Stifling a yawn Nightsfire blew out the candle on the nightstand beside his bed and let his head hit the pillow. After a hard day of training in the wilderness he looked forward to a good nights sleep and closed his eyes. The sound of crickets and other nocturnal creatures could be heard through his open window. A cool breeze blew through the room and within moments Nights drifted into a sound sleep.

 

The mind often plays tricks when in the deep recesses of slumber and with the wolf dream one had to be careful.

 

It seemed only moments from when he had closed his eyes that he was awoken by the sharp cries of men. Men it would seem preparing for battle. Sitting up Nights was sure for a moment he was still dreaming. His room was gone and in its place a field full of men armored and looking anxious surrounded him.

 

~Hurry Nightsfire rise this place smells of evil~ Turning his head Nights saw Quickening standing off a few feet away. The big grey wolf smelled worried. She was crouched low to the ground viewing the field around them with caution.

 

Standing Nights looked around at the field of men staring off into the distance. ~What is this place Quickening.~

 

Quickening flooded his mind with visions of a time long past. Visions of ancient Mantheren and a battle that destroyed the magnificent kingdom and scattered its people. A battled that ended with a desperate stand in which the Aes Sedai Queen leveled the trolloc army with the one power killing herself in the process.

 

~How can I be in a battle that happened hundreds of years ago?~ Quickening had no answer for that. ~The others are here Nightsfire we must find them.~ Scanning the ranks of men the distant sound of fighting spread through the camp and the warning of trollocs approaching echoed in the distance.

 

Others? Quickening showed Nights images of Owen and Janna and the other Wolfkin spread throughout the camp. She also showed him an image of a hill to the back of the camp where a regal woman stood watching over the field. A woman who had to be Aes Sedai and wore a crown on her head. She was surrounded by guards and her face was hardened in resolve.

 

Relieved to find his sword beside him Nights quickly strapped it on his back as the sounds of battle drew closer. The men in the camp paid him no mind, in fact they almost seemed to not realize he was there.

 

The guttural sound of trollocs began to mingle with the cries of men and Nights quickly darted off in search of his brothers and sister. Quickening ran beside him the hate the approaching trollocs filled her with radiated off her as they went. The sound of men and trollocs dying filled the air now and small pockets of the shadow spawn could be seen engaged in battle with the army. Nights could smell the desperation in the air as the enormous trolloc army poured over the river pushing the defenders further back. There were just too many of them and the end was already predetermined. What mattered now was finding his friends and trying to make sense of this madness. Surely this had to be the work of the dark one or at the very least one of the Forsaken.

 

As he ran Nights kept low and ran in the direction Quickening had shown him the Queen to be located. The smell of blood and death mingled with the vile smell of the trollocs filled the field. With a growing sense of alarm Nigths searched for his friends as the trolloc hordes began to overcome the army pushing it further back. Fades came in view now driving the trollocs forward wanting a quick and deciding victory. Quickening snarled and turned toward one of the eyeless. ~No we must find the others.~ With great willpower the wolf turned away and the two resumed their hunt in earnest.

 

Suddenly the low hill came in view surrounded by elite guards. The Queen stood in its center defiant as ever. ~Nightsfire Twisted Chime and Windracer.~ Sure enough the tracker leader was advancing toward the ring of guard with Wind in tow looking as uneasy as Nights was sure he did himself. Calling to her Nights ran to greet her and embraced her in a tight hug. “Thank the light I have found someone.†Just then a familiar head of white hair came in view and the keen eyes of Owen found Nights and Janna. Nights could not be sure but he thought the Ranger leader had others with him. “John and Janna to me!†The two ran toward Owen’s position and stopped. The field was in desperate straights now the trollocs advancing at will. Smoke drifted over the battle obscuring the lines as the group waited for the end that would come sooner rather than later.

 

ooc: enjoy all more to come

She never awoke quickly unless she was in the field. But then, she never slept fully when away from the Stedding, always a light half sleep that offered little rest. Now ensconced within a soft featherbed and bundled beneath blankets and pillows she stubbornly refused the summons.

 

Chime.

 

Irritably she rolled away. A cold nose pressed itself against the base of her neck and she squirmed, mumbling excuses.

 

Chime

 

Swatting the air with one hand she attempted to bury her head further beneath the blankets.

 

Chime!

 

A hard nip at her ear brought her fully awake, one hand cradling her hurt, lips pulled back in a snarl that froze almost immediately into a grimace of terror.

