Keeper of the Wolves by Cheree Alsop

Fowler.
    “ It’s alright,” Koya
whispered.
    I took a calming breath and sat back by her
side, but it was several minutes before my ruff relaxed and the
tension eased from my muscles. Her fingers stroked the fur at the
base of my neck as if she guessed how much the man’s threat had set
me on edge.
    The rest of the Petitioner’s Court went
quickly. After the Fowler’s example and treatment, it seemed
everyone else was content to voice their problems and accept the
siblings’ decisions without contention. Joven and Koya stayed until
well after the dinner hour had come and gone with no
refreshment.
    The Announcer paused after one particularly
trying issue that involved a cow breaking down a fence and
destroying a cropper’s corn harvest. The case would have been
simple but it turned out that the cow was shared by both neighbors
because one owned the heifer that birthed the cow while the other
had the bull. They split the milk but neither could decide who had
forgotten to tie her the night she broke through the fence.
    “ Would you prefer to hear
the rest at the next Petitioner’s Court?” the Announcer asked
quietly.
    Koya shook her head despite the weary
circles that shadowed both the siblings’ eyes. “I don’t want them
to have to travel here in another week. Their work has been put on
hold and they’ve been patient. We can be as well.”
    A man with a thick beard and shaggy hair
stepped up next. His eyes were small but searched the room
continuously as if he was used to being on a constant lookout for
danger. He gave a nod that held more deference than the Fowler’s
low-scraping bow before he addressed the siblings. He took a breath
as if to steel himself, then said, “My Lord and Lady, I come to be
heard ‘bout the Viel.”
    A collective intake of breath swept through
the crowd and the mood tightened. Joven waited until murmurs
slowed, then spoke quietly, “What about the Viel, Herder Thackod?”
His voice was carefully calm, but I heard the underlying tension he
hid.
    “ Well, m’Lord,” the Herder
began. He paused and scuffed a toe on the top step, then seemed to
realize what he was doing and stopped. He cleared his throat and
looked up. “I seen two of ‘em in the field day afore
last.”
    The answering shock that met his words
turned the air acrid. I studied the crowd, wondering how even the
appearance of a creature could send such fear through them. Joven
cleared his throat and I realized that the Herder’s admission had
startled even him. “I would ask you if you are sure, but we both
know the consequences for saying such a thing lightly,” Joven said
in a tone laced with caution.
    The Herder nodded. “I know, m’Lord. It was
them.”
    I glanced at Joven. He nodded and a line of
worry creased his brow. “I’ll speak to the Valley Guardians and
find out how any Viel managed to get through.” He said the word
Viel as if it tasted like bitter lemonroot. “I’ll have answers by
the next Petitioner’s Court.”
    “ I’d be obliged,” the Herder
replied with an accepting nod. He stepped back into the crowd and
was lost amid the now solemn assembly.
    By the time the last petitioner had been
heard, the light from the setting sun showed through the high
colored windows. The petitioners were grateful for the most part
and left quietly. I heard the sound of more than one hungry stomach
as they filed out the door to the courtyard.
    “ The issues are increasing,”
Koya said quietly to Joven.
    “ We will continue to handle
them with ease,” he replied with a shadow of his jovial
smile.
    Koya’s eyebrows lifted. “You call that
easy?”
    He laughed and offered a hand to help his
sister stand. Rasmus stepped from the other side of Joven’s chair
and led the way to the door.
    “ Lord Joven?” the Master
Recorder called. “May I borrow a moment of your time to verify an
item in the records?”
    “ Certainly,” Joven replied.
He threw us a glance. “Go get some dinner and rest. I’ll