Chapter 6
#7 of The Mating Season: The Years Inbetween
Chapter 6
"What happened then?" Loryn said in a hushed voice. "After you . . ."
"He was helping_them," Kel whispered, his ears back flat. "Yzlo and I were _horrified . . ."
Kel closed his eyes, remembering the way Zalia screamed and cried, the way Kilyan ran at him and drummed his little fists on his father's stomach. "How could you! How could you!" Kel had just stood there, blinking in shock as Kilyan hit him. Eventually, he caught his children in his arms and held them tight. And . . . they all cried.
"He was my f-friend!" Zalia wailed.
Keeno stood staring, tears in his eyes, until he eventually slumped to his knees and wept. Yzlo knelt beside him and rubbed his head with a big paw. When Keeno cried harder, Yzlo picked him up and stood hugging him to his chest.
The forest was filled with the screams of the children.
"I broke my child's heart," Kel said, shaking his head slowly. "Whatever innocence was there . . . I believe it shattered when I killed his friend in front of him. His friend . . ."
Kel and Loryn were on forest patrol that morning, but noticing that Kel was silent and grim, Loryn had insisted that they take a break. Beneath the green canopy of pressing trees, they found a secluded place to sit. Setting down their spears and dropping off the packs that carried their lunch, Loryn leaned against a tree with his arms behind his head while Kel explained the past week's events . . . sadly and wearily.
Loryn frowned and touched Kel's back. The black wolf was sitting hunched over, his knees drawn up and his arms resting on them. Loryn massaged the tight muscles of his back, slowly and soothingly.
Loryn was a gray wolf, taller than Kel, with broad shoulders and big arms he was very proud of. On his handsome face and down his back were the black stripes his little daughter had inherited. The stripes twisted with his every expression, and they twisted now with his sad frown.
"You didn't know, Kel."
"It wouldn't have happened," Kel said darkly, "if I wasn't determined to believe all lone wolves mean us harm."
Loryn snorted. "It's because most of them do. You and Yzlo heard Zalia crying. You came to a cave and saw some male bending over her. You panicked. Any father would have."
Kel closed his eyes, wishing he could talk to Zaldon. Zaldon . . . who was far away in the winter village. Zaldon . . . who had refused to ever see him again.
"I also told Kilyan some things I should not have," Kel went on heavily. "About my father . . . If Kilyan wasn't so frightened of us becoming like me and Gurwin, he would not have run back into the forest for a stupid talisman! I took him by the shoulders and I told him, 'Kilyan, you are more important to me than anything! To hell with the talisman - I love you!' And he cried. And he fell in my arms. And he made me promise we would always love each other."
Loryn smiled. "Kilyan. Such a sensitive boy." He smoothed down Kel's mane as he whispered, "Just like his daddy."
Kel closed his eyes. "We buried Sion under a tree near the river. The children said it was one of his favorite places . . . I owe him the lives of my children. And now he's dead."
"Kel . . ."
"Yzlo wants to clear Sion's name with the village council. If we can get them to believe that Sion was innocent, he will be laid to rest in the village graveyard."
"I'll go with you and Yzlo. I've got Chief Misae's ear."
Kel glanced over his shoulder at Loryn and laughed hollowly. "Daring to fuck one of the chief's daughters gives you his ear?"
"Hey," said Loryn with a shrug, "I gave her ah hellova orgasm. Time she returned the favor."
Kel laughed and sank back against Loryn's shoulder. Loryn put his arm around him, and they sat in the stillness, in the content of the shady forest as its flowery scent swept over them on the breeze. Kel could hear the distant sound of water and knew the river was near. They had traveled fairly far to avoid other members of the patrol.
"How are you going to convince the council?" Loryn said after a time. "Maybe Sion really raped the girl, Kel. Maybe he became a better male as time went by, started handing out sweets to lost pups."
Kel shook his head against Loryn's shoulder. "No, Loryn. I truly believe he was innocent all along. It's just . . . a feeling I have. The way Zalia talked about him . . . and Kilyan . . ."
"They don't even know what rape is, Kel."
"But they understood the gravity of Sion's charges. They understood that he had been charged with something very serious - so serious that approaching the village would have seen his death on sight. Someone who is capable of the evil that is rape could not have cared for my children the way he did. Singing them to sleep? Telling them stories? No, Loryn. He had a good heart. And I . . . took his life."
Loryn gently wiped away Kel's tear. "Then we will honor that life," he whispered, "by clearing that boy's name. We will make the council listen. I swear it."
Kel closed his eyes. "Thank you, Loryn."
"Thanking me?" Loryn snorted. "If you asked me to fuck a hole in the ground, I'd do it."
