Eternity Gazing
"Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror." - Khalil Gibran
Chapter 1
Hunting in the country of Hatari was not a chore to be taken lightly. The desert offered little sustenance. This day was especially important, as it was a week until the Feasting Days, which celebrated the survival of Hatari in the face of the Goddess Ashuna's wrath. Because of the importance of these festivities, bringing back a hyena or large bird was vital, so Queen Nailah herself was leading the hunting party.
Her pale fur glistened in the sunlight, her long tail sweeping side to side, giving signal to the other wolves behind her. Volug, her second in all things, followed at her right flank, his ears and eyes alert for anything. They were followed by three more wolves, two gray, one white. Serving as lookout was a young jackal, her nose twitching. Smelling something, she barked and ran ahead of the pack, indicating Nailah's right.
Nailah barked an affirmation and held her nose high in that direction, picking up the scent of… something. Her nose didn't know what it was, though it smelled vaguely bird-like and… laguz-like. Worried now instead of eager, she broke away from the pack and sprinted, only Volug, used to following her, able to trail behind her.
She caught the smell of feathers and blood and sweat before she scrambled up a dune and found the laguz. Yipping excitedly as she half-ran, half-slid down the sandy embankment, it took Nailah a moment to realize she'd never seen a bird laguz before. Sure, the old stories told of bird laguz—tall and slender, with pointed ears and graceful wings. But she'd thought them all long dead, lost to the Flood.
They were lying sprawled in the sand untransformed, the dust attempting to swallow their pure white wings. She caught glimpses of tattered finery crisscrossing their torso and legs, and blond hair matted and tangled, sticking to bare skin where it could be found, or else tangled out over their head.
It didn't take a bird to realize that their wing really shouldn't be bent at that angle and it didn't take a beorc healer to realize they weren't going to be waking any time soon—ever if they weren't taken care right away.
She untransformed to make use of her arms, right as Volug slid down the dune behind her. The jackal was close at his heels. Judging from the yips and howls, the other wolves weren't far behind.
Fatima, that was the jackal girl's name, Nailah suddenly recalled and called the girl over. She bounded over and untransformed. "What do you need, my queen?"
"Go back to the city as quick as you can. Alert the court healer, tell him to be ready with his best magicks at the city gates. We'll be bringing back an injured bird laguz, though I have no idea what species—" She glanced down at the bird again. "—or what sex."
Fatima gave a quick bow with a hurried, "Of course, my queen," and took off once more at a run, her golden-gray body disappearing into the sand.
Volug walked to Nailah's side as she knelt and pressed fingers lightly to the bird's neck. A faint pulse still beat there. "Good," she said, mostly to herself. "Volug, help me get them up."
Gently, the two wolves got their arms under the bird's and lifted them into a sitting position, though their head still lolled forward in unconsciousness. He, Nailah decided, glancing at the bird's chest. He was lighter than either of them had expected, probably because he was rail-thin. "Volug, water."
He took the canteen from his belt and opened it, holding it to the bird's mouth. He didn't respond. Nailah took the bottle and wet her fingers, bringing them to the bird's mouth. Reaction, purely instinctual. Green eyes, framed by pale gold lashes fluttered open, and the dry mouth opened in turn, a high-pitched whine escaping his throat. Volug tipped the canteen into the waiting mouth, the bird's once-pale neck, now red with the burn from sun and sand, shifted up and down as he swallowed.
Once Volug, Nailah and the three other wolves' canteens were empty and it was clear there was no more water to be had, the bird passed out again. Nailah lifted him easily, situating him on her back. "I'll have to carry him like this," she said, hooking her arms around his legs. "Volug, I trust you can lead us home?"
He nodded and transformed again, lifting his wolfish head and howling toward the city. The gate watchmen howled back, giving them an idea of where to go.
She turned to the remaining hunting party. "You three, I'm counting on you to finish hunting. Stay close to the city if you can, so Fatima can find and join with you later."
They nodded and transformed back as well, barking at each other and jostling for point position until the white one nipped at the larger gray one and took it. The three ran ahead as Volug maneuvered more slowly up the sand dune, looking behind him every few lengths to make sure Nailah was still there, carefully tending to the wounded bird.
A/N: Short chapters, but regular ones. Next chapter will come Wednesday.