A much needed chat between Kar and Huttser, among other things. Thanks for waiting! As always, let me know what you think! Comments are very much appreciated.
I'm glad that you all agree that Kar and Larka should be together (or else you probably would not be reading this). Thanks for all of the suggestions, and YES, Fell will be entering the story very soon. I won't say when, though. Only two wolves know when that will be...
wolfgirlnowandforever: You have a very long name! Props for reviewins more than anyone else, you make me smile.
DarkGrayWolf: I read your comment and I very much appreciated it. I'm glad to find a fellow wolf-lover. Fell is pretty awesome (I mean he did get his own book and everything), but I'm still going to have to stick with Kar. He holds a special place in my heart.
mistofulie: Morgra probably won't come back, just to keep my own sanity in tact. Plus, I like the idea of Morgra being DEAD. No offense, but she just needed to die. Although I will keep that idea in mind...
Dragonachu: I really like your name :D Just wanted to say. It just roles off the tongue so well. Oh, and thanks for your comment.
The Kerl~
Chapter 3
"It's foreign on this side,
But it feels like I'm home again.
There's no place to hide
But I don't think I'm scared."
- This Side, Nickel Creek
Kar
"She's beginning to remember." I glanced over at the old dragga sitting on my left to gauge his reaction. We were watching Larka play with the cubs as Palla rested. Huttser shook his head, as if this would allow him to forget the conversation we were having. "No, Huttser, you need to listen to me. Larka has been asking questions. We knew this was going to happen. So far she's only wanted to know about Fell, but there are names that she remembers." I caught Huttser's reluctant gaze, willing him to see the seriousness of the situation. "Huttser, she asked me about Morgra."
His eyes sprang open before instincts took over. Growling erupted from the back of his throat. I growled back softly, hoping that he would stop before drawing Larka's attention. "What did you tell her?" he asked once he calmed himself enough to speak.
"I told her that Morgra was Palla's sister, and that she was thrown from the pack after killing a pair of cubs. Larka only remembers fearing her, so this seemed enough…for now. Huttser, what's going to happen when more memories come back? I won't lie to her."
His head drooped. He knew I was right, but he was too stubborn to accept it. "Kar, I don't want to lie to Larka either, but we talked about this. We agreed that this was best for everyone."
"No Huttser. This was your idea. While we agreed with you to an extent, Palla and I wanted to tell her everything the moment she came back. You are the one who said that we needed to keep her in the dark." He wanted to interrupt me, but I would have none of it. I was too angry to listen. "Huttser, please. Larka is your daughter. Can you meet my gaze and tell me that seeing her this way does not bother you in the slightest?"
He snorted in annoyance and turned to glare at me. "How could you think that I would enjoy seeing her like this? She's barely spoken five words to me since that first day, and that was nearly a week ago. She is pleasant enough, but it's as if she's frightened of me. You of anyone should know that I would give anything to have prevented any of this from happening. Larka has seen enough darkness in her life. And to have Fell back…" Huttser's shoulders drooped under the weight of his sigh. "But the truth is, Kar, that there is nothing we can do now to fix the past – not you, nor I, not even Fenris himself. The past is the past. From it we learn how to live our futures." The Dragga's head rose proudly as he spoke of the Varg lore. "We cannot allow ourselves to be enslaved by the past, Kar." He looked to me with knowing, pleading eyes, but there was still something wrong with his argument.
"What you said is true, Huttser. Though I wonder how Larka is to learn from her past while we continue to shield her from it." He turned his head towards me and looked me over, searching for ulterior motives.
"Kar, what are you saying?" As if I haven't been telling him since Larka arrived! "Do you really want Larka to remember everything that she went through?"
"Please, Huttser!" I growled out. "At least call it by name – Larka has the Sight, and you are frightened by it."
"I am not frightened of the Sight, Kar," he argued back. I raised my brow, intrigued. The old wolf shook his head before speaking in a quiet tone. "I am frightened of what it does to the Varg. Do you remember all of the destruction and terror our kind suffered at Morgra's teeth? Fell forgot who he was and began impersonating the Evil One, he was so far gone. And Larka! Larka tried to make herself into a martyr. I nearly lost both of my children to that thrice accursed 'gift.' If that does not give me reason to fear it, then I do not know what will."
