Crimson Rebirth

Part 35

 Cool air tugged her red locks, filling her lungs and causing goosebumps to gather on her skin. The pounding of hooves, like a steady war drum, surrounded her, as if warning of a coming storm. Sand flew up around the harem of caribou, coating her skin and lips as they continued to run.

 A laugh of exhilaration fell from her lips like rain over the waves brushing the shore. It felt like flying more than riding. Her hair fell behind her head like a banner, red against the tan of the sand and caribou, red against the blue of the sea.

 The caribou raced on along the beach, lowing and alling amongst each other, weaving from the thick evergreen to the rolling hills of tundra. The harem slowed, making their way up the sandy bank to nibble the green snackerels.

 Bura, the caribou she rode, grunted and knelt for Gene to dismount. The herd needed to eat, especially after a welcoming run like that.

 She did so, dusting the sand from her face, her face red from the wind against her face, and her hair tumbling around her shoulders. "That was............"

 Her voice failed her, mind unable to grasp the right word to describe how riding like that felt. Once upon a time, it had been a regular occurrence for her, a ride through woods with her horse rather than a ride along a beach with caribou.

 Bura lowed and mouthed Gene, leading her along the sand bank. He made sure she was close, ever watching the hills for predators.

 And she stuck close, ears listening carefully as she walked with Bura, one hand gently on his neck. Gene was still slightly breathless from the ride, stretching her legs and moving her hands to make sure everything still worked as it should.

 Bura stopped, ears erect as he listened to a young calf trot after its mother. His nose flared, and rolls of silver loped along the sloping hill.

 Not Saeris wolves...but more dangerous...

 L'aukunn.

 "Predators." Genevieve breathed, familiar with the much more dangerous L'aukunn. After all, there was a pack near her village, and she had held more than a few run-ins.

 None of which were pleasant.

 Bura chuffed and turned to her, then the predators. He turned to her and nosed her towards the herd; he needed her help to keep his herd safe.

 She nodded in understanding, picking her way back to the harem quietly, careful to not make a single noise.

 Her mind reached for what the Bear had taught her, about reaching for her magic. Not yet.... She thought, waiting. If she used her magic too soon, she risked scaring off the harem, being pretty certain that the grass and trees around them suddenly moving would be enough to spook at least some of them.

 And dividing the harem would make it easier on the L'aukunn. Which she wasn't keen on doing.

 The grey pack, a trio of brothers from what it looked like, loped along the hill. The herd spotted them all right, and all eyes were on Bura.

 The elder Totem chuffed and planted his hooves in front of the predators. He was not going to stand down and let them be taken for food. Even if it meant at the cost of his life, he'd protect them.

 Life. It was given...and it was taken. It was a fleeting knowing, such a small thing of existing, breathing. It was constantly on the line, always valued above all else. A right to exist, no matter what the creatures took shape in.

 A right to live.

 Wind was fleeting like life. It could be given, and then it could be taken. Wind carried the rains where land needed it most, and winds also blew seeds to fertile soil. Winds carried birds to nesting grounds, brought breath to newborns. Wind was Life, and Life was worth fighting to protect.