crawlbefore we die.But what is an eye or a limb to a promise, especially a promise that is empty and hollow?""Our promise is not empty!" bugled a stag with a stomp of one hoof for emphasis."We have remained faithful to our promise for over a hundred years.""But now you defend the very thing you thought to defeat," Blind Seer said."I find that odd indeed.""Defend what we thought to defeat?" croaked a raven."What nonsense is that?"Blind Seer replied, "My understanding was that you sought to defeat the magic that would invade the New Worldand destroy the Beasts who made it their home.To do this, you allied yourself with this Virim, promising him that youwould keep him safe if he used his art to defend the New World.Do I have the tale true?"There was no one answer, but a moving of ears, lashing of tails gave answer that Blind Seer was correct, but thathis listeners were suspicious of his approach."Now, when first we met you Bound," Blind Seer continued, "you told us that you were aware that the veryhumans you guarded had been faithless.By this we understood you to mean that you knew that magic evenspellcasting magic had reemerged into the world, that querinalo no longer bit with a killing bite.Is this so?"Again the Bound gave their wordless agreement, but the tension in their muscles warned that they were growinguneasy enough to forget the danger that Firekeeper's arrows offered.She decided a reminder was in order.Dropping the arrows she had held ready to the turf, she pulled a headlessshaft from her quiver and set it to string in one quick motion.Even without a head or fletching, the smooth stick flewtrue enough, burying half its length in the turf near a raccoon's tail.Firekeeper grinned and reset a complete arrow to the string and pulled it back, ready to fire if any chose to answerher challenge.None did [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Every pack had at least one member who thought he or she should be One instead.The matter must bemore complicated for these Bound, who must remain within a limited territory.She had spoken of dogs and of wolves, but now as she considered this cage with its walls of promise, shewondered if she were not closer to the truth than she had imagined.The Bound Wolves had chained themselves,brought themselves to heel with the snapped command of an old promise or was there something more? Was theresome other hold Virim and his allies had over the Bound than an old pact, fulfilled in spirit if not in fact long before?A high, shrill scream from Elation brought Firekeeper's attention away from the wolves. "Trapped!" the peregrine shrieked."We have been trapped." Into the edges of the meadow, filling every gap, largeor small, came members of the Bound.They showed themselves beneath shrubs or in the branches or trees.Wingedfolk laced the air with the intertwining net of their flight so that even Elation had no escape open to her.An enormous bear, honey gold of coat, reared onto his hind legs.He was taller by a head and more than Derian,and seemed at least twice as wide, a living wall of fur, but fur that snarled to show solid white fangs, and spread pawsto make clear the reach of the strong arms that terminated in long, curving black claws."Trapped," the bear growledcomplacently."The wolves did their part in baiting that trap.I must say, you did better with them than any expected,but then they are only wolves and have odd thoughts about the value of surrender."Firekeeper read the bear's contempt for those who would surrender in the bristling of his fur and the wrinkling ofhis wide black nose.She thought the One Female cringed a little under that contempt, and found herself angry onbehalf of one who would have gladly slain her only moments before.The wolf-woman watched the One Female carefully, all too aware that the arrival of the other Bound made thewounded wolf strong where she had been weak that is, if she could count on the non-wolfish Bound to support her ifshe were to attack.For his part, Blind Seer sat back on his haunches and scratched with a hind foot at one ear as if the actions of anerrant summer flea were more interesting to him than the hostile attentions of the gathered Bound.The bear did not like this at all, nor did the others.A puma hissed and lashed its long tail.Other creatures bristledor hunched or showed teeth after the manner of their kind.Blind Seer was unperturbed, and Firekeeper had neveradmired him more than for this foolish courage.Almost imperceptibly, the Bound wolves drew back from the meadow's center, leaving the three intrudersvulnerable in the center.Elation glided down from the tree limb on which she had been perched, taking a seat onFirekeeper's padded shoulder."Might as well see this through from here," she said."The air above is full of shit, lice, and molting feathers."Angry screeches and caws from above said that Elation's insult had been taken, but none of the many wingedhunters dove to punish the peregrine as they might have easily done.Firekeeper took her lead from her companions.Wiping onto the thick grass the worst of the One Female's bloodfrom her Fang's blade, she made as if polishing off the remainder was the most important thing she could do.Shewould have liked to feel confident enough to sheath the weapon entirely, but there was a difference between a displayof confidence and pure stupidity.Elation and Blind Seer could not be disarmed short of death, but without her toolsFirekeeper knew she would be even more defeated than she felt already.Blind Seer sniffed the air, as if scenting their many visitors for the first time."So, we have returned, and you have come as you have promised.Very nice.Very neat.Now, who dies first?"The bear rumbled in admiring astonishment."I think you will die, wolf, you and the human wolf and the peregrine all.We will not die.""Do you think we will simply lie down and let you have our throats?" Blind Seer asked."I think not.""I think," the bear said, "I could take you one and all, myself alone."Firekeeper slid her Fang into its Mouth, and in the same motion pulled her bow from where it rested against herback.She leaned against the supple wood, stringing it and setting arrow to string."Still," she said, "my quills might sting a little even after I am gone.Will you have your masters pull them out foryou?""I have no master but the promise I keep as it has been kept for over a hundred years," the bear growled, but hissmall eyes hardened as he studied the bow.Unfamiliar with humans these Bound might be, but apparently he knewenough about bows to take one seriously."Two-legged wolf, you have fewer quills than a porcupine," a lynx taunted from a tree branch, "and are soft allover, not merely underneath.Take care.""Why?" Firekeeper asked, affecting innocence."It is as my companion says, 'Who dies first?' for we will not sitquietly and wait for you to take our lives."There was an uncomfortable ripple through the gathered Bound, and Firekeeper was fairly certain that at least afew of those who had so confidently blocked the paths from the meadow had drawn back a pace or so.Even the aerialguard took their circles a little higher."It is true," Blind Seer said, pausing to lick beneath his tail."No one goes into a hunt expecting death rather thanhot meat at the trail's end.Here, though, this hunt will end in someone's death and certainly many will limp or crawlbefore we die.But what is an eye or a limb to a promise, especially a promise that is empty and hollow?""Our promise is not empty!" bugled a stag with a stomp of one hoof for emphasis."We have remained faithful to our promise for over a hundred years.""But now you defend the very thing you thought to defeat," Blind Seer said."I find that odd indeed.""Defend what we thought to defeat?" croaked a raven."What nonsense is that?"Blind Seer replied, "My understanding was that you sought to defeat the magic that would invade the New Worldand destroy the Beasts who made it their home.To do this, you allied yourself with this Virim, promising him that youwould keep him safe if he used his art to defend the New World.Do I have the tale true?"There was no one answer, but a moving of ears, lashing of tails gave answer that Blind Seer was correct, but thathis listeners were suspicious of his approach."Now, when first we met you Bound," Blind Seer continued, "you told us that you were aware that the veryhumans you guarded had been faithless.By this we understood you to mean that you knew that magic evenspellcasting magic had reemerged into the world, that querinalo no longer bit with a killing bite.Is this so?"Again the Bound gave their wordless agreement, but the tension in their muscles warned that they were growinguneasy enough to forget the danger that Firekeeper's arrows offered.She decided a reminder was in order.Dropping the arrows she had held ready to the turf, she pulled a headlessshaft from her quiver and set it to string in one quick motion.Even without a head or fletching, the smooth stick flewtrue enough, burying half its length in the turf near a raccoon's tail.Firekeeper grinned and reset a complete arrow to the string and pulled it back, ready to fire if any chose to answerher challenge.None did [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]