Echoed Steps - ON HOLD

Chapter Two

“Knowing Gwynnie, that could have meant anything,” Elowen snickered, and Halle joined in with her giggles.

Gwynfor groaned at the nickname that Elowen had taken to calling him, though deep down he loved it. He loved anything his mate said or did.

“At the time, I didn’t think much of it,” Deryn mused, pulling Halle back into bed with him and kissing the top of her head. “Though I had no idea just how much things were about to change…”

•º•º•º•

“What is it?” Deryn asked, becoming a little exasperated with his wolf’s actions. Gwynfor trotted over to a puddle before he said anything further.

“What is so important that I should know before we go back?” Deryn pressed, suddenly suspicious.

“Check the puddle for our reflection. You’ll notice that our fur is... well... it’s not exactly the traditional wolf colouring.”

For the first time, Deryn had a chance to look at Gwynfor’s coat, shining in the bright moonlight. Instead of the expected grey, caramel, brown, or even black, his fur was a shimmering, unmistakable shade of white. Purer than snow without a single blemish.

“Well, that stands out a bit,” Deryn muttered. “No chance of sneaking up on an enemy with fur like that.”

“I’m rather fond of it, actually,” Vor replied defensively. “But the thing is Deryn–”

“Oh good, there’s more?” Deryn interrupted.

“Yes, there’s more. This coat comes with gifts. You are bigger, stronger and faster than other wolves, you’re able to track scents better than most and you have healing abilities that will put even some of the Tylwyth Teg to shame. It’s an honour to have a coat like this, a great blessing from the Moon Goddess.” Gwynfor rather ungracefully plonked his bottom down and puffed out his chest.

•••

Halle was doing the best she could to suppress her giggles, but Gwynfor had heard her.

“Something funny, pretty mate?”

“Oh ‘Vor, I can just picture your puffing out your chest like a canary with that little smile on your face,” she chuckled. Deryn smiled; he loved that sound, and he allowed himself to soak it up before taking a breath and continuing.

“A rustling from the edge of the clearing caught Gwynfor’s attention. Alpha Aled’s wolf, Emyr, appeared between the trees and stepped into the moonlight. Emyr was a magnificent black wolf; regal and imposing. Our wolves were the complete opposites of one another…”

•º•º•º•

Emyr froze, amber eyes widening as he took in the sight of Gwynfor. He did not even take a defensive stance at the sight of a strange wolf, he just stared in what Deryn assumed to be shock.

“See?” Vor thought smugly. “He’s speechless with admiration.”

“I don’t know about that bud…”

Deryn considered, briefly, the possibility of running away to start a new life. But before he could put this plan into action, Alpha Aled managed to compose himself and pad over, albeit cautiously. The Alpha circled once, twice, three times, his expression shifting from shock to something like wonder.

“It has been over one hundred years,” Emyr’s deep, resonant voice echoed through Deryn and ‘Vor’s mind, “since our pack has seen a Blessed Wolf.”

“A what now?” Deryn’s confused voice blurted through the mind link.

“A Blessed Wolf,” Emyr continued, “comes only in times of great change. Their unusual colouring marks them as blessed by the Goddess herself.” He bowed his head respectfully. “It is an honour to welcome you both to the pack.”

Deryn felt a mixture of relief and suspicion. “Is that true?” he thought privately to Vor. His mother had told stories of the blessed wolves but she never mentioned that their abilities were so extensive. The tales mentioned they were blessed by the goddess but Deryn always thought it was hyperbole. “Is that true?” he asked privately to Vor.

“Of course it is!” Vor replied with wounded dignity. “I told you we came with special skills. Would I lie about something so important?”

“Yes,” Deryn thought flatly. “Yes, I get the feeling you absolutely would.”

“Well, perhaps,” Vor admitted, “but think of the benefits! No one will dare laugh at our walking now!”

As if to demonstrate, Gwynfor’s legs tangled again, and he sprawled inelegantly at the Alpha’s feet.

Emyr’s eyes twinkled with barely suppressed laughter. “The prophecy did fail to mention that the Blessed Wolf might need walking lessons,” he said dryly. “Come, let us return to the pack. They should witness this... graceful... arrival.”

