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outrun a wolf, after all, and we were in the middle of the forest.
    Most of the supplies and tents had been packed up. I could see some wolves hitching themselves to sleds with supplies. A sprinkling of snow fell from above in the morning light, but the wolves paid no mind to it. They began to move, the sleds moving bumpily over the frosted ground. The sleds were narrow enough to go through the pine trees, and they moved reasonably well over the icy ground. They would have to leave their sleds behind once we got low enough in the mountains, I thought. Would it take them longer to reach the territory?
    It doesn’t matter.
    I bit back tears as I thought of my mom and dad packing up their things to go. It wouldn’t matter when we reached the territory, because they would be long gone by then. The wolves here thought that they were traveling to war, but I knew the truth. There would be no army there to meet them. There would be nothing there, an empty surrender of all our land and resources. The thought tasted bitter in my mouth.
    Now, wolves were beginning to run around me, their packs piled high on their backs. Even though most of them were burdened down with a heavy load, they bounded quickly over the frozen ground in one direction.
    Towards my pack.
    I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t turn into a wolf to run with them, certainly. I took a hesitant step in the direction most of the wolves were headed. I would soon be left behind, and Alekk—
    “Ahh!”
    I cried out as a line of wolves raced past me. A strong hand grabbed me up and lifted me off of the ground. Even before I saw who it was, I could feel his hand gripping my arm and I recognized his touch.
    Alekk.
    He pulled me off of the ground and into the sled. I fell back against his body as the sled raced forward.
    “Didn’t think I’d leave you, did you?” Alekk said.
    We swept through the camp and quickly past the edge of the last wolves who were packing up. Before I could take another breath, the wolves pulling the sled leapt over a hillside and we were in the forest.
    I gasped. The trees had darkened out the light of the sun, and the dark fir branches swept quickly past us on all sides. Underneath, the sled blades cut through the frosted ground.
    Immediately I began to shiver, my teeth clacking together. Even the extra leather pelts Leah had given me were no match for the chill of the wind cutting across my face. I thought of a poem my mother had taught me once, by Robert Frost. I didn’t remember most of it, but I remembered two lines in particular—
    “The only other sound’s the sweep
    Of easy wind and downy flake.”
    All I could hear was the rush of wind, and as we pulled through the forest, Alekk shifted his weight back in the sled and opened up his robe. I said nothing as he took me back onto his lap and pulled the robe around me. As he did, I caught a glimpse of his scar, running down his neck and disappearing back behind the fabric of his undershirt. Then he had me turned around again to face the front, and I was staring ahead at the line of wolves pulling us deeper into the darkness of the forest.
    The black robes were thick and warm, and I curled up inside of them gratefully, letting my body ease back against his warm chest. The wind still whipped my cheeks until they stung, but I was warm at my core. It was strange, to be pulled along so quickly without exerting any effort. It felt almost like being a wolf—like running through the forest as an animal, wild and alive.
    I’d never been able to appreciate the sensations before as a human, but they were just as powerful now. Maybe more so—in wolf form, I was never so scared at going over a hilltop at full speed or ducking under branches. As a human, this was all so thrilling . I almost forgot what we were racing toward.
    Alekk’s voice whispered in my ear.
    “Kinaya?”
    “Yes?” I said, twisting my head back to see him. His dark hair fell forward, fringing his eyes. In the dim light of