Arna grumbled at her broken leg and eyed the white wolf with a sour expression.
“It’s your fault,” she muttered. “You could have just spoken to me. Then I wouldn’t have thought you were trying to eat me.”
I did try to talk to you. You weren’t listening.
“Well,” Arna sighed. “Looks like I’m stuck in bed all day. Probably tomorrow and the rest of the week, too. It’s a good thing Fanndis has four million books for me to read or I would go insane being cooped up in here,” Arna whined.
You wouldn’t want to go outside right now. The whole world is buried under twelve feet of snow.
“How did you get in, then?”
The window. My mate and pups had to dig their way out of our den this morning in order to find food. Stigg is up on the roof shoveling off the thatch. Fanndis is in the kitchen. Everyone is busy, but you and I. Is there anything I can do for you?
“You could tell me your name,” Arna suggested.
You may call me Ulf.
“Ulf?” she remarked.
Yes. Ulf. Shall I fetch you something? Though you were not listening when I tried to warn you of how slippery the rocks were, I do feel responsible for frightening you. I will do whatever I can to help with your healing.
“I think I am fine for now. I must say, you are a very pretty thing. I’ve never seen a wolf up close before.” Arna studied his abundant white fur and large paws. “How many pups do you have?”
Seven. They are quite a handful, but my mate is an excellent mother.
“May I meet them one day?” Arna asked.
Perhaps. They live very near the greenhouse. Maybe the next time you come, I can arrange something.
“That would be nice.” Arna smiled.
She gazed at the giant sun spire that Fanndis had created for her. It was warm and beautiful. Arna wondered if she could make one if she tried. An attempt would be made once she could get up and move about. Ulf’s movement caught her attention. He slinked quietly out of the room. Once he was gone, she reclined on her ample pillows and closed her eyes.
The back of her skull pounded from the concussion she had sustained hitting the snow bank. The lump on her head was huge. She hoped it would go down soon so that she could sleep comfortably. Whenever she touched it, a wave of nausea crashed over her stomach. Her leg looked like a swollen, snow-covered log. Fanndis had changed the linens once Arna had woken up earlier that afternoon. The white fabric contrasted with the grey homespun quilt over the bed. Arna missed Lord Maslyn. She missed being in the kitchen or at the barn with Fanndis and learning the Seidh. She missed mobility. Appreciation for the ability to walk would never be lost on her again.
Ulf returned about an hour later. Arna sat reading from a text on herbal cures. She looked up when his claws tapped against the wooden floor. In his mouth was a giant ball of fur. At first, the girl thought Ulf might have been carrying his tail in his mouth, but then she realized he was carrying one of his pups. He sat it down on the bed and Arna felt her entire body disintegrate into mush.
“Oh, my goodness!” she squealed as she reached down to pick up the little wolf pup. He yawned, looking bored. He tolerated her petting.
His name is Derik. He’s our youngest. He was whining when I went home to visit, so I thought he might like to meet you. He’s too young to talk with humans.
“You are so precious! I wish you could stay with me!” Arna beamed, hugging him close to her neck where his soft fur could touch her skin. He licked her cheek and she squealed again.
Stigg watched from the threshold and smiled. Arna was such a vibrant person. The work on the thatching had taken all morning and he was enjoying a much needed break. Wanting to give the girl some space and time to enjoy the wolf pup, he went outside to shovel snow away from the cottage walls. The scene from the previous night played through his mind. He was so glad Ulf had come to him. If not, Arna might have been buried under the snow and never found until summer’s thaw.
In the kitchen, Fanndis prepared soup for dinner. The ladle made calming circular motions in the cauldron as she hummed to herself. Though Arna’s broken leg and concussion had scared her to death, Fanndis was quite recovered and cheerful after a nearly sleepless night. When the soup was finished, she brought a bowl to Arna in the back room of the cottage.
“Thank you,” Arna said gratefully.
“You’re welcome. Who’s this little fellow?” Fanndis asked, rubbing the tiny wolf pup behind the ears.
His name is Derik, Ulf answered.
“Well, you’re a handsome little thing aren’t you? Yes you are!” Fanndis could not help herself. She gushed over the tiny wolfling as well.
You’ll both spoil him if you’re not careful, Ulf chided, though he gave a growling wolf chuckle at the women’s behavior.
Arna passed Derik to Fanndis’ excited embrace and ate her soup. Its soothing heat filled her chest with warmth and she smiled. Her leg ached, but thanks to a cleverly made poultice, it was mostly numb. Fanndis, Ulf, and Derik eventually left the room, though the girl was glad she got to see the precious baby animal yawn one more time (eliciting a chorus of squeals from the females in the room). She grew tired and slept again. The suns had not even set.
Fanndis and Stigg both checked on her during the night. She was out of danger, though, and the older two slept most of the night themselves. In the morning, Stigg began work on a crutch for her, with some help from Fanndis. By the end of the day, they had helped her out of bed and Arna was able to hobble around the room a bit. Unfortunately, due to the enormous amount of snow that had been dumped during the blizzard, Lord Maslyn was still unable to visit that day. After Arna fell asleep that night, Fanndis and Stigg slept the whole night through.