Free Vacant Faith by Melody Hewson Page B

without them, I wouldn't be here. Neither
would you or your mother. You see, humans brought horses and many
other animals to this world. And I was but a colt when Mother found
me, no more than a few days old when I fell into a river and
drowned. At least, that's what she told me. I have no memory of
anything before I awakened on the shore, sopping wet and shivering
as I coughed the water from my lungs. But, I suppose you could say
that was the moment I was born.”
    “Daddy,” Alina interrupted again. “Isn't a
colt a baby horse?”
    “Very good, my dearest, a colt is indeed a
baby horse.” He praised her. “A male baby horse. I was an ordinary
horse when I was first born. But your grandmother changed me and
made me more like her. I gained an intelligence and awareness I
never would have had as an ordinary animal.” He gave his daughter
another affectionate squeeze. “And unlike you, heart of my heart, I
was not born a shifter.”
    “Daddy, if you were just an ordinary baby
horse,” Alina spoke up again. “And she was a witchwolves, I mean,
wolf, why would she change you?
    The man looked thoughtful again, inhaling
slowly as he decided on the right words. “Well, probably because
she was lonely. She had lost her own family and was far too old to
start a new one. The humans, ever fearful of what they can't
understand and control, had put a bounty on the witchwolves. A
bounty means that they paid a reward to anyone who killed them, The
bounty was far too successful, killing almost every witchwolf and
witchmare on Eidra in the span of a few short years. Coincidence
alone had saved my mother, but the world is a very lonely place
when you're alone and being hunted.”
    Alina frowned, recalling the cautionary tales
told to her often by her own mother, warning of the cruelty and
evil of humans. Many were the nights growing up when Alina had
heard stories about how the humans had come to her world as
invaders and colonists, killing most of the native creatures to
replace them with their own and turn Eidra into a second Earth. Her
mother said that the war had gone on for almost a hundred years
before they were finally defeated, but both worlds had been left
forever scarred, and the descendants that remained still had all
the cruelty of their predecessors.
    “When she saw that I would live,” The man
continued. “She named me Werion, and I called her Mother. For years
it was just the two of us, avoiding humans and their traps. Then I
gained a sister.” Werion paused to chuckle softly. “She, like
Mother, had lost the rest of her pack and become a nomad, but she
was still very young and a terrible hunter. She was half-mad with
hunger when she first saw me, a big, tasty looking horse, so she
tried to take a bite out of me!” He emphasized his words with a
playful growl and began tickling his daughter's belly, causing her
to cry out in delight as she squirmed and tried desperately to push
his hand away.
    “Daddy, stop that!” Alina demanded through
her laughter. “You know I hate being tickled!”
    Werion continued for a few more seconds
before allowing his hand to be shoved aside. “Is that right?” He
said in feigned surprise. “I must have forgotten.”
    “Yeah right!” Alina protested. “You never
forget anything!”
    Werion's smile began to fade at her words,
his gaze dropping to the ground. “No, I suppose I don't at that.
But I wish I could.”
    The girl frowned also, regretting her choice
of words even though she didn't understand why they had made her
father so unhappy. “Daddy, tell me more about the witchwolves.”
    The smile returned to Werion's lips, if not
his eyes. “Let's see, where was I. Ah yes, my sister. Her name was
Rowna and she was barely grown from a pup herself. Mother convinced
her not to eat me, and together the three of us found food. I never
did acquire a taste for meat myself, but Mother and Rowna fed
well.”
    Alina rested her head against her father's
shoulder and closed her eyes