Stagracer's Legacy
The world spun. A blaze of scales, and a talon flashed past Foxfur's vision. There was a mortal howl, and she felt the wolf buckle under her. Grasping onto her friend, she wound her fingers through his fur. A blinding blast of a sending, and she fell across her mounts shoulders. The wolf slowly carried her away, until he, too, collapsed.
The blackness cleared for a moment, only to replaced by a different sort of blackness. An ebony coat of fur hovered in her face, and she felt herself being lifted onto the familiar shape of a wolf back. But this wasn't her wolf, Stagracer, it was a strange wolf and not one she knew from the Pack. Foxfur caught a glimmer of jet black fur and yellow eyes - Blackfell. Knowing she was with her chief's wolf, she gave herself up to the blackness.
"Well, well. Our last patient has decided to grace us with her presence," a kind, deep voice reached through the gloom of unconsciousness towards Foxfur. The wolfrider fought the sticky, dark strands that threatened to pull her out of the conscious world. She snapped a strand, and a big dark blur became a big light blur, which resolved into colors, and then shapes, and then -
A strange elf!
He was stocky, with dark blond hair and light blue eyes, eyes that looked like they should be laughing. The elderly wolf who trotted up beside him was a graying shade of brown. Foxfur searched in vain for Stagracer, and then knew with utter certainty that her wolf-friend was gone. Had he been alive, he would have raced into the holt, baying glad tidings at her waking - that's what he did every time she woke up! The elf's eyes saddened as he realized what his young patient was looking for. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Your wolf didn't make it." He shook his head. "Anyway. I'm Otterkin, this is Windrunner. The Pack wouldn't accept him, old as he is, but Nightgaze helps us get by. If you're wondering where you are; I'm about to tell you. Do you remember Madcoil?"
Foxfur's face froze in terror. Her mind rocketed back to that night, when her tribe knew little of the great battle they faced. Had Madcoil won . . . had she been the only one to survive? And what new tribe had taken her in, where their Healer's wolf wasn't accepted by the Pack? How badly had she been hurt?
The elf started trembling with nerves and pain. Then Otterkin touched her forehead, and slowly, her tremors stopped. Foxfur looked up at the Healer and nodded her obvious answer to his question. Windrunner whined and put his big, furry head on her legs. Otterkin continued. "There was a wandering Pack in the area. When Blackfell's elf died -"
Foxfur touched Otterkin's arm, stopping him. She gripped it, hard, and her eyes widened in disbelief. Otterkin nodded to himself. "So that's why the wolf was so protective of you. I told them; Blackfell was your chief's wolf?"
Foxfur nodded in muted disbelief.
"Still; I'm getting ahead of myself. Foreplay, our new chief, had been traveling with this Pack. They ran across another elf, terror-stricken and left for dead. Me. Windrunner almost wouldn't let me go with them, but he knew that my tribe, his Pack, had left us. You see, there were at least six elfin tribes out for Madcoil's blood that night, and the Pack who rescued me also rescued eight others. Only Raven, another from my tribe, and I have a wolf-friend who survived Madcoil. Anyway, Blackfell went to collect your Chiefs body. Our new tribe is lead by Foreplay, blood of no chiefs, and Blackfell, who is his new wolf-friend. You, crow-hair, were the worst wounded of us. Windrunner," Otterkin turned towards his elderly wolf. "would you fetch the others?"
