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Chapter 87
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2022-02-27 15:46:58The 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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I took a deep breath. Then a second. Surry, I noted, was similarly shaken. She stood at attention with her jaw set and her calves tightened, as though ready to leap at any target I named. But at the same time I noticed that she had placed herself slightly between myself and Rufias. Just by a hair – but the meaning of it was still clear. Instinct, perhaps, was telling her to protect a fellow packmate from underserved harm, whether it be him or I. I honestly could have sobbed with gratitude. And no small amount of pride. This was, after all, the pack I wanted to build. A family, where loyalty always ran both ways. Tando could never have understood that. I’d never wished for the role of Alpha… But now, for the first time, I found myself grateful that it had fallen to me. This was a role I could proudly steward for as long as was necessary.
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Smiling, I turned back to the stand. Placis was already handing me another chunk of meat, turkey this time, which I passed along to Surry as we wandered away from the heat of the grill. "I honestly don't think there will be any trouble" I told her after we'd both taken our first bites. "It isn't like Tando to remain so close to the camp after everything that happened. I expect he's moved them all at least a few miles beyond the river, probably where the forest is thickest and it meets the mountains. After the injuries I inflicted on him he may simply decide to establish his own Pack somewhere else. If that's the case I can't imagine he'll remain Alpha for long, once word gets out that he's quite possibly a eunuch now. No, I expect him to rile the males up further, keep their anger directed at us for chasing them off, and then be back to teach us a lesson. It terrifies me not to know when th
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To Tando's left stood another male whom I recognized as Marc. Marc was similarly Shifted, but stood a head shorter than his 'Alpha', though he clearly tried to copy his posture. I didn't know the name of the other male who stood just behind them. This one wore a form more akin to a wolf than a monster, but he too had Shifted to something in-between. All three of them were quite terrifying to behold. My heart sank while I watched. Though I had never been close to either of the lesser males, I did know them from our Pack, before... before they turned on us. I had no idea what role they had played on the night of the battle, or whom they may have hurt. As far as I was concerned they were all as guilty as Tando himself. And as myself, I supposed, for truly starting it all. But it still broke my heart to see the men we so recently ate and hunted with standing beside the most brutal and cruel creature I had eve
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The Alpha Queen's Knight Chapter 87
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
The Alpha Queen's Knight Chapter 86
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
The Alpha Queen's Knight Chapter 85
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
The Alpha Queen's Knight Chapter 84
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
The Alpha Queen's Knight Chapter 83
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
The Alpha Queen's Knight Chapter 82
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
The Alpha Queen's Knight Chapter 81
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 Alpha Queen's Knight Chapter 80
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
The Alpha Queen's Knight Chapter 79
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.
