King of Wolves Read online

  Nikkan stopped by the mug of hot water I left for him. He picked up the cup and threw it against the wall, shattering the pottery into pieces as he growled.

  “Why can’t you ever listen to me.” His wolf was coming out a bit as his eyes flashed at me in slits. Nikkan closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, calming the wolf within him. When he opened his eyes again, he was back to normal.

  “You know nothing about her. Why would you ask her out? Are you going to marry her? Do you know her favorite color or what she likes to eat? Do you know anything about her? Sorry if I wasn’t ready to ask her out, but why would you? She doesn’t matter to you like she does to me. I bet you weren’t even nervous.”

  I wasn’t nervous and had no idea how to explain it to him. Grace was just Grace, the girl we grew up with. There was nothing to be worried about. She loved to have a fun time, and she always got along with both of us. Why would I be nervous to ask her to the festival after she told us she wanted to go? Nikkan wasn’t making any sense.

  Nikkan marched over to me and stood only inches from my face.

  “You asked my girl out.”

  “Exactly what I did. You had your chance.” What would it take to get him to ask her himself finally? I wasn’t his matchmaker.

  Nikkan was now seething. It wasn’t like I wanted to fight with him, but he didn’t have an argument to stand behind. I asked Grace out after he had tons of chance to ask her. I was trying to help him, and this was the thanks I was getting from him. Not exactly how a best friend should be thanking another.

  I had no idea how to motivate Nikkan to act on his feeling for Grace. It was beyond evident to everyone that they liked each other, and he asked me to set him up, but when I finally did, he didn’t act. What was left for me to do?

  “I liked her first,” Nikkan spat at me.

  My eyes bugged as I looked at him. I didn’t like Grace that way and never would. This had nothing to do with liking. Did he really think I was the kind of friend that would steal my best friend’s girlfriend? It showed how much he thought of me.

  “How many chances do you need? If you sat around any longer, it could have been someone else besides me asking her out,” I replied, still trying to make him see sense in all it. I wasn’t trying to take his girl, that wasn’t actually his girl because he didn’t have the guts to ask her out.

  “It doesn’t matter how many chances. She’s spoken for.”

  I couldn’t help it. I had to stifle a laugh that wanted out. His declarations were at odds with how he was acting, not a full day before.

  Nikkan must have guessed that I wasn’t taking him seriously as quick enough, a fist was flying through the air at me. I ducked and automatically responded with a punch of my own. I kept back my normal fighting strength and just did a quick jab to allow me to back up to the door.

  “I don’t want to fight you,” I told Nikkan. A girl was never a reason to hit your friend.

  “Grace belongs with a wolf,” Nikkan glared at me. “Not some half-breed outsider.”

  His words were actually worse than a punch. It had always seemed like Nikkan didn’t care about who or what I was. Tree or wolf, it didn’t matter. I guess I was wrong.

  Nikkan wasn’t done after my hit. He didn’t stop as he moved back and started to circle just like he would’ve done in wolf form. I was a little thankful he wasn’t transforming. I considered going outside, but it was more likely he’d transform. I’d have to fight back for real if he was a wolf, and I knew I’d hurt him. Friend or not, I wasn’t letting a wolf end my life or turn me into one of them.

  “We don’t have to do this,” I told him one last time. We both knew I was stronger. I was trained to fight, and he wasn’t. This was getting ridiculous.

  “Then you should have thought about that before asking Grace out.”

  Part of me wanted to yell at him that I didn’t care if I went out with Grace or not, but the rational part of me knew that there was no way I could show up at the festival without a wolf or Red would be yelling at me. And in a fight with either Red or Nikkan, I'd take my chances with Nikkan any day of the week.

  As I turned to keep track of him, I didn’t notice that Nikkan had stepped close enough to hit me. I felt the hit as I backed out of the way and into the door. I grabbed the handle of the door and pulled it back, knocking Nikkan back in the process. He lost his footing and tumbled out of the house.

  “Man, what was that for? All I tried to do was help you, and this is the thanks I get?” I asked, my jaw was a little sore, but I missed the majority of the hit when I backed up.

  “Thanks? Thanks for messing up my life?” Nikkan grumbled from the ground in front of my house. Nikkan stood and didn’t dust himself off as he was back to staring daggers at me.

  “Messing up your life? Really? You are crazy if you think that I messed up your life. You’re the one that ran away to live here with me.” And he had. He left the wolves because of all the pranks he had played had made almost everyone mad at him at some point. I was the only one that tolerated what he did, mainly because I was part of half of it.

  Nikkan’s eyes bulged as he slammed his mouth shut. His face turned a shade of red before he stalked off towards the trees. He stopped at the tree line.

  “If you can’t see how you screwed up, then I guess we can’t be friends anymore. Friends don’t steal the girl of their friend.”

  Nikkan ripped off his pants and transformed.

  “I wasn’t stealing anything. She wasn’t yours, or anyone’s yet. To steal her, that would mean you would have had to ask her out which, if you don’t remember, you didn’t do.”