Larka cried out suddenly, and both of our heads whipped around to see what the cause of her outburst had been. Skop stood behind Larka, her beautiful tail clamped firmly within his tiny maw. In the bright afternoon sunshine, I noticed how her coat was beginning to lose the sickly yellow color it had acquired before she returned to the pack. Her ribs were filling out, too. We heard her laugh as Kipcha tried to pin her, followed by Khaz and Larka. After the rocky introduction, I was pleased to see how well the Larkas were getting along.
"You see them, Kar? Do you see my children?" He waited until I nodded. "Can you hear their laughter?" I nodded again, focusing on how happy Larka and the cubs were with their game. "This is why I want this, Kar. There is no greater joy for a father than to see that his children are happy. Palla and I, we…" he trailed off as his tone became remorseful. "…We weren't there for you as we should have been. The three of you deserved so much more from us, and we realize that now, but," Huttser was struggling to say something, but what it was I had no idea. He was never particularly open with his emotions (especially not with me). Huttser was a fighter, like Skop had been. I had always admired how strong they both were. The fact that he was opening to me like this was somewhat disconcerting, actually.
"Kar, what I mean to say is that I want you and Larka to have a normal life. I want your cubs to have a normal life." My ears perked up and my eyes shot open. He's not saying what I think he's saying. "None of you should know of the pain that travels with curses, or Wolfbane, or...or the Sight. The world is hard enough for a wolf without all of this nonsense clouding his senses."
I sat there by my Dragga's side, trying to collect my thoughts. Unfortunately that took longer than I would have liked. Huttser seemed to have put the conversation from his mind by the time I was ready to speak to him on the rather painful subject. I had not found the courage to bring it up before as it was more than a little awkward. The older wolf started slightly when I finally spoke up.
"Huttser, I…you do know that…Larka is not my mate." He jumped up from his sitting position and his eyes bored into mine, giving me to plenty of time to retract my statement. I couldn't lie to him, though. "It's true." I could feel the moisture building up behind my eyes and I had to look away.
"But I thought that –" he started in a quiet voice before I cut him off.
"Yes, we care – cared – very deeply for each other. If you had asked us about our intentions when I came back from the mountains, I'm not sure what we would have said." I sighed as I caught sight of the quizzical look Huttser was giving me. He needed things howled out loud and clear. "We never told each other how we felt. Larka never did, does not, and probably never will know how I feel for her."
"So then you're not…" he hedged.
"No. I never claimed Larka as my mate, and I don't intend to do so any time soon," I answered dejectedly. I slumped to the ground in a broken heap, no longer able to contain my emotions. Someone had to know how I felt. I watched Larka, my beautiful Larka, bounding in the sunshine. She was running from Kipcha at the moment. Part of me wanted to join in the game of chase and let go of the depression that had taken hold of me.
Then there was that broken, aching part. The one that Huttser could see plain as day at the moment. That part of me wanted to curl up in some dark part of the forest and hide from the joy that Larka brought to my life. Who was I to bask in the glow of her laughter when I was the one lying to her? I could never claim to care for her when I was the one preventing her from learning who she was.
"Kar." I ignored the voice and continued following Larka's movement with my eyes. "Kar." This time Huttser used his 'dragga voice,' as I liked to call it. He reserved it for reprimanding the cubs and for times when he needed to express his authority over his mate or me.
Huttser had used this voice on me plenty when I was a cub. I hated it.
"Kar look at me." There was no way to defy him. I tilted my head from its place on my paws to look up at his great grey muzzle. "What is the problem Kar?"
I am sure that I gave him the most pitiful look that has ever crossed my features. Really, why do I feel this miserable? She is right there! Larka is safe! Why do I feel like she died all over again? I shook my head and tried to formulate a suitable reply. After a few minutes of silent thought, I hit upon my dilemma.
Looking him square in the eyes, "I love her."
He snorted at me in amusement. "I should think you do. Just look at you!" He shook his head, grinning down at me.
I growled my anger at his misunderstanding. "No, Huttser. You don't understand. I love Larka. That," I jerked my head in the direction of the white she-wolf, "is not Larka."
