The pup’s ears lay flat against its skull as it sat still and silent. It kept a similar pose, belly pressed against the ground and limbs spread, since Lilau had coaxed it onto the top of the sled. The promise of a bowl of meat and broth got it to worm its way off onto a patch of earth nearby her fire. There it had stayed all night and well into the next morning.
She worked the medicinal paste over its cuts and sores with relief. The last thing she needed was to end up injured by the very creature she was trying to save. The salve was from two plants that, when combined, created a numbing paste that quickened healing and warded off infection. It was an invaluable medicine for all wounds. However, the preparation process was slow and arduous, which meant she would have to add gathering more of the ingredients to her list of things to do today. Like she needed more to do. She sighed.
Her rabbit trap had been successful, but not only did that mean she would have to locate another trail, she had spent so much time transporting and caring for the pup that she still hadn’t made any fish nets or a fishing pole. If she wanted to use the offal she had buried nearby for bait before it rotted completely, she would have to do so soon.
Ministrations finished, she slipped another bowl of broth beneath the pup’s nose and walked off. She needed more medicinal herbs and fibers for rope. If she had any luck, she might even find both in one venture. Small animals leaped overhead, tantalizing little morsels that made her consider using one of her two remaining arrows. But she knew it was far more prudent to save them for now. With the idea of hunting abandoned, she strode softly yet tall, keeping one ear out for signs of danger as she focused on the plant life.
Fibrous vines wove their way up many of the trees in thick swatches. Before long, she had an armful of them for weaving. The Acheweed and Fox Ears proved harder to find. By the time she found them, worked the plants free of their tangle of roots and made her way back to camp, the sun was on its way back down.
Lilau broke into the small clearing. A surprising sight greeted her. Instead of being where she left it, the wolf was at the edge of the camp, facing the path that led to the stream. All four legs supported its weight as its head hung low. Its ears remained plastered to its skull, a low growl, stronger than the previous day, issuing from its chest. Finally getting a clear view of its underside, she noted it was a male, although most of her attention homed in on the fact that his agitation wasn’t because of her.
She dropped back into cover, reaching out with all of her senses to identify this unknown threat. Other than the rumbling from the pup, the forest had gone quiet after her arrival, so the threat was new. As a human, her nose was pretty worthless in identifying predators, but her eyes worked well. She scanned the area around the pup, alert for even the tiniest of movements. A bush a mere two body lengths away from the pup shook. She focused in on the offender, a flash of smooth tan making her heart jump to the beat of survival.
Lilau let an arrow fly. The tan form yowled as the arrow pierced its flesh. It burst from its hiding place, fixing her with a glare that spoke of death.
The forest cat was twice the size of the wolf pup and likely weighed at least three times more, weight that it now shifted back to its haunches. Her arrow had struck true, sticking out of the cat’s upper body right over its heart. Unfortunately, it had not gone deep enough to pierce the vital organs. Eyeing the mass of angry muscle and teeth, she fled.
Frantic barks faded out behind her as she sprinted. She ignored the slaps of leaves as she tore through the forest, knowing full well that the out-of-sync rustles and snaps closing in on her was a demise she couldn’t outrun.
Don’t look back, don’t look back, she chanted to herself, her legs hitting the ground in long strides. She was fast for her size and rarely tired, but the large cat was faster still. A puff of hot air against her back forced electricity through her body. Her heart felt as if it would seize from the stress as she cried out in fear. Lilau ducked down and to the side. A great furry form sailed over her, so close that she felt the touch of claws on her back.
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It landed without a sound, an oddly soft motion in a life or death situation that contrasted against the roar it gave off when it realized it had missed. Not wanting to waste a single breath, Lilau didn’t stop moving.
By the time the hunter had pinned her back down with its piercing yellow eyes, she was halfway up a broadleaf tree. If she couldn’t outrun it, then maybe higher ground would gain her an advantage. Lilau balanced on a thick, sturdy branch and turned to peer down. Her pursuer crouched at the bottom of the trunk. Black filled its eyes, tail swishing as it gathered itself into a tight coil and launched. In an instant, it was right below her, the sound of claws digging into the bark, setting her teeth on edge. Her leg shot out on reflex and caught the hunter right between the eyes. Brute strength had never been a gift of hers, and her kick did little more than cause it to wobble a bit.
That wobble proved to be enough to make its claws slip. It hissed, scrabbling for purchase, which she denied with another hit. It lost its purchase completely and hurtled to the ground. An odd cracking noise echoed from the forest floor as it hit. A pained yowl reverberated back up the tree, causing clouds of birds to startle to the sky.
Lilau clung to the branch, breath coming in ragged gasps as she stared with wild eyes down at the creature which had only seconds before been trying to end her life. She continued to stare at it until her adrenaline ebbed, but it did not move again.
The rough bark scraped against her skin as she shimmied her way down, her brush with death making it oversensitive. A small prize for life, though. What she couldn’t figure out was how to get off the tree without ending up either on top of the cat or way too close to its mouth for comfort, now matter how still it was.
With no other choice and her arms growing tired of gripping the trunk, she took a deep breath and dropped. Lilau followed the movement into a crouch, eyeing the large animal with an unshakable sense of dread. Its eyes were still open, looking at nothing, with its big, pink tongue hanging out of its half-open jaws. It was dead, but how? Such a beast was at home in the trees, and such a fall should have done little more than anger it. A splash of deep crimson caught her eye, soaking into the soil just behind its front leg. A broken arrow shaft lay a short distance away. Her arrow! Had the fall driven it in?
Lilau ignored the prey part of her brain that demanded she run while she had the chance. She pushed her hands under its bulk and lifted. The body barely budged under her efforts.
It didn’t matter. She was alive. It was not. Lilau shook as the adrenaline faded, letting the reality of what had happened sink in. She had almost died, and the only thing that had saved her was sheer dumb luck. Her breath grew more ragged, so she held it in to stave away shock. Mara’s cold voice played in her mind. When the stress on your essence overpowered your body’s ability to cope, that’s when shock set in. She focused in on the memory as white fog edged in on her vision.
It had happened in the long hut, as many of her lessons with Mara had, during her fifth cycle. The other whelps had been calling her names and throwing rocks a short time before, nothing unusual, forcing her to flee into the woods. She was hurt and scared, having caught a few of the projectiles against her body, when she had stumbled upon a badger. Startled, it lashed out, sinking its teeth into her leg before running off. The extra insult had proven too much. She stumbled back to the hut, where she collapsed at the door.
When she woke up, she was inside with her injuries treated. “Mostly superficial,” Mara had told her. Then she got the lecture that explained why she had lost control of herself. What had Mara told her? The details skittered away. Why did she feel so dizzy? She looked at the furry and now blurry carcass in front of her, willing her eyes to focus. Shock. It stole your senses, your mind, made you easy prey. Focus on the details, not the feelings. Distract yourself, ground yourself. The fur...it was short, almost stubbly. Pale tan covered most of it, becoming white at the roots. The hide... the hide would make good leather. The fog faded, clarity returning to her senses. Earth, flowers, wind whistling through the forest, the dark, distinct scent of blood filling her nose. She found herself back in control, hunkered over a dead forest cat.
She took a steadying gulp of air and turned away. First, she needed to check on the pup, then she would return here with the sled and treat the cat’s remains with the respect it deserved. In its failure to survive, it would aid in her with every piece of its body.