Chapter 49

She had not felt such exhilaration since the night she left the village. Her hair streamed out behind her as she rode across the open plains, legs clamped tightly about the midsection of Fern’s wolf, spear tucked into the crook of her arm, eyes fixed on the horses running ahead of them. The chase had begun the moment they heard Vaya’s distant howl, the signal that the forward group were ready.

The packs of chasers streamed ahead on either side as the hunters broke into a run, disappearing into the distance as they moved around to flank the drove. By the time the animals realized they were in danger the main hunting pack was bearing down on them. Some of them attempted to scatter, but the barks of the chasers corralled the panicked horses back together, keeping them moving as one in the direction of the ravine.

The first time Netya had ridden a wolf she’d clung on for dear life. This time her fingers barely even tightened in Fern’s fur as the ground streaked by faster tha