I'd like to dedicate this story to several people. First of all, my soul-sister, who helped me create Ebony in the first place, and second of all, my best friend Koy, who gave me the strength and encouragement to write when I thought I would never do so again. Last, but not least, everyone on this list who has commented on the story, and who has welcomed me with such compassion. :)
Ebony's Weavings:
Chapter Six
Return . . .
It had been three years since three hunters had left the tribe, and it was finally time to return. Strongbow rode at the front of the procession, where he wouldn't have to see the two lovemates. And Crossbow and Firetemper rode side-by-side, laughing and talking and having a ball. But for Firetemper, at least, the prospect of arriving back at the Holt held more interest than anything her lovemate was saying. And Crossbow noticed this, though he was wise enough not to comment or be offended by it. He, as well, was very eager to return.
And soon enough, the line of trees was in sight. The scout on duty Sent a welcome caress to each of their minds, then Sent their return to Bearclaw, who came to greet them. Firetemper recognized the Sender as Woodlock, a kind, too gentle Wolfrider. And when Bearclaw rode to them to greet them, Firetemper smiled.
"Well, now, cub, what did you bring for the tribe?" Bearclaw's words were gruff, but Firetemper could sense the emotion under them. "Cub no longer," Crossbow interjected, and Bearclaw looked at him in surprise, then nodded. "She's a huntress in her own right, and a member of the tribe as well." Crossbow sounded inordinately proud of that fact, and Firetemper giggled slightly.
"My chief, I brought food enough to feed the tribe tonight, and stories enough for many Howls." Firetemper's words rang with confidence, making Bearclaw smile. She had been, as a cub, protected and loved by the entire tribe, and he had no doubt that she would have many tribemates seeking her out for company. All of them had missed her terribly, had missed her wit and wiles, had missed her caring, and yes, even her temper. He glanced over at Strongbow, who nodded at him, allowing a very small smile to lighten his scowl. And Bearclaw waved them on into the Holt.
Firetemper looked around for Skywise as they rode in, but did not see him. Crossbow, knowing exactly who she was looking for, also kept an eye out, but the elf was not to be found. Finally, Crossbow leaned over to Firetemper and said quietly, "Perhaps he is stargazing?" Firetemper's eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly.
"Of course he is! It's a beautiful night to do so. I'll go find him." And without another word, she left, hopping off of Blackbriar and running toward the small hill they always watched the stars on. As Crossbow looked after her, he smiled. He knew just how lucky he was to have her as his lovemate, and perhaps before too long, that would change, and he would have her for his lifemate. But first, he had to speak to Strongbow and Bearclaw about this.
Author's notes:
Once more I wanted to thank all of you who
have taken the time to write back to me. Your comments have helped me
feel much more comfortable within this list, and I very much enjoy
hearing from you.
Chapter Seven
Lost Friendship
Firetemper rushed off to the small hill where Skywise was no doubt waiting for her. She was sure that Bearclaw had Sent their arrival to the entire tribe, and she was anxious to see her best friend again. It wasn't too far from the Holt, and she got there with little trouble and no noise. That was a habit she couldn't seem to break these days.
When she arrived, she heard the sound of voices, and slowed, wondering who was there with Skywise. And as she looked, she saw something she never expected to. Skywise and Cutter were lying on the ground, staring up at the stars, and Skywise was tracing the pictures for the younger elf.
"See, Cutter?" Skywise's voice drifted down to the startled eavesdropper, crushing her spirits further. "The wolf-amulet that Bearclaw wears is up there in the stars. You can see it if you only follow the lines I've drawn for you."
Cutter's murmurred reply echoed the very words she had spoken when Skywise had shown that particular piece of sky to her, and both of the elves remained blissfully unaware of her presence. Her ears closed to them, and all she could do was watch them sharing the night, as close as two brothers. Her heart twisted, then shattered, and she broke from the trees as silently as she had arrived, tears streaming down her face.
She ran for some time, not really noticing where she was going, not wanting to be around anyone at the moment, even Crossbow. She couldn't begin to explain the way she felt to anyone.
But she couldn't blame Skywise, either. He had obviously found someone to replace her in those three years that she was gone, and it would be selfish of her to expect him to just welcome her back into his life without a single thought. She knew what she had to do. She would avoid him, backing off to the background. It was for the best, after all. What could she possibly hope to offer him, when he had a life outside her own?
