Chapter 3 - Wolfboy

Tamrii meets humans in the forest and makes new friends and enemies.

When Tamrii and Tokur reached the house Ramisha was standing at the wooden door waiting.
"Tamrii, where have you been?! You've been gone hours!" she scolded. "Come inside, you must be starving," she said, softening, and walking back into the warmth of their cottage. Anikka appeared after their mother had gone inside, her raven black hair tied behind her head. She eyed Tokur hungrily.

"Do you expect us to eat dinner while it's still alive?" she asked, ears twitching. Tokur snorted. Tamrii placed a hand on his wither.
"He's not for eating," she said firmly.
"I thought you went hunting for food, not friends," said Anikka, one eyebrow raised. Tamrii rolled her eyes.
"He's injured Ani. I need your help to heal him," she said, showing her sister the wound on Tokur's leg, still bleeding heavily.
"Are you feeling alright Tamrii? It's a deer, why would I heal it?"
"He's an elk, and because I asked you to." Tamrii said, ignoring the pain from her own injury. It was probably only sprained, she'd rest it later.

"Fine, wait here and I'll get some herbs," she said, and went inside the house, returning a few minutes later with bundles of green leaves and bright flowers Tamrii didn't know the names of. Ani knelt beside Tokur and took a few of the leaves, mashing them into a pulp with a mortar and pestle before dripping the juices onto the wound. She then did the same with some of the flowers and when she was finished wrapped his leg with a length of old cloth she had found inside.

"There," she said, standing. "That should do for now."
"Thanks Ani," smiled Tamrii.
"No worries Tam," replied Ani offhandedly. "Now let’s go eat, I'm hungry." She walked inside, holding the door open for her sister.
"Alright, I'll just be a few minutes," said Tamrii. Ani let the door swing shut. Tamrii took Tokur to a small shelter beside the house where there was hay and grass. They had at one point owned a donkey, but had had to sell it when they fell upon hard times last winter.
"You can stay here tonight. I'd let you inside the house but I don't think my mother would react well," she said with a flicker of a smile. Tokur dipped his magnificent head, careful not to hit Tamrii with his antlers.
"Thank you, Tamrii. You have shown me much kindness that I will not soon forget."
Tamrii smiled in acknowledgment, then bade him goodnight and went inside.

She sat at the table with Ani and Ramisha, eating dry bits of bread and some fruit they had managed to harvest. Tamrii had explained that she hadn't managed to catch anything for them and apologised. She had not told them about the giant wolf, or that she had lost her bow.
"It's alright Tamrii. There is always tomorrow," said her mother with a hint of a sigh, gazing out the window. She missed Ryle already.

Soon after, Tamrii and Anikka went to their shared bedroom to sleep. Tamrii first hid the package from Ryle under her straw-filled mattress, then curled up in her worn bed and was asleep within minutes.

The next morning Tamrii awoke quite suddenly. Anikka was still asleep and it sounded like Ramisha was too. She sat up and pulled a green tunic over her head, wondering what had woke her. Eventually she decided it was just Ani's snoring. She ran a brush quickly through her long silver hair, pushed the majority of it back with a bandanna, and left the bedroom.

As she walked through the kitchen she took a small slice of bread, which she devoured quite quickly and found herself still hungry. Despite that, she left the rest of the food for her mother and sister
It's my fault we don't have meat to eat, so I'll go hungry for it, she reasoned.

Tokur was waiting for her outside.

“How's your leg?” she asked as she buckled her dagger to the brown belt around her waist and slipped on her leather gloves.

“Much better, thank you.”

They walked down to the forest together after Tamrii had retrieved her cloak (she had learned her lesson) from her bedroom. When the forest came into sight she paused to admire the tall, proud trees that stood together and protected the animals living within them. She couldn't understand why the humans thought that a place so full of life could be evil and cursed. Although, after her experience with the giant wolf, she had an inkling of what repelled them.

Her thoughts about the oddities of human superstitions were interrupted as the wind changed direction and blew toward her, carrying the pungent and rather unpleasant smell of humans toward her. She wrinkled her nose in disgust; she hated that smell.

"Looks like a few humans have decided to be brave...," she murmured to Tokur, putting on the dark, hooded cloak. The cloak's sleeves were long enough to cover her furry hands and feet and her hood large enough to cover her whole head. When she was younger she always wondered why humans never realised that under the cloaks was actually a different race, not just another human. Her mother had explained to her that it was because they thought they were part of a religion where no parts of their bodies were allowed to be seen; yet another reason why they were disliked in the village. She shook away these thoughts and set off to the forest, Tokur at her side.

She held her dagger ready in her hand in case anything jumped out at them. She could usually hear anything coming a while off but after the events that had taken place yesterday, now she wasn't so sure. She followed the strong human scent trail easily.

They walked for at least an hour and were deep into the forest before it finally became so strong it was almost overpowering. Soon voices could be heard.

"Stop it, this isn't funny!"
"Run home and tell your mother then! Oh wait..you don't HAVE a mother!" A circle of laughter followed.
"I'm warning you!"
"You're warning us?!"
More laughter.
A loud, pained yelp punctured the argument. Tamrii started running. She could hear the whines and howls of an animal in pain and a dull thumping sound, alongside the humans voices. She came across a clearing and the scene that met her eyes shocked her.

Four human boys of around her age were standing around a small grey wolf. Three of them were holding branches and beating the animal with them. The fourth, his hair matted and clothes torn and ragged, was trying to pull the branches out of their hands and was shouting at them to stop.
She recognised the fourth boy as the one she had met in the forest the previous day.

Tamrii took a step forward; she had to stop this. The four boys paused and looked at her. She must have looked strange to them; a mysterious figure wearing a black hooded cloak and brandishing a sharp dagger.

