Vol 1 Chapter 2 (1/2)

Chapter 2: First Meeting

Brother Wolf gets up with the sun, his silver fur glistening in the light. He raises his head and lets out a long howl, the sound reverberating in the sky. I follow suit and let out a long howl, raising my hands high towards the sky, like I’m embracing the sun and embracing the new day. The birds all take flight into the dancing clouds. I laugh and kick Brother Wolf, “Race ya to the banks of the Yue Ya Spring”, taking off before my howls have even fallen.

In three years time, Brother Wolf is as tall as my waist. I call him (elder) Brother Wolf not because he’s older than me, it’s just what I decided to call him, When I rejoined the pack, he was just one year old and learning to hunt. But now he is the Leader of the wolf pack. Even though I constantly kick him when we are alone, but deep down I do respect him.

Brother Wolf sensed I was deep in thought. He bent down to drink and let out a few humphs. He sees himself as the world’s most handsome, most powerful specimen – the male wolves all bow to him and the female wolves all faint at the sight of him. Except when it comes to me. I don’t cow before him, which is sad for him. Perhaps he wonders why he was born in the same world as me.

To help identify the wolves, I once tried to name them numerically. Wolf 1, wolf 2, wolf 3, all the way to wolf 99 when I first arrived. But following Brother Wolf and my vast conquering strategy, I’ve totally lost track, with the last count I kept being wolf 19,999. And that was two years ago already. When I see a wolf and can’t remember its name, I decided to give up. One day Brother Wolf and I will surely conquer all the wolves. But not having a wolf’s keen sense of smell, it’s hard for me to remember all the wolf faces.

Would Papa be happy or sad to know that I’m using all the knowledge he taught me to conquer the wolves. If I had learned more and understood it all earlier, maybe I could have helped him, and things might be different today.

I start humming a ditty but Brother Wolf gives me a dirty look before closing his eyes. Like I don’t think he’s all that, he also never thought I was pretty. Compared to the glowing fur of the female wolves, I’m likely so ugly it hurts his eyes.

I glare at him back and continue to braid my hair and hum my tune. Looking at my reflection in the water, in three years time I’ve transformed from Papa’s ugly little girl into a pretty young lady. Perhaps I can’t call myself a lady, but I know I am beautiful. I made a face at my own reflection and nod my head in satisfaction. I let out a whistle to let Brother Wolf know we can set out. He gets up and we slowly jog off.

We are on the plateau of the Ming Sa Mountains, staring down at a traveling caravan getting ready to set up camp. Thinking of my remaining little bit of salt and my tattered skirt, I crouched down and smile seductively at Brother Wolf. He’s unaffected by my attempt to entrance him, looking more like he’s seen a monster. He takes a few steps back and furrows his brows and frowns. He shoots me a few sneers.

I growl low and soft to him, asking him to go back first. I plan to sneak into the caravan. He stares and indicates he wants to come along. I hug his neck and he closes his eyes, enduring my embrace. Since being without Papa, there is no one to hug me. But luckily I have Brother Wolf, who allows me to hug him even if he can’t hug me.

We two sneak into the caravan camp. It’s a small caravan with at most 10 people. I’ve never seen such a small caravan, leading me to wonder what their business could be. My delay due to pondering this caused the impatient Brother Wolf to nip me in the b.u.t.t. I turn in angry embarra.s.sment and pinch his ear. He realized I was genuinely angry and c.o.c.ked his head, eyes wide in confusion. I let out a resigned sigh. The great and awesome King of the Wolves is here with me skulking about, so I’ll be the bigger person and let this one go. I warn him sternly not to touch my b.u.t.t, or else I won’t let him eat roast meat. I return to scoping out the caravan.

A large black-robed Han man takes out a wheelchair. Another purple-robed man opens the door to a carriage, letting a flash of white hit my eyes. The white is not blinding like the snow, but is instead very warm and soft, akin to shading the yellow Autumn moonlight with a touch of white. A young man’s face becomes visible. His features are as clear as surface of a calm river, his form elegant like the magnolia tree. He sat there quietly but I felt like a brilliant moon had pa.s.sed over the Sky Mountain and a spring breeze blew through the desert.

Transferring between the carriage and the wheelchair, the young man almost tumbled when the wheel slipped in the desert sand, but he stabilized the wheel and got on safely. The black-robed man shot others a glance so no one offered to help. What was normally a quick move took the young man a few minutes, but he remained smiling. Despite almost falling, his actions were elegant to behold, letting off an aura that he’s not going to give up.

He looked up at the mountains and the nearby spring, both of which have remained standing in this desert despite the pa.s.sage of thousands of years of time. The views I see everyday suddenly feels calmed by the addition of his white-robe. I guess even the vistas can be lonely.

I was staring so intently at him that I nearly forgot my purpose. I jolted myself with a reminder, followed by doubt about whether I should steal or not. I decided there was no reason not to steal, plus this young man will surely attract everyone’s attention, giving me a prime opportunity.

The black-robed and purple-robed men are like twin towers standing behind the young man. Others hurried around setting up camp. I gestured for Brother Wolf to stay as I snuck over to the camels. I wanted to see what they were selling to decide if I needed anything. The salt I will have to wait until they start cooking to discover where it’s being kept.

