Chapter 25
"Vigilance"
I must not become complacent. If I do, we will surely die for we know neither the day nor the hour when it will be our last.
The hunt for the Big Horn was drawing to an end. The pack had successfully isolated the bull with the pale horn and knotted tail from the rest of the herd, but they kept their distance from it. There was no point endangering themselves when signs of exhaustion were settling in. The bull's life was nearly spent and we would eventually steal what was left of it when it was too weak to fight back. Patience was one of the greatest and hardest lessons for a young Mighty Hena to learn.
Thus, the young ones struggled to rest under the sun with potential prey so close at hand. A few of the others had to keep watch over them, so nearly the whole pack was still awake by the time Omega and I caught up to them. When the scents of the humans drifted their way, a new bustle of activity began. Our collars immediately became objects of great interest. When I had enough of their curiosity, I cleared them away with a few nips to their noses. It opened the way to a set of much more powerful teeth.
"I bite?" Maw Mouth asked, offering to free us of our burdens.
"The humans are gone," I answered, turning to Alpha in particular. "To remove it might bring them back."
Alpha continued to stare at me, using those shadow steps of his to tread around that which I did not say.
"It does no harm," I reassured him and the matter was put to rest like any other scar or marking or trait that made each of us unique.
Some of the pack ignored us until they became accustomed to these human things. Others, like Scout, gazed upon them with great envy as if they were as special as any name. Whatever their feeling, it quickly gave way when the Big Horn finally dropped onto its knees at sunset. We rallied around it, watching as Alpha went in to initiate the kill. The others quickly followed. Meat falling into empty bellies pushed all other thoughts aside. As usual, we ate according to rank, but the Big Horn was too big to finish in one meal, so we stayed in the area to protect and devour our kill until all of its bones were gnawed on.
This granted me time to prepare the others for the coming battle. At this time of year, when there were no pups to divide my attention, I spent time with the whole pack, sharing my knowledge and wisdom and technique. This year, I emptied myself upon them. Having already mastered the power of darkness and flame, I showed Maw Mouth how to spark electricity between his teeth and fill his jaws with lighting. His jaws were by far the strongest and most capable of withstanding the strain. Having already mastered its base essence in flame, he would learn the trick much faster. During practice, a great thunder clap tended to follow whenever he missed his bite or misfired the energy.
It would take time to master, like all techniques, but with my experience, he would pick up on it easily. I thought of teaching him how to coat his fangs with ice, but he was far too warm hearted for frost. He would never successfully master its power, although winter was the perfect time to try. Harnessing the power of the seasons could tremendously boost the power of an attack when used properly. As for the others, Keen Eye was already well rounded as a Beta and had been under my tutelage for some time, so I helped him refine the execution of his techniques to assure his hits doubled their impact as much as possible. Gruff Growl could not use words, therefore, the power of his voice lay within its ancient origins. He knew many sounds and signals, but there was one attuned to times of war when intimidation alone could save a life in the second it took to lose it.
I taught him how to draw on his unique voice and roar with great power behind it. Words were not necessary when startling an enemy into retreat. One day, he may even be able to mimic those of the Rock Giants and Mountain Cats and Ring Bears. Ume and Watepei were already so close they could have been perfect shadows of one another, so they picked up how to make doubles of themselves without trouble. Oddly enough, their doubles did not reflect themselves, but one another. Probably because they were so used to seeing one another instead of themselves. The pack would only be as strong as its weakest link, so even Phantom Back fell under my watch. He quivered underneath it, afraid of the strength that almost ruined him, but he must come to accept his burdens or he would never serve his purpose.
He was afraid of his body, so we would abandon it. His mind was where his curses lay, so the mind was where I went to purify him. Day after day, I taught him how to enter the dreams of others by entering into his own. The violence within him was deeply rooted, and thus, made him perfectly attuned to the traumas of others. He had the makings of a great and terrible Dream Eater. As dark of a skill as it was, it could not become a lost art. Darkness was an inherent part of Mighty Hena and needed to be acknowledged in order to know balance.
And balance was needed in all things. Even teaching.
Catori Soft Song avoided me. She watched from a distance, but never up close. Preferring to spend her time with her brothers and Prima. Staying away, breaking eye contact, ducking her head and mingling with Omega only when he was away from my side. She was afraid of me. Afraid of the Spirit she saw when she looked at me. Young ones like her normally could not see such things. It was a trial she must face alone. Only until she built her relationship with the Spirit would she be able to understand it. Prima would take good care of her in my absence. I was not the only one suited for such things. Those most compatible often made the best models.
