Page 15 of Cree & Dawn and the Wolf

“I have one like that, but she’s a lass,” Cree said, thinking of his daughter Lizbeth.

Sim chuckled. “Much luck with her.”

Cree laughed. “I need more prayer than luck. Did you find the wounded wolf cub?”

The smile that had lingered on Sim’s face after his laughter faded, vanished.

“Nay, we found no signs of him.”

“I thought I heard a wolf prowling outside the stable last night while settling my horse. Perhaps he came across the cub and returned him to the pack,” Cree suggested, to see if the man might agree with him.

“That is a possibility. The wolves have been known to prowl the village when the fog is dense.”

“It must be difficult to live with the constant threat of the wolves,” Cree said and waited to learn if his thought resembled Lord Tiernan’s, and it did.

“We don’t bother them, and they don’t bother us. Besides, wolves have no interest in humans. They mostly keep to themselves.”

“A good thing to know,” Cree said, wondering over the brothers’ shared belief. There didn’t seem to be a reasonable explanation as to why a wolf cub was hiding under the bed of one of the dwellings or why a wolf prowled outside the stable last night. He had a feeling that Clan MacMadadh harbored many secrets.

Cree’s horse was doing well and was being well cared for and he thanked Sim for that. He would normally want to explore more of a village unfamiliar to him, not that the fog would let him see much, but at least he could get a sense of his surroundings. Presently, he did not even know the way out of the village, the fog consuming all paths. The thought made him want to return to Dawn, feeling uneasy about leaving her alone in unfamiliar surroundings, especially with her wound robbing her of her full strength.

“I am sure you are eager to return to your wife,” Sim said.

Had his eagerness shown on his face or was Sim eager to return him to the keep?

“Sim,” a woman called out as she began to emerge from the fog. “Tade is doing well, a minor wound and it was wise of you tocoat it with honey. Oh—” The woman stopped abruptly when she stepped out of the fog and spotted Cree. She appeared surprised and a bit confused.

“Lynall, this is Lord Cree. Brigid must have told you about him and his wife, Lady Dawn, who requires your healing touch,” Sim said and turned to Cree. “This is Lynall, our healer and a skilled one at that.”

Lynall bobbed her head. “I am pleased to meet you, my lord.”

“And I you, Lynall, though more anxious for you to tend to my wife,” Cree said, thinking the woman was too young to be an experienced healer. She had pretty features, green eyes, and long dark hair that did not want to remain piled on her head, strands falling where they pleased.

“Aye, I was headed to the keep to see Lady Dawn, having been advised of her arrival and need of a healer, when I saw Sim.”

“You must have exceptional eyesight to be sure it was him through such a heavy fog,” Cree said, finding Clan MacMadadh stranger the more he learned about it.

“When you live with as much fog as we do, you learn to make out familiar shapes and shadows,” Sim said.

Sim may have thought the explanation viable but not Cree, it made him more suspicious of this odd place and even more eager to leave it.

“Come, Lord Cree,” Lynall said, “and let me see how I can help your wife.”

Cree saw the relief on his wife’s face as soon as he entered the Great Hall, and he silently admonished himself for leaving her alone too long in an unfamiliar place. He never thought of her as different, having no voice, since to him she spoke loudly with her gestures, her expressions, and her touches. But here no one knew her, no one would hear her, and he worried it wouldleave her feeling vulnerable. Then there was her head wound that didn’t help any, robbing her of her usual confident self.

His suspicions were confirmed when he hurried to her, and she stood anxious to greet him only to wobble on her feet.

He rushed his arm around her, and she fell against him. “You’re dizzy, aren’t you?”

She nodded.

“You stood much too fast after suffering a head wound, feeling dizzy would be expected,” Lynall said with a pleasant smile. “May I have a look at the wound?”

Dawn nodded and Cree helped her to sit. It disturbed him when his wife grabbed his hand and wouldn’t let go. She was letting him know he was to stay there beside her. Dawn was a strong, fearless woman having survived many ordeals and made even stronger by each one. It bothered him to see her appear frightened. He squeezed her hand, assuring her that he wasn’t going anywhere.

“The bump isn’t too bad, and the wound is not deep and looks to be healing nicely. I have a salve that will help with the healing. It is good the fog prevents you from leaving since you need rest and traveling by horse or walking would not serve you well.”

“You are welcome to stay here as long as necessary for Lady Dawn to heal.”

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