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“This aware? No, it came on suddenly after I hit her.” I flinched, regretting the hit, but she didn’t seem to be affected by it much. Damn wolf healing.
“I wonder if it’s touch and then proximity.” Tuck mused from behind us.
“It could be.” Ruby seemed to get better the longer he was with me.
“We’ll need to test it but…just think of what this means.” Tuck sounded hopeful.
“We won’t know for sure…” I trailed off turning to the wolves that were caught in the nets, suspended above the forest floor.
“Let's cut one down and see.” Will said, excitedly, withdrawing a dagger from its sheath.
“Hold on, wait for the rest of us.” Little John admonished, following after my eager cousin.
Einri met my eyes, the streaks of silver in them more pronounced than usual,and I guessed his wolf was close to the surface too. I nodded, letting him help me to my feet and make our way toward one of the trapped wolves. Ruby followed at my side while the black she-wolf stood and followed but kept her distance.
Will grabbed the rope and sliced his blade through the fibers quickly, using his arms to stop the poor wolf from plummeting to the ground. The wolf snarled and snapped its teeth. I walked closer, my hands outstretched toward the lowering wolf, intending to touch it before it hit the ground while it was still encased in the net.
It wiggled, somehow getting its body turned around so its jaws were inches away from my outstretched fingers. Before I could react Einri was pushing me behind him, a menacing growl rumbling in his chest, the sound vibrating the air around us. The trapped rogue whined as Einri put it in its place.
Once satisfied that it wouldn’t try to eat my hands, he stepped aside, but stayed close so he could grab me again if need be. The wolf's eyes were rolling in their sockets and the poor thing looked panicked, which could get my hands bitten off just as easily. I tried talking to it but it was so overcome with fear that it wouldn’t calm down.
Hating its reaction, I hurried and placed my hands on its chest through the net of ropes, closing my eyes and praying that this wasn't a fluke. The wolf trembled under my touch but after a handful of heartbeats the shaking began to slow. I opened my eyes, watching as the fear and panic cleared from the wolf's green eyes. It took another few minutes for the wolf to calm down fully,but when it did Will lowered it the rest of the way to the ground.
Einri helped me extricate the poor thing from the net. Once done, the wolf bounced around yipping excitedly. I smiled at the wolf, its mannerisms reminding me of Will before he was bitten, which made my heart clench.Could this wolf have been a child?The thought made me sick to my stomach and anger to course through my body at Asena for causing this.
“He’s a young boy.” Einri confirmed what I’d feared, his jaw tight with tension.
“How old?” I asked, scratching the wolf behind the ears smiling as his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth.
“No more than twelve summers.” Einri guessed, which just stoked the fire of my anger. “Let’s get the other one down.”
I nodded, the wolves following me as I made my way over to the other trapped wolf.
This wolf’s eyes were dark brown, reminding me of the melted chocolate the cook’s back at Castle Hill would drizzle on pastries. This wolf watched us distrustfully but didn’t try to fight back, and I wondered if that was because of Einri’s show of aggression.
I slipped my hands through the ropes and touched the wolf on the chest, speaking softly and reassuringly. The wolf closed its eyes like it was too unsettled to watch. It relaxed the longer I spoke and touched it. The trap lowered to the ground and Einri and I started to untangle its limp form from the ropes. Once freed, it opened its eyes, the dark brown lightening to a color more befitting a human. The wolf stood unsteadily at first but after a moment its mind seemed to clear.
I took a step back, staring down at my hands marveling that with just a touch I’d been able to calm these wolves and return a bit of humanity to their gazes.
What did this gift mean? Was it magic? Could it be magic when I wasn’t consciously using it like Epione and Mavka explained it?
Too many questions and not enough answers.
“It’s incredible, yes, but I’m not convinced.” Epione said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at my growing pack of wolves. “Touch has always been part of using magic, but this is something else entirely.”
“I’m not sure but maybe since Arrow is only half maiden her power will manifest in different ways.” Mavka spoke slowly, a thoughtful look on her face.
“She said that her powers were awoken because of the touch of another or rather the power of another. What if Arrow is taking ownership of the spell which returns humanity to the wolves.” Epione’s wrinkled face fell into a frown as she thought out what she’d just said.
“It’s possible. Arrow is too old to effectively feel the magic around her but maybe she can still access it through something else.”
“Like the wolves?” I wondered, absently stroking Ruby’s head as it rested on my lap.
“Yes, and Einri since he’s the alpha with the most potent magic from the spell.” Mavka answered, her face falling as she observed me sitting on the floor surrounded by four wolves. “It’s unsettling but possible.”
“Why is it unsettling?” I asked, stopping my petting to look at her startled.I thought this was what she wanted to happen?
“Animals are often used in the Moon Maiden’s teachings, but Asena twisted it for her own gains. It’s like you are slowly reversing whatever it is that she did. These wolves are acting and behaving more like humans,but how will that affect them in the long run? The wildness is in them and if humanity is fully restored what will happen to the wolf?” She had a point,and I really needed to figure it out before I “helped” any more rogues.
