Page 29 (1/2)

Young Bull folloith precision, placing his pahere hooves had fallen justeach stride exactly He could hear the stag panting, could see the sweat foa Bull would not accept the inferior victory of running his prey to exhaustion He would taste the blood of the throat, pu full force from a healthy heart He would best his prey in its pri’s exact path He needed to be ahead, not follow! The stag’s scent grewbolted to the right, and Young Bull leaped, hitting an upright tree trunk with all four paws and pushing hiained hile breath behind the stag, each leap bringing him within inches of its hooves He howled, and his brothers and sisters replied fro Bull led

His howl becaain The chance had co’s neck in his jaws He could taste the sweat, the fur, the warht threw the stag to the ground As they rolled, Young Bull kept his grip, forcing the stag to the forest floor, its skin laced scarlet with blood

The wolves howled in victory, and he let go for ato bite at the front of the neck and kill There was nothing else The forest was gone The howls faded There was only the kill The sweet kill

A for Bull shook his head, dazed, snarling Another wolf had stopped hi bounded to its feet, and then bounded off through the forest again Young Bull howled in fury and rage, preparing to run after it Again Hopper leaped, throwing his weight against Young Bull

If it dies here, it dies the last death, Hopper sent This hunt is done, Young Bull We will hunt another ti Bull nearly turned to attack Hopper But no He had tried that once, and it had been a round, tasting blood that was not his own, exhaling deeply, his face dripping with sweat He pushed hi fro hunt

The other wolves sat down, but they did not speak Hopper lay beside Perrin, setting his grizzled head on aged paws

"That," Perrin finally said, "is what I fear"

No, you do not fear it, Hopper sent

"You’re telling me what I feel?"

You do not s up at the branches above, twigs and leaves cru beneath him His heart thumped from the chase "I worry about it, then"

Worry is not the same as fear, Hopper sent Why say one and feel the other? Worry, worry, worry It is all that you do

"No I also kill If you’re going to teachto happen like this?"

Yes

Perrin looked to the side The stag’s blood had spilled on a dry log, darkness seeping into the wood Learning this ould push hi a wolf