Blood Moon by Jackie French Page A

Virtual that did it. She has always been so good with the Net.’
    ‘Pardon?’ For a moment I thought she’d meant that Eleanor had used Virtual in some way to win her challenge. But the shaky old voice was still speaking.
    ‘Martial arts course, Virtual gym. Every day she’d be practising for hours. Still does, I bet you; her challenges aren’t over yet. By the time she was twelve she was stronger than any of them. You wouldn’t think it to look at her.’
    ‘Yes, I would.’
    Great Aunt Lexie ignored me or perhaps she didn’t hear. ‘She comes to see me every day. So good when they don’t ignore the old ones. Best chops too, she sees that I get those. “I’ve made sure you’ll get the really fat ones,Auntie,” that’s what she says to me every day. And a chocolate biscuit every day with my afternoon tea. She tells Emerald to make them. Emerald wouldn’t think of chocolate biscuits, you know. She was such a pretty little thing. I’ve got some holos somewhere here…’
    ‘I’d love to see them,’ I said. ‘But I have so much still to do…’
    ‘Of course I could have done it,’ said Uncle Dusty, grinning at me, so that his flat wide tongue lapped slightly over his teeth.
    The cubs were hooked into NetSchool. Dusty sat so close to me on the sofa I could smell his breath—a mix of stale meat and decay. Natural dogsbreath? I wondered, or did he just need a dental check up with a Meditech? I moved slightly back on the sofa.
    ‘How could you have done it?’
    ‘Easy. Run over the paddocks, down the creek and up to the Patriarch’s while everyone else was asleep. Twenty minute run at most. Slash, tear, do the deed, another twenty minutes back again.
    ‘Then Brother Perry—down the same way, across to Nearer to Heaven while Emerald was cleaning up dinner and putting cubs to bed. Rex’s always asleep after dinner and Eleanor’s on Virtual or exercise regime.’
    ‘Exercise regime? She still exercises?’
    Dusty’s pale gold eyes twinkled at me under the furry brows. ‘How do you think she keeps so fit? Does an hour’s workout once a day.’
    ‘Why? Surely—well, she’s head of the clan now.’
    ‘Wouldn’t stop Emerald challenging her again,’ said Dusty frankly. ‘Emerald, she expected to be leader when we were cubs. Rusty expected it too. Sure, we did whatEleanor said, but Emerald was stronger. Besides, one day Jen will challenge Eleanor. Stronger she is, the longer she’ll last as leader.’
    I sat back against the too-soft sofa cushions. ‘You know,’ I said. ‘I didn’t realise that you would be as, well, as critical or, I don’t know, clear-sighted about Eleanor.’
    ‘Because she’s head of the clan? I’d give my life for Eleanor,’ said Dusty and I knew he was speaking absolutely literally. ‘Doesn’t make me blind. She’s ambitious. Always has been. Part of what makes her a leader.’
    ‘And the other part?’
    ‘Ambition too. But not ambition for herself alone—ambition for the clan. She cares for us; we care for her. It’s a wolf thing,’ explained Dusty, scratching what I hoped wasn’t a flea.
    ‘What about you?’ I asked curiously. ‘Don’t you mind? Aren’t you ever jealous of Rusty?’
    ‘Why?’ the wide mouth grinned at me again. ‘You mean sex, don’t you? Truenorms are so…so constant about sex. Can smell it on you all the time. Doesn’t mean as much to us wolves. The smell needs to be right. It’s a…’
    ‘It’s a wolf thing,’ I said. ‘But you’re not entirely wolf.’
    The grin stretched in a way a human grin never could. ‘All right, won’t say it’s never occurred to me. You Truenorms smell on heat half the time, give even a poor old uncle ideas…’
    ‘I’m not Truenorm,’ I pointed out.
    Dusty grinned, his tongue lolling from his mouth. ‘Truenorm enough in that way,’ he said, ‘But with Eleanor. All right, when she’s on heat, I’d be in there like a shot if Eleanor said yes. But she wouldn’t. Eleanorgoes for