Chapter 8 Poppy
Poppy
My heart raced as I bolted towards the sound of Sorrel’s voice. His howl carried a long distance over the spacious tundra, and as much as I’d rather not abandon Violet, I needed to reach my brother immediately.
Ever since the failed owl hunt the other day, I carried a bad feeling in my chest. It was like an ominous dark cloud hung over everything and everybody, but I was the only one who noticed. I hoped it was just anxiety, and nothing more.
But as I raced up the slope towards a rocky crag, the bad feeling intensified. I only felt a small dollop of relief to see Sorrel standing there in wolf form. He wagged his tail when he saw me, then dropped low to the ground in a message for me to slow down.
I padded carefully towards him, trying not to knock any pebbles astray with my paws, and quietly asked, “What’s going on? Why aren’t you at camp?”
Once again, I’d asked Konrad for permission to leave the clan grounds. I told him I was going hunting, and that was true. I caught a few field mice. But that was before I ran into Violet.
“I’m hunting,” Sorrel said in a loud whisper.
“By yourself?” I blurted in shock. Konrad never allowed omegas as young as Sorrel out on their own, not even to hunt small prey. They were kept strictly in camp, and only allowed out with an older chaperone, like when I’d taken him out the other day.
Sorrel’s eyes darted to the crag. “Shh, keep it down.”
“Who gave you permission?” I asked, quieter but still frazzled on the inside.
The fur on Sorrel’s chest puffed out proudly. “Konrad, obviously.”
My stomach flipped. The dark cloud swirled above my brother’s head. He was oblivious to it, but I felt its oppressive weight like a collapsed den crushing my back.
I had to choose my words carefully. If I was too aggressive in my questions, I’d push Sorrel away by alienating him, or making him think I wasn’t supportive. Besides, I still didn’t understand why I felt this way. I had no reason not to trust Konrad.
“That was nice of him,” I said. “He usually doesn’t allow young omegas to hunt alone. Even I had to ask permission.”
Sorrel grinned, beaming with satisfaction. “Heh. That’s because he said I’m special.” He raised a paw. “He said these big paws of mine are gonna be an asset to the clan, and I should practice my skills as much as possible.”
I didn’t know what to make of that. Sorrel wasn’t a skilled hunter. That wasn’t his fault—he was still inexperienced—but having large paws didn’t improve one’s hunting ability. If anything, it set him up for failure when he inevitably stumbled on his clumsy legs and missed his mark.
But I didn’t say any of that.
“That’s wonderful,” I replied, trying to sound happy for him. “You must be really proud to be praised by the clan alpha.”
He chuckled, wiping a large paw over his ear in embarrassment. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Anyway, check it out! I found that snowy owl’s nest.”
My mood plummeted.
“What?” I asked.
Sorrel pointed his snout towards the rocky crag. As I focused past the shadows, I made out a white oval shape sitting on a nest of twigs and feathers. It was the snowy owl sitting on her eggs.
I sympathized with her poor timing. Snowy owls didn’t normally lay eggs until spring. Now she had to contend with the winter cold on top of hunting. But neither the weather or food were her biggest problem right now.
“It’d be great if I could bring it back for Konrad,” Sorrel mused.
Horror struck me. “You can’t do that, Sorrel,” I stated. “She’s a mother brooding on a nest.”
His ears flattened at my scolding. “But doesn’t that make her easier to catch?”
“You shouldn’t catch her at all. She has eggs on the ground. Her unborn chicks will die without her.”
Sorrel paused, and for a horrible drawn-out second I thought he was going to argue back, but he nodded.
“Okay, I won’t hunt her, then,” he said. “But I need to bring something back. I promised Konrad.”
“I caught some mice. I’ll let you take them.”
Sorrel shook his head. “Mice? That’s too small. I need something bigger. Something impressive... like a seal, or a caribou.”
I ground my teeth and didn’t speak. There was no chance he’d catch either of those prey.
For one, they were impossible for a wolf hunt alone, and second, he wouldn’t be able to drag them back to clan grounds.
He’d set his sights far too high. The greater his goals, the worse he’d feel when he couldn’t achieve them—but again, that wasn’t his fault.
Sorrel was an overgrown pup. He didn’t have the skills, agility, or experience to hunt alone. That all came with time.
But of course, he didn’t feel that way. He was as old as he’d ever been. He felt mature in his own immature way. He wouldn’t understand how much experience he lacked until he looked back on it later.
None of this was his fault. It was Konrad’s for encouraging him.
“Poppy, you okay?” Sorrel asked. “You’re spacing out.”
I jolted. “Sorry. Let’s try hunting hares in the field. I saw a few earlier.”
Sorrel mulled it over, then nodded. “Okay. Hares are better than mice.”
