Disclaimer: I do not own Wolves of the Beyond. Kathyrn Lasky is owner of all WotB books, terms, ranks, and locations. I claim no ownership over my original characters and express my full approval for you to use them in your own works if you wish.
OUTCLANNER I
Murder
Cursed one. Inferior. Malcadh.
The wolf's head throbbed where she had received her last snap from a fellow member of her own pack. There was no blood, but it hurt. It always hurt. Aelis could see the scarlet droplets hit the ground in her mind's eye every time her heart was smashed and her dreams crippled. All of this abuse because of a tail. Sometimes she hated herself for it, but Aelis knew that there was no way to make her short, half-tail any more acceptable.
She bedded down, alone and cast out from the pack like she was every night. Her light brown and gray coat dirty from a long day and her green eyes dulled with her sadness. The cold, crescent moon sailed over her. Would it even care if she perished tonight, hidden in her den for her pack to find her. Would they even care? Her carvings were horrid. She had no talent. Aelis, the gnaw wolf who could not gnaw.
Why? The question pounded in her head with the slivers of pain. It had entered her head shortly after joining the Snow Cries pack of the MacDonegal clan and never left.
"Why am I the 'cursed one'?" she growled, frustrated with herself. "Why should I even have a place in a pack when I can't even gnaw right?"
You could be more, she thought to herself with a shiver. Horrible, horrible thoughts started to dance in her head. Shaking her coat, the she-wolf tried to bat them aside. Why should you have to be the gnaw wolf, the lower one? They are useless! You could lead your own pack, your own clan! Why should they shun you for the curse of your mother?
Aelis shook her head. "No...where would I go? I haven't got any pack or clan to follow me. No one would let a gnaw wolf lead."
A memory slipped into the swirling squall that raged in her mind. A cold, fast wind blowing through her fur. Alone on the top of the hill, she pressed herself to the ground. The wolf who was not her mother had brought her here. She was terrified, and she was confused.
And there, in the windy night, Aelis discovered how to hate.
She hated that wolf, hated the night, and hated the way the air yanked her fur. Hot and fierce, the new feeling coursed through her, lighting the fire in her heart. It never died. It grew in her still today, six years after being abandoned by her kind. She did her best to hide it from herself, tried to replace it with determination or respect. She hated her pack. She hated herself for that. She hated herself for hating everything about her own culture and world.
It simply made no sense. Why should she, who ran with the hunting byrrgis, be treated as if she had done the least? Why should the other wolves have a right to kick and claw her for something she could never have controlled? Why should she, a powerful and beautiful dire wolf of immense strength and skill, be forced to pursue gnawing as her one job in life?
The sound of steps outside made Aelis's ears flick up. She glanced outside.
Her heart became frozen the second she saw what was going on. Neala, the McDonegal Obea, slowly trudged through the snow before Aelis. Grasped in her strong jaws was a gray malcadh pup. The cursed wolf did not fight as Aelis had against the she-wolf who was carrying him to his death. He cried a few times, obviously able to tell he was no longer with his mother. The sight made Aelis's fur start to rise. What was this little pup's chance of survival? Aelis guessed he had been born early, as he was much smaller than any pup should be and didn't seem to have anything else wrong with him.
She slunk back and buried her head under her paws. Sorrow, hate, and anger poured in faster than she could tell them apart.
The great Order, this power that guided them, Aelis would never be able to comprehend its purpose. Its beauty and elegance went unnoticed by the poor, mistreated underling, and the only thing she could think of was how unfair and cruel it was.
Her hatred became so strong it was painful, forcing its way out of her throat in a snarl.
The Dim World claimed Aelis as she rose and walked stiffly from her den. Her malformed tail wagged. It was time to make someone, anyone, pay for the lives of the pups who had died at their tummfraws without even seeing the day.
