88. Cherish

Finally after days of manic preparation and everyone involved being close to exhaustion the full moon was almost upon us. The town square, a collection of wooden buildings and cobbled streets with a traditional well in the middle was a throbbing sea of people. The crowds were enormous.

Luckily we had Jackson, his huge voice guided the proceedings as Ivan and I had to sit there like statues. There was a full ritual to be followed for starting a Pack. Ivan had to offer his blood into a dish, a small nick made into his wrist which he tried not to wince at. The blood flowed quickly, splattering into the bowl with a sound that sent both of us spinning back into the world of the Cage and its violence.

Somehow the whole place smelt of apples, it turns out that apple orchards surround the town of Cragstone. /Meant to be/ purred Halo, the apple-scented man we adored having his scent amplified wherever we went during harvest season.

With the bowl the town elders were brought forward and aske