Ankyra Sound Uppskera

The first shriek – as piercing as it was brief – woke Svalinn, drawing him to his feet and setting his teeth on edge as he tried to determine which direction the echo originated in.

When no sounds followed, he eased back into alerted sphinx position, dread settling in his gut like disturbed sediment at the bottom of a pond.

The second shriek – permeated with anguish and abject horror, sounding over and over again – sent him careening through the blackpine, heart in his mouth, until he came upon the gory scene and saw the easily distinguishable Erzulie draped over the shape of another wolf: its body mangled almost beyond all recognition. Svalinn’s jaw dropped, and his blood ran cold at the sight.

A part of him noticed Val was there, as well as another boy, but the gilded wolf was frozen in the middle-distance, feeling less and less of himself as every bit of him started to go numb, inch by inch, second after second, blink upon blink. The smell of blood, and sea, and bear rang hollowly through the cavernous nothingness inside him, and he could think only of Raleska… Raleska…

Raleska, help me!

The others were sent away, and Svalinn went unnoticed behind the treeline, where he remained until Erzulie had gone with the body in heart-rending tow. He dared not come forward to help her, as she took the corpse of her loved one away. He knew if it were him, he would not have let a single creature near, and this moment would have made for a wretched, cursed reunion.

At last, when everyone had gone, Svalinn slunk forward and nosed around for the bear’s trail. With a funereal march, he followed it towards the cliffs.