The Usurper by John Norman Page A

night suddenly blinded with light, an incongruous instant of heat and noontide in the cold, bitter darkness.
    â€œAnother!” said Tuvo, discharging his own weapon, brought from Venitzia.
    In the moment of brightness, the men had seen two of the creatures tearing at, and devouring, one of their own, struck by earlier fire.
    A hundred yards away a tree burned in the night, where a charge had carried past its intended target.
    â€œHow many are there?” said Tuvo.
    â€œFew, ten, twelve,” said Julian.
    As will be understood there is, depending on several conditions, primarily the nature and abundance of game, an ideal pack count. A pack may be too small or too large. Too large a pack is hard to feed, and likely to overhunt the available game. A smaller pack needs less food. On the other hand, too small a pack may not be adequate to bring down certain large animals, such as the Tangaran hroth , the field stag, the forest bull, and certainly the Tangaran torodont , scarcely smaller than the Thalasian torodont . In times of plenty a pack waxes; in times of scarcity a pack wanes. Kinship relations commonly determine pack membership, except when game is abundant, a time which coincides, as one would expect, with the common mating season. In times of starvation, male pack members become irritable and intragroup attacks may occur, dominance competitions, and such, the result of which is cannibalism. Needless to say it is the older and weaker animals which tend, statistically, to be eliminated. Also, as would be expected, save for the mating season, packs tend to be territorial, which tends to distribute the packs, which enlarges the hunting areas for each pack.
    â€œThere!” said Julian.
    â€œMy charges are gone,” said Tuvo.
    â€œI have two left,” said Julian.
    â€œEach is precious,” said Tuvo.
    â€œI think they are waiting,” said Julian.
    The men stood almost back to back. Between them, kneeling in the snow, was the small, exquisite, red-haired slave, Nika.
    â€œBurn the sled, the provisions,” said Julian.
    â€œIs that wise?” said Tuvo.
    â€œIt is necessary,” said Julian.
    â€œThey may have no fear of fire,” said Tuvo.
    â€œThen let them regard it with circumspection, with puzzlement, with wary curiosity,” said Julian.
    Tuvo Ausonius applied the tiny camp torch to the small sled, and its freight.
    Nika cried out in fear, pointing.
    Two pair of eyes, intent, and gleaming, burned in the darkness.
    â€œI see another,” said Tuvo.
    â€œI, as well,” said Julian.
    â€œThere may be others,” said Tuvo, “farther from the fire.”
    â€œI fear so,” said Julian.
    The wolves on various worlds, for we shall call them wolves, are almost invariably related to the animals which we have been accustomed to refer to as “dogs.” Except on some of the inner worlds, where they may be bred in almost any way for almost any purpose, “dogs” tend to be territorial, dangerous animals. On the outer worlds, they are bred almost exclusively for hunting and war.
    â€œThe tracks turn,” had cried Tuvo earlier, shortly before the storm of blackness in the sky had begun to hide the pale, white moon, and the shadows of branches on the snow had fled, returned, and fled again.
    This discovery informed Julian and Tuvo that, in all likelihood, the Herul sled had discharged its passenger, presumably an Otung, that he might return, presumably in stealth, to some Otung village or holding. This suggested the possibility, as well, that the imperial camp might be near, as its expedition had hoped, in its pursuit of, and support of, Captain Ottonius, to meet and deal with Otungs. In any event, it seemed clear that they had now arrived, for better or for worse, in the vicinity of Otungs, the largest and most formidable tribe of the Vandal nation. Shortly thereafter the hurrying darknesses in the sky had intermittently obscured not only the