Chapter 8 Ylvana: Stranger Danger

In one plane of existence, I was racing through the trees, slipping on mud as icy rain pelted my face. One another, my mind was thinking about lies. Like the time when I was young and asked my mother why I was able to shift, and she gave me the story of my father sneaking the potion to me. The thing about lies is: you can’t find them unless you’re looking for them, and I was too blinded by trusts to search through her words.

My paws lost their grip, sending my chin crashing onto the stony forest floor. I laid there for a moment, waiting for the throbbing of my teeth to subside.

“C’mon, Ylvana! You gotta get up, we gotta keep moving!” Pine said, nudging me.

Månen landed beside him, shaking her feathers free of rainwater. “They’re not following us anymore, but I wouldn’t completely relax. We should at least find shelter and rest while we can.”

Just their presence was enough to encourage me. I still couldn’t believe they had followed me all the way here, putting themselves at risk to save me.

I pushed myself up on trembling legs and forced myself forwards. I had just been running at a full sprint for ten minutes straight, and every muscle in my body was burning. In my head, I focused on encouraging myself to keep going. Just a couple more steps, we’ll be out of the cold. Just one more. You just need to make it over this hill. Now just a few more steps…

It was Pine who found the cave: a hardly noticeable crack in the rocks that led to a small but spacious room for the three of us. Cold water dripping from my fur created a puddle beneath me that I was forced to lay in when my legs gave out. I panted and shivered, trying desperately to form a coherent thought in my brain despite the shock.

“Mo? Where…where are we?” I asked.

“In the Western Mountains,” she said. “I forgot what the humans call it.”

“Verdammt,” I cursed. “The Hvitrfjella range.”

The Crows have taken me all the way across the island, far from the Kingdom and any possible help. These mountains were a vast range of deadly peaks and icy rivers that made getting lost easy. Not to mention the abundance of grizzly bears and mountain lions in the area. How was I supposed to get back home?

Pine curled up next to me, his fur as wet as mine but able to share a little bit of body heat. Both he and Månen had begun to doze off, but I was wide awake, fueled by anxiety. A humongous crash shook the rocks of the cave, followed by a blinding flash of light outside. Thunderstorms scared the hair off my neck. Any chance I previously had of sleeping was swept away by the howling winds.

Another flash of lightning illuminated a figure standing at the entrance of the cave. I leap to my paws, startling Pine and Mo awake.

A large black wolf stared at us through bright, blue eyes. “It’s alright,” he said. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

My hackles settled, but I didn’t let my guard down. He obviously wasn’t one of Fenrir’s Warriors, but he could still hurt me and the others. “If this is your cave, we’ll leave.”

“Nah, it isn’t. But, if you don’t mind, it would be nice to get out of the rain.”

I looked at my friends who were alert but calm. They didn’t seem to have any reservations about the stranger, so I stepped back to allow the wolf inside.

“Thank you,” he said, shaking off his fur. “It’s pretty nasty out there.”

He took a spot at the very back of the cave, which relieved me since that way he couldn’t trap us. Pine timidly approached the stranger with his little nose twitching.

“Alright: Name?”

“Uh… Jay,” the wolf answered.

“Uh Jay. Interesting,” Pine said. “Age?”

“Sss… two…”

“Favorite color?”

“What does this have to do with anything?”

“Answer the question if you have nothing to hide!”

“I like green.”

Pine sat on his haunches and looked at me with his little fox grin. “He’s clean.”

Månen rolled her black eyes. “Of course he’s clean, you kit! He’s nothing but an ordinary wolf.”

“I was just making sure! Doesn’t hurt to be careful now with Crows on our tails!”

“You guys don’t have to worry too much,” Jay piped in. “They aren’t following you.”

My hackles pickled. “How do you know about that?”

“I was passing the camp and saw them tie you up and threaten you. I also saw you escape. Great job by the way.”

“Yeah, and where did that get me? I’m stuck in one of the most dangerous places on the island with no idea how to get back to civilization.”

“From what I’ve heard, humans are pretty resilient. Plus, you obviously have some wolf in you.”

My ears drooped as I gave a small smile. “I have little experience being a wolf. I’ve never hunted and can barely follow a scent trail. I’ve never even been out in the woods without basic supplies.”

“Well, it just so happens that I have plenty of experience being a wolf. Obviously… because, uh… well… yeah. Anyway, uh, I could help you guys get out of here.”

I was surprised by this offer since wolves didn’t have a reputation of being friendly to strangers. In fact, wolf packs were extremely territorial and often killed outsiders.

“Thanks but where I’m going is halfway across the island. You probably wouldn’t wanna be away from your pack that long.”

“I actually don’t have a pack.”

“You’re a lone wolf?” Pine asked.

Jay nodded. “Most of them were killed by the warriors.”

Pine’s giant ears folded back. “Aw, that’s so sad! Ylvana, can we keep him?”

“He’s not a lost puppy, Pine!” I looked back at Jay. “Thank you for your offer, but I really don’t think-”

Mo swatted me in the head with her wings. “I think it would be a great idea for you to help us out of the mountains!” she said to Jay.

“Månen!” I hissed.

She gave me a stern look that told me to hold my tongue.

“All I’d really have to do is guide you guys to the prairie. Once you’re there, it’s a pretty straightforward journey to the kingdom.”

“That sounds great!” Pine said, springing around the cave. “Maybe we’ll survive this after all!”

I was not up for interacting with strangers at this point, but Pine and Mo were right: we needed any help we could get. This wolf showed no interest in harming us, and I wasn’t picking up any bad vibes from him. All my unease must have been from my recent adrenaline rush, so I tried to calm myself down with small talk.

“At least we have a common enemy,” I said to Jay as I laid down. “The Crows messed up my life, too.”

“You mean, even more than kidnapping you?” Jay asked.

I huffed. “You have no idea.”

“I just realized I never asked your name.”

“Ylvana. The owl’s Månen and the annoying fox is Pine.”

His red ears popped up. “Hey!”

“Sorry, I love ya but it’s the truth,” I said.

“Quite a crew,” Jay said. “How’d you meet them?”

“I found Mo about three years ago when she was a fledgling with a broken wing. Not too long after that, I found Pine tangled up in a net after he broke into the fish market.”

“Don’t owls eat foxes?” Jay asked.

“Shhhh!” Pine hissed. “Don’t remind her!”

“I managed to make them get along.” I smiled at the memories of me at the cabin trying to separate young Mo and little Pine when they were wrestling over a mouse they found. Those were simpler times.

“Thanks again for letting me stay the night,” Jay said, resting his chin on the ground. “See ya in the morning.”

“Yeah, night,” I replied. I laid my head down, but all through the night, I kept one eye open.