Forever Luna

Adventure

noun ~ an unusual and exciting, often hazardous, experience

POLLUX

As I ran in my fur through the density of trees and sparseness of wilderness, I couldn't help but remember a quote from a kids' movie. Nova made me watch many when she was stuck at home, but right now, I couldn't help but smile as I remembered it.

Adventure is out there!

It was true. As I ran, and ran, and fucking ran, the wind blew wildly, the air warm and fresh. I didn't care for anything but where my four paws would run.

It was the evening of day two, the sun on its way down. I slowed my run, searching for a place to take shelter for a few hours. I had run all day, letting my wolf take the lead and run without me. He had gone all damn day with only one stop for a drink and pee. Then he pushed me aside as he took over again.

I did not mind. He needed it as much as I did.

Our instincts craved this; craved the surrounding freedom. As much as I longed for home and peace, right now, I needed this. I would see Nova eventually, despite how tight our sibling bond grew. She was stressed earlier, but she seemed to have calmed down the past couple of hours. I could only assume the day with Phoenix had gone well, and her nerves were what she was usually scared about.

The twins magically drowning when they weren't around water.

The twins choking on their own tongue.

The twins falling out of their crib.

Nova's anxieties were many, and they were strong. But there was something deeper. I was there when Phoenix opened up to her about the threats, but from what Charlie told me, he was handling them well.

People were just envious. Envy was a horrible emotion. It caused wars to erupt, hearts to break, and people to crumble. Envy churned inside of you, building to the point it takes hold of your lungs and doesn't let go. It was hard to ignore.

That was why I had to leave.

Everybody was happy there.

Everybody had somebody.

I was alone.

A lone male in a pack of warriors.

I didn't belong in a warrior pack.

Perhaps, in a few years, when the children are older, it may differ. But for now, it wasn't the place for me.

I didn't have the heart to tell Nova it was the pack itself that affected me; that would break her heart. And in the repair, she would try to change the pack to make me stay.

I was in my early twenties; I had hundreds of fucking years left and I would not spend them stuck in a house I felt lonely in. As amazing as my new cabin was, I couldn't run like I was now.

A sudden shock of water washed over me and I spluttered as my wolf suddenly tumbled, bringing me to the front of our bond.

What the fuck? I snapped.

A wolfish bark, before he told me I could come back. With an eye roll, I dragged our paws out of the damn lake he found and hoped that the bag on our back was still dry. Doing a quick scan of the area, my ears twitched, nostrils flaring as I searched for any visitors. This was no-man's-land, near the human territory. Wolves mostly avoided human territory, in fear of being seen shifting. And I found solace in that.

With nothing but the birds and mice around me, I found a shrouded tree and shifted to my skin. The shimmer caused me to shudder, goosebumps pebbling on my bare skin. Removing the bag from my pack, I pulled out my second set of clothes. I had worn the first pair yesterday and slept in them, and whilst there was a lake here, I may as well make the most of it.