Read Online Secrets of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst - Free Book Online Page A

was especially important for a wolf not yet grown. Ázzuen would get less food for a while and perhaps be forced to sleep away from the rest of the pack. But I had been certain Ruuqo would punish him more severely, and certain that he would forbid Ázzuen any contact with the humans. I couldn’t believe that Ázzuen’s ploy had worked. From the expression on his face, neither did Ázzuen.
    With one final growl, Ruuqo stepped off Ázzuen and stalked into the woods, Rissa and Werrna at his side. Unnan stopped for a moment, as if he wanted to stay with us, then grimaced and followed the others. Trevegg started to follow, then stopped, looking over his shoulder.
    “We meet at Fallen Tree at darkfall to prepare our next gift to the humans. If I were you, youngwolves, I would find somewhere else to be until then.” He shook his head, making his ears flap, then trotted off into the woods.
    Minn followed him, but Yllin stayed behind.
    Ázzuen lay on the ground for a stunned moment, then leapt to his feet with an excited yip. He almost fell into Marra, who was glowering at him with even more fury than Ruuqo had shown.
    He looked at her, concerned, then turned to Yllin.
    “Thank you,” he said.
    “You’re welcome,” she said. “It’s good to see you fighting for what you want. You do need to learn to be a little less obvious about disobeying the leaderwolves, though. Especially with the Greatwolves keeping such close watch on us. I still can’t believe Milsindra is letting any of us live with the humans.”
    “Because she thinks we can’t do it,” I said.
    “Good,” Yllin answered. “Then you’ll impress the Greatwolves that much more when you prove them wrong!” She touched her nose to my muzzle and bounded after the rest of the pack.
    Ázzuen and I were starting to follow her when Marra growled.
    “So the two of you get to go to the humans?” she said.
    Ázzuen watched her warily. “I’ll get you to the humans, too,” he said to her. “I promise.”
    She turned and began to walk away. “I’m going to find MikLan. Are you coming?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at us. MikLan was BreLan’s brother, and the two young males lived in a different tribe from TaLi. It was a half-day’s walk for a human, but Marra could easily make it there and back by darkfall.
    Both Ázzuen and I were silent, not wanting to upset Marra further.
    “We don’t want the humans to feel threatened,” Ázzuen said at last. “Maybe you should wait a little, a day or two.”
    Marra whirled to face us. “You mean wait until Ruuqo and Rissa finish talking about how the two of you get to go to the humans while I wait with Unnan? Until the pack decides that only a few wolves need to be with the human tribe and the rest of us have to keep our distance. Fine. You go back to Fallen Tree. I’m going to the Lan tribe.” She turned her tail to us and stalked off.
    Ázzuen met my eyes. I sighed and trotted off after Marra, Ázzuen close on my tail. We caught up with her before she reached the river. We were breathing hard. Marra wasn’t.
    “Slow down, would you?” I said. “Not all of us are half antelope.” We all knew Marra could have easily outpaced us if she wanted to. She must have wanted us to catch up with her. I touched my nose to her cheek. “You know we’ll come with you.”
    Her muzzle softened and the tight set of her mouth relaxed. “I can go to MikLan’s tribe, while you’re at TaLi’s,” she said. “Ruuqo and Rissa will never know.”
    They would know, of course, they would smell it on her. But I didn’t want to argue with her about it. We set off for the river at a trot.
    “Why do you think Ruuqo decided to let Ázzuen go to the humans?” I asked Marra. “It weakens him to change his mind like that.”
    “Because he’s afraid,” Marra said, pausing in the shade of a spruce. “Because he feels like he is losing control.” Ázzuen and I stopped, too. Ázzuen was by far the smartest of us, but Marra