Kel laughed softly. "And can you imagine? Kilyan still thought he was in trouble by the time we got home! I told him I was the one in trouble, that he had taught me more than I had ever expected to learn from him. He taught me to view the world with open eyes, Loryn. With open eyes and an open heart and with the purity of a child. My children decided to ignore what the village had taught them - what we had taught them - and trusted that not all lone wolves were criminals. They trusted. I have learned from my child . . . to trust."
After a long pause, Loryn said into the silence, "Thank god I don't have a boy."
Kel laughed.
"It's true I use to wish," Loryn went on with a half-smile. "Sometimes Kira and I would lie awake at night and talk about having a second pup. I think we both wanted a little boy for a long time."
"You already _have_a little boy. So to speak."
Loryn cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Kel, if you're going to lecture me about Eno again . . ."
Kel frowned. "Of course, I'm going to lecture you! Do you really think Kira is going to put up with this shit for long? She's unhappy, Loryn --"
"I know," Loryn muttered miserably.
"Send Eno away, Loryn. Do it now. Before Kira leaves you."
"I . . . can't."
"Why!"
Loryn sighed. "Would you understand? You've done nothing but bitch at me since the day I carried him from the winter village."
"And why would that be, I wonder?" Kel said almost viciously. He jerked himself away from Loryn and sat up, regarding him in anger and amazement.
Loryn's ears went flat and he looked away.
"Could it be," Kel continued scathingly, "that Eno raped and tortured my wife with a nipple ring! No, it couldn't be that," he finished sarcastically. "If I didn't love you like a brother, I wouldn't put up with your foolishness. I'd slap the taste out of your mouth for daring to bring that bastard to my village and home! Then I'd go and run my spear through him. And believe me: Eno is one lone wolf I would not be sorry about."
Loryn winced. It was true that Eno had come very close to becoming a lone wolf. If Loryn had not intervened, the winter wolves would have burned the mark on his forehead and he would have been cast out with stones. Loryn often asked himself if Zaldon would have allowed such a thing to happen anyway. He doubted it.
"Eno never had a mating season," Loryn said wretchedly after some time. "He's still considered a child. And everyone knows what he does with me . . . he'd never be able to take a wife. If I left him, he'd be alone. I know him: he'd never take another mate. He'd spend the rest of his life following me around . . ."
Kel sighed. "What did you get yourself into? You thought with your dick, and now you've got Zaldon's cousin - and now you've got this brat . . ." Kel stammered himself silent and ignored it when Loryn's ears pricked forward: it was the first time Kel had spoken Zaldon's name in . . . practically years.
Since Zaldon had moved to the winter village, Loryn had pointedly avoided mentioning the great white wolf. Knowing Kel as he did, he knew it would be like pouring lemon juice in a wound. Hearing Zaldon's name now, Loryn tactfully cleared his throat and tactfully steered the subject back to his own troubles - which Kel was grateful for.
"I can help Eno," Loryn said quietly. "I know maybe he doesn't deserve my help . . ."
"No, he doesn't," Kel said darkly. "He also can not be helped, Loryn. Maybe one day you will see that. I hope you see it sooner rather than later." He got to his feet.
"Don't let it go like that," Loryn said miserably. But he also got to his feet. They both picked up their spears and strapped on their lunch packs. Loryn stole a few glances at Kel's young hard body, silently lamenting the fact that they had not been intimate in eight years. Not since the night they had camped in the forest on their way home; not since the night when Kel finally allowed Loryn to make love to him. It was something Loryn had been waiting for all his life, though Kel would never know it. He was determined that Kel would never know many things.
"Don't let it go like what?" Kel demanded, his back to Loryn as he strapped on his lunch pack. "You want me to pretend that what you're doing with Eno is right or okay? Kira is crying, Loryn. Did you know that she cries?"
Loryn heaved a breath. No. He didn't know that.
"Aliona told me, she asked me to speak to you. You have to make things right."
"I can't make things right . . ."
Kel glanced at him contemptuously over his shoulder. "You can try. Don't give me that. Don't make that helpless face and look at me like I'm supposed to take you in my arms and sympathize. Do you think about what this is doing to Lea? Think of her if you think of no one else. Or are you capable of thinking of anyone but yourself?"
Loryn winced. "Alright, I had that coming . . ."
"Damn straight."
"Do you feel better now? Are you done yelling at me?"
Kel smiled. "Yes. Yes, I do feel better."
Loryn laughed. "Glad to be of service," he said, coming to Kel and putting his arm around his shoulders. "I can't make things right with Eno and you can't make things right with Sion. But . . . we can try."
"It's never too late to try, Loryn," Kel said softly, and this time, his green eyes were warm with sympathy. He touched Loryn's chin tenderly a moment, then cleared his throat and looked away. "Let's get back on patrol," he said, marching off.
Loryn stood a moment, smiling as he watched Kel marching away through the trees. His heart fluttered and he thought, God, I love you.
"Come on!" Kel growled.
Loryn suddenly grinned, and feeling lighthearted, he started after him.