Watch Wolf

asked.
    “From Gwynneth — she’s a Rogue smith.” Rogue smiths were owls who worked metal but lived apart from other owls.
    Twist overheard them. “Ah! Gwynneth. She’ll be coming soon. It is getting to be the season of Morgan and Stormfast. The Rogue smiths particularly love the embers from these two volcanoes. And when the She-Winds blow, both volcanoes begin their most violent eruptions at the same time. It seems like every Rogue smith and Rogue collier throughout the Hoolian kingdoms descends upon us. Oh, what a time it is! But now here is your den. Your training begins shortly, so get some rest.”
    “Look at this,” Faolan marveled as they slid down a steep passage into the den. “They’ve even given us pelts. I’ve never slept on a pelt of my own. I only got the discarded ones from my pack after pups had wet them so often they stank.”
    “Me never!” Edme said. “Even ones soiled by pups were too good for me.”
    They each circled their pelts three times as was the custom with most wolves before settling down for a sleep. The pelts were caribou — winter caribou, so they were all the thicker.
    “Edme,” Faolan said. “I think I’m too excited to sleep.”
    “Me, too, but we should try.”
    “Yes, let’s try,” Faolan replied.
    They were silent for a while. Then Faolan piped up again. “Edme, are you asleep yet?” He waited. “Edme? Are you sleeping?”
    “Well, I was until you asked me.” She yawned.
    “Oh, sorry.”
    “It’s all right,” Edme replied. “What is it?”
    “I think what you did back there in the Fengo’s den, what you said — you know, the truth about yourself. It was very brave of you.”
    “Thank you, Faolan.”
You woke me up to tell me I was brave?
    They both nestled deeper into their caribou pelts.
    “They smell so good, don’t they? No pup pee,” Faolan said.
    “Yep, no pup pee.”
    Just as Edme was drifting off once again,Faolan said, “You’re not asleep yet, are you, Edme?”
    “Almost,” she huffed.
    “I just want to say one more thing.”
    “Yes, what’s that?”
    “You really do deserve to be here — much more than I do. I mean, you made the kill rush.”
    Edme’s hackles raised. “Faolan, that is just plainstupid. I have never heard anything more
cag mag
in my life. You have proven yourself time and time again. Now, kindly let me sleep.”
    But still he could not sleep. So he turned to the Bone of Bones. It was not easy to read in the darkness of the cave, but he soon found that certain sections had been carved deeper, and if he ran his tongue over them he could feel the inscription. One section in particular had been carved very deeply as if for extra emphasis. His marrow trembled as he began to read a passage.
    There has been a bond between the wolves and the grizzlies in the region of the sacred volcanoes that is vitally important. It is the reason why two species of animals — the top meat eaters of the region — can live peacefully together. Nowhere else in the Beyond do wolves and bears live in such close harmony. But let it be known that there are certain customs that are practiced between ourselves and the bears of the Beyond to ensure that we will always live harmoniously with one another in this small realm within the larger one of the Beyond. One of the most important rules of behavior is that a wolf must never touch the cub of a grizzly, for there is no telling what bloody havoc might ensue, the least of which would be the death of that single wolf.
    There are other practices followed that also ensure that the grizzlies and the wolves of the Watch will continue. Good relations between ourselves and the bears is essential because our range for hunting is limited; therefore we must live together peaceably.
    “Urskadamus,”
Faolan muttered the bear curse he had heard Thunderheart use was she was deeply irritated. His curse had awakened Edme.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Reading the Bone of Bones.”
    “In this light?”
    “The bone is carved deeply. I can feel it with my tongue.” There was utter anguish in Faolan’s voice.
    “Faolan, what is it?”
    He looked up at Edme.
Does she know how close she came to being killed?
    “Did you touch the cub?” Faolan whispered.
    “I don’t think so.” Her voice was taut with fear.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
D UNBAR M AC H EATH C ONSIDERS
    “I FOLLOWED THEM FOR A DAY and a night, until they came to rest on a cliff just above the river. There was a moose carcass on the sandbar