Wolves of War

The Cottage

“Hey…”

I looked up from Asai’s bed and stared at Mihira. A sudden panic came over me. I jumped up from my seat at Asai’s bedside, worried that something may have happened to Atman.

“Atman is fine”. Mihira held up her hands for me to calm down and stop panicking.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. It’s been a very long few days. After healing Asai, Mihira reported that Asai and I went into a deep sleep. I slept for three days. Asai has now been asleep for 6. Even though I had healed Asai, his body and mind were still in shock from the events that happened.

Atman suffered heavy damage and was found on the outskirts of the golden forest beyond the range of my healing circle. Mihira refused to let me heal him. Despite not receiving my help, Atman healed quickly on his own once he got his regular blood meals. His wings were torn from his body. We are still searching for them. Atman's wings have been missing for four days. An animal may have already found and devoured them, but Mihira has not lost fate. I told her it may not be possible for the wings to be reattached.

Asai had a hole in his throat and while I spent the last bit of my power healing the major wound, there was no guarantee that he would survive the night. But he did. All he needs to do now is survive another night and then another.

“What’s up Mihira?” I asked tiredly.

“Atman is recovering well, there are search parties still looking for his wings. They will be found.”

I nodded my head. Atman was found with his wings torn from his back. He was still breathing though, and that is what mattered.

“There isn’t a guarantee that I can reattach the wings.” I reminded her.

“I know but please try” Mihira said, a half frown on her face.

I let out a breath and nodded. There is nothing wrong with trying, I just don’t want to get her or Atman's hopes up.

“But that is not why I came.”

I raised a curious brow at her.

“We never had an official naming ceremony for you”

“Naming ceremony?” I asked

“Yes, officially welcoming you into the family and the passing of title. Everything is done on paper but I think a ceremony will do everyone some good.”

“When you mean everyone, you mean the bat shifters?”

Mihira smiled shyly. “I know that some wolves are still wary of us. After last night's battle, I hope that they have grown an appreciation of our presence. However, the concerns of the wolf population are not my concerns. The bat shifters are growing bitter. We have been fighting to help the wolves regain control of their lands while our home still remains under the control of witches.”

“And the naming ceremony?” I ask, unsure how this relates to the bat clans' growing frustration at losing their ancestral home.

“This small ceremony might distract them a little and remind them to trust you.”

I see.

“Mihira, you have been around me long enough… you are aware that I am not from this world, right?”

She nods her head.

“That means I will eventually have to return home.”

Mihira nodded her head again. “But we don’t know when that will be. It could be years from now.”

Or in a couple of months I muttered in my mind, but I didn’t say that.

“I can’t waste energy on unknowns. I can only focus on it right now. Right now, the people of Blackstone need a little bit of hope in their hearts."

I nodded my head. “Okay, maybe once the boys recover we can plan one.”

“We are ready now.”

I blinked, unsure if I heard her right “You are ready now?”

Mihira nods

“I’m not prepared, I don’t know the protocol.”

“A naming ceremony is a ritual performed when introducing a new member of the royal family and or the passing down of titles."

Mihira explains, “In this case we will be doing both. It’s showing your people that you are willing to accept them as they are, and that we will accept you as you are in return.”

“Oh okay” I stuttered out.

“The ceremony will begin at sundown. Galga is working on your ceremonial gown. A few hours before sunset I will come in and get you ready.”

“Okay”, I nodded, still taken aback at the speed that this was happening.

Before I could comprehend what was going on, Mihira was back carrying a dark red gown. I couldn’t see what the dress looked like because it was folded over her arms, but what I could make out was lots of shiny red gems.

“You didn’t…”

“It’s only for tonight we will take the gems off once the ceremony is over,” Mihira assured me.

I sighed and decided to just go with the flow. Mihira motioned for me to sit at the vanity where she began to comb my hair. She firmly pulled my hair back, smoothing out strands with a green gel that smelled like green apple jolly rancher.