 

A dying man lay beside her on the ground, a dark and twisted blade imbedded in his stomach. His hands dug into the earth as he groaned and took a heaving breath. Without thinking Janna crawled toward him. Cradling his head in her lap she attempted to wipe away the worst of the blood from his face with her nightgown. Did she know him? He looked familiar but the tabard he wore was too soaked with blood for her to read the arms properly. He groaned again and coughed, his mouth filling with the darkest blood, the dying blood. “The Queen…†he whispered hoarsely, “…to the….†His eyes glazed and his head tipped to one side. Janna stared down at him for what seemed an eternity before she felt Wind beside her. They were blue eyes, once clear and bright but now clouded and dead.

 

Dead.

 

Not right.

 

Death never is, she sent back bitterly wiping away tears with a bloody hand and leaving a dark smear across her cheek.

 

No Chime, here…its not right…. The gray wolf snorted and tossed his head, obviously upset and then suddenly faded away before her eyes and it was only then she realized…

 

No ordinary dream…and this was not her father cradled in her arms. Steel on steel, men and women screaming in anger or pain….or both. Horses half mad with blood lust and fear. One reared nearby and Janna cringed as it broke free and bolted past, nearly catching her head with its front hooves. She scrambled away but everywhere there was more death, more blood. Awkwardly she pushed herself to her feet and realized she had nothing…not even an eating knife…with which to defend herself.

 

The dead man lay where she had left him. Unwilling to touch the sword that had taken his life she reached instead for the one cradled in his cold hand. It was too large for her small frame and heavier than it looked. But it was all she had.

 

As if in answer to her prayers Wind suddenly reappeared, snarling and biting at the air. Chime! Follow!

 

They scrambled through mud and over dead bodies to the top of the hill. Just as she caught sight of Nightsfire she caught the wind….and the decaying smell of darkness.

 

Janna Telenvar

Twisted Chime

Wolf Sister and Head Tracker

Companion to Windracer

The small hillock offered Owen, and those gathered around him a good view of what lay before them, although it might have been better if they had remained ignorant. As far as the eye could see, and the Wolfkin could see further than any other’s gathered here, the forces of Manetheren were being assaulted by an ever growing tidal wave of Shadowspawn and their diabolical minions, some were even born on the winds above the battlefield and every now and then would swoop down and snatch an unsuspecting soldier and bear off with him. Owen knew about as much of the history of this ravaged land as any of the Wolfkin, thanks mainly, to the teachings of Wolflover and Riverwind, both of whom had thought it important that Owen knew as much history as they did. Realising that their insistence now would serve him well, Owen offered up a silent pray to his two departed teachers, and friends.

 

“John, I have a task for you, and you will need to have your wits about you to accomplish it, so stop gawping at the Queen and pay attention.†Owen drew John off to one side and started to explain what he wanted the Ranger to do. “We need to be away from here, soon the Shadowspawn will break through and the Queen will unleash her power and destroy everything around here for many a league. But, I sense that we are not all here, so I want you to head north, as far as you safely can, and find as many of our brothers and sisters as you can and bring them back here. Take Burrich with you, he is showing signs of promise in his training, and this will help him learn the situations we Rangers have to face.†John started to turn away, when Owen grabbed his arm and stopped him. “Make sure you do not get involved in the fighting, unless you have no option, this is all going to end badly, and you know as well as I do, if we die here, we die in the real world. Now go my friend, find Burrich and get him to accompany you, he is just over there and needs his mind occupying.â€

 

Once John had left, Owen went over to where Janna was, and issued the same instructions to her, but this time he asked her to go south. “And remember Janna, although you are very good with those crossbows, the main point here is to survive, not to go killing Shadowspawn, bring back all you can find, but bring them, and yourself, back alive.†Without a backward glance Janna left the hilltop to carry out her search.

 

Owen gathered the remaining Wolfkin around and quickly explained what he had asked the others to do. I want the rest of you to stay close we cannot afford to get separated. If any of you do, I will do my best to find you but we cannot lose time searching for anyone stupid enough to disappear on us.†With that Owen led the group over to the far side of the hillock, skirting around the base and as much as possible avoiding the soldiers gathered there. Just as Owen thought they would make it without being challenged a voice called out to them. “You will find the rest of your kin on the northern flank, if that is who you are looking for.â€

 

