Howl Your Appellations

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BOEN OPEOR

After our visit to the city, Beige had to rest for a while. He wasn’t in any sort of danger, the trip just tired him out too much than he anticipated. I’m sure he had fun mostly, reading the books he bought like he intentionally wanted to have an excuse to rest. I gave him the wave keychain that the store clerk gave me since I felt bad for damaging the productivity of their pack. I was supposed to give it to Lissana but Beige has been using it as an earring and it looks very, very good on him.

Speaking of Lissana, we haven’t had a single conversation since that day. I was really busy helping out with the construction with Kaz and the other Weres, and apparently, there’s an event that the Wolf Weres are preparing for. They called it the “Tournament” and it occurs during the Lava Moon Cycle. I don’t know what their basis is for the cycle but the gist of the the tournament is that all seven Wolf Were packs are to fight in their human and full forms in order to establish a hierarchy among the packs. The winner of the tournament will be in-charge of most of the territory of the Wolf Weres. Also bragging rights. The Were creatures really like to test their strength.

Sometimes, Sana meets up with the other Alphas of each pack and they discuss about forest business. She doesn’t really go into detail, as much as each pack are friendly rivals, they also need to band together when the forest is threatened, just like the events of Prince’s Mourning. There are still talks about how Nike’s still the better Alpha for the October pack, but the members hunts them on sight so it has lessened. Even before I entered the forest, there’s already been drama.

The pack has told me that I’ve gained an additional Appellation. I can’t see it but it seems that I now have three. My name, the title I got after Prince’s Mourning: ‘The Catalyst’, and my now new appellation: ‘The Outsider’. This doesn’t make a lot of sense to anyone since I’ve been with Weres and the forest for more than two months now, why would it make me an outsider?

So far, nothing bad has come because of it so I welcome my new appellation as I live my life in sort of a rush. I went back to knitting and sending designs to my sister. She and my parents wondered why it took me longer to update them about my status but other than that, they’ve stopped being concerned with me.

Moze was a bit worried, but we don’t really message each other too much. She just told me that my family would bother her from time to time to tell me that I need to send updates. She also told me that the business party date was moved and that I have to attend if I don’t want to be cut-off from the family.

I thought I was already cut-off when I left for Abalone but I guess they mean monetarily. I’ve already saved up enough to live on my own and start a small business, I’m not worried about not receiving money from the people who see me as an employee. But I can feel that they’re being serious, if I don’t attend, they might do terrible things to the ones I love here. They’ve never been afraid to do that. This is partially why I think Moze keeps moving around, she doesn’t want to be in one place for too long. She’s got this fear of the malice of my family catching up to her.

She can easily cut me off and my family wouldn’t bother her anymore. But she doesn’t, and that’s why she’s a keeper.

In just a few days, my cabin will be mostly finished. It’s not even half the size of its old design, and that’s how it should be. No one wants to remember Magnaldo’s fae coffin. I’ll make everyone forget and they’ll remember this new cabin as the one that they made together. Boen’s little cabin.

At nights I like to jump up from beyond the trees and wait for myself to fall gently down. Up there, is so incredibly cold but also incredibly beautiful. There’s still so much I don’t know and so much that I need to know. Doing things made me find out about that The Train doesn’t have a barrier beyond the trees. That’s how Kaz manages to enter in and out without warning. It bothered the pack for a while.

Kaz caught me floating about one night; he doesn’t seem to be out right now, just me, the stars and the forest below. He wondered if I was a lost bird but then realized that it was me. We talked for a while about nothing important.

“Is this the new past time of The Catalyst? It’s dangerous to be out here at night.” he said.

“The sky is safer than down there. At least up here I can see things coming. I’m just trying to find my silence, making sure it isn’t gone.” I told him.

“As long as there is sound, there’ll always be silence. This plane functions on a balance.”

He hovered his large Hawk wings and passed me, only to change into partial form. Now he’s as if he’s an angel. Being a Were sure if convenient.

“You know you don’t have to do that. I’ll be on the ground in about fifteen minutes. It’s not like I’m flying right now.”

I tried to sound as un-rude as possible. I just didn’t like that he caught me while I was trying to be thoughtless. And for him to partially transform just indicates that he intends to stay with me for however long he wants.

“Just what are you, Boen Opeor? You’re walking in human skin but you’re not human, aren’t you? Never have been. See, I’ve encountered many a mysteries in my time, but you’re the first new encounter in a while. You’ve gained two Appellations in a short amount of time and now you’re doing this! You vex me so terribly that I want cage you and find out what you are myself.”

