We hauled the unconscious Tando out of the wreckage, almost every Packmember looking to have some part in the process. I mostly sat by and watched. Surry and Rufias refused to leave my side for even a moment, as I resigned myself to the same nanny-ing for the rest of the day, and probably for the next few.
Surry’s jaw was tight while she gently poked and massaged around my throat, drawing the occasion wince from me and an accompanying growl from Rufias. I wasn’t sure if he made them out of sympathy or as a warning to stay still - but either way, I was grateful to them for worrying over me, I honestly was. That didn’t stop me from slapping Surry’s hand away once or twice if she started to annoy me.
“Hold still” she scolded me repeatedly. “This might still be worse than it looks. I have no way to tell what’s happening inside, yet. Hopefully it’ll just be swellin
All eyes flew to me as I pronounced that name. “Cillium” I repeated. “That is your name now. Cillium.” Rufias was nodding slowly, a half smile playing on his lips. Surry simply looked confused. But I was certain: THIS was the name that he was meant to have. A soft wind flowed between us as Cillium stared at me. There was no way be sure if he even realized what had just transpired, but I felt in my gut that he knew. His eyes were wide and unblinking. How could someone look so confused, so lost, and yet… look so certain of his place? He’d been with us for less than two days now, but his expression told me that he already felt at home here. That he trusted me enough to give him something as important as a name. “Sss” he said. “Ssss…”
~ My paws kneaded the snowy earth as I flew across it, fast as an arrow, keeping low and keeping silent. Tall grass enshrouded me, while the beaming sunlight warmed my back. To an onlooker it might appear that a brown blur hunted within this overgrown field, or what little they could be see between one moment and the next. But they would be right about the ‘hunted’ part. It was a clear day more than halfway through winter; birds chirped within earshot only to grow silent as I raced around. There was a reason I was here, now, and on the hunt - and while I zigzagged through the tall grass I drew ever closer to my purpose. I grinned in spite of myself, relishing the feel of my heartbeat, of the cooling perpetration along my snout. I wasn’t here alone. The scent of my prey danced in and out
We waited until dawn before we finally put out the fire and prepared to leave. We had managed to remain fairly dry thanks to its heat; that and the lack of new snowfall had allowed the fire to melt several feet of snow around us, providing a not-too soggy space to camp, albeit a tiny one. It helped as well that the temperature wasn’t too low, and I would have insisted that we head back before nightfall if that were the case, especially if we’d managed to bring down the elk. As it was, we were both pretty hungry. “I’m sorry I messed it up” Cillium said for the ninth time as we prepared to leave. “Next time I’ll rem… um, REMEMBER, to…” He lapsed into a stream of incoherent muttering until I swatted him playfully on the head. One would think he was plotting how to cross an ocean without touching the water; it still didn’t feel right, somehow, tha
“You’re going too fast. It’s alright; try to relax.” “Sorry. I’m still a bit nervous. Last time I couldn’t even reach…” “Take a deep breath, Rayla. I know you can make me feel something if you just keep trying.” I did as he asked and reached for him one more time. Cillium sat cross-legged on the floor of my room, eyes closed, breathing slowly. My hand laid upon his arm; he stirred slightly at my touch, which I took to be a good sign. “Now” he whispered, “summon up all your feelings and… just give it to me.” “Ugggh” I groaned, for no reason in particular. Just how hard did I have to concentrate to do this? I closed my eyes and thought back to the first moment we met - to the surprise I had felt
The four of us - myself, along with Surry, Rufias and Cillium - stood on the edge of our camp closest to the forest. Several other packmembers, including some children, waited along with us. All of us watched the trees; most of us looked nervous. There was definitely something out there, as even from over a hundred yard away I could see a dark figure skulking around behind the evergreen boughs. If it’s intent was to hide then it wasn’t doing a very good job, but neither could I make out any features that would help me to intensity who - or what - it was. It appeared to be humanoid, and tall, and that was about all I could tell from here. “You were right - it is large ” I muttered at Surry, who stood to my left. “Has it said anything? Made any noise?” My Beta shook her head, though it was Rufias who spoke up. “I
A light breeze flowed outward from the woods, chilling my face and the tips of my ears. I simply stared at the giant. “Killed your father?” I repeated, feeling odd. “Why? Who was your father?” But even as I said those words a little voice arose in my mind and replied 'I think you already know the answer'. I looked at him. I really looked. And there was no question about it: that form in itself was familiar enough, but there were other similarities as well. His face, specifically the shape of the cheekbones; the narrow tilt of his eyes; and even his overall posture and muscle mass, they all bore a striking resemblance… But that was impossible. Tando HAD no other son than Julius, and though I certainly never put it past him to betray his mate and sleep around with different women (his advances toward me were partic
I stared at Cillium, keenly aware of the how the others did the same. “What do you mean?” I demanded perhaps a bit more roughly than was necessary. He shrugged. “When I grabbed him… I don't know how to put it. I went looking for things. I've never done that before, I've… never had anybody to do it with.” He shrugged again, clearly uncomfortable. “I don't know. But I learned some things about him, about his past.” Surry and Rufias looked up at me questioningly, still in their wolf forms. I mulled over what he had said. “So, you're telling us that you… read his mind? I didn't think that was possible, Cil, even for you.” “Neither did I” he replied. “But it made some sort of sense the moment I tried it. Think about it like…” Cillium paused and rubbed his scalp. “Like, rather than showing him things, I tried asking him for them instead. It didn't f
The sky's needy openness possessed a gravity that urged me on. Stepping closing to Cillium I reached out a hand to touch him - there wasn't much in this moment that I demanded or even expected, but it was impossible to think I would turn away with nothing. That was something I could not do, refused to do. "I do not ask for much"the she-wolf within me spoke, dulling my senses. "But I do ask for this." And it was not a demand, true - but it was just as irrefusable. Glowing with anticipation, Cil's eyes took in my stare, my hand, my body… he seemed to sway closer to me as heat filled my vision, collapsing me within a parcel of this moment... And then… the vision broke. I found myself standing there upon the snow, hand outstretched towards Cillium's face in what was probably the very picture of awkwardness. While he… he just stared at me, w