Jumper once again showed an uncanny ability to catch the attention of his younger brethren by teaching Keokuk White Echo how to jump and pounce in deep snow. Having come from the riverlands earlier in the season and with Hunter in the East, the hunt drove us towards the northwest where the mountains bit through the earth. It was colder here with frequent snowfall which made traveling and hunting that much more difficult. Jumper's unique skill set made him more capable of navigating deep snowfall than the others, and with Keokuk's hearing, they could find the little creatures that liked to bury in the snow typically unseen and unnoticed by others.
Keokuk practiced listening as we stopped to rest in a rare break of snowfall at the leading edge of the northern forests. Foragers migrated further into the woods during winter because of the higher chances of finding something suitable to eat, so our chances of finding prey were also higher. The pack loitered around, digging snow holds so they could nap insulated by the snow. It was thick enough to come close to the chest so it made for good digging. The snow was light. Soft without an icy top coat. We stayed out of the tree cover for the most part, preferring to keep our sights on both the open and covered ground until we found a suitable trail to follow. We pushed the boundaries of our territory to ensure it remained maintained as we did every year.
Normally, we came North during the warmer months, but Exile and his pack had diverted our attention. This particular wood line felt familiar. Which meant I was aware of this place, but for a reason I could not remember. Whether for good or for bad, the winter cover clouded the memory. The young ones were aware of the many perils of the woods from their trip to Castle Rock as pups, yet I could not settle. My paws were hot, even in the snow, and I kept my nose to the air, eyes darting. Ever watchful of the pack. Omega was with Prima and Catori. Alpha had left to reestablish our claim to the land. Keen Eye went with him to watch for Ring Bears and Mountain Cats. The rest were spaced around as usual, so I found a spot among them to sit and watch, occasionally getting up to walk to the edges of the pack and look out into the wild.
The Spirit within me was uneasy, like a gnat buzzing about my face. I flicked an ear, eyes turning toward the wood line, past the others, where Keokuk and Mahakah Dust Eater began to wander into the woods underneath the bending boughs. They were a little farther away than they should have been. Just out of the awareness of the others. Keokuk's head tilted, catching a sound. He tilted it the other way, honing in, lifting a paw. Whatever the sound was, it was consistent. Alive.
I stood up.
Mahakah redirected his sniffing to the area. His body jerked when his nose stopped moving ahead of him. He used his large paws to dig out a few scratches of snow. He smelled what Keokuk heard. His paws kept digging.
My body was already in motion, turning. Tensing.
Keokuk moved around Mahakah, pinpointing with the intensity of a hunt. Mahakah sneezed so hard, snowflakes bounced up, confirming Keokuk's suspicions. Eyes forward, Keokuk crouched down just as Jumper had taught him and jumped, both front paws pressed together to land on whatever it was they found at the bottom of Mahakah's excavation.
I sharply inhaled, yanking on every ounce of Spirit I possessed.
Keokuk broke through the brittle ground into an underground cavern below. Sticks and leaves and dirt and snow flipped up as the ceiling caved in. He did not fall far for the creature underneath had far outgrown its quarters. Mahakah was still flinching in recoil when the creature reared up through the rest of the fragile ceiling, blowing it even further apart. Keokuk rolled off the creature's straightening back and tumbled into Mahakah. A Hooded Back, enraged with its disturbed sleep, came screaming to life from the underground. Fully grown and fully matured, the cobra rose to towering heights, uncoiling its long thick purple body with the purpose of smashing its attacker into utter oblivion.
I formed a pulse of energy, pure and straight like the matter that strung the universe together, connecting my location to theirs. It expanded, blowing out a tunnel in space time so that the snowflakes spun around the outside of the energy field. The snow at the bottom crunched and became concave, instantly creating a path in the snow. I was already in motion, leaping into a sprint although the others had gone still around me. Such were the workings of a feint so strong it fooled the world into thinking I did not exist. Outside of that moment, the Hooded Back thrashed its iron like tail. It flew over the young ones' heads, fluttering their manes and slapping the tips of their ears as they ducked.