He gave himself a short pause. I prepared myself just in case he does anything.

“But I left those days behind me decades ago. I’ll let the course of time tell me what you are. Let’s hope there’s still a little human left in your being, if you manage to outlive me before you reveal what you truly are, I’ll curse your name to Luna.”

I thought I’d get over feeling utterly helpless from being threatened, but it just felt like déjà vu. Krolo threatened me once and it did not end well for him. Of course, I also paid a price.

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I’ll die before you do. I’m fundamentally human. And it’s this arrogance of yours that’s really been annoying me. You could just ask me to tell you when I figured it out! It’s not like I don’t want t learn what I am! Look, let’s just make a promise.”

I thought of a compromise.

“A promise?”

“Yes. I promise to tell you what I am when I eventually find out. In exchange, you give me the information I need when I ask of it. My search will be faster, and you will have your mind at ease. Deal?”

I exposed my hand to the cold night sky for a handshake.

“Well, aren’t you clever. Very well, but I have the right to deny giving you certain information that I deem would be useless and dangerous for me to dispense.”

He gave me his hand and we shook on it. Imus isn’t the only one with a bird for a friend.

“At least now I’m sure nothing bad will happen to you because of me. Be nicer, dude. I bet you’ll find it easier to acquire answers if you just ask nicely.”

“Humans have no right to judge the methods of the Hawks. Although, it has been entertaining being around lesser Weres and you, an anomaly.”

“Huh. At least we gave you something. That reminds me, where are all the other Hawk Weres? Why’d they send just one to help out?” I asked.

We were getting closer and closer to the treetops. I don’t have time to ask for more questions.

“One is enough, is it not? Do you demand any more assistance from us? There are other things that needs to be attended to in the forest. It’s large enough to harbor multiple small catastrophes.”

As he finished talking, I was below the canopy of the trees and back at The Train. I saw Kaz change from partial form to his full form. He seemed to have enjoyed himself.

Tonight, he is not here to bother me. The night sky is empty except for me and the stars. It’s so quiet, so peaceful up here. Looking down, all I see are the spires of trees and the lights of the various hideouts of flickering secretly. Looking up, there’s the moon a giant mass of power and secrets. I feel like the closer I am, the more I’ll be able to learn about myself. But the moon’s unreachable, and I’ll have to find the answers myself.

“Well, I better get down now. The pack doesn’t like me ‘spying’ on the other Weres territory.”

I can’t even tell which part of the forest the globs of light are emanating from, let alone know which hideout are whose. But maybe they think it’s about the idea of me, seeing everything from up here, bothers them.

“Huh?”

The stars are moving. They’re not supposed to do that are they? I’m not sure if this is natural or not but it’s too late to check. I’m already below the the canopies. I’ll have to ask the pack later. Maybe they’ll know what that was.

“...where am I?”

Oh god, not again. Did I teleport without noticing? I was sure I was just going down a straight line I couldn’t have teleported. I’m too awake, and there isn’t a prompt. This could only mean that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, on the ground, in front of The Train.

Why did the stars follow me down here? And where’s The Train?!

It’s okay, Boen. This isn’t automatically a bad thing, it might be a good omen. Might be. I have to find a way out.

“Meow.”

No way, “Soft! Soft! Is that you? Show me where I need to go to see you!” I screamed.

And in a snap I could see Soft’s eyes shining among the stars. It could only be her eyes. I can only see the outline of her silver fur but I’m sure it’s her.

“Soft! Soft! I missed you! Slow down, you don’t have to run so fa----”

Right next to the small golden dots for Soft’s eyes were two enormous balls of gasses staring straight at me. They seem to be the eyeballs of a creature, cold and bright blue, like Angelite.

I’ve felt this gaze twice before. I don’t remember them clearly but they’re the same eyes. The same watchful, doting gaze, as if like a mother.

“Are you…here to make sure I’m safe?”

I ask the mass of stars and the sky. I can make out a large snout, a snout even bigger that any Wolf Were I’ve seen. It’s as if a giant chunk of the night sky fell off in shape of a Wolf.

“Are you here to bring Soft back to me?” I ask, beckoning Soft to detach from the fallen sky.

Just then, without giving me an answer, the sky rose up and it gave me one last look. Now, I can see above its head, Appellations too many to count, hundreds, thousands of them, all for one being.

I woke up on top of The Train after it showed me it’s grandiose prestige.

The members said that I had met Matti, a Mare Were. She came to bless the Lava Moon and the upcoming tournament. I had met a literal Demi-god and She had with Her, my cat.