"What in the name of Fenris are you talking about? You are talking like Slavka before she left, rambling on in her old age! Do you think I do not know my own cub?" Huttser was a fine dragga, but he simply did not listen sometimes.
"Huttser!" I hadn't meant to raise my voice but my patience was wearing thin. I looked away and locked eyes with the white "cub" in question. She had heard our elevated conversation and looked our way in concern. My body acted of its own accord as she smirked in my direction and winked at me. My ears perked up as my heart started thumping in time with my tail. I was brought back to reality by a cough from Huttser. My sheepish grin was met by a smug one.
"You were saying?" he chuckled. I sighed dejectedly and decided to try something new.
"Huttser, I want you close your eyes." He raised his brow at me, but I waited until he complied. "I want you to tell me what you think of when you think of Larka." I needed for him to understand this one thing.
He grumbled. "Well, I suppose the first thing that comes to mind is the three of you playing as cubs, and Larka trying to prevent Fell from bullying you. She always did stick up for you." Yes, he would think of that, my dear adoptive father.
"What else?" I urged.
Huttser chuckled again, then scrunched his face in concentration. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at me with a strange expression. "After…Harja," It pained us all to think of the stone citadel, even though Larka was standing just across the clearing. "After Harja, I always saw her with the human cub. I never could understand why she would protect it so fiercely, as if it were her own. He rode on her back, slept at her side. She never let him out of her sight. When she did…well, I suppose that was why she was so protective." He shook his head, overwhelmed by memories. When he met my eyes again I couldn't hold back my laugh. "What?"
"You do realize that your memory of Larka centers largely on the fact that she has the Sight?"
"What? No! I – I just never understood why she would keep a human so close…"
"And the reason the human was there in the first place was because of the –"
"Because of the prophecy, which had nothing to do with the Sight." At this I had to laugh. Huttser was still stuck in his backward thinking. Really, the prophecy had nothing to do with the Sight? If only Tsinga were still here. She would put Huttser in his place. She was the one who was finally able to convince our fearless leader of the truth and seriousness of the situation all those moons ago.
"Huttser, you don't truly believe that, do you? If not for the Sight, we would not have had a prophecy to deal with in the first place."
"Perhaps, but what does it matter what my memory of Larka is? What does it matter if I remember her for being different?" Finally! I sighed a breath of relief.
"That is exactly my point! The Sight is so much a part of who she is that we cannot think of her without the memory including an example of how her life was influenced by it. The same goes for Fell. We love them for who they are, not for who they could be if they did not have their gifts." Huttser snorted, but looked deep in thought. He was thinking my words over. It's about time.
It wasn't like I did not care for Larka as she was. I wanted to show her even more affection in her current state. She needed comforting. The problem was that she only seemed comfortable around me when I was telling stories to the cubs. She would curl up behind them and get lost in her own thoughts. I don't think she ever listened to an entire story, which led me to wonder why she ever pretended to pay attention in the first place.
I decided that the only way for Larka to feel comfortable with herself again would be for her to regain her memory. All of it. Yes, it would be difficult, but I had no intention of leaving her side.
Ever.
Huttser expelled a deep breath and hung his head. "I won't tell you what to do, because I can see that you won't listen to me." I tried to say something, but he stopped me. "No, just let me get this out. I know I am an arrogant fool, stuck in my ways. I have made many poor decisions, for which we have all paid dearly. That night on the ice is the moment I regret the most. I failed my family that night as father, mate, and as Dragga." He met my eyes, and I could see the pain in them. "I am telling you this, Kar, because I do not want you making the same mistake. If you truly care for Larka, you will do the right thing." I watched as Huttser trotted over to his sleeping mate and curled up next to her. I thought I caught a smile cross his features before he drifted off to sleep.
Well, Kar. What are you going to do now?
Larka
"Larka!" cried Kipcha. "Larka get up!" I glared playfully at her. When Kar first told me that there were two of us – two Larkas, that is – I had been worried that there would be some trouble distinguishing between the two of us. It was amazing how much you could learn from the tone of voice that was used when our names were said. As the case was now, Kipcha was annoyed with me. Her tone expressed her annoyance.
"Kipcha, please," I begged her. Skop appeared out of nowhere and, as I was already lying on the ground, lightly jumped on my back. "Children, honestly, I need a break." Kipcha eyed me suspiciously, trying to figure out whether or not I had any more play left in me or not.
