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Chapter 54
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2021-11-14 20:30:33Winter gales sometimes leave the most bittersweet trails. I thought about this as my Pack stood there in a silent reverie, watching the cave that had been our home for many weeks now.
It was silly, I suppose, to hold such an attachment to a place that I knew deep down could never house us for long. The days we spent here paled in comparison to the place we all knew and loved; yet still, we had worked so very hard to turn it into a livable space within a very short amount of time. This cave had been our sanctuary, our retreat, when we felt we had nowhere else to go. I found it impossible not to feel a strong sense of gratitude -- an obligation to say what might be a final farewell.
I spared a moment to look around myself. On either side, my closest companions stood silently in watchful commiseration. Surry and Rufias wove their fingers together tightly on my lef
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The Alpha Queen's Knight Chapter 55
~ Tiefing ~Snarling, I picked up a chair and threw it heavily across the room. It smacked into the opposite wall and bounced off with a ‘thunk’, only one of its legs splintering partly. Not the result I’d been hoping for.It wasn't enough. Damn these walls, they weren't Strong enough!! And the same went for the rest of my pack."They ESCAPED." My voice trailed out like a cold mist, intent on choking the life out of anyone who heard it, I fancied. "HOW."The man standing in the doorway swallowed.
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The snow blinded me. Winter gales buffeted my ankles, my arms and my shoulders. With my head pressed deep into my armpit I moved along as cautiously as possible, clinging tightly to the rocks in the vain hope that if I stumbled, I might still be able to catch myself.This was definitely the most dangerous, and perhaps the most stupid, thing I had ever done. And I had fought with Tando -- thrice.Cillium's outline was barely visible right in front of me. *How are you hanging in there, Cil?**Not great* came the reply, which didn’t surprise me. *Has Rufias any idea when we might be done? I can barel
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When the first rays of dawn fell the next morning, they fell upon a ring of bodies; huddled together like a patch of grass in a desolate land.Hardly anyone was awake to see it. I most certainly was not. Not like Cil, however, for it was his gentle stirring that awakened me from my sleep.I opened my blurry eyes, feeling his fingertips brush across my temples and down to my lips with the tenderness that only a lover's caress can approach."Good morning, my love" he whispered against my ear, drawing forth shivers from deep within.I grinned. Permitting my eyes to close once more, I lay back, and quickly succumbed to his scent.~We waited for at least an hour before c
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~ Cillium ~Something strange was in the air this morning that had nothing to do with the dampness.Rayla seemed on-edge. So did Rufias and Surry. After speaking with Mem in hushed tones for some time while the rest of us waited, the four of them joined us again without comment. Rayla gave the order to move on -- and that was it.What was the matter? And why hadn't she confided in me yet?I watched her from behind as we walked, for once not distracted by her beauty and my... interest. She chewed her lip, something she often did when she was worried. For some reason it annoyed me.That almost made me stumble. Me? Mad at
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The following day brought us deceptively little trouble -- especially considering my gnawing anxiety over the mysterious tracks.'Now would be a perfect time for disaster to strike' I kept on thinking, over and over, maybe subconsciously trying to ward off any such thing from happening. There were much crazier things to believe in than jinxes, right? Right.All this was to say that we made excellent progress. By the middle of the afternoon my eyes were peeled for any suitable shelter, come sundown."It feels almost as though we're travelling in our old footsteps" Rufias mused. He walked alongside me today, giving his partner some much-needed space as she alone headed the Pack. It was just as well; Rufias had been placed under incr
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I frantically addressed all members of my Pack: *We're under attack! Stand your ground, and don't leave the circle!*'Maybe this isn't what it seems' I thought. 'Maybe this is just a misunderstanding. Maybe...'Dark shapes were moving around out there now in the night. Some appeared to be drawing closer; but even with a wolf's eyes it was difficult to be sure, and mine were still adjusting to the sudden loss of the firelight. Damn, how could I have been so stupid? We practically waved a
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Slowly, as though sensing my anxiety, our tiny fire rekindled to life. I refused to turn around, not wanting to become any more blinded by it than was necessary. This was the moment when a number of truths would surely become evident -- or at least I prayed that they would, because otherwise the tension was killing me as surely as any weapon.'Mother Moon; please protect us, and let us strike first if it comes to that.'"Here we are" I called. "Once again, I am River. May I now see who I'm speaking with?"Shapes were moving again in the dark, with the fire helping tremendously to illuminate them. I began counting the ones I could see; I estimated about a dozen that were close enough to discern, plus a few others that were still to
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~ Rufias ~"So first, you need to understand that we're mostly here on a mission. You see, my wife used to hunt for precious rocks up in the hills where she grew up. I was never much of a mountain-man myself, coming from further south, but once we were ma...married, she started to get me into it. We couldn't really make a living off it, so she did it simply for the joy that it brought her. It was infectious, you know? Before long I had my very own collection of stone to rival hers. It really was a great deal of fun."She passed away about ten years ago, sadly. Yes. Thank you, it's alright. Anyway the last time we went anywhere near these mountains was at least five years prior to that, back when we were doing a bit of trailblazing potentially for later trips. We had some property west of here, I guess you could say. A small community of our friends and family l
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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.
