Mari woke slowly. She had no idea how long she’d slept, but by the cocoon imprint she’d made in her side of the pallet it was obvious she hadn’t moved all night.
My side of the pallet …
Mari’s eyelids went from heavy and sleepy to wide open as she turned her head, expecting to see Nik beside her. Sifting back through her dreams, she thought that he’d cradled her all night in his arms. Laru had been at the foot of the bed, and Rigel had been snuggled close on her other side. Surrounded by love, she’d slept better than she had since her mama’s death.
But now she was alone.
Mari sat, rubbing her eyes and trying to tame her wild hair with her fingers.
“Rigel?” she called softly, and just before he came galloping through the woven curtain that separated the main room of the burrow from her sleeping chamber and the well-stocked pantry that stretched behind it, Mari was pretty sure she caught the scent of rabbit stew.
The young Shepherd bounded up on the pallet, grinning his tongue-lolling, puppyish smile and covering her face in licks.
“Okay! Okay! I see you. Good morning to you, too.” Mari laughed and hugged the half-grown canine, kissing his muzzle and trying to avoid as much of his slobber as possible.
Laru stuck his head through the curtain and gave a soft woof of greeting.
“Hello, handsome!” Mari opened her arms in invitation. The big canine didn’t need to be asked twice. Two jumps and he’d joined his son on her pallet, licking her as the Shepherds wagged their tails and wriggled like they were both still puppies.
“I see I have competition.”
Three sets of eyes turned to the doorway where Nik was standing with a cup of steaming tea in his hand, grinning at the knot of canines and Moon Woman.
“Good morning,” Mari said, trying again to smooth back her hair as she wiped the Shepherd kisses from her cheeks.
“Good morning! I’m glad you’re finally awake.” Nik came to the bed, offering the mug of tea to Mari. “It was getting tough to keep Rigel from sitting by your pallet and whining like an anxious pup.”
“Thank you for the tea and for not letting Rigel wake me.” Mari took the tea and loved the way Nik bent and kissed her softly before he sat beside her.
“You taste like Shepherd slobber,” he said.
“Is that a good or bad thing?”
“It’s my favorite. How are you feeling?”
“Really, really hungry. Ravenous, actually. Is that normal? How long have I been asleep? Oh, Goddess! Don’t tell me it’s been days! Sora is going to kill me. Literally. Or do you have her bound and gagged in the other room? Not that that’s a particularly bad idea sometimes.” She finally paused to take a breath and sip the tea, peering up at him over the rim of the ornately carved wooden cup.
“Okay, I’ll answer in order. Yes, it’s normal to be starving after calling down sunfire. It’s normal to feel the effects for a few days yet. Just eat and drink more than you normally would—and sleep—and you’ll be fine. You only slept one night, but it is past midday. I don’t have Sora bound or gagged in the next room, but now that I know you’re not opposed to the idea I’ll consider it next time she drives either of us too crazy.”
“Past midday!” She swung her legs around, meaning to get out of bed quickly, but then she noticed how very bare they were and how almost naked—except for a thin sleep shirt—she was, and she paused, feeling her cheeks warm.
Nik gave her a long, intimate look. “Don’t be embarrassed about showing me your bare legs. They’re very beautiful. And did you know you like to sleep with them tangled up with mine?”
“No, I was asleep, so I couldn’t know it. Are you making that up?”
“Absolutely not. Ask Rigel.”
Mari glanced at her Companion, who gave her an openmouthed canine grin, tongue lolling. “I don’t have to. I see the answer in his face. Um, I’m sorry?”
“Sorry about wrapping me in your beautiful leg blanket? Don’t ever be sorry about that.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, somehow making an innocent gesture feel intimate, even exciting, as his lingering lips promised more to come. Then he stood. “But I will let you get dressed in peace. You are dressing, right? And not considering undressing and letting me shoo the Shepherds into the other room?” His moss-colored eyes glinted mischievously.
“I’d like to consider it, but if I’m gone too much longer Sora is going to march through the door with a mixed group of Earth Walkers and Companions in her wake, and that would be…” She trailed off trying to find the right word.
