Chapter 5

Dearest Mei and Gabu,

I hope you and the others are well. I’m very glad to hear that the new members of your family are continuing to settle in nicely. I hope that someday soon I’ll have the chance to meet them myself. In the meantime, every message we receive from you fills us with joy.

Our negotiations with the Baku Baku wolf pack have been successful. Yesterday, the pack’s leader visited us at Sawa Sawa Mountain and agreed to the terms I told you about in my previous message.

Mii has just got back from her first visit with the wolves, which she feels went reasonably well. Although she is doubtful whether she will be able to adapt her knowledge and expertise to treating wolves instead of goats, I have every confidence in her ability.

While it is still too soon to say whether the wolves will uphold their side of the agreement, I am hopeful that the coming weeks and months will prove better than those that are behind us.

Lots of love,

Grandma

“I think I’ve got all that,” Hilari said. The sparrow recited a slightly paraphrased version of the message. Some paraphrasing was inevitable for messages over a certain length, given that the messenger had to remember it three or four days later.

“That all sounds fine,” Grandma said when Hilari had finished. “Is there anything either of you want to add?” she asked Tapu and Mii.

“Yeah,” Mii said. “Ask Gabu why he never told me that wolves only have one stomach.”

“Wait, do goats have more than one stomach?” Hilari said. “How does that even work? Never mind, not important. Anything else?”

“Can you tell Mei that we miss him?” Tapu said.

“Of course,” Hilari said.

“Thank you for staying those extra days while we were waiting for the situation with the wolves to be resolved,” Grandma said.

“It was no trouble,” Hilari said with a laugh. “It’s been fun getting to know this forest a little better. I’d better be going now, though. I’ve got to repeat the message to myself while I’m in the air, or I won’t remember it.”

“Have a safe journey,” Mii said.

The sparrow lifted a wing in farewell and took flight, heading east towards the distant mountain range.

Grandma watched her go, wishing that she too could take to the air and be with her grandchild in a matter of days, especially since it had now been many months since she’d last seen them. The trip around the mountain took many weeks, and now that she was the Elder, it was difficult for her to justify leaving the herd for so long. Even making the journey once, back in the summer, had been difficult for her to manage. The thought that she may never again see Mei’s face pained her. But no, she would see him again, one of these days.

Life had returned to normal for the Sawa Sawa goat herd after the excitement of the previous day. Even so, the atmosphere in the meadow had a lightness to it that it hadn’t had in weeks. There was the sense that, at last, things were starting to get better. Grandma decided in that moment, as she had decided every day since she became Elder, that she would do everything in her power to make sure it was true.

Rōjin, the second oldest goat in the herd, approached the three of them and bowed respectfully towards Grandma, who bowed her head in return.

“Good afternoon,” he said. “I thought I ought to congratulate you, Mari, on your successful negotiation yesterday evening.”

“Thank you,” Grandma said. “I’m thankful that the wolves were willing to take my suggestion seriously.”

“That being said,” Rōjin said, “I don’t like the idea of Mii healing sick wolves. Every wolf whose life she saves will go on to kill yet more of us.”

“Well, so far all I’ve done is treat a stomachache,” Mii said, “so I think we’re a little way off from me saving any wolves’ lives. Besides, if I can get some of the wolves to think of me as a friend, Grandma might be able to use that to our advantage.”

“You want to befriend more wolves, Mari?” Rōjin said.

“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t,” Grandma said.

“Ah, your grandson—”

“Leave Mei out of this,” Tapu said. “Them making friends with a wolf didn’t hurt anyone, and besides, that’s not the reason we’re doing this.”

“Everything I’m doing is for the good of the herd,” Grandma said, “and I believe this is the best course to making our lives happier and safer.”

Rōjin nodded his head. “I see you are devoted to this course of action. I wish you luck.” He turned and walked back towards the meadow.

Grandma watched him go. She had hoped that Rōjin would be more sympathetic to her efforts; if she died before he did, he would become the new Elder and may decide to undo all that she had worked to achieve. But there was no helping that. All she could do was the best she could.

The following day, Mii left the safety of the herd and headed for Soyo Soyo Pass, the breezy hill beside the river that was roughly the same distance from both Sawa Sawa Mountain and Baku Baku Valley. It wasn’t the safest place for a goat to go alone, especially these days, but Boro would make sure that if any wolves were nearby, they would know that Mii was their healer and that Lala would be displeased if anything happened to her.

The day was bright, although fairly overcast. The sun, mostly hidden behind the clouds, had travelled barely a third of the way across the sky. There was a slight chill to the breeze that brought with it the suggestion of rain later in the day. Rain was good, since most wolves hated hunting in it.

Mii couldn’t help but remember that day about a year and a half ago when she, Mei and Tapu had walked together to this very same hill and had been scared away by a wolf leaping out of the bushes. Or rather, Tapu and Mii had been scared away. She hadn’t even noticed at the time that Mei had been totally unconcerned by the sudden presence of a wolf. On the contrary, she was sure that Mei must have been relieved to be finally left alone with their boyfriend.

