Read Online Wizard's Heir (A Bard Without a Star, Book 1) by Michael A. Hooten - Free Book Online
Authors: Michael A. Hooten
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longer be interesting. But will you
control yourself and let another mate her?”
“For you, I will,” he said.
They returned to the pack, and
sure enough, the other female, Brown Pads, attempted to get close to him. But
he turned her aside gently, and soon she was courting another, although she
kept glancing back at him.
He sat and watched the pack,
quickly seeing that one of the other females was Long claw’s mate, and the last
female was mated to another. Both acknowledged him, and he acknowledged them
in return, but he realized that even if they went into heat, there would be no
strong attraction. He didn’t understand it entirely, but assumed it was part
of the instincts of the wolf. Feeling his own response to things, it seemed
that the wolves had a much richer way of seeing the world compared to the
deer. Instinct was still present, but did not dominate every action and
reaction like it did in the deer.
Brown pads went into heat two
days later. Her smell was almost overpowering, and oddly enough, Smooth Nose
kept her distance from Gwydion, although she watched him closely. He felt the
desire rise in him, but he did not join when three of the younger males began
fighting for her. And when Short Tail emerged victorious, he led Brown Pads
away, and Gwydion did not follow.
Long Claw came and sat next to
him. “Short Tail is no match for you.”
“I’m waiting for Smooth Nose.”
“She has passed through two
cycles and fought off those that would have her,” Long Claw said. “Does she
hope it to be you?”
“That is what she has said.”
“And if she fights you?”
“I will still have her.”
Long Claw sighed. “I am
pleased. Unbonded females can cause strife, and she has been unbonded for much
too long.”
“Will it be soon, do you think?”
“I thought she would be before
Brown Pads, but she is stubborn.”
“As am I,” Gwydion said.
The males went on a hunt again
the next day, and again Gwydion helped to bring down a deer with the pack.
They called to the females, and all but Smooth Nose showed up. “Where is she?”
Gwydion asked Grey Foot, who was Long Claw’s mate.
“Her time has come, Moon Howl,”
Grey Foot said.
“You did not answer the
question, my love,” Long Claw said, coming into the conversation.
Grey Foot looked at Gwydion in
a way that made him want to both stand straighter and slink away in shame at
the same time. Finally she nodded and said, “She told me to tell you: if you
can find her, you can have her.”
Gwydion gave a bark of joy. “And
I shall!” he said, and sped into the woods. He had not missed the look that
Long Claw and Grey Foot had exchanged, that had said so clearly: puppies .
He made it back to the camp
quickly, and began sniffing about, but he could not catch the musk that he was
looking for. He began moving in widening circles, but without luck. He sat
back on his haunches, thinking. She had known she was going into heat, and she
had laid her plans. He expected her to go downwind, and maybe cross water.
And perhaps she had not been in heat, yet.
He went back to the camp,
looking for signs of her regular scent. Finding them, he began to follow it
away from the camp in the opposite direction of the hunt. After a few minutes
of tracking her, he began to smell her going into heat. It made it hard for
him to concentrate, but he did. He lost her at the first stream he crossed,
but picked up the trail by ranging up and down the far bank. He crossed two
more streams, with the same results, but when she crossed a fourth stream, he could
find no trace of her on the other side.
He sat down and had a good
scratch while he thought. It dawned on him that since she was trying to make
it challenging, perhaps she had been even trickier than he had expected. He
began searching the near side of the stream, and sure enough, found her scent
ten yards away from where she had entered the water. He was so excited that he
sat and howled. He heard her answering cry
control yourself and let another mate her?”
“For you, I will,” he said.
They returned to the pack, and
sure enough, the other female, Brown Pads, attempted to get close to him. But
he turned her aside gently, and soon she was courting another, although she
kept glancing back at him.
He sat and watched the pack,
quickly seeing that one of the other females was Long claw’s mate, and the last
female was mated to another. Both acknowledged him, and he acknowledged them
in return, but he realized that even if they went into heat, there would be no
strong attraction. He didn’t understand it entirely, but assumed it was part
of the instincts of the wolf. Feeling his own response to things, it seemed
that the wolves had a much richer way of seeing the world compared to the
deer. Instinct was still present, but did not dominate every action and
reaction like it did in the deer.
Brown pads went into heat two
days later. Her smell was almost overpowering, and oddly enough, Smooth Nose
kept her distance from Gwydion, although she watched him closely. He felt the
desire rise in him, but he did not join when three of the younger males began
fighting for her. And when Short Tail emerged victorious, he led Brown Pads
away, and Gwydion did not follow.
Long Claw came and sat next to
him. “Short Tail is no match for you.”
“I’m waiting for Smooth Nose.”
“She has passed through two
cycles and fought off those that would have her,” Long Claw said. “Does she
hope it to be you?”
“That is what she has said.”
“And if she fights you?”
“I will still have her.”
Long Claw sighed. “I am
pleased. Unbonded females can cause strife, and she has been unbonded for much
too long.”
“Will it be soon, do you think?”
“I thought she would be before
Brown Pads, but she is stubborn.”
“As am I,” Gwydion said.
The males went on a hunt again
the next day, and again Gwydion helped to bring down a deer with the pack.
They called to the females, and all but Smooth Nose showed up. “Where is she?”
Gwydion asked Grey Foot, who was Long Claw’s mate.
“Her time has come, Moon Howl,”
Grey Foot said.
“You did not answer the
question, my love,” Long Claw said, coming into the conversation.
Grey Foot looked at Gwydion in
a way that made him want to both stand straighter and slink away in shame at
the same time. Finally she nodded and said, “She told me to tell you: if you
can find her, you can have her.”
Gwydion gave a bark of joy. “And
I shall!” he said, and sped into the woods. He had not missed the look that
Long Claw and Grey Foot had exchanged, that had said so clearly: puppies .
He made it back to the camp
quickly, and began sniffing about, but he could not catch the musk that he was
looking for. He began moving in widening circles, but without luck. He sat
back on his haunches, thinking. She had known she was going into heat, and she
had laid her plans. He expected her to go downwind, and maybe cross water.
And perhaps she had not been in heat, yet.
He went back to the camp,
looking for signs of her regular scent. Finding them, he began to follow it
away from the camp in the opposite direction of the hunt. After a few minutes
of tracking her, he began to smell her going into heat. It made it hard for
him to concentrate, but he did. He lost her at the first stream he crossed,
but picked up the trail by ranging up and down the far bank. He crossed two
more streams, with the same results, but when she crossed a fourth stream, he could
find no trace of her on the other side.
He sat down and had a good
scratch while he thought. It dawned on him that since she was trying to make
it challenging, perhaps she had been even trickier than he had expected. He
began searching the near side of the stream, and sure enough, found her scent
ten yards away from where she had entered the water. He was so excited that he
sat and howled. He heard her answering cry
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