The sunset faded out around the tree-line, like diluted red paint. The thin scent of the hare she was tracking was suddenly obliterated by a gust of wind, which brought with it a cacophony of new, stronger scents. Metal, leather, smoke, horse sweat, men. Clear and crisp, as if she were seeing them.
The wolf paused in her hunt and lifted her head, to better detect the approaching odours. Leaving the hare and crouching lower, she turned and crept towards the outskirts of the trees. As she picked her way delicately through the bracken and curling ferns, the frost on them brushed white crystals onto her fur. She crested a hill and sank to the ground. Now she could see the ribbon of grey road winding away below her into the dusk.
Wind howled up the slope, laying the long grass flat. Smells washed over her nose and created a picture in her mind. Too many horses to consider any one of them as prey, she decided. A pity. Horse flesh is juicy, and better than a measly hare. And too many men. She should leave, go back and pick up the scent of her original dinner. But humans still held a fascination for her, even after all this time. She felt drawn to them, a reminder of when she'd been part of a human family. The wolf stayed lying flat on her stomach and watched the road, waiting.
The soldiers that came trooping around the bend were unfamiliar. Not local soldiers. They were from the warmer lands further towards the sea. The wolf disliked it there, had only ventured that far South once, when she had followed the human child who'd been her family then. The wolf had been wary of the vast salty water that boomed and crashed, and stretched out into the horizon without end. She hadn't liked the too-hot days that made her lethargic, nor the biting insects that came with them. Her human's tracks had been lost in the huge walled city, which swarmed with so many other humans it was impossible even for her keen nose to distinguish between them. So she'd returned to the fresh-water river and the cold forest. Since then, she'd rarely ventured beyond what was now her territory.
Her human child had come back here, though. The wolf knew they would meet again, one day, as they shared a bond that could never be severed. But for now she kept her distance. Her human was in the company of a pack of other humans, and from experience, the wolf had found humans were either fearful or aggressive towards her. No matter, she was both cunning and quiet. She knew how to see without being seen.
The Southern soldiers passed by underneath her vantage point on the hill, their gold shields and breast plates glinting in the rapidly vanishing daylight. The babble of their shouts and laughter. Always too noisy, humans. A few of their horses shied and spooked uneasily, picking up the predator's scent. But the humans were, as usual, oblivious to her presence. They had terrible noses, she knew. More or less useless. Dull senses, slow, and constantly chattering like birds.
Nymeria watched them with her yellow eyes, focusing on the man who rode out in front. He was flanked by two riders carrying banners and torches that flickered and flared in the wind. Unlike the other soldiers he wore no helmet, and his short hair gleamed as gold as the armour they all wore. The wolf recognised his scent, distinct from the rest. He was the one with the girl, that day by the bridge. The girl who the wolf had defended, when the outlaw was going to kill her.
Nymeria thought back, the memories of that evening playing out again in her head. The girl's whistle, which had summoned her down from the forest, as she'd once been taught by her own human. Then the boy outlaw, who had reeked of death and cruelty, holding his knife to the girl's face. The scene had triggered a rage in the wolf so fierce she'd attacked him without thinking. Buried her fangs deep into his scrawny skull and ripped his head clean off. She ran her tongue over her teeth at the sweet memory, almost tasting the blood.
Now here was the same man who'd been with the girl, this time with soldiers. Back in the wolf's territory, even though she knew he didn't belong here. The girl belonged here, but he didn't.
The wolf had seen the girl only a few days ago, at the little village by the river. Nymeria had been scouting for stray livestock, and the girl had either heard or sensed her. She'd stopped collecting dead branches and looked up, to where the wolf was hidden in the grass. She hadn't seemed afraid of her, like most humans. Just curious. But then a one-armed boy had come out of a village hut and called her inside, and the girl had gone.
Now the squadron of soldiers disappeared on down the road, their smells and noises gradually lost like the light. The night closed in behind them, silent and dark. Just how the wolf preferred it. She rose and headed for the river, forgetting the hare, and her hunger. A new destination in mind.
Seeing the man again, remembering the girl, and her own human child, had stirred up thoughts. Made her unsettled. She loped through the trees with long strides, towards a place she remembered well. Sleet drifted and settled on her coat as she pushed through the bushes bordering the riverbank. Across a small clearing, and there to a dip in the ground. The place she was seeking. The place where her sister cub was buried.
She remembered it clearly. It was more than a year ago, but wolves don't forget. She had smelled her sister's body down there, for days after the men had left. They'd dug the hole in a hurry, five men with shovels and pickaxes, impatient to be gone. Tossing the dirt aside without care. A grave shallow but wide, to fit both wolf cub and human boy.
Nymeria had watched from the trees, a shadow with sharp eyes. Watched as they'd heaved in the two bodies, animal and human, then scraped the dirt back and packed it down hard on top. Dragged branches and logs to heap over it and hide it from scavengers.
But still. For days Nymeria could smell the bodies down there. She'd prowled and sniffed and whined, circling the patch of disturbed earth, not wanting to leave the spot where the smell of her sister still lingered. She'd slept there for three nights. But eventually the scent had faded, and in the end she'd left and followed her human to the South.
Now Nymeria came to this place only occasionally, usually when her hunting trails brought her here. Shrubs had sprung up over the patch of bare dirt, even the sapling of a small tree. The wolf sniffed at the familiar ground, although it no longer held a trace of blood, or hint of flesh or bone. But still. Tonight, she wanted to be here. She curled up in the hollow of depressed earth, dropped her long snout onto the cushion of her paws, and dozed.
The familiarity of the place was compelling and comforting. She lay there in the darkness, her breath a ragged cloud in the air. Visions ran through her head. Running with her sister cub, playing with her human. Springing with bared jaws onto the fair-haired boy holding the sword, her teeth biting into his sleeve. Drinking his blood, and his fear. Hearing his panicked yelping. Nymeria dreamt, and the tip of her tail twitched with pleasure.
Some time later, when the sun had not yet risen and the river was hidden in a thick quilt of fog, a sound awakened her. Hoof beats crunching on frost. Nymeria, feeling hunger rumble in her belly, lifted her head and tensed her legs. Stared out unblinkingly into the clearing.
A horse. Just one this time. Easy prey.
The lone horse grazed in front of her, in the misty pre-dawn light. The wind was behind it and it was unaware of the wolf's presence. Its brick-shaped head swept from side to side as its teeth nipped the fresh grass and shoots with ruthless precision.
It was a solid horse, black as the centre of a cave. Black as soot. Without a single white hair anywhere on its body. Its coat was dotted with whorls where scars had healed under the fur, and its tail was so long that knotted strands of it trailed on the ground. Its shaggy mane fell in its eyes. Suddenly the breeze must've shifted, and the horse, alerted, raised its big head and stared straight at the wolf.
The animals faced each other, frozen. The horse didn't spook or shy like the others, just flared its nostrils and put its ears back in a threatening way. Nymeria sensed that this was not a horse that considered itself to be a prey animal. This horse looked like it would run towards a fight rather than away from one.
I was wrong. This one isn't dinner. This one is definitely to be avoided.
Nymeria yawned, sat up, and scratched her nose with a hind claw.
Oh well. There's always hares.
She could hear the horse snort defiantly behind her, as she turned away from it and slunk off into the fog.
THE END
A.N: Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed, read, liked or in any way interacted with my story. I have had a blast writing this, I only hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you all, I am immensely grateful for your support and feedback. Cheers.