"Do you think Mother would like to play?" asked Larka in a rather devious tone. Khaz, who appeared from where ever Skop had been hiding, thought this was a marvelous idea.
"Yes. She never plays with us anymore. She and Father are always off hunting together…" He trailed off, lost in thought. It was true, though. Huttser and Palla had gone out hunting far more often than necessary lately. All on my account, trying to get me healthy again. I was more than happy to watch the cubs, but I hadn't thought that they would be missing the time with their parents.
"No, Khaz. Your parents are resting. Wait until they wake up to ask them," I murmured through a large yawn.
Skop leapt off my back suddenly. "No. We should wake them up now and ask them to play. That way you can take a nap, Larka." He nodded to me and was off before I knew what was happening.
Springing to my feet I ran after him and pounced, trying my best not to flatten the little dragga. Larka was just behind him, so while I had Skop pinned between my back legs I was able to snatch Larka by the scruff of her neck as she ran by.
The problem was the two that I was unable to stop.
Kipcha pranced over to her – our mother's – still figure and was ready to leap upon her when she saw Khaz signal for her to stop. I could not call for them to come back, because I had a mouth full of Larka, doing her very best to free herself. Skop on the other paw was all but gnawing on my back legs in order to join his siblings. When I saw Kar's form shaking with laughter out of the corner of my eye I could not help but growl in frustration.
Khaz and Kipcha, now perfectly orchestrated, crept around the Dragga and Drappa until they were both positioned by an ear. My eyes widened as I saw that I was helpless to stop them. Catching each others' eyes, they opened their mouths as one and howled. As soon as they heard their littermates Larka and Skop quit struggling and joined in the ruckus.
Palla leapt to her feet at the sudden noise. Huttser's head shot up, and he looked around blearily until his eyes focused upon the cubs before him. His brows furrowed slightly, but was then was overcome with hilarity of the situation and burst into hysterics. Palla, better composed, merely chuckled at her cubs' first attempt at a group howl. It was rather amusing, the way the four of them were yipping rather than actually holding any sort of note. When Huttser calmed a bit he turned his head and caught sight of me, with Larka howling between my teeth and Skop's head poking out from underneath me. He lost it again. That's it. Next time I let them all wake him up. No more favors. I spat Larka out and jumped off of Skop. They kept making noise. My tail flipped up as I sniffed haughtily and walked off for some alone time.
I knew he would follow me.
Kar seemed to follow me everywhere. Whether or not he was aware of the fact was unimportant – the point was he did not want me to be alone. A shrinking portion of me wished for solitude for the sole purpose of piecing together my memories. I wasn't sure what was happening to me, but I did know that the images my mind was conjuring were real. I needed time to process what I was seeing. The other, much larger part was grateful for Kar's presence. He provided me with answers that I didn't know how to ask for.
"Larka?" Ignoring his query I shook my head and padded down the slope to the stream. For some reason I did my best thinking there. When I stared into the crystal waters I relaxed and could remember things better. I would never tell anyone, but it was as if I could see things in the water itself. The first time it happened I was sure that I had drifted off and dreamed everything. The fifth and seventh time I sought out Kar. He confirmed that what I was seeing were memories from my past. I conveniently left out the fact that the memories were coming to me from the stream. After all, he would think I was crazy!
When I found the lowest point on the bank I plopped down and stared deep into the water, hoping for another revelation. Kar, still silent, placed himself near my side. The water sloshed against large rocks in the streambed as it went by us. I could see minnows swimming about in the algae. I could hear a heron call far off. This was it, though. I turned to Kar and saw that he was once again scrutinizing my every move. Can't he even try to hide the fact that he's been staring at me for the past ten minutes?
"Larka?" he asked me in a fearful voice. Why was he always afraid of upsetting me?
"What?" I snapped. Oh. That's why, I reasoned to myself. It's because you always get mad at him. "I'm sorry. What is it?"
"I – It's just…You were looking into the water," he fumbled, "and then you became upset. Is everything alright? You didn't s – remember something, did you?" Kar seemed nervous, and Kar was never nervous. Well, except for when he was keeping that thing from me.
He was keeping something from me again.
