Wolves of the Beyond 02 - Shadow Wolf

scent wafted into her cave. Indeed, an alarming scent.
    “Owl!” she rasped. “You have to go. Visitors are coming and it’s best I be alone. Come back two nights from now.”
    Gwynneth knew better than to argue. She left at once.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A S TANDOFF AT THE S CRAPE
    THERE WERE IN ALL SIX GNAW wolves who would be competing at the gaddergnaw during the Moon of the Singing Grass. They had gathered to practice on the lower slopes of Crooked Back Ridge, a place accessible to all the packs and clans. This morning, the gnaw wolves were working on bones in a gnaw circle that formed around a scrape, a small circular area that had been literally scraped bare of any grass. In the center was a pile of bones from which the wolves selected the ones they wanted. As they gnawed, they spoke softly—clan gossip, the upcoming trials of the big gaddergnaw , as well as what they knew of the history of the Ring of Sacred Volcanoes and the wolves of the Watch.
    “There’s a rumor of outclanners slipping over theborder,” Tearlach, the earless gnaw wolf from the MacAngus clan, said. “Have you heard about that?”
    “Where—near here?” Edme, the one-eyed wolf from the MacHeath clan, asked nervously.
    “Probably not,” Heep said. “You know there are always rumors, and if in fact any outclanners are around, most likely they are up near the MacDonegal territory. That’s closest to the Outermost border.”
    “Not a pleasant subject,” Edme said, and gave a shiver.
    “You know,” Tearlach began, as if to purposely change the subject, “they say that when the old Fengo Hamish was released from his duties, his hind leg, which was twisted backward, turned around. A cloud passed across the moon, and when it cleared, his leg was straight.”
    “Really?” Edme asked somewhat breathlessly.
    “But it most certainly is true!” Heep snapped. “Why would you ever question this story?”
    “I thought maybe it was just a legend.”
    “No!” barked Heep. There was a snarl embedded in the bark that took them all aback.
    But Edme seemed unfazed. “I don’t think we should even think about that because it would mean the good king Soren of the Great Ga’Hoole Tree would haveto die, and another owl would have to dive for the ember.”
    “I never have understood this at all. Embered kings, unembered ones,” Faolan said.
    “That’s because you’re new.” Heep lifted his head. “You really don’t understand our history or our ways.”
    Faolan went back to his gnawing. He was not going to let this wolf get to him.
    “But we should tell him, Heep! Or how will he ever learn?” Creakle, who was missing a paw, leaned out to explain. “As you know, the duty of the Watch is to guard the Ember of Hoole embedded in one of the craters of the five Sacred Volcanoes. That’s when there is what we call an unembered monarch such as Soren at the great tree. Embered monarchs have the ember with them, so there’s no need for a Watch to guard it.
    “What happened to Hamish could happen only after the Ember of Hoole was recovered by Coryn, who became an embered king a long time ago. At that moment, every wolf of the Watch was released from duty and could resume the life of a normal wolf. What had been broken in their bodies was mended; what was twisted was made to grow straight; what was crippled gained strength.”
    “Is that what the law says?” Faolan asked.
    Heep snorted as if to say, How could one be so stupid? but Creakle shot him a dark look. “Oh, no. This was not a decree from the gaddernock . It has nothing to do with wolf codes or laws. It was a prophecy.” He spoke in a hushed tone. “A prophecy made by the very earliest owl king of the Hoolian world.”
    “But it came true!” Edme said.
    Hasn’t it in some way already come true? Faolan thought. He remembered his amazement at the beautiful howling that issued from the throat of the Whistler and wondered again how that buckled throat, the warped windpipe that gusted and rattled in speech, could produce such a lovely note. He said nothing. However, the story of the wolves of the Watch being restored to new lives had a haunting resonance for him.
    The wolves at the scrape were silent for a long time after Creakle’s explanation. Faolan liked this new companionship but was deeply annoyed that he had to gnaw so close to Heep. He could almost hear that little nick in the back blades of Heep’s teeth clicking as he gnawed. Wolves of the same clan had to work next