Jerr led me out to the stables, where Aven was waiting for us with two brown-furred horses. One of the priestesses had saddled them up for us already, and a large bag on either side of their flanks was mounted on both horses.
I had managed to mount the horse—with Jerr's help—but it had taken me a few tries before I was able to swing my right leg over the horse's back. Aven had already placed himself atop his horse, and by the fleeting amused look on his face, I could tell my actions had not been the most elegant.
Jerr came up behind me and took the reins as he put his arms around my waist. "Try to follow the horse's flow with your own body," he murmured in my ear.
He was inched so close to me, that I could feel his warm breath brush against my cheek. I ignored the raw feeling that followed and I tried not to think about how he clearly did not want to be stuck with me for this entire ride.
"If we leave now, we can try to reach the Manor by tomorrow evening. Let's go," Aven ordered, as both wolves nudged the horses forward.
My body tensed at the sudden movement under me. It did not feel natural or comfortable, especially with Jerr pressed against my back, but I would have to make do. It was because of me we had to travel by horse since I wasn't strong enough yet to transform. But that meant that in time, I would be able to run in my wolven-form.
I could not describe how much I longed for that. Especially if the alternative would be to ride on horses. I did not like this. Not at all.
I felt a laugh coming from behind me and for a split second, I had forgotten about Jerr's powers. "The horse can sense your tense body. Try to relax, Sari."
I rolled my eyes. "I don't like the way his body feels, either. So it seems fair to me."
"She's a her."
"I don't care. She's uncomfortable." It really was. I wasn't too thrilled about being stuck in this position for two full days.
But the most uneasy rhythm had been when Aven and Jerr had sped up the pace. As soon as we had left the forest, we had entered fields where the horses had enough room to trot and gallop.
I had nearly fallen off as the horse's movement altered to gain more speed. Jerr had caught me and slid one arm tightly around my stomach, pulling me close to him. And I hated it as much as he did.
Aven had told us we needed to reach Death Moon's edge by nightfall, as we were now traveling in Wise Moon territories and Aven would rather not spend the night here. Father had told me the relationship between Death Moon and Wise Moon was strained, yet their Beta was blessed by Kavitvana.
I wondered if Jerr shared those difficulties; if he did not want to spend the night in Wise Moon as well. It had been his home for a while, after all. Twenty to twenty-four years, depending on when he was able to Ascend and switch to Death Moon.
"I lived in Wise Moon for fifteen years."
By the Moons, I had to somehow learn how to stop thinking all the time with Jerr around.
"But Death Moon has been my home for quite a long time, too. So I'd also rather cross our grounds' border by nightfall, but I don't think it would bother me as much as Aven if that didn't happen," Jerr explained.
"Fifteen years? But that would mean you weren't of age when you Ascended?" I asked.
"I was of age when I Ascended, actually. But how I came to Death Moon is a story for another time, Sari."
"We have two days, now. The story can't be that long?" I countered. We had been riding in silence until now, and I was bored out of my mind when left alone with my thoughts. At least Jerr could still amuse himself silently following in my mind.
Jerr only hmm-ed. Bloody Wise Moon.
I pursed my lips. "I see. So you can read my mind at any given time, but returning the favor and sharing your story with me is too much to ask." I felt bitter about his powers, and how he continuously used them on me.
"Yes." His answer was so dry, it didn't invite any further conversation on the topic. And the last week had been so eventful, I did not have the energy to push him on it.
So I spoke to Aven when I asked, "What's the Manor?" I'd heard both men talk about this Manor, where we were expected to arrive in by tomorrow.
Aven didn't even turn his head in my direction as he answered, and the words almost got lost in the wind. "My home, in the city of Rahas."
I had never set foot in a city before. I had heard of a city in Fire Moon, Atapa, but I had never had the opportunity to visit. From what I had heard and read about in books, cities were much bigger and more crowded than towns, with buildings that could reach so high in the sky, that it looked as if they touched the clouds.
"Do any other wolves live there?" I asked. Beckett lived in his Central Building with most of his pack members. I wondered if the Manor was anything like that sunburned Central Building.
"Yes, they do. Although most live in the city or surrounding villages, some choose to stay in the Manor," Aven said. "Jerr, for example, has lived in there for the entire time he's been with us."
"It must be big, then," I exhaled. "Will I live there, too?"
I felt Jerr's arm around my waist loosen its grip for a split second. It seemed he really disliked the thought of my presence. I ignored the sting it left in me.
"So many questions young wolf," Aven sighed. "But yes, you will be assigned a room until you find your own place."
I took Aven's frustrated sigh for what it was: a plea to shut up. This would be a long, long way back home.