It crashed into the nearest tree, sweeping a sizeable chunk from its trunk. Wood splinters pegged the snow and surrounding trees. A heavy groaning overcame the thunderous crack and the snow laden tree began to fall. An avalanche of snow fell with it. Just as fast as the crack of the tree, I sprinted from my spot, past the others, and under the falling tree, bursting through the waterfall of falling snow. The cobra was already lunging forward in a strike, fangs bared for the young ones still scrambling to understand what was going on. I met its head before the attack could land, striking the side of the cobra's face in a shadow backed head-butt that slapped the snake so hard it coiled over onto its back. The felled tree crashed to the ground, shaking the earth under our paws as it cut us off from the rest of the pack.
Keokuk yelped, trapped between and underneath the branches, squealing. The cobra kept moving in the recoil, throwing its head around, spewing venom from the fang I snapped clear out of its mouth. The poison hissed when it hit the snow, catching over the branches that now protected Keokuk from the spray. Some of it slapped Mahakah's side as he struggled to run through the white powder he could now barely see over. A mound of snow built up around me as I landed from the collision. When my paws touched solid ground, I launched myself the same way I came. Mouth pooling with venom, the cobra did not have to wait to attack again.
I sprinted under its undulating tail and plowed Mahakah into the deep snow to hide him underneath me. The cobra spat its poison, thick and heavy. It slapped my back, pushing me further into Mahakah. More snow hissed into an acrid steam. I pushed up so as not to crush the young one. Mahakah looked up at me, just now realizing I was there, but the cobra had no such surprise or hesitation or concern. It launched forward with paralyzing speed and bit me around the back. Its mouth was so large that it grabbed me around the sides. Using some of the most powerful muscles known to the wild, the cobra threw me away. I went flying. The world rushed by in a whirlwind of white before I crashed through the foliage and hit the ground.
The snow cushioned my fall, taking my breath as compensation, but I could not afford to stop moving. I scrambled out of the snow pile, flakes and clods slipping off of me in the process. Staggering, I looked back at the cobra. The snake flailed at both ends, blood and poison flying everywhere. Not only had its other fang snapped off, but my hardened coat had punctured the cobra's entire mouth as if it had clamped down as hard as it could on a curled up and spiked Slashing Shrew. The Hooded Back began to slow. There was only so much heat its raging violence could produce in such cold temperatures. Its body was freezing. But death throws were always the strongest and most unpredictable.
The snake's body thrashed wildly in spurts, slapping more chunks out of trees, felling another, cutting off Mahakah's escape route every time he changed direction. A second tree fell parallel to the other, but the opposite way, so that the canopies blocked off both ends and trapped Mahakah and the cobra in the space between them. Using another targeted pulse to distort and flatten space ahead of me, I exploded out of the snow, bounded up the fallen tree, and leapt off of it. I flew again, this time, for the back of the cobra's head. I landed on it, planting his face in the ground with my weight. I looked up at Mahakah who was mere inches from us, immobilized by the scary face he saw on the Hooded Back's throat. The only thing strong enough to snap him out of it was something even scarier.
A Mother on the brink of losing a pup.
"Run!" I snarled at him, triggering a pulse that sheared off the top of the tree behind him and instantaneously caused the piece to explode outward.
The concussion echoed around us, shaking the trees so that more snow fell free. Mahakah scrambled over the still enormous tree trunk before the heavy wet blanket momentarily buried him on the opposite side. The cobra slowed, unable to take the cold much longer, especially when the falling snow filled the spots we had cleared away earlier in the fight. But a Hooded Back's body was thick and heavy and capable of whipping even without speed given the right twist and flip of its body.
The end of the cobra's tail rolled over its head, knocking me off. I tumbled into the tree log and fell under the cobra's shadow as it tried to raise its head. Blood and poison continued to gush from its mouth. Even when defanged, it was still capable of spitting. The first Mighty Hena head to pop over one of those tree trunks would get a muzzle full of poison. It could burn away their lips and eyes and nostrils. Taking after Jumper, I hopped up onto the cobra's head again. This time, from the front, and used its opening mouth as a prop to get on top. My weight brought it to the ground again just as quickly. I used a furious set of swipes to dig past the scales and keep it there.
