Wolf's Howl

Chapter 2

Two

The forest engulfed me as I left my friends and the fire behind. I had no idea where to find Aspen, but I trusted that my instincts and wolf would guide me. Despite my romantic choice, I still had a connection to him. He was family.

My feet brought me to a clearing, not far from the first line of trees. A somber tune caught my attention and I followed the whistled lullaby. It was a song I didn’t recognise, and yet, I knew what it was about. The forlorn tune of sorrow danced through the leaves and trees and brought me to Aspen. The look in his face reflected the same sadness as the melody of his song.

Not wanting to interrupt, I leaned against a tree and waited for him to notice me. His eyes darted up and I was caught in his gaze. Captivated by the melancholy.

He stopped his whistle and pushed himself up from the rock. “You okay?”

“Yes. The food is ready.”

“I see.” He nodded to himself as he brushed the dirt and twigs from his clothing. “Thanks.”

“You okay?” I asked, mimicking his question. The trip was taking a toll on him, I could tell. A couple of weeks had passed since I had my first shift and bound the amulet to me. When it happened, I wondered if he’d grow angry with me. If he’d take the necklace back.

Instead, he’d withdrawn. Every day, we neared closer to Coyote Country and every day, a little of him disappeared. Stolen by his memories of a different time, a better time.

“I’m alright, just famished.” Aspen stretched, his shirt caught on his muscles.

I smiled to myself at the sight. He was gorgeous, handsome, beautiful. But it had no effect on me. He was like a painting, a far away something that I didn’t want or needed to touch.

“Darren cooked something tasty.”

Aspen chuckled. “He always does.”

“It has a lot of potatoes.”

“I like potatoes.”

The chit chat carried us to the edge of the forest where the rest was waiting. I reclaimed my earlier spot next to Ashleigh, the small trunk still slightly warm. Darren filled up my plate, the sweet aroma of carrots with the earthy scent of potatoes a welcome change from the cold. The smell of Darren’s stew brought a fleeting smile to Aspen’s face and painted worry on Ashleigh’s. She was concerned about her brother and I couldn’t blame her. He was slipping from us. If we didn’t find the Winter Stone soon, he’d become a shell of himself. No matter what, I didn’t want that to happen. I didn’t want to lose my friend.

“Why are you eating so fast?” Ashleigh interrupted my apparent shovelling and I paused to stare up at her. Some of the soup trailed down my chin, my cheeks stuffed with potato.

“Excuse me?” I turned to her, not even realising I was shovelling my food down.

“You’re eating like you haven’t had food in days,” Danny supplied.

“Yes, just hungry,” I lied. I didn’t want to voice my worries and bring the whole atmosphere down. I knew they were just as worried about him as I was, if not more. We didn’t have to speak about it.

“It’s a clear sky,” Darren commented randomly. He snuck me a quick wink and I smiled gratefully. I could always count on him to change the subject.

“Could be rain,” Regan agreed.

Darren nodded. “It’ll be cold, for sure.”

“You better keep me warm then,” Danny interjected, breaking up their conversation. The three men smiled, the love clear on their faces.

“A-Always.”

Danny was happy, her three men were happy. I looked at Ashleigh, my stomach tumbling and twisting in flutters. She caught my eye and a smile flitted across her features. She was happy.

I couldn’t help the grin breaking my face and hid behind my spoon. I was happy, happier than I’d been in my entire life. But in the midst of all our joy, Aspen suffered. No matter how bright stars shone, the darkness of the night still swallowed it. It didn’t matter how we felt, how much we tried to cheer him up. He was on a downward spiral that would only end when he reached that Stone.

I shovelled the last of my stew down and pushed my plate away. I was finished, but JP was still pushing his potatoes around. Poor guy. He really had trouble with the sizes, but as long as we were on the go, there really wasn’t much else we could carry with us. It was time for this quest to be over.

I turned to Regan. “How far off are we from reaching Coyote Country?”

He stared up again and scratched his chin. “Three days.”

“What do we do when we get there?” Darren asked.

All heads turned to me and my breath stocked in my throat. “Why are you all staring at me?”

Darren shrugged. “You were on your way here. I assumed you knew where to go.”

“Right…” I held back a chuckle, but failed miserably. Water snorted through my nose and tears sprung to my eyes.

“What’s so funny?” Danny scratched the back of her neck.

“I d-don’t get the j-joke.”

