I eagerly took the bowl of breakfast Jerr was handing to me, sitting down on a log. There weren't enough soldiers accompanying us for breakfast to constitute an army, but this part of the camp was still rather crowded.
Most people sat down around us in a few groups, around smaller pyres. But the wolves on duty were scurrying about, helping the cooks with breakfast. Some had already begun training, and I hoped I would be able to join them soon.
"Any idea what this is?" I asked Jerr after a bomb of sweetness exploded on my tongue. I looked down at the bowl and saw something grain-like, mixed with fruits I didn't recognize.
"Typical breakfast from the area," Jerr said, his mouth full. "I think the grains or a mixture of seeds and something from local wheat, but I'm not sure. It's been a long time since I've had a good Apicyan breakfast."
"It's called Ubos," Tymen clarified, appearing from behind us and sitting down next to me with his own bowl. "The grain is made from a local plant, the Clum, which is quite easy to cultivate around here. They take some of the leaves and the extract and bake it, it's a whole process," he continued, waving his hand in the air. "And then we add some of the fruits we've gathered that day. Very easy, very nutritious, and very tasty."
"Ubos," I repeated. "It's definitely better than the bland oats Feytan makes me eat every day."
"I suppose anything would be better than bland oats," Tymen agreed, feigning a horrified expression.
"Well," Jerr said, "nothing compares to this for breakfast, either way."
"I suppose," Tymen sniggered, beaming with pride. "Good morning, Alpha," he quickly added, as Dell joined our group and sat down next to Jerr.
"Good morning," Dell answered. "I hope you were able to rest some."
"Yes, definitely," I confirmed. "Thank you for your hospitality, Alpha." The question if he had decided anything about my training yet, was burning on my tongue. But I feared asking it before he had properly woken up.
"Good," he said with a slight nod. He even threw in a gentle smile, one that came across as sincere. In a way, it took away from his dominant role as an Alpha, but I could feel he held the respect of his people. Even in the short time he had been Alpha, I got the impression that he had accomplished great things within his pack.
The four of us talked some more over our breakfast, talking of superficial things that had happened in our time apart. It was clear we were just filling up our morning until it was time to pick up our duties, but the fate of my training kept burning in my insides.
I realized it would have to simmer a while longer when Dell needed to talk to Jerr alone, and Tymen offered me a tour around the city itself.
I graciously agreed and followed him out of the camp, leaving the bloody Wise Moon behind with his powerful friend.
"It's a little walk away," Tymen said, his voice musical.
"Did you grow up in Apicya?" I asked, following him along the trail that – to my dislike – contained a bit more climbing here and there.
"I did. I shared an apartment with my parents and my siblings."
"Oh, you have siblings?" I had always wondered how it would have been to have a little brother or sister growing up. Would their presence have offered me comfort, or just an extra responsibility I couldn't carry? I'd have another mouth to feed – and I wouldn't have been able to leave Spitta behind. But perhaps Spitta wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't been alone.
"Two," he hummed, evading a low-hanging branch. "I'm the eldest of three sons."
"Three boys? I pity your parents!"
A mischievous smile appeared on his face at my comment. "They suffer sometimes, yes."
Tymen led me into another cave – and I was thankful to find that at the back wall, there wasn't another small tunnel waiting for me, but I saw moving water flow down. The closer we got, the clearer I saw that there was no wall – but it was covered by a thick layer of water, splattering around us and dampening the surrounding walls.
Tymen took us to the left edge of the waterfall, where a small, relatively dry clear space made room for a spectacular view. I had to catch my breath as my eyes took in what I saw before me.
We were standing quite high, and from this point, we could see the city quite clearly.
I couldn't entirely grasp what I was seeing. It looked like an enormous hole in the ground, reaching far to all sides. In the distance, I saw more rocky mountains climbing up, enclosing the city entirely with the rocky substance. The walls of this place were covered with trees, a green contrasting to the more barren landscapes where Tymen had found Jerr and me.
It was still quite early, and the Sun shone on a low point, breathtakingly illuminating the city.
Rows and rows of buildings followed each other, connected by countless streets. The sunbeams danced on the roofs, coloring the city in a golden shimmer.
On the outside, I saw fields and pastures, where the farmers were already heavily at work. Most of the agricultural land had a soft, pinkish color, and I assumed those were growing clum, the local grain.
My eyes trailed down, following where the waterfall mouthed in a river that divided the city in two and disappeared again into the mountains far away.
The city was sprouting with life, and I let myself revel in the sounds of a peaceful city, people working, walking in the streets, greeting their neighbors.
"Apicya," Tymen sang, clicking his tongue. "The Secret City."
"How can this be?" I gasped, marveled, and surprised.
"As the legend goes, when Kima came down so many Moons ago, Zyama did not see her until it was too late to prepare for the impact. And so this crater was made."
"It's immense."
"That it is," he confirmed. "Some hard-core believers even say that Kima's arrival took Zyama by such force and surprise, it caused the mountains to grow out of this crater."
"How can this be hidden away from the world?"
"Very few entries," Tymen answered as he began walking down the stairs that appeared next to the waterfall. "And magic. Be careful not to slip."
I heedfully walked behind him, carefully placing my feet on the wet steps, as the enormous waterfall disappeared behind me.