"You should listen to him," she hissed as threateningly as she could at the three boys, indicating the one she recognised.
One of them, the leader as it seemed, laughed as soon as he heard Tamrii's voice. He had platinum blond hair and a round, chubby face, with greedy little eyes above his cheeks.
"Look Wolfboy, you've got yourself a little girlfriend!" he jeered, then brought the branch around and whacked the wolf again. Tamrii growled and took a few steps closer. Tokur remained hidden in the shadows.

The matted-haired human pushed the fat, blond one, and snatched the stick from him. The other two boys advanced on him, raising their sticks to hit him instead. The little wolf made its escape while they were distracted. Tamrii launched herself forward, her grey dagger held firm in her hand. She grabbed the nearest one by the arm, a boy with slick black hair and clothes slightly too big for him, and held the knife to his throat. He went still, terrified, and dropped the stick instantly. The fat blond boy and his other friend, a short, mouse-haired boy, stopped immediately and stared with mingled terror and horror at Tamrii. Even the one the village boys had nicknamed Wolfboy was staring at her in shock.

Yeah that's right, be afraid, she thought savagely. She had always instinctively disliked humans, and now she knew why. What happened next she was not prepared for.
"It's a witch!" screamed the fat blond one, scrambling further away from Tamrii and her black haired hostage.
"It's a werewolf!" cried the short one, turning and running off into the trees in fright. The fat one followed. The black haired boy cried out to his friends, "Wait! Don't leave me with the monster!"

Tamrii realised her hood had fallen back, revealing her psikani face. She let the black haired boy go. He bolted away, sobbing. She watched the three boys disappear into the darkness. It was a moment before she remembered the fourth boy.
He was still staring at her, but not in a frightened way. More curious, and confused.

"What are you?" he asked quietly.
"I am a psikani," she said proudly, sheathing her dagger and narrowing her eyes at him.
"I've never heard of a psikani," he scoffed. Tamrii raised an eyebrow.
"Of course you haven't, you're a human," she smiled, showing her pointed teeth, and pulled her hood back over her head. He didn't ask what she meant. She then looked around for the wolf. It appeared from behind a tree with Tokur, it's black eyes bright and curious. She held out a hand for it to sniff, then scratched behind its ears. Aside from being rather small and visibly malnourished it didn't seem too badly injured. It uttered a short bark before loping away to find its pack. Tamrii then looked back at the human. He didn't seem to be from the village, or in fact at all like them. He was gazing at Tokur with curiosity.

"So..Wolfboy, is it? Why do I keep meeting you in the forest?" she asked, heading back the way she came, Tokur at her side.
"The name's Ivo, not 'Wolfboy'," he grumbled, following also.
"My mistake. I am Tamrii, and you didn't answer my question."
"I live here..because I'm not welcome in the village, as you saw," he answered rather unwillingly, folding his arms. Tokur was watching him intently.
"I see."
She then noticed Ivo's injuries. He had acquired a cut over one of his eyes since she had last seen him, along with some other cuts and scratches.
"You're hurt," she stated. He wiped blood and dirt from numerous cuts on his arms and legs.
"I'm fine," he muttered. "Thanks for your help before," he said after a moment, avoiding her eyes.
"It was no trouble," Tamrii replied idly. She wasn't sure how to treat this human. He wasn't like the ones she had just scared off. She resolved to learn more about him before she judged him.

They walked together for a while through the dark trees, exchanging hunting knowledge and learning about each other. Tamrii tolerated his human stink only because of her curiosity. Ivo himself was very curious about psikani, having never heard of them or their ways before and Tamrii was happy to tell him some of their legends and history, as long as he swore to keep the secret of the psikani's existence. He happily obliged and in return told her about his life in the forest.

“I've lived here for a few years now, although I only recently came to this part of the forest. I used to live in the far west part, and before that in a.. er..small village even further west,” he said, his eyes trained on the forest floor. Tamrii nodded, drinking in his words. She had never been further from her home than the lake where she had met Tokur the day before, and couldn't possibly imagine what the rest of the world looked like, or how big it was.

Tamrii told him about her recent adventures, like meeting Tokur and being chased by the giant wolf.
"Have you ever seen that wolf?" she asked him, figuring that since he lived in the forest he would.
"Yes..sometimes," he said, slightly distant.

They reached the edge of the forest in what seemed little time.
"Well, I'll see you around then Tamrii," he said, and turned to vanish back into the forest.
"Wait a moment Ivo," she called out. He turned his head to look back at her but kept walking. He walked into a low-hanging branch and fell over. Tamrii laughed. He couldn't help smiling at himself as he picked himself up off the ground.

"My sister can do something about those cuts of yours, you don't want them to get infected," she offered. She wasn't sure why but he seemed a friend, even in the short time they had known each other. He paused, then nodded. Funny that he seemed more trusting of bizarre creatures he'd never heard of than he was of his own kind. Tamrii pointed up the hill.
"I live up there, it won’t take long." Tokur offered them his back.
"I will carry you both there, if you wish," he said to Tamrii. He smiled in thanks and climbed onto his strong back. Ivo sat behind her.
"Are you sure he can hold both of us?" he asked her, unsure.
"Of course he can," she replied confidently. Tokur sprang off, his strong legs carrying them quickly up the hill. His injury from the previous day seemed to have completely healed already; the cloth Anikka had put on it the night before had unraveled in the forest and the only marks left there now were few scars.

When they reached the cottage Tamrii and Ivo dismounted Tokur. Then Tamrii froze. There was a mob of villagers approaching the house, some carrying torches lit with fire and others pitchforks and knives or other such things to be used as weapons. The boys she scared off in the forest must have run straight home and let everyone know about the 'witch-werewolf-monster' that they had met, and now they were coming to get rid of her.