Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls - Jane Lindskold [6]
Motion from Head Wolf’s tent distracts her. She begins to climb to the nearest ladder.
“Follow me, Sarah. We can’t keep Head Wolf waiting.”
I follow, afraid to go again before those mad black eyes, yet tingling with anticipation. This time, when Abalone stops before the tent there is no shouted challenge. Head Wolf is waiting and with a toss of his head he gestures us to a cleared open space where many of the other Jungle residents are gathering.
“This is our Council Rock,” Head Wolf says. “Here we give our Law. Some of the Pack must go out and hunt, but the rest have stayed this little while to help me teach you.”
He puts out his hand and a tattered green book is put into it. The oversized cover is dark, forest green, painted with a beautiful young man seated beside a wolf, a black panther, and a bear. Head Wolf holds up the cover so that I can see it.
He smiles. “What do you see, Sarah?”
The Jungle becomes silent. I can sense that how I answer will shape all my interaction with these people. Frightened, I tighten my grip on Betwixt and Between until the spikes along their back dent my hand.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?” I stammer.
Someone chuckles. Abalone kicks out. My eyes never leave Head Wolf. Will he understand me?
“What is the mirror, Sarah?” he asks softly.
I point to the book, my finger just touching the beautiful boy.
“And what does the mirror reflect, Sarah?”
I move my hand and gently brush his face.
“Very good,” he purrs, “very good. This Book holds our Law. Listen. We will tell it to you.”
He faces his people and I turn with him. For the first time, I notice that each one wears the sign of the wolf. Sometimes it is a piece of jewelry, others a patch on clothing, a few a tattoo proudly displayed.
Head Wolf raises his hand and like a conductor signaling a downbeat drops it. A chant rises.
“Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky. And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.”
They go on, verse after verse. Abalone’s eyes are wide and serious. The boy who kneels next to her screws his eyes shut with concentration. A tall black girl beats her hand between her breasts. I search futilely for one face that is less than impassioned. The words burn themselves into my mind. By the end, I know them all perfectly.
“That is our Law,” Head Wolf says with a proud smile for his people. “Can you learn it, Sarah?”
I hesitate. Edelweiss already does not like me. Perhaps I should take care not to gain Head Wolf’s favor.
“Go for it, girl!” Betwixt hisses.
“That memory of yours is the best thing you have going for you,” Between adds.
I draw a deep breath and begin: “Now this is the Law of the Jungle…”
Silence greets my conclusion. Then there is a rustle and a chorus of yips and barks and howls shake the metal walls. Only when I see Abalone’s proud smile do I realize that the powerful cacophony is meant as applause.
The Head Wolf’s brown face is lit with a fierce smile. “Very good, Sarah. Do you understand the words that you just recited?”
“We know in part, and we prophesy in part,” I say, hastening to clarify. “When I was a child, I understood as a child.”
“You understand some, then.” Head Wolf awaits my nod before continuing. “Fine. The Law ends with ‘Because of his age and his cunning, because of his gripe and his paw, in all that the Law leaveth open, the word of the Head Wolf is Law.’ I am Head Wolf and so I have ruled these two additions to fit our Jungle Law. Chocolate, tell Sarah.”
A pretty black boy with dreadlocks stands and bows. “No one shall have sex with anyone, anyway that one don’t want it. Lest they die. No one pushes drugs here. Lest they die.”
Head Wolf grimaces slightly. “Without poetry, but the sense is there. Pretty good, Chocolate.”
“Sarah, since you don’t understand all the Law, you’ll need a Baloo, a teacher. Is there anyone who you would like?