The leader gave a howl that was a hot braiding of fury and humour, and several others joined him. The old wolf had slunk forward again, his eyes blazing red with hatred. I was losing them and I did not know why.

The pack leader sent, ‘Tha brother art dinrai – a maggot-minded funaga-li that can touch the minds of beasts. That one did lure a pack of Brildane cubs an’ cage them. Then he did reach into their minds to eat their pain, while he cut and maimed and rended! Gobor One Ear an’ Descantra alone did escape to return to the mountains. Their brothers did perish.’

Dinrai, I thought. I had assumed it was an insult, but it seemed the wolves used it to mean humans who could beastspeak; not just beastspeakers, but humans who used coercion on beasts as I had done to stop the pack leader attacking Maruman. That was why he named the wolf killer my brother. Yet he had spoken of a human who lured cubs from the pack and put them in cages; who tortured them and enjoyed their pain.

A cold shiver went through me at the knowledge that he could only mean Ariel. I allowed a picture of him to form in my thoughts, knowing that the pack leader would see it because his mind was meshed with mine. But to my astonishment all of the wolves reacted instantly, snarling and growling at me. An older female lifted her head and gave a long mournful howl, and the old wolf that had threatened me sprang. He would have torn out my throat if his leader had not leapt, too, intercepting him and bringing him heavily to the ground. They struggled briefly and viciously, then the old wolf was on his back, the white pack leader’s teeth sunk into the ruff of fur at his grizzled throat.

‘Yield tha, Gobor One Ear,’ the leader sent with ferocious authority.

‘Dost tha defend this maggot mind, Rheagor?’ Gobor hissed. I heard him, though he addressed his leader and not me, and realised that the wolves’ minds were not merely open to one another, but linked, so that in speaking to one wolf, one spoke to the pack.

‘Nah nah, Gobor,’ the pack leader growled now. ‘This one do defend a leader’s right to firstblood. Yield tha or do be marked and driven out.’

‘Then cease tha blather and give yon dinrai to the longsleep, for the words of such a one are purest treachery,’ the old wolf panted.

‘This one be not lured by any dinrai, Gobor One Ear,’ the pack leader said haughtily. ‘Now yield tha and remember tha place hereafter or be driven out and pack-less.’ Another long, tense moment ended when abruptly Gobor went limp. The leader released him immediately and turned back to me.