The intensity of their fear, and answering
determination, must have been terrifying.
And at what point did he develop a clear mind, and immortal soul? She
nearly wept at the thought: Man's immortal soul. As opposed to the
mortal, unfeeling animals. What a sad and sorry farce. She looked
first to Kalus, then at the wolf---who stood regarding her from the
entrance, feeling, but not understanding her pain. She turned again to
Kalus. One last hope.
'But you don't look anything like that.'
'And I don't look like my people. It is the greatest mystery of
my life, and the reason they mistrust me.' She rocked herself a
little, beyond the point of tears. The man-child waited.
'What is wrong?'
She found she could not answer with words, though the thoughts had come
easily enough: too easy, like vague fears taking shape and becoming
familiar from the smokes of a half-remembered past. He seemed to sense
this, or something like it, and to know that whatever it was she was
feeling, he could not help her now. Not yet.
He continued his work, notching the poles with hard strokes from the
side of his stone knife, as she moved bewilderedly back to her place.
But often as he worked he would look over at her, stirred strangely by
her dismay at simple truths he had long since been forced to accept.
Pages:
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85