So, all that is left is the hunt. Marie stared hard at Claire. Are you ready?
Claire's paws twitched against the ground in answer. Hell, yes, she was ready. There was no pressure for her in leading the hunt. Beneath her pelt, her muscles strained toward the woods, desperate for the release of running through the skeletal trees. Hungry for the single-minded focus of tracking prey.
Let's go. She stood and padded purposefully into the woods, nose lifted, scenting the air. Smelling small animals, warm in their burrows. Fat birds roosting high in the trees. And somewhere to the west, far away, the faint scent of something big and warm.
Without hesitating, Claire began to run, her nose working frantically to keep from losing the scent. She wove through the forest, her paws barely whispering against the leaves that littered the ground. The others trailed behind her, Marie close to her, the others farther away. There was no sign of their sprint through the woods, except for the tiny animals that fell silent as they passed. When they were only a few yards from her quarry, Claire circled around, flushing the deer from its hiding place and sending it scampering through the woods.
Oh! We lost it. Katherine whimpered, panting hard.
Of course we didn't. Claire bumped Katherine's flank with her hip as she raced back by the rest of the pack. It's headed for the clearing. C'mon, it's easier this way.
There was no time to explain. Claire focused on the scented air in front of her, the faint snapping of twigs and bracken beneath the deer's hooves. Carefully, she drove the deer back toward the clearing, until they were only a few yards from the fire. Breathing hard, Claire put on a burst of careless speed, not caring how much noise she made. It didn't matter— the deer knew she was coming.
Midstride, Claire crouched low and then leapt, landing on the deer's back and sending them both tumbling to the ground. Marie and Judith joined her at once, and in another minute, the deer lay dead on the forest floor. Claire tossed back her head and yipped. It was over.
Judith stood over the deer's nut brown back, panting hard, her shoulders hunched.
Well, you managed it, but Goddess, that was a long way to run.
Claire stopped her prancing and stared straight into Judith's eyes, not bothered that the other wolf ranked higher in the pack than she did. She was so over this.
It's easier to run a long way than it is to drag a dead deer a half-mile through the forest with our teeth, she pointed out.
Marie stepped between them. Enough. Judith, Katherine, help Claire and me bring the body into the clearing. The feast went by in a blur. Claire was half-elated that she'd done everything with no missteps and half-exhausted from the effort of trying so hard. By the time the remains of the deer were buried deep in the forest, Claire was more than ready to change back into her human skin and crawl into her bed.
Marie sat in front of the fire, and the other wolves fol
lowed suit.
Let us return to our human forms.
There was a flutter of activity as the wolves transformed, dressing in an instant and then fussing around with tying shoes and tucking in shirts.
Marie stood in front of them, already dressed, down to the last button on her shirt. "This has truly been a remarkable night. Not only has Claire proved that she is a complete wolf, but our pack has grown, and we have had the most successful naming in our remembered history. Thank you, all of you, for your efforts this evening. Go home. Go home and be happy, and I will see all of you when the moon is full again."
Go home and be happy. Right. Claire's mood deflated like a pin-struck balloon. Going home meant going back into her human world, and her human world was a mess. There was nothing to do about Emily and the party except cross her fingers and hope that Matthew had come through—and that Emily had believed their lies.
But Matthew . . . she didn't like the way she'd left things with him. She needed to talk to him—figure out a way to smooth things over.
Once he'd sobered up.
The women went their separate ways through the woods. Claire trailed a few paces behind her mother, carrying her bag in silence.
"Why so quiet, chérie?" Her mother's tone was light, but there was an undertone of concern. Uncertainty.
"I'm just tired is all," Claire said. "There's been a lot today."
"Of course." Marie smiled. "I am sure that's true." She was all too happy to believe Claire—Claire could see her mother's desire to keep the moment unspoiled. To revel in her victory.
"I am proud of you, Claire. You have made me very happy to be your mother."
The words wrapped around Claire like a coat, warming her. Protecting her. She snuggled down inside the praise. If she could do something as impossible as making her mother proud, then maybe she could straighten out the tangle she'd made of her human life.
Chapter Eighteen