  The wolf Nikkan had the glare down as much as the human Nikkan. With a growl, the wolf went into the trees and ran from where I stood outside my house a bit winded from our argument. Nikkan was nuts if he thought I stole Grace. I was trying to help him out. That’s the last time I’d let Nikkan talk me into any favor.

  Friends don’t steal the girl of their friend. If he had ever listened to me for once, he’d realize I didn’t like Grace as he did. Obviously, he hadn’t listened to anything I had said in the past few winters as he mooned over her. I wiped the side of my face and found a bit of blood. His punch must have split my lip against my teeth.

  Nikkan was crazy if he thought I was taking Grace out because I liked her as he did. Anyone could see that Grace only had eyes for Nikkan. That was probably why no one else had asked her out yet. But obviously, Nikkan didn’t see that.

  Life was getting too complicated. I just wanted a simple life in the woods, alone. I could live off the land, do what I wanted, when I wanted, and I’d be happy.

  I closed the door to my place and began my jog to the wolf village. They needed more help than I could provide, but I knew they’d take any help they could get. I just wished I could convince my mother and the tree people to help out. If everyone made a trip up to help, then it could be finished before any wolves were running around killing humans.

  That had to be my goal. I couldn’t let Nikkan distract me from what needed to get done. I needed to get the tree people to help the wolves. I needed to get Red to see that her help was needed, and there was a problem. No more pretending things were fine. Red had to come to the wolves and see they needed help.

  I closed my eyes and just ran. I could feel the trees around me, and it was like I didn’t need my sight. I was part of the forest. I could feel it. Part of me wanted to ask Nikkan if that was what it felt like to be a wolf, but of course, I couldn’t do that.

  The smells of the forest made the anger in me fade. Something about being surrounded by the towering pine trees that grew around me made everything seem less of a problem. These trees had been around for hundreds of winters. Nothing made them bend and break. They didn’t need to worry about their friends or sickness plaguing animals. They just grew. I wanted to be a tree. I wanted to be free of the worry of the people around me, but it wasn’t that easy.

  Red had raised me to do what was right,
no matter what. I knew what was right. Helping the wolves was right. Fixing Elder was right. Making the world a better place was right for me and all the living things around me.

  I opened my eyes to take in the sights. Winter was finishing up, and green was slowly returning to the forest. I could see animals awaking from their winter slumber, and it made me feel more like I needed to leave the world of me. I belonged here in the woods with them. But first, I had a duty to help the wolves. Until I could get Red to help them, I’d do what they needed.

  I must have been running fast as the village popped into view quicker than it should have. I glanced around for Nikkan, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I’d have to deal with that later. A day of long, hard work was what I needed. Now was time to forget all my troubles and get working. The wall wasn’t going to build itself.

  3rd March

  I returned from the wolf village late the night before, but surprisingly there was no Nikkan in the house. Sure, he didn’t technically live with me, he had a family of wolves, but it had been many moon cycles since he hadn’t slept in the same place as me. I knew he was mad, but this seemed to be more than usual. While surprised to find him gone, I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I had a busy day planned.

  At first light, I made my way back to the wolf village. Like the previous two days, I found everyone busy working. We had been working as a team for three days straight, and we hadn’t gotten around one side of the village. The village had to be hundreds of saplings long. I had no idea how we were supposed to finish the fence and then move on to the next village. There wasn’t enough time to get it done as five more people had gotten sick since we started. I never voiced my opinion, but I was beginning to agree with Micco more than ever. This was getting harder and harder to do each day, feeling like we were fighting a losing battle.

  I had no idea what more we could do. Micco was right in taking action, but it would’ve been nice if he had started several moon cycles ago when he had healthier men and less of them turning into savage animals. I had to hope we weren’t too late.

  I guess my spirits were less with Nikkan gone. I had seen him once since he ran off the morning before, but he didn’t even acknowledge that I existed. I knew I didn’t need to apologize; he was the one that attacked me, but it still stung. He was my best friend and if you really counted, probably my only true friend. He never cared that I was a tree person like the rest of the wolves seemed to, or that I wasn’t a tree person like the rest of the tree people thought. I didn’t fit in, and that never bothered him. I wish he’d just get over me taking Grace to the festival and move on.

  The rest of the wolves seemed more than ever to be indifferent to me. I helped where needed, but without Nikkan, we didn’t make a three-person team to put the posts into the trench being dug. Grace was stuck helping the women around the fires making food for everyone, and Nikkan seemed to be in the woods with his dad chopping trees.

  I spoke to no one as I worked. Micco only appeared once to get everyone going on new tasks before he left. The little I saw showed that this was wearing on him. He had lost at least a quarter of his weight, and the dark lines under his eyes seemed to be permanent. I didn’t know how much more his body could tolerate. He wasn’t a young wolf anymore, and he wasn’t being fed.

  A little after lunch was finished, Grace and I took off. We would make it back to the tree village a little before the sunset, but I knew you couldn’t be too early for a festival. While Red said it started at night time, I knew that meant it started just after lunch. No one wanted to wait that long to have a party.

  The walk in the woods was actually more fun than I expected. Things in the village were so tense, and the lack of animals around the town was weird for me. But now, the forest was full of chirping and small critters scurrying away as we neared.