“A definite turnoff?” Nik offered.
“Yep. A definite turnoff. Um, and is that stew I smell?”
Nik chuckled. “It is, and far be it from me to stand in the way of a Sun Priestess and her breakfast.”
Mari’s brow furrowed. “I’m not a Sun Priestess. I don’t even know what that is.”
“Then how do you know you’re not one?”
“Because I don’t even know what it is?”
“You’re answering my question with a question. You definitely need food. I’ll ladle up a big bowl of stew for you. Do you want bread and honey, too?”
“I want a whole loaf, please. And an entire comb of honey. I mean it. I’m going to eat a lot.”
Nik stopped at the curtain and then turned to look back at her. “I’m not surprised, and I already have the loaf sliced. Oh, and a Sun Priestess is a revered member of the Tribe who has been chosen by a Shepherd as Companion and has the ability to call down sunfire—which tends to make said priestess ravenous. The Tribe hasn’t had one for generations, though the appearance of one is considered magickal and auspicious for the future. Laru, Rigel, with me! Let Mari get dressed in peace.” The canines bounded after him, leaving Mari alone with her thoughts.
Sun Priestess? Is that what calling down the sun makes me? Wonder how that works with being a Moon Woman? She mentally shrugged. Since I’m not going to be part of the Tribe of the Trees, I don’t think I’m going to have to worry about serving two roles at once. Mari washed her face in the wooden trough that Nik had somehow refilled while she’d been asleep. How had he found his way out of the bramble thicket? As soon as her mind formed the question she realized the answer—Rigel. He had to have led Nik. I probably should feel worried or at the very least a little strange about Rigel helping Nik, but I don’t. It makes me feel safe, loved even.
Mari used a willow twig to clean her teeth, and then she dressed and combed her hair. She liked hearing the sounds of Nik and Laru and Rigel in the other room. It made her feel safe, too. And loved.
She wondered at the changes in her world. In just a few weeks she had gone from being committed to living a solitary life with Rigel as her only companion to having a burrow filled with people and canines—and even a Lynx.
Mari’s hand paused mid-brush of her hair as she realized, I like it. I like having people and their animals around. I like being part of something more than myself.
But it wasn’t the Clan way. Moon Women led their Clans but were supposed to live solitary lives committed to serving, but serving alone—except for an occasional lover and the gray-eyed, female offspring those lovers produced. The thought of going back to that lonely life made her feel hollow.
Nik is right. It is time for all of us to make a change.
Mari stepped through the room-dividing curtain and stopped. Her stomach did a little flip-flop as she took in the pelt Nik had spread on the floor of the burrow before the hearth fire. On it were two bowls of steaming stew. The one that was heaped completely full was also sitting next to an entire loaf of sliced bread and a wooden container brimming with honey. And beside the bowl of stew was a small figure, carved from wood. Rigel and Laru were lounging before the open door of the burrow, and a lovely warm breeze was drifting in with the wan light of an overcast day.
“Moon Woman, your breakfast awaits.” With a flourish Nik gestured to her place at the makeshift table.
“Wow, this is wonderful!” Mari hurried to take a cross-legged seat before her bowl of stew. She picked up the wood figure and gasped in pleasure. “Nik! It’s Rigel!” Her eyes found Nik’s. “You carved this?”
He nodded and shrugged a little uncomfortably as he took his place beside her on the floor. “Yeah, well, I’m not sure my mother would approve. It’s not very good. I’ll make you a better one when I have more time. I barely finished that before you woke.”
“I love it!” Mari studied the little figure, turning it over and over in her hands. It was definitely Rigel. The details of his wide, intelligent brow, his gangly paws and oversized ears—they were completely her Rigel. Mari’s eyes swept around the burrow. Nik had made breakfast, tidied up, fed the canines—obviously, as they were snoring contentedly in the doorway instead of begging and slobbering all over Nik and her—and carved a miniature figure of her canine for her. Her eyes found Nik’s, and she leaned into him and touched his cheek, drawing him closer to her. “Nik, I am sure your mother would approve. Everything you’ve done here is perfect. Absolutely perfect.” Then she kissed him, long and thoroughly, pulling away only because she couldn’t ignore the steaming stew for another moment.
