Fated

sad as his voice when he says, “I agree that it’s strange—spirit animals aren’t supposed to die. From everything I’ve learned, this shouldn’t be happening. And yet there’s no doubt he’s fading. If he does die, I’m pretty sure his human attachment will die too—and if that happens, I fear for what will become of that human’s soul.”
    I swallow hard, rising to my feet as I gaze all around, saying, “We can’t leave him here. If you’ll help me lift him, then we can…”
    I bend forward, inch my fingers under the poor dying wolf that’s too weak to move, ignoring Dace’s warning when he says, “Daire, you can’t do that. It’ll only cause him to suffer even more than he is.”
    I mutter under my breath, doing my best to heave the wolf into my arms. Struggling to keep my movements gentle and slow—I don’t want to hurt him or make him feel worse—still, the wolf is so much heavier than I expected.
    “I have to get him back to Enchantment,” I say, my voice frantic, betraying the full depth of my anxiety. “Chay’s a vet—he can fix him. I’m sure of it. So please, either help me or move out of my way.”
    Dace stands behind me torn between doing what he thinks is right and upsetting me further, he slips his arms under Wolf until they’re pressed close to mine. His face inches away, his breath warming my cheek, he glances between the poor dying animal and me, saying, “Daire, do you know whose spirit animal this is?”
    Remembering how Paloma once stressed the importance of keeping one’s spirit animal a secret, I look to Raven for guidance. Shocked to find him lingering nearby, along with Dace’s Horse, Django’s Bear, my grandfather’s Jaguar, and a golden-eyed Eagle that reminds me so much of Chay’s ring, I figure it must belong to him—the sight of them gathered together making my eyes brim with tears.
    It looks like the end, like a memorial of some kind—but it can’t be—not while Wolf is still alive.
    “Do you know them?” Dace follows my gaze to the strange menagerie of animals. Watching the way they circle and pace, Jaguar and Bear growling and anxious.
    “Yes.” I turn to him, trying not to give too much away. “They care about Wolf and his human attachment as much as I do.”
    Dace looks at me, his eyes reflecting my sadness too many times.“Well that person is very lucky to have so many caring beings on their side,” he says, voice edged with regret when he adds, “but you still can’t move him.” He glances at Wolf, frowning when he sees his eyes are now shut as his head hangs limp on my chest. “If you try to bring him back, he’ll die. He’s too weak to survive the journey. Daire, I’m sorry, but if you insist on doing that, you’ll only succeed at putting them both at greater risk.”
    “So, what am I supposed to do?” I ask, the words laced with anger, though it’s more at the situation than the messenger.
    “Accept the natural progression,” he says, his voice soft and low.
    “Not happening.” I shake my head. “There’s no way. Besides, you’re the one who said it was strange—that there’s nothing natural about this.”
    He sighs, more out of sadness than frustration, saying, “Daire—is this about Paloma? Is she in some kind of trouble?”
    I swallow hard, bury my face in the wolf’s coarse white fur, my tears turning it clumpy and damp.
    Taking my silence as a yes, he says, “Okay, here’s what you do: You head back and find Leftfoot so you can tell him you found Paloma’s Wolf. You describe the location, Wolf’s condition, and tell him that I, along with Bear, Jaguar, Eagle, and Raven, are watching over him—and he might be able to help. But, Daire, you need to know, there’s no guarantee.”
    “How do you know about Leftfoot?” I ask, wondering what else he might know about this strange new world I’m only just learning to navigate for myself.
    “He’s my great-uncle. My grandpa Jolon’s brother. He’s the only one Chay would trust to look after Paloma, besides my mom. But Chepi doesn’t do healings anymore. Not since she got pregnant with Cade and me.”
    I’m about to tell him that from what I saw earlier, Chepi’s come out of retirement, or at least temporarily. But before I can get to it, he says, “Paloma’s been good to my family. She’s been a huge support to my mom. We’ll get through this, okay? I promise to help in every way that I can.”
    My throat is too tight to reply, so I nod my