The River Rock

We didn't sleep again.

Kael didn't let me help move nets — healer sat by fire and glared every time I stood — but I sat at door of Luna room, wrapped in big brown fur, watching pack work in blue moonlight.

Old wolves dragged fishing nets from storage hut. Nets were grey, knotted from river vine, smelling like fish and old water. Holes big enough for hand, but strong — made to catch ice fish that fight.

Young boys who dug snow traps yesterday now dug again, but not holes. They dug shallow trenches behind bent pine traps, on east path, where North would run back.

"Why trenches?" I asked Mara when she came to warm her bloody leg by our fire. Her wolf form had healed leg mostly, but man form still red.

Mara smiled, tired. "For Luna's feet. You said river rock is safe but cold. So Alpha digs trench from east path to river rock, covered with branches, so you can crawl without North seeing. Like rabbit hole."

Rabbit hole. For Luna.

Kael came at midnight, bare chest steaming, snow in tied hair, gold eyes bright with no sleep.

"Come," he said. "I show rock."

He picked me up — feet pink now, because I sat by fire — and carried me through clearing, past pack who bowed even though working, past bent pine trees that now were pulled to sides, hidden, ropes buried.

East path looked empty. Safe. Exactly what Finn told North.

"See?" Kael whispered near my ear. "Looks safe. North will believe."

He carried me further, down to river where we had broken ice. River was wide now, black water, fast, cold that hurt to look at.

In middle of broken ice, there was rock — big, flat, grey, sticking out of water. Water rushed around it, but rock stayed dry on top.

"My rock," Kael said, jumping onto it with me in arms, bare feet not slipping. "3 days I bit this rock when your heat came through bond. I bit so hard my teeth bled, so I would not come inside and hurt you."

I touched rock, cold, but solid. It had teeth marks — small, deep.

"You bit rock for me," I whispered.

"Now rock bites for you," he said. "Rock hides you."

He showed — behind rock, on riverbank side, there was dip, under overhang, covered by white fur already. Inside dip, furs, hot stones from fire, and bowl of black sap.

"Elder woman put furs here. Hot stones keep warm. You hide here when North comes. Under fur, no scent. North will look in Luna room, find empty, then try run back, then nets catch them."

"And you?" I asked, holding his hand, cold water loud.

"I will be behind nets, with pack," he said. "When North tangled, we come."

Through bond, I felt — _fear, not for war, for Luna in cold_.

"Kael," I said, touching his cheek, mark tight but warm. "In village, girls traded for goats always hid. I hid from father when he was drunk. I am good at hiding."

"You are Luna now," he said, forehead to mine, pine and smoke scent strong. "Luna should not hide while pack fights."

"Human Luna hides so pack can fight without worrying about cattle trade," I said, using his words.

He laughed, quiet, breath clouding.

We went back to Luna room, but before we slept — if sleeping 2 hours is sleeping — Elder Corvin waited at door, staff not banging, just holding.

"Alpha," he said, not angry. "North howl close now. One valley away. They come tonight, not tomorrow. Finn's lie made them come faster."

Kael went stiff. "Tonight?"

"Yes," Corvin said. "Mara heard Joren howl — 'East path safe, come now, before Stoneclaw moves traps.' Rorik believes pup."

Corvin looked at me, at my grey dress, at my neck with honey.

"Human Luna," he said, voice low, not logic voice. "If nets fail, if 20 North wolves reach Luna room and you are at river rock, they will be angry. Rorik will be insulted. He may kill Finn for lie."

I felt cold that was not river cold.

Finn — 15, who liked pets, wearing my fur, lying for us.

"I will not let nets fail," I said.

Corvin nodded slowly. "Then I will stand at river rock with you. Old wolf with staff can fight one North if they find."

Kael growled. "You wanted to trade her for cattle yesterday."

"Yesterday I was fool," Corvin said. "Today pup is hostage because of my cattle logic. Old wolf fixes fool logic with staff."

Kael looked at him, gold eyes black, then nodded. One nod — Alpha to Elder.

"Protect Luna feet," Kael told him. "She gets blue feet fast."

Corvin almost smiled.

We lay on furs for 2 hours, but I didn't sleep. I felt through bond Kael didn't either. He held me, hand around mark, not tight, just — _mine, safe, river rock safe_.

At grey dawn, before sun, howl came — not one, many. Down east path. 20 wolves, maybe, running fast, because they thought path safe.

And in front, one thin howl that was not wolf howl, but boy howl — Finn, wearing white fur, shouting in human voice that echoed off snow —

"EAST PATH SAFE! LUNA IN LUNA ROOM!"

Lie. Perfect lie, loud, so Mara would hear from her hiding rock.

Kael kissed my forehead, put thick white fur around me, extra fur around feet, and picked me up, running fast, not slow walk, to river rock, to rabbit trench.

He put me in dip behind rock, under fur, hot stones warming feet.

"Stay," he whispered, like first night of spy, but now with black sap around mark again, so I smelled like burnt soup, not Luna.

"Promise?" he asked.

"Promise," I said, like when he asked about walking slow for traps.

He left, bare feet in snow, claws out, to stand behind nets with pack.

Elder Corvin came, staff in hand, sitting on rock above me, like old guard dog.

River rushed loud.

And east path crunched — many paws, many feet, running fast toward empty Luna room, toward trap behind trap.

Finn's voice again, closer now, scared but still shouting lie — "SAFE! SAFE!"

And behind him, Rorik's voice, deep, North Alpha, laughing — "Stoneclaw fools, no traps!"

They passed bent pines.

They passed trenches.

They ran straight toward nets.