The Herbalist

Bear, Wolf and other kinds

- Agneska -

The sound of heavy footsteps outside my cabin woke me from a fitful sleep. I groaned, rubbing my eyes, and pulled myself from the bed. It felt like I'd only closed my eyes for a minute. The world seemed hazy and far away, but when I opened the door, I saw Tobias standing there, looking rough but alive. His eyes softened when they met mine, and I couldn't stop the wave of relief that washed over me.

"You're alive," I muttered, stepping out to meet him.

"Of course I am," he said gruffly, but his voice lacked its usual edge. He looked tired—too tired. Like he hadn’t slept in days.

"You just disappeared without a word. What the hell, Tobias?" I raised an eyebrow at him, trying to muster up some irritation, but it was hard when I felt the knot in my chest loosening.

His expression remained unreadable. "Had to stay under the radar. You’ve seen what happens when we don’t."

I let out a sharp breath, but before I could ask more, he motioned for me to follow him. "Andrei’s got us on a tight schedule. We leave now. He’ll help us get across the sea."

The journey south was a blur—long hours spent crammed in trains, hidden in cargo holds, and stifling under the heat of stolen vehicles. We moved like shadows, always alert, always expecting someone to come after us. Tobias, for all his gruffness, was oddly calm. His eyes were always scanning the horizon, always aware. He knew what we were up against. More than I did, at least.

One night, while we were camped in the hills near the border, he finally spoke of the prophecy.

"You don’t remember much, do you?" Tobias’s voice was low, like he was carefully choosing his words. "About your role in all this?"

I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. The weight of my past felt like a fog that clung to me. Tobias’s words made it clearer: I was part of something bigger. Something I didn’t fully understand yet, but would, in time. He spoke of the Lunar Triad and the witches of the Arcane Coven, but he kept his explanations vague.

“You’ll meet him soon,” Tobias added, his gaze distant. “Kaelith. He’s the key, not just for you, but for everything. You’ll see.”

I wanted to ask more, but Tobias had already slipped into silence, as if the conversation was finished. So, I let it rest. For now.

By the time we reached the coast, I was exhausted. The Mediterranean was nothing like I’d imagined—calm, cool waters stretching endlessly into the horizon. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t the peace of the sea.

We boarded a small cargo boat, hidden among crates and barrels, with barely enough room to stretch out. The passengers onboard were a mix of outcasts—runaways, rogues, all fleeing something. A few days into the voyage, I met Sofka, a soft-spoken girl with quiet eyes that seemed to hold too many stories. She told me she was half fae, half gnome, though the two races weren’t exactly friends.

“I don’t mind,” she said, almost apologetically. "I keep to the trees. I keep the forest clean, and they leave me be."

Her words lingered with me, but there was something about Sofka that comforted me. She was fragile in a way I couldn’t quite explain, and for the first time in days, I felt like I wasn’t completely alone.

Tobias stayed to himself, rarely speaking except to make sure we weren’t followed. I noticed his growing paranoia, the way his eyes darted constantly, as though every shadow was a threat. It unsettled me, but I understood. The Guild was everywhere. The crossing took nearly three weeks. Despite Tobias looming presence and heavy paranoia, I grew fonder of Sofka days after days. As she wanted to start fresh somewhere new after a bad argument with her family, I suggested that she could join us to the Rocky Mounains as there would be plenty of forest to clean there. She agreed and I was pleased to no end that despite the hard journey ahead, I would have a friend by my side.

It was on the East Coast when everything shattered.

We were close to land when the ambush came.

I hadn’t seen it coming—none of us had. The Guild operatives moved fast, sweeping down upon us with the cold precision of a well-oiled machine. The moment we hit the dock, gunfire rang out. Tobias shifted, a massive bear in an instant, and roared as the first wave of operatives tried to surround us.

I froze. Panic hit me like a punch to the gut. I wanted to help, but I couldn’t. Not like Tobias could. He was a force of nature, tearing through the Guild’s forces as if they were nothing. But they kept coming. More of them, faster. The air was thick with smoke, and the screams of the other passengers echoed around me.

And then I saw her. Sofka.

She was cornered by two Guild agents, her eyes wide with terror. I opened my mouth to shout for Tobias, but it was too late. One of the agents pulled a trigger, and Sofka’s body went limp, collapsing to the ground in a sickening heap.

I didn’t scream. I didn’t even move. I was frozen, my blood thick and slow in my veins. Sofka was gone. Just like that. The girl I’d shared stories with, the girl who’d offered me a small glimmer of hope in this nightmare—was dead.

It wasn’t just the death that shook me, but the coldness of it. The Guild had no mercy, no hesitation. It was their way—or no way. And now, I realized, they wouldn’t stop until they destroyed us all.

Tobias pushed me behind him, slamming into me with the force of his bear form as he cleared a path through the attackers. We ran, and we didn’t look back.

Hours later, we arrived at the Rocky Mountains Pack. Tobias didn’t say much as we approached the pack’s borders, but I felt the tension in his shoulders, the weight of the journey. We were safe for now, but I knew it wouldn’t last.

The pack’s territory was vast, surrounded by towering peaks and lush forests. I felt the lump in my throat as I thought of Sofka and how she would have loved it there. It was quiet, almost serene. But I could feel the power of the place pulsing beneath the earth, ancient and alive.

As we made our way deeper into the pack’s heart, we were greeted by Camille, the mate of Alpha Daniel. She was kind, warm even, with an aura that made me feel instantly at ease. She welcomed us, leading me through the pack’s compound.

Something strange happened when she linked her arm with mine. It was subtle—just a brief touch—but a jolt of energy shot through me, something like an electric charge. I glanced at Camille, confused, but she didn’t seem surprised.

“You’ll understand in time,” she said with a soft smile.

The Alpha, Daniel, greeted us in passing but seemed preoccupied with something, a faraway look in his eyes. Camille didn’t elaborate on what was going on, but I got the feeling there was a lot more to their world than I understood.

Later, as we sat down to a modest meal, Theo, Daniel’s younger brother, arrived. He was impossible to miss—a tall, flirty wolf who immediately made a beeline for me.

“So,” he said, flashing a grin, “what brings the mysterious, quiet green-eyed one to our pack?”

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help but laugh. His lightheartedness was a welcome change from the tension that had weighed on me for days.

As the evening wore on, Camille explained the pack was literally a pack of wolves, I mean. Like Tobias was a man-bear, they were all wolf-men, albeit organized differently. The pack’s structure, their loyalty to each other, the way they interacted—it was all so… similar from Andrei’s community. Oh gosh, I was so stupid... Andrei's community was a pack of wolves too.

Still, a part of me couldn’t deny the sense of belonging. The pack’s bonds were visible, palpable. It was a stark contrast to the coldness of the Guild.

I had no idea what was coming next, but I knew I couldn’t stop now. Not after what happened to Sofka. Not after everything I’d seen. The prophecy, Tobias’s warnings, the journey ahead—it all felt like it was leading me somewhere. And I was ready to follow.