Neala looked up, certain she had heard the steps of something else as heavy as a wolf. She'd found a large, flat boulder to place the pup on. Hopefully a predator would come soon, and the innocent malcadh would be dispatched without too much trouble or pain. Her heart had long since stopped aching when she placed the young ones where they would probably meet their deaths. The clan was much better off without the misfits. What a great service she was doing to everyone in the Beyond.
It was right. It just had to happen.
She'd never wanted pups. When Neala had finally decided she was infertile, she didn't mourn about it for very long. Nothing wrong with being that way. Nothing wrong with being different. The wrongness of that thought dawned on her, and she worked to convince herself otherwise.
I have a purpose. The gnaw wolves have a purpose.
"Be calm, now," she murmured softly to the pup as it squirmed once. The gray and white wolf turned to leave, eyes darting around one more time. The tiny wolf behind her gave a loud shriek, the loudest cry it had given during the whole trip. Neala didn't know why, but her limbs moved for a few moments as if she had no control over them. She nudged the unknowing thing gently. Her green eyes stared down at its unopened ones, and the Obea heaved a great sigh.
"Careful, Obea."
Neala's head whipped back. She inhaled the sharp scent of another wolf before spotting the brown-coated she-wolf behind her. Her stubby tail held unimpressively high, the wolf stalked toward Neala with her ears pinned. "Wouldn't want to let your emotions get in the way of your duty," she sneered, sarcasm coating her voice like poisonous spikes.
Neala took a step back, now standing over the pup. "Aelis?" she gasped, recognizing the gnaw wolf.
Aelis nodded her head toward the malcadh. "So, Obea," she snarled. She paced left, her hackles raised and her eyes boring into Neala's. "Do you still feel it? The guilt, the shame? Does it still hurt to steal away the lives of these innocent pups?" She came closer and closer to Neala, causing the gray she-wolf to back up even more.
She's gone cag mag! Neala thought in horror. "It's my duty," she growled back. Her shoulders shifted as she prepared for a fight. Aelis was much younger than her; the fresher she-wolf would have a better chance at winning. That didn't mean Neala wouldn't be able to defend herself until someone could come and help, though. "We need the Obea. It is part of our way."
Heart and eyes blazing, Aelis bellowed in a haggish howl, "Our way is a lie!"
A white flash of pain blinded Neala as Aelis struck. Fast as the wind of a storm, the gnaw wolf lunged forward mid-howl. Her yellowed teeth tore through the wolf's fur and flesh, sinking first into her shoulder and then into her neck. Neala let out a long, terrified yelp that could only be called a scream as Aelis shifted her weight and slammed her into the hard rock. Blood flowed into the mouth of the tan rebel, droplets of red finding their way into her throat. Aelis welcomed the salty taste. So much fresher than an old, carving-filled bone.
Neala twisted and struggled. Finally, both of her paws slammed into Aelis's breast and wrenched the gnaw wolf off of her. The Obea jerked herself back. Her paws crunched on snow stained by her own blood as she tried desperately to escape. Aelis flicked out her tongue and bared her canines. Her head held at the height of Neala's, she paced a half-circle around her. The fear in Neala's body language brought an eerie pleasure to her. At last, someone was suffering for what had happened. Justice had come at last.
Neala's heart pounded. She came to her senses, and, realizing what had to be done, she threw back her head and howled for help. Weakness flooded her limbs from bloodloss. She was scared of looking at what Aelis had done to her neck.
"You think they'll help you?" Aelis growled. She frowned and cocked her head in false sympathy. "They shun you! You are the one who steals away their beloved pups."
Fear started to pulse through Aelis. What she had said was a lie, and Neala knew this. The gnaw wolf knew she had to act fast.
Aelis twisted her body as she leaped at Neala. Her paws slammed into the Obea's ribcage as Neala turned much too slowly. Their muzzles met in ferocious smacks and snaps, blood splattering across both of their faces. Aelis howled when Neala's jaws latched onto the side of her face and twisted. Her head was immersed in the fire of the pain so much that she did not feel the sticky, hot feeling of blood starting to soak through her chin and cheek. Aelis snarled again and kicked Neala in the hindquarters. The pain in her head faded only a little when Neala released her and rolled onto her feet.
