Mika stood very, very still, watching the flat, black pupils of Tarn's eyes. They were hard and unfriendly and looked on Mika the wolf with open hostility.
The princess was far friendlier, extending her black nose in an open, curious fashion, her busy, silver-tipped tail wagging back and forth. She sniffed him all over and then coyly slid alongside, presenting her own body to be sniffed in turn.
Not wishing to be rude, Mika carefully lowered his head and sniffed the princess's neck in a perfunctory manner, all the while keeping his eyes on Tam, whose upper lip seemed to be quivering over his canines.
The princess slid past Mika, her small, lithe form pressing against his muzzle. Her slender back passed under his nose and then her tail brushed across his face, obscuring his vision, blocking out the sight of Tam.
And then the most exciting scent he had ever smelled hit Mika. A powerful yet elusive scent, it exploded in his brain like a bolt of white lightning. His body felt as though it were charged with electricity, and his world shrank until it contained nothing other than himself and the princess.
Tarn's presence lingered on the fringes of his mind like a black cloud on the horizon, but it no longer mattered-nothing mattered to his frenzied mind but the princess.
The elusive fragrance crept into his nostrils, coated his tongue and palate, and saturated his brain. It was a siren song of obsession and lust and madness. His tail arced high over his body and he rose on stiff legs and pranced forward, drinking in the addictive scent until his maddened mind reeled under the impact and his body demanded that he act.
Suddenly something hard crashed into his chest, bowling him over. A sharp pain streaked across his muzzle, and hot, salty blood filled his mouth.
He staggered to his feet in time to see Tam leap from the mouth of the cave into the darkness that lay beyond. The princess looked back at Mika over her shoulder. It was a laughing, mischievous glance that challenged yet invited him to follow… if he dared. Then she, too, was gone.
Mika staggered to his feet, stunned, overwhelmed by forces he could not comprehend. He stood in the mouth of the cave and looked out into the dark night, whimpering softly, his tail wagging uncertainly.
Then he caught it, a brief message on the air, an invisible trail that could not be seen but could be followed. Without further thought Mika leaped from the cave and thrust himself into the night, trusting his senses in this all but unknown world.
His feet found the trail that led up the mountain at a precipitous angle. Sensitive footpads were forced to read every inch of the trail like a map, or a wrong step could end in death. The demon paw proved to be surprisingly helpful, the long, curved claws biting into the rock and gaining Mika purchase.
The moon had not yet risen above the bulk of the dark mountain. A cold wind swept down from the higher elevations, filling his nostrils with the smell of snow and ice and a thin thread of oily warmth that he somehow knew were sheep.
He also caught the rank scent of kobold, those horny-skinned, non-human dwellers of subterranean chambers. But the scent was old and carried no feeling of immediate danger. He ignored everything but that which spoke of the wolves who had gone before him.
He took joy in the power of his body, felt the strength in his muscles and the rising exhilaration that filled his mind. He ran on, more certain with each step that he would find the princess and that she would be his.
The more he thought about it, the more he tried to convince himself that there had been some misunderstanding earlier. Tam couldn't really be angry with him. After all, what had he done other than become a wolf? He and Tam were friends, bond brothers, pals. And all he wanted was to have fun and forget his problems. He would find Tam and explain it to him, and then everything would be fine.
Having reassured himself, Mika continued on, leaping from boulder to boulder, ascending higher and higher into the steep ravine, the demon paw helping him climb with ease.
The sound of water grew louder and as he reached a small plateau. High on the flank of the mountain, he found himself standing beside a small pool of water that trickled down from the snow-covered peaks above. Soon the flow would cease as winter locked its grim hold on the mountains, sheathing them in ice until the turn of the year.
But he knew that Tam and the princess had been here. Mika lowered his head and drank in the taste of her, which rested lighdy on the smooth surface of the icy, black water. Her flavor inflamed his brain, driving out all thoughts of friendship and fun, driving him on in great leaping bounds, ever higher on the mountain.
He howled, a wild, joyous sound that poured out of his throat like liquid fire. Far away, a small band of brigands, outcasts of the city trying desperately to stay alive on the wild and dangerous plains, heard the sound and shivered, drawing closer to their tiny fire, clutching the handles of their knifes in fear.
Just ahead of him he saw a flash of silvery tail. He stretched out his body and felt his paws grab the stony earth and pull it toward him. He gained rapidly on the two wolves-and then he was upon them.
Tam stopped and turned to face him, lips bared in an open snarl. The princess sat down abruptly and stared from one to the other, her tongue lolling from the side of her mouth in a most provocative manner.
Mika crawled forward, whining plaintively, head lowered, body nearly scraping the ground, tail wagging back and forth slowly, almost begging to be accepted.
Before the princess could even react, Tam leaped at Mika, landing in a stiff-legged crouch a mere hand- span away on the narrow trail. His head was lowered and his upper lip was drawn back completely, revealing his black gums and sharp white teeth. He snarled ferociously, the slaver glistening on his teeth. — Mika saw red. Anger clouded his mind like fog, and he lost all sense of reason. This wasn't fair! This wasn't fun! All he'd wanted was a good time, and instead his best friend was threatening to kill him. All right! If Tam wanted a fight, he'd get a fight that he wouldn't soon forget, Mika decided angrily.
Mika felt his own hackles rise, standing out around his neck like a stiff collar. The rage built in his chest, and his mouth fixed itself in a grimace of hate. He felt the remnants of his love and friendship for Tam wash away like the cold, sleeting rain that had begun to fall.
Tam snarled, a deep rumbling sound that rose from somewhere deep in his chest, and Mika answered with one of his own.
Tam moved then, rushing forward and striking Mika squarely in the chest with the full force of his body. Mika was not prepared for such an action; he tumbled from his feet and landed in the middle of the icy current which flowed beside the trail.
The shock of the frigid water brought him to his feet, trembling, angered that he had been taken off guard. He lowered his head and surged out of the water, striking low, mouth agape, snapping at Tarn's front legs.
Tam leaped aside and attempted to grab Mika by the back of the neck, but Mika's rush carried him out of Tarn's reach.
Then the fight began in earnest, each of them jockeying for position, trying to seize the others' neck. Teeth flashed, snapped, clashed. Blood flew from slashed muzzles, torn lips, and ripped ears. Heavy bodies slammed into each other, pushing, shoving, jostling, struggling for dominance. And through it all, Mika was conscious of the demon paw; the claws ached, almost rising on their own to rip through Tarn's throat, but somehow, in some tiny portion of his mind, Mika kept control, knowing that to use the claw would be to wreak certain death. He was angry with Tam, angry and hurt, but he did not wish to kill him, only steal the princess and win the night.
And all the while, the princess sat calmly on the bank, observing with interest the mayhem she had created, daintily moving aside every now and then to avoid actual contact with the raging combatants.