My heart racedas I bolted towards the sound of Sorrel’s voice. His howl carried a long distance over the spacious tundra, and as much as I’d rather not abandon Violet, I needed to reach my brother immediately.
Ever since the failed owl hunt the other day, I carried a bad feeling in my chest. It was like an ominous dark cloud hung over everything and everybody, but I was the only one who noticed. I hoped it was just anxiety, and nothing more.
But as I raced up the slope towards a rocky crag, the bad feeling intensified. I only felt a small dollop of relief to see Sorrel standing there in wolf form. He wagged his tail when he saw me, then dropped low to the ground in a message for me to slow down.
I padded carefully towards him, trying not to knock any pebbles astray with my paws, and quietly asked, “What’s going on? Why aren’t you at camp?”
Once again, I’d asked Konrad for permission to leave the clan grounds. I told him I was going hunting, and that was true. I caught a few field mice. But that was before I ran into Violet.
“I’m hunting,” Sorrel said in a loud whisper.
“By yourself?” I blurted in shock. Konrad never allowed omegas as young as Sorrel out on their own, not even to hunt small prey. They were kept strictly in camp, and only allowed out with an older chaperone, like when I’d taken him out the other day.
Sorrel’s eyes darted to the crag. “Shh, keep it down.”
“Who gave you permission?” I asked, quieter but still frazzled on the inside.
The fur on Sorrel’s chest puffed out proudly. “Konrad, obviously.”
My stomach flipped. The dark cloud swirled above my brother’s head. He was oblivious to it, but I felt its oppressive weight like a collapsed den crushing my back.
I had to choose my words carefully. If I was too aggressive in my questions, I’d push Sorrel away by alienating him, or making him think I wasn’t supportive. Besides, I still didn’t understandwhyI felt this way. I had no reason not to trust Konrad.
“That was nice of him,” I said. “He usually doesn’t allow young omegas to hunt alone. Even I had to ask permission.”
Sorrel grinned, beaming with satisfaction. “Heh. That’s because he said I’m special.” He raised a paw. “He said these big paws of mine are gonna be an asset to the clan, and I should practice my skills as much as possible.”
I didn’t know what to make of that. Sorrel wasn’t a skilled hunter. That wasn’t his fault—he was still inexperienced—but having large paws didn’t improve one’s hunting ability. If anything, it set him up for failure when he inevitably stumbled on his clumsy legs and missed his mark.
But I didn’t say any of that.
“That’s wonderful,” I replied, trying to sound happy for him. “You must be really proud to be praised by the clan alpha.”
He chuckled, wiping a large paw over his ear in embarrassment. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Anyway, check it out! I found that snowy owl’s nest.”
My mood plummeted.
“What?” I asked.
Sorrel pointed his snout towards the rocky crag. As I focused past the shadows, I made out a white oval shape sitting on a nest of twigs and feathers. It was the snowy owl sitting on her eggs.
I sympathized with her poor timing. Snowy owls didn’t normally lay eggs until spring. Now she had to contend with the winter cold on top of hunting. But neither the weather or food were her biggest problem right now.
“It’d be great if I could bring it back for Konrad,” Sorrel mused.
Horror struck me. “You can’t do that, Sorrel,” I stated. “She’s a mother brooding on a nest.”
His ears flattened at my scolding. “But doesn’t that make her easier to catch?”
“You shouldn’t catch her at all. She has eggs on the ground. Her unborn chicks will die without her.”
Sorrel paused, and for a horrible drawn-out second I thought he was going to argue back, but he nodded.
“Okay, I won’t hunt her, then,” he said. “But I need to bringsomethingback. I promised Konrad.”
“I caught some mice. I’ll let you take them.”
Sorrel shook his head. “Mice? That’s too small. I need something bigger. Something impressive... like a seal, or a caribou.”
