“… and he will be missed,” Velena finished, gesturing to the funeral pyre behind her where Kilik’s body lay.

  The Ka-Sho-Dan for the night was cancelled, but it was too late in the day for the hunters to go out and look for something as dangerous as a Lake-Wolf. Velena announced the feast would continue as planned, alongside a funeral for Kilik.

  Hunters patrolled around the crowd, guards against the threat outside the line of torches. The same smells of cooked food as the night before wafted through the air, but the mood was entirely different. Where excitement had pulsed, anger simmered. Kilik had been popular, well loved, and the father of three beautiful, young girls, who sobbed quietly in their mother’s arms as Velena lowered a torch to the pyre.

  “Why do we burn the bodies?” Leeze asked quietly from beside Syl.

  “To let our essences join our Ancestors,” Edar answered.

  “Where are our Ancestors?” Leeze asked. The crackle and pop of the growing pyre forced her to raise her voice.

  Edar pointed up towards the clear sky. “Each of the stars in the sky is one of our Ancestors,” he said. “They watch over us and keep us safe, and that’s why the rainy season is so dangerous. When the rain-heavy clouds roll in, our valley is hidden from our Ancestor’s sight. And from their protection.”

  “They didn’t do a very good job protecting Kilik,” Rogar pointed out.

  Edar shook his head. “It’s not things like Lake-Wolves the Ancestors protect us from.”

  “What is it then?” Dena asked.

  “They protect us from the things we can’t touch, the Anihazi,” Edar said.

  “Anihazi? Isn’t that some kind of spirit?” Reylo asked. “I think my grandma talks about them sometimes.”

  “Yes,” Edar said. “Don’t any of you remember what we were taught as children?”

  “That superstitious nonsense?” Rogar said as a particularly loud pop spurted fire ten feet into the sky. “Nobody believes it anymore. Only your grandmother, the storyteller, talks about it. They’re just stories.”

  “It’s not nonsense,” Edar said, heat in his voice. “Or stories. It’s our tradition. Our heritage. The Anihazi are dangerous. Why do you think we hide when the rains come? Why do our fields have covered paths even though we only use them for one month of the year? Why do we stay inside at night when there’s fog? Why are our villages hidden beneath the trees? To protect us when our Ancestors can’t.”

  “I thought it was because the storms were dangerous,” Leeze mused. “My mom said something about lightning.”

  “And predators that only come out in the fog,” Reylo added.

  “My dad said the same thing,” Kule agreed. “And they hunt little boys who don’t eat their vegetables.”

  “Uh… I think that’s just your parents making sure you eat healthy,” Reylo shrugged.

  “Wait. You mean it’s not true?”

  “Not the vegetable part at least…”

  “I’ve been eating vegetables I didn’t have to?!”

  “You’re both wrong,” Edar said. “It’s the Anihazi we hide from.”

  “Anihazi can’t possibly be worse than vegetables,” Kule grumbled.

  “You’re just repeating what you already said,” Rogar snapped, fed up. “Tell me, have you ever seen one of these spirits?”

  “That’s just it,” Edar said emphatically. “We can’t normally see them.”

  “Convenient.”

  “Enough, both of you,” Syl snapped. She held no stock in tradition other than the Ka-Sho, but neither of them would be able to convince the other of their views. And now was not the time for it. “At this point, the Anihazi are not our problem. The Lake-Wolf is. We should be out there hunting it, not huddling here with this feast all around us.” She gestured towards the food-laden tables.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “The rites are important,” Edar said, but eyed Syl warily.

  “I understand they’re important to some people,” she conceded with a shrug. “But protecting the rest of the villagers seems a bit more important to me right now.”

  “Want to get it done so you can get back to winning the Ka-Sho-Dan?” Kule asked.

  Syl took a threatening step forward, and only Dena’s firm hand stopped her from doing something she’d regret later. “You think that’s what I’m worried about?” Syl hissed.

  “Her dad’s out there,” Dena quickly explained before Kule could say something else stupid. “Went out to Teb’s farm this morning.”

  Kule actually had the decency to look ashamed. “Syl… I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  Syl took a breath to calm down. “It’s okay, Kule. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

  “I’m sure your father is fine,” Reylo said. “Teb’s farm is nowhere near where we found Kilik. He’ll be back before you know it.”

  Syl turned an appreciative smile towards Reylo for trying to make her feel better. He blushed furiously and spun away, mumbling something Syl couldn’t make out over the sounds of the fire.

