The Mead

She sniffed once, and felt the ground’s coolness in her nostrils. She let more of the air in, and tasted the Supper’s rain, which made the grass and trees grow. Oh zhoot, she thought, the rain dampens everything around, I can’t stand it. But she must not linger, she knows. So she sniffed again and crouched even lower to the earth.

The grass was rich in its green color, and so were the trees in her horizon. Elre and Erme were good to them this year, as her families gave them the choicest food for offering. Now the herbs were already fully grown and in the midst of plucking, and soon will come the vegetables, then the fruit trees. Then all too soon would come the Harvest. She will become a woman then.

A flicker triggered her senses, and she inhaled the soft, gentle air once more.

She knew.

Then she waited.

She would wait as long as she had to.

She breathed again, as silently as she could muster. Let the coolness take me over, she hoped.

It was faster than expected. The sudden sprint of wind dashed from the wood, its fury palatable on her tongue.

Wait for it, she chided. Wait – wait – NOW!

And she sunk her dagger into its fleshy parts. It tried to leap over the mound.

The dark brown blood trailed down the steel to her handle, covering her gloved hand. It sizzled as it dripped to the earth.

Her golden eyes quivered. This would be a match.

She jaggedly thrusted the weapon out. The wolf stared at her feline form. Small, lithe, and able. The Mead was getting sloppier in their defense.

“So your elders are now willing to sacrifice their young,” he growled, his fangs shining as brightly as her dagger. “They are only wasting their time. I will get what is mine.”

“So do it, then.”

He leapt again, towards her. He had hoped to sink into her tender neck and snap it.

The fool child does not run from me, I will be the victor!

She raised her blade and let it down into his shoulder.

Damn, I missed!

His paws were larger than her head.

“You will be especially tasty,” the wolf snarled.

She quickly withdrew her weapon out of his body, but not before the paw swiped her back.

She fell on her side, tumbling away down the hill.

Her blood painfully trickled down her pant leg. The side of her shift bore several tears.

It’s not too deep. I can still move.

He takes me unseriously. He is taunting me.

“Little girl, have you already fallen into death? What shame your people have! How dare they send a child in place of a full-grown! I curse your kind for all eternity! I spit on your weakling gods who can’t protect you!”

She focused up, towards the center of his black eyes. She sniffed again, and inhaled the coolness.

He stinks, even from here! And he ruined my shift!

He will not get past here alive.

"Estile la Treste Morta."

The coolness evaporated into heat, and the heat sent sweat drops down her forehead and onto her chin. All she could feel was the fury of her heart. But still, she cannot go first, or he will undoubtedly kill her, even in his weakened state.

So she waited until he charged again. He leapt off the hill, the magnificent stride spanning almost its entire height.

It seemed as though a season passed before he reached the ground. But no matter what, she had to wait, even though the flames inside of her intensified.

She finally saw what she needed to see. She ran, slid on her back, then slashed into her target: his soft, bloodied belly.

"AAARRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!"

It cut open and spilled all over her. It burned badly, and she gasped for the cool air to release her from her pain.

A few broad steps away lay the wolf, ignominious and still in his guttural breaths.

She felt a quick flicker on her whiskers.

No, I must do it all.

Forcing herself up, she staggered towards him.

“I will sow your tail upon my cloak, and make a rug out of your fur. Your bones will be ground to bits, and the cows and sheep will swat them like dust. Your disgusting entrails will turn to dung that even the worms will avoid. And as for your head -”

She stepped on his muzzle.

“How dare you give me that look. Your kind tormented us from the Dawn. You devoured my mothers and slaughtered my fathers. You have never left us in peace. But as long as our hearts beat - ”

She delved her dagger through the flesh and bones of his neck.

“As long as they beat, we will fight you and win.”

His eyes shut. She snapped away the rest of the tissue and lifted the massive object.

Oh Goddess Este, this is an enormous weight! And the smell is like cow dung!

Limping, she made her way through the mead’s expanse. At the edge, he would be waiting.

He saw the light within her, even as a babe in her mother’s arms. Rarely did she dream about anything else. Yet, even though she wanted to know what it was, she could not help but be afraid of it.

She twitched, by accident.

Then she heard it. The head growled.

Her eyes widened.

It snapped furiously.

She tried to hold onto it, for if she did not, it could go after her, or worse, her younger kin.

It snarled and even got a hold of her smallest finger on her left hand.

She screamed as she dropped it.

She failed. She would fall into death after all.

It licked its lips at her, now too frightened to flee.

