The ground we were walking on was steep and unstable. We were surrounded by vast, evergreen trees, reaching so high, we could barely see the open sky through the treetops. The air around us grew stale and cold and just added to the difficulty of our path.
Jerr had decided to walk closely behind me, after I had lost my footing a few times, trusting some innocent-looking rocks, who betrayed me by rolling away under my feet as soon as my weight shifted. I had fallen two times before we settled it was better if he walked behind me, so I would be able to arrive in Hidden Moon in one piece. But the ground was traitorous, and Jerr nearly lost his balance a couple of times, too.
"Sun burn me," I cursed, as another rock slipped from under my feet.
Jerr's warm hands immediately gripped my hips, keeping me upright until I regained my footing.
"You're alright," he said.
"I'll be alright once we're there," I grumbled. I had grown tired of this road we were forced to take, but as I looked up, I could see we still had a long way to go.
The Sun also had just barely passed its peak, and the few beams that found their way through the vast forest felt mocking. It seemed to creep down eerily slowly, taunting us with how long this day would still last.
The higher we got, the less dense the forest became. It only added to the challenge: my body was tiring and burning, and fewer trees meant fewer stable objects to hold onto.
But with every step we climbed, the Sun surely lowered. Until it stood so low in the sky, the beams that hit us, made our skin explode in a golden glow. I looked back at Jerr, finding his eyes fixated on the ground, looking for stable footing.
I could feel my heart beating in my chest at the picture before me. How the Sun bounced off his face, how it lighted his eyes - it was truly breathtaking. And when his eyes found their way up and looked at me, the golden pools dancing around in them were fierce enough to melt me away.
Looking at him, I sometimes wondered how he could have ever chosen to share himself with me. And every time I wasn't paying attention to myself and he listened along, he shut me right up with some reassuring words, most of the time soft whispers, saying that 'I was practically as good-looking as him'.
I had almost strained my eyes from rolling them so much, but I had smiled at every comment, too.
"For wolves who are very weary of intruders, we've surely been walking in their territory unseen for quite a while," I grumbled again, as my feet locked on a stable rock and pushed myself up.
"Oh, rest assured, Sari. They're here and they're watching us," Jerr chuckled behind me.
"What? Where?" I asked, halting to look around. But my eyes and nose came out empty, and I could detect not a single sign of wolven life.
"They will show themselves when they want to," he explained. "But they know we're here. And the fact that we're still alive, shows that we're welcome."
"What a joyous welcome party," I mumbled, refusing to believe there were any wolves nearby.
"They cannot all be Avens, known for their warm welcomes," Jerr laughed behind me.
"I thank our Moons for that, every day," I laughed along. It felt good to laugh at the miseries I had endured every now and then. Although there were some topics I wasn't ready to laugh about, and I wasn't sure I ever would be.
I ignored Jerr's last chuckle, and focused my attention back on the road up. I wanted to reach Apicya by this evening, so this horrid mount would finally be over.
It wasn't until the Sun was nearly touching the horizon behind the mountaintops, that I heard a familiar voice behind us.
"Sari, was it?"
A voice that made me stop in my tracks, and as I looked backward, I spotted the familiar redhead, effortlessly leaning against a sole tree.
"Hi," I breathed, relieved to see his gentle, familiar face.
"You look... better," he said, walking over to us. He skipped over the few unstable parts of the hidden road, effortlessly making his way over to us.
"I've been working on myself," I affirmed. "You look as radiant as you did on the Ascension."
His brown eyes glimmered as he came closer until he stood right next to Jerr.
"Jerr," he stated formally, extending his hand.
Tymen hesitantly took it, repeating his own name, but quickly skipped over his introduction before he made his way over to me.
"I must admit, I'm surprised to see your face around here. We all are," he clarified, and as he spoke the words, three other wolves walked out of the shadows. Shadows I hadn't even seen were there.
"I am too. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it out of this wretched mountain."
Tymen showed his teeth in a large smile. "Come," he said, with a wave of his hand. "The Alpha's awaiting you."
Tymen lead the way, and I tried following his exact footsteps, as he found the easiest road up. Jerr stayed close behind me, and the three other wolves closed the line.
