Howl Your Appellations

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Lissana Mons

“WE’RE FINALLY OUT!!!!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! LISSANA MON’S IS BACK!!!” Finally! Finally! Finally! I got out! I don’t even remember the reason why I went into the caves in the first place but I’m finally out! I can hug my pack and kiss Boen! Ah! No I’m getting ahead of myself, I still don’t know how Boen feels about me, she might still hate me for making her leave but the pack might also ave told her that I saved her too, but that wasn’t a solo job, I had some help. There’s no way we could have fought prince anyway….

“Ah! I forgot about prince! Guys---!”

Oh, I’d completely forgotten that these two haven’t been out here for a long time, it looks like it’s just about time for dawn. The ocean of trees from up here looks so extremely immense that it’s hard not to get lost in its deep greens. I see a few birds circling around too. Let’s wave at it, Imus will have the message by the end of the day or sooner. It’s a little scary, I don’t know how many days it has been, I might have been gone for years if Luna willed it, but I trust that I’m in the right time. If this isn’t my present then I’ll demand it back, if it’s the last thing I do! But, more importantly, I wonder what they’re gonna do. They’re still awestruck, I let them enjoy this for a bit longer. This makes the start of their new journey after all.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? Far beyond our reach, until the end of horizon are trees so tall and dense that it exhilarates you!”

“Sana, Benan, is this how the outside is all the time? It’s so big and beautiful…”

“Yeah, I forgot how big the world is, compared to the tunnels. I haven’t felt the morning breeze in my face and the seen the sunrise in four years.”

“So this is what a sunrise is like…it’s a lot more beautiful than the cave lights…”

I wish I could feel what they’re feeling right now but I’m also happy that I’m watching them experience this. I was wandering in the caves for a long time but these two had lives in the caves, they’re accustomed to the scarcity of things and the lack of permanent safe spaces. Urk…I’m so moved I could cry, to think that we won’t be seeing each other again in next couple of years seriously makes me sad.

“I wish we could just stay like this forever, right, Ben?”

“Yeah, but you have a mission to do. I’ll support you as your brother for as long as I can.”

“Yeah! This is so great!”

“Haha! I wish the two of you the fattest chunk of luck! What are you going to do when you see your dad, Goa?”

“I’m going to punch the guy so hard he’ll lose a couple of his teeth.”

“Ah.”

“Do didn’t think this guy’s set on finding his dad so he can connect with him, did you, Sana?”

“Well, I might have assumed that?”

“If he’s a good person then, I might consider not hating him, but I just really need to punch him for leaving us at going off without telling us where he’s going. Mom and sis would have wanted vengeance too! I’m a hundred percent sure. We usually joked about wishing he was starving or dead. Those were such good memories.”

“.…cool, I’ve got no qualms with that. Sock him so hard he gets a permanent black eye, dude.”

“Thanks, Sana. I’m getting pumped up just thinking about it!!”

“Yeah-hehehe!! Oh, and what about you, dude?”

“Me? What do you mean? I already said goodbye, nothing’s holding me back now.”

“No, I mean, what if your memories come back? What if you had some good ones after all?”

“.…You really are an i***t, aren’t you, Sana?”

“What was that?! Is that how you talk to your trainer for a week?!”

“If my memories ever do come back, Goa and I will deal with it together. Although I doubt that I have any good ones considering that I ended up in the caves in the first place.”

“Yeah! Whatever Ben remembers, I’ll stick with him until he tells me to leave.”

“That’s probably not going to happen, but we’ll see. Anyway, Sana I hate to ask you this but, can you lead us to the nearest station? Or at least show us the way to the city?”

“Eh? You guys are leaving for the city already? Don’t you want to gather from the Weres here?”

“Oh, well, I guess you’re right, but I think it’s highly unlikely that the Weres here would know about him.”

“Why do you say that?”

“My dad isn’t really the friendly type. He normally boasts around about how strong he is and how I would soon be like him. He never revealed his form to anyone, not even us so I don’t think anyone would have known who he was an ‘Armoured’ Were. Did you hear anything about someone like that?”

“Well, you got me there. I didn’t hear anyone called an ‘Armored Were’. But I’m not really the type to remember these things. That would be Skia or my mom, or maybe even Imus. But even in Skia’s journal she never mentioned a Were like that…sorry I don’t know how I can help. Maybe the Hawk Weres know something?”

“We appreciate that you’re trying to help,Sana. Are the hawk Weres friendly? We could give them a shot and then go to our more concrete lead.”

“And that is?”

“My dad always told us that he wanted to fight goats. Said that their horns are super tough. ‘Goats are the only worthy opponents around these parts’. I can’t believe I thought he was a cool dad, Luna, it all dawned on me when he left.”

“Yeah, it’s just hard to see those things sometimes. Then, you guys are in luck! I know where the gondola terminals are. It’s close to the…cabin…”

“Yeah, thanks. But I think it’s better if we meet the hawk Weres first. We wouldn't want to go back from the mountains, with the off chance that there’s no information about him there.”

“Oh! Right! Then I shall lead the way as close as I can. Their place is a bit too far from my pack’s den. But if I use my full form, it’ll be no problem. Oh! I need to give you guys a few warnings before we go. Have you guys heard of the faes?”

“I read about it from one of old man’s books.”

“They’re the ones that curse Weres, right? My mother never really liked to talk about them.”

