Aednat and the Wolf

Chapter 1 Frozen in Time

           

Kaitak Island Greenland 1378 AD

Aednat (pronounced ey+nit, Irish meaning little fire) climbed over the huge slabs of ice that had been blown onto the beach. She had landed on the island three days previous and was freezing cold. Her hands, feet and face hurt it was so cold. She had traveled as a thrall (slave) with a group of men, an advanced team of explorers from the western settlement looking for a sight suitable to colonize. Her duties included cooking, fire making and management of supplies and anything else her group required. This was her first time traveling with a group of men and she was apprehensive of some of the duties these men would require. Previously she had been confined to working with the women and was employed at spinning, weaving, grinding grain and as a milk maid. Now that she had reached puberty (she started puberty late and now was just over seventeen) she realized her assigned duties were about to be dramatically changed. She had been careless and become separated from the group. She had spent an entire day plus several hours searching for them without any success. She watched as a large snowy owl circled high above her. She smiled at the owl and waved. "Hello again old friend," she whispered. As the sun never set at these latitudes in the summer she did not have darkness to fear, only the occasional hungry polar bear. She had spotted a group of Skraelingjar (Inuit) hunting seals and being frightened by them had ran. She decided to hide behind a large pile of shattered rocks that had fallen from a cliff face when she came face to face with an enormous gray and white she-wolf. She froze in absolute terror.

The wolf remained still, just looking at her with its amber gold eyes. It made no move or threat, simply remaining still ears erect. Aednat noticed that the wolf's hind legs were trapped by the huge fall of rocks and realized the wolf was trapped by the rock fall and probably in severe pain. "If I free you Ulfr (Norse meaning wolf), can you promise not to eat me? I know it's foolish to ask because animals can't talk. But I am going to free you. My name is Aednat, and I'll call you Ulfy, but only if you don't eat me. Please Ulfy don't eat me." She started to remove the smaller rocks trapping the wolf's hind legs by hand. It took over an hour of shifting rocks and included the use of a lever Aednat had made from a whale rib she had found on the frozen beach, but in the end the wolf was free. By now Aednat was even colder as all her effort has caused her to sweat heavily and she knew she would most likely die of exposure and hypothermia so she sat on the ground and rolled into a tight ball to conserve her body heat. She was surprised when the wolf lay next to her, curling around her sharing its warmth.

"Be still the wolf whispered I will warm you."

"I'm going crazy," Aednat whispered, "I'm freezing to death and going crazy." Feeling warmer she drifted into sleep. When she awoke she felt much warmer and realized the wolf was gone. Hoping to find her group of comrades she began walking.

"Not that way," a voice whispered. Aednat jumped when she heard the voice.

"Who are you?" she whispered. The wolf was at her side. "Ulfy!" she knelt next to the huge animal hugging it. "You saved me from the cold!"

"Follow me, I will lead you to the others." Aednat followed the wolf but soon became exhausted from the cold and the fact she had not eaten since being separated from her group now over two days ago. "Climb on my back little one," the wolf said and she did.

The group of explores watched in shock as she approached their encampment ridding a huge gray and white wolf. She climbed off the wolf and walked past the group and entered the ice cave they were using for cover. Her wolf simply vanished when she dismounted it. She heard the explorers discussing the rapidly deepening cold. Even the sea ice had frozen cutting them off and stranding them. Some of the men were laughing and talking of using "Little Red" (her nick name) as a bed warmer. At that point she was too cold and tired to care. She spread a seal shin on the ground near the fire and covering with a second and lay down.

"Ulfy!" she whispered as her wolf curled up next to her. "Now I know I'm crazy."

"You're not, I'm just not what you think I am," the wolf said softly.

"You're a dream, I'm freezing and hallucinating a wolf."

"I'm a Puca, Aednat."

"A shape shifter?"

"I can be many things but a wolf is my favorite."

"Why are you helping me?"

"You helped me, you risked your life to help me, and so I will stay with you."

"I'm afraid Ulfy."

"What of my Little Red?"

"I've never been with a man. Those men expect me to let them bed me. I'm a thrall so I cannot refuse."

"If you do refuse?"

"They will take me anyway."

"So you don't want to share a bed with a man."

"I would gladly with one of my choosing, a man that loves me and will take me to wife."

"You have little to fear. A storm is just minutes away," the wolf whispered, "It will bring a killing cold. I will stay with you and protect you. We will be found in time and you will live. Trust me Little Red." Aednat fell into an exhausted sleep holding tight to her wolf.

********

The messenger was out of breath and panting when he was allowed into presence of Overlord. "Your Eminence I have word of the Puca, Siofra (pronounced Shee-fra)."

"Is the girl with her?"

"Yes your Eminence, they are together."

"Damn that Puca, she was instructed to kidnap the girl from her mother on Fata Morgana over a decade ago, and now they show up together. Where is she?"

"In the past on the planet Earth, Disappeared again your Eminence. We can track the Puca with each shape-shift and the girl we can track by her vital functions when she is with the Puca, but her vital functions appear to have stopped."

"Where is the Puca?"

"With the girl. But now our seers have lost them."

"I need that girl if I am to subdue Avalon," the Overlord hissed, "She has power to bring an end to the rule of the Three Sisters, then I will rule both worlds for eternity! Find her, see if other Puca will join us."

"Puca are very mysterious, your Eminence," the First Lord whispered, "they like to play tricks and can't be trusted. The one you hired for the kidnapping is proof of that. She failed to bring us the girl apparently abandoning her for nearly a decade. Now she's back with her. What is she plotting?"

"Our Siofra loves mischief, I swear that it will be her undoing. My revenge will be extremely humiliating and agonizing. I have waited a thousand years and traveled through time and space for this, I can wait a little longer. Tell the seers to continue the watch."