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Chapter 2

"Now that we have the matter of your identity settled, it is time to decide your role in our clan as you reside here. I have learned that you have training as a healer, so I am going to place you under Seyan as his apprentice. You will learn under him, and work with him to keep our tribe healthy." I glanced over at Seyan and he returned my look with a warm smile. "Furthermore," Firan continued, "you will need to learn the ways of your new clan. For this, I have chosen that Tharus will show and explain to you the inner workings of our clan. "I glanced shyly at Tharus and saw him glance back, blushing. "Now that it would seem that everything is settled, let us return to rest so that me might take on tomorrow with strength, even though the night was spent awake." With this, Firan took his leave, striding out of the clearing with Tharus behind him. Just before Tharus disappeared behind the wall of foliage, he looked over at me and flashed me a quick smile. Then he was gone.

I turned to Seyan, who had not moved in Firan's departure, and raised an eyebrow. He slowly turned and I followed him back to his shelter beside the wall. When we got closer, I saw that much of the wall under the roof had been hollowed out to form a cave in the dirt that was supported by wooden struts. There was plenty of room for the many healing herbs and sleeping. Once we entered the dwelling, Seyan turned back to me, saying, "There is an extra hammock over there," he indicated with his tail,"you can hang it up near the mouth of our little abode" I went over to where he had indicated and found the hammock, nicely folded beside a small jar of what looked like the flowers of the marigold flower. I took the hammock and found pegs driven into two of the wooden struts near the opening of the cave. It was a simple matter to tie off the two sides of the hammock to the struts to create a bed for myself. Seeing Seyan get into a different hammock further back into the cave, I did the same. For a long time I laid there, contemplating the events that had finally led me to the company of others again after so long in solitude. In retrospect, it seemed that it was only chance that I had met Tharus in that corpse of trees. Perhaps it was a change that was engineered by the work of my family in the other realm. 'Thank you' I silently whispered to them. 'Thank you for my life.' I drifted off to sleep with these words on my tongue, finally at peace.

I woke with a start as a paw clamped down over my muzzle. My eyes shot open but were dazzle by the light of the rising sun coming in through the opening to the dwelling. All I could make out was the silhouette of three muscled foxes standing around me. I forced myself to stay perfectly still as one yelled, "Seyan! What is this wolf doing here in the midst of our camp?" I heard Seyan quickly scramble out of his hammock and run over to where I was trapped by my three captors. "No you fools! She is not an enemy." He tried to pull their arms off of me but they easily sent him flying with a swift blow. This move swung the hammock, causing me to fall out. "What are you talking about old man? If you hadn't noticed she's a wolf." said the fox who had hit him. I watched as Seyan again rose to his feet albeit significantly less steady on his feet than he had been before the blow. This time though, rather than charging at the larger foxes, he dodged around them and ran out of the dwelling. "Old coward, he never could stand in a fight." Spat one of them. They quickly turned their attention back to me, grinning as they did. "Now I think that this here wolf needs to learn a lesson about the dangers of trespassing." The fox holding my muzzle shut raised his well muscled arm to strike me. I watched as it descended, nearly about to hit me as a great yell came from outside of the dwelling. "Stop!" The voice vaguely sounded like that of Firan but had an added note of authority in it. It was not the same friendly voice that I had been greeted with the previous night. I didn't have time to think of this though as a split second later, the great blow came and drove into my exposed stomach. All air was forced from my lungs and pain wracked my body. I doubled over in pain and fell out of the hammock as my captors released me and turned to the entrance of the dwelling. From the ground as I saw a silhouette of another fox enter through the opening. I could vaguely hear the yells as the new fox verbally berated them. I couldn't catch any of the words as my ears were ringing from the great blow that had struck me but the idea was straightforward. Seyan had run to the dwelling of Firan and had gotten him to come to my aid. I was amazed that they had rushed to my aid rather than just let the other three have their way with me. Perhaps it was good fortune to have come upon Tharus to take me to Firan's clan rather than one of these others, but there was time to think of that later. Seyan had finally been able to get around Firan and those who had been my three captors and was almost upon me, with a concerned expression on his face.

