“Redmark, are you okay?”

He looked down into the golden eyes. He was frustrated but didn’t want her to think it was at her so he smiled.

“I’m fine cub, did you find out which way it went?”

He slowly removed his hand from the branch and ushered her over to the spot she had been standing. He might not be able to shape a tree yet, but he was the best tracker in the tribe. He bent down and looked at the dirt as aggravation crossed her features. She twiddled her fingers.

“I tried Redmark. I just don’t see any tracks.”

He smiled to himself. Teaching her to track was keeping his mind from his bigger concern.

“There is more to tracking then tracks dear one.”

He pointed to the bushes, and to his nose and ears.

“You must see all of your surroundings. Use all of your senses. You have wolf blood for a reason cub, you must use it to your advantage.”

Nightfall nodded and looked around. She saw the last good print the doe left and then it disappeared into scuffles that led no-where. Her features became scrunched into hard concentration as she studied the bushes to her left and right. There was no blood because they hadn’t hurt the animal. Redmark insisted they didn’t have to hunt to track. Aahhh! She had found something, in the bushes, a broken branch. Why hadn’t she seen it before? She sniffed the leaf, and then the air.

“It went that way.”

She stood proud and pointed towards the stream that was a good run from where they were. Redmark had known that since they arrived and smiled. She wouldn’t learn if he told her, and she had eventually figured it out. He nodded and let her lead the way.

They ran for a little ways and Nightfall kept watching the ground. She would pause for a moment every now and then and keep going. Finally she stopped, and looked scared. Redmark came up behind her and saw what she saw. Blood. He grabbed her arm and smelled the air. It was faint, but any human scent was rank. He pushed her towards a tree.

**Climb.**

He silently went to the bushes that were strait ahead of them and looked through. Humans. He didn’t see them yet but could sure smell them. He felt like a huge fool for not bringing his spear. Bearclaw would have his hide if he found out. He kept to the bushes and went a little further finally spotting them. They had been hunting Nightfall’s doe and had killed it.

‘Stupid humans’

He thought. A doe is the life of the herd, how did they know she didn’t have a fawn somewhere?  He got angry and went back to Nightfall. She was crying in her hiding spot.

**What’s wrong cub? They didn’t see us.**

She clung to his waist trying to be quiet.

**They killed the doe. I hate humans.**

He lifted her tear-streaked face to look him in the eye.

**You should never hate. Hate can eat you from the inside if you let it. The humans are a stupid clumsy bunch, but they are life just like the rest of the forest, and they need to eat just like us. They do not understand things like we do, but you should never hate.**

Her lip quivered and she nodded as he wiped the tears from her face. He didn’t like saying that to her because he all but hated the humans himself, but he didn’t like to hate. It just wasn’t in him, and he was the forgiving type anyway. He wanted to teach her to forgive, not to hate. Life, not death, if it can be avoided.

**Lets go home, I think you have done enough for today. Your mother is probably wondering where we are by now anyway and Bearclaw will skin me if he knows I am out here with you and no spear. But lets stay to the trees for a little while. Can you do that?**

She nodded, afraid to speak at all. He had to go slow so she could keep up but they made it home in time to say good luck to the evening hunt. Redmark didn’t join them, after seeing Nightfall so hurt by the death of the doe he couldn’t bring himself to kill anything.

A few years passed by, a blink in the eye of any elf, especially a wolfrider in the now. Nightfall was growing into quite the beauty. She kept up her tracking with Redmark but became more interested in the bow and knife throwing as she got older. She had gone on her first hunt with her age-mate Cutter and brought home a few birds, a badger and a small buck that had quite a story behind it. The whole tribe sat and listened to their story of a weeks worth of nights hunting and tracking. Bearclaw and Longbranch were proud papas. Redmark couldn’t help but feel proud too. Nightfall had used all the tricks he had shown her in this long hunt and come out of it safe and successful.

At the end of the gather the tribe dispersed and Redmark went to his den in the father tree. He lived alone, which was fine by him. He used his alone time to try and cultivate his tree shaping abilities. Tree shaping ran all throughout his family. He was distantly related to Goodtree, the very mother of the Father tree itself. Everyone had high expectations of him, especially Bearclaw who had started to pick on him about it. Sometimes he would wear himself out trying so hard. Sometimes he would forget to eat because he would be focusing so hard. This nigh he would try again.

As Nightfall got older, Redmark found himself trying to spend more time with her or near her. He noticed how she had grown to be so beautiful, and it intrigued him. One night when he could find no credible reason to be with her he was sitting in his den by himself when he heard a voice.

“Redmark?”

It was Foxfur. She visited him sometimes; she said she liked his softness. She would tease him unmercifully until he gave in to her whims. She hadn’t come to him in a while though; she had been spending most of her spare time with the young Skywise.

“Yes Foxfur.”

He could use a distraction.

She entered his den with a flourish of a furred hat and pounced on him.

“Oohh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know I was interrupting.”

Foxfur jumped at the unexpected voice and turned to see whom it was.

“Nightfall, hello.”

She got off of Redmark so he could sit up. For some reason Redmark was really happy to see her.

“I came to see if Redmark would like to go gathering with me. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll go.”

Nightfall turned to leave and Redmark called out to her.

“Wait!”

Foxfur looked at him funny, then smiled. She looked at the young Nightfall then back at Redmark. With a giggle she placed her great fur hat back on her curls and stood to leave.

“I will go and find Skywise. You two enjoy yourselves.”

As she walked out of the den she sent to Redmark privately.

**It seems you have finally found someone to give your sweet attention to tracker. A bit young, but not to young.**

She winked at him and ran to find Skywise.  Redmark lowered his face shyly as Nightfall sat at the entrance. He put on his vest.