As they made their way back through the forest – Gwynfor tripping every few steps – Deryn realised that while this wasn’t the wolf ceremony he’d imagined, it was certainly memorable. And judging by the amused but respectful look in his Alpha’s eyes, being wolfless might have been much worse than having a bright white, slightly incompetent, definitely oversleeping Blessed Wolf.

“I heard that,” Vor thought indignantly. “I prefer the term ‘fashion-forward, efficiency-challenged, and sleep-appreciative,’ thank you very much.”

Despite everything, Deryn felt a laugh bubble up inside him. This was going to be an interesting partnership.

•º•º•º•

“‘Fashion-forward, efficiency-challenged and sleep-appreciative!?’” Halle howled with laughter.

A grumble from Gwynfor rattled from Deryn’s chest which only made Halle laugh harder. Deryn pulled Halle up to sit on his lap, needing her close, needing to inhale her sweet lemon and lavender scent.

“Oh ‘Vor you are funny,” she chuckled as she sat. “This is all well and good, but it doesn’t explain how you ended up here. It sounds like your Alpha was glad to have you as part of the pack.”

“Alpha Aled was,” Deryn replied, placing a gentle kiss on her shoulder. “But he wasn’t the one we needed to worry about…”

•º•º•º•

Deryn and Alpha Aled’s wolves wandered back through the forest side by side. The further they walked, the more accustomed to his limbs Gwynfor became, until he was striding gracefully through the trees alongside his Alpha in comfortable silence.

“Do you know what having a white wolf means for this pack?” the Alpha asked suddenly. There was excitement in his voice and Deryn was beginning to realise this could be of more importance than he initially realised.

“No, sir,” Deryn replied cautiously.

“If he has the skills and powers that white wolves are rumoured to possess, he’ll be a phenomenal asset to the pack, especially the warriors. And we can utilise the tracking skills to finally deal with the rogues on the north border…” Alpha Aled seemed more to be thinking to himself.

“Um, yes sir,” Deryn replied, not liking the idea of going up against rogues with no formal warrior training. As soon as Deryn had replied however, Emyr’s head whipped round to look at him.

“Sorry Deryn, did you say something?”

“Uh, I said ‘yes sir’…” Gwynfor stopped walking.

“‘Yes sir?’ Yes sir to what?”

“You said about utilising me against the rogues on the north border.”

Emyr looked stunned and took a step back.

“How did you hear that?” he asked, Emyr was asking now and there was anger in his tone.

“You came through the mind-link,” Deryn replied quickly.

“What? Bu– But I was thinking that to myself, how on earth did it get through the mind link?”

“Oh, yes, we can connect to people’s thoughts too,” Gwynfor piped up helpfully.

Deryn groaned but decided to keep this newfound information to himself. After walking a little more they appeared on the edge of the courtyard, where many were still gathered around the stage. Emyr stood a few steps forward from Gwynfor and howled, catching the attention of everyone present. The crowd turned and gasped as they looked at Gwynfor’s glistening white coat, looking even brighter under the light of the full moon.

•º•º•º•

“Why did you hide it?” Halle asked, adjusting her position to look at her mate’s face.

Deryn sighed.

“My mother had always told me tales of the Blessed Wolves, and how often their abilities were exploited by their Alphas. Aled had already been thinking about how best to use me to his advantage, even if he hadn’t intended to reveal that. I did not want to let him know there was more that he could use me for.”

“So, that’s why you left?”

Deryn sighed again.

“If only it were as simple as that fy nghariad.”

•º•º•º•

The crowd stared, nearly all of them wide eyed as they took in the sight of Gwynfor’s fur shimmering in the moonlight. It was as white and pure as the first snow of winter and glistening like the stars themselves.

“Look at them, they’re awestruck!” Gwynfor said proudly.

“I don’t know Gwynfor; I have a bad feeling about this…”

Just as Deryn finished his thought, the packs’ Beta, Gethin, stepped forward.

“Well, that’s quite the coat he has.”

Deryn had the distinct impression it was not a compliment and Gwynfor stood, making sure the Beta saw his full height.

“Oh, and a big ‘un too. Well, aren’t we lucky to have our very own weapon in our ranks,” Gethin sneered.

Gwynfor rattled out a low, dangerous growl. Sensing the tension, Emyr stepped forward and stood protectively in front of Gwynfor.