The caravans in the Gobi Desert always use camels and I’m already used to being around them. I’ve never failed before with the stealth tactics I learned in the wolf pack. But I had forgotten about the horse used to pull the carriage, which had been released from the harness and was off eating gra.s.s. As I snuck near the camels, the horse suddenly let out a whine. I couldn’t believe this horse knew strategy, as it allowed the enemy to get close before alerting to its presence.

The two big men rushed to protect the young man while others surrounded me. I glared at the horse, which appeared to be amused. I decided to settle my score with it later and try to escape first. I rushed away when Brother Wolf suddenly appeared and blocked two big men from chasing me.

As Brother Wolf and I ran away, suddenly a gentle lazy drawl rose from behind me “If the young miss is sure she can outrun my c.o.c.ked bow with seven consecutive arrows, then go ahead and try.”

I slowed and stopped for a few steps, while Brother Wolf ran back and growled low at me. He didn’t know the danger we were in. I furrowed my brows to indicate the he should run away. I turned to protect him.

The young man, holding an intricate small bow, lowered it when he saw me stop and turn. The purple-robed man pointed to the wolf logo branded on every camel and said “Are you blind or a courageous idiot? Daring to set upon us? Even the desert thieves stay far far away from from us.”

Brother Wolf had turned agitated because I wouldn’t leave. He jumped in front of me and held a vicious attack pose, ready to strike at any moment. They realized Brother Wolf was a genuine wolf and not a wolf dog, raising their alarm since wolves travel in packs. A pack of wolves can decimate any caravan. Too bad I was rash and decided to sneak in with just Brother Wolf in tow, with the rest of the wolf pack too far away to arrive in time even if called.

The young man raised his bow towards Brother Wolf, but his eyes remained fixed on me. I scrambled in front of Brother Wolf “Please don’t….hurt him, it’s me…..it’s my idea to steal from you……not him.” Since returning the pack, other than overhearing people talking in caravans, its been three years since I spoke with a human. I talked constantly to Brother Wolf, but perhaps I was nervous, because my words now come out in a stutter.

The young man gently asked “Just one wolf?” I thought with annoyance – if it was more than one, would I allow you to ask me all these questions. I quickly decided whether to lie or tell the truth, but recognizing that he didn’t appear easily lied to. My feminine instinct indicated that he already knew the truth, and just wanted rea.s.surance for the people around him.

“Just……this one.” My words relaxed everyone, who turned to look curiously at us, wondering how I could be companions with a wolf. The young man put down his bow and told me to control my wolf. I nodded and indicated to Brother Wolf to wait for my signal to attack. I asked the young man “So which arm are you going to cut off now?” I once overheard travelers discussing how they would cut off the arm of a thief as a warning.

The purple-robed man asked what I wanted to steal? I looked at my tattered skirt, compared to the exquisite clothes on the white-robed young man, and muttered “I want…..I want….a skirt.” The purple-robed man asked disbelievingly if that was all. I added that I also wanted salt. He humphed, promising ways to get me to tell the truth.

The young man cut him off “Please go bring the outfit that was given as a present. Then take out what salt we need for today, and give the rest o her.” The purple-robed man’s expression changed “Jiu Ye…..” [Ye is an honorific to mean lord, master, or sire – Jiu Ye thus means 9th Master.] He quieted once the young man gave him a look. Soon a man brought out a light blue outfit and handed it to me. I dumbly received it, and also accepted a small can of salt. I stared at the young man.

He smiled lightly and said “We are all men in this group, without any female clothing, except for this one. When we pa.s.sed through Luo Lan, a friend gave it to me. I hope you like it.” I touched the fabric, which was as soft as a lambskin. This must be expensive silk, and knowing how precious this gift was, I ought to decline it. But I couldn’t and nodded my head sheepishly in accepting it.

He told me to leave. I paused and gave him a bow before taking off with Brother Wolf. A horse whine from behind caused me to turn back and glare at that horse. But I had accepted something, whereas Brother Wolf could care less about niceties. He turned back and let out a howl. The camels all collapsed, and while the horse didn’t collapse, it was quite nervous.

I let out a happy laugh. Without teaching it a lesson, the horse would believe it was a king of the desert. Brother Wolf leads tens of thousand of wolves, how dare the horse try to outsmart us. Perhaps it was the sound of my unbridled laughter, but the young man stopped and stared at me. His stare caused me to turn red and I quickly stopped laughing. He also quickly averted his gaze. He teasingly looked at Brother Wolf “This horse might not be a prize winner, but it was handpicked as a solid steed. Supposedly it can battle leopards and tigers, but perhaps that was just a baseless boast.”

I respond “Perhaps it’s not a baseless boast. The average leopard and tiger can’t even compete with my Brother Wolf.” I finish talking and hurry Brother Wolf away with me. He was staring at that solid steed with a tasty expression. If we don’t leave now, who knows what new mess will arise.

We walked far before I turned back to look. In the distance the white robe became an unforgettable sight in this desert. Regardless of whether he could still see me, I heartily waved goodbye before entering the mountains.

