Chapitre 6

We all stood in the big square in front of the dining tent and saluted. Between Luke and Ulf I looked like a kid. General Astor strode past each of us.

"First I'll show you the territory," he said, his deep voice sending goosebumps down my spine. "Stir!"

Immediately the muscles in my body relaxed and the crowds moved after the general. We left the tents behind and walked through the entrance. We had all come from the south. The hilly landscape lay before us with the lush grass, but General Astor didn't seem to want to show us that.

We moved east, where the ground was barren and crumbling, even though spring had begun. We got further away from the tented landscape and before we even reached the border I saw the field of lilac flowers.

Verbena.

It swayed innocently in the wind, as if unaware of the uncertainty that had settled over the whole troupe. That my wolf couldn't smell it only worried me more. There was dense forest behind the wide field, but I couldn't pick up a single track.

"Can you smell something?" I asked Ulf, who just shook his head in surprise. It was probably unusual for a tracker not to be able to believe his nose.

“You all know what that is and what it means to us. Beyond the Verbena Field lies the Ice Claw Pack."

A silent murmur unfolded over the crowd of young warriors and Luke leaned down towards us.

"I heard the wolves in Alpha Ero's pack still live in caves and because they're so barbaric, Alpha Udyr doesn't stand a chance against them," he murmured, stealing a glance at the other side of the border.

"Don't say that too loud," I replied, stealing a glance at General Astor, but his attention was already elsewhere. To the north of the camp was a dense forest of conifers. He was heading towards that with us in tow. The snow of the Winters must have melted only a few nights ago, because the dew dripped from the dark green fir trees and seeped into the loamy ground.

Still, I was thankful for the smell of nature and deer hiding from us while the birds chirped down on us. I ignored the animal tracks as we traversed the forest.

It wasn't long before the trees thinned and a huge mountain range blocked our path. On the peaks, miles away, white snow still lay on gray rocks.

“We will not climb these mountain ranges. Beyond is nothing but Frostland and the few wolves that live there are allied with Alpha Eros. It's practically part of the Ice Claw pack."

I listened to the words, but my ears alerted me to something in the distance: the lapping of water. We continued our walk and soon a huge lake stretched out between the conifers. The oval shape had to be a few hundred meters in diameter. The dark color of the water hid the depth while green reeds gathered on the shore.

"In this lake you can swim and wash your uniforms. At the same time, it will be useful for training."

I swallowed. I had learned to swim, but it was a long way to the other side of the lake. I preferred firm ground under my feet. Glancing at Luke, I was amazed. Instead of his ever-present smile, his forehead was wrinkled.

"What's going on?" I asked worried.

"I- uh..."

"It goes on!"

General Astor's order snapped us out of the moment and we immediately started moving behind the others.

"Don't worry boy, I think very few here are water rats," said Ulf and put a hand on Luke's shoulder.

It was a strange group that the three of us formed. A tracker and family man, a young wolf of alpha stature, and I: a girl pretending to be a boy. I couldn't be more grateful for them both.

What would I do if they found out I was a wolf?

We burst out of the trees and the camp came into view again. The sun had settled on the horizon and threw only orange rays over the landscape.

I sighed wearily. The lost sleep was slowly catching up with my muscles. We trotted after the troupe, but suddenly a hand fell on my shoulder. I almost squeaked again as a tingle ran down my arm.

General Astor stood in front of me and stared down at me.

"Not you," he said. "We weren't done yet."

I gulped as my heart awoke from fatigue and pumped hot blood through my body. I felt Ulf and Luke reluctantly move away from me and follow the others to camp.

It wasn't long before I was alone with General Astor, who was eyeing me oddly. As I inhaled, I could detect the woody harsh scent that surrounded my senses. I exhaled shakily and turned my gaze to the muddy ground below us.

"I thought about it and decided."

I anxiously waited for him to continue, but he didn't. I looked up at him anxiously and for a moment something flickered in his brown eyes and softened his stern features.

"If I betrayed you, it would not only kill you, but your family as well," he said, and the brown hardened. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't."

"Please," I said, not caring how pathetic my voice sounded. "Do what you want with me, but please not my family. They have nothing to do with my crime."

Tears pooled at the corners of my eyes and General Astor's vision blurred. Suddenly I felt a warm hand under my chin. I gasped as he wiped away the tears with his fingers. Now I could see him clearly again.

"If you want to be a man, you can't start crying over every little thing," he said, and an involuntary laugh escaped my lips. If he called death a small thing, what was a big one for him?

"Thank you," I whispered, and for a moment something seemed to jump back and forth between us. He looked down at me in amazement and a relieved smile slowly settled on my lips. I immediately looked away, but the tingling remained.

"It's good that you have a wolf," General Astor said. "You'll need her strength because the training will be tough and I won't favor you."

I just nodded. That would draw attention to me and that was the last thing I needed.

"What are we here for anyway?" I asked, brown eyes darkening.

"Delta Ivan will explain that to you," he answered shortly. "Come on."

General Astor started walking toward the camp and I walked alongside him. Maybe it was bubbling relief that he didn't betray me, but I just couldn't keep my mouth shut.

"So how did you become a general?" I asked before my head could stop me. He was silent for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully.

"I convinced Alpha Udyr that I'm the best for it. I was a warrior before. I worked my way up until he had no choice."

"You met Alpha Udyr?" I marveled. The palace was a few hundred kilometers from my home, and there was never a reason to leave the western forest that far behind. Even so, the myths surrounding the white palace had lingered in ours village.Mother had told me about Alpha Udyr as a child and that he would come over if I didn't finish my plate.Yet I always wanted to see the palace of pure marble where he resided.

"He knows most of his warriors," he said. My eyes widened.

"Is he coming here too?" I asked, horrified, my heart beating backwards at the thought. His eyebrows went down as if something was making him angry. Still, I caught the last rays of sunshine reflecting off his golden hair.

"Unlikely."

"Unlikely..." I repeated. That was probably the best assurance he could give me. The night was slowly stirring and only the flickering torches on the tents served as light. At the entrance to the camp there was already a wolf, the tapped his foot against the sandy ground.

Edgar.

"There you are at last. "Delta Ivan has started the speech," he said frantically as General Astor strode past him. We headed for the large tent, from which came the muffled voice of Delta. General Astor pushed the tent door aside, letting the words follow glided outside.

"-a great honor!"

He let me go first and I squeezed into the tent way too close to him. Everyone sat on the long benches and looked up at Delta Ivan. Luckily for me nobody seemed to notice our presence. Rooted to my feet, I stood behind General Astor and listened to the speech in silence.

No matter how hard I tried, my attention kept slipping to the wolf next to me. I tensed up and let the air out of my lungs.

Could it be?