Shrieking in rage, Aelis bolted in again. Neala was prepared this time. The old she-wolf kept all four feet on the ground and slashed at Aelis's wound. She backed away from Neala, her black lips writhing, head slightly tilted, and young body shivering with eagerness. A second time, she went head first for Neala. Aelis didn't seem to care about how much blood Neala drew this time, though. The more the Obea kicked and grabbed at Aelis, the more frenzied she became. Aelis threw all of her ninety seven pounds into Neala's side and knocked her opponent to the ground.
A sickening crack slammed into Neala's thoughts with the force of a grizzly bear. Neala had been so occupied with fighting off Aelis's attacks that she hadn't noticed they had battled back toward the tummfraw of the malcadh. Aelis didn't seem to have been paying attention either. She recoiled at the sound of bone splintering and a pup shrieking for the last time.
Aelis's stance shifted. "No..."
Sensing the change in the wolf's heart. Neala rose and stumbled away from the dead pup. Blood ran down her back. Pup blood, innocent blood, blood that was not meant to be spilled. The Obea whimpered and looked up at Aelis. Strangely, the brown wolf had not tried to attack. Her movements stiff with shock, Aelis stepped up to the broken body. She sank to her knees. Clarity started to come to her death-crazed eyes.
Shaking uncontrollably, Neala glanced from the malcadh to Aelis, then back to the pup. Its spine had been crushed. Still and cold in the night, the corpse lay. Never to see the sun. Never to live as Aelis and Neala had. Neala took a tentative step away from Aelis. "Aelis -" she started to say.
Aelis let out a murderous snarl of pure hatred. Hatred. It exploded within her like a volcano, cutting off her air and burning her heart. Hatred! Regret and shame no longer reigned her in. Nothing could stop her, and nothing did.
Neala's final cry rang out through the crisp air, shattering it as the pup's cry had. She didn't stand a chance against Aelis's wild desire to kill. Aelis launched herself at her foe and, in one swift and fatal move, latched herself high on Neala's neck, dragged her head and chest to the ground, and adjusted her hold so there could be no escape. Neala's paws flew as she grappled for freedom. Her moves became more and more desperate, losing all precision as her mind became more and more clouded with pain. No, no, no! Please, Lupus! Please help me! Someone help me...someone help...help...I c-can't...
When Aelis released her iron grip, the Obea fell to the ground, silent.
"What have you done, you despicable vyrrwolf?!"
Aelis raised her head. A black he-wolf stepped out of the trees' shadows, his hackles bristling and emerald eyes glowing with fury. Faking confusion, Aelis tilted her head and licked some of her own blood from her muzzle. "I've simply rid the Beyond of this disgusting killer, packer."
"They're coming," Cluney, the night-colored male wolf, growled. "The Snow Cries pack will punish you for their deaths." He pointed toward the malcadh and Obea with his tail.
It took a moment for Aelis to reply. "They won't get here in time," she said quietly.
Cluney lunged forward, but Aelis charged at the same time. The skilled black wolf dodged her first snap and locked his teeth onto the back of her neck. Aelis rolled, forcing him to release her and go for her stomach instead. She screamed in pain as her belly was ripped open by Cluney's deft slashes. Her forepaws both hit his head at the same time, giving her blow more force than needed to throw him off of her. Spots invaded Cluney's vision. In the moments it took him to regain his footing, Aelis darted in and ripped her canines down his face.
Acting clumsily from surprise, Cluney jumped back with a yelp. His left ear was now torn and a long gash ran down the left side of his face. Snarling, he retaliated by rearing up on his hind legs and falling down onto Aelis when she tried to grab his throat. Aelis writhed underneath him until their bellies brushed and started kicking at his hind quarters. Cluney stepped to the side to let her up. He dove back toward Aelis as she started to rise, clamping his jaws around her foreleg. He bit down as hard as he could, nearly breaking her bone. Aelis clawed him in the eyes before he could snap it. The pain from her wounds was starting to take over. She narrowed her pale green eyes and concentrated on winning the fight.