It wasn't until the Sun had almost fully disappeared behind the horizon that Tymen stopped in front of a small cave. "We're here," he stated, but I could see nothing but this small cave.
My heart sunk in my chest as I saw Tymen disappear in a small hole in the back of the cave, a hole so small, I was sure I would never fit.
I frantically looked back and saw Jerr nod at me. "It's okay, Sari," he said.
The three wolves behind us urged me to move forward, and I crawled into the small space with a sinking feeling in my chest.
"Are you following?" I heard Tymen's voice asking from ahead.
"Yes," I said, hating to hear the tremble in my voice.
"Good," he said. "It will get a little tight, but the crawl space will be over before you know it."
Like he had predicted, the rock around me tightened even more, almost trapping me.
The rocks beneath me scraped against my skin, and I cursed myself for all the weight I had gained, the weight that now only seemed to be in my way.
I would get stuck in here. I felt the walls closing in, and the air thinning around me. I needed to get out, I needed to leave, I couldn't get through-
But after the first inch I crept backward, I bumped into Jerr, who had been crawling very closely behind me. "It's okay, Sari," he said, his voice soothing. "I'm right here, it's fine."
I couldn't see anything around me, but I felt my hands trembling. "This can't be the way-" I gasped.
"If it were easy to reach, everyone would know how to find Apicya," Jerr argued.
"It's true," Tymen said in front of me. "Come, Sari, we're nearly there."
The two men gently urged me forward, and once I had my breathing under control, I found the courage to crawl forward again.
The tiny space got even more suffocating, and some sharper points of rock cut my skin.
"Are you okay?" I heard from behind me, the moment I reeked my blood dripping lightly.
"I'm fine," I mumbled. "I need to get out."
The tunnel seemed to be endless. Tymen and Jerr's soothing words began losing their meaning, as the walls kept creeping in, trapping me, keeping me locked forever-
Until Tymen got out of the tiny space, and his form no longer blocked the exit of the tunnel. In the near distance, I saw a spot of light, indicating the end of this torture was near. The light was subtle, nearly dark, as by now the night had fallen completely. But the contrast with the vast darkness was enough to settle my wilding heart.
With newfound strength, I crawled my way over to that breach of light, uncaring of the newer cuts in my skin. They'd heal, and I needed to get out as soon as I could.
And that opening finally came. My hands were the first part of me that was able to exit this tunnel, immediately meeting with the familiar softness of grass.
I had never felt so relieved to feel grass under me, as I did right then. My entire body was trembling as the rest of me escaped that dreaded tunnel.
Tymen crouched next to me as I lay in the damp grass. "I'm impressed," he said. "Most people struggle more on their first time."
"Please tell me we're here now," I begged, as Jerr found his way out, too.
"We are," Tymen confirmed. "Welcome to Apicya."
After I gave myself a short moment to catch my breath, I finally pushed myself up, immediately supported by Jerr. I kept close to him as I looked around, and I was absolutely shocked at the sight before me.
Before me, was life. We were standing in a small clearing, where the exit of the tunnel mouthed.
Tents and buildings were scattered all over in the distance, pyres of fire in different sizes scattered in between, lighting and warming the entire place.
"This isn't everything yet," Tymen explained. "But it's the front part of our place, at least. It's where the training happens, mostly."
"Keeping your soldiers close to the entrance," I noted.
"Yes," he confirmed. I followed him as he walked over to the buildings, greeting some of the wolves we passed. "I'll take you on a tour of the city itself tomorrow, but for tonight, I think you might want to rest, first."
I nodded, still in awe at the sight before me.
How could so much life be hidden away from the world?
"Jerr!" an excited voice exclaimed, and in between some tents, a shadowy figure walked out.
"Dell!" Jerr called and walked forward to the shadowy figure.
The two men entrapped themselves in a small, but tight hug, before I could have a good look at Hidden Moon's Alpha.
Jerr soon seemed to remember he had brought me along, and ended his brief reunion. "Dell, I don't know if you remember Sari," he began speaking.
"How could I forget? It takes a lot of bravery to stand up to Beckett the way you did," he said, his voice warm, like honey.
