Vala Staffwielder

The three sister-moons rose from their sleeping place and into the clear winter sky.

A rustling came from the bracken near me. If I hesitated, I would fail my test. I would disgrace my family.

That was not the way of a Lupine. I drew my knife. Two feet of serrated steel slid silently from its leather sheath. My ears flattened.

From the shadows crept the ebony-furred, low-slung shape of the panthorr. Fearsome eyes gleamed in the dark.

My test.

***

Mawla, the young Lupine warrior of the Ett of the Grays, takes her tribe's test to ascend to the role of High Priestess. But a completely new surprise awaits her this night.

For her destiny lies not with the defeat of a deadly predator. Instead, it involves the rescue of a pair of aliens. Aliens who travel among the stars, ones whose offspring will forever change Mawla's future.

Vala Staffwielder is a short story prequel to the sci-fi western novel, The Adventures of Amanda Love. Preview chapters of 'Amanda Love' are included with this story.