The Mute Bride

Meeting Azria

Coming to, she felt strong arms wrap firmly around her small frame. "Are you okay, Ky?" came the voice she knew better than her own. Nodding, she tried to sit up, but he wouldn't let her. "Not yet, you're still recovering." Recovering? Recovering from what? The last thing she remembered was her Shifting Ceremony and the hot feeling that had washed over her. A yawn escaped, as she snuggled close, rubbing her face against his chest. Why was she so tired? "You're okay, just fainted from shifting." Kylan turned a confused look his way and he reassured her, "Dad says it can happen sometimes. This is the first I've heard of it, but he says when there's something blocking it, or sometimes when someone is being gifted with a special power by the Goddess, they don't complete the shift the first time. He said you'll get another chance, but Ky, there's something you should know. The shift...it might have changed you."

Wait, changed her? Changed her how? Pushing away from him, she tried to take inventory of her body. No, everything seemed to be in place. What did he mean? Kylan looked up at him, her bright green eyes flashing through the dark of the room. With a sigh, he stood, supporting her as he walked her to the mirror on the wall. His hands on her shoulders, he waited as she gazed at the reflection staring back at her. Everything seemed the same, except for the white streak that started half way down her hair down to the ends. Touching it, her brow furrowed, she showed her confusion. Why wasn't it to the root? Why was her hair turning white? What was wrong with her? Bewildered, her gaze caught his in the mirror.

"I know it's different, Ky. Dad is looking into why this happened, but for now, he said just to rest. He's hoping that we will have it figured out soon, since we have the Luna Ceremony coming up in a few months, but he said there's no reason to change what we do. Your training will still start after our trip, if you still want to go. You do still want to go, right? It would be a wonderful way to get away from worrying about all of this and focus on your new sister for a bit. Your training will be here, and I can come with you at least for a bit. How's that sound?" His voice was soothing to her, something that she appreciated. No matter how bad she felt, ever since they were kids, Carter always knew just how to help her find her peace again. He was right, maybe this was the perfect opportunity for her to get to know the sister she never knew existed.

“Then it’s settled. We’ll get packed up, and we’ll leave as soon as you’re ready. Take whatever you want and we'll make an adventure of it. Maybe even go camping along the way." Kylan perked up at that. She loved being out in the woods with only the moon in the sky to tell her what to do. With her eyes brightening, she turned her face up to meet his. His husky laugh rumbled through her frame, his lips gentle as they touched hers. "I thought you might like that."

A couple of days later, she was packing her bags for a trip to the Crescent River pack. It felt surreal, like something out of a dream. In a million years, she never would have thought she would be in this position, packing to go meet her sister. Her whole life seemed like a lie, but yet, she knew it wasn't. Her family's past was complicated, shrouded in mystery, leading her to this place. The door slammed shut, her mother shuffling in with her arms loaded with bags from the local shop. Turning, she moved quickly to help her, then pointed to her bags. "Where's yours?" she motioned to say. It was obvious that her mother would go with them considering she hadn't seen or heard from her daughter since she was just a child. Kylan wanted to get going in the morning, hoping to wrap everything up so they could rest till then.

"Oh they're in the back room. I just have a couple more things I want to pack," Maureen smiled at her daughter as she put the groceries away. “Almost done though. Want anything to eat before your run?” Kylan thought about it, considering her plans for the evening. All she really wanted was to shift before they left. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but her inability to shift was making her anxious. How could she go on a long trip if she couldn’t defend herself or her mother? Her mother was aging, weakened after the loss of her mate. It was her responsibility now to care for her mother now that her father was not there to see to their needs. She needed to make sure she could do whatever it took to give Maureen the peace and care she deserved — and it started with her shifting.

Grabbing an apple from the counter, she smiled and kissed her mom on the cheek as she headed out. There was a path near the lake that she liked to run in, surrounded by trees. It was usually quiet and isolated, the perfect place for her to try to connect with her wolf again. Kylan hoped that it would work; ever since the ceremony she could feel something akin to a bubble inside her mind with a pacing energy within. It was the strangest feeling, and she just knew — that was her wolf waiting to come out.

Once she got to the lake, she laid out and took a moment to breathe with her back flat in the lush green grass. Kylan closed her eyes and focused inward. Focusing on the feeling inside her, she waited, probed. The girl had thought shifting would be easier than this. Unfortunately, while she waited to feel something, she drifted off to sleep.

She found herself in a dark room, or at least, she thought it was a dark room. Sitting up, Kylan swept her bright green eyes over the space. No, upon taking stock of her surroundings, she appeared to be in a cave. How did she get here? There didn’t appear to be an exit, so how did she get here?

She stood, making her way into the middle of the space. As she did, Kylan could hear a voice speaking to her, although she couldn’t track where it came from. “Kylan. Kylan. No, you’re not hearing things,” a soft laugh seemed to come from the disembodied voice. “It’s me, your wolf, Azria, and I’m so pleased to meet you, little pup.”

Eagerly, she responded through the mind-link. “My wolf? Am I finally getting to meet you?” A laugh resounded through her head as a warmth seemed to wrap around her.

“Yes my girl, I know how much you’ve wanted to meet me, but I couldn’t come before the Goddess allowed. I’ll always be with you now, you’ll see.” A smile spread over her features as she heard those words. Someone she could always lean on, rely on. Someone all hers, that she could always trust. Yes, this was something she couldn’t be happier about. “Anytime you need me, just call my name.”

“Azria?”

“Exactly.” The scene faded as she woke up next to the water. Was it real? Kylan couldn’t tell, but she rushed back home to rest before the trip upon the sun’s warmth rising over the hills.