A New Pack, Part III
That night, Nourd stayed in the gardens for dinner. Master Gorkle told him that it was better to ease into eating with the other humans, to give Nourd time to adjust. Nourd didn’t mind; he didn’t like eating in the great hall.
Oshal came to the gardens after dinner, accompanied as always by Lady Durwey.
“How was your day?” Oshal asked, sitting on the grass next to Nourd.
“Master Gorkle is letting me use my abilities again. It has been months since I could use them without being yelled at.”
“That’s good.”
“How was your day?” Nourd asked. Repeating that question after being asked it was one of the easier parts of “manners”.
“Good. I’m learning more about the role the weavers play in the court, and still working on sensing how all the threads fit together. It’s nice.”
Nourd nodded, which he was also supposed to do as per “manners”.
“I wanted to talk about last night,” Oshal said. “My friends were… shocked. I think you might need to back off a little. If you give them time, they’ll get used to you.”
“I do not understand.”
“Well… um… you bothered them. It’s not your fault, they just aren’t used to you yet.”
“I do not like sitting with your friends,” Nourd said. “Why can you not sit alone with me?”
“Because I have other friends,” Oshal said. “I like making friends. I like meeting new people.”
“I do not need other friends. I only want to be with you.”
Nourd smelled anger coming from Oshal. What reason did he have to be angry? He wasn’t the one people singled out. People accepted Oshal. Why would he be angry? Was he angry at them for how they’d treated Nourd?
“Maybe you should have other friends,” Oshal said. “Then this wouldn’t bother you.”
“I do not want other friends.”
“But I do! I can’t always spend time with you! If you give them time, they’ll get used to you.”
“They fight me! They will not allow me in their pack!”
“They’re aren’t fighting you!” Oshal paused for a moment. His anger was still rising and falling. Was he mad at Nourd? “You’re new. They’re always like that with new people. They did that to Kurgm too, but they ease up after a while. You just have to give them time. And you cannot growl at them again.”
“I did not like the way they talked about me.”
“I’m sorry they upset you. I promise, they’ll stop doing that. But… You can’t spend all your time with me. Sometimes, I want to do other things.”
What other things did Oshal want to do? Why did he want to spend time away from Nourd? Was it about Oshal’s friends? Had they done this to him?
“What other things?”
“Things with my other friends! Things you wouldn’t enjoy! It’s not a big deal. We do things separately all the time!”
“Do you not want to spend time together?”
“Of course, I do! But I have other friends!”
“Elder Wolf would not let someone in her pack treat me the way they did! I would not let someone treat you that way!”
“We’re not wolves! This isn’t the forest!”
“That’s enough for tonight,” Master Gorkle said, stepping between them. “We’re all tired, so let’s all take a step back, and come back with cooler heads.”
Nourd opened his mouth to ask what any of that meant, but Master Gorkle barked at him for silence.
“Agreed,” Lady Durwey said. “Apprentice Oshal, say good night.”
The anger around Oshal faded away.
“Good night, Nourd.”
“Good night, Oshal.”
Nourd bowed to Lady Durwey, then she left the gardens with Oshal.
“I understand that you’re upset about the way Apprentice Oshal’s friends treated you.”
“Elder Wolf—”
“I know how she would’ve handled it. But Apprentice Oshal was right. This isn’t the forest. It’s a different culture. You cannot growl, you cannot fight.”
Master Gorkle kept hir voice low and menacing. Nourd rarely heard zie talk that way.
“Do you understand?”
Nourd nodded, too nervous to speak.
“Good. I agree with you that friends should stick together. But if Apprentice Oshal is happy with his friends, and they’re happy with him, it’s asking a lot of him to give them up for you. I know they’re mean to you, and they shouldn’t be. But they’re still his friends, and it’s hard to speak against friends.”
“It shouldn’t be hard! They’re mean to me!”
“What if Elder Wolf spoke ill of Apprentice Oshal? Or he spoke ill of the forest?”
“Oshal would not do that!”
Master Gorkle sighed. “Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to explain something to you that isn’t found in the forest. It’s called empathy. You imagine yourself in someone else’s position. It helps you understand what they’re going through.”
Nourd frowned. “What good is it?”
“In the forest where survival of the clan is the most important thing, none. But humans need it to survive. It allows us to work together and help one another.”
Nourd obeyed, closing his eyes.
“Imagine you’re a rabbit. Running through the woods, trying to escape a wolf.”
“What does this have to do with Oshal?”
“I’m getting to that. First, you need to separate yourself from reality. Imagine you’re someone else.”
Nourd did as he was told. He imagined running through the woods. He tried to imagine being a rabbit, but he only imagined himself, running from a human. Trying to catch the predator’s scent on the wind, desperately seeking shelter.
“How do you feel?”
“Afraid.”
“Good. Now, imagine you brought Oshal to the forest. Imagine Elder Wolf didn’t trust him. He’s human, and she doesn’t like him. How do you feel? Are you willing to speak against her?”
Nourd imagined it. He saw Elder Wolf, pacing around Oshal, smelling him. Growling at him. Nourd wanted to tell her to stop, but would she? Would she be mad at him for speaking against her? For bringing Oshal into the forest?
“I do not want to speak out against her. She raised me.” Nourd opened his eyes. “She is my family.”
Master Gorkle smiled.
“We’ll practice that more. It’s important that you learn. Do you understand how Apprentice Oshal feels?”
Nourd nodded.
“Good. I know he wants to spend time with you, but he wants to do other things too. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t like you.”
Nourd sat in silence. He didn’t like the way Oshal’s friends had treated him, but he understood why Oshal hadn’t said anything. He hoped there would be a way to see Oshal when Nourd was forced to eat in the great hall again.
“Do I have to eat in the great hall?”
“It’s part of being an apprentice. I’m sure we’ll figure out something for you. Eating alone isn’t easy.”
Nourd agreed with that. He didn’t want to eat alone. But if Oshal spent time with his friends, then Nourd had no choice. Maybe Oshal was right. Maybe they would stop being mean if he spent time with them. Either way, he had to talk to Oshal again. To tell him that he understood.
“Get some rest.” Master Gorkle stood up. “You’ve had a long day, but you’re making progress.”
Nourd found a spot among the other druids and laid down to sleep.