She felt Nik’s eyes on her and looked up, mouth full.
“In case I haven’t made myself completely clear—Mari, daughter of Leda, I am courting you.”
Mari managed to swallow the stew without choking. She took another drink of her half-finished mug of tea and then, with a smile, said, “Oh, you’ve made yourself clear.”
“Good,” Nik said.
“Good,” Mari said.
“Is it wrong that I wish we could stay here together for a while, just the four of us, and ignore the outside world?” Nik asked.
“If wanting that’s wrong, then I suddenly like being wrong,” Mari said. “But we—”
“I know we can’t,” Nik interrupted. “It’s just so peaceful here. The world’s falling apart out there, but in here…” He paused and his gaze swept around the neat little burrow. “In here everything fits perfectly.”
“Nik, do you think there’s any chance that we’ll actually be able to stay? I don’t mean just you and me and Rigel and Laru—I mean your new Pack, with the Clan and whoever from your Tribe wants to join us.”
Nik chewed his stew thoughtfully before he responded. When he spoke, his voice was heavy, as if the weight of the words made them difficult to speak. “I wish we could. But I don’t think we would ever be safe here.”
“Thaddeus.” Mari said the name as if it tasted rotten.
Nik nodded. “Yes, but not just him. Cyril was with him when he attacked us on the island, and Cyril is Lead Elder of the Council. With Father gone, there is no voice in the Council to stand for us.”
“You mean to stand for not enslaving my people,” Mari said.
“Our people. We’re allies—Pack and Clan. If they come against you, they’ll be coming against me, too.”
Mari was silent, considering how she could form the words she needed to say. She didn’t want to hurt Nik, but she had to be clear. “What if we fight?”
“Fight the Tribe?”
“Yes.”
Nik drew a long breath and then let it out in a sigh. “You mean go on the offensive. Attack them while they’re hurt and trying to recover.”
“Would that be the only way?”
He moved his shoulders restlessly. “Not the only way, but probably the best chance we’d have at winning.” He met her eyes. “I don’t think I could do that, Mari. I would fight to protect you, protect the Pack, and protect the Clan, but I don’t think I could go into that wounded Tribe and hurt them even more. I don’t think I could add to their suffering.”
Mari felt almost dizzy with relief. “Oh, Nik, I’m so glad to hear you say that!”
“Really? You’re not upset?”
She gripped his hand. “No! I would have been upset if you’d said yes, if you’d wanted to attack them, which is why I had to ask you—had to be sure. No!” she repeated. “That’s something Thaddeus would do. We’re not like that. Nik, let’s promise to never be like that.”
“You know that means we’ll have to leave the forest and find a new home in a new land.”
Mari’s stomach clenched nervously, but she nodded. “I know. When do we have to leave?”
“We should have a while. The fire was bad. The Tribe will be focused on healing and surviving. All of the floating cages on Farm Island were destroyed. They have nowhere to put captives until those are rebuilt. Unless something dire happens, we may have weeks, even a month or so.”
“In other words, long enough for us to get comfortable and let down our guard.”
“Exactly,” Nik said.
“We’ll have to leave before then.”
“I think so, too.…” Nik paused, then spoke reluctantly. “I have to go back.”
“To get a Mother Plant?”
“Yes. For our children. For the Pack’s children. Mari, I had a thought while you were sleeping. You were swaddled in the Mother Plant when you were an infant, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what Galen was killed for—stealing the fronds of the Mother Plant for me.”
“And the Night Fever all Earth Walkers get—all Earth Walkers except you—do you think if we swaddled all babies in the Mother Plant fronds that maybe, just maybe, they would turn out like you, immune to Night Fever?”
