He is Ghost

You Stink

This wasn't the first time she'd seen his wolf press forward and consume his sight. It wouldn't be the last, she was sure of it. It drove him nuts and although he didn't say it, Neira new that it made him feel out of control. And for a wolf like Shade, where control of his animal half was everything? Well, it grated on his every gods damned nerve. 

"Now what, Kisza?" He asked, brushing off the incident. 

"Just beyond that ridge," Neira said, turning and raising her hand to point ahead. "That is where they will appear." 

They had crossed into Bronson's boarders late last night. They stood now, just on the edge. Neira had been here enough growing up to know that just out of sight waited the wolves of this pack, the pack that sat right at the base of this mountain. The pack that guarded the only mountain pass up to her home. They were like the gate keepers of her mother's territory. Perhaps if the southern throne had done something similar, Elias might still have parents. 

He was probably among the many who also thought she was dead. 

River muttered something under his breath that Neira didn't hear, but he scooped to grab his bag. He began walking without them, swinging the bag like a petulant child. Neira shook her head as she followed after him, a smile on her lips. 

As they got closer, Neira felt her nerves get the better of her. She hadn't been back here, to see her family or these wolves in four years... Would they even welcome her as they once did? Would they even recognize her. 

Another thing was the small detail of walking into the meeting with her human skin on and not a wolf's pelt. It was an unwritten law to walk into these sort of things on four legs instead of two, wild to wild. Not man to man. 

They had agreed a few days back that it wouldn't be best to do this in human form. Shade made it a point to keep his wolf under wraps when possible. It set others off, spooked them into doing dangerous things. River didn't help. Both of them looked nothing like the wolves in this area, in fact standing next to Neira, they may as well be a different breed. 

Shade's head snapped towards the left of them, his eyes flashing white. In the next moment, her and River heard it as well and they all turned to see a blonde wolf step out from the shadows. Another stepped out from the right, cornering them. 

"Wait!" a voice called from higher up the mountain. 

There was a moment of silence as they paused, as the wolves circling them hesitated, before a female on two legs stepped out into view. 

"Neira?" she asked, and Neira felt her stomach lurch with an emotion she couldn't place. 

"Lana," Neira whispered on a single breath. 

"Victer!" she yelled over her shoulder as she took a step towards them at the same time. "Its Neira!"

Then everything happened all at once. Lana was in front of her in the next moment, her arms going around Neria's neck. The wolves that had them cornered shifted as three others came into view. And near the top of the hill, Victer Bronson leaned on his cane. 

Lana realsed her, pressing a palm into each side of Neira's face. "We thought you were dead," she said softly, a single tear going down her face. 

Neira felt one of her own fall, "No no," she said in return. "You can't get rid of me that easily." 

And then another body crashing into her, shorter, and smelling of lilac trees. "May," Neira said clutching her tightly. The last time she had see this female she was just a small awkward teen. She had been the light of this pack. A single daughter to the alphas or so she thought. As she looked over May's shoulder, a small boy wrapped his arms around Lana's legs. 

"Neira, Neira, Neira!" May said, her words mumbled in Neira's shoulder. "God's I have missed you." 

"I missed you too," Neira said as she hugged her back tighter. 

She pulled away to look at May's face. May would be 17, she would go into her first heat in just a few years. Her blonde hair was in the same loose messy waves, her green eyes bright. Neira kissed each once of her cheeks. 

"And who is this?" Neira said, bending to look the small pup in the eyes. He shyed away from her, his face hiding behind Lana's legs. 

"This is my son," Lana said, pride filling her face. "Max."

Neira leaned into Lana and kissed her cheeks as well. 

Victer stepped into view, his strong back straight, even with his bad leg. "Don't mistake my confusion for what it is not, of course we are all very happy to see you, but what are you doing back here? Have you brought your mate home?" His eyes travelled to look over her head, at the two large males at her back. 

Neira felt her stomach fall into her butt. "I just wanted to see my parents." 

"Well," Victer said, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Stay for the day and one night. You can start up to the mountain in the morning."

Neira nodded, looking over her shoulder at Shade and River. There was an awkward smile on River's face but Shade had gone hard as ice. His face was not unkind but the wickedness lingered. 

"Perhaps, they could borrow our shower," Lana said with a wicked little smile. 

Neira glared at her. "It was a long journey," she said, by way of explanation. 

Lana shook her head, scooping up Max and handing him over to his sister. May took him with a smile. "Here," Lana said taking her hand, pulling her up into the pass. 

Neira looked back once more, to Shade and River. 

This pack, was set up a bit differently from others. Upon leaving this territory all those years ago and stumbling into others, Neira noticed how very odd the packs in the north were. Many left their cabins spaced out, these were all rather close together. The main cabin sat in the middle, taller than the rest, while the others were scattered around like a little solar system. 

Lana led the three of them up the stairs. Victer had disappeared with Max and May and the rest of their pack had also disappeared. 

"There are two bathrooms. Neira use the one in our bedroom and for the love of god use my good shampoo. I'll fix your hair when you are finished." Lana handed each of them a towel. 

"Whats wrong with my hair?" Neira said, clutching at the short wine red locks. 

"You look like you cut it with a saw blade," Lana mumbled, handing Neira a second towel for her hair. 

"She probably did," River muttered under his breath. Neira shot him a glare. 

"Go!" Lana snapped, shoving her into the bedroom. "You stink. You all do." And then she was pushing River towards the other bathroom. She looked over her shoulder at Shade, "You can shower in there when she is finished." 

Neira levelled Lana's back with one more glare before stomping into the bedroom.