It was funny how the winds changed direction, Mii thought. Now it was she who was sneaking away from the herd to visit a wolf. Well, not quite sneaking; Grandma and Tapu knew where she was going, even if no one else did. And it certainly wasn’t as if she and Boro were anything more than friends, as much as she planned to tease him about been so keen to show her his “anatomy.” No, things were different now; being friends with a wolf was starting to become normal. At the very least, it was no longer unheard of.

Boro was waiting at the top of the hill when she arrived. She made a show of scrutinising him as one would examine an interestingly shaped tree. “Hmm, yes, all your anatomy seems to be in order.”

“Stop it,” Boro whined, although he couldn’t conceal a small smile. “You should’ve seen the look Lala gave me when I left. She didn’t say anything, but I just knew she was thinking…” He trailed off, the embarrassment still too raw to put into words. “Urgh, I can’t believe I said that in front of her.” He looked like he wanted to shrink into a ball.

Mii tried not to laugh—she really tried.

When Boro had recovered his composure somewhat, they settled into a discussion that proved to be quite informative. They went over all the internal organs they knew about. (Boro absolutely refused to talk about any external organs.) Aside from the stomach thing, most of the other organs were in roughly the same places that Mii was familiar with. There were a few organs Boro knew about that Mii hadn’t heard of, but which Boro assured her goats had too.

Mii asked about the kinds of ailments that wolves were often afflicted with. Broken bones were straightforward; thanks to Gabu, she already had some experience treating those in wolves. A few of the other ailments Boro told her about she was able to match up to things she’s seen in goats, but many of them were completely unfamiliar. She’d have to learn about those on the job.

“I’d better be heading back soon,” Boro said when they’d finished.

“Are you going to tell Lala all of the sordid details?” Mii said innocently.

“The only thing that’s sordid is your imagination,” Boro said, which was as close as he ever got to teasing her back.

“Maybe Lala will want to show me her anatomy next.”

“I’m leaving!” Boro said, turning away in an effort to conceal his grin.

“All right, don’t get your kidneys in a twist. See you on my next visit.”

“See you then.”

Lala lay in her favourite place in Baku Baku Valley. Not the high pinnacle from where she could see for miles around; that spot was good for when she wanted to feel powerful, but it was terrible for getting things done. Today she lay in her spot on the raised ledge at the centre of her lair. From here, she could watch the wolves on the plateau in front of her at the same time as she turned her ears to listen to conversations in the caves behind her.

At this particular moment, she was listening to Lili and Lulu gossiping at each other. She always enjoyed the challenge of listening to two conversations at once. It went something like this:

“…and then he said—oh, you won’t believe this…”

“…so now Lolo wants to have another litter…”

“…that he thinks that she thinks that Gururi is…”

“…but at her time of life is that really such a good idea?”

“…better looking than he is, and so he’s jealous!”

“What? He’s jealous of Gururi? That’s outrageous…”

“True, her first litter are practically fully grown already…”

“…there’s no way she would pick Gururi over him…”

“…but she isn’t that old, is she? My mother was…”

Just then, the grey clouds that had been gathering overhead for the past couple of hours decided that now was a good time for it to start raining. It started suddenly enough that, for a moment, Lala lost her focus. When she started listening again, Lili and Lulu had swapped conversation topics again and Lala had lost the thread of both conversations. Frustrated with herself, she stood up and stalked into the cave where the two of them were talking. They went silent when she walked in.

“First of all,” Lala said to them, “if Lolo wants to have pups again, that’s her choice, and second of all, everyone knows that Gururi is the most attractive male in the pack and could have any mate he wanted if he would only stop admiring his own reflection long enough to notice.”

Lili and Lulu stared at her.

“Now that’s over with, I’m hungry,” Lala said. “Who wants to come with me on a little hunt?” Most wolves, even Zack and Beach, knew that when your leader told you to do something, even if she phrased it as a question, the correct answer was “Yes, Lala,” or “Hei.”

“But it’s raining,” Lili said.

“So?” Lala said.

“We’ll get wet,” Lulu said.

“And after that, we’ll get dry again,” Lala said. “And we’ll all feel better for having a good meal inside us.”

Lili and Lulu exchanged a glance. “Why us?” Lulu said.

“Because it’s been far too long since the three of us hung out together,” Lala said. “It’ll be just like old times.”

Long ago, when Giro had been in charge and everyone was expecting Bari to take over from him one day, no one had expected Lala to be good for anything more than having pups. Those were the days when she’d had nothing better to do than to analyse the wolves around her, and Lili and Lulu had known all the goings-on. It had always impressed them when she predicted tomorrow’s gossip before it even happened.

Lili and Lulu looked at each other again, and this time came away smiling.

Here it comes, Lala thought.

“If you wanted to hang out with us why didn’t you just…”

“You must have so many new stories to tell now that…”

“…ask us? I wasn’t sure you wanted anything to…”

“…you’re the new boss—oh, my goodness, Lolo will be so jealous…”

Lala kept up both conversations as the three of them made their way down to the forest. Within minutes, they were soaked from the rain, but by that time, none of them cared.

