Once she realized that he wasn’t trying to make a move on her, Sarah slowly complied, resting her head on his chest. Up close, she could tell that his scent was a little different from Cain’s, a pleasant woodsy musk that she couldn’t quite place. She ignored the difference in their scents, and instead focused on the steady cadence of his heartbeat.
He held her for only a few moments, but somehow it was long enough for Sarah to start to feel whole again. It confused her, how being held by a stranger could be so comforting. Much later, it would occur to her that Alder wasn’t a stranger at all. He was family.
Chapter 4
It snowed heavily for three days, leaving Sarah and the children to spend their nights sequestered in the lower chambers where it was warm. Clover and the adults were rarely home except to sleep, as the poor weather made hunting more difficult. No matter how bad the storm, though, they would always return with something to eat.
The nausea and fatigue of early pregnancy wore at Sarah’s usually patient demeanor. By the second night of the storm, the children had learned how to occupy one another, rather than get on her nerves.
When the snowstorm finally passed, they were all eager to go outside. Unfortunately, a bear clan had passed very close to the den the night before, and Hale ruled that no one besides the hunting party was allowed outside.
Fortunately, the moon room served as a good substitute for the outdoors. The uncovered half of the room was blanketed in nearly two feet of snow, and there was plenty of room for the girls to run and play. After making sure they were sufficiently bundled up, Sarah sat back near the fire and watched them frolic in the snow.
Just after dusk, Sarah heard the barking and yelping of the hunting party as they passed over the den on their way to the stream, where they would strip the carcasses. She was glad that they did it away from the den, and grateful that no one asked her to help, as she wasn’t sure her stomach could handle the unpleasant affair.
Hale entered the moon room a few moments later. She only knew it was him because he was responsible for the day watch, and usually retired to sleep after the hunt. He was almost always asleep before they ate, and Sarah suspected that he wasn’t fond of cooked meat.
Unexpectedly, Caim entered as well, following his uncle in the form of a shaggy black wolf. Locked in Caim’s jaws was what had to be the biggest turkey Sarah had ever seen before. It was so fat that the pup was unable to fully lift it, and so most of its body dragged along the den floor. She grimaced at the trail of blood left in its wake.
Catching sight of Sarah, Caim made a beeline for the fire pit, dropping the turkey in front of her. Sarah looked between the dead bird and Caim, the latter of whom had sat and was giving her an expectant look.
Realizing what he wanted, she reached out and patted him on the head. “Wow, did you catch this all by yourself?”
Caim’s thumping tail belied his otherwise stiff response. She glanced back down at the bird, grimly accepting what would have to come next.
The girls had quickly gathered around to observe the turkey as well. Sarah looked to Lotus, giving her a weak smile.
“Mind showing me what to do with this bird?” she asked.
To date, Sarah had yet to prep any game save for deer and small mammals, and even with those, she somehow always managed to avoid doing most of the work. She was happy to watch the children, or even clean, but she didn’t think she would ever get used to dealing with dead animals.
Rather than answering, Lotus glowered at Caim. “How come he does not help you?”
“Well, he caught it for us,” Sarah reasoned.
Lotus curled her lip at Sarah. “I can hunt too. No one ever lets me hunt. It is not fair.”
Sarah tapped her cheek thoughtfully. “I guess you’re right. How about you help me with the turkey tonight, and then tomorrow night, you can join the hunting party.”
Lotus’s face brightened, but the idea was immediately shot down.
“No way,” Hale said, sitting down on the other side of the fire. “It’s enough that we have to watch after one pup. We can’t be worried about Caim and Lotus.”
“I’m not a pup,” Lotus fumed, her hands curling into small fists. Hale spared her a sympathetic glance, but didn’t dignify her with a response.
“Hang on,” Sarah said, holding her hands out. “There’s an easy solution. They can take turns. Caim can go one night and Lotus can go the next.”
Her suggestion was met with a low growl from Caim. Sarah looked between the small wolf and the girl before giving Hale a helpless look. He seemed amused by her predicament, and offered no assistance.
Turning back to the children, Sarah said, “Look, here’s—hey, come back!” Sarah’s shoulders slumped as Caim sauntered from the room, his tail held high.