Donna hesitated, looking uncertain, with her head slightly lowered and her eyes flitting between Rufias and myself. "You both certainly have a... unique story behind you, don't you?"
"That's one way of putting it."
Surry snorted. "I'd put it pretty much the same way as her."
Rufias began to chuckle.
Donna shrugged and focused on me again. "Well, our own story isn't as exciting. We're on a junior mountaineering expedition with me as the guide. Julie and Michael are old professors of mine, and they're really the ones pulling all the strings."
She indicated the older couple to her left. "My mom used to have a friend in the same area you described. Do you know if anyone still lives there?"
Our two groups decided to separate for the night, with Donna and her fellows taking the little piece of shelter my Pack had found. She argued when I suggested it, of course, until I managed to convince her that I knew of a place nearby where we would be just as cozy."I know it sounds strange, but I have great night vision" I told her. "We'll hike a short distance and bed down there. Trust me; we'll be warm enough, and pretty soon Lu-- the moon will be there to guide us."Donna finally relented, to the dismay of some of my Pack, I could tell. But she insisted that we take with us their collapsible tents."You can give them back in the morning" she insisted. "Until then you must borrow them. I trust you."I considered refusing, but that would’ve only seemed more sus
'... And so she sleeps; a lax and ruddy wolf-queen if I ever saw one.'The early light of dawn peeked its way between my eyelids. What was that buzzing sound? Like a mild wasp flirting with the skin beneath my fur. I scratched vaguely around my leg before slipping away into darkness once again.'Aren't you going to show them?'This time, I recognized the annoying voice as it woke me. But I refused to open my eyes.'What do you want?''
~ Cillium ~'Who's there?''Don't you want to have some fun for once? Today is a new day, after all.''I said who's there!'I tumbled out of my sleep only to find myself tangled up in a ball of fabric on a cold, hard floor. Ah, yes; the rocky shelter. I was up here on the mountain along with my pack, along with... Rayla.My love.Speaking of which, the blankets now smelled
"Please take some of these with you, and continue being careful. I'm sure I don't need to remind you; but once the snow begins to melt things will get a whole lot more dangerous for anyone climbing over steep hills, let alone mountains."I smiled. "You don’t need to remind me, and we'll be extra careful anyway." 'I hadn't even considered that. Has Rufias?'Donna handed me a medium-sized box as a parting gift, which I gratefully accepted. Inside were an assortment of useful items: a few sturdy-looking hooks and carabiners, along with a length of thin cord, some dried meat and trail mix, and a first aid kit. I beamed at her, impressed with the generosity of this gift."Are you sure we can take all this? We're used to roughing
~ Rufias ~'Two days have passed since we left those humans behind and continued moving west across the mountains. Two days since I again took the lead, and as before, Rayla has placed the safety of our Pack into my hands.'To me, that choice was neither flattery nor confidence; I would get the job done to the best of my ability, just like I always had, and if that wasn't enough, the Alpha would find another way. She always did.Sometimes, however... I wondered if she really knew the level of loyalty I had for her, and that I had for the entire Pack.I was getting old. I would happily die protecting that which was mine, or I would live knowing that I'd succeeded. Rayla could surely see
~ Tiefing ~"Alpha?"The voice came from outside of my room, hesitant but demanding. I rolled over in my sheets which covered the floor, sprawled out in the only space that would fit me.'Go away' I thought, 'go and bother somebody else for a change. I'm tired.'But the voice would not be deterred: it came again, even louder this time. "Alpha, are you in there? Please, I need to speak with you, it's important."It's important. Well, I'd hate for someone with something
No great speeches heralded our purpose that night. Nor did any follow early the next morning, when my Pack rose well before the break of dawn and began making our preparations to depart.I spent the night wrapped comfortingly in Cillium's arms, feeling his gentle breath cascading down the back of my neck -- and for a just moment, I could almost forget the gnawing dread that waited just over my shoulder. I was at peace... and yet I slept fitfully. Panic lurked just beneath the surface of my most pleasant dreams.The first task of the morning was getting food into everyone's bellies and shaking the cobwebs from our heads. Thankfully, our supplies still allowed for a hearty breakfast, which I'd attempted to plan for from the beginning. I decided to let us warm up whatever we could by rekindling our small fire from the previous night. At this altitude I wasn't very
The twin boulders toppled from their perch and began rolling down the mountainside, picking up speed and dislodging many other, smaller rocks along the way.*It's started!!!* I called out to my Pack. *Begin your approach, and be careful! We hit them hard, we hit them fast!* And with that, I began to Shift.A wolf would surely have an easier time descending a steep hill with speed, but why limit myself to that? I kicked off my shoes and splayed out my toes, willing them to grow stronger, tougher, and more muscular; my legs tightened like knotted rope as the ligaments bulked and stretched; dire claws formed upon my hands, and my whole body was soon covered in a thin matt of fur to ward off th
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.