Owen told the others to continue on while he went to speak to the officer who had addressed him, with Owen went too large, and completely different wolves. One was pure white, with blue eyes, the other one was as dark as the sky overhead, and had green eyes. Icewind on a cold dark night, and Shadows Bane were Owen’s two companions, and had been since they were both cubs. Not only was their colouring different, but so was their personalities. Ice was far more cautious than Shadow, and Owen could feel the contrasting desires fighting for dominance. Ice wanted nothing more than to get her cub, which is how she saw Owen, away from danger. Shadow, on the other hand, only wanted to hunt. He still remembered how his mother had died, and ever since then had gone out of his way to wreck vengeance on any Shadowspawn that crossed his path. It was only Shadow’s love for Owen that held him in check, but with the smell of blood so thick in the air around them, Shadow’s insistence they hunt, and kill, and main, and render limb from limb, was growing. It did not help that Owen felt the same urges and it was only the calming influence of Ice that stopped the two of them from running into the fighting.

 

“Thank you for the advice sir, but my friends and I have been ordered to remove ourselves from the fighting and try and find safety. We fear our kind will not survive this, and as you know, there are not many of us to begin with.†Owen hoped the Officer did not press him on who gave the order, Owen hated lying, and would not tell this man anything that he could not justify.†I wish you well, and hope to see you in happier times.†With that Owen and the two wolves went back down the slope, and continued after the rest of the Wolfkin.

 

Owen

 

The WhiteWolf

 

Ranger Leader

Lorelai gave a last blow to the punching bag, before she decided to call it a night. The bag swung back and forth, slowing to a halt. Taking off the bandages she wrapped around her hands for protection, she started her way towards Kare'el's house. He wasn't there, of course. The coward was still hiding in his secret spot. But Lorelai was going to get him back to the Stedding. Even if she had to drag him all the way.

 

When Lorelai arrived at her destination she had a quick wash and went under the covers with great delight. She was tired from training. Tired but pleased. Happy that Kare'el was back and was at least considering to return. Happy that she was maintaining a good pace in her physical training. Keeping in shape. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction. Which meant one thing. Something bad was coming her way.

 

Shaking that thought away, she closed her eyes. Sleep quickly kidnapped her thoughts. All the worries were washed away and she slept deeply and peacefully. It has been a while since she truly achieved rest.

 

When Lorelai opened her eyes she wasn't in her bed anymore. She wasn't even in the stedding, she believed. The environment was unfamiliar at best.

~Keep your eyes open, black cub~ Lorelai turned her head to find Nightfall. ~Are we in the dream?~ Lorelai asked. ~You are not alone~, was all Nightfall said. Lorelai focused as hard as she could, shutting off all the confusion. The questions would be answered in due time. Right at that moment, finding whoever was trapped in this with her was crusal. Gathering came first. Planning came second.

 

Closing her eyes, Lorelai concentrated on one lone scent. Kare'el's. She had to know if he was trapped in this place. Quickly she learned his whereabouts. He wasn't too far. She found him moments later. He tried to speak, but she cut him off. "We have to find Owen. He's near by, you must feel him. Something tells me we should hurry." Lorelai broke into a run, Kare'el at her heels.

Burrich woke to the sights, sounds, and even the smells of pitched battle. Sleep fell away and was replaced by an acute awareness. He was in the Wolf Dream, he thought, but never before had there been any kind of battle. A Quick search confirmed his battleaxe was on his back and the two handaxes still hung on either side of his belt. Well, at least he wouldn't be caught unarmed. And with his heightened senses he shoudln't be caught unaware either.

 

Get up Mountain, we need to get moving. There was a sense of urgency to Storm's message that alarmed Burrich.

Storm Hunter? What's wrong with this place? Where are we?

 

Where we are is not the most important question. The question you should be asking is if we're alone, and the answer is no. Get up, the others are in trouble.

 

Burrich got up and looked around. The big man found himself in the middle of an army camp. He followed Storm Hunter, his faithful friend that treated him like a little brother. Storm was the biggest wolf Burrich had ever seen and his silver coat glistened in the moonlight. It wasn't long until they found Owen.

 

The Ranger leader was standing on a hill with Icewind and Shadow's Bane. "Owen, what's going on? Where are we?"

 

"Well, Burrich, we seem to be in the midst of the last battle for Manetheren. Now come with me, we need to find the others."

 

They went on, gathering more of the Wolfkin as they went, until they met up with John and Janna. Owen called them over and spoke to them aside from the others. When they were done Burrich's former mentor came by and took his shoulder. He explanied that Owen had asked them to head north in search of more of their members. Together they made their way through the camp searching as they went for others lost in the wrong time.