The old wolf gave an affirmative yip and trotted out the door, still bouncy despite his old age. "The Pack that rescued us is fifteen strong, including Nightgaze, the only wolf who survived Madcoil and is part of the Pack. Unlike most elfin-wolf Packs, no elf rides the alpha pair. Blackfell is beta wolf, second-in-command, but if the alpha pair chose, all those who are not elf-bound can and will go. I'll give you that warning . . . ah-hah! Here they come. Hurry up, Raven! C'mere, Riverjoy," and, to Foxfur's complete and utter surprise, an elf-cub no more than seven season-turnings old, runs into the holt, carrying a yipping, licking bundle of gray fur commonly known as a wolf pup. "This is Riverjoy, and her very first wolf-friend, Lightleap. Here you are, Raven!" Otterkin embraces the elfin woman, and the elderly wolf and the woman's younger wolf nuzzle muzzles in recognition. "This is Raven and her wolf, Nightgaze," Raven was as unlike her namesake as possible. She had bright red hair and shining blue eyes. "They're from my tribe. And this," the elf who'd just entered was a male, with brown hair longer than Bearclaw's, and dark blue eyes. He slipped his arm around Raven, and Foxfur noted every sign of Recognition between the two. "is Arrowsight, and his wolf is the gray head with green eyes at the window," Otterkin pointed to the spying eyes of a large female wolf, her paws resting on the window. "She's Chasefright."
"Otterkin, you rotten old Healer! You're not bombarding the poor thing with all of - Humf. Well. It seems you are! We're not many in number, but add our wolves and there's that many more of us," a slight figure of an elfin woman bustled in, and she smiled merrily at Foxfur. "I'm Ivyhand, deary, the reason this holt got here so quickly! I'm a tree-shaper, and that miserable bundle of a meddling furball," Ivyhand smiled as she said this, and pointed to the brown head poking in the other window. "Is Trailstalker, my wolf-friend. Shoo, all of you, sit down! Remember how it was when you woke up, Raven? And she's got all of us to deal with now, so scoot into the seat!"
The other elves rolled their eyes, but followed the busy-bodies instructions. Otterkin sat in a small chair next to the head of Foxfur's pallet. "I see you're stealing Otterkin's job, Ivyhand, as usual," an elf who looked to be just a little younger than Foxfur walked in, one hand embedded in a wolf's fur coat. He had dark red hair, and hazel eyes that would be bright, if they ever truly smiled. There was a phantom there, however, the lingering trace of something sinister. He mock-bowed to Foxfur, startling her out of her observations. "I am Shadoweye, and this is Fleetpaw, the fastest wolf in the Pack!"
"Each of our friends boasts something, Shadoweye," commented a black-haired, black-eyed arrival. She seemed to be about Treestump's age, and was the oldest elf Foxfur had yet met. She was taller than the other elves, slender, and the reddish wolf pacing at her side made no noise. "New one, I am Crowcall, and my wolf-friend is Nosound. Has the rest of our mix-matched tribe presented themselves?"
Foxfur nodded.
Crowcall moved out of the doorway just fast enough for a large black shape to come hurtling through, landing almost on top of Foxfur. When she saw the familiar yellow eyes, she knew why. For the first time yet, Foxfur smiled, and scratched Blackfell. The wolf whined, and Foxfur nodded. She knew he what he was asking; 'Do you know?'
The oldest elf Foxfur had ever seen walked through the door, and Blackfell leaped gracefully off, padding to his side. "Blackfell knows you." was all he said.
She nodded.
"You were of his tribe?"
Again, she nodded her reply.
Now it was his turn to nod. "Good. We had wondered why he was so protective of you. I am Foreplay, blood of no chiefs. Has everyone been introduced?"
"Everyone but her," Otterkin replied. "What is your name?" Foxfur opened her mouth to tell them -
And nothing came out.
Ghostdream's Choice (ch 2. Kinda)
Disclaimer: Sorry, forgot this part in the last chapter. I don't own anything in here that I didn't make up, including Elfquest, Foxfur, Blackfell, Madcoil, etc.
