Kelehan

K'ashi's POV

Orocarni, FA 542

In the beginning, Khai'la had asked me if I would name Hurondil in our words. I had then not known enough to give him a good name, but that changed quickly. When Mai'ashi grew and was fine on her own for some time we continued hunting and scouting. Hurondil had good eyes, better than any one of us, even she who was called Owl. Every hunting group tried to get him to go with them. Though his nose was bad, he saw far and sharp, even in bright day. And so I finally found my name for him. Kelehan, sharp-eyes.

He was a firm part of wolf-clan now, even had his real clan-name. But sun-courses went round and round, and he still had no mate. I wondered if he did not want one, or dared not, because we were so different still. Maybe, I thought, he was frightened, because we all could change. Maybe there was no one he found attractive. But he liked Khai'la, and she liked him. Mai'ashi was grown, and Khai'la no longer bound by her wish to raise her cub with me. I thought she should court Kelehan. But I did not want to tell her, because she had a fierce temper if people told her things she did not like to hear. She was intrigued by him, she had learned his words – and she had learned them better than I – and they spent much time with each other. I decided to wait.

Then I found out that he was the one who held back. To my eyes, Khai'la was plain enough. She was doing things wolf-way. She just did not say it in so many words. Which, I thought to myself, was the trouble. I had learned that with Kelehan you had to use words. Some gestures that were obvious to my clanmates simply fell flat with him. I said "You know his people take only one mate in their life?"

Khai'la glanced at me "Are you mad?"

"No, he said they do"

"Yes, but he is here now"

"That he is. Maybe you should tell him that again, and say we cannot wait a hundred years to father one cub and then never do it again?"

Khai'la grunted "Maybe you should tell him? Ashk'nor?"

I snorted "Easy way"

One morning, Kelehan burst into my shelter. He smacked up the mat before the opening and shook me.

"Khai'la is gone!"

I growled. It was bright day, I had been hunting and just gone to sleep in the grey of dawn. My eyes watered in the blinding light. It took a moment until his words registered with my brain "Of course"

"Of course? Khai'la is gone!"

He was on the way out. I woke enough to grab his arm and pull him back. I pushed myself up on my elbows and blinked. Only Kelehan could wake you in the middle of shining day, shouting.

"Of course she is gone. And don't you go after her now. This is our way. Her way"

"But what if something goes wrong?"

"Won't" I sat up and released him when I was sure he would not jump up and run out "Wouldn't have gone alone otherwise"

"How can you know-" he started out, then broke off and coloured. I grinned, let my hair fall before my face to hide it, and reached for a metal pot with water. We had only one, and if anyone needed it, it was either found with Kelehan, Onakir or me. Because Kelehan always had his fire wherever he went. And if he went anywhere, he was with one of us. Therefore also, I had a rubble of wood here. I pushed it towards him as well.

"Here" I said "Make one your dreadful fires and put this in the water and drink. And by the black wolf's fur, calm down"

I went over to Nightchaser's place and fetched one of the two mugs we currently had. Kelehan had shifted the wood in a small heap and was fighting with flint and tinder. The only one who carried things around with him. In a small – what did he call it, bag – on his belt. We heated the water and he put the herbs in. The last of the fragrant stuff. I hated it. Kelehan loved it.

I stretched, looked around, and reached for a piece of meat that remained from this night's prey. If he could have his smelling herbs, I could have my raw meat "Now. What are you making this racket for? You knew she would do this"

"No"

I glanced at him, and sighed "Didn't say?"

"No"

"Well, I tell you. Bit late, though. That is her way. And it isn't her first cub, as you just remembered"

"What if…if we…"

"If something goes wrong because you are khai'toh and she wolf clan?"

Kelehan shrugged uneasily.

"There's no way but to find out"

"That's what Khai'la said"

"Well – wise"

I chewed, and he sipped his tea. We waited.

"Sorry for waking you" Kelehan said with a wry smile when I kept yawning. It was near sun-down when Khai'la came to my shelter. Purposefully again, knowing Kelehan would be here. She held a bundle. We both followed it with our eyes like wolves follow a tossed bone as she sat down with us. She gave it to Kelehan, and he took it, staring at it as if spell-bound. Whatever they had feared might go wrong, it had been empty fear. The cub gave our faces hovering above a toothless grin.

"How will you name him?" I asked curiously.

"Niy'ashi" she said without hesitation "And you?"

Kelehan gaped. Obviously not what he had bargained for. Khai'la smiled. I took pity on him.

"Wolf clan gives two names. It is seldom that each partner would give the same name. Khai'la has given hers"

Kelehan was silent a long while "I would…give a name of…the people I came from. If that is acceptable"

Khai'la cocked her head expectantly, waiting. Never saying too much.

"Well?" I said.

Kelehan licked his lips "Fingal"

"Come" Khai'la got up. Kelehan followed, then they waited outside. Kelehan turned "You come, too"

I blinked "No!...They will think we didn't know who is the father" I added. Both Khai'la and I snorted with laughter, answered from the bundle she held. The corners of Kelehan's mouth twitched "You are ashk'nor. You are my brother. Without you, I would never have come here"

I looked at him, standing there tall and unpainted beside Khai'la. We went out, stood in the bright, warm afternoon sun, our hands joined in holding the writhing bundle. Khai'la and I started to howl. Kelehan, too shy, joined in when we were well under way and his unsteadier voice did not stick out so much. No one would have been bothered, likely not even noticed. The wolves around us joined in happily, and as always, the clan gathered quickly, curiously. This time, there was more uproar, greater curiosity. This would be celebrated. It was the first time we celebrated something with fire. A small one, if you asked Kelehan, but as far as we and the furred ones were concerned, a mighty blaze.

Chapter notes:

Mai'ashi: "silver wolf"