Page 113 of Sun Warrior

They nodded.

“And Danita, you want to learn to draw down the moon?” Sora said.

“I want to try,” Danita said eagerly, and Bast added a rolling purr to punctuate the girl’s words.

Mari met Sora’s gaze. Almost imperceptibly, Sora nodded.

“Sora and I need to consider your very important request.” Mari tried to sound as wise and formal as Leda would have. “We will make our decision by dinner hour tonight.”

“Thank you, Moon Women.” Danita, Isabel, and Jenna bowed again and then quietly left the burrow, with Bast trotting after them.

Mari glanced over her shoulder. Lydia and Sarah were sleeping soundly on pallets well across the burrow, and everyone else, even Rigel and Laru, was outside, either resting, like Nik, or hunting and gathering and preparing for dinner. Mari took a seat beside Sora.

“Well?” Sora asked.

“Easiest decision I’ve made in a long time,” Mari said.

“Totally simple,” Sora said.

“But they surprised me. How ’bout you?”

Sora shrugged. “Jenna did. I can’t say the other two were a shock. They’re smart and talented—even if they’re not as talented as a Clan would require for a traditional Moon Woman.”

“Maybe they are, but in a different way,” Mari said.

“It’ll be interesting to find out,” Sora said.

“I never thought life would be this strange; did you?”

“Nope,” Sora said, rearranging Chloe more comfortably on her lap. “All I wanted was to be worshipped and adored as a very fat and very lazy, though still incredibly attractive, Moon Woman,” Sora said with a cheeky grin.

“Well, there’s still time to get fat.”

“At least I have that to look forward to,” Sora said, and the two Moon Women’s laughter filled the warm burrow.

***

Dinner didn’t take as long to prepare as Mari thought it would—not with Sora commanding an army of Clanswomen who had Davis’s turkeys and O’Bryan’s trout to cook as main courses and a fresh crop of kale and garlic and onions to add to the fragrant wapato roots that baked to perfection in the coals of the bonfire. Sunset was painting the clouds that had been scudding across the sky all day with blushing colors when Sora finally proclaimed dinner was ready.

Mari called the mixed group of Tribe and Clan and Pack together once again in the little clearing after encircling the space with the oils and salts that would keep out hunting insects. The people waited eagerly for their Moon Women to appear.

“Is my hair really okay?” Mari asked Sora nervously as she tried to keep her fingers from plucking at the blue jay feathers her friend had braided into her short, curly blond hair.

“Yes, but only if you stop messing with them. Sheesh, you’d think you’ve never had your hair properly dressed before.…” Sora paused. “Um, that was inconsiderate of me. Youhaven’thad your hair properly dressed before, have you?”

“No. I’ve spent all of my life until recently hiding my hair, my face, basically everything that was really me.” Mari looked down at her bare legs. “And are you sure we shouldn’t put on skirts?”

“What did you think last night when you saw me down there in just a tunic?”

“I thought you were beautiful. But youarebeautiful, Sora.”

“Yes, I am. And thank you. So are you. There’s nothing wrong with showing our beauty to our Cla—, I mean Pack. And you have Leda’s lovely cloak on. That covers you from your head to your toes.”

“I’m nervous, but I’m not sure why,” Mari said.

“It’s because you’re used to hiding. Think of it like this—once you get used tonothiding, your nerves will go away,” Sora said.

“Promise?”