“I’m feeling like goat today,” Lala said, and Lili and Lulu chattered their agreement. So Lala put herself in the mind of a goat who had been out doing whatever it was goats did all day when suddenly it started raining. Where would it go for shelter? Where would it think it was safe? “Let’s try over by Fuka Fuka Valley.”

As much as they liked to talk, Lili and Lulu knew how to shut up and hunt, and they responded promptly to each of Lala’s signals and gestures as the three of them searched for a scent trail. As Lala had expected, they didn’t find one until they got close to the edge of the forest that led onto Fuka Fuka Valley, and when they did find it, it came on the air rather than from the ground. Lala made the signal for prey nearby, and her two companions split off to surround it while Lala herself crept forward.

Through the trees, she could just see the fur of a middle-aged goat taking shelter from the rain. She couldn’t see Lili or Lulu anymore, which meant neither could the goat. They would be ready to pounce on it if it ran in their direction. Just a few steps closer and…

Wait. Oh no. Lala let out an audible groan—there was no point in keeping quiet anymore. Standing just a few feet beside the goat was a smaller goat that looked suspiciously like a child.

Immediately, Lala regretted making that stupid bargain. Here were two perfectly good goats, completely unaware of her, and she wasn’t allowed to eat either of them. Worse still, the person forbidding her from eating them was herself, because as much as she hated to admit it, the pack needed that healer. Tomo’s stomachaches usually left him useless for up to a week; barely a day had gone by since that goat’s visit and already he was starting to feel better.

Lili and Lulu had spotted the problem too, because they reappeared in view and signed, what’s the plan?

Fall back, Lala signalled.

They retreated far enough away that the mother and child goats—and any other goats that might be nearby—wouldn’t hear them speak. “It’s got a kid,” Lulu said unnecessarily. “You said we weren’t supposed to eat them.”

Lala took a moment to gather her thoughts. Whatever happened, she could be sure that the entire pack would know every single detail before the day was out. Bringing Lili and Lulu along didn’t seem like such a good idea anymore. “Quite right,” she said. “And what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, so I certainly won’t be the first to break my own laws.”

“Maybe that goat isn’t the child’s mother,” Lili said. “It might just be looking after it.”

“Will you bear the consequences if we guess wrong, Lili? Wolves will die if we lose the services of that healer,” Lala said. And just in case Lili hadn’t gotten the message, she added, “Believe me, that’s a promise.”

Lili shook her head quickly.

“Did either of you see any other goats with the mother and child?”

“They were alone,” Lulu said, “but there might be more further along.”

“There won’t be. Goats cluster together,” Lala said. Her thoughts returned to the hypothetical goat caught out in the rain. Where else might it go for shelter? “Let’s try over by Moyo Moyo Hill.”

Lili and Lulu resumed several of their earlier conversations as they made their way across the forest to Moyo Moyo Hill. That meant crossing over the river that ran through the middle of the forest, which had overflowed its banks due to the rain. To their credit, Lili and Lulu complained only slightly about getting their paws muddy as they crossed it. Moyo Moyo Hill loomed overhead, its sides steep and craggy and damp from the rain.

“Are you sure about this, Lala?” Lulu said. “I wouldn’t want to be up that high in this weather if I were a goat.”

And I’m sure being a wolf doesn’t make the prospect any more appealing, Lala thought. Aloud, she said, “You’re right. Any sensible goat would take shelter from the rain in a nearby cave.” She led them around the side of a hill. “And there just so happens to be one right over here.”

This time, the hunt was a success. The goat they found cowering in the cave was definitely an adult, and it was definitely alone. It had smelled them approach, but with the wolves blocking the only exit, it had no means of escape.

“Please, don’t—” were the last words it said. Lala was mercifully swift.

Since there was no way they could get the meat back to Baku Baku Valley in this weather, the three of them ate what they wanted and then settled down in the cave to wait for the rain to pass. If it was still raining by nightfall, Lala decided, she would send either Lili or Lulu to let the pack know where the food was while the other two guarded it.

“That was incredible, Lala! You knew exactly…”

“I’m so glad you’re the boss now. Everything’s…”

“…where that goat would be. You should come…”

“…so much more organised with you in charge…”

“…on hunts more often. I’m sure you could teach…”

Lala basked in the appreciative chatter. See? she thought to herself. Giving up mother and child goats isn’t such a big deal. We’ll just need to work a little harder for our meals once in a while. “It was nothing,” she said. “All you need to do is think in the same way that a goat would. And the more we get to know the goats and how they think, the easier it will be.”

“Is that why Boro was meeting up with the healer goat earlier today?” Lili said.

“Oh, most certainly,” Lala said. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve put Boro in charge of learning as much as he can about the goats, through whatever means necessary.”

Lili and Lulu gave conspiratorial nods.

Perfect, Lala thought. I’ve as good as told the entire pack.