She noticed suddenly that Blackbriar had padded up to her. The wolf nosed her gently, then licked her cheek in a comforting manner. He couldn't understand just why his elf-friend was so sad, but he wanted to help. He loved her, after all.
Firetemper smiled sadly through her tears, hugging Blackbriar and Sending to him all of her love. She would be fine, she assured him. She was only disappointed. The two of them stayed like that for some time before returning to the Holt.
When she got back, she found Crossbow waiting for her. He smiled a lazy smile at her, and she considered telling him what she had found, but decided it could wait. She didn't want to worry him too terribly much. And she moved to his embrace, letting him hold her as she contemplated the turn her life had taken. Perhaps staying with Crossbow from now on would be best. Certainly after three years of close contact, if they weren't at each other's throats just yet, they wouldn't be now. And she could use his calming influence and love. The blow her ego had taken was eating at her insidiously, slowly tearing away chunks of her heart until there would be nothing left.
Author's notes:
Okay, for those of you who are saying it, I'll state it, too.
Ebony's a complete idiot!!! She always has been.
Chapter Eight
Story of the Past
"Puckernuts!" Firetemper swore, then looked up at Longreach sadly. "I can't seem to tell you any of the stories about the hunt." Longreach understood exactly what she was going through. And he knew the story she wanted to tell more than anything. A year she had been back, and already she'd gone off to find her soulname. In fact, she had just returned from that trip, dirty and disheveled, but triumphant. He was worried about the fact that she was avoiding Skywise, but that was her choice, and not one he could talk her out of, apparently. He and Crossbow had both tried several times.
"Firetemper, you know which story you want to tell me. Go ahead. It's okay." Those gentle words were her undoing, and memories came back unbidden. She closed her eyes, summoning all of her storytelling powers, and began slowly.
"It was dark when I left, nothing new of course. But the trees seemed cruel as I passed them, reaching out to me to catch me and keep me from finding my name. I had to continue on. My name was not here in the tribe. I knew that as surely as I do that I care about Crossbow." Longreach smiled gently, knowing how much she needed this story out of her. And after all, he loved her as dearly as he would his own cub.
She continued, telling him of her flight into the woods, of her refusal to take Blackbriar along. It had taken her several days to reach the place she wanted to be, and by this time, her patience was wearing thin. She wanted this journey to be over with; she wanted to be back in Crossbow's arms with nothing more important to do than think about the next hunt. And after an eight-of-days, she came to a place that jolted her, for reasons she could not name.
"It was terrible. I could imagine a tribe living there, dying there. It was almost as if I had known them, Longreach. I could see their faces so clearly, and I felt such a sadness. I found this there," and she motioned to the brittle leather thong around her neck. It was attached to a bag, and she had yet to show anyone the contents of that bag. Something told Longreach that he did not want to see them now.
"And as I walked around this clearing, I heard something inside my mind, and I knew it was my soulname. It was only then that I realized how incomplete I really was. It was as if a part of me had been returned, a part of me long forgotten and never missed. But I still don't feel entirely complete. Something is still missing from me. I can't begin to explain just what it is. I wish I could."
Longreach nodded once, knowing exactly what was missing, but unable to convince her of that. Instead, he smiled. "Well now, Firetemper, I would say that you did a good job with that story. Another year or two and you should be ready to tell your own stories at the Howls. It will be nice to have a break from that, I must admit. But now, I must go. I can smell the food the hunt has brought back, and this old belly gets grumpier each day."
He stood and walked away, and Firetemper felt better. And she whispered to herself, "I am ****. That's all I need to know." For now, it helped.
Author's notes:
I'm not telling you her soulname! Anytime it is used in the
story, you'll see those marks. The same holds true for any other
noncanon elf's soulname. :) Sorry!
Chapter Nine
New Brothers
Five years since she had begun avoiding Skywise and Cutter, and her soulname had ceased to be of comfort. It reminded her even more of what had happened, and the more it did so, the more she hurt. At the moment, she wanted to curl up into a ball and not even venture out of her rooms, but that was not feasible. She decided to go to the small hill where she had once been so happy. Skywise tended not to go there these days, so it was unlikely that she would encounter him.
But such reassurances proved to be false, as she caught the sound of their voices. Skywise *and* Cutter, both laughing. She paused for a long moment, wondering what they were saying, and heard Cutter's voice, amused but also worried.