-Note:Tell me what you think! Tell me if you like it/not like it -- maybe why? Please? Also, to those who reviewed the first chapter, sorry it took so long to get this one up! I recently got another name that I don't have to share, so I wasn't getting the reviews! I'm sorry! And thanks so much for the people who reviewed when I was still Mr. Bojangles
From The Ashes of Madcoil
Chapter II
Shadoweye, like the other elves, left the new elf in Otterkin's care. It was as if she wanted to speak, but couldn't. There was nothing physically wrong with her, or so Otterkin had claimed. Riverjoy, an enlightening and lively little elfin cub, had the strongest sending any of them had ever seen. Arrowsight was from her tribe, and he said she had it as well trained as a cub that young could. But even cheerful little Riverjoy hadn't gotten a word in send-wise.
Shadoweye paused, listening to his new wolf-friend in the forest, playing with one of his year-mates. Probably Ghostdream. They're best friends, Shadoweye laughed as his wolf crashed through the brush, and then raced away after the other wolf. When the sounds of his friend playing ceased, Shadoweye's mind returned to the new one's problem. There had been an elf in his old tribe who'd had a similar problem. He'd just lost his mother and brother to humans, when a stag they were hunting turned and pierced his wolf through the heart. The elf was fine, but . . . The death of his first wolf-friend along with his mother and brother broke him. He couldn't stop talking, babbling, until one of the pack youngsters rolled in during a squabble and bumped his feet. After he got a new wolf-friend, things weren't nearly so bad. Same as me after Fleetpaw found me. I'll always miss Clawscraper, but having someone need you is a cure for many things!
A sly smile spread slowly across Shadoweye's face. **Fleetpaw!** he sent. **Would you and Ghostdream look in on our new one?**
A happy pairs of howls answered.
Foxfur curled into a ball, never having felt so frustrated before. She wanted to tell the tribe everything, to speak, and yet she found her voice betrayed her. She wrapped the fur blankets around her, to shut out a world that was so cruel. Her tribe was lost to her, and her only remaining fellow was a wolf who was someone elses friend. Foxfur! she chided herself. How can you be as low as to blame Blackfell? He was alpha in the tribe, and since he probably doesn't dare fight the alpha here, he will carry our chief. Timmorn Yellow-eyes only knows what kind of pairing Bearclaw's wolf and I would make!
Thinking of her tribe brought on a fit of shaking, as she had exhausted her supply of tears. Did any make it? Cutter, Longbranch, One-eye, Joyleaf, . . . Skywise. Did Skywise make it out? Oh, no, Foxfur couldn't bear it. She and Skywise had been more than friend, they had been . . . Did Madcoil take his life as well? Foxfur buried her head deeper in the blanket. And if it didn't, does the tribe know of me? Do they know I live? Or do they think me lost, because Stagracer is lost to the Pack?
The questions popped up faster than ever before, and Foxfur couldn't even summon her voice to ask them aloud. Even her sending seemed impaired. And if she couldn't hit something in the next ten seconds she was going to pop!
Foxfur growled, proving to herself that she could voice noise, but words were a different matter. She searched the clothes she'd been wearing during Madcoil's attack, and found her dagger and throwing knives. Though the gash across her back was still sore, and her many bruises complained, Foxfur stalked out of the holt and found that there was only one tree in the holt-clearing with dwellings in it. They were all built into the huge tree that she had been staying in.
The elf marched across the slight area cleared of saplings around the tree, and out into the cool forest. Free of the constraining bark walls, Foxfur inhaled the time-true scent of the forest. She relaxed. The wolves were nearby, sleeping off a recent kill. The newest litter prowled in a cave nearby, where the only elf allowed nearby was Riverjoy, whose wolf-friend was a member of that litter.
She sighted a bright purple flower blooming against the stark background of tree bark. Hidden in the sheaths strapped to her arm, under her sleeves, the first throwing-knife slipped easily into her hand. With a practiced ease, Foxfur hurled the knife towards the purple flower. With the first she pinned the flower to the bark, right through the center, and with her others she ringed the flower, one knife to the tip of each petal. As she looked across the distance at her handiwork, some unconscious part of her brain made a startling decision, and the conscious part of her brain never hesitated when acting it out.
