The River Trial

Kael didn't kill them.

Not right away.

After howl, he walked down from river rock — bare feet, black pants, chest steaming, blood on claws drying in cold — and stood in front of nets.

20 North wolves tangled. Some in man form now, naked, shivering, vine rope cutting wrists. Some still in wolf form, teeth stuck in nets, whining.

And Finn — sitting on my rock now, wrapped in my brown fur, nose bleeding, wearing torn white fur that still smelled like me.

Elder Corvin sat next to him, holding broken staff, leg bleeding but eyes bright — old wolf who shouted and lived.

Pack circled nets, 30 Stoneclaw wolves, spears down, not up. Waiting.

Kael crouched by first net, where biggest North wolf lay — not Rorik, Rorik wasn't in nets. Rorik had stayed back at Luna room, angry. This was Beta, big black fur, scar over eye.

"Where is Rorik?" Kael asked, voice low, snow shaking.

Beta bared teeth, even tangled. "North Alpha doesn't walk into trap. He sends Beta. He waits at edge of Stoneclaw land. With 30 more wolves."

30 more. So 20 was only first wave. Finn's lie made them send 20 fast, but 30 waited.

Mara hissed. "50 like letter said."

Kael nodded, gold eyes black, not surprised. Through bond I felt — _expected, okay, we have nets, we have river_.

He stood, looking at me on rock. "Luna, come."

I helped Finn stand — thin boy, blue feet now too — and walked slow down trench, covered path, to nets. Elder Corvin followed, limping, staff as cane.

North wolves smelled me before seeing — even with black sap, honey came through when I was scared and sweating. Heads turned. Noses sniffed.

"That's Luna?" one young North wolf whispered, man form, maybe 16, tangled next to Beta. "Human? But smells like —"

"Smells like Stoneclaw Alpha," Beta growled. "Marked. Human marked. Rorik said human not marked, said easy to take."

Kael pulled me to his side, careful of mark, hand around my waist.

"Marked yesterday," he said, loud for all North to hear. "Luna law. No trading marked Luna."

Beta laughed, bitter, tangled. "Rorik says Luna law is Stoneclaw lie. Says human cannot be Luna. Says human is just sweet smell for breeding."

I stepped out from behind Kael — again, even though he wanted me behind — and looked at Beta in net.

"In village, I was traded for 2 goats because I smelled sweet," I said, voice shaking but loud enough for 20 North to hear. "In Stoneclaw, I was almost traded for 20 cattle because Elder logic. But now —" I touched mark, red, closed, honey paste gone, black sap around — "now I am not goats, not cattle. I am Luna who sets net traps. And you are fish."

North wolves went quiet.

Finn, behind me, giggled despite bloody nose — "Fish! North fish!"

Kael's gold eyes flickered to gold, proud through bond — _my Luna speaks like Luna_ — but then black again, Alpha.

He looked at Beta. "Trial," he said.

Mara repeated, loud for pack. "River Trial!"

Elder woman with bowl came forward, holding pine sap.

"In old law," she said to me, to North, "when North and Stoneclaw fight over hunting ground or Luna or cattle, we do River Trial. Not kill all. River decides."

"What is River Trial?" I whispered to Kael.

He kept eyes on Beta, answering me. "Broken river. North wolf and Stoneclaw wolf swim. Who crosses first, wins. If North wins, they take what they came for. If Stoneclaw wins, North leaves and gives 5 cattle as sorry."

"Cattle again," I muttered.

"Not Luna," Kael said quickly. "If North wins River Trial today, they don't take you. Old law changed — Luna law says marked Luna cannot be prize. So if North wins, they take fishing nets and go. If we win, they give cattle and leave Finn and go."

Beta stared at river — black, fast, ice broken, cold that made teeth hurt to look.

"You want me to swim that?" he asked.

"You came for Luna, you swim for nets," Kael said. "Or you stay tangled and we keep you until full moon and 30 more North come and we fight real war and pups die. Your pups and our pups."

Beta looked at young North wolves tangled — some pups, 15, 16, like Finn, shivering.

He looked at Finn, who was Stoneclaw pup who lied for his pack.

Beta nodded, slow. "I swim. For pack."

"Not you," Kael said. "You are Beta, heavy. You will sink. Choose fastest young wolf. And we choose —"

He looked at me, then at Finn, then at pack.

"I choose Luna."

Silence.

Elder Corvin banged broken staff. "No! Luna cannot swim! Mark still soft! Cold kills human!"

Mara stepped forward. "Alpha, no. Choose me. I am Beta."

Kael shook head, gold eyes black, but hand holding me tight.

"North thinks human Luna is weak, sweet smell, traded for goats," he said, loud, so North hears. "So human Luna will swim. And if human Luna swims cold river and wins, North will never think Stoneclaw weak again. And will never come for 20 cattle again."

Through bond, I felt his real feeling — _fear, huge fear, but also — Luna is strong, Luna stood on rock, Luna can do_.

I looked at river — black, fast, broken ice at edges, hot stones gone cold.

My feet would be blue. Mark would itch. But Finn had lied while hostage, Corvin had fought with broken staff.

"Can I wear fur?" I asked, small voice.

Elder woman laughed, sad. "No fur in River Trial, Luna. Only skin and mark."

Kael pulled fur off my shoulders, leaving grey dress, and untied black sap around mark, wiping it off with snow, so honey and pine and his scent came strong again.

"Now you smell like Luna again," he whispered, so only I hear. "So river knows you are Luna."

He lifted me, carrying to river edge, pack following, dragging nets with North wolves still tangled but watching, breathing white clouds.

Rorik's howl came from far — at edge of land, where 30 more North waited, hearing about nets, about trial.

Kael put me down at river edge, feet in snow, grey dress thin.

He put forehead to mine.

"3 days I was in this river for you," he whispered. "Today you are 3 minutes for pack. I will be on rock. If you sink, I jump."

"Promise?" I whispered, like before.

"Promise," he said, like before, but voice shaking this time.

And I stepped into cold that burned like fire, for Finn, for Corvin's leg, for nets that were once fish nets but now were Luna traps.