The Island's Inhabitant

The Bear and the Box

Shocney led the group, a force of habit more than a sense of direction. Since Tonyo, his right-hand man (or rather, right-paw wolf), knew the area better, he often gave the lead wolf direction changes. Zoey and Orrick walked behind Shocney and beside Tonyo, with Lathen following them. Though they assured her she was close, Zoey never saw Milx. Orrick explained that she was what they called a perimeter.

"That... doesn't really help me," Zoey replied.

Orrick shook his head with amusement. "Shocney is the leader. He forges the path before us. Tonyo is the compass, always pointing us in the proper direction. Lathen is the rear since he is quick to hear and react to enemies from behind. However, Milx is very fast, too fast to stay with the group, so we have her run ahead, run behind, run to our left, run to our right. She essentially races to and fro in a circle around us, checking that no hostiles can surprise us. Of course, they can still slip past her, but the precaution has come in handy often."

Zoey nodded thoughtfully. She was mildly impressed with their tactics. Although, what else could she expect from intelligent animals? It still bothered her, hearing a voice and seeing their jaws move. Yet her mind refused to fully believe that they really spoke. She knew it was a frequent specialty of the fantasy genre, but at the same time, those were books and stories, not real life.

But this is a dream... right? Zoey thought. The more she contemplated the question, the less sure of the answer she was. If it was indeed a dream... Zoey hated the thought of waking up. She was enjoying her time in Calcasia.

"Halt!" Shocney commanded. Lathen immediately turned his back to Zoey to watch their flank while Tonyo crept beside his alpha.

"So you smelt it too," the compass deduced.

"It has been many long years, hasn't it?" whispered Shocney.

"What shall we do?" Lathen questioned.

"At this point keep going. They are still a ways off, but it is better to advance some than wait for their arrival."

"What's going on?" Zoey asked. "I can't smell like you guys—wolves—can."

Shocney looked over his shoulder at the girl, then said, "Orrick, explain. We shall continue."

As they proceeded forward, Orrick told Zoey about what they smelled upon the air. "We call them deceivers. They have the ability to shape-shift. Are they human? Are they animal? No one really knows. They appeared out of nowhere in the Southern Reaches, slaughtering all that moved until the Healer finally drove them from our land."

"Shapeshifters...?" Zoey was beginning to doubt reality again.

"They can appear as anyone," added Shocney. "In fact... should Milx return, we must treat her as a hostile."

"Wait, you can't tell the difference between their scents?"

"... It's complicated," was all Shocney offered.

Zoey huffed at the lack of information. She touched the hilt to the Sword of Nahora again, finding the hum of the blade soothing despite her circumstances.

Suddenly, Shocney stopped. "Orrick," he said softly. "Are we near enough to the humans' lands?"

"Yes, I can catch their scent now, though it is still difficult to follow."

"Lady Zoey, run."

"What?"

Shocney leapt forward and attacked the shadows behind a tree. A howl erupted from the darkness, and the white wolf tossed a black cougar into the light, dragging the snarling creature by its neck. Lathen raced past her to assist his alpha, while Tonyo called out, "Run, Zoey, Orrick! You must flee to the human villages."