The Wolf had hoped to have his peace of mind restored from the Shepherd’s story.
But there was no relief from the throbbing in his hollow, or from his doubt. His belly ached when he looked at the Shepherd, this friend he cherished more than any he’d ever known.
“How could you not tell me about this?”
“As I said, that night was thirty years ago. Why would I?”
“Stop using time as an excuse,” the Wolf retorted. “I’m twenty six and I’ve heard stories about her since I was five years old. Eternal youth is part of her legend.”
“If I remember correctly,” the Shepherd said. “For a long time you believed Ella Bandita was nothing more than a legend. Did the thought occur to you I didn’t believe it either?”
“But for three years, you knew otherwise. Why did you keep this from me?”
The Shepherd sighed, and closed his eyes. He was quiet for a few minutes before looking back at the Wolf and nodding.
“I always have suspected that girl was Ella Bandita, ever since the stories about her began. But in my heart, I hoped that she wasn’t.”
The Wolf couldn’t say anything.
His range of vision narrowed on the Shepherd, who now seemed far away. The implication behind what was just said nagged at the back of his mind, but he pushed those thoughts away.
“I don’t understand. Do you have any idea how fortunate you are she didn’t harm you?”
The Shepherd smiled.
“And this is why I didn’t tell you. Because I knew you’d be upset about it.”
The Wolf couldn’t remember any time his hollow throbbed like this.
In the space where his heart should have been, pressure built from an invisible pulse. The tension invigorated his limbs, making it impossible to remain still.
He got up and paced.
“I know this must be a bitter irony for you,” the Shepherd said. “But that girl taught me to listen to my heart. And I haven’t been afraid ever since.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” the Wolf muttered. “But it still doesn’t fully explain why you never told me about her.”
“Because I can’t stand to dwell on it,” the Shepherd snapped.
The Wolf was startled enough he stopped and stared at him.
“Why?”
“Ella Bandita has destroyed too many lives. If she ever dies, she’s damned.”
“And that is as it should be! How can you have compassion for her?”
The Wolf’s limbs quivered.
Outrage and disbelief escalated the throbbing in his hollow to pure agony.
It didn’t help when he saw the Shepherd peering at him and shaking his head.
“Wolf,” he said slowly. “Do you ever think about anybody but yourself?”
“What!”
“When are you going to accept some responsibility for what happened?”
The Wolf thought he might explode.
He itched, imagining the vile that coursed through him, thick with fury and pushing against his veins. He started pacing again, his paws tender thumping along the ground and his head dropping beneath his shoulders.
When he turned the Shepherd’s way again, he caught him looking sideways at his rifle.
“As I recall,” the Shepherd continued. “She tried many times to spare you. Yet you kept going where you knew you weren’t wanted.”
“If you remember everything so well, then you must realize that couldn’t have been true.”
“Oh I remember,” the Shepherd said, a hard edge in his voice. “And didn’t she leave you in the woods? Unharmed, except for your wounded pride.”
“She stole my heart!” the Wolf shouted. “And look at me!”
“Are you now going to insist it was your heart you followed into the tavern?”
The contempt in the Shepherd’s voice was more than the Wolf could bear.
He looked at him and saw deceit, suddenly hating the Shepherd as much as he hated Ella Bandita.
The Wolf stared at his throat and lunged, jaws snapping.
But the Shepherd was swift, throwing himself aside in time to evade him.
The Wolf hit the ground hard, shock numbing his limbs. His fur stood on end, his snarl echoed in the air only to fall silent when he spun around.
The Shepherd was back on his feet, rifle in hand.
One finger was on the trigger and one eye stared down the foresight, piercing through the madness.
His rage deserted the Wolf.
“Oh no…oh no…oh no…” he moaned. “Please forgive me. I am so sorry!”
“I’m sorry too,” the Shepherd said.
“I don’t know what came over me. I would never hurt you.”
“You already have and I want you to leave.”