I slapped my thighs, the irony of the moment overwhelming. Almost three months ago, I packed up my bags and left on a journey to the East without even really thinking about it. I overcame a Coyote ambush, a crazy Puma, a blood mage attack. After all that, I was still standing and nearing Coyote Country.

“Akira?” Ashleigh touched my back, the concern emitting from her gesture. I glanced at her and laughter overcame me even more than before. From her face, I could tell she thought I’d gone mad. Maybe I had.

“I-I… I left for this massive quest to find the Winter Stone.” Tears streamed down my face. “I’ve travelled all across the world and somehow made it to Coyote Country and, and, you won’t believe this. I have no clue what to do now.”

The six exchanged worried glances and Darren waved his hand in front of me. “I think she’s gone crazy,” he noted.

“No, no, no. I’m just dying of irony. I always thought I’d figure it out when I got there, but really? I never imagined I’d actually get here. I’m such a failure. Why did the village even agree to send me?”

“You’re not a failure.” Ashleigh pushed my chin up and pierced me with her blue eyes. “Never say that about yourself.”

“But I am. I won’t bring the Stone home.”

“Because you decided you weren’t,” the raven-haired beauty argued.

“No. Even if I wanted, I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t get back in time before Winter is over.” The reality of the moment was stunning me. The adventures with my new friends had left me in a delusional state of accomplishment. I felt invincible with them and forgotten just how weak and pathetic I actually was. I still wasn’t sure why the village had chosen me as the Winter Wolf.

“So we don’t actually know what to do once we set foot in enemy territory?” Danny was the voice for reason, as she was often.

“I have no clue.” I turned to the twin on my right. “Aspen?”

“Huh?” As if shaken out of a daydream, he shook the confusion out of his head and cleared his throat. “What are you guys talking about?”

JP finished pushing his potatoes around and joined the conversation. “W-What do w-we do once we’re in C-Coyote Country?”

“We find the Winter Stone.” Aspen looked at us incredulously, as if we just asked the most stupid question.

Danny scoffed as she rolled her eyes. “Yes, but how?”

“We find the Seer.”

“That’s your plan?” Regan’s forehead wrinkled.

“The Eagle Sight has been lost from this world for centuries,” Ashleigh pointed out slowly, as if she didn’t want to burst his bubble.

I put my hand up. “Sorry, but what’s Eagle Sight?”

“The gift of the One who Sees.” Darren made circles with his thumb and index finger and brought them to his eyes. “Legends say the Seer is an all-knowing entity.”

I frowned. There were so many different races out there, but I knew next to nothing about them. My village didn’t educate me about the real world. This certainly wasn’t a story I heard before. I cleared my throat. “Legends?”

Regan tapped his forehead. “They’re extinct.”

“Or at least, that’s what the myths say. They left the material world once they reached enlightenment and became one with the Eagle God. They’re his eyes, his voice, his embodiment. The closest thing to living Gods on this world,” Darren added.

I leaned into Ashleigh, enjoying the warmth of her presence against my back. My wolf hummed softly in contentment and tugged on the magic of the amulet. It didn’t need much to run through my chest and find Ashleigh’s black wolf in the void between us. The two twirled together and put me to rest in a peaceful way that I’d never experienced before her.

“So we’re basically looking for the Eagle God and asking him for his guidance?” I asked.

“Correct.” Aspen drummed his hands on his chest. “He lives in a cave.”

I groaned. “Not another cave, I’m sick of caves.”

“What’s wrong with caves?” Darren asked, sounding a little disgruntled. “I like caves.”

“Caves are moist and dirty and boring,” I argued.

“Did you just use moist for a cave?” Ashleigh giggled as she hid her face in my shoulder. “Moist?”

“Can everybody just stop using the word cave?” Danny grumbled. “Cave, cave, cave, it’s like you don’t know any other words for it.”

“Earth cavity,” Darren suggested.

Ashleigh giggled louder. “Ground tunnel.”

“S-Subterranean shelter,” JP added.

I scratched my head. “Gravel gap?”

The redhead groaned loudly as she banged her fists against her forehead. “You people are impossible.” She clung to Regan, exasperated. “Say something else, please?”

He stared back at her, his face serious until he spoke. “Grotto.”

Danny’s frustrated scream sent us all into a fit of laughter and we filled the sky with joy and jokes. It was nice to be carefree, even if just for a moment. The quiet before the storm, the silence before the tornado, the calamity before the chaos.

Tomorrow, we’d be so close to Coyote Country, we couldn’t afford to be this loud or obnoxious. Small fires, quiet movements, and no wandering away from camp.

Enemy territory, here we come.