Aurora Borealis (pt.7)

Aurora Borealis (pt.7)

We stayed a month in Senthihal City. It was during the third week that something rather interesting happened. I had determined by that time that there were no guards in the city. There were, however, dogs. But there was something else, too. The scent wasn’t right for a dog or a human, but it didn’t seem to be a Canthine scent either. At least, not like any Canthine I’d met before. This was even stranger than Shadow’s scent.
It was during the night of the new moon that it happened. I had been sound asleep with Shadow next to me when I was awakened by the sound of growling. When I opened my eyes I saw the black wolf cub standing in front of me, snarling at a strange woman. Something about her immediately set me on edge.
“Who are you?” I demanded, rising to stand next to Shadow.
“I’m an outcast, like you,” she responded calmly. “My name is Iga. Iga of the North Wind pack.”
My eyes widened and Shadow fell silent.
“The North Wind pack?” I repeated. That wasn’t possible. The North Wind pack was legend, but they were also extinct. That was, if they had every really existed in the first place. “The North Wind pack has been dead for twelve years.”
The woman hung her head. “I know. I watched them die.”
“How do we know you’re what you claim to be?” Shadow demanded suddenly. It seemed he’d heard of these creatures as well.
We both watched as the woman removed her bulky jacket and stretched a pair of huge reptilian wings. I heard Shadow inhale sharply beside me.
“Do you believe me?” the woman inquired.
“Tha-That’s not possible,” I sputtered.
“I knew you two were in the city,” the woman continued, ignoring my denial. “I’ve been watching you since you arrived. It’s odd that a pure Canthine and a wolf Canthine are travelling together.”
Shadow scoffed. “You’ve got wings and you think we’re odd?”
So the cub did have a sense of humour.
The woman just smiled. “So tell me, what brings you to my city? Why are you not with your packs?”
Shadow looked to me, so I answered for both of us. “We are travellers. I am Isolf of the River Bend pack and this is Shadow of the Storm Sky pack. We were both alone, so we’ve become travelling companions of sorts. As for what brings us here, there aren’t any guards. We were curious.”
Iga nodded. “So you two have formed a pack of your own, then?”
This time it was my turn to look to Shadow. He watched me with those strange eyes, then turned back to Iga and nodded.
“In that case,” she said. “I have a proposal for you.”
“What would that be?” I inquired.
The woman took a moment to look both of us in the eye before speaking. “I have been searching for a pack for a long time, but I am not like other Canthines. Because of that I have not found a pack. You two, however, seem to defy all rules of what makes up a Canthine pack.”
“You wish to come with us,” I said for her.
She looked at me for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. I’m sick of this city. I don’t want to keep playing human until I die. What kind of life is that?”
“Then welcome,” I said, holding out a hand. She took it with a smile. Shadow just stood watching her. His expression was unreadable as he looked at the winged Canthine before us. But if Iga was put off by this, she certainly didn’t show it. She just laughed.
“You know, it may sound odd, but I don’t remember the feeling of the air anymore,” she said, looking out at the stars. “I don’t remember the feeling of snow under my paws, either.”
“How long have you been with the humans?” I asked.
Iga sighed, never shifting her gaze from the night sky. “Too long. Much too long. A city like this is no place for a Canthine.”