Wolf-blood

Respect

As soon as Deu shouted that, I felt a presence at my side. I knew before I looked that it was Orvar. I looked to my left to find myself correct. Orvar looked at me with disbelief clear on his face. His blue eyes locked with mine and I instantly thought about what Blod had told me. He had comforted me when I needed it. Not Lenus, like I had thought, but Orvar. I had never gotten the feeling that he felt any sort of attachment to me. He tended to keep to himself, only talking to me when I asked him a question or to insult my name. But, obviously, if he was willing to carry me all the way back to camp, he cared a great deal more than he let on. "Hey Orvar. What's up?" I asked him, wanting to deflate the tension.

"You're awake," he said, wide-eyed.

"Ah, yes, the whole "Protector of the Earth Mother' thing right? Well, here I am."

AND SO AM I, GUYS. DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME.

I turned to the little guy and laughed. I picked him up and said to the little furry baby, "Minimus, you know as well as I do that they can't hear you." I started to scratch his ears, right in the spot he liked.

"Woah, wait, hold on, back up, you can understand that thing?" Lenus asked.

THING?

"Thing? Lenus, this is a living creature of the Wild, and you will treat him as such. And his name is Minimus, as you have just heard. I trust you've been feeding him properly?" I said turning my attention back on little Minimus. He looked up at me with big happy eyes, and I kissed him right in the middle of them.

"Well, we've let him get his own food. We didn't want him eating... you know," Deu said, then looked down, apparently very interested in a rock near her toe. At first, I was confused. And then I remembered one crucial detail. They had been eating the bear. Minimus's mother. I turned away, refusing to cry.

I looked up at Lenus, who was looking at me, worried. "She didn't have to die," I said sheepishly.

WHO DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE?

"No one, Squirt," I told the frightened bear as I hugged him closer, "No one."

"How did it happen anyway? Why did you challenge it?" Deu asked. Her blonde hair fell to one side of her face. She seemed to like it that way, combed over one of her bright green eyes. I didn't understand how, but she managed to make it look beautiful.

But all of that was blotted from my mind when I realized what she had just asked. I was appalled at my family's lack of respect towards the wildlife, but the fact that they thought that I had blatantly disrespected it made me furious. "I tripped and fell forward," I bit out, "I would never, and I mean never, try to disrespect a creature of the Wild. And by challenging one, I would made it look weak. She was strong, she didn't need me butting into her life. She was just fine on her own, with her family. I am offended that you think that just because you have no respect for the world beyond nice houses and little camp groups, that I don't either. I tried to back away, I didn't want trouble. But I tripped, and she took that for a show of dominance. I tried. Really, really tried to leave peacefully, but she attacked first, and battles in the wild don't end until one of us submits, or is killed. Or both. Now I know that I haven't always listened to my wisest instincts, but I assure you that I wouldn't be so idiotic as to challenge a grown bear with a cub to feed. And frankly, I am furious you would even suggest that I did." By the end of my little speech, I was standing right in front of a surprised looking Deu. Though she was four years older than me, she and I were eye to eye as I glowered into her shocked and slightly frightened face. "Is that clear?" I asked, deadly quiet.

Mutely, they all nodded their heads. "Good," I supplied and started back towards my tent.

"And, where do you think you're going?" I heard Orvar ask behind me.