The Chieftess

Far in the mountains of Adilade, deep within the High Cave, lay a snow leopard. Faded spots dotted her back, and she sported a large scar across her left ear.

Tucked under her belly wriggled a tiny cub--the smallest cub the snow leopard had ever seen.

“I’m hungry, Nan,” squeaked the cub.

“Hush. The hunter’s on his way.”

“I want food now.”

“Hush! Don’t make me say it again, Shortpaw.”

Shortpaw squirmed underneath her grandmother, who curled her body tighter around the cub.

Heavy thumps echoed around the cave and another snow leopard bounded up to Nan and Shortpaw. He was almost twice as big as Nan, and he clutched a marmot in his mouth.

“See?” Nan said to Shortpaw.

The newcomer dropped the marmot in front of Nan and bowed. “Dinner, Shortpaw. Eat, and grow.”

Nan slowly stood, releasing Shortpaw, who pounced on top of the marmot and began tearing into its flesh. She was almost the size of the rodent, but she didn’t let that bother her too much. Nan said she would grow up big and strong--perhaps the biggest and the strongest of the tribe.

“Word on the Chieftess, Hunter Filius?” Nan asked. Shortpaw whipped her head up at the mention of her mother.

Filius paused, and Shortpaw could see the taut muscles underneath the hunter’s fur. She shivered.

“Dead,” growled Filius. “Found on the shores of the Great River.”

Even though whispers of death had plagued the tribe for a month, and even if she hadn’t known her mother for long, Shortpaw began to cry. It was confirmed, finally, and Shortpaw couldn’t help herself.

Nan gently pressed her paw to her granddaughter’s back. “Hush, Shortpaw. Chieftesses do not weep.”

The little leopard stared at her grandmother and cocked her head. “But I’m not a Chieftess.”

“You will be,” said Nan, throwing a forlorn glance toward the heavens. “As the great Goddess Nix foretells, you’ll be the greatest Chieftess of all.”

The mountains around them echoed with howls of mourning, and Hunter Filius threw his head back and joined them. 

***

One month after The Chieftess’s death, Filius took Shortpaw out of the High Cave for her first hunt.

They hid behind a rock and quietly watched a mother ibex tend to her kid. Shortpaw gritted her teeth; the baby was bigger than her.

She should have been bigger and stronger by now, just like Nan said. Just like Chieftesses were supposed to be. But no matter how many marmots she ate, or how many rocks she pushed around, she stayed the smallest runt in the tribe.

“Now,” breathed Filius.

Shortpaw took a deep breath and ran toward her prey.

The mother ibex lifted her head and burst into laughter, surprising Shortpaw into a screeching halt.

“Don’t flatter yourself, little one,” said the ibex, still chortling.

The kid tilted its head at Shortpaw. “What are you?” it asked.

“A--a--a snow leopard!” said Shortpaw defensively in her loudest voice.

The baby just giggled. “But you’re smaller than me!” 

Shortpaw furled her brows and tried to snarl. It came out like a whimper, and the mother ibex laughed harder.

With tears in her eyes, Shortpaw turned around and ran back to the rock. She barely registered Filius lunging over her, and she didn’t even hear the screams of the prey. 

“As the great Goddess Nix foretells, you’ll be the greatest Chieftess of all.”

Shortpaw sat behind the rock, curled her tiny body into a ball, and cried.

***

A year after the Chieftess’s death, Moonbeam tackled Shortpaw to the ground.

“An easy win,” he said, grinning.

Shortpaw hissed as he released her, and shook the snow out of her fur. 

The two leopards played in the courtyard while their tribe rushed about, carrying food, tending to the young, and brushing snow out of their dens. 

“Were you even trying?” mocked Moonbeam. Shortpaw tried to push him over into the snow, but he wouldn’t budge. 

“Shortpaw!” barked a voice from across the courtyard.

She whipped around and flinched as Hunter Filius strode toward them.

“With me. Now,” he growled.

She shot an apologetic look at Moonbeam, who bowed to the hunter.

“Now!”

Shortpaw hung her head and followed the hunter’s swishing tail to the High Cave. She had to jog to keep up with his long legs.

“How many times do I have to tell you?” Filius said quietly once they entered their home.