“I’m sorry Redmark, I didn’t mean to make her leave.”

He could sense something behind her words to make him think otherwise.

“Do you still want to go gathering Nightfall?”

He grabbed a basket he had in the back of his den and crawled out. Nightfall fallowed him out of the tree.

“What are we going to gather this night?”

She led the way to a part of the woods not far from the Holt.

“My mother asked me to gather some tubers for the howl tonight. She’s making such a big deal about this hunt. She says it’s the best we’ve had in seasons.”

As she knelt down to turn up the dirt Redmark couldn’t help but admire her. She had taken to wrapping a scarf around her golden curls; they got in the way of her bow she said. He noticed how she had filled out and how graceful she was. She turned and saw him staring.

“Well? Aren’t you going to help?”

Her smile was so beautiful to him all of a sudden. He shook his head. This is all Foxfurs fault. She got him all ready to go and then left him there. He bent down to help her.

Without realizing it he found himself trying to call the tubers to the surface with his magic. He started shaking with the effort. Then he felt a hand on his, and his eyes met Nightfall’s. He looked away with shame. She squeezed his hand to comfort him.

“You will get your talent someday Redmark. Don’t force it so. It will come to you when you are ready.”

Nightfall was the only one that didn’t teas him for not having his magic yet. He found himself relaxing as she pat his hands. Come, let’s dig these up and take them to the holt.

As they walked back to the holt he studied her. She was all of eight-teen turns and full of confidence. The way she walked, the way she handled a bow, the way she spoke. She had learned to be quiet in the forest and fast with the blade. She was smart, and always lived by the way. She didn’t understand Redmark’s magic, but she respected it, and he loved her for that.

‘Love her?’

That thought shot through him like an arrow from her bow. He loved her. But she was so young. He was much older then her, but he had been with her quite often since she was a child. Watched her grow and taught her to track. She always found ways to be near him he realized. And he had missed her when she was away on her hunt with Cutter. Cutter, everyone assumed those two would recognize. He tripped over a root and crashed into her back dropping his basket of tubers. They both tumbled to the ground.

“”Hahahahahahahaaa…”

Nightfall was laughing, but not at him he realized, at the situation. They were all tangled up with tubers in their hair and dirt on their faces. It was quite funny, and he couldn’t help but smile. Her laugh always made him smile.

“You two sure make a lot of racket.” Snicker

It was Pike. He had been in a tree near by snoozing. He jumped from the tree to help them up.

“Sorry Pike, I, well, wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Nightfall started to pick up the tubers so didn’t see Redmark blushing. But Pike did.

“Not watching where you were going hunh? But you were watching something..”

Pike elbowed his friend in the ribs playfully and helped them pick up the tubers.

That morning, as Redmark went to his den for the day Nightfall wanted to fallow him. Her mother saw the longing look on her daughter’s face and came over to talk to her.

“You like him don’t you cub?”

Nightfall looked at her feet.

“I’m not a cub anymore mother.”

Brownberry smiled to herself. Nightfall had never been with a male before and something inside her yearned for it. She found herself gravitating towards Redmark because she respected him as an elf. He was always so sweet natured, and strived to be what his chief expected of him, but he didn’t like death. He preferred to gather or track then to deal the deathblow, and she respected that as well. Brownberry recognized the need in her daughter’s eyes.

“I… I find myself wanting to be around him all the time mother. I missed him on my long hunt with Cutter, and I miss him when he is not around…”

She shook her head feeling at a loss.

“I’m so young compared to all of you. Would he accept me.”

She looked at her mother for an answer hoping it would be the one she wanted to hear. Brownberry grinned in a motherly way.

“You will never know unless you try. I’m sure Foxfur will not mind the competition.”

Brownberry motioned over to the creek where she and Skywise were sitting and splashing each other.

Nightfall had always been the courageous one. She straightened up, thanked her mother and walked over to Redmarks den. Inside the father tree she heard him humming and smiled, but she also lost her nerve and couldn’t go any farther.

Redmark heard movement outside of his den and caught a familiar scent.

“Nightfall, is that you?”

He waited for an answer, and soon Nightfall peeked around the corner.

“Hello again Redmark. I..I.. hope I am not bothering you. I just wanted to say sweet dreams.”

She couldn’t bring herself to move away from the entrance.

Redmark smiled and saw her hesitation.

“Would you like to come in?”

Nightfall’s insides felt like a hive of bees buzzing and trying to get out. She held herself together for a moment, and then rushed into his arms. To her astonishment they accepted her eagerly.

“Oh Redmark, I want to be with you. I can’t stop thinking about you all the time. I know everyone expects me to be with Cutter and I care about Cutter deeply, but it’s you I miss when I am gone. It’s you I can’t wait to see when the moons rise. I know I am young, but I want to grow… with you. I want you to touch me like you touch the plants. I don’t want to be with anyone else. You taught me not to hate, can you teach me to love as well?”

With all her emotions coming to the surface like that she couldn’t help but shed a tear or two. And just like when she was a cub, he wiped them away. Redmark was stunned at her emotional outburst. He didn’t know her to be like that, but he couldn’t turn her away. He wanted to hold her like she wanted him to. So he did, and they fell asleep like that. The next night, Nightfall was embarrassed at her outburst. Redmark assured her that he felt the same way. They talked about it and mutually decided that because she was young that Redmark wouldn’t hold her as his. She would have her freedom until she decided otherwise, but she could stay with him whenever she wanted. That night they spent the whole night in his den, alone, together.

                                                                     S.C. 2007