“Our pack has been honoured by Arianrhod with a Blessed Wolf. Deryn, and his wolf Gwynfor, are to be treated with the utmost respect. Having a Blessed Wolf in our ranks is an advantage to us against the rogues on the northern border, and a great privilege,” Alpha Aled announced through the pack mind link.

Murmurs broke out through the crowd, and Gwynfor looked around for Deryn’s parents, but they were nowhere to be seen among the sea of faces.

“Alpha, may I go and find my parents?” Deryn asked, bowing his head to his Alpha.

“Of course, son, go and share the good news with them.”

Deryn nodded once more, then, still in Gwynfor’s form, trotted off in the direction of their home. The feeling of someone watching closely did not escape him though, and he felt their eyes on him until he had passed completely out of sight of the courtyard.

•º•º•º•

“Who was watching?” Halle asked. She was now completely enthralled by the story she was hearing and looked expectantly up at Deryn for the big reveal.

“All in good time cariad, all in good time,” Deryn replied, his voice edged with sadness.

Halle’s brow pulled together just for a second – curious and concerned at the tone shift – but if she had thoughts about the story so far, she did not make them known and allowed Deryn to continue at his own pace.

The two of them readjusted their position, climbing back into bed and curling up together under the covers. They lay in silence for a while, listening to the sound of the fire in the hearth and the wind in the trees, gently caressing each other’s skin with light finger touches. It was not sëxüal; it was true intimacy and Deryn found comfort in the feel of Halle’s soft skin against his. The tingles that danced beneath her every touch soothed his heart that was already aching at what was about to come next.

•º•º•º•

As Gwynfor rounded the corner to Deryn’s parents’ house on the edge of the forest, he slowed his pace.

Deryn’s parents had a beautiful home that looked out into the trees. It was a relative newbuild compared to the rest of the pack houses and was built in response to the pack expansion several years back. Deryn’s parents had claimed the house before the building was even finished, and their decision had been based purely on the view.

Deryn’s mother loved to stand and wash the dishes because the window behind the sink gave her an excellent view of the woodland creatures, scurrying about their days. Now, in the middle of the night however, there was nothing more than a couple of hedgehogs going about their business.

“D, something is wrong,” Gwynfor said quickly.

“What is it?” Deryn looked around through Gwynfor’s eyes and saw nothing out of the ordinary. The area was as it always was; quiet, still, peaceful.

“We inhabit the same body, and you’re telling me you cannot smell that?!” Gwynfor snapped.

“Smell what?”

“Blood.”

•º•º•º•

“Blood?!” Halle exclaimed. “Oh, oh no Deryn. Deryn don’t tell me–”

“Yep.” Deryn cut her off quickly, and, regretting his sharpness, he placed a kiss on her temple.

•º•º•º•

“We have to find where it’s coming from!” Deryn cried, panic rising.

Gwynfor got to work immediately, nose to the ground he took off into the trees at such a speed it made Deryn a little dizzy. Trees whizzed past and Gwynfor did not stumble once. His moves were calculated and precise, somehow never even so much as brushing a branch.

The forest seemed to hold its breath. Moonlight filtered through branches, creating a patchwork of silver and shadow. Gwynfor’s white fur stood in stark contrast to the darkness, each movement purposeful, precise. But Deryn’s mind kept coming back to what they were searching for.

Blood.

Not just a hint. A rich, metallic tang that cut through the night’s usual forest scents. And the tang was laced with other elements. Decay. Fear. Something else underneath – something unnatural.

Gwynfor’s tracking was instinctual. Each step calculated; senses heightened beyond human comprehension. Deryn rode along in their shared consciousness, feeling the forest through wolf senses – the dampness of the moss, the whispering of the nocturnal creatures, the lingering scent of recent violence.

The blood trail was fresh. Less than an hour old, perhaps. But something about it felt deliberately placed. Deliberately discovered.

A warning.

As they moved deeper into the trees, they came upon the source of the smell; a rogue’s body lay mutilated in the middle of a small clearing. The smell was overwhelming, and Deryn wondered how no one had smelled it yet. Gwynfor walked towards it slowly as Deryn’s mind raced. This wasn’t random. Nothing about this current moment was random. The blood near Deryn’s parents’ home. The timing. The precise location.

Someone wanted them to find this.

Someone was watching.