Chunks of brown hair fell to the forest floor as Foxfur gripped her dagger. When she was finished, her hair was less than an inch long, and swept back off her face. She left a strand of her hair to the right side of her face untouched, except for braiding it. She walked over to the poor tree, and plucked her knives from it's bark. Inspecting the tree to make certain she had caused it no lasting harm, she heard the foot falls of two four-legged animals coming up behind her. Whirling, her dagger in her hand, Foxfur faced -
Two wolves.
The first she thought she recognized as Fleetpaw, but she couldn't be sure. The second was a female, who was big for a wolf, especially a female. But it took Foxfur a while to notice that! What she did notice was her pure white coat. It wasn't the silver of most 'white' wolves, and she had no trace of any other colors on her coat. Most wolves had some white somewhere, usually belly or face, but . . . She looks like one of the 'demons' the humans are accusing us of being! In addition to her unaltered pearl coat, the female had large eyes, obviously good at seeing in the dark - and they were blue. Sky blue, the blue you only get on clear, warm autumn days.
The wolf stared up at Foxfur, as if she were something she had never seen before. The elf drew in a soft breath, and reached out a hand to the wolf. The female cocked her head, gave Foxfur an engaging look that resembled a smile, and licked her hand. An ecstatic smile passed over Foxfur's face as a name simply appeared in her mind: Ghostdream.
Ghostdream! What a perfect name for such an enigmatic wolf! Foxfur knelt and hugged her new wolf-friend. It was 'The Way', the Wolfrider Way, to cherish the memory of your wolf, and always accept a new friend.
Ghostdream gave a delighted yip and raced away, Foxfur running alongside. Fleetpaw gave an encouraging howl and bolted past the pair into the forest. Ghostdream and Foxfur exchanged a look that said, plain as sending, "Are we going to let that arrogant blowhard outrun us?" Foxfur launched herself onto the big wolf's back, and she felt the indescribable feeling of being one with her wolf. Ghostdream rocketed through the forest that was both their homes, and Foxfur howled her joy in the ride as a final tribute to Stagracer.
The white wolf scrambled over a fallen tree, and cut Fleetpaw off. She gained a headway just as they reached the holt, where both wolves practically crashed to a stop.
"Ayooah!" came a friendly howl. Another wolfrider appeared out of the brush to her left, riding a red wolf who moved silently. "Looks like Shadoweye wins again! He bet, second day, Ghostdream, and was he right! We heard you howling," Crowcall and Nosound paused. "By the High Ones, cub - what did you do to your hair?!"
Foxfur opened her mouth to tell the older elf. She still couldn't force words past her throat. Crowcall shook her head. "Timmain have pity, cub. We thought for sure a wolf-friend would help you talk. Can you send?"
Foxfur slid off Ghostdream and buried her face in the wolfs fur, shaking her head violently. She felt Ghostdream's tongue on her face, licking away her tears, and she smiled up at the phantom-like canine. Blue eyes smiled back. She looked over the snowy shoulder as Fleetpaw bounded away from Ghostdream to greet Shadoweye.
"You see, Crowcall? She didn't take Graymane!" he proclaimed.
Crowcall rolled her eyes as Foxfur, her right hand embedded in Ghostdream's fur, walked into the infirmary. **Shadoweye!** she scolded. **You may have been right about her wolf-friend, but she still won't or can't talk. She can't even send!**
Shadoweye looked startled. **But sending can only be blocked by death or will!**
**True. I thought perhaps it was the shock of her wolf-friends death. However, she seems delighted with Ghostdream, and frustrated that she can't speak. I think perhaps that some part of her did die, that night with the monster. You heard her howling as well as we all did; she's raised tribute to her wolf, accepted his or her passing.**
Shadoweye and Fleetpaw walked beside Crowcall on Nosound, wandering into the forest while they sent. **What if she had a Lifemate in her old tribe?** Shadoweye asked.