OOC: Sorry I haven’t been as active as usual, but I wouldn’t want to miss this. I know I only get one post so I’ll try to give it as much quality as I can…

 

IC: Sliding the clay shingle into position a nail was placed into the proper slot and hammered into place. Careful not to break the shingle with a misplaced hammer stroke the rest of the nails were driven into the roof. With surefooted purpose Sosumo clambered over to the stack of clay roofing shingles. The pile was getting low…

:::: “Split leaf? Are you still down there?†Sosumo called.

:::: “Still here and still working like a dog, instead of a wolf!â€

:::: “How many more do you have for me?â€

:::: “Thirty. I’ve been working all day with the portable kiln, so a lot of them aren’t coming out the way you want them too: perfectly…†Split leaf grumbled.

:::: “Send up what you have,†said Sosumo.

:::: “Hard-ass,†Muttered Split leaf.

:::: “I heard that.†A bucket with several clay tiles appeared on the edge of the roof. And Sosumo continued his task of hammering roofing tiles into place.

:::: “Sosumo, it’s getting late, the sun will be down in less than an hour, so I’m going home. I’ll have to send you the last 200 tiles you ordered next week. We’ll settle the bill then. Get some sleep and don’t break your neck getting off your roof.â€

:::: Sosumo looked at his roof. It was nearly half done, and the sun was setting… with a heavy heart over the slow progess of the day Sosumo put away his tools and prepared himself for sleep. His hammock was as inviting as always as he drifted off into sleep.

 

:::: Blinking with undisguised surprise Sosumo found himself lying in the cradle of tree limbs high above the ground. he had a long bow in his lap and a VERY full quiver of arrows. A standard short sword used by military archers was on his belt. He heard a tweet and looked to his left and found a nest sitting on the branch as well. His eyes narrowed, “you…†he said with venom. He was looking into the beady eyes of a lark that Sosumo assumed was the one who had woken him at the crack of dawn every day for more than a year. “I’ll deal with you when I figure out how I got in this tree.â€

:::: Looking in the direction of the ground Sosumo expected to find his house sitting in the center of a circular clearing. Instead he found rows of tents with the standard of Manetheren painted on the sides. “Lark. I don’t think we’re in the Stedding anymore…â€

 

:::: “Let me make sense of this,†said Sosumo to no one in particular, “I am somehow at a battlefield at the end of the Trolloc wars. The Trollocs are attacking and Manetheren is defending and also losing… If all this weren’t bad enough I got dragged into fighting alongside the artillery division, and nine out of ten people around me speak the old tongue and I can’t understand more than two words of that… I’d just about say my luck has run out.â€

:::: The unit Sosumo had somehow become involved in was preparing to launch a volley on an advancing fist of trollocs that had just appeared trying to flank the human defenders from the east. An important looking person shouted in the old tongue and all the men around the wolfkin lifted their bows. Guessing what was about to happen Sosumo followed suit. The unit drew their arrows and the officers hand went up. Sosumo waited calmly for the signal, and when the hand came down the entire unit, 50 strong, loosed a volley of arrows that rained down upon the advancing trollocs. From the looks of it, the enemy was an infantry unit of 200 trollocs, and the unit of 50 archers was supposed to take it down before it got close enough to cut into the defensive lines. There was no other unit to spare, so any trollocs that survived the barrage of arrows was supposed to take down the rest in close combat, ill equipped though they were.

:::: The order for a second volley was issued, and then a third. Too few trollocs were falling to the arrows and it appeared that by the time the fist arrived the small archer unit would still be outnumbered and outmatched. As the officer moved through the lines his eye’s caught Sosumo’s and the older man stopped, and spoke to him in the old tongue, and Sosumo stared helplessly.

:::: “He says you belong with your kind on the north flank.†Said the archer standing next to Sosumo. “Call your wolves to lead you to your people. He does not want you here because if you die it would look bad for him, and he would be demoted.â€

:::: Sosumo nodded and sent out feelers for any nearby wolves, and found something interesting. He was apparently not the only kin in this situation. The wolf who he had made contact with sent a flood of images that filled in all the blanks to his situation. He received instructions on where to meet up with his comrades and with his attempt at a salute he left the archer unit to find his brothers and sisters. He headed north as the wolf had told him to, and there he would meet Nightsfire and the others who had joined him, and he would get some semblance of order back as he would be able to compare notes with the others.