I was just glad to draw his attention away from the snowy owl’s nest. I shot a glance back at the shadowy crag, and for a second, I met the mother bird’s reflective yellow gaze. We didn’t speak the same language, but I hoped she understood my silent message to be careful, and stay safe.
My head swirled with darkening thoughts as I led Sorrel away from the rocky slope and back into the open field.
I found myself wishing desperately for the hares to reappear, otherwise he might get second thoughts about hunting the owl.
Was he too young to understand the implications of hurting her?
Did he not care? Or was he too blinded by his devotion to our clan alpha to care about the consequences of his actions?
Every imaginable conclusion made me nervous.
I couldn’t shake the dread that clung to my pelt like fleas.
Suddenly, Sorrel gasped and came to an abrupt halt. “What is that?”
My mind clicked. I knew before I even followed his gaze that he’d seen Violet across the field. The huge dragon was impossible to miss, especially in our familiar, unchanging landscape. He stood out like a dark void against the whiteness.
My heart lifted. Maybe introducing them would make Sorrel forget about his task. Meeting a dragon was far more exciting than hunting for Konrad.
“That’s my new friend Violet,” I explained. “Would you like to meet him?”
Sorrel’s jaw dropped. He lit up with pure, childlike enthusiasm I hadn’t seen on his expression in a long time. “Yeah!”
I smiled and swished my tail playfully against his shoulder. “Come with me.”
Just like Sorrel, Violet lit up when he saw us approach. He raised his long reptilian snout, sitting elegantly on top of his graceful swan-like neck, and flashed a toothy grin. It made me happy that he was happy.
“You came back so soon,” Violet said, surprised.
“I couldn’t stay away,” I teased. “Violet, this is my little brother, Sorrel.”
Sorrel puffed out his chest fur. I noticed all the hairs standing on his pelt. He wasn’t afraid of Violet, but I could tell he was instinctively spooked at his first sight of a dragon.
“I’m not little,” Sorrel argued.
“Sorry. My younger brother,” I corrected. “Sorrel, this is Violet.”
The bravado fell away as Sorrel peered up at the dragon. His fur fell flat. “H-hello.”
“Hey, kid,” Violet greeted, still grinning. He seemed to be having fun. “So, what’s up?”
“You’re huge,” Sorrel blurted. “Bigger than a walrus!”
“Sorrel!” I blushed, embarrassed at his outburst.
Violet threw his head back and laughed out loud. “You’re right, I am. And I’m so hungry right now that I’d eat one, too.”
My brother balked. “Y-you would?”
“Relax, I already told Poppy I don’t eat shifters,” Violet explained, casually looking around. “But I haven’t seen anything else around here. Where are all the animals? Guess not out in the open, since there’s nowhere to hide. There’s a lot more trees where I’m from.”
I suddenly felt rude for not asking before. “Where are you from, Violet?”
He grinned. “A tropical paradise called Chromatimaeus Island.”
“What’s ‘tropical’ mean?” Sorrel asked.
Violet blinked. “Well, it’s warm and humid. Pretty much the opposite of this place, whatever you call it.”
“The tundra?” I offered.
“Thanks. Anyway, my island is covered in huge green plants and big-ass flowers. Oh, and bugs,” he added in a grumble. “And we’ve got beautiful beaches, too.”
The only beaches I knew were the rocky kind, where your paws could slip on the treacherous wet surfaces. “We tend to avoid those,” I explained. “It’s dangerous to walk on the rocks.”
Violet’s eyes widened. “Rocks? You don’t have sandy beaches?”
“Why would sand be on a beach? I’ve only seen it mixed with dirt underground,” Sorrel mused.
Our mutual confusion made Violet chuckle. “Man, you guys are missing out. I should take you back home sometime and show you a real beach.”
As soon as he said the words, my heart soared.
Take us back home... Did he really mean that? I dared to believe him. My imagination unfurled a vision of a fully healed Violet stretching his wings and taking to the sky, free to go where he pleased, gracious enough to bring us with him...
But as my hopes rose, Sorrel shook his head vehemently.
“No way,” he said, planting his paws firmly on the ground. “I’m not going anywhere. My clan needs me.”
My hopes fell back down to earth and shattered. Reality was an icy splash of water drowning my dreams. Of course Sorrel disagreed. He wouldn’t even consider the suggestion. He was too obsessed with Konrad’s approval to think of anything else.
“Besides, Poppy,” Sorrel continued, turning a stern glance at me. “Your duty assignment is coming up fast.”
The grin disappeared from Violet’s face. “Duty assignment?”
Sorrel spoke up proudly. “When omegas are old enough, the clan alpha assigns their duties. That’s their job forever, and it’s really important for us to do well.”