"No. Why?"
"No reason," he replied quickly. "I just wanted to know what was wrong. By the way, I thought what you did was very sweet, earlier, trying to keep the cubs from waking Huttser and Palla." His eyes twinkled at me, and just like that we both forgot that I was being kept in the dark about something. "They have been really worn out lately."
"I can imagine, what with you never staying at the den to cub watch…" I edged. I knew that Kar did his fair share with the cubs and loved them dearly. Lately, however, he had found something else to consume his time. I still was unsure about how I felt about being the object.
He snorted indignantly, but I interrupted before he could speak up. "No, don't worry; your secret is safe with me," I winked conspiratorially, causing him to laugh. I didn't know why he winked at me all of the time, but it had come to be a joke between the two of us. "I know that you are really just waiting to be left alone with them one day before you fill their minds with terrible tales."
"Oh really? Is that my plan?" he chuckled.
"Yes. Tales of Varg more powerful than ever before. Varg who can speak to the Lera, and who can fly as fast as…" I trailed off at the look that I was getting from Kar. It was a mix between the 'No, Larka, you shouldn't talk about that'–look and the 'How in Fenris name did she figure it out?'–look. "Kar? What did I say?"
His face blanked when he knew he'd been caught. He really needs to work on being subtle if he wants to keep this up. I pretended that I hadn't noticed his change in demeanor and waited for an answer. "Well, that's, wait…you said a flying Varg?" I nodded. "Why would Varg fly?" He looked confused, but I could see past the question.
"I wouldn't have the slightest idea. This is your story. You tell me."
He decided changing topics again would be best. Whatever keeps his den dry, I thought to myself. "Larka? When you remember things…What exactly do you see? In your mind, I mean," he added quickly. What was he getting at? Does he know? He can't know! I reigned in my panic and contorted my features to those of deep concentration. What could I tell him? "Do images pop into your mind…or is it different?" That was it! Kar thought I was crazy. My one friend, the one person I could tell anything to. He thought I was nutty as an acorn tree. But how does he know I see things in water?
"I-I, don't know. I suppose it's a mixture of both. Sometimes I see a face, and then I will remember where I saw that face. Usually I remember you or Fell, and I see myself talking to you…I suppose it is rather difficult to explain. They just, I don't know, happen." What more could I tell him without sounding insane?
He thought for a moment, then answered me. "That makes sense. I'm sorry, I just – You do most of your thinking down here, by the stream?" He waited for me to nod my head before he mumbled, "No, I must be seeing into this. Probably nothing."He sought my gaze again, as if he could find the answers in my eyes. Perhaps if he would ask me a direct question. Would it be best to just get things out in the open? I wanted to confront Kar about what the pack was hiding from me. At the same time, though, I was comfortable here. The last thing we needed was another complication. But if this would simplify things…
Making up my mind to ask Kar what was going on, I took a deep a breath and collected my thoughts before voicing my suspicions. "Kar? What is it that you are not telling me?"
His face was impressively blank for once. "What do you mean?"
"I know that there is something about me – about my past that no one will talk about. I want to know what it is." Kar lie there before me, still as a boulder. He was never that motionless.
"What makes you think that we would hide anything from you, Larka?" he asked me in a cold voice. He sounded offended, but his voice was shaking. Was he really so upset with me? Or was he nervous I had found him out?
"Please Kar, I didn't mean to upset you. It is just that…well, the stories you tell me about the old pack are so carefree and pleasant. The things I remember, the things I see…" my voice trailed off as my mind wandered back to what I had seen in the stream the other day. What I had not told Kar about.
"Larka?"
I turned to face him, deciding once again that the truth was best. "Kar I see such terrible things. They are all jumbled together and I don't know what they mean. There is snow everywhere, so much I want to drown in it. I see fire burning everything in its path. And when I look into the stream," I paused, unsure of what to tell him.
"What, Larka? What do you see in the stream?" He was looking at me more intensely than before, hanging on my every word.
"I see Fell, in the water. He's trying to break through the surface, but he can't get out. Then he washes away with stream." I shook my head, trying to rid it of the scene of death that kept replaying over and over again. "What does it all mean, Kar? Why was I not told any of this?" I sniffed, trying to cover my sudden despair.