The cobra lurched, but I managed to stay on this time and what was left of the cobra's heat poured out of its mouth. Its body weakly rolled behind me until it eventually stopped. Slathered in blood and venom, fur sticking out all ways, with shaking legs and too much fight still in me, I stared down at the snake, unable to hear the quiet until it was broken. Jumper and Scout appeared on top of the log in front of me. More movement came from the sides and behind. The pack had arrived. The fight felt like hours and yet only moments had passed. I could tell because snow still trickled from the very first tree that had fallen. That, and Scout and Jumper never failed to appear at the first sign of trouble.
"Away!" I screamed at them, drool and foam flinging from my jaws.
Another pulse erupted from my body, almost in reflex, and pushed them back. They quickly realized why when they saw the poison splattered all across the snow and trees and ground. It still smoked in the thickest of places. I stood there, chest heaving, on top of the Hooded Back. Jaws wide and mouth dry. Steam drifted off of me from the heat of my body in a similar way. The others kept their distance, surrounding me, standing on the fallen tree trunks to look down into this deadly arena. I looked up at them, at the stillness of their obedience. Already exposed, I was the only one capable of seeing this to the end. I hopped off of the dead Hooded Back and trotted over to the group of branches I last heard Keokuk struggling under.
By now, he had stopped whimpering and was pressed up against the deepest part of the tree even as I approached. He remained there as I took to chewing and snapping the branches with my teeth. Strengthening my jaw, I crunched through the thicker branches, tugging them when they proved too green and thick to snap. There was no time to waste. Quick action and thinking were imperative when dealing with poison. The fallen canopy shuddered as I worked. When the path was big enough, Keokuk pushed through it and rushed out of his timber prison so fast he kept tripping over the branches. He threatened to rub and cut himself against the ones coated in poison. He was still too full of fear to think straight. I snapped at him, clapping my teeth to force him away from them.
He darted for the cut in the log, running from me as I chased him out of the contaminated debris. The pack hurried into motion, jumping down from the trees to race back around to the side we all previously came from. The ones closest to us stumbled off of the log, hurrying out of the way. My eyes were ahead of their frantic flight, searching for Mahakah. Prima already had him rolling and diving in the snow to clean his coat of the poison. Snow that could wash like the river was a blessing, but washing was not enough. The poison would have already sunk in if it made it to the skin. Much of his mane was burnt away. We had to dampen its effects from within now too. This way, when the poison ran its course, it would not be so severe.
The young ones did not know what it was like to be poisoned, so their bodies had no resistance. If they happened to be sensitive to such things, a dose that large and potent could kill them. I whirled back around. The others who were coming close again flinched away. Prima already had Keokuk in her sights, so I jumped back over the tree, into the ruins of the battlefield, headlong down the hole and into the Hooded Back's den. Poison naturally seeped from poisonous creatures and so transferred onto the things they came in contact with. In cobra dens, this happened when their scales and skin rubbed and sat in the dirt for long periods of time.
A Hooded Back needed at least two decades to get as big as this one which meant the earth would have gradually absorbed its poison by now. I took my nose to it, searching out the walls and floor and ceiling for roots. When enough poison seeped into the soil, a special type of plant could absorb and process it, creating an antidote in the berries it produced. In winter, there were no plants or berries left, but the roots themselves could offer the same effect when chewed upon. Catching the scent, I honed in on a small web of roots. I loosened them with my paws so that I could pull up the entire system without damaging the skin. Then, I ripped it out and climbed out of the hole, slipping twice.
Once out, I ran back the way I came, dropping amidst the pack like a Sky Tail. Omega was already waiting for me. He did not need instruction. I dropped the root. He took it up and ran over to Prima who was already on her way to meet him. Mahakah was panting heavily and lying in the snow, but was able to take and chew the root when Prima forced it upon him. I ran over the log and into the hole once more. The loose debris shifted under my paws and I stumbled, landing with my chest and chin in the dusty dry cold dirt at the bottom.
Bits of disturbed snow fluttered around me as I got up. I was careful not to make a sound and risk the others hearing. They could not come to help me without exposing themselves. I searched the den again, digging and scratching. On one side, then the other. Up on the mound and around the edge of the hole. Nothing. I searched again, going deeper into the tunnel where the cobra normally would have found its way back to the surface. It was nearly pitch dark. I had to feel to see. Leading with my nose, I found another root system, thin and wiry. Not nearly enough to satisfy my concern, but for Keokuk, it would be enough. I dug it out, ripped it up, and found my way out, much dustier than before. I paused at the top as I pulled myself up, suddenly feeling the weight of it all as if I had just jumped out of a river. I resisted the urge to shake it off. I did not waste a previous second. A Mother's madness would not stop until her duty was complete.
