People of the Wolf(148)

Now the visions are coming true. Come lie with me. My body cries for yours, and I've never loved any woman as I love you. You and me, we're the destiny of the People. Conceived on the White Hide, our child—"

"Will never exist," she hissed, backing up a step.

He ran his fingers through the long white hair of the Hide, stroking it lovingly. "Yes, it will. I've seen. Come. Let's hurry.''

She turned and ran, jumping lithely down the rocks.

"No!" he shouted, a flush of anger spurring his weary body as he leapt after her. She was outdistancing him, running with a slight limp. On trembling legs, he followed, his lungs barely recovered from the difficult climb. For long moments, the gap remained the same until he slowly drew ahead.

Heart pounding, lungs burning, he closed, forcing every last bit of his energy into the chase. She whirled, hearing him close, darts ready.

He slid to a stop, staring at the desperation in her eyes.

"I'll kill you, Raven Hunter!"

Slowly, he spread his arms, gasping for breath. "You'll be mine in the end; the visions say so. You think you can elude me? I'm the best tracker of the People."

She shook damp hair from her eyes. "I've killed Others, Raven Hunter. I'll kill you. You've seen me. I don't miss what I cast at. Stay back.-"

Breast heaving, he smiled. "Kill me. Come on. Do it!" he taunted. "Do it quickly, or I'll find you. Somewhere, you'll sleep. You can't outrun me. You can't escape me. You'll slip and I'll have you and the future. You'll bear my child."

She backed away, a step at a time, jaw locked with determination. "Follow, and I'll kill you."

"You don't understand. With the White Hide, no one can stand against me. It's proof of my destiny."

"Oh?" She continued to back away. "And where's your Hide?"

He stiffened, remembering how the evening light had shone off the white hair where he'd unrolled it on the rocks. He shifted nervously. What if someone came along and ... No, ' that was unthinkable!

Seeing his indecision, she added softly, "Sure, you can

chase me down. Finally corner me, catch me off guard, but you can't while you carry that Hide."

He considered it—too true. Ice Fire's words haunted him. ' 'Are you strong enough to carry the Hide ? The Power it, holds will destroy a man who shirks his responsibilities to it. " Annoyance ate at his resolve. The answer came.

He smiled. "For now, the Hide is enough. With it, all things will come . . . including you."

"To plant your seed in my belly, you'll have to keep me tied like a dog. But, remember, you, too, must sleep sometime—be less than alert. And when you do, I'll drive a dart through your cursed body. By the Soul Eaters of the Long Dark, I swear. You hear?''

He nodded, turning on his heel. What were the Soul Eaters of the Long Dark against the Power of the White Hide?

"You'll be mine," he called over his shoulder as he trotted down the slope toward the gleaming Hide, now partially covered with snow. "I've seen it!"





Chapter 60



On the other side of the Big Ice, the mountains rose, some of the peaks to the far north familiar. The range extending to the south, however, gleamed in unknown patterns. Here, in the broken foothills, patches of spruce mixed with open grassy meadows, amber now in fall color.

Overhead, the last flocks of geese winged southward in irregular V's, their voices haunting as they called among themselves.

Behind, the wind blew chill off the Big Ice. Storm clouds continued to pile up along the northern horizon while the valley of the Big River hooked below the uplands the People now hunted. Such a rich land, this. A feeling of freedom spread among them as they crafted new shelters, tailored new clothing, and awaited the coming of the Long Dark. The vast

grassy valleys to the south beckoned, moving splotches of game visible from the heights.

The trap had been built along a game trail, hidden deep in the shadows of the trees. Broken Branch had picked the place, turning on her swollen ankles, mouth working as her eyes studied the spot. She'd poked at the soil with her digging stick and grinned.

Green Water climbed out of the pit, a bloody quarter of elk over her shoulder. Under the weight, her steps careened, the leg bone eating into her shoulder. She stumbled to drop the heavy weight onto a mat of spruce needles, then blew an exasperated breath. A strange animal, this. The antlers were a lot like those of the caribou, only the hooves were much smaller, the rump brown, and no white beard hung under the animal's neck. Other strange animals had fallen to her pits. Another deer, smaller, with forked antlers, abounded. Other than that, no sign of horse could be found. Musk ox and mammoth and long-horned buffalo were everywhere, though—and this interesting brown deer, which had a sweet and delicately flavored meat.