It’s only Brother Wolf and I next to the fire, the other wolves being afraid of the flames. Brother Wolf used to be afraid but I trained him to get used to it. The other wolves didn’t have the courage. My forcing the other wolves to get used to the fire only added to my terrible reputation amongst the wolf pack. I became the spooky warning mother wolves told their recalcitrant baby wolves who wouldn’t go to sleep at night. Hearing that they might be handed over to me, even the brattiest baby wolves dutifully did as they were told.

I opened the skirt, marveling at the dye used to get this magical blue color. The workmans.h.i.+p was exquisite, with intricate clouds embroidered on the sleeves. There is a sash draped with little seed pearls. Wearing it and walking, the sash and pearls will show off the elegant turn of the waist. The Luo Lan females must always wear a veil year round, so this outfit came with an accompanying blue face veil and a pearl band to secure the veil on the head. At home when the veil is not needed, it can be lifted behind the head and create another new look, with the black hair a contrast to the pearl band and the blue veil.

I ask Brother Wolf “Isn’t this skirt too expensive a present? Why did that Jiu Ye give such a gift to a stranger? All these years and I haven’t changed my inability to turn down pretty things….” Used to my nattering, Brother Wolf had already closed his eyes and gone to sleep.

I pinched his ears but he didn’t stir. I stop my grousing and curled up next to him, drifting off into deep slumber.

……………………………………

Another full moon night has arrived. I always wondered why wolves howl when it’s the full moon, which usually scares the living daylights out of desert travelers hearing the reverberating howling of the wolves. Under the blue-black night sky, the moon s.h.i.+nes like water on the endless desert waves, bathing it in silver white light. I’m wearing my most precious blue skirt and ambling alongside Brother Wife.

The blue skirt hem moves with my footsteps, up and down, and the veil secured by the pearl head band billows in the wind. I take off my shoes to feel the still vaguely warm sand. The warmth seeps through my feet into my heart. Watching the endless horizon, I sudden have this sensation that the world belongs to me. I can extend my wings and be free here. I face the moon and let out a howl, and Brother Wolf immediately joins me. From the distance countless wolves start howling as well.

I think I finally understand why wolves howl at the moon. The moon belongs to us, the desert belongs to us, loneliness and arrogance and sadness, it all is released in the long howl towards the moon.

Brother Wolf and I find a resting stop high up. He plops down and surveys the entire desert. This belongs to him, he is the King of this domain. Even though I’ve a bellyful of wistful thoughts, I don’t want to disturb him right now. I sit down behind him and look up to enjoy the moon.

Brother Wolf sudden lets out a low growl. I look towards the distance but my eyes and ears are not sharp like his. From what I see it is still just calm in the desert.

After some time, I gradually hear a sound approaching in the night air. It’s coming closer, like a thousand horses thundering. Brother Wolf scoffs at me, indicating it’s not that many people. More time later, I can gradually make out a small caravan of ten or so people in the front with about one or two hundred riders in pursuit. It doesn’t look like an army, so it must be a band of thieves.

Brother Wolf looks annoyed these people disturbed his placid desert, but he lowers his head, not wanting to fight or get involved. The wolves have their wolf code, one of which is not attacking humans unless there is a dire necessity due to a food shortage or for self defense. Not because wolves are scared, but just to avoid more trouble.

I put on my shoes and fix my veil. Supposedly once the thieves set their sights on a caravan they are relentless. This battle outcome is obvious, especially with the number differential. Two caravan riders have already been cut down, their bodies trampled by horses that continue to pursue the rest.

Suddenly a horse is cut by a thief and the rider falls to the ground. Another rider turns back and pulls the fallen rider on the same horse and continues on with the speed now slowed down considerably. The fallen rider tries to get off, but the rescuing rider looks annoyed and chops the fallen rider’s neck with his hand, causing the fallen rider to go limp on the horse.

My eyes seem to be clouded by a veil of blood l.u.s.t, and my nostrils seem to smell the sweet wetness of blood. Three years ago, the thundering sound of hooves, once again returns to my ears. I can’t help but stand up and blankly stare down.

……………………………………..

Yu Dan and I are riding the most powerful horse in the entire Xiong Nu. After riding for two days and two nights, we still haven’t reached the Han dynasty or shaken the pursuers. Yu Dan’s guards slowly die one by one, until it’s just the two of us left. I’m afraid I will soon fall off the horse, not sure if it will hurt to be trampled under their hooves. Yi Zhi Xie, do you really want to kill Papa and us? If you kill Papa, I will hate you forever.

“Yu Jin, I am going to p.r.i.c.k the horse flank with this knife and it will have a burst of speed. Once I shake the pursuing army, I will let you off the horse and you escape alone. When you were a child, didn’t you live in this desert like a wolf? You need to become a wolf again, you need to escape from the hunters behind us.”

“What about you? Papa told us to escape to the Central Plains together.”

“I have a horse! I can run faster than you. After I reach the Central Plains, I will come back for you.” Yu Dan smiles his usual broad smile. I look at his smiling face and suddenly become afraid. I keep shaking my head no.