"What about Firetemper, Skywise? Won't she be upset that you didn't tell her?" Her eyes closed in pain, and she poised to run, but it was not quick enough. The two had caught her scent on the wind, and before she could escape, they had arrived.
"Firetemper! What are you doing here?" If she had any hope in her heart of being welcomed, those unwitting words of Skywise's killed it. She dashed her hand across her eyes as tears rose unbidden. Turning again to run, she was stopped by a gentle hand on her shoulder, and she looked back to see Skywise's luminous eyes full of pain. "What's wrong, Firetemper?" It was the closest she'd been to him in five years, and as he pulled her shoulders gently, she felt her control crumbling. With a small cry, she collapsed against his chest, not even noticing the comforting way he stroked her hair.
"Why aren't we friends anymore?" she whispered, and Skywise shook her gently. In the four years since she had returned from finding her soulname, *she* had been the one avoiding him, not the other way around! He had never known what had happened, only that without her, even his friendship with Cutter had not seemed quite as bright.
"Not friends? But Firetemper, why?" His anguished moan caught her attention, forcing her to think beyond her own pain to his. She formed her words carefully, trying to explain everything to him as simply as possible.
"Ever since you became friends with Cutter, I . . . I didn't want to annoy you, so I stayed away. I'm sorry." Her apology seemed so trite in the face of the pain she had caused him, but she didn't know what else to say. Suddenly, he and Cutter pulled her into their sphere of warmth, and she gasped at the love. It was almost too much, the purity was so great, and even as she marvelled at it, she wanted to run. In an effort to control herself, she concentrated on something else.
"Now, what is it that I would be mad about your not telling me?" she asked.
Skywise looked a little sheepish, and Cutter blurted out, "He's found you and me in the stars. He calls them the great huntress and the little chief. Isn't that wonderful?"
"It would have been if you had let me say it, troll!" Skywise teased, and Cutter burst into laughter. Skywise showed her the stars, although she could not see herself within them, and soon they were all friends again. The company was comfortable, so much so that it was almost as if she hadn't ever left. And she knew exactly what she had to do.
:****: The Sending to Skywise came as a shock to him, and he looked at her sharply, almost afraid of what it meant.
"You took a great chance, Firetemper," he muttered slowly, then decided what his choice would be. :I'm Fahr.:
Firetemper grinned softly, then gasped as another Sending came her way.
:And I'm Tam.: Cutter had entrusted his soulname to both of them.
"But . . . but you don't even know me!" The words flew out before she could stop them, and hung in the air for a long moment.
"I know enough. Skywise has told me so much about you, I was beginning to wonder if he was being faithful to Foxfur."
Firetemper smiled shakily, then Sent her own name to Cutter. And at that moment, she knew that she was a member of their group, and no questions would ever arise about that again.
Author's notes:
As it happens, I very recently gained two soul-brothers of
my own, a fact which I am *still* celebrating. So I do know a bit of how
Ebony feels at this point. I hope the rest of you like it. :)
Chapter Ten
Graduation
"My chief, I have asked Firetemper to tell the story this Howl. It is time for her to show that my teachings have not been for nothing." Longreach smiled at the girl, who sat beside her new brothers and her lovemate.
Crossbow tightened his arms around her briefly, letting her know how proud he was of her, then released her to let her speak. The story she told was one of Tanner, a simple sad story of his lifemate's death. The tale spoke wonders to each of them, for they had never heard a story told so clearly, with a Sending so crisp and sharp. And Longreach smiled at her gently.
When the Howl was over, and the tribemates were each going about their own duties, Longreach approached her. "You did well, Firetemper. You have made me proud, as you have the rest of the tribe. And I'm glad that you are once more friends with Skywise and Cutter. They've needed you."
She blushed, turning away from him slowly, and wandered away. She did not feel like being around anyone right now, merely wanting to consider what her mentor had said. She had done well, had told the story without the aid of dreamberries, and had been able to get the entire tribe to understand. And the more she thought about it, the more she thought about how wonderful that feeling was.
She was now an important member of the tribe, one who could give back as well as take, and she swore to herself that it would stay that way no matter what.
Author's notes:
This story is shorter than the others, I know. Please forgive
me. My creativity is running out at this point, and I'm ready to quit
for a while. Do enjoy, and I will see you soon with parts 11-15!