  “We’ll find the Lake-Wolf tomorrow and everything will go back to normal,” Dena said, looking Syl in the eyes. “Then your father will be back, safe and sound, just in time to see you win the Ka-Sho-Dan.”

  “Do you really think we’ll be part of the hunt?” Leeze asked, knuckles white around her pendant. “This Lake-Wolf thing sounds pretty dangerous.”

  “Scared?” Kule asked

  “We’re not hunters,” Leeze answered, a hint of fear in her voice. The girl had good reason to be afraid of a Lake-Wolf, and yet…

  “We’re almost adults now,” Rogar said aloud what Syl was thinking. “We may not be hunters, but we’re all responsible for the village’s well-being. If they ask us to go, isn’t it our duty?”

  “Don’t we already have enough hunters?” Leeze asked, looking to the others for support. Surprisingly, even Kule was quiet.

  “They won’t send us out alone,” Syl reassured her. “We’ll be part of a larger hunting party, and it’s important we go.”

  “How can it be important we risk our lives?” Leeze asked.

  “Because even after this Lake-Wolf is killed, it won’t be the last one to threaten our valley. Someday, when Lorac and the other hunters are old, or dead, it will fall on us. This is our chance to learn about the threat, while still protected by the other hunters, and in turn, protect our children.”

  It was the same as when her parents taught her about medicine. They challenged her in a safe environment, so she’d know what to do when they were gone. And it wasn’t just her parents; it was the way of the village.

  “I just mean,” Leeze continued her protests. “What if it finds us instead of the other way around?”

  “That’s why we go together,” Syl said with an encouraging smile. “We’ll watch your back, and you’ll watch ours.”

  “Especially Kule,” Dena added. “We all know how much he enjoys watching your backside.” Her mouth quirked as she said it, as did the others’, and the mounting tension dissolved.

  But jokes wouldn’t solve their problem. Syl talked big and she believed in what she said, but the memory of Kilik’s torn-out throat was a hard one to push out of her head. The Lake-Wolf was dangerous. Especially dangerous if what her mother said was true about it being some kind of deviant.

  That deviant her mother talked about was never caught. Could it be the same one? Could it have come back? Was it hiding in the valley the entire time? Was it a different one?

  “It doesn’t matter,” she whispered to herself. When Dena gave her a questioning look, she just shook her head and smiled.

  The fire roared in the centre of the crowd but people began to filter away. Only the immediate family would stay until the last spark faded, as tradition said they should. The rest of the village was expected to leave them to see their loved one off in peace.

  Peace and sorrow, she corrected as she looked at the tear-streaked faces of Kilik’s three daughters. If her father didn’t make it back safely, that would be her.

  No. She wouldn’t let that happen. She’d find the Lake-Wolf by herself if she had to.

  “Let’s get something to eat,” Kule said with a shrug. “Would be a shame to let all this food go to waste.”

  “Weren’t you the one complaining this morning about never seeing another boar?” Reylo asked, and elbowed Kule gently in the ribs.

  Kule gave him a level glare. “I said, and I quote, ‘I swear If I see even a hint of one before the feast tonight…’ The key words in there are before the feast tonight. Well, it’s the feast. So, I’m ready for more boar. Especially the candied stuff.”

  “How can you even think about food with… with that…?” Leeze said, gesturing towards the fire.

  “Not the first funeral pyre we’ve had,” Kule said, looking a little confused. “There’s usually food…”

  “Not the pyre,” Leeze explained. “The Lake-Wolf.”

  “Kule’s right,” Syl said, and then shook her head. “Wow. I can’t believe I actually said that.

  “Look,” she went on, ignoring Kule’s scowl. “We have to eat. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. We need to keep our strength up.”

  “I don’t know if I can,” Leeze said quietly, and gave the leather strap around her neck a gentle tug.

  “Leeze, of course you can,” Syl comforted her. Neither of them was talking about just the food. “We all can. And we all will. This kind of thing is exactly what the Sho-Sen has been preparing us for. Not for the Ka-Sho-Dan, not really. For this. For protecting the things and the people we love.”

  “When did you become the motivational speaker?” Rogar asked, but his arms weren’t crossed for once.

  Syl’s eyes went from the pyre to Kilik’s family, and then to her mother and brother, before she finally answered. “When I realized there are things I want to protect, I guess.”

  “Not even your birthday yet and you sound so… adult…” Dena said with a chuckle.

  “I’d just like to say,” Kule piped up, “that I agree with Syl. There are things I want to protect as well.”

  “Candied boar doesn’t count, Kule,” Edar sighed.

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