“Yeah, well they’re nasty. And I don’t know if the situation is better, but from the looks of it, the forest’s actually kinda calm. Maybe prince calmed down a bit since the incident. There’s still so much to do…”

“Um, Sana?”

“Can you guys use your full forms now? I’m only worried that you guys will encounter an airy when I’m gone. It’s a trick faes use to lure Weres in and curse them, but it’s more like killing than cursing. If there’s a slightly distorted patch of air, either floating or on the ground, that’s an airy. It normally stays in one place so it’s fine as long as you guys steer clear of them. Understand so far?”

“Yes, more or less. And to answer your question about our forms, it looks like I can’t do it right now. I think our bodies still need to adjust to the sudden change. How is it for you, Goa?”

“Same. I can only show my scales right now, but it looks so damn cool! Look at these babies!”

“Yeah,okay cool. Do we have to worry about anything else, Sana?”

“Steer clear from the prince of the faes, he normally wears a red cape and has trees as make shift arms these days. You guys aren’t cursed so he won’t come after you but it’s still best if you stay away from him. Um, for the Weres I wouldn’t worry about them right now, as long as they don’t attack first, it’s safe to just ignore or encounter them. They don’t know what’s going on and two Were kids walking around the woods isn’t going to interest anyone. Anddd, that’s it I guess. ”

“Thanks, Sana. We’ll be careful.”

“Good, you guys are tough, you can handle a few Weres.”

“Well, what about you, Sana? What are you gonna do after you drop us off and meet your pack again?”

“I WOULD HUG EVERY f*****g ONE OF MY MATES IN HUMAN AND FULL FORM, THEN I’LL HUG BOEN, GIVE HER RING BACK AND KISS HER SO HARD SHE PASSES OUT!!!!”

“Whoa, looks like you’ve got a lot of pent-up emotions right there.”

“Sana~! I didn’t know you had a wife!! Does she have melons as big as yours?”

“Nahhh~! And she’s not my wife, she’s just a girl I like. She’s the reason I was in the caves in the first place! But then again, I started this whole mess, but who cares! I’m alive and the girl I like is also living, breathing, being beautiful~!”

“Okay, shut up about your crush, it’s gross. Seeing you being so lovestruck makes me shudder uncontrollably.”

“I like Sana like this. Good thing you liked this girl, if it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t have met. The outside world works in mysterious ways. ”

"Goa, I completely forgot that you're a cave bumpkin. The outside world works almost the same as the caves. Only there's more s**t like technology and capitalism."

"Well you don't know what changed during the four or five or six years you've been underground, a lot can change in a year. You're just just being snobby."

"If a Were attacks us and you were its target, I might actually consider throwing you down its throat."

"WELP! I guess we better get going, but first, the two of you need to promise me something."

"What is it?" Oh, they asked at the same time. Cute.

"I want y'all to promise me to get stronger and expand your appellations! When you guys think you're strong enough, come back here and fight me! It'll be tons of fun, I promise!"

"Aren't we the ones who's supposed to give you our promise? But...yeah, that does sound like fun. I promise to do that."

"Yeah, me too!"

"Great! Then it's settled. Let's get going!"

I haven't transformed to my full form in such a long time it feels like my first transformation all over again. I feel so much power flowing through my veins, I could hunt anything that crosses my way. But let's focus on the boys having a hard time trying to hang on to my back and fur.

"Sana! This is your full form?! You're gigantic! This is amazing!"

"Yeah! I'm impressed. I can't wait to get stronger and channel my full form!...okay, Sana, we're ready when you are!"

"Hold on tight this will be quick!"

I bolted from up the mountain cave to the trees and down to the ground where I ran as fast as I could with the wind in my fur and the boys screaming in both awe and genuine concern. I wanted to slow down for them a little bit I couldn't help my excitement, I'm almost home and nothing's going to stop me from getting there. I made sure to slow the pace down for when we passed the wide falls and the rainbow oak just to boast the beauty of my forest, of Abalone. The hawks' place is among the dead trees and clifs so I don't normally go there. Hawk Weres have no business with Wolf Weres unless they need information from each other, but Imus has friends around here so they probably won't mind me, if they did, I would be dead now.

We're almost there and they day's only just begun. I pray that these boys live long enough to fight me. I hope they live long enough that I can see them again.

"Alright, we're at the entrace! It's pretty intimidating but this beautifully carved white-wood gate is a symbol of the hawks' appreciation for art as well as for their formidable security. You won't find them leaking information anywhere else!"

"Whoa, Sana. There's so many things, so many places to eaxplore! The forest is so big and pretty! I can't believe I'm finally outside and I'm going places!!!"

"Yeah, Abalone is pretty great. Welp, I better get going. A Hawk Were will swoop down here for you guys any minute now, you can just tell them you seek information and have information to share. They love things related to the caves so lucky you~! Good luck! See you guys again, in the far future!"

"Bye, Sana! We'll kick your ass in 5 year's time! You'll see you, heavy airhead!"

"Bye, Sana! Thanks for everything!!!"

It's a little sad to see them go, but nothing's more important to me than my family, October pack, your alpha's coming home!!

Howl, and, howl and howl back! You guys know that I'm here. Howl like you missed me, howl like the moon is full and golden!

Ah! I hear them! I'm almost back to them---AH!

"EVERYONE! I'M BACK!!!!"

That day, we never let go of one another, and I felt an additional embrace, that warmed my heart up even more.