Mari straightened, intrigued by the idea. “I’ve never thought of it! I always thought I was immune to Night Fever because of my father’s blood, but if there’s even a slight chance that you could be right, oh, Nik! If we could rid Earth Walkers of Night Fever forever, just think what that would mean for our people!”
“Our people—I like the sound of that.”
“So do I. Let’s eat! We need to talk to Sora!”
* * *
It had taken until midday, but Sora finally had everyone fed, medicated, and freshly bandaged. She’d made sure O’Bryan, Sheena, and Davis were standing guard—though standing guard was too official sounding. Sora had simply asked the three of them if they could keep an eye open for danger. From where she sat braiding feathers and beads into Lydia’s hair, Sora could see Sheena throwing a stick for Captain, and he, for reasons Sora absolutely could not understand, continually ran after it and brought it back to her. The same stick. Over and over again.
O’Bryan was over by the stream. He’d found line and lure in the birthing burrow and she thought he’d already caught a basketful of trout. Davis and his silly little Cammy canine had gone off to hunt turkey, which she’d promised to roast to perfection if they managed to bring any home.
She’d had to send the Clanswomen to different tasks, mostly to keep them from being too insistent about going off to find their old burrows. She’d sent part of them to where the stream widened to dig in the shallows of the bank for wapato roots, another part to hunt mushrooms, and the rest were sitting in peaceful, chattering groups around the clearing either washing bandages or weaving baskets to store supplies.
Jenna, Danita, and Isabel were sitting cross-legged near the stream, separating herbs and following Sora’s careful instructions—which were actually Mari’s careful instructions—and blending new tonics and salves. Bast was, of course, meticulously grooming herself within sight of Danita. Sora had no idea where Antreas had gotten himself off to. She stifled a snide grin. He probably needed some time alone after she’d explained the Clan’s courting traditions. Danita’s youthful laugher drifted across the clearing, and Sora glanced at the girl. Danita looked happy and, except for some lingering bruises and the pink lines of healing cuts and scratches, she seemed healthy again. Actually, now that Sora really considered the girl, she was more than healthy. She’d grown into a pretty young woman whose laugh was infectious and whose heart, despite what had happened to her, was still open and kind.
Wonder how open and kind she’ll be to Antreas if he does decide to court her. The thought had Sora camouflaging a giggle with a cough.
“Are you feeling okay, Sora?” Rose asked.
“Absolutely!” Sora said. “Just had a tickle in my throat. Would you like me to braid your hair next, Rose?”
“Oh, would you? Yours is so pretty, and what you’re doing to Lydia’s hair is wonderful.”
Sora nodded happily. “Of course! I am running out of beads, though. I saw another basket of beads in the back of the pantry. If you feel up to it, I’d appreciate you getting it for me.”
“I’ll go look. Fala needs a break from nursing her puppies anyway. Would you mind keeping an eye on them while she comes with me?” Rose asked.
“No problem,” Sora said. “All they do after they eat is sleep anyway.”
“True, but they waddle faster than you’d expect when they wake. Just be sure none of them get away from you—not that they wouldn’t sit their plump bottoms down and scream for Fala as soon as they realized they were lost,” Rose said, stroking the sleeping ball of pups fondly before she began moving slowly and stiffly toward the burrow, with the mother Terrier by her side.
Sora had situated Rose, with Fala and her pups, Sarah, and Lydia on a thick bed of moss beside an old log near the middle of the clearing. The two girls were sore and hadn’t wanted to get out of bed, but Sora knew fresh air would be good for them both and Rose had—very nicely—sided with her in encouraging the girls to come outside. As the morning had progressed to midday and Sora had been able to breathe more easily, she’d decided the two wounded girls would feel better if they looked better. So she’d searched the burrow until she found a small basket of hair decorations and managed to talk Lydia into letting her dress her hair.
