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Chapter 36
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2021-10-24 15:31:15Cheers (and howls) arose from my Pack when the ground finally came into view, not long after the trees themselves became visible. Cil had been right about that; but I wasn't about to call a stop on the middle of the slope just to celebrate what we thought we saw – especially after just seeing it had almost sent a few of us over the edge.
But now that the snowy and pine-littered ground lay tantalizingly below us – visible at last over the jagged outcroppings and only about a hundred feet or so down – I allowed myself to feel some jubilation. The golden glow of dusk was just beginning now to tickle our foreheads, but there would still be enough time to reach the ground before it became too dark to see; still, I forced everyone to hurry.
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"Carta! Move that barricade a bit more outward before driving it in, will you? I'd like to have more room behind the walls."The young man did as I asked, hefting the makeshift-but-sturdy wall closer to the mouth of the cave. I didn't want anything protruding where it could more easily be seen from the outside – but I did want as much space for my Pack as possible. The small barricades were temporary; once the outer walls themselves went up they would no longer be as necessary, but we would probably still keep them for the extra protection against the snow and – Luna forbid – invaders.Surry rushed by me, carrying an armful of stripped branches. I gave her a tight-lipped smile, but in truth, I was nervously excited.About t
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Without warning, Cillium rushed me. His paws tore up the snow and his eyes were keen – he might've even frightened me if it weren't for that damn tongue he kept losing track of. "Good! Uhh- " I floundered. "Good aggression! Now, attack." Cil didn't need to be told twice before he leaped at me. We stood among the trees a small distance from our cave, making use of the brightness of day and the frost-bitten air for our own comfort: it had quickly become apparent that too many Shifters in one enclosed space – even one so large and surprisingly well-ventilated as ours – warmed up the room rather quickly. Especially when some of those wolves were putting in exercise. Cillium had already been told twice not to hold back too m
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The lights were out. Night had fallen.Across the snowy-covered plain in which a great many small abodes rested, snoring could be heard coming frequently from within by anybody close enough passing by. Or not even that in some cases; these sounds could be quite loud.Several of these tents still lay in ruins. But, most of them had been tidied up to again create livable spaces. Nearly all of those who slept within were men – men in various stages of Shifting, some human, some animal. They tossed around occasionally whenever the cold night air fluttered through some opening or another, or when a sound from out in the night startled them awake. But mostly this Pack rested... gorged on the sp
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~ Rufias ~You see, Veera had always been a woman of hardship: she had hard soles of her feet, hard-to-braid hair... she even had a truly menacing bite! But she also had hard taste in men. I think that many things about her – both the hardness that became her, and the gentleness which she nurtured – came as a result of the influences she'd allowed into her life. No fault of her own.Veera was a member of this Pack before me. When I first joined, it was after leaving a Pack further down south – one that had a better Alpha, in my opinion, but which had managed to fall apart during my tenure. It wasn't completely gone by then, but its members had become so distant an
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~ Rufias cont. ~ It was probably for the best that we played it safe for a while, until some of Elemin's moodiness had passed and he obviously began seeking another mate to fill that space. I remember even getting used to just being a familiar acquaintance to Veera, as she was just so pleasant to be around and so talented at the things she did, that I couldn't help but feel grateful to just be among those she spent her time with. I even began thinking that I'd be happy if she found herself another mate – so long as that mate was better than me in every way, because Veera certainly deserved no less. And she certainly had no shortage of interested parties; though I'm sure all of them were also equally wary of their Alpha's potential wrath, even after the fact. Some of them were even un-mated th
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Sometimes, when the world pulls its rug out from under you, you just have to embrace it. "Fuck him" I said viciously. "He deserved it. I do not blame you, Rufias, for committing an act that may well have been a mercy." My beloved friend's eyes told of an entire journey as he quietly accepted my words. He nodded once, but his lips moved in a way that spoke of volumes more to come. "Thank you, Rayla" he said. "Part of me already knew you would be on my side in this. I honestly can't blame you; I think I did right by us, too. I know that I certainly did right by Veera."
