Chapter 15: Ylva

Two soft golden eyes seemed to probe deeply into Seth’s consciousness, even as they belied the savage countenance of the creature, and a strange thought occurred to him. “This animal is speaking to me! I can hear it in my mind!”

“No, you do not imagine this, hunter,” the thought came unbidden, “my kind has nurtured this ability for many winters, but we have been content to keep it among ourselves. Now a thing has happened to change that. I have come to you to speak of it.” The wolf stretched herself, and laid down on the open net, while the small group of humans looked in amazement. As she looked from one to another, their fear faded, and they suddenly began to chatter among themselves.

“Did you hear it? It spoke to me!” In their confusion they backed away, and a few ran back into the village to tell the rest of this wonder. Only Tia, Aard, and Meta stood near, keeping their hands on the wolf, scratching her ears, apparently engaged in conversation with her, as the other villagers began to gather.

There was an excited chattering, with everyone trying at once to tell what he or she had heard the wolf say to them. No one noticed the toddler walking toward the beast until her mother screamed. The little one crawled up to Ylva, who sniffed at her, and nuzzled her into the protective circle of her front legs, where the child snuggled into her warmth. The frantic mother darted toward the wolf, stopped short as she saw her daughter’s contented smile, then fell to her knees in amazement as Ylva licked the child’s face.

“She looks safe enough to me,” said Jona to the group. Then she turned back to the wolf and said, “If no one else will say it, I will.” She raised her hand and gave the ritual greeting, “Welcome to our village, Friend. Ylva. Come share our meat and our warmth, and be one with us until you chance to leave us.” She turned to Seth and Leana again and said, “Though I can’t wait to see the look on Jord’s face when he meets Ylva!”

“I thank you for your greeting, woman of the village. I will stay in this place for a time. The elders have sent me to bring greeting to you, and to speak of our common enemy. But I sense Jord is waiting, and he must hear this as well.”

The child’s mother timidly approached the unlikely cradle and reached to retrieve her daughter, and Ylva licked her hand as she picked up the little one. The woman hesitated, her eyes widened, and she said, “Yes, I will care for her as you say.” She reached out one tentative hand and touched the side of Ylva’s muzzle, and said, “Thank you.” Turning to Jona she hugged her daughter and whispered, “She did speak to me, and she called Wena beautiful!”

Jona smiled and turned to Ylva, who was now standing, and said, “Let us go now and introduce our new friend to my grumpy husband.” To the wolf she said, “He tires of being inside, and I think he will not stay there long after this.”

Jona and Leana turned and led the way toward the center of the village, with Dann walking next to Seth. Tia, too joined them, and they looked back at the wolf, and saw that Aard and Meta were walking with her, one on each side, and both had a hand on her neck. And as they walked, their hands touched, and clasped. And Ylva seemed to smile.

Awakening

Deep within the blackness of the caves a tunnel leads downward to a cavern of unimaginable immensity. Confined in the center of that cavern is an even more unimaginable darkness. For tens of centuries the darkness has slept undisturbed, except for the horrific dreams and fears that are its eternal torment. Still the thing sleeps, but now its slumber is troubled, and it stirs, disturbing the silence that encircles its evil bulk.

It is at once a cause, and a result, of nightmares. Of fear. Of insanity.

Friend

“A what?” Jord sat bolt upright. “A talking wolf?” He looked from Jona to Leana, to Seth, and saw no hint of a jest on any of their faces. “Where, then, is this creature? Where is it caged?”

“I hope you would not keep a friend in a cage, Jord.” There was a wry humor in that thought, and the thought/voice continued, “For a friend is what I would be to you.” The flap was drawn back, and there in the entrance, stood the huge black wolf, flanked by Aard and Meta. Jord’s eyes widened as he looked from face to face in the hut. Seeing neither jest nor alarm even now, he relaxed and simply stared at the beast. “And yes Jord, just as I told Seth, you did hear me speak.”

Jord sat and stared uncomprehendingly at Ylva. He had known wolves only as savage creatures that hunted in packs and terrorized smaller, weaker animals and humans. He thought of the ones he had hunted and killed, and glanced surreptitiously at the robe rolled at the foot of his bed, suddenly hoping that Ylva wouldn’t notice it. He started again at the wry humor that came to him in her thought as she approached and sniffed at it.

“A distant cousin, possibly, but not really one of us.” She squatted on her haunches, and Jord sat there open mouthed as she continued. “We fear them in great numbers as well. They are envious of what we have gained since the branching and they attack us whenever they come upon us. Individually we can deal with a small pack. We believe they are driven, sometimes even controlled, by the same evil we must now face together.” She turned to Aard, and he nodded and stepped out through the flap, returning shortly with a bowl of water. He set it down in front of her, and she licked his hand as he withdrew. She drank deeply, shook herself, and laid down beside Jord’s bed, looking up at him. He swore that she grinned at him, and there again was that touch of wry humor in her thought as she continued, “At any rate, you would not find a black robe warm enough to compensate for the injury you would suffer in trying to obtain it.”

“But how?” Jord looked helplessly into the faces of his human companions, searching for explanations. “How did this, how have you, we,...” He looked back at the creature, “You spoke to me, and saw my thoughts, and...” Shaken, he turned to his wife, “How?”

Jona moved to his side, and knelt next to Ylva, “I do not know, husband. I only feel that something is changing, and we are to be a part of it.” She looked at the wolf and continued, “And I think that Ylva has come to tell us of that.” She paused as the entrance flap stirred aside, and Dann entered, carrying a rabbit he had evidently just killed. “But I think that first, we will eat. I see that Dann has brought Ylva’s supper.” Leana approached, and together they turned to prepare their own meal.