"Are you alright?" I could barely hear his yell through the ringing of my ears. It was all I could do to make a slight grunt to communicate to him that I was ok but in severe pain. "I think she is ok" He called to Firan, "She seems to be a bit shaken up, and I believe that one of her ribs is broken but she'll be fine." I watched as Firan nodded in affirmation to Seyan and then made eye contact with me, flashing me a comforting smile. After affirming that I was not mortally wounded, Firan led the other three outside. Seyan went through the cave and gathered some supplies to help bandage my chest. He quickly came back with several strips of cloth and a small roll of a bark that I didn't recognize. He deftly bandaged my chest up to prevent any extensive movement of my broken rib. As he was doing this, the heat of the moment was beginning to wear off of me and the pain was really beginning to set in. My breaths quickly shortened until I was nearly gasping with each quick breath. I could tell that Seyan was trying to be as gentle as possible as he bandaged up my chest but one can only be so gentle when bandaging a wound. It was painful but finally, after Seyan tied the final knot, he came around in front of me again with the roll of bark. "Now Kumara, this is the bark of the willow tree. It has properties to take away the pain of wounds. I would like for you to chew of some of this and allow the sap to run down your throat." I did as I was told and as the sweet sap flowed down my throat; my body was infused in warmth. My pain was quickly enveloped by the warming sensation and I quickly became sleepy as the painkiller fogged my mind. It was all that I could do to be helped back into my hammock and allow Seyan to cover me with a blanket before I finally succumbed to the warmth and fell asleep.

I woke up in a haze, as a warmafternoon sun shone into the mouth of the cave and warmed me. Seyan was quietly walking around the back of the cave, organizing jars and stacks of herbs and other healing plants. As I stirred, he looked up and made his way over to where I lay. "Ah, how are you feeling?" he asked. "Sore, but better." I replied. He smiled at that and went about checking the wrappings on my chest. "The break seems to have set so it will start to heal. You should rest for a few days but other than that, it should heal just fine." As he finished with his examination, Firan entered the dwelling. "How is she?" he asked Seyan. "She took a bit of a beating, but she'll be fine." He replied. "Good, it wouldn't do for our guest to have been wounded while under our protection." Then he turned to me and addressed me directly, "Now, I would still like for you to meet with Tharus today so that you can begin to learn the ways of our tribe. In your condition though, I will have him come in here to talk with you." I nodded my affirmation and laid my head back down. After a few more minutes of quiet conversation with Seyan, Firan took his leave with a small nod in my direction. I silently laid in that hammock for a short time as Seyan worked quietly around me, organizing the bundles and jars of medicines. He eventually left and returned with a small wooden plate of seared meat that he gave to me to eat. Soon after that though, I heard a small knock on the wooden frame outside the entrance of our little dwelling and Tharus gingerly walked in. "Ah Tharus, you have arrived for Kumara I assume?" asked Seyan from across the room. Tharus quickly nodded, but remained silent. He seemed a little ill at ease, but I couldn't tell why. "Well, I'm going to be working in here for some time and I don't want to be tripping over you all day so how about you and Kumara go out and sit in the clearing outside? It would do her good to get some fresh air." Tharus walked over to where I was laying and gently helped me to a sitting and then a standing position. With the help of Seyan, I was led out of the dwelling and into the light of theafternoon sun. Luckily, the effects of the willow bark had not yet worn off so there was little pain. They led me over to a shaded part of the clearing and sat me down. Tharus sat down beside me as Seyan said a farewell and retreated back into the dwelling, telling me to call him if my pain increased.

"So, where does one start when explaining their way of life to someone else?" Tharus began shyly. With a silent laugh, I suggested" Well why don't you start with yourself. Where are you in the tribe?" With this suggestion, Tharus seemed to find himself and slowly began to speak, progressively becoming more enthusiastic. He told me of how he was an apprentice in their society and of how he was training to become a warrior. He told me of his aspirations to become one of the greatest warriors in the clan and then he started to tell me about his relationships with the other members. It was in this way that I began to learn of the society that made up the tribe.

