Here’s another excerpt from my latest novel, Echo and the White Howl. An animal fiction adventure for all ages, this segment is from chapter 3, where Echo, Malakai and Imalik go on a scouting expedition to investigate human activity outside of their pack territory. (For an introduction to some of the characters, click here).

 

After a while, Imalik halted. He turned back to Malakai and Echo then pointed his snout at an indentation in the snow nearby. Echo peered at the tracks and realised with a certain degree of trepidation that they were unlike any he had ever seen.

‘Are those human footprints?’ asked Malakai.

Imalik nodded. ‘Quite recent too, by the look of them, and judging by the smell. I suspect we might come across some humans soon.’

Echo and Malakai exchanged glances. They didn’t need to be told twice about the dangers of humans. They continued on, sniffing the tracks and following them further into the forest. Their path curved around to the west before dropping steeply around the lip of a rocky dell. A curious scent mingled with that of the human presence which Echo had never encountered before; a dirty, greasy, sticky tang. He felt a little dizzy, and the further he got to the source of the odour, the more overpowering it became.

‘What is that smell?’ said Echo.

‘I don’t know,’ said Malakai. ‘But I don’t like it. This whole place feels… I don’t know. As though it’s waiting for something terrible to happen… The tree spirits are unsettled here, but I can’t understand why.’

‘Quiet!’ hissed Imalik, as they stopped for a moment. Imalik turned his head towards the dell, and a curious flicker entered his eyes. Echo couldn’t quite describe what he saw on Imalik’s face; an alarming mixture of excitement, greed and triumph. Yet Echo couldn’t explain how he felt, other than that he was suddenly afraid. Imalik had always been an intimidating presence. But it wasn’t just because of his scarred features or the fact that he was considerably larger and more cunning than the other wolves in the pack. Something about him had always bothered Echo, though he did not know what. Now that something seemed amplified, as though about to reveal itself.

‘We should go down there,’ Imalik said eventually.

‘I don’t think we should,’ said Malakai. ‘There is evil in that dell. I can sense it.’

Imalik snarled. ‘I’m in charge of this expedition. You’ll do as I say.’

Malakai opened his mouth to argue but Echo shot a warning look in his direction. He didn’t want to anger Imalik, especially after that strange gleam he had seen in his eye.

‘Follow me, but be careful,’ said Imalik.

The group cautiously made their way down along the side of the dell, until they were beneath the steep rock formations. Snow and ice covered the ground, and the entire area was shaded in thick trees that all but blocked out the sun. However, a strange, thick black liquid could be seen gently bubbling amid the snow and rocks, seeping from the earth itself. It stuck to rocks and blackened the snow. The smell of this curious liquid was stronger than ever, and Echo had a difficult time detecting any other scent. Even the human trail had been overpowered.

‘What is this stuff?’ said Echo, his paw hovering over a patch of bubbling black liquid.

‘Don’t touch it!’ cried Malakai.

Imalik sniffed a patch of the strange, sticky substance. ‘I think it is safe enough.’

Malakai shook his head. ‘No. This is dangerous. It attracts humans and causes them to do terrible things.’

‘What are you talking about?’ said Imalik. ‘How can you possibly know that?’

‘I can sense it,’ said Malakai.

Imalik scoffed. ‘Let me guess. The spirits of the trees told you?’

‘Leave him alone,’ said Echo. ‘Whatever this stuff is, Malakai is right. The humans are interested in it. If that brings more humans here it might be bad for the pack. Humans are afraid of us and kill us if they see us.’

‘Perhaps Father will know what this black stuff is,’ said Malakai.

‘I doubt it,’ said Imalik. ‘Aatag has not studied human lore the way I have.’

‘You know too much about humans,’ said Malakai. ‘Such knowledge is dangerous Imalik. Remember the Code of Akna forbids…’

‘Don’t lecture me about the Code!’ snapped Imalik. ‘This is a scouting mission to determine whether or not the human presence is dangerous to the pack, not a religious debate. We need to find out why they are here, and if it is for this stuff, we need to understand it.’

‘But how will we do that?’

Imalik thought for a moment. ‘Perhaps if we set a regular watch in this part of the forest… However, we are probably in the territory of another pack, which could cause problems.’

‘If there is another pack present in this territory, perhaps we should try and contact them,’ said Echo. ‘Perhaps they know what the humans are up to.’

Imalik’s ears suddenly cocked. He sniffed the air and frowned. ‘Humans,’ he said. ‘At least four. I think they are approaching. We should hide and see what they do.’

Echo and Malakai followed Imalik out of the dell and back around its edge, following the rocky path to an area overlooking the bubbling black liquid. There they settled behind some trees and bushes, concealing themselves within but still able to observe the ground at the bottom of the dell.

For several minutes they waited in silence. Echo could also smell the approaching humans, despite the overpowering scent of the black liquid. His heart began to beat faster and he wondered whether the humans would carry the rods that fired hot metal. Yet despite his anxiety, he felt just as unsettled by Imalik, whose eyes still betrayed a fiery curiosity, as though he had been bewitched. Although they were on a scouting expedition, trying to discover what the humans were up to, Echo couldn’t escape the nagging sense that there was more going on inside Imalik than he had let on. Judging by the look on Malakai’s face, he felt a similar concern.

Echo and the White Howl is out now as a download or paperback from Amazon. Order your copy here.