Crowcall considered it. **I suppose it's possible. If they were Recognized, then she'd have felt his passing. If not, she might try to leave and search.**
**Would that be so bad, if her entire tribe hasn't perished? If she can have a home again?** demanded Shadoweye. **Have you forgotten why I took my name?** Truthfully, he hoped that she wouldn't try to return. He rather liked her, no matter she hadn't yet spoken.
Crowcall seemed taken aback by Shadoweye's sudden ferocity. Crowcall! she sighed to herself. You keep forgetting that he alone of his tribe survived. **No,** she sighed. **But we are few enough in number as it is. Will the Pack even let Ghostdream leave, should she try?**
Now it was Shadoweye's turn to sigh. **Probably not. They are that strangest pack I've ever run into, to tell the truth. I only hope that whichever elf succeeds Foreplay rides an alpha!**
Foxfur rummaged through the purple outfit that she'd been wearing with the old tribe. Here we are! Ghostdream sniffed at the object in Foxfur's hand. It was a gold armband, and the elf slid it onto her left arm. It sat, almost contentedly, in the middle of her upper arm. It had been a gift from Skywise, and of all the trinkets she'd been wearing, it was pure luck that only this had been recovered. What if it wasn't luck? she wondered. What if it's a sign? A sign that I should go back, try to find him - Foxfur's thoughts were suddenly and sharply interrupted by an abrupt pain in the gash along her back. She hissed and bent double, Ghostdream whining anxiously at her side. Foxfur's fingers clenched tightly on her fur.
The pain passed, but it made Foxfur's decision for her. I can't travel. Not with this, and not with just throwing-knives and my dagger for protection. I get the feeling we're farther away from humans than my old tribe ever was, but all the same . . . Foxfur groaned, and flopped face down onto the pallet. I don't even know where I am, let alone how to find the tribe.
The Pack howled, and Ghostdream nudged Foxfur's hand. Foxfur smiled sadly, and nodded. Ghostdream licked her hand, and ran out to celebrate with the Pack. It was the litter's first hunt tonight, including Riverjoy's young Lightleap. The Pack was already hunting more often than it had before, with the elves and a large litter to feed. Foxfur remembered her first hunt on Stagracer, practically flying next to Skywise and Starjumper. The thrill of cub's first hunt was like the moment you meet your first wolf-friend . . . inescapable and indescribable.
"I hear you're quite the marksman," came a warm masculine voice from the entrance. Foxfur looked up to see Otterkin. He frowned. "That cut on your back bothering you? Give me a moment . . ." he placed his hand over hers, and she felt the pain rush out of her. Otterkin sat next to her, as Windrunner trotted in. "The new wolves are out hunting, with everyone but you and I. Windrunner isn't part of the Pack, and you certainly aren't up to a hunt."
Foxfur nodded, sighing. She couldn't wait until she could hunt on Ghostdream.
"Still can't talk, lass? Well, in that case, we've decided on something to call you. How's 'Silentone' sound?"
Foxfur shrugged. It seemed well enough to her; that's what she was, after all.
"Silentone you are, then," Otterkin moved slightly as Foxfur sat up. "I've been told to ask; Have you any Gifts? Tree-shaping, Healing -" Otterkin looked disappointed as she shook her head. "You're not making this any easier, you know, Silentone," Otterkin accused.
Foxfur smiled, and shrugged innocently. Otterkin was about to go on, when the wolfpack sent up a spine-chilling howl. Foxfur interpreted it a second faster than Otterkin, and by the time he'd stood up, she was racing out the door, howling for Ghostdream.
The white wolf appeared out of the foliage much like her namesake, and Foxfur leaped on while the wolf made a U-turn, and they bolted into the woods. Otterkin could only watch, and listen for the Pack's howls, restrained as he was by a wolf who wasn't Pack.
As he listened to the howls, he turned and went back inside. The elfin Healer began working, knowing that soon enough the tribe would be in need of his services.