Sora had been surprised at how readily the girls had agreed to let her coif their hair—she suspected at first their agreement had been out of apathy, but soon after she’d begun to comb through and then braid Lydia’s hair Sarah had perked up and begun asking questions about the intricate work Sora was doing. And she was thoroughly enjoying herself. Lydia’s hair was thick and had a beautiful natural wave to it. It fell halfway down her back and was an astonishing blond, so light it was almost white. Sora thought it felt like water between her fingers. She could hardly wait to get her hands on Sarah’s hair. It was shorter and the golden color of wheat and so, so very different from the dark hair of Earth Walkers that the novelty of it intrigued the Moon Woman.
As her hands worked familiar braid patterns into unfamiliar hair, Sora’s mind wandered. She tried not to obsess about their situation and their vulnerability. But Nik’s new—what had he called them? Pack! His new Pack was pretty pathetic. They had a grand total of three males, and one Warrior female, to protect them. And with all the coming and going of Clan and Tribe, Sora was pretty sure it wouldn’t take much searching for the Tribe’s Hunters to find them and recapture all of them.
I need Mari to get out of bed with that tall Companion and get here so we can decide what we’re going to do with this new Pack, Sora thought.
“Ouch!” Lydia squeaked, putting her hand to the side of her head where Sora had yanked too hard.
“Oh, sorry. I’ll be more careful,” Sora apologized, then she squeaked, too, as a little ball of black fur waddled over to her and began licking her toes. “Sunkissed! You scared me. Are you the only escapee?” Sora glanced at the puppy pile and quickly counted four fat, sleeping pups.
“She really likes you,” Lydia said.
“She’s less bothersome than I expected,” Sora said, moving her foot so the pup could get more comfortable.
“Why do you call her Sunkissed?” asked Sarah.
“She has a little spot on her chest that looks like a splotch of sunlight. O’Bryan told me you call that being sun-kissed.”
“What? Did I hear my name?” O’Bryan joined them, holding a basket that smelled of fish.
“I was just telling Sarah about the girl pup being sun-kissed. That is the word, right?” Sora said.
“That’s the perfect word!” O’Bryan bent, scooped up the sleepy pup, and turned her over to expose the splotch of color on her chest. “See, sun-kissed.”
The pup opened her eyes, and Sora could almost swear the little girl canine was frowning. Then she opened her mouth and began to shriek as if O’Bryan were pinching her.
“What are you doing? Give her to me!” Sora stood abruptly and snatched the pup from the openmouthed Companion. She hugged the fat little creature to her chest and the pup immediately quieted.
“I didn’t do anything! I wouldn’t hurt a pup—I swear!”
“Torturing puppies, O’Bryan?” Antreas joined the group while he sniffed at the basket by the Companion’s feet. “Bast sent me an image of fish. Good! Hey, Sora, I’m great at grilling these. Want some help with dinner?”
“That’s very kind, Antreas. Thank you,” Sora said absently as she went back to her seat on the log and put the pup down on her feet again, but the fat little thing started whining pitifully. “What’s wrong with her?” Sora asked.
“She wants you to pick her up,” Rose said, limping up to them, a small wooden cup filled with beads in her hand. “Was that why she was screaming? Fala almost had a heart attack when she heard her.” The adult dog had gone to Sora, licking and nosing the girl pup, trying to get her to stop whining.
“O’Bryan was torturing her,” Antreas said.
“I was not!”
“Well, it sounded like you were torturing her,” Antreas said.
“You know I wouldn’t ever do that,” he said beseechingly to Rose, who simply smiled wryly at him.
“Okay, okay, everyone stop yelling!” Sora said. “Including you, young lady.” She picked up the pup, who instantly stopped crying. Sora held her at eye level. “Well, now you’re up here. What do you want?”
And then something extraordinary happened. The puppy met her gaze, and suddenly Sora was filled with the most incredible feelings she’d ever experienced. Love, happiness, acceptance, and an indescribable sense of belonging flooded the Moon Woman, and with those emotions came a single name.
“Chloe!” Sora gasped. “Your name isn’t Sunkissed; it’s Chloe!”
“Sora! What are you saying?” Rose rushed to Sora’s side, peering over her shoulder at the puppy.
Sora looked up at Rose and in a voice that shook with the tears that ran unnoticed down her face said, “She just told me her name. It’s Chloe.”
