Stranger Skies (The Borderlands Saga #1)

13. New Land, New Life

When they reached Eronenia Pass, spring was finally in the air and food was scarce.

The trip across farm country had proved lucky for the wolves — hunting a sheep there, a sheep here had kept them all fairly well fed. Except Thalaea, who got sicker every time she ate the raw meat.

As the snow cleared, she was able to find edible herbs to supplement her diet but it wasn't enough. At some point, she had to resort to stealing from farmers.

This was easier said than done. Most farm houses were as small as Natai's had been and sneaking in in the middle of the night would surely wake at least one member of a farmer's family. Sneaking in during the day would mean she was spotted before long — especially in her gray coat, soaked in houndsblood, standing out so starkly against the white snow.

She honestly didn't see how she could possibly sneak in to steal a loaf of bread, or some jerky.

Ruk was the one who offered to solve this problem for her. He was a fairly stealthy wolf and he was all white, save his paws. He blended in with the snow just fine.

They waited by a farmhouse before dawn. They'd been watching this one for a while, and knew there were only three people in the house: farmer, farmwife, and an adolescent child. If the child went out to help his father on the farm, then they'd only have to worry about the farmwife.

But their luck held. That morning, the family hitched a wagon to a horse, loaded it up, and struck off across the countryside. Thalaea guessed they were heading to market, though they did not go in the direction of Heartpin Town. Perhaps they were going to...what was it called — Solai Parish? She thought that was the name.

She and Ruk grinned at each other, though she was sure her smile resembled the rictus of death more than the joy of living, and they bolted across the snow as soon as the family's wagon had disappeared over a hill-crest. Thalaea was pleased and surprised to find the door unlocked. Scoas had been paranoid about intruders from Thaen; the three packs were certainly much closer to the northern nation now, so wouldn't the farmers up here be even more concerned?

She shrugged it off. The kitchen was still warm, the fire in the hearth banked to coals. The smells of spices and warm bread wafted over her and for a moment Thalaea felt her hearts break again. Woods, how she missed her farm-family.

Witch, Ruk growled, from his investigation of a cupboard. Thalaea went to join him. There's nothing here, he said, pointing to the empty cupboard with a jerk of his head.

Thalaea frowned, then searched the next cupboard over. Nothing in that one too. Or the next. Or the next. She tried not to let panic take her over. If she couldn't find food soon...they'd been on the trail for almost a month and she'd had to expel almost all the food she ate during that time. She was skinnier than a tree; her hair was dead and thin; her skin chapped and lacking any moisture. She hadn't seen a mirror in a while but she knew she must look like Death Herself.

And her rucksack got heavier every day.

This entire kitchen was empty. Devoid of food. She shook her head, confused.

"It doesn't make any sense," she rasped, lapsing into Minae as she talked to herself. Ruk was watching her with growing concern in his eyes.

Briefly she investigated the other rooms of the house, and saw the error they'd made. The family hadn't headed to market. They had left home.

She came out of the bedrooms clutching her hair. Ruk stared up at her, clear worry in his eyes.

Witch, we will find you some food.