But it would lead to home.
We galloped on an earthy path in the middle of the grasslands. We had run through some of the meadows instead of on the path next to it, taking a faster route as Jerr had explained, and we had passed a lot of different pastures. One was filled with some special kind of grain, that could be used to make bread and some specific ale. Jerr said that the flavor of that particular grain was not for everyone's taste, as it had a bitter and sour aftertaste, but he liked it because it reminded him of Wise Moon, as the grain typified his lands of origin. As we passed it, I smelled the very distinct scent of the bitterness and the sourness of the grain already, and I knew that I would probably not like the ale very much.
The seldom information Jerr gave me because he probably got irritated by all the question marks in my head, was all that he said, and he showed no interest in keeping the conversation going otherwise. But he seemed happy to talk about his homelands a little—and I wondered if he missed it, sometimes. That was one question he never answered, though.
Aven said even less, but the occasional chuckle that came from behind me gave me a suspicion that they were using Jerr's powers and were talking mind-to-mind, though I had never heard of those powers being used in that way. Then again, I was too young when father died for him to have really taught me much about the different packs.
The most beautiful field we had passed, was one filled with flowers in all the colors I could imagine. I thought it was a shame that we weren't riding in that field between the flowers, and I was sure that that view would be like a dream. But I also didn't want to see the beauty crushed underneath the trampling of the horses.
The sweet scent of the blossoms almost made me forget about the pain that was brooding in my buttocks, from all the hopping I was doing in the saddle. My tailbone was also slowly killing me, and I hoped we'd reach Death Moon soon, so I could get off this horse and stretch my legs.
But the Sun had started its way down towards the horizon already. "We're not going to get there in time, Sun burn us," Aven grumbled.
"The horses need to rest, Aven. So do we," Jerr answered.
Aven nodded. "Behind that rock over there seems like a good place to stop," he said as he pointed his hands toward a large boulder in the distance.
As we reached the rock formation, which would give us cover from potential enemies, we mounted off the horses and I felt glad to stand on my own two feet again. Jerr took Aven's horse along with our horse and bound them to a nearby tree. When they were bound, he gave them some feed and water he had stored in one of the bags and then reached for the other bag where he took out three large furs. He tossed one to me, along with a leather flask filled with water and some bread.
I sat down and leaned my back against the rock, slowly eating my bread. We had eaten a few small bites during the ride, but eating while on horseback hadn't been my favorite thing to do, so my empty stomach welcomed the nutrients.
I covered myself in the fur as the chills of the night started to creep in, not wanting to think about what animal this had once belonged to.
"Can't we light a fire?" I shivered.
Both men looked at me with big eyes. "By the Moons, Sari. I wonder how you survived all those years," Jerr huffed. "You can't just light a fire at night in enemy territory. You might as well scream where we are."
"I know that," I grumbled, insulted at the level of stupidity they thought I possessed. "But aren't you like, powerful wolves? An Alpha and a Beta nonetheless?"
"Yes, any who find us don't stand a chance," Aven confirmed.
"Then why are you so scared to light a fire?"
"Because I am in no mood to kill anyone tonight." Aven looked me straight in the eyes as he spoke to me, a stern expression on his face. Death and danger oozed off him in powerful waves, and I felt incredibly intimated. If even I could sense how powerful he was, other wolves could too. I highly doubted any would be foolish enough to risk going at us.
"Isn't death like, your thing?" I asked, and as soon as the words left my mouth, I cursed myself. I truly though I had never, ever sounded as dumb as I did, now. But I had expected Death Moon's Alpha to be more... Deadly. Prone to killing.
I saw Jerr roll his eyes in the corner of my eye, shaking his head and dramatically dropping his hands in his lap.
But the few whispers I had heard about Aven had been terrible. Presumably, he'd be even worse than Beckett. But here he was, not lighting a fire and rather sleeping in the cold to not lure any enemies towards us, so he wouldn't have to kill anyone.
Aven moved closer to me, until he crouched right in front of me, so close I couldn't escape if he decided to do anything. A menacing smile danced around his lips as he talked. "Don't be mistaken young wolf, I love a good kill. I am just in no mood to get all bloodied tonight and start a war with Wise Moon if it can be avoided." He leaned in closer and put his mouth against my ear as he continued in a soft, gentle voice. "I'm not even opposed to killing some of my own in Death Moon."
He got back up and I shuddered. What had I gotten myself into?
"I'll take the first watch," Aven told Jerr. "I'll wake you in a few hours to take over. You should sleep too, young wolf." And then he left to the other side of the rock but came back as a big, black wolf with piercing silver eyes.
Eyes I could drown in. Eyes I would drown in.