The Double Trap

Finn didn't sleep after.

I know because through bond, I didn't sleep either — Kael didn't.

His wolf paced all night, even though his body lay still on furs, my head on his chest.

At grey morning, before fire was hot, Kael was already outside, tying hair back, claws out, digging.

Not mountain path this time. East path.

I woke, mark tight, not itchy, and pulled grey dress on, white fur around shoulders.

Healer came, checked mark, honey still there, good, closed.

"Where is Finn?" I asked.

"With Mara," healer said.

"He is scared to see Alpha."

I went outside. Snow had started again, soft, thin flakes. Not heavy like before.

East path was the small one — only wide enough for 3 wolves, not 50.

It went through pine trees, around big rocks, down to lower mountain where North Pack lives.

Kael and 10 older wolves were there, not digging holes. They were doing different trap.

Beta Mara showed me, whispering.

"Yesterday snow trap is hole.

Today Luna trap is — not hole."

She pointed. Older wolves were bending young pine trees down, tying top with rope made of wolf hair, and staking to ground, so tree was bent like bow.

"Luna trap?" I asked.

Kael heard, came to me, bare chest steaming even in snow, gold eyes tired from no sleep.

"Your idea," he said. "Double spy idea. If Finn tells North east path is safe, North will run fast on east path, not slow. So we don't need hole that breaks leg. We need tree that hits."

He pulled rope to show. When wolf steps on hidden rope, stake comes out, tree snaps up — _whap_ — hits wolf in chest, throws him into other trees.

"Human in village uses this for deer?" he asked me.

I nodded. "My father used for rabbits. Bent tree. Yes."

"See? Human Luna knows traps wolves don't," he said, loud enough for old wolves to hear. Proud through bond again.

Finn came then, with Mara, wrapped in too-big fur, face red from crying and cold.

He didn't look at Kael. He looked at me.

"Luna," he said, voice small. "I go now? To Joren?"

Kael growled low. "You tell Joren what?"

Finn recited, shaking, like lesson. "I tell Joren — Alpha is angry, moved all traps to mountain path, because Finn told. So mountain path is full of traps now, 20 traps. East path is empty, because pack too tired to set east path. So North should come east path, safe, fast, to take Luna."

"Good," Kael said. "And you tell Joren Luna still smells like fire, so they can find."

Finn nodded. "And — I tell Joren you keep Luna in Luna room, not near river, so river is safe to cross."

Kael's gold eyes went black. "No. You don't tell where Luna sleeps. You tell river is still broken, cold, but east path has no river crossing. Understand?"

"Yes, Alpha."

I touched Finn's arm — thin, cold. "Finn, is Joren your friend? Will North hurt him if you lie?"

Finn looked at snow. "Joren is cousin. But he joined North last winter because they have more meat. He said if I help North, I can join North too, get meat. But I don't want North. I want Stoneclaw. I want —" he looked at me, "I want Luna who pets head."

Mara made soft sound.

I pulled off my extra fur — the small white one around mark — and put around his shoulders.

"For luck," I said. "It smells like me and Alpha. So North will think you really are with us, but Joren will still trust because you smell a little like Luna."

Finn held fur tight, eyes wet. "I will not fail, Luna."

Kael watched, not liking I gave fur, but through bond — _Luna is soft, pack needs soft, okay_.

"Go," Kael said to Finn. "Mara follows you half mountain, hidden. If North tries to keep you, she howls and we come. If you run to North for real —"

"I won't," Finn said fast. "I am double spy now. Not spy."

He went, bare feet fast in snow, down east path, down mountain, grey fur disappearing.

Mara shifted — grey wolf, big, scar on leg — and followed, silent, snow not crunching under her paws.

Kael and I stood, watching path empty.

"He is 15," I whispered. "Pup."

"He is Stoneclaw," Kael said, wrapping his arm around me, pulling me to chest because my feet were pink again. "Stoneclaw pups learn war at 12. My first war was 13."

"Did you spy?"

"I killed spy," he said, honest. "At 13."

I pressed cheek to his chest, listening to heartbeat that was finally breathing normal, not holding.

"Will North believe?" I asked.

"North is hungry and angry because they smell marked Luna," Kael said. "Hungry wolves believe safe path. Especially if pup who was scared tells them safe path with shaking voice."

He carried me back to Luna room, because healer shouted from door that Luna feet blue again, stubborn Luna.

Inside, he put me on furs, and put his forehead to my mark, breathing pine and smoke onto honey.

"3 days," he said. "If Finn lies well, North comes east path tomorrow night, not in 4 days. 20 wolves, not 50, because east path only fits 20 fast."

"Then war comes faster," I whispered.

"But war comes to our trap," he said, gold eyes soft, looking at me. "Luna trap. Your trap."

He lay down, pulling me to him, and for first time since North's letter, I felt through bond not just love storm and pride, but — _hope_.

Outside, snow fell on bent pine trees on east path, covering ropes, making them look like normal snow.

And somewhere down mountain, Finn was running to lie to his cousin, wearing Luna's fur that smelled like fire and Alpha and honey, to save pack that almost traded Luna for cattle.