:::: His thoughts were interrupted as he smelled shadowspawn far closer than he had before. he looked upward and found a winged enemy swooping toward him. He swung his bow around and knocked an arrow. He had no time to aim and the creature tore his bow away. He reached for the military short sword at his waist and swung at it’s talon-like limbs. He managed to sever its foot or its hand (he wasn’t sure), and it started to back away in mid air. Once more it dove for him blood spraying from its severed appendage in a stream behind its path of flight. Sosumo held the sword defensively and squared off with his flying attacker.

:::: Kill… or be killed.

 

OOC: I was recommended to end by being in a dangerous situation… two possible outcomes depending on how this RP continues. 1) Sosumo is saved by a wolf tackling the flying critter and killing it. Then Sosumo rejoins the group… 2) Sosumo wakes up… Only the course of this RP will tell. Since I only get 1 post, I just thought I’d give a choice of endings so that I wouldn’t mess up the course of the RP. Well I hope you all enjoyed the post… sorry if it’s a bit on the rusty side, I haven’t written in a while on account of the work load during my summer classes.

She could dismiss the noise and confusion…but the scents…. Janna’s stomach churned. How many lay dead or dying all around them? What had once been a grassy meadow lay dark and slick with the blood of both men and Shadowspawn. But she was surefooted enough from years of traversing the wiliest of woods. The sword was so very heavy though, and it had been years since she wielded one, even in jest. As she topped the rise and caught sight of John and her relief was so great she nearly fell to her knees.

 

Woolheaded and stubborn beyond imagining she had still never been so glad to see John Dunbar in the entire time she had known him. Thank the light I have found someone, he cried as she wrapped her arms around him awkwardly, to assure herself not only that he was real but to feel living, breathing flesh,

 

â€John! Janna! To me!â€

 

Owen’s voice cut through her moment of respite and as one she and John sprinted toward him.

 

Wind brushed past her to touch noses with Ice and Quickening. Janna could feel the tension in all the wolves. Not right, not right. She blinked distractedly as she stared at the carnage around her. Wolves were so wise. No, not right.

 

As if from a distance she watched Owen take charge, issuing succinct and brusque orders that sent John off at a near run. Queen? She turned her gaze northward and saw a woman, plainly but elegantly dressed and seemingly frozen as she stared at the dark army on the plain below. Flames and earth exploded into the air wherever that stare wandered. Eldrenne.Janna thought wonderingly, Can it really be?

 

“To the South, Chime. And remember Janna, although you are very good with those crossbows, the main point here is to survive, not to go killing Shadowspawn, bring back all you can find, but bring them, and yourself, back alive.â€

 

Gather Wolfkin….escape…. This made sense. This was something she could do. Wind matched her pace as they skirted the worst of the battle towards the south. Janna clung to her mission….Gather wolfkin,….escape…..

 

Janna Telenvar

Twisted Chime

Head Tracker ~ Wolfsister

Companion to Windracer

Eyota had just returned to the stedding from a rather confusing and exhausting retrieval; and was looking forward to his cot situated in the tiny cave that Sha’re and Randon had made their home. He was still confused about the emotions he had smelled coming from Janna and Odette. It wasn’t so much Odette’s scent that had caused him to worry, she was new to the kin and it wasn’t strange for a wanderer to become attached to the person who had found them. What was strange that Janna had lost so much control as to let her feelings slip through the mask she had been keeping in place whenever around Eyota. He was sure he had smelled the bitter smell of jealousy mixed with the tantalizing sweetness of compassion. It was no secret amongst the kin that Eyota and Janna had become like brother and sister in the years since his arrival in the stedding. On more than one occasion Janna had saved his life; most recently a little under a year ago when he had lost himself to the wildness that was his wolfish nature breaking through. He still maintained a tenuous grip on reality and often struggled to feel the more compassionate feelings his human side needed to balance his more primal nature. The stolen kiss they had shared in his confused and lost state of mind had brought him back; and then been completely ignored. It was something Eyota had been unable to rest and meditate on; and Janna had never brought up. Women were as unpredictable and stubborn as mules so once again Eyota let go of his thoughts as he moved silently into the mouth of the cave that was now his home.