Suddenly, the earth tumbled up and around the wolf head. Its harsh cries and gasps were muffled.

He came for her.

She now knew her failure.

He, with his strong arms, held the warring head in place, and softly chanted. The head grew still.

“Lucky that my earth tricks come in handy once in a while, ain’t ya?”

Too stunned to speak, she gaped at him.

“Ah! I fooled even ya! And you’re normally good at spotting power! Well! You, my lamb, are truly lucky, mighty ‘cuz had I known how to call the earth, I’d have to fire on it! ‘Twould be a grand waste of ruining such a handsome head, agree?

“Y-yes, Uncle.”

“Up wit’ ya already! ‘Tis dead!”

It was. No notion of life stirred there.

“Ya steady, or do I gotta carry ya back, too?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Good. Well, pick up yer reward, then, ay?”

They walked side-by-side, in awe of each other. She lifted her head to see his unruly red fur and auburn head-hair, his wisdom stored in each follicle. He silently minded her staring, as she was still the same babe that ate dried fruits from his hands.

“I failed, Uncle.”

“That ya did, Lamb.”

“If only I thought to snap its neck before slicing it! Or-or even cut his heart out! That would have killed it, right, Uncle?”

“Yeah. And know you know what to do next time.”

Next time.

“Right.”

“Though I must say, ya did good anyway. Ya really held ya own. Even I would have had trouble with that one.”

“He’s full-grown though, right?”

“Goddess, no! This is as old as ye!”

“Me!”

“Ya! I truly did not mean to set ya out against such a seasoned monster. I only wanted ya to tackle the little ones, but they went into hiding after they saw what ya done. Let us hope that fate is onto us and those wretched bastards get their eyes pecked by the birds.”

“Let’s hope, Uncle.”

“Ah, they won’t be any more trouble after the likes of ye, that much, I can say!” They rounded into the village gate. “Now let’s go and find the priest, eh? He will be needing to purify the grounds and save-”

A female cat waited at the entrance, her eyes slit into pins.

“Our souls.”



“May Lord Emne cause your tail to fall off and rot! May Lady Este tear your flea-bitten tongue to shreds! Because by Gods, if they don’t, then I shall!”

“Calm yourself, Aelith! The girl does perform her godly duties!”

The grown female slapped his face soundly. The child stood by as she listened to the same argument she had heard since her childhood.

“You INGRATE! How dare you go against my word! I forbid her to go along with ye, did I not? And yet I awaken to find her missing from her room, and look at her now! Soiled with the enemy’s blood!”

“You cannot understand, after all this time that she has a gift?”

“A GIFT?! What kind of gift puts a young girl in that sort of danger! She is to be a shepherdess, not a hunter! Are there not any young boys you can dupe into following you? Oh, you have taken too much for granted now, Parsus! She is not a toy to play with!”

“She saved the village today! Does that not count for anything?”

“And what would become of our clan if she died? Do you not understand, you idiot? She is the LAST OF US. When she becomes a woman, she will marry and be a mother, if her womanhood is not RUINED at this point!”

The young girl finally interjected. “Madra! Please!”

“Don’t speak, or I will bring that head back to life, I swear it.”

“So, what a fine mother you make, eh, to threaten yer only child like that.”

“At least I can have children.”

The girl suddenly became more aware of the birds chirping in the air.

“And whose fault is that? Mine? Heh, that is strange. Didn’t Markol tell ye not to go off into the woods alone, late at night?”

“Don’t step any closer, you bastard.”

“Didn’t you disobey him anyway? And wasn’t there a wolf just like this one, ready to gnaw on yer face, had I not stepped in and SAVED YOUR LIFE?!”

“And what good did that do ye? He wasn’t even going to attack until you startled him!”

“I did not!”

“Don’t lie, Parsus! Your loutish behavior ruined everything!”

He paused, waiting for just the right words to say. Finally, he settled into a wan smile.

“Everything for me, yes. Obviously, not for ye.”

Aelith grabbed the girl and lead her away roughly. “Come, Corynthia. You are going to get clean, get dressed, then get to work on the fields, where you belong. Get those notions of fighting out your head, girl, because that is not to become you.
“As of this point, as long as you live under my roof, you are not to see that cat again, understand? He cares not whether you live or die, only for the great flipping hunt! And mark this, Corynthia, if you disobey me, I will skin your hide raw and throw it to the wolves. Understand?”

She nodded.

“Say it then.”

“Yes, Madra, I understand.”

“Ye better.”

As Aelith and Corynthia stormed away, Parsus’ smile never faded.