Aelis yelped loudly, pretending her leg was now completely unusable. Like a mother bird faking an injured wing, she slumped down on one side, ears drooping, and whined. Cluney smacked her hard in the ribs with his left paw several times. He made no move to kill her yet. Despite how much he wanted to tear the traitor wolf's throat out, it was the duty of the pack to punish the murderer of a cursed pup with a slow, painful death. True fear started to show in Aelis's eyes as she, too, saw what would happen if she were caught.
Cluney leaned forward to strike his next blow, just what Aelis had been waiting for. She unsteadily launched herself off of her hind legs. Cluney threw back his weight and, a split second before Aelis struck, raised his paws in time to meet hers. Barking madly, Aelis wrestled his head and shoulders down after much kicking and snapping. Cluney's eyes widened when he saw. "Savage!" he roared. He struggled up.
Aelis danced left, cruel light shining from the green suns focused on Cluney. She dodged a low bite. Rearing once more, both of Aelis's forepaws crashed down onto Cluney's spine and neck. He rolled at the last moment, trying harder than he had at anything before to change his fate. The familiar sound from earlier in the night echoed in Aelis's ears: the cracking of bone coupled with a dying cry of pain.
And Aelis stood alone in the crimson snow. Her coat was painted with the beautiful substance of fire and life. Her once pitiful tail was raised with pride. The victorious lord of a victorious pack, she growled a curse to the stars she once worshipped.
Paw-steps. Howls. Aelis let out a low snarl. The Snow Cries pack would soon arrive and find a packer, Obea, and malcadh dead."My order! My way!" Aelis barked in a voice high with glee. "I am the Lupus, chieftain of my clan! FREE!"
Her leg was wounded badly, but she still managed to run. Loping at top speed, Aelis fled the scene of the three kills. The Outermost...yes. That was the only place she could go now. They wouldn't be able to follow her there. Closing her eyes as she continued running, Aelis remembered what she'd heard about the place. Disorderly and cruel. There are no packs, no ranks, no clans. Blood and death is the law there. There is no Lupus and no song, just mindless killing and savagery.
A savage, Cluney had called her. Mindless killing and savagery.
The Outermost, Aelis thought. It would be the perfect place for a wolf like her, prepared for the honest world and the justice of solitude.
"Savage!" Aelis yelped. "Yes, I am savage! I am the killer, savage and free, and I will never submit again!"
Her former pack drew closer and closer, yapping and bellowing for vengeance. The trail of blood Aelis left with every stride worried her at first. For a few heartbeats, the she-wolf actually wondered if she would be able to make it out of their land. What have I done? she thought. She fought it off quickly. "It had to be done. I avenged them. It was fair." Shaking her head, she pushed herself harder.
They did not catch her. As Aelis had predicted, the Beyond wolves, of civilized and orderly pasts, did not dare to stray very far into the loveless, dark forests of the Outermost. Those who stayed behind to search for the renegade gnaw wolf came back wounded by the savage Outclanners who lurked in the wretched place. Most Snow Cries wolves believed she had committed suicide by running into the Outermost. After all, how could a wolf raised with the ways of the Beyond survive a day among the cruel creatures of even greater evil than herself?
"I am the killer, savage and free," Aelis muttered.
Dim one. Savage. Outclanner.
WHOA, that turned out way longer (and more violent) than I thought it would! As you can see, this story is going to be much darker than my previous work, which took place in a world designed to be safe for six year olds. Bella Sara is still awesome, though! Expect a few more deaths and fighting later. Nothing worse than the Wolves of the Beyond books, so the rating will never go up. However, the story will be pretty bloody and include a few more violent scenes like this.
As stated in my Disclaimer, I don't care if you use Aelis, Cluney, Neala, or the Snow Cries pack. Heck, if you want to make some epic story about the malcadh who was smashed here, I won't stop you. Just let me know, 'kay?