[1st draft] Bora's near-death experience caused a brief separation from Gemma, but to live in peace, he must end the Seven Shadows.
Bora Hawk, the polar wolf, has an unexplained target on his back. His enemies want him dead, caged, or becoming the...
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I walk along the corridor, heading to my lodge, before someone notices me. “Bora!” Woolly clamor of feet move quicker my way. Ugh. As I continued to falter towards my room, I felt too exhausted to deal with the company. His slim, brawny arm wrapped around my collar, and I tossed it, not wanting to be touched. “Where are you going?” His smile is still vibrant, ignoring the signs that he is bothersome.
“To bed.”
“In the middle of the day?”
“I worked out.”
“Great, now you should meet the tribe.”
“What tribe? All I’ve seen are Miska’s eyebrows, the elders’ limp, Keko ego, and your eagerness. Oh yeah, the titan babies and the useless flunkies. By the way, they should be trained and not handmaids. Waste of skill.”
“Agreed. But that’s how Keko likes them, because they are better when mating. You know, soft enough to dig your fingers into.”
“Ugh.” I said in disgust and watched him stare at me in confusion.
“What?”
“Um, didn’t you leave the cave?”
“Yes, and it was an open plain with trees.”
“Awe. You left through the kitchen area. We are much bigger than that. Follow me.”
He strolled ahead but paused and stared at me with a big grin. Sigh. Whatever, I follow him to a confined dark cave hall with lanterns. A place I am unfamiliar with. We reached a more gaping yet narrow part of the cave where snow shoveled under a handmade staircase that ascended closer to the ceiling, showing the opening. Hearing drums and laughing young ones from here.
We reached the top. It is a village of huts the size of middle-class garages made of tree beams and sturdy roofs that begin within the cave, leading out the exit. “Cool, right?” Woolly trails off to speak with mothering-she’s and merry whelp.
“Yeah.” I have to admit, it looks wholesome.
We stroll through the nitty gritty of the smoking aspen coming from chimneys and little ones running around while he-wolves buddy-buddy with drinks. A black smith, she-dire, in a jagged-leather bra with an apron pounding the steel at the service window. I stopped to memorize the fiery iron. “Are you a weapon person?” She did not lose focus.
I gazed at her oil smudges across the nose. She works hard. The females in this place. Most of them are equal to the males, but the males, however, protect them. Miska is strong but still keeps an army at hand. It was not like that with gray wolves. Carina was different but still had to obey until she overthrew the alpha. “Not really.” I picked up the biggest sword off a displaying table with one hand and swirled its weight.
She looked up. “Oh, Alpha Ski Enceladus.”
“I’m not your alpha, and that’s not my name.” The hell is she on about—