"You really see all of that?" he asked quietly. "When you look in the water?" I caught the slight difference in wording, and Kar noticed my change in expression.
"What – "
Kar turned his gaze towards the other side of the stream, shaking his head. "I – I don't know what I should tell you. I'm not sure what you should know." There was that hopeless look in his eyes again. I needed to help him.
"Please, Kar. I want to know what happened before I went missing – why I went missing. I need to know everything so that I can be myself again. With the few jumbled memories that I have, I feel more lost than I did before." He nodded, and I took this to be a good sign. Pushing my luck I crawled forward so that we were lying side-by-side. Giving him an affectionate lick on the paw, I urged him forward.
"Larka, before I say anything, I just want you to know that I – we – never meant to hurt you. We kept this from you in order to protect you. We wanted you to have a chance at a normal life…"
"What do you mean? Everyone keeps acting like there was something wrong with me before."
"No! Different, yes, but not wrong. Larka you, you…" I turned away, catching a glimpse of the clear stream again. The colors began to darken, as it did when I saw the images from my past. I concentrated hard upon the swirling blackness until I was met with the sight of my brother, Fell. I knew it was him by his black coat and the fleck of green in his eye, though something was different than the other times I had seen him. This Fell was older; no longer a cub. My eyes opened in wonder at the image before me. Never before had I seen something that had not already happened.
Suddenly Fell was running through the trees with all the speed and strength of the Putnar. He was searching for something, and he was getting closer to his goal.
The blackness swirled again and I saw two wolves lying along a shallow stream. The white one was easy enough to recognize. The grey wolf in the water leaned over licked the other's paw at the same moment that Kar leaned over and licked my paw to get my attention.
I leapt to my feet, growling, ready to fight Tor-knows-what. Looking around me I saw Kar, still on the ground, slightly taken aback by my actions. I've done it again. Why do I always overreact like that?
"Larka?" He asked slowly, trying to draw me out of my thoughts. "Larka, what did you see?"
"I – I…" I was trying to devise a cover story, but nothing came to mind. Kar was the story teller.
"I know you saw something in the water, Larka. I can see the truth of it in your eyes. Please, I want to help you."
"How…How did you know that I see things in water? Did you see it too?" I looked at him suspiciously.
"No. I didn't see anything. Only you are able to do that." I was surprised at his bluntness. I had thought that seeing moving pictures in streams was a tad bit abnormal and warranted more abrasive confrontation. "Well, you and Fell can." I nodded, but remained standing. I was too agitated to lie down. Fell has this power as well? They really have been keeping me in the dark.
"So then, is that what everyone was not talking about? I can, what, see the past? But no, that's not right. What I saw just now…"
"What did you see?" I didn't want to tell him, but when I looked into his eyes my doubts about him vanished. Kar would not laugh at me. Kar wanted what was best for me. Besides, how could our friendship continue when we were both keeping secrets from the other?
Taking a deep breath of preparation, I told Kar what I had seen. Everything. Starting with the first and ending with the two of us lying on the bank just then. His only source of commentary was the occasional nod when he knew what I was referring to. It was nice having someone to talk to.
Kar
"And then I saw you trying to get my attention…which you did. I'm sorry I jumped like that, but I was frightened."
"It wasn't my intention to frighten you. I've never actually seen you…you know, seeing things, and I guessed that it was happening. You just didn't know about it…"
"Are you going to tell me why I see things?"
"Would you like the short or long version first?" She was going to hear all of it eventually, but I was unsure of how anxious she was to hear everything.
"Just…Tell me what you kept from me. What happened to me? Why can I look into the water and see the past?"
"I'll tell you, but I want you to sit down first. It will take some explaining, and, I don't want you to become upset again." Larka growled, but she sat down.
Thinking quickly, I tried to collect my thoughts. 'If you truly care for Larka, you will do the right thing.' That was it. I had to tell her everything. She needed to know. We had been unfair to her by shielding her from her own past, no matter our initial intentions. Looking into her sharp yellow eyes I could see that this was the only way to have my Larka back.
"I told you about Morgra. Have you remembered anything else about her?"
She shook her head. "No, just that any time her name was mentioned I was scared. I don't know why, though. You said she was a cub-killer."