I learned of how Firan presided over the entire tribe, using several of the more experienced warriors as well as Seyan as advisors in matters both within the tribe and with surrounding tribes. There were several clans that surrounded Firan's, some of which were allied to them while others were hostile. There was a basic trading system that had been created with the non-hostile tribes for supplies such as tools and medical supplies. He told me of the terrain that surrounded the camp and the different landmarks that spotted the surrounding area. We talked late into the evening, delving into the many different facets of the fox clan's culture. Finally, as the sun was beginning to set, Tharus fell silent and I had run out of my many questions. With his silence once again came his shyness. He stuttered before once again speaking, "W-Well, we have been here for a while now. You're probably hungry by now. Do you want me to go and get you something so that we could eat some dinner?" I smiled and laughed silently to myself for a moment before replying, "Sure, I'm famished" He smiled at me and nodded before getting up and walking out toward the path leading out into the main clearing, calling over his shoulder, "I'll be right back then." I was left sitting in the now silent clearing and used the time to reflect on my lesson on the tribe...and maybe a bit on Tharus himself as well.

I find myself aimlessly thinking about my experience this morning when Tharus returned, balancing two bowls of steaming stew, two slices of a brown bread, and two more small cups of what looked like mead. A small girl who was carrying her own bowl and cup was walking behind him, hiding behind his leg. He manages to comically wobble his way over to where I am sitting without spilling any of the steaming, and savory smelling stew. Once he had once again situated himself on the ground beside me, he handed me one of the bowls and balanced one cup of mead on the ground beside me. He then proceeded to introduce me to the girl who had accompanied him; "Kumara, this is my sister, Aleriahn" she shyly waved at me before going back to hiding behind her big brother. She was a small fox girl, maybe seven or eight years past the day of her birth, and greatly resembled her older brother. Tharus then proceeded to produce two small, curved pieces of wood and handed one to me. I sat there and stared at it for a few moments while he dug into the stew, using the piece of wood to pick up the food and move it into his mouth. Aleriahn offered a small smile at me before she too began to eat, though less ravenously than Tharus. I watched them do it a few times before trying it myself. I tried to mimic their movements and was more or less successful. It tasted like rabbit, mixed with several herbs for spice. Overall, it was quite good. I looked over at the two siblings watching me struggle with the utensil with a grin and Tharus shyly turned away, trying to hide his amusement. "What?" I asked with a smile, "Oh, I just find it amusing that you have clearly never used a spoon before." He replied with a chuckle. I just harrumphed and went back to trying to eat my stew, gradually grinning with Tharus at the absurdity of my predicament. Even little Aleriahn started to giggle along with us. Eventually I gave up trying to eat with the spoon and started to soak up the remaining stew with the bread. I finally set down the emptied bowl and pick up the small cup of mead. I took a sip and sighed as the sweet honeyed liquid flowed down my throat, warming me as it traveled down to my stomach. As we all finished our food, we laid back, with Aleriahn nestled between Tharus and I, and looked up at the stars in the darkened sky.

I tried to pick out some of the constellations that my family had worshipped back when we were one. I could pick out some, but they were distant. It saddened me that the stars that my family had worshipped were no longer floating over me. I hoped though that my family was still up there, looking down and watching over me as I worked to survive on my own in this new place. I needed their help if I was ever going to find any others of my kind. I would find more wolves, but perhaps a break here was not such a bad idea.

Eventually, Seyan came out of his dwelling and bid me return to sleep. I obliged, and with his help and that of Tharus, I made my way back to my hammock in the cave. They gently laid me down in it. I looked over to the entrance of the dwelling and saw Aleriahn standing in the doorway, watching us. I offered her a friendly smile and after a moment or two, she returned it with a small giggle and a grin. It was good to know that I had perhaps made another friend in this adopted clan of mine. As Tharus and Aleriahn said their goodbyes and softly left the dwelling, I laid back and thought over how drastically my day had changed from the beginning to the end. I had woken up to pain and violence, caused by a faction within this tribe that hated my kind. It had sparked sympathy from the leaders of the tribe and perhaps more of the members whom I had yet to meet. I may not be completely surrounded by enemies here. Perhaps I would be able to live here...at least for a time.