“Great bloody beetle balls! The pup just chose Sora!” O’Bryan said.
“Stormshaker! How is that possible?” Antreas said.
“I have no idea,” Rose said, smiling through tears of her own. “Chloe’s too young, and Sora’s not even a Companion.”
“But it’s true!” Sora’s voice had become frantic, and she clutched Chloe to her chest. “She told me her name, and she—she’s making me feel all sorts of things.” Sora pressed her face into the pup’s fur, breathing in the intoxicating smell of puppy. “Please, you can’t take her away from me!”
“Hey.” O’Bryan went to Sora, touching her shoulder gently. “No one will ever take Chloe away from you. You have my word on it.”
“And mine,” Rose said.
“Mine as well,” “And mine,” said Sarah and Lydia.
“It’s never happened before,” O’Bryan said. “But that pup has chosen you, and if you accept her you are bound for life.”
“Is there something I have to say, something I have to do, to accept her?” Sora asked.
“Well, there is, but the words aren’t important,” Rose said. “All you have to do is love her back.”
“Then I’ve already accepted her.” Sora smiled up at them through her tears as the pup snuggled against her.
O’Bryan threw his head back and shouted, “The pup has chosen!” Then he turned to Sora and spoke formally. “May the Sun bless your union with Chloe, Moon Woman.”
“May the Sun bless your union with Chloe!” Sarah, Lydia, and Rose intoned together.
“What? Did I hear you say—” Sheena and Captain came running up to the group. “Oo-o-oh, I see I did hear you say a pup has chosen. Wow! She chose Sora?”
Sora narrowed her eyes at Sheena. “Yes. She’s mine and I’m hers.”
Sheena held up her hands in mock surrender and stepped back, laughing softly. “Yep, she’s definitely chosen you. What’s her name?”
“Chloe!” Sora spoke the word like a prayer.
“May the Sun bless your union with Chloe!” Sheena said.
“Hey, Cammy started acting all weird, and insisted we come back, even though I think I could have bagged at least one more turkey. What’s going on?” Davis said as he and his little blond Terrier jogged up.
Cammy went to Sora, looked up at the girl and the pup, sat his butt down on the moss, and lifted his muzzle to the sky, howling with happiness. Beside Sheena, Captain joined in, and then two more Shepherds sounded the celebratory howl as Rigel and Laru galloped down the wide stone stairs, racing into the clearing, with Nik and Mari, looking utterly confused, running behind them.
“What has happened?” Mari gasped the words between panting breaths.
“It’s Sora! She’s spectacular!” O’Bryan beamed at the Moon Woman cuddling Chloe to her chest.
“Spectacular, huh?” Antreas muttered, sending O’Bryan a knowing look. “Boy, you and I better have a talk.”
“What?” asked Sora. She was hardly able to take her eyes from Chloe.
“Nothing,” Antreas said quickly.
“No, someone tell me what really happened.” Mari moved to Sora’s side and began checking her for wounds.
Nik took Mari’s hand, stilling her. “If I am not mistaken, this lovely little Terrier pup just chose Sora as her Companion.”
“Huh?” Mari said.
Sora looked up at her friend, eyes shining with tears and happiness. “He’s right. She chose me! Chloe chose me. Oh, Mari! I—I didn’t know it was like this. I had no idea. It’s … it’s—” Sora broke off with a sob, unable to find the words.
“It’s wondrous,” Davis said, bending to hug Cammy.
“It’s breathtaking,” Sheena said, resting a fond hand on Captain’s broad head.
“It’s miraculous,” Rose said, picking up Fala and kissing her softly on the muzzle.
“It’s forever magickal,” Mari said, smiling through her own tears as she knelt and hugged Rigel. “Congratulations, Moon Woman. You will never be alone again.”
Sora held her Chloe close. She won’t leave me like my parents did. She’ll love me for as long as we live. Chloe lifted her head and met her Companion’s gaze, sending waves of love and reassurance to her as Sora sobbed and laughed with joy.