  “I still don’t understand why Micco didn’t tell everyone about being invited to the festival,” Grace commented. “I get that there are a few sick wolves, but why should the rest of us have to stay away. We need a break from all this, too, and who doesn’t like a night of games and food?”

  Grace was right in that all the wolves could use a break, but she was wrong in that it was just a few sick wolves. I had to wonder if she just didn’t understand what it meant that they were ill, or was Micco not telling them everything?

  “Besides, what could a sick wolf really do.” Grace picked a flower from a bush as we passed it and twirled it in her hands.

  I nodded though I knew better. It seemed that Micco wasn’t completely forthcoming with either Red or his own people if she thought that. I had to hope he wasn’t hiding more from me.

  “And did you see who’s sick? It’s all the older wolves. Maybe this is an old age thing,” Grace suggested.

  So far, it seemed to be, but who knew when that would change? And really, a sick wolf, old or young, could still be a problem if they neared the tree village. There hadn’t been a single wolf attack since Red broke the curse, but I knew what the wolves could do even if they had forgotten.

  “Did you see Nikkan today?” I asked, changing the subject.

  Grace’s cheeks flushed. That was a yes.

  “I kind of pissed him off….” I ran my hands through my almost black hair. It was longer than usual and flopping out of place a bit. I would have to ask Red to help me cut it straight since Nikkan wasn’t coming home yet.

  “He seemed different,” Grace finally replied.

  “Mad?”

  “Hmm, no, not mad.” Grace tapped her chin as she thought. “Not mad, more like sad. His dad was having a hard time keeping up with the tree cutting. Nikkan might be worried his father is getting sick like the other old men. Linus was just working yesterday, but today was too sick to work. It can hit fast when you’re old.”

  My shoulders dropped. I didn’t want Nikkan to be sad or worried, though I understand why he would. Even if he didn’t call the wolf village home now, it was still his family. I’d be concerned for Red if there was a sickness in the tree village. Nikkan was a good person and a good wolf. With all that was going on, I didn’t intend to add more to his plate and regretted our fight the day before.

  “It really is too bad more wolves aren’t coming. I think Red has the right idea. If all the wolves and tree people can see each other and not think badly, then we might be able to get along.”

  Grace was as naïve as Nikkan said she was, but I didn’t want to stomp that out of her. We needed more people that believed there was a way to make our kingdom whole again. And Red needed wolves like Grace to give the tree people a chance and show them that they weren’t different.

  “The last few moons have been pretty crazy,” she added.

  That was true, to say the least. Someone somewhere had to know how wolves got sick. It didn’t happen often, but there had to be someone. There were humans and wolves that were ancient and a few witches left in the woods that had to know something. Red would know where to look if she would admit that there was a problem.

  “Are you sure we won’t be too early?”

  Grace just kept talking. The whole way to the tree village was filled with questions and more questions. Without Nikkan around, it was like she was a completely different person; actually, she was like the person I remembered growing up with.

  “You can never be too early for a festival in the tree villages.”

  “I hope so.” Grace looked a little more nervous as we kept walking and were nearing the village.

  I could hear the people before Grace could. My new hearing was growing and actually helpful. While I preferred to listen to the animals of the woods, I was able to hear humans as well as the critters that lived around my house. I slowed our pace a little with her nervousness setting in.

  Nikkan was stupid for not asking her to come. She was relaxed in the woods and now could use a hand to hold. I didn’t see Grace that way. It was too bad Nikkan wasn’t with us. The wolf was missing his chance.

  As we neared, I stopped and p
aused before we were seen by anyone.

  “We are almost there,” I told Grace.

  I was sure she could hear them also by now. The sound of music and kids yelling as they ran around filled my ears. And I could smell all the scents. My mouth was already watering, but I needed to be sure she knew we didn’t have to stay.

  “If you feel scared or out of place too much and want to leave, just let me know. We don’t have to stay the whole time.”

  Grace smiled up at me. She was nervous, but I could see the sparkle in her eyes too. She was excited.

  Pushing back the low hanging branch in front of us, I showed Grace the festival. Bright colors and lights glowed at the base of all the trees. Booths lined pathways that wove between everything. Food venders grilled food and sent the smells into the air while goods vendors sold everything from new skirts to hair combs or children’s toys. In between everything, were groups of people playing games, chatting, or dancing to the music that played all around us. It was a sensory overload, but not in a bad way.

  The tree village was usually lit up at night time, but not like this. The ground was lit with a soft glow, along with lanterns hanging from every tree. The whole place glowed as much as the people running, walking, or skipping along. It was amazing to see. The happy atmosphere was contagious, and I couldn’t help but smile myself as two young children ran past us.

  “Where do you want to start?”

  Grace looked all over with wide eyes. Children ran by with jars filled with colorful bugs lighting up inside them. The closest booth had a young man leaning on it, making eyes at the girl cooking the corn. And not even two saplings away, an older man danced slowly all by himself to the fast music playing. Everywhere you turned there were people having a good time.

  Grace bit her lip as she took it all in. Compared to the drab sick wolves, this place was a fairy tale come true. She looked like she couldn’t decide what to do.

  “Food first?”

  Grace nodded as she stared around in awe.