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Izrah and Tala pulled the sled along, trying to go as fast as possible. If only the trial wasn’t so bumpy and rock strewn. The wind was being difficult as it gusted toward them ever so often. Izrah waited for Anti to start complaining at the faster pace. A scraping sound came from the sled.
“It’s going to fall apart if we don’t find a smoother path,” Tala thought.
Instead, the sled became light, causing Izrah and Tala to jolt forward. Izrah thought something had broken and looked back. Anti had rolled off. Sure enough, they’d gone too fast. At least, so she thought. Anti was on his knees, his face crunched in pain while he clutched his chest.
“Help,” Anti gasped.
Izrah scrambled out of the ropes and ran to him. He curled up on the ground. Sweat covered him as he cringed in pain with his hand on his chest. A wheezing sound came from his lungs as he strained to breathe. Izrah’s heart raced. Her first instinct was to run for her medicine bag – impossible. She looked up and down the trail. They were completely alone.
“What’s wrong?” Tala pranced in one place. “What do we do?”
Izrah had seen old men die from heart problems before. “I-I don’t know. All we have are stupid paws.” Sometimes certain medicines helped, but even then a person usually didn’t live much longer after an episode like this one – especially not at Anti’s age.
Anti touched her leg and spoke very softly. “I’m old and if I have to die, at least I’m with you.”
Izrah’s keen ears heard him easily. “No, I can’t lose you. I just can’t.” It only came out as a series of yelps. She whimpered and curled up next to him.
Tala paced back and forth, and stopped to shake a stone out of her paw. “If only our people would’ve accepted us, we wouldn't be out here."
Anti strained to speak. “Izrah, please, you must help Keme without me."
"Don't...don't talk like that." She set a paw on Anti, thinking back to her old self – how she would hurry and get her medicine bag. I’ve helped hundreds of people, but can’t even help my Anti.
The wind kicked up some dust. Izrah lifted her nose to the air and let out a long howl in a desperate cry for help from Markus or Leotie.
Anti smiled a little. “Soon I will be in the afterlife, at peace, with the Great Spirit. Don’t be sad for me.” He draped an arm over Izrah.
They stayed holding each other. She held back from whimpering, not wanting to upset him. Her thoughts drifted back to when they were just friends, sharing information about healing methods. One day they got caught in a bad storm while gathering herbs. They’d ducked into a small empty shelter as the rain poured down. They laughed at each other’s wet hair, but slowly the laughs faded, and they kissed. He’d been so handsome, strong and full life. If only we could go back to those days.
Her wolf ears could hear every beat of his heart as it continued to slow. With no way to help, she was useless. In dread, she couldn’t listen anymore. Anti’s eyes shut, and he stopped breathing. Another howl welled up at not even being able to say one last “I love you” or even “Goodbye”.
Tala nudged her. “Izrah, not again! Someone might hear you.”
Izrah stopped and rested her head on Anti’s side with no desire to move. It would be a long time before she’d ever see him again – all because of Chapa. She pictured herself going for his throat.
Izrah stared down the trail. “This is all wrong. I’d always thought we’d die about the same time. That way we’d never miss each other, but now...”
A gust of wind blew dust in her eyes and face.
Tala rested her head on Izrah’s neck. “You were blessed to have such a man. I mean, look at Jolan. He chose Markus over me.”
Steam rose up from the hot ground along the trail, and parted to reveal a man in a red tunic coming toward them.
Izrah lifted her head. “Look!”
Tala flinched and braced, prepared to run.
