Wolf at Heart

Chapter Twenty One: The Predators

Traveling back to the stables, I took another shower and changed back into my washed stable-hand outfit.

Now to find Carter.

I wandered around for a bit in the field, greeting the Delphai and searching for my part-time instructor. Even after looking in all the stalls and the tack room he was nowhere to be found.

Remembering the trail, I saddled up Fawn once more, guiding him down the pathway.

And guess what I found.

No seriously, guess.

Carter was still dozing by the stream and his Delphai was out of sight.

"Really, Carter," I sighed, spotting his Delphai hidden behind a birch tree. Rounding her up, I tethered her reins to a nearby stump.

I was about to shake Carter awake when another idea flitted into mind. Cupping freezing cold water in my hands, I splashed him in the face.

"Gah!" Carte sputtered and woke with a start. He found himself dripping wet and complained. I hid my hands behind my back.

"What was that for?"

Hands on my hips, I gave him a pointed look. "That's for being here after I got back from training. Lazy couch potato. Only going to 'stay for a bit longer', were you?"

Carter grinned, wiping his face with his shirt. "Yeah, it's only been about four hours. That's not long."

"Uh huh," I answered sarcastically. "My dear 'instructor,' would you kindly tell me what to do now?"

Glancing at the sun, Carter responded, "Of course, my esteemed pupil. It's about time to call the Delphai back in. Up and at 'em."

We mounted our steeds and headed to the fields.

Wait, let me fix that.

I headed back to the fields, leading Carter's Delphai. He was so busy yawning, he nearly drove straight into a bush. I snatched the reins from Carter and led his Delphai back up the trail.

By the time we arrived, Cater seemed alert enough to take the lead.

Demonstrating how to call the Delphai, he pulled out a silver whistle. He blew on it, but it made no sound. Carter held up a hand for me to wait.

In the distance, I heard hooves thundering. A herd of Delphai gathered around, waiting expectantly.

Wow. They were well trained.

I led Carter's Delphai to their stalls, while he handled the rest. I had yet to memorize the names of all the Delphai, but thought that wouldn't be a problem soon enough.

After herding the rest, Carter and I went to the tack room to put the gear away.

"You pretty much have the rest of the day off. Tomorrow, Miss Helen will be back to teach you about Delphai uses and stuff. Boring, but it's mandatory."

Carter was about to leave to prepare various items when I called him back. "By the way, how long is the trail over there?"

"It goes all the way around the camp. Really deep into the woods."

"Mind if I go hiking the rest of the day?"

"Nope. Just make sure to be back before it gets dark. That's when the Predators come out. Ooh, scary."

"Hah, yeah right. Thank's for the tip."

"No problem."

Leisurely walking past the stream, I wondered what Carter had meant about 'the Predators.' Did he mean the natural ones? Bandits? Or the fairy tale ones that our mothers told us about to make us behave?

Probably the natural ones.

The sky was slightly darker, but I took no heed. I'd be back by the time it was dark.

No worries.

What's the worst that could happen?

I was scaling a maple tree for a better view when I picked up the sound of a pained bleating noise.

Scanning the area, I stopped when the sound repeated.

I lowered myself onto the ground, trying to pinpoint the source.

It sounded like a Delphai. But where was it?

Slowly searching the ground, I got closer.

It was nearby now, the noises getting louder.

Clearing away the bushes, I spotted it. Or actually him. A baby Delphai.

Barely the size of a chair, the young animal cried out, and I saw why.

One of its hind legs was trapped under a fallen tree trunk. From the hoof prints, my guess was that the mother had attempted to free her offspring. When she couldn't, she was forced to abandon him to the elements.

Poor thing.

Making a split-second decision, I decided to take him home.

Why, you ask?

Why not?

All the noise the baby was making was sure to attract predators. Maybe the ones Carter had been talking about.

Trying to make as little noise as possible, I entered the clearing. Even though he wasn't facing me, the baby Delphai caught my scent and turned his head.

"Hey there," I said in a soothing voice. "Hi. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help."

Clearly, he didn't believe me, but he stayed frozen and silent.

I grasped the trunk and lifted it slightly. When he didn't move, I hoisted the tree and set it down a couple of feet away. An easy feat considering the tree was only as wide as my many and didn't weigh too much.

Stretching out a hand to the Delphai, I let him sniff my hand. Making sure he was calm, I crouched down to examine his hind leg.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

The leg itself was intact, but as far as I knew the bone had been broken on impact. I needed Miss Helen to look at it.

"Okay, I'm going to need you to trust me. This is going to hurt, but I need to get you to the stables." I felt silly for talking to an animal, but I braced myself.

Cautiously picking the frail Delphai up, I felt him shudder.

While I was distracted by the baby Delphai, I had forgotten Carter's joke which had turned into a warning. Now it came back in full force.

Suddenly, the forest felt wrong. Something was off. Something was watching me.

Don't stay after dark.

Melody you idiot.

(Side Note: Ah, now we're back onto the main plot. Yes, the past twenty or so chapters have just been setting the story up. By the way, check out Risen by a friend of mine. It's a pretty good read and it's an adventure/fantasy novel like mine. It's written by bewitchedd and the cover has a white/blue rose on it.)