Verus snorted, biting his lip to hide his amusement. “Considering his size, I’m not surprised. He has nothing to keep him warm.”
Nothing but me. I wasn’t unhappy about him pressing up against me while we washed. I’d keep bringing him there for that reason alone if he wasn’t so icy cold when we were finished. I worried about him getting ill if he was constantly cold like that. I’d need to make preparations to better care for him come snowfall. He barely slept comfortably as it was. Perhaps a few furs would benefit him.
Shaking off the distraction, I tried to focus on Verus. “What did you hear?”
He pressed his lips together, the disappointment clear on his face. “Not much. A few saw Finn go to the trench to relieve himself. One even overheard him asking Zoya for permission first. But those patrolling weren’t in that area when he was attacked.”
Which meant we had nothing, aside from confirmation that my Finn was good-natured and wouldn’t cause trouble, even now that he was fully introduced to the clan. While I appreciated that, it wasn’t helpful. Finn couldn’t tell me who attacked him, he said it was too dark to tell, but I got the feeling he wasn’t telling me everything. His eyes darted away any time I asked like they did when he was embarrassed about something.
“Perhaps if we brought him around the clan more, we could see someone acting hostile?” Verus suggested.
It was a sound plan, and if it were anyone else, I would agree with it. But it was Finn. He was too sweet to use as bait to draw out his attacker.
While I was considering our options, someone bumped into me from behind. My reflexes were fast enough that when I spun around, I caught the female before she could fall to the ground. She clung to me, speaking in Finn’s language so fast I couldn’t even hope to understand her. I shot Verus a questioning look, but he was no better than I was at the town languages. The woman continued to talk, flapping her hand and gigglingnervously. She didn’t seem to realize we couldn’t understand her, and she still had not let go of my arm. Her nails dug into my skin, which was unpleasant. I had to practically pry her off me before I could step away from her.
“Where is your protector?” If she was clumsy, she should not have been wandering around on her own, especially with the fire nearby.
She looked up at me blankly. I gave Verus a disgruntled look. The first word most tributes were taught was protector, so they knew who we were to them. If she didn’t know that word, she was one of the tributes who refused to learn the language at all. It wasn’t a practice I understood. It only made life more difficult for them.
Since Finn had taught me some of his words, repeating those I taught him in his own language so I could learn too, I attempted to communicate with her. “Where your protector?”
It was clear she understood me, but the face she made wasn’t one I expected. She wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms petulantly, rattling something off too fast for me to follow. I bit back a sigh. I had purposely avoided tributes before now because I didn’t want to deal with things like this. I was blessed by how accepting Finn was of the clan. He didn’t complain and was determined to learn. His volunteering as tribute was a great gift to me.
Thankfully, Orthorr came to my rescue, coming to stand beside us. He understood the town languages and could communicate with the woman better than we could.
“Clan leader,” I said respectfully, bowing slightly with my fist to my chest. “Can I request your assistance?”
He greeted me as he usually did before looking between my clan brother and me and the woman standing in front of us. “How can I help, my brother?”
“I… don’t know. She does not speak our tongue. I asked where her protector was, but she didn’t seem happy about my request.”
Verus frowned at the woman for a moment before adding, “Has she been introduced yet? Or is she wandering around when she shouldn’t be?”
I wouldn’t be able to answer that question. I paid little mind to the new tributes until their claiming days. I was not unkind to them, but some became unhappy when they approached me with intent only for me to turn them down. I had no interest in females.
Orthorr turned to the woman, asking in her own tongue the questions we’d wanted to ask. Defiance overtook her face, and she glared at him, her voice tight and biting when she answered him. Orthorr was not amused by her behavior. He glanced at me, the annoyance clear across his face.
“She is protected by Feigrind. He is training this morning. She was supposed to stay in his tent.”
I almost felt bad for my clan brother. Feigrind was a good man, a good fighter, and dedicated to his clan. He wanted a bondmate badly. But given her reaction to his name and her disobedience, I doubted this woman would be it. She didn’t react to him like Finn reacted to me. And when Feigrind was called to join us and he saw her wandering around, his reactions were nothing like I felt for Finn.
It made me that much more grateful for the little male who blessed me with his presence. I wanted to return to him, to ask him properly to be mine, but Verus reminded me of the hunt. I wished to avoid it after Finn’s attack, to stay close to him, but because I could trust Finn on his own, I couldn’t say no. It was my duty.
I was reluctant to leave him that long, though, so instead of leaving him alone, I went looking for him. My Finn wasbraver than he let on, facing the icy river even though he was uncomfortable. He might be able to handle a hunt as well.
“The clan movesevery moon cycle, following the herd, except during snowfall, where the best game is in the forest,” I said slowly, making sure my words were correct.
Zoya beamed at me. “Correct. Some clans explore instead of following the herd, but those clans are smaller than ours. Fewer mouths to feed.”
I nodded along, repeating words I wasn’t familiar with. I was getting better. If they spoke slowly enough, I could follow more conversations than just Rath talking to me. It was when they were speaking quickly that I couldn’t keep up. Zoya was helping with this by increasing her speed a little each day and quizzing me on the way the clan worked at the same time.
She frowned suddenly and shifted in her seat uncomfortably. When she put her hand against her stomach, I worried she was feeling ill. She was the healer, not me, and I wasn’t any good at figuring out what was wrong with people, but I felt compelled to ask what was bothering her. She felt like my friend, and I didn’t want her to struggle just because she said she’d help me learn. I could fetch another healer too, if she needed it.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Her smile was a little strained when she nodded, and she took a sip of water from a flask she’d brought along before explaining in our language.
“I believe I am with child. It has been a few months since my last cycle, and my stomach is upset often. It will pass with time.”
