Tarashana by Rachel Neumeier (best novels to read for students .TXT) 📗

they defend their lands against any trespass, as we do. But that is not why Ugaro and wolves each agree we are cousins and do not hunt each other. There is a story that explains that. I will tell it to you if you wish.”

“Yes, please, Ryo.”

I leaned against a convenient stone, looking up at the sky. The Moon was brighter now, though still turned partly to the far north. I wondered what might be happening there that had drawn her notice. Some of the early stars had come into the sky, brighter than usual, so I thought they too might be attending closely to the lands of the world. Across the river, the Sun had almost touched the far edge of the world; his light streaked the sky lavender and soft red. Some of that color was in the sky of the winter country too. It was a beautiful evening. Suyet lay back on his blankets and folded his hands behind his head, preparing to listen.

I said, “I will tell you this story in taksu, but tell me if you do not understand something and I will explain it. This happened long ago, so I will tell you how my people tell it, but perhaps not exactly as it happened. A boy was lost in the forest, a young child, too young, four winters, maybe five. He ran away, playing some game perhaps, and he could not find his way back, and his people could not find him. Sometimes this happens, and of course it is very bad. If the child is older, if it is the warm season, perhaps he will live and not die, but this happened in the middle of the long cold.”

Suyet propped himself up on his elbow and looked at me. “That’s not a very good beginning to this story, Ryo.”

“Be patient. The boy walked and walked, calling out for his mother, for his brother, for his father, but he went the wrong way. The tribe had been traveling, and he did not know the land there. He ran to get warm and then burrowed into the snow for shelter when he was too tired to run any more. He ran too far and burrowed too deeply. His people searched and searched, but they could not find him. His brother searched for a long time, but he could not find him either. Finally they knew he must have died and so they mourned and went on the way they had been going. But the boy had not died. He walked and walked, and then he came upon wolves.”

“Ah hah,” said Suyet. “I’m guessing they didn’t tear him to pieces and eat him.”

“They did not,” I agreed. “These were strong, brave wolves. Their tribe was strong, and of course wolves love the cold and the snow. They had killed one of the great deer and eaten all they wanted, so they were not hungry. Now they were playing and resting. The boy thought the wolves might kill him, but he thought they might not and he was too hungry and too tired to go farther. So he crept out to them, crawling on his hands and knees to show that he knew he was trespassing on their land. The lord of the wolves came and looked at him, and the other wolves came and looked. They saw he was a child. Wolves are generous to their young. They were generous now. They let him take meat from their kill—”

“Raw.” Suyet made a face.

“If you were hungry enough, you would be glad to eat meat raw. This boy was too young to make fire from nothing, so yes, the meat was raw, but it was food and he was grateful for it. He was very tired and very cold—even we Ugaro feel the cold sometimes—so he crept in among the young wolves and went to sleep. The mother wolf came and looked at him sleeping with her own children and her heart was moved to pity. By then the Moon had risen into the sky, and the mother wolf sang to her, a prayer for her to be kind. The Moon heard the mother wolf’s prayer. She leaned down and touched the boy, and when he woke, he was a young wolf, with strong legs and warm fur and sharp teeth.”

“I think I saw that coming,” said Suyet. “I don’t think I know prayer.” He sat up to poke at the fire.

“Prayer,” I said in darau.

“Oh, that makes sense. Well, that’s a good ending, though it’s sad the boy’s people didn’t know he hadn’t died after all.”

“That is not the ending. Let me tell you the rest.” I switched to taksu again. “For many years the boy lived as a wolf among wolves. When he was a lord of wolves himself, ruling his own tribe of wolves, he came one day upon three girls of his own people, his first people. That tribe had been traveling through that land and these girls had gone to find berries, which should have been safe, but a white tiger was hunting there.”

“Ouch. How many wolves would it take to face down a tiger?”

“No number of wolves could do it. The white tiger is the king of the forest. He stalked these girls. They did not know he was there, but the wolves did, because wolves always know where the tiger is hunting. They are too wise to challenge him, but they watch where he goes. But this wolf put himself between the girls and the tiger, and the girls ran away, and the tiger did not know whether to chase the girls or punish the wolf, so he hesitated. Before he could decide, warriors came, answering the cries of the girls, and the tiger may be king, but he does not like arrows, so he changed his mind and went away to hunt somewhere