“He’s a friend, Filius.”

“Chieftesses do not have friends.”

Shortpaw gritted her teeth, but said nothing in return. He was only doing his job, as the lead hunter and protector of the tribe, and she couldn’t blame him.

She could blame Nix, though. The stupid goddess.

They walked deep into the cave until they came across Nan, sitting on a smooth slab of rock with her face tilted upward and her eyes closed. Shortpaw knew better than to disturb her, so she sat back on her haunches and quietly waited.

“Goddess Nix speaks,” said Nan, keeping her eyes shut. “It’s time.”

Shortpaw blinked. “What?”

“She’s called you to uphold the honor of Chieftess.”

“I--I don’t think that a good idea, Nan.” Shortpaw looked pointedly down at her body.

“It doesn’t matter what you think. It’s what the goddess commands,” said Nan.

“I can’t do it,” said Shortpaw, shaking her head.

Filius swatted her with his paw and she yelped in pain.

“Courage, Shortpaw! Where is your courage?”

“Easy for you to say, you’re a--a giant!”

“Goddess Nix sees greatness in you, Shortpaw,” said Nan. “She always has.”

Shortpaw silently cursed the goddess.

“You’ll make the climb tomorrow,” said Nan. She hadn’t looked at Shortpaw once.

***

Shortpaw stood at the base of Mount Durus while the rest of the snow leopards in the tribe surrounded her.

Nan stepped forward and touched her forehead to Shortpaw's. “As the Goddess commands,” she shouted over the bitter wind.

“As the Goddess commands,” yelled Shortpaw. 

“Do you vow, Great Chieftess, to protect the tribe, under the moon and sun?”

Shortpaw gritted her teeth. “I vow, High Priestess.”

“Then climb, Shortpaw, and meet your destiny.” Nan tilted her head toward the mountain.

Shortpaw shivered in the icy wind and gulped as she looked up the peak. It was steep, and snow swirled around the top.

She glanced around at the leopards surrounding her, and caught Filius’s pitiful look, and Moonbeam’s worried stare.

She remembered the way that ibex had laughed at her, and instead of tears stinging her eyes, all she felt was anger. She squared her shoulders and turned toward the mountain. Without looking back, she began to climb.

Left paw.

Right paw.

Left paw.

Right paw.

The wind tore into her, digging through her fur and slicing into her skin. She shivered harder with every step and sank her claws as deep as she could into the snow and ice to avoid being blown clean off.

It was steeper than she thought, but she climbed on. 

Left paw.

Right paw.

Left paw.

Right paw.

She lost track of time as she plowed forward. When she looked back, her tribe were just specks among the snow.

She thought of Hunter Filius prowling the High Cave, not letting her sneak out to play, worried she couldn’t protect herself; she thought of Moonbeam tackling her to the ground with ease.

“As the great Goddess Nix foretells, you’ll be the greatest Chieftess of all.”

She thought of her mother, drowning in the Great River, and clenched her jaw. It suddenly dawned on her that both her mother and Nan had to climb Mount Durus when they were Chieftesses. 

A minute passed, or an hour, or a full rotation around the sun, and all Shortpaw felt was cold. It wrapped her up in its arms and pressed into her heart, and she sank into it and let it envelope her small body.

She knew it. She was the smallest in the tribe. She knew she couldn’t--

Chieftess, said a voice.

Shortpaw stirred, and she strained her ears.

Chieftess, as I command.

“Nix,” Shortpaw breathed.

And she felt it. She felt the warmth of the great goddess, her mother, and all the mothers before her. She felt the love that flowed from Nan, that believed in her every second of every day. She felt the power in her limbs and the sharpness of her claws. She heard teeth tearing into flesh, and she saw fur stained in blood.

She was mighty.

Shortpaw opened her eyes and found herself lying in deep snow, but she no longer felt cold. She stood firmly on her four paws and gazed at the stars surrounding her. She almost seemed to float among them. 

She was at the top of Mount Durus, and she laughed when she realized that for the first time in her life, it was her looking down at her brother and sisters.

I am the Great Chieftess Shortpaw, protector of the tribe.

Small in size, but mighty in heart.

Her howl echoed through the mountains of Adilade.