Four Seasons of the Warrior (chap 1)

Shaian's Tale, Her Childhood (chap 4)

Fall, 2nd year of the reign of Kai'el








         Shaian was now well into her third turning of seasons, and close to her fourth. Since her adoption by, and naming of, the monster wolf-pup Airik, she had effectively stepped out into the world from darkness.


         Until the pairing, she had been weak and sickly, unable or unwilling to develop the skills a normal child would have in the times it should have. When she abruptly spoke, quite clearly, when the wolf-mate chose her, it had been a shock to all. But now, their shock was quite often not at the suddenness of the doing of something other children started at a much earlier time, but at how precipitous and precocious her actions could be.


         When playing with the human children, at the games children play, she was still quite clumsy, stumbling and tumbling quite regularly, and never being quite as fleet of foot as the others. But Gods alive, what a change occurred when they included the wolf-mates and unbound pups!'


         Airik had been an imposing monster as a pup, but now, easily two thirds of his way to full growth, he was purely intimidating. And, within the pack, as gentle and patient as a good grandmother is to her child's get.


         At a turning and a half in age, he had grown as most pups do, increasing his shoulder height almost to that of a man's heart. But, while most wolves would be in the gangly stage waiting to fill out their potential, he was as broad of chest as a draft beast, easily outweighing any two men in the Pack.


         The children, as children often do, included their bonded halves in very much of their play. When they did, Shaian's clumsiness disappeared. And, as slow as she was at running, she was faster than the strike of a snake with her arms and shoulders. Airik would dash past, and in one movement, belying the weaknesses so clear when she was on her own, she would grab a piece of his pelt at his shoulder, and be fully mounted, slung low to his neck, and seated firmly without any sluggishness at all. The wolf didn't even misstep, or slow from his sprint, when this happened. It was simply a barebacked dog at full run who suddenly and inexplicably materialized a capering and giggling child on its shoulders.


         And she could maintain her position with apparent ease, no matter what gyrations the wolf went through in the moment of the games, often foregoing the use of a steadying hand to keep her seat through the most unlikely and convoluted changes in direction or speed.


         In many of the games where wolf and man-pup played together, a big part of the play consisted of mock fighting, both between the dogs, and the children. Most children would be unseated when their bond-wolves mock "engaged" in battle...not Shaian. Sitting atop Airik, no matter the circumstance, she appeared completely at home, as if this was where she was born to be, literally a living being that was part wolf and part she-child. When the games were mock battle for the mounted children, she would continuously astound those who observed with her wanton leaps from Airik's shoulders into the body of her erstwhile opponent, arms and hands already working to place a submission hold on them as her body weight was swung to unseat them. Oft as not, when the two human children hit the ground, Shaian had her opponent struggling in a lock-hold by the time they stopped the tumbling caused by the unseating and falling.


         At first, of course, most of the others blamed this purely on the miscolored wolf. However, the more time went by, the more evident it became that it was the pair of them, she being every bit as capable as he in the art of "battle".