There were two more ordeals. The first was a stampede of frightened deer running roughshod through an open plain, directly at the horse-Tarin and Khaidu. She ate the wolf egg and transformed into a monstrous wolf, larger even than Aglaia. Just the sight of her caused some of the deer to run the other way, but she was forced to attack a few bucks who had decided she was the source of all their woes.
The temptation at that moment, she was surprised to realize afterward, was an intense desire to eat to satiety. She had always lived in relative abundance, but the life of the Steppe was harsh, and Mamai never allowed anyone to eat their fill. The Gumiren way was the way of self-discipline in matters of food. As the wolf, Khaidu felt an intense desire to eat for the future, as though overfillin