I left the battlefield and hopped down on the open side of the wood even heavier than before. It was strange how much whiter and brighter the snow became on the other side. By now, the others were waiting for me and had cleared away to create a path from my spot to Prima and Keokuk who had joined Mahakah in the snow. Omega was waiting like before and came to take the roots from me. This time, straight from my mouth. I growled. He was much too close to the poison in my coat. He paused, then slowly and delicately took the root in his mouth without touching a single hair or whisker. When it cleared my teeth, his eyes lingered on me a moment before he ran off and gave the root directly to Keokuk under Prima's instruction.
I stood there, panting heavily, watching from afar to make sure the transfer was done right. The others finally looked away from me as Keen Eye and Alpha came running in, sliding through the snow as if it were the dry summer grass. They barreled to a stop. Alpha's feet were so hot that the snow began to melt around them. Energy radiated from him. The full prowess of his quick paws apparent. He glanced around, assessing the scene in an instant. Keen Eye, however, could not turn his gaze from me. When Alpha finally looked at me, he lifted in restraint. He did not need to ask what happened.
"Mother," he said, and the strict controlled tone he used told me something had gone wrong and he did not want me to panic.
His eyes drifted down to the snow, so I looked down with him. A drop of blood fell onto the snow beneath me. It punctuated the trail I left from the arena. Marking my entire path, all the way from the collapsed den to the battlefield, tree branches, snow mounds, and woods beyond. Just as much of my blood painted the scene as the Hooded Back's and the venom. Its color was both dark and bright against the snow depending on where the venom mixed in. I felt nothing, still too numb from the fight. Yet I could tell something was not where it belonged. That this numbness might be from something else. Alpha looked at Maw Mouth. Maw Mouth then carefully walked up to me, head low with respect but path filled with purpose.
He came up beside me and clapped his jaws abruptly, sparking an ember. He breathed it in, fanning the flames so they caught and filled his mouth, and stood beside me. Alpha came up on the other side. If his size and proximity did not warn me to stay still, the bite he carefully placed around my neck did. He meant to keep me from moving. To protect Maw Mouth from me because whatever he was about to do next might cause me to lash out. I looked ahead, bracing myself. Maw Mouth saw that I was ready and went in close, out of sight.
Given his use of flame and its effectiveness against poison, something tainted by the Hooded Back was stuck within me. Maybe a tree branch from the fall? Maw Mouth pulled it out and I suddenly felt a pressure I did not realize was there lift away. Alpha continued to hold me which meant there was another. Maw Mouth spat out the first and pulled out the second. This time, there was a pinch to the pressure. Alpha then released me. Maw Mouth stepped aside. I looked at the ground where not one, but both of the cobra's fangs had broken off in my defenses. From the very first strike, the cobra had been pumping its poison into me.
Maw Mouth came back around, head still low. He averted his gaze, clapping his teeth to start another fire and burn the wounds. I looked at him, eyes grateful and gentle and firm.
"No more," I told him.
It was far too late for such things. He looked up at me, met my gaze, and closed his jaws, smothering the flames. I then looked out at the others gathered around. They watched with the weight of hallowed silence because although I still breathed, I was already dead. Two decades worth of poison would run its course within me, and when it reached its peak, even my resistance and resilience and experience with such things would not be enough. One bite from a mature Hooded Back could kill a Big Horn. Two fangs, a herd.
My cloak of darkness shifted heavily over my shoulders. Death emerged from it, slipping its clawed arms around my neck to embrace me from behind. It lovingly leaned its hooded head next to mine, rubbed into my neck, and sighed. Death found no greater satisfaction than a Mother so gloriously giving her life for the pack. I could obtain no higher honor. So I calmed my panting and looked out ahead of me as I always did, gaze slanted by indifference. Steadying my legs, I slowly walked forward, out of Alpha and Maw Mouth's company, past the others, and onto the trail.
We could not stay here. The land was too tainted for any rest. Alpha understood this and followed. Then, all were in step. We walked quietly in the snow. My burden so heavy none could speak. I did not need their words. Or my own for that matter. My mouth was too full of teeth. As it always had been. At least I could hold my head high knowing my opponent would never bite back again. That the cobra's poison would not spread.
That the Mighty Hena's bite was still the strongest in the grasslands.