The steps lead us away from the waterfall, and the more we walked, the less slippery the rock under my feet became.
The closer we got, the more I recognized some distinct smells – smells that suddenly made my heart grow heavy as they reminded me of Rahas. But the most overwhelming smell was that typical animalistic side of the wolves. The more we marched down, the more penetrating the scent became.
Tymen looked back as he heard me snuffle. "You'll get used to the smell," he laughed. "I always forget newcomers aren't accustomed to it yet."
"How is it so strong?" I asked. Apicya was immense, but if I had to guess, it wasn't much bigger than Rahas. Yet the smell was much, much more intense.
"There are no humans here," he explained. "This is almost the entire pack, and Apicya is exclusive to wolves."
We finally reached the bottom of the stairs, my legs sore from the descent, but as we walked towards the buildings, it was easy to ignore my burning muscles. "It is?"
"Yes. One of our first Alphas found this place when he went looking for Kima, and founded Apicya when he gave up on his search for the goddess. He wanted a place where we could all live freely, instead of hiding ourselves away, so no humans have been allowed here. Ever."
"What happens if a human stumbles upon the city anyway?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer.
Tymen shrugged. "No idea. It hasn't happened before. When humans stray too close, they usually get scared off by a pack of abnormally large wolves."
"In Rahas, we live freely, too," I said. "The people know about us."
"Really?" Tymen asked, surprised. It had been my turn to reveal something shocking. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"I thought so too, at first," I admitted. "But it's liberating. And humankind hasn't betrayed our secret. Or not that I know of, at least."
We had reached the first buildings at the edge of the city – they were made out of stone and wood. I followed the red-headed Hidden Moon into his city, and he showed me around some of his favorite streets as we kept talking.
"It still seems risky," he said. "We stand to lose a lot if other packs would find out about this place."
"I wouldn't want Beckett to get his hands on this place," I agreed, in awe of the life surrounding me. I was walking in the Secret City, a city most would only know through legends and tales in books.
"Yes. We're also very selective about our allies that we allow entry here," he elucidated. "The Alpha only allowed us to grant you access because Jerr seemed to trust you."
"That's why you kept close tabs on us for two days," I realized.
Tymen nodded his head, confirming my assessment.
"Are Jerr and the Alpha that close?" I inquired.
"Jerr has visited Apicya the most out of all the outsider pack members. And the Alpha always seems eager to welcome him with drinks and late nights of catching up, so I would assume they're quite good friends."
We passed into a smaller street, where all the houses were painted white and ended lower than the apartments that occupied the biggest part of the city.
"I didn't know they were friends until shortly before we arrived here." I realized I didn't know much about Jerr. But still, I felt like I did know him. I had seen his rawest parts, and he had seen mine. We had shared ourselves in a way you wouldn't be able to accomplish with a stranger. But I quickly shoved the thoughts away, feeling my heart speeding at the thought of Jerr, and all the wicked things he liked to do.
"The Sun is almost at her peak," Tymen noticed. "The Alpha will want us back soon."
"How will we go back up? The stairs?" My eyes flurried up, to where the opening behind the waterfall lay. The stairs seemed endless, and I dreaded climbing them.
"You can take them if you want," he said, jokingly. "I'm taking the lift."
"There's a lift?" I asked.
"Yes. But it only goes up. I mean, if you're in luck and the lift has dropped people off upstairs when you arrive, you can catch it to go down, but otherwise, it always waits down below, so people can take it to go up without having to wait too much for it to come down."
"Oh, thank our Moons," I sighed.
I followed Tymen to the wooden structure, where he pulled on a large lever once we had both entered the small cage. I heard some clicking noises under me, and then the lift suddenly started moving upwards, Apicya slowly minimizing in my view. As soon as the lift dropped us off at the top, we slid behind the waterfall, and Apicya disappeared from me entirely as I followed Tymen back to camp, where I guessed the Alpha had decided on my training.
"Alpha," Tymen and I greeted in unison, as we were invited into his tent. Tymen had explained to me on our way back, why they also used tents in this part of the camp, instead of fully making use of steady buildings. I hadn't entirely paid attention, as I kept feeling more nervous and weak in the knees, but it had something to do with mobility.
"Sari, I hope Tymen has given you a pleasant experience in the city?"
"He did, Alpha," I confirmed, walking over to the wooden table where he and Jerr were waiting. "It was breathtaking."
I locked eyes with Jerr, and my heart fluttered as he showed me a gentle smile.
"I am pleased to hear that," Dell said, his voice piercing with pride of his pack. "Tymen, you can resume your duties for today now."
"Yes, Alpha," the boy next to me answered before he left the tent.
"Sari," Dell said again. "Jerr and I have discussed the matter of your training."
My heart began pounding, my eyes searching for signs on the Alpha's face about the decision he had made. But his face was frozen in that kind neutrality he carried with him all day, and he gave nothing away.
But a quick glance at the wolf on his right gave me all the answers I needed.
"We will train you, here," Dell said. But I wasn't surprised anymore. The glimmering pride in Jerr's eyes and his reassuring smile had told me everything already.
"Thank you, Alpha," I answered, letting my relief seep into my bones.