Chapter 19: Carun
1179 Words
Grace's PoV, early December:
Caroline had been a massive help, honestly. She helped plot out a route to the mountains that veered through her territory as much as possible, making it harder for Thomas to cross into, and she supplied us with more food and clothes. She couldn't arrange another mode of transport for us, to get us there quicker, and, although she never said why, I guessed that if she did anything that was too obvious then it would be like declaring war on Thomas.
She visited twice, in all, which was enough to satisfy whatever curiosity she had for us, or for me specifically. Caroline's visits were a surprise, even to Alex, who seemed to know her well, and I was always left with the feeling that she was assessing us -- like she was examining our every move. It wasn't a comfortable feeling, but I was glad to have her on our side instead of against us.
The second time she visited, a few weeks before Christmas, she stayed for several hours, much longer than she had before. She appeared pristine looking, despite having only just shifted from her wolf form, and ate dinner with us. As we sat around the campfire, shivering in the cold, it was obvious that Caroline had a purpose beyond intelligence gathering. The way she glanced at me every few seconds, her eyes full of curiosity, left no doubt in my mind.
Later, when we were preparing to sleep, Caroline didn't leave. Instead, she took me to the side, beckoning for me to follow her. I walked warily along beside her, the winter wind biting at my shoulders, which were barely protected by the jumper I wore, and waited for her to say something. Behind me, an owl called, its shrill hoot drowning out any slight sound that Caroline made as she moved along the forest floor.
When we had been walking for five minutes, she stopped. We were out of sight from the clearing where the others sat, but not out of earshot. This made me feel safer, but not because I distrusted Caroline -- truth be told, I believed her when she said she wanted to help.
"I think, little wolf, I have found another way to help you," she said, fingers tapping against her arms.
I regarded Caroline quietly before nodding at her to continue.
"As an Alpha, I'm able to...communicate, you could say, with other wolves very easily. Most other werewolves can communicate when they're in wolf form, but an Alpha can do it when they're human as well." Caroline took a step towards me.
I continued to watch her in silence. Caroline liked to take long pauses between important bits of information, perhaps to give people the time to absorb what she said, so I knew that if I just waited then she would finish her tale.
"I did a little research and I think that if I could called out to your wolf, then you could latch onto the signal with your own powers," she said. "Oh, come on Grace, don't look so surprised -- I know about your little powers, I know there's a bigger reason than blood purity for the elders to fear you. If you wanted, you could be a real danger to them. But that doesn't matter now -- if you study the way I call out to other wolves, specifically yours, then you might be able to replicate it."
I was shocked. I hadn't told anybody new about the powers I had discovered when I was with the rogue pack, not even Kayden and Ella. In fact, I hadn't used them at all since then -- partly because there was no one I wanted to practice on and partly because i was scared about what I could do if I made a mistake with them. What if when I was trying to make someone forget about me, I accidentally made them forget their whole life? What if I slipped up and the person that I was messing with lost their mind? I would never be able to live with myself if that happened.
"I don't know if I can," I said nervously. "I'm really out of practice. I don't want to hurt you."
Caroline scoffed at this, her mouth pulling up into a smirk. She sat down on the forest floor and tapped her chin. "You're not going to hurt me, little wolf, "she said. "You only have to latch onto the call -- tell me, how can you hurt me if you're not using your power of any part of me, just the call?"
I couldn't argue with that logic, even if I was still reluctant, so I sat down opposite her and crossed my legs. In the past few weeks my ankle had gotten much better, meaning I could walk short distances with help, even if it did ache a bit.
"Okay," I said, my voice hesitant. "Where do we begin?"
Caroline smiled at me and closed her eyes. "Close your eyes. I'm going to call out to your wolf -- you probably won't hear it, and neither will your wolf, but you'll be able to feel something poking at your mind."
I closed my mind and tried to open it up to what Caroline was describing -- I imagine a piece of yarn stretching like a rope between her mind and mine, ending behind the door separating my wolf from me. I could almost feel the prodding, the slight insistence that there was something trying to get through.
"Okay, Grace, I want you to focus on the call. Place both your hands on the ground, palms down. I'm doing it too, and hopefully this will create a stronger connection between our minds."
I did as she said, feeling the leaves and cold earth underneath my hands. The prodding got stronger and I could imagine the rope connecting us more strongly. It was light and silvery, like a spider's web, but impossible strong too -- it felt like silk, like a firm breeze blowing against the door in my head.
"Are you focused on it?"
"Yes."
"Good, then try connecting it. Call out to me in the same way -- you'll have to go through your wolf to do this."
I was confused. How could I make a similar connection with just my head? I tried imagining a new rope in my hand, but it didn't work. After a minute, I changed tactics -- instead, I simply spoke to Caroline through my mind.
Caroline?
Nothing.
Are you there?
There was still no reply, but I could feel a change. I imagined my inner voice melting down and becoming the rope, turning silver and long and snaking from my side of the door and through it until it fused with Caroline's.
Hello?
I nearly jumped for joy -- I could hear her voice in my head! It was strange, but I kept going, struggling to keep the connection in place.
Caroline? Is that you?
No... my name is Carun.
- Writer
