Mare in the Pack

Chapter 3

During the run, William and I were joined by a few wolves that were in the forest. I connected with their link easily. I guess that is a perk of being the Moon Goddess's daughter. "This is it for me guys. I'm getting tired and my mom needs my help with the twins."

"Okay, Mira." The smaller reddish brown wolf said.

"Will you join us in our next run?" The bigger deep brown wolf asked.

"Maybe. I don't know how long my herd will be here for." I whined, but took off toward the pack house while I headed toward my house.

I shift back to my human form and stepped into the house. "I'm home!" I called out.

"Shh! I ju--" Mom was cut off by two tiny cries. She sighed and her shoulders slumped.

Mom looked really tired. Doesn't help that James has been a bugger with shifting forms. Anytime he didn't want something, he'd shift to his wolf form and destroy something. "I got them, mom. Go rest. You need it."

I walked upstairs and slipped into a nightgown before going and picking up the twins. "It's okay girls. It's just me." I hummed and rocked them back to sleep. It felt normal to me. Something I used to do with James every time my mom and dad were too tired to care for him.

Once they were asleep, I opened my link to the old mare who I learned was named Ellanna. "Yes, child?"

"I was just wondering what these girls names are going to be. Did their mother tell you what their names were?"

"No. She didn't name them. She knew she was going to die during the birth of them." She paused for a moment. "She didn't want to get attached, knowing she wasn't going to survive. Feel free to name them."

I sighed sadly. I'd have to talk to mom, simply because I was never good at naming things.

I placed them down gently and snuck away to go find mom.

I found mom in the kitchen. Looked like James was finally hungry for some cooked food instead of trying to hunt for himself. "Mom?"

She turned and looked at me, a soft smile playing on her lips. "Yes, my sweet girl?"

I furrowed my brow for a second before shaking off that odd feeling. Mom's always been kinda strange when she's tired. "The old mare, Ellanna said we are free to name these girls."

Mom's smile lit up her face like new years fireworks. "Eliana for the one with the blue eyes, and Arianna for the two colored eyed one."

I smiled and opened my link telling my herd what the girls' names were. Everyone seemed very happy with the names, but then William spoke up. "Only the stallion is to name any orphaned foals."

"William! Don't you dare take their names away! Mira, go whisper their names in their ears. That way my son can't change them."

Doing as ordered by Ellanna, I rushed up the stairs and whispered their names into their ears. I watched as they shivered and smiled in their sleep.

Opening a private link to Ellanna, I told her. "They shivered and smiled in their sleep after I whispered their names into their ears. What does that mean?"

"With you being the Moon Goddess' daughter, their names are final and blessed by a Goddess, you. Whether William liked it or not, you and you alone were the only one who could name them. They saw you first, therefore, they view you are their mother. Even though they know that you aren't the one who birthed them. You understand that right?"

"I think I do." I yawned into the link.

"Get some sleep, child. You are going to need it."