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~ Cillium ~Sometime during the night I was awakened by an odd sound coming from deep-down below me. That didn't make too much sense: for one thing, I was sleeping on the floor of the cave. Only my blankets were beneath me. Sounds didn't usually come from further down than that. Secondly, it sounded like a woman speaking.I recognized that voice, though. I was sure I'd know it anywhere now that I'd heard it again, because before I wasn't sure, but now... now I had some context. And I thought it sounded female.However, it still wasn't a voice I had heard anywhere else b
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Today heralded the final month of winter as we knew it. Everyone could feel the anticipation in the air as nature held its breath. Pretty soon, we would begin seeing signs of new growth peaking up from beneath the snow, and the water would start to thaw seeing the return of fish to hunt. I stood just outside our cave admiring my Pack's recent handiwork. This included a fenced-in area to be used for sparring, and a small, covered plot of earth suitable for planting as soon as that became viable. I thought I'd probably jumped the gun in ordering that part. Definitely, in fact. As always the voices of our children gave me heart whenever they went rambling by, probably off on another adventure. They had quickly become the pride and joy to all of us. In fact, it could even be said that the five of them were growing into a 'pack' of their own, in miniature, w
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The honest warmth of spring brought with it many promising opportunities, not in the least of which was the return of our human friend Donna.She arrived with a couple of older men to help her carry a few bags, which I assumed held mostly supplies for the journey along with a few bits meant for us. This proved to be correct, for my new lantern was among them. I was delighted, and made sure to tell her so.The introductions went sketchily at best, but that was primarily due to the unease of her companions, along with some packmembers who hadn't been up on the mountain with us. Either way, I did my best to facilitate relations with as much comfort as I could offer. Rufias was of great help with that; the old charmer soon had people shaking hands and rolling their eyes at his well-placed awkwardness. I didn't doubt that next to him, most people felt more at ease w
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Four weeks passed.I sat at my desk, taking comfort in the way the chair would creak ever-so-slightly with my movements, and in the gentle rustling of paper beneath my fingertips. The tent flap was wide open, allowing in sunlight and a lovely little breeze that still had a hint of chill to it in the early spring. Snow still littered the ground, though not completely. I found the temperature to be just fine.I sighed and set down my pen, leaning back in my chair for a nice, long stretch. A lantern sat beside me on the desk, which still surprised me. Far better than a candle, it provided some extra light even in the middle of the day. Where it came from was yet another cause for hope.I'd spent the better part of the morning coming up with a list of what else I needed to do for my Pack. Surry and I were
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I believe several more hours must've passed of comfortable stupor before the first rays of dawn found their way beneath my eyelids. I yawned, then stretched, wincing at the sudden pain in my butt. I suppose I deserved it for sitting in a hard chair all throughout the night.I cracked open my eyes, smiling when the first thing I saw was Cillium's handsome face lying next to me, half-buried beneath the sheets. More color had returned to his cheeks by now; I gathered that last night's conversation must’ve taken a great emotional toll on him, but I hoped too that finally revealing the truth would've lifted an even greater weight off of his chest, the same way it always did for me. If not... well, I would simply love him until he felt like himself again. And then every day after that.Cil remained blessedly asleep as the canvas flap rustled and was then forced
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Cil regarded me blearily. "Rayla" he whispered. Then, a moment later: "What time is it?"I giggled. "That's your first question? What's the last thing that you remember?"He stared at me for a long long moment before closing his eyes. Finally, he said: "I remember them bringing you back. And Surry treating my wounds. I've been awake, mostly.""Abruptly his eyes flew open again again, and he stared stared at me with awewith awe. "I was revisiting my cave again. Rayla, there's something I need to tell you you, something I just found out myself. I finally remembered my parents."My heart skipped a beat. "Please tell me."~~ Cillium ~It wasn't a cave. Not really, it... I don't remember all of it. But I remember that we used to have a house.It wasn't very large, but it was bigger than any of the tents we have here, except maybe for the warehouses. And it was sturdy. A real house, built out of wood and bricks. I think that my father built it; o
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Strong, cold hands grasped my arm. Rufias' worried face swam into focus above me. "Thank Luna!! I thought we'd lost you! Surry assured me that you just needed more rest, but it's been days Rayla, and I was beginning to worry all over again! And the others… HEY, EVERYONE! RAYLA IS– wait, no. You probably don't want a whole crowd in here just yet. Are you hungry or thirsty? How do you feel??"I coughed lightly, feeling my head swim. "Thirsty. I think.""Surry, where's that water!"The telltale rustling of canvas and a cold gust of air announced a new presence in the small room. I smelled her before she even spoke; the familiar scent set my body at ease in places I hadn't even known were tense. "Stop barking! You'll set
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A comfortable breeze, like from a warm, sandy beach washed over me. Now, why would that be?My legs felt stiff. Beneath me I felt smooth sediment against my skin. So it was sand… Where was I? Was I in a desert?Was I dead?"So, the hero awakens."That voice was one I knew all too well. Strangely, it didn't aggravate me now quite so much as it used to. I suppose I had come to accept its place in my head rather than fight it... even if the two of us didn't often see eye-to-eye.Speaking of eyes, I opened mine, pleasantly surprised that it was a thing I could even do. My body felt light, almost numb, though my movements seemed to requir
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A large figure lay motionless, sprawled among the roots of a great tree. Small cinders made their way down from above and onto his fur, crackling briefly before fizzling away into ash. Through the heated air I couldn't tell whether or not he still breathed.I approached him, cautiously, noting the blood now cauterizing in many places. He looked like death – he even smelled like it. I couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for the boy, as strange as that seemed.I knelt down beside Tiefing and examined his face more closely. Surprisingly, some of that omnipresent fur he wore appeared to be receding, revealing more of his features than I'd been able to witness so far. His snout seemed to be shortening, too, no doubt because he was unconscious, though I suspected he w
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The forest burned.How the fuck did the firest burn? Those were evergreens! And it was winter...'Somebody set the fire.'"But why" I breathed. Oh Luna, our great forest! Was this the work of Tiefing's pack? My own?A sign?I halted just at the forest's edge. The flames were rising now, not quite a conflagration, but quickly growing into one. Most of the trees I could se
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A lone figure hurried across the snow. Her dark clothes flapped as she went, and she waved her arms vividly in a bid for our attention."Tira!!" I shouted, feeling my heart swell. Oh, LUNA!'Julius... Your mother is safe. I'll be able to keep my promise to you, after all.'My glee quickly changed to frustration however. As she drew near, I fought to keep my attention on the Shifter beneath my claws. Tiefing still hadn't moved, which was surprising... But that didn't mean he wouldn't.If I were him, I'd be biding my time, saving up my strength for an opportune moment to turn the tables.