Dell seemed to be the same age as Jerr, which made sense since they Ascended together. His hair was colored a dark blonde, and the hair flurried all over his chin as well, in a short, ruffled beard. His face had rectangular features, and he looked kind.
"Hello, Alpha," I said, subtly lowering my head in submission.
"I understand you've come to train?" he asked with a nod.
"Yes," I confirmed. "If you're willing to help, at least."
"We'll see tomorrow," he said, formally. "Tonight, we'll let you get some rest." He then turned to Jerr, and a big smile found its way to his face again. "We have some catching up to do, my friend," he laughed, patting Jerr on the shoulder.
"That we do," he answered, matching his excitement.
"Tymen will show you to your bed," Dell ordered in my direction, before taking Jerr with him and the two men walked away from us, laughing all the way.
"Follow me," Tymen requested.
My body longed to rest, so I didn't think much about it and followed him to the other side of the camp, where he lead me to one of the smaller tents.
"This tent should be free," he stated. As I walked in, I was greeted by a bed, covered in furs and blankets. My body yearned to disappear in it at the sight of it, but my stomach growled in protest.
Tymen turned his head at the sound. "I almost forgot you needed food as well," he said. "Hold on."
He left the tent, and I dragged my tired body over to the bed, immediately plopping down.
I had to force myself to keep sitting up straight, but even then, I risked falling asleep upright.
It wasn't long after, that Tymen walked back in, with a steaming bowl of some kind of soup.
"Chicken soup," he clarified, handing me the warm bowl.
"Thank you," I breathed, immediately digging in.
Tymen sat down on the ground in front of me, crossing his legs. "So, how have you been in Death Moon?" he asked, curiously. Just like at the Castle, I detected no hostility in his question.
"It's been good," I said.
He squinted his eyes a bit, sensing the true answer wasn't as simple as that.
"It's difficult at times," I admitted with a sigh. "But I'm training every day, and people are slowly beginning to accept me."
"I'm glad to hear," he said, a small, genuine smile accompanying the words. "I was truly relieved when Dell informed me you were able to switch packs."
"As was I. Aven probably saved my life."
"Not probably," Tymen corrected me. "He absolutely did. Although I can't imagine Death Moon would have been your top choice, either."
"Hmm," I sighed. "In all honesty, my first choice would have been Life Moon."
"Life Moon? Really?" he asked, a raised eyebrow.
"Yes," I confirmed, confused at his scepticism.
"Be glad you didn't end up there," he said. "I think they're one of the most boring packs."
"Boring, maybe, but safe, mostly."
"Eh, safety is overrated," he joked.
"That's easy for you to say," I countered.
"I guess so," he said. "But looking back on it, aren't you glad you ended up in Death Moon?"
"Yeah, I am, actually," I admitted. "By the way, how long had you been following us today?" I asked, curious if Jerr had been right.
"Two days," he answered, casually.
"Two days?" I exclaimed, nearly choking on my spoonful of soup.
"Yes," he hummed. "I even saw your friend's wolf before he ripped out that other one's throat."
"Jerr saw you? He knew you were-"
"Uhu," he hummed, pleased with himself. "I helped him hide his wolf, too."
"Oh, by the Moons," I grumbled.
"Not to worry, Sari. I always kept my distance. But we have to monitor our borders. I'm sure you understand since we're surrounded by enemies on all our fronts."
"Yeah," I yawned, as I finished the last scoop of the chicken soup.
Tymen took the empty cup with a smile before he made his way out of the tent. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sari. Good night."
"Good night," I answered.
The moment Tymen was out of the tent, I got out of the sweaty clothes and dived under the covers.
It felt strange to sleep alone, again. The absence of Jerr felt unsettling, and I struggled to find sleep.
But soon enough, the flap of the tent opened again, and the comforting scent of spicy wood, with a hint of incense, filled the small room.
I heard Jerr take off his clothes as well, and shortly after, he lifted the covers and settled in the bed, close to me.
"You could have told me, you know. About Tymen."
"Now, where's the fun in that?" he answered, and I felt his grin grow against my neck, before I fell asleep, safe and sound in his arms.