"I also told you that your parents raised me from when I was a cub. Palla's brother Skop was a member of my pack, and he brought me here after…after Morgra destroyed my pack." Larka gasped, and I realized that what I said was wrong. Morgra had not actually been there. "Morgra was, I don't know, collecting cubs, and she sent her Night Hunters after my pack. They killed my parents and took my brothers and sisters. I had wandered off from our Meeting Place. Skop found me and brought me here." Larka was shaking, but she had to hear this.
"When we got here, Morgra had already tried to join your pack. She 'cursed' you all because Huttser kept turning her away, and then the pack left to go find Brassa's sister the fortune teller. Tsinga told you that you had the Sight – that's why you can see things in water – and about the prophecy. After that was when – "
"Wait. A prophecy? About me?"
I nodded and crawled closer to Larka. When she did not object, I continued. "I don't know where it came from, but there has been a tale, a prophecy, handed down about a white she-wolf and a man-cub, and…"
"Bran," she whispered. This was the first time that Larka had mentioned the human since her return. She was silent, lost in thought. I waited for her to elaborate but nothing came.
"Do you remember Bran, then?"
"Bran was a member of our pack…and he was killed. But we called the man-cub Bran. I thought we should give him a name. He was more Sikla than Dragga. The poor thing couldn't even feed himself. We called him Bran because of that." She looked at me then. "Isn't that right?"
"Yes, that's right." Time to press my luck. "Do you remember how you came to be with Bran?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! I remember! Tsarr and Jarla stole Bran from his home below the Stone Den. They took care of him until Skart helped me find them."
"And when was that?" My tail thumped; I was getting excited now. If she remembered this much, she may be close to fully recovering her memory.
"…After the fire…" She gave me a pained look and I felt a tightening in my chest. "Fell disappeared through the ice. I ran off when Mother and Father started fighting, and you followed me. We couldn't find food, but then you stole a pig for us. The humans came then and lit the forest on fire. That was when Skart found me and took me to Tsarr." Her eyes were wide and she was staring off into the distance again. We could hear Huttser playing with the cubs over the rise. Larka shaking her head brought me back to the present.
"What about after finding Tsarr?" Before was important, but the harsher events happened after that. She cringed at my words. "I guess I can take that as a yes. So then…"
"Yes. I can remember everything. Everything. Kar?" She spoke in hushed tones before meeting my eyes again. "Oh Kar!" she cried, overwhelmed by the onslaught of memories and emotions. Throwing herself to the ground Larka covered her face with her paws. I couldn't stand it any longer. I inched my way over to her side so that we were touching and gently licked between her ears. She whimpered and nuzzled up underneath me for comfort. I was bursting with uncontainable joy. Finally, after all this time, I have my Larka back!
Larka scooted closer to me until her side was flush with mine, our bodies drawing warmth from each other. I hugged my head around hers much like the night of her return, drawing her further under me. This time, however, she snuggled into me instead of fighting the closeness. She knows who I am, I thought happily. The last thing that I wanted to do right then was sleep, but as I heard her breathing deepen I knew that she deserved a rest. She had earned it after her full day. Besides, there will be time to talk later. Wishing her sweet dreams my tongue shot out and stroked the soft fur of her muzzle. I could feel rather than hear her contented sigh.
My own sigh rumbled out as my eyes closed. I allowed myself to succumb to the weariness I felt from the exertions of the day's hunt. The last thing I saw was the beautiful white fur of my Larka blurred in with the clear water of the stream. I was visited that night by dream-Larka, who had yet another message for me. This time around I was able to act on her advice, not that she came with much to offer.
"Kar? Do you remember me?"
"Of course I do, Larka. How could I ever forget you?"
Dream-Larka snorted her amusement. "I should think it obvious. Don't you remember what I told you the last time we spoke?" I turned quickly to nibble an itch on my leg before nodding.
"Yes. Every time I see the moon I think of you. It got to be quite depressing, actually. Maybe that's why Fell left…"
Larka chuckled. "No Kar, that isn't why Fell left. But do you remember what else I told you? What I told you for the next time around?" Suddenly Larka was a swirling mist (I don't know how that happens, but it was a dream and she was mist) and she surrounded me, but I could still hear her voice speaking to me, echoing one word. "Remember."