Sephtis

3. A surprise.

(Merikh's unwinged/normal body form above. )

I flattened myself among the grass tussocks, beginning to pant a little and staring between the brown-green stems, trying to work out what it could be. An image of red hair that blazed like fire seared it's way into my mind and I shuddered, pushing myself harder against the earth as I prayed for it to be anything other then him, hell I would tolerate Morag's presence if it meant I didn't have to see him, Merikh. I felt my stomach roll as I remembered his slimy hands trailing across my skin, the bile began to build in the back of my throat and I swallowed painfully, pushing the memories away. 
A wolf cub emerges out of the grass and begins to drink thirstily, before turning to disappear back into the long waving stalks. He is bowled over by another cub, a female, and they roll together on the sandy soil,  snapping and yelping in play.  My breath escapes me out of relief as I watch the two play, they are not yet half grown. Their fur is dark and soft, their bellies are fat, their legs ungainly, with paws to big for them. A she-wolf appears and stares at them for a moment, as if she is tempted to join them, and then she too goes to the water for a drink.  She is magnificent, full of strength and gracefulness. They are all but five long strides away from me. 
A bee settles on my hand, and I move just one finger as it buzzes pitifully before crumbling to ash. The she-wolf looks up, directly at me. She stands in the brilliant rays of the sun, and every hair and whisker is alive with light. Her eyes are translucent amber jewels, and the velvet fur is coppery on her upper nose and around her eyes.  The sides of her nose, and her throat, are as white as milk. The rest of her is brown and grey, and shining. 
Enthralled I dare not move. The wolf stares back, her gaze unblinking. She seems curious, observant and at ease. 
" Creature of night and day, you are beautiful. " I say softly.
One of the cubs make a daring run towards me, tail wagging madly before he changes his mind, skids to a halt and somersaults backwards, and flees to his mother. I hold back a laugh as he nips at her, biting her tail and hind legs as he baits her for a game, but she turns and snarls at him. The cub cringes, nose low on the dirt between his paws, ears laid back against his head. The she-wolf ignores him, looking at me instead. 
The line tugs in my hands. It is another salmon, larger then the first. I look at the she-wolf again.  Her ears are pricked forward and her black lips part in a wolfish smile. Still the seems nothing violent about her, only a calm inquisitiveness.
I haul in the fish, keeping a watch on the wolf.  The other cub trots towards me along the shore, stopping only two strides away. She is dark brown with bands of paler brown around her neck.  Her eyes too are amber, bright and beautiful and I laugh when she bates her teeth at me. 
" is it fish you want?" I say, throwing her the smaller one. It flaps on the dirt between her fore-paws, and she leaped straight up into the  air, alarmed.  Then she starts prancing around the fish, pawing at it and sniffing.  Every time the fish moves, the cub leaps, pretending fright, and soon her brother comes over to play as well. 
The she-wolf moves closer. 
The cubs play with the fish until the female realises it is edible and swallows it, and then they sidle up to me, daring each other to steal the second one.  They do not stare directly into my eyes like their mother does; they look at me sideways, their tails wagging.  I long to throw them the other fish, but it is Morag's.