The Song Of The Wolf (Unedited)

Chapter Ten

The clouds had gone out towards the sea. Polaris, the North Star, lay ahead and the constellation Orion dotted the sky. The Aurora Borealis made its first appearance of the season. From the horizon rose shimmering bands and streamers in flickers of deep crimson, viridescent and azure. The spectacle danced like young flames.

Among the flowing waves was the full moon. It poured a steady gleam on the expanse of the mountain range that stretched across the dark half of the globe. The moonlight shone down on the mountain lake, sending a river of light across its still surface. There, amidst the illuminated shallow end, stood Maebh, hip-high in the water.

Much to her dismay, she had no clue of her current whereabouts nor how she had ended up there. Regarding her surroundings with curiosity, she felt at peace. Somehow, the world seemed a little softer.

Maebh began wading her way through and out of the water. Exposed to the harsh and icy wind blowing against her wet garments, a shiver ran down her spine. A chorus of howls interrupted the thick silence, slicing through the air. They sang the song of an ominous warning waiting in the forest down the mountains. Maebh had grown accustomed to the sounds of nature, but this one distinguished itself from all the others by the understanding it awakened within her.

As if bound by an invisible thread, Maebh set off, allowing the force to guide her. She paid no mind to the sharp rocks digging into and breaking the skin of her palms and the soles of her feet, as they assisted her descent of the steep mountain. Nor to the patches of snow that welcomed the warmth of her bare feet. Coming to a halt near the edge of the forest, she observed an oak tree that stood a small distance away from an ocean of pines.

A sliver of moonlight had made its way to the lonesome tree and illuminated a nude figure. Opening her mouth to call out, she closed it again as her unspoken words drifted off into the thin stillness.

Maebh eyed the shadow that may have once been human, but was now nothing more than a wisp of smoke with hunched shoulders. Every muscle and sinew of his body had drawn taut. As if praying, he faced the oak's trunk on his knees. Each dip and rise of his body rose in carved relief under the moon's unforgiving eye.

"Are you alright?"

He flinched when Maebh set a hand upon his shoulder. His face turned towards her, an almost savage glint in the depths of his eyes. Startled by this, she staggered back and noted a curved scar that ran through his left eyebrow.

Her jaw fell slack, and she lost her heart somewhere between her ribcage and throat. His arms were bend and pressed to his sides in odd angles. He was cradling something in the crook of each elbow, resembling a set of scales trying to divide the weight of each balanced against the other, and the strength of his body to bear them.

Still, he continued watching her in a way she could not comprehend. Only when she detected a small whimpering sounds did Maebh realise he was holding a who rather than a what. She crossed in front of him and shook as she lowered her gaze upon his exposed upper body and the two infants cradled to his torso.

They were newborns, their navel stumps still present and damp. Small eyelashes rested on their cheeks as they slept, the most gentle of breaths causing their chests to rise and fall. One of the two squirmed and made little tender noises as it snuggled into the man's chest, seeking a breast that was not there. Distressed by its mother's absence, the baby's whines increased in volume, turning into a cry so loud that it made her ears ring.

To keep the baby from waking its sibling, Maebh kneeled down in the snow, shushing and offering a finger to soothe the fussy infant. The baby's tiny hand clutched onto her pinky and quieted down, staring at her digit with utter fascination.