 

After greeting Sha’re and the cubs who were now almost full grown and forming the pack that had adopted Eyota he moved to the center of the cave and sat Indian style on the floor. He closed his eye’s and centered his emotions; since losing himself he maintained fierce control over his emotions and found meditating often helped him to stay centered. Slowly he found his center and lost himself in the stabilizing blackness that was his mind. After what seemed only minutes but had truly been hours Eyotas eye’s snapped open realizing something had changed in his surroundings. To his confusion he was not in his cave but now found himself in a field with the smell of blood and sounds of fighting coming from just over a rise. He rose slowly feeling for the daggers he kept on his person almost constantly now and was relived to feel their heavy presence. He reached for his back to string his bow and found only air, which was a very disconcerting feeling. The only thing more constant than his daggers was his bow; something he had never been without when outside of the stedding and sometimes even in it. Slowly he rose to survey his surroundings taking it all in with the mind of an experienced tracker and hunter. He knew something was wrong; and reached out with his mind to find Randon; it wasn’t long before the entire pack came into view from behind him. All of them urging him to run forward and fight the hated shadow; it would have been too much for his fragile mind to handle had he not just centered himself and even now it was difficult to hold his control and keep the wolves from running madly over the hill.

 

Eyota pulled out his power wrought dagger and lead the way slowly and cautiously over the rise; his nose constantly taking in the overwhelming smell of blood and fear his eye’s never resting on one thing for more than a second. He was searching for the rest of the kin; something nagging inside of him that they were also in this strange dream. After he had surveyed the field it was clear he was at the southern edges of a battle that had taken place thousands of years before. Shadow spawn and men lay all around him in piles of wounded or dead or dying. It didn’t take him long to realize he was in trouble and started at a trot looking for his brothers and sisters. He was so focused on his task when he topped the next rolling hill that he missed seeing Janna frozen in horror as a trolloc descended on where she stood. It was only Randon insistent voice in his head that caused him to turn and see her. As he saw her standing there defenseless a giant long sword held loosely in her hand at her side that strange emotions flooded into him; much stronger than the need to protect his sister. It was almost as if he had a need to protect his….he let the thought trail off as he charged silently down the hill and sprung into the back of the unsuspecting Trolloc driving the dagger under the upraised arms in the exposed portion of flesh under his arm. His dagger drove deep and hard and before the Trolloc could respond Eyota released his hold on the dagger quickly pulling another from his back and slicing the throat of the hated shadowspawn and his pack moved in for the kill. When the beast was truly finished Eyota gathered his daggers holding one in each hand a grabbing Janna by the shoulders shaking her slightly as he stared deep in to here eyes. Once again he felt that strange feeling building but refused to acknowledge it there amongst the carnage and death that surrounded them.

 

“Janna listen to me! What is happening!?â€

 

OOC: Man it feels good to be writing again.

Her golden eyes suddenly focused on his face, widening in surprise, and for half a second she smiled dazedly, heart full. Aurin! Then the horrid smell of blood reached her and reality spun back into place. Not Aurin, Eyota. Her little brother was as good as dead and in his place this hard faced stranger who made her feel not at all like an older sister. A trolloc lay dead a few feet away, Randon and the rest of Eyota’s pack pacing around it.

 

“The Battle of Manetheren, Eyota….I saw…I saw the Queen....and…†The sword dropped from her hand and she grasped his arms, unconsciously digging her fingernails hard enough to draw blood. “Wind! Where’s Wind?â€

 

She spun in a circle, searching desperately. Randon barked sharply once and raced south, the pups trailing behind him. Her arm still twined with Eyota’s Janna followed, heart racing. “Owen and John are to the north. Wind and I were supposed to gather more Wolfkin and bring them but…†She stopped, heart caught in her throat. Randon stood over Wind, pawing lightly at the grey wolf’s unmoving form. Her legs buckled as they drew closer and she leaned heavily against Eyota before falling to her knees and burying her face in the wolf’s fur. It took her half a moment to realize he still lived, his breath shallow but he lived. He was wounded in half a dozen places, most already beginning to stink of poison. But he lived.

 

Awkwardly she tried to cradle him in her arms, tears streaming down her face, her mind sending him half a dozen messages, most incoherent even to her. I’ll get you home, Wind. Home to your rug and a warm fire and a juicy rabbit on the spit. You’ll be fine if I can get you home. But he was too heavy, his body limp. Gently someone pushed her away and lifted the wolf. Janna sat unmoving, sobbing into her hands until a wet tongue against her cheek startled her. Randon pushed against her and one of the pups nipped at her twisted arm.

 

“Janna, come on! We need to get out of here!â€

 

Eyota turned, Wind held easily over one shoulder and started up the rise. Janna rose, slipping more than once in what she prayed was mud as she followed.

 

Janna Telenvar

Head Tracker ~ Wolfsister

Companion to Windracer