Page 48 of Blood of the Fallen
This time, the change came over me without hesitation. Instantly, I caught an aromatic scent that reminded me of pencil shavings, stretching away from the camp. Cedar. I was relieved to know that, at least, I would be able to find my way back and wouldn’t have the embarrassment of getting lost in the woods.
“On the third drumbeat, run as fast as the wind,” the Chieftess instructed.
Nosh winked at me and hit his drum.
Beat.
“The winner of two events wins it all. If there is no overall winner, one of you will be eliminated.” In other words, if Desna won, it was all over.
Beat.
“May the sun and the moon guide you, and may the best wolf win.”
Beat.
Desna and Zenib took off, immediately getting ahead of me. I started after them, paws clawing at the ground, kicking up dirt. My nose twitched as the scent of cedar seemed to form arrows between a thicket of trees, marking the path to follow.
Zenib’s tail flicked as it disappeared through the foliage. It seems it didn’t matter that I could scent the path—not if all I had to do was follow her tail. Or maybe, assuming that she would stay within sight was a stretch.
I pressed forward, willing my limbs to go faster. Running on four legs still felt foreign. How I didn’t trip was a wonder. Just at the thought, my legs tangled with each other and I went tumbling, hitting the ground and rolling to a crash against a knot of thick roots. Growling in anger, I jumped back on my paws. I was lucky nothing was broken—nothing except my pride.
“You were thinking too much,” Ila’s past advice rang in my head.
Of course, I’d been thinking too much. I’d been thinking of tripping over my many legs, and that was exactly what I’d done. Talk about self-fulfilling prophecies.
Shaking my head, I took off again, determined to go with the flow of my innate instincts. At first, it was an effort not to think of how to put one paw in front of the other, but I soon found an acceptable rhythm. Zenib had gotten far ahead enough that I couldn’t see her anymore, yet I had no trouble following the cedar trail.
How was that so much easier than running?!
Because you’re not thinking about it. You’re just doing it. Idiot.
Shaking my head and blowing air through my nose, I shoved all my thoughts aside and focused only on breathing. My legs seemed to hitch for an instant, then… they began pumping in perfect synchronicity, paws barely touching the ground as every muscle stretched to the max. I jumped over a fallen log, splashing into a puddle on the other side.
Ahead, I glimpsed two human shapes. I was taken aback for an instant until I made out one of the elder women and Bethel. They seemed to be supervising the race. I passed them and left them behind in no time.
Without slowing, I ducked under a scraggly bush. Once on the other side, I continued on a straight path but came to an abrupt stop after only a few paces. My nose twitched up in the air. The scent had changed directions. I did too, veering left to follow the slight tendril of the cedar aroma.
My legs moved at full pelt. My lungs found a steady flow. Ahead, I caught a flick of movement and couldn’t believe it when I realized it was Zenib. I had caught up with her again, and if I pushed harder, I could surpass her. Seeing her tail zigzag through the trees ignited something predatory in me. Strength lashed through my muscles, and I sped up.
Zenib took a turn ahead and noticed me, her round eyes going wide with surprise. She should’ve heard me back here, but she’d probably been too focused on trying to catch up to Desna. She nearly stumbled, losing a few precious seconds. I bared my teeth with relish.
But to my dismay, noticing me also seemed to give her an extra boost. Yet, something told me I could get ahead of her, and after that… maybe I could beat Desna.
For the next few minutes, I gained on Zenib, getting closer and closer. The sound of my heavy breathing and the thumping of my paws on the ground felt glorious. Strenuous exercise had always made me feel empowered somehow, but this? This was much more. I’d been born to do this. The forest, the fresh scent in the air, the wind whooshing in my ears…
This was home.
Now, I was so close to Zenib that I would be able to bite her tail if I gained just another yard. Like a jolt of electricity, I felt her awareness spike, and she sped up. At first, I thought it was because of me, but then I saw a shape ahead.
Desna!
I had despaired that she was too far up the trail for us to be able to catch up to her, but here she was, very well within reach. I could still win.
Seeing Desna was what had given Zenib yet another boost of energy, which seemed to transfer straight into me. We ran at a nearly synchronized pace. I stayed right behind her, riding her draft. I felt her desire to win, her confidence as, with every stride, she shortened the distance between her and Desna.
Ahead of us, Desna turned and disappeared behind a bush. Zenib charged through with me on her tail. I was about to round the bend after Zenib when a loud shriek of pain had me skidding to a stop. I slid past. Heart thundering in my chest, I whirled and stalked back toward the bush, eyes trying to pierce through the thick foliage. Pitiful whimpers came from the other side. Was Zenib all right? What had happened?
I got my answer when I finished making my way around. Zenib had run straight into a tangle of sharp, vicious thorns, and she had become a literal live pincushion. The thorns pierced every inch of her, even her ears and sensitive muzzle. There was a thorn very near her right eye, which was screwed shut, blood trickling past it. In fact, beads of blood were bubbling everywhere.
