Akami and the Wolf - Chapter One

Akami was born the son of the fierce warrior chief of the Sun tribe in the great steppe of the West. In his language akami was a combination of the words for spirit (aka) and wolf (minas). His father was called Yanuk, meaning sky hunter. One day when Akami was very young, he went with his father on a trek into the wild. The purpose of this was to teach akami how to fend for himself, to learn the ways of his father, and his father before him.

One night as they made their fire and prepared to go to sleep, Yanuk noticed something strange in the mood of the animals around him. The crickets weren't chirping, no mice were scurrying, something strange was afoot. He grabbed his spear and told Akami to stay close to him. A pack of wolves emerged from the night and surrounded them. The largest wolf, the alpha male, Ornulu spoke to Yanuk.

"Why do you Two-Leggeds trespass on the sacred ground of the wolf tribe."

Yanuk looked frightened, but regained his composure and adorned a menacing face, screaming at the wolves that were pacing around him and his boy. It took a moment for Akami to realize that his father did not hear the words come from Ornulu's mouth. All he had heard was a howl. Akami wanted to speak, but fear gripped the heart of him, and all that came out was a broken breath, and then a gasp.

Ornulu yelped as Yanuk's spear penetrated his side. His speed was so great that not even Akami had forseen the attack. With their leader wounded, the wolfpack scattered through the tall grass of the plain. Ornulu remained, crippled by the stone spear in his side. Yanuk did not take chances. He took out the spear and made it so the wolf could not strike, even if He tried.

Ornulu's weak and wounded whimper escaped His mouth. Yanuk thought the sound reminded him of crying, a regret that the wolf dared approach such a mighty chief as He. But Akami heard the meaning in the words that Ornulu uttered in that pitiful tone.

"You and all your tribe shall one day pay for this deed with your lives. You will be erased from Mother Earth, and I will smile from the afterlife for you would have finally gotten what you two-leggeds rightly deserve," and then He died.

Akami tried to warn Yanuk of Ornulu's words, but Yanuk did not listen. He was too preoccupied with the thought of losing his only child, that fear, his only weakness. He hollered out into the night in order to frighten away the other wolves. Yanuk said to Akami.

"Son, it is time that we head home. We have had enough excitement for today."

With that, Yanuk threw a fist full of sand into the fire, extinguishing it in a puff of smoke. Something in the night then, caught Akami's gaze. He thought he saw two glimmering eyes in the tall grass staring at him. They were perhaps the eyes of a wolf cub...