We were lucky to have found this cottage; it’s beautiful, warm and homey. During the aftermath of the battle, we found the cottage about 600 feet away from Vigil. It went unnoticed because it had mostly been re-claimed by the forest. Fortunately, more than half of the home is livable. The north side of the home that was closest to the forest had a wall missing, and part of the roof had caved in. Leaves of vines and other debris from the forest made their way inside and started growing. Luckily, three of the five bedrooms were still usable, they just needed a little cleaning up.The front of the home was a patchwork of different materials but mostly wood was used. The body of the home was made with logs, harvested from the forest around the home. Included with the home is an attached greenhouse and work shop that needs rebuilding. The kitchen and dining area, thankfully, is in good condition. The living/study area with a fireplace, on the other hand, had a baby tree growing floorboards. Soil had made its way in and up from the soil. Grass and weeds sprouted. There is also a lower level basement where there are two extra bedrooms and storage in good condition.

We set Asai up in the biggest room, due to the fact that there are a dozen or so people coming in and out checking on him and tending to him. I have also claimed a corner of the room as my living space. I wanted to be able to stay close to Asai just in case something happened.

As Mihira struggled to tame my hair, a sudden thought came to me. I know nothing about Blackstone. I only know that it’s a black castle carved out of the mountain face. It’s the place that the Bat shifters decide to settle after losing the war. I also don’t know the full history of the bat clan and their origins.

“Hey Mihira?”

“Hmm?”

Can you tell me a little more about Blackstone castle, what it looks like and the history behind the castle and your clan?”

Mihira looks into the mirror and smiles at me.

“Well, firstly, Blackstone is not a castle. It’s a sanctuary that Erebos and Hemera built as a safe haven for themselves and their followers. Blackstone Castle was coined because there is a carving of a castle around the cave that leads into Blackstone. ”

“What is Blackstone in a cave?” I asked.

“Of course it is! Bat shifters are sensitive to sunlight. Where else would it be?” Atman commented.

Right he has a point, I looked towards the voice and frowned at Atman.

“You need to rest!” I scolded him.

Atman chuckled and took a seat on the couch. The maid who was helping him bowed in respect, then rushed off.

Atman smiled at me, “Since I can’t be at the ceremony I should at least be present during the dressing.”

I rolled my eyes at him, trying to hide the smile on my face. When I first arrived in this world, I missed my family and siblings terribly. But as my relationships grew and made new friends, the homesickness slowly began fading away. While I still miss my mother and siblings, the hole in my chest is not as big anymore.

Mihira has stepped up allot during the aftermath of the battle. She organized the bat clan while I tried to not only keep myself together but Asai’s army as well. Word had gotten out about his critical state and ranks began breaking. Some had defected and went AWOL. Ramune stepped up during the first few hours as well. Once we regained control of the wolf army, I turned the reigns over to him and Keylyn so that I could focus on Asai’s health and rebuilding the city. It’s only been about 30 hours or so, but it’s been going well so far.

“I’m just about to tell our little sister about the history of our clan,” Mihira said.

“Make it brief. Our clan history is long and boring. Stick to the good parts.”

I caught Mihira’s exaggerated eye roll in the mirror and laughed behind my hand.

“I’ll start with the primordial goddess.”

“The primordial goddess?” I asked, intrigued.

“Before there were shifter clans, humans walked the earth.” Mihira began.

I nodded naturally. When tracing ancestral lines, all sifters will have an original human pair.

“We don’t really know where humans came from but we speculate that humans were created from Kaos.”

“What’s Kaos?” I asked

“It’s known by many names, but, it’s the life energy that connects us all” Mihirah said, then continued “Kaos created humans in order to use them as conduits. Through them, Kaos manifests itself in humans as talents. Through these talents, Kaos helped humans shape this world. But the first humans were ignorant and from ignorance fear grew. Humans began praying to the thing that they feared the most; night.”