Impression of power
The glare of the early afternoon light has me squinting from the sun's might.
Two gathered forces on opposite ends of the territory lines. It's my father who steps forward first onto their claimed land with a malignant growling snarl that rushes out of his throat and vibrates the air. The crows watching shake their feathers out before tucking wings back into their bodies to look like black robes their wearing.
This first act of posturing causes the ridge of fur to raise along the spine of the wolves, who are in fighting form on either side of the lines.
The juveniles of either pack are in the back, all to watch but not to fight unless it's the last resort. It's the last option and it's expected to go to the death. They are the last defense to an intruding pack that is seeking elimination of all females and pups.
The Alpha answering my father's voice with his own vigilant snarl. Mom standing up straighter, bristling out her own deep vibrating warning to all that this will have consequences if a fight is to come from this meeting.
"Your mate matches you perfectly, Finian." His words are spoken strongly with force. My mother has her hand on the back of my father, stroking down his raising fur.
"Don't." Her voice low in his ear, "it's alright let him talk." Yet, my father takes a step in his direction, a low warning growl vibrating in the air. Mom's hand now grips his bicep hard, nails digging into flesh, little drops of blood falling on the grass. I can see the look on the Alpha's face, it's arrogant thinking my father won't attack him on his own land, surrounded by his own pack.
His Luna holding silver in her hands, balancing the blades as if they are an extension of her fingers. A master of silver, her eyes never leaving my mother's body. It's expected Luna's square off with Luna's except my mother is no Luna, she's Alpha born, not Luna made.
"Why did you bring that abomination to my land?" His long finger pointing towards me, I have to look around to see if it's me he's actually talking about. The pack behind start to vibrate low toned growls out.
Fingers of my mother let my father go, permission granted.
Instantly my father's war hurtles towards the Alpha, who shifts into his own terrifying fighting form. Uncle Grey leaping towards the Beta, my mother squaring off with the Luna, who now is taking aim at her throat.
Hands on me, pulling me away from the rushing bodies of fur that are now surging forward to the line of wolves. A wall of teeth crashing with a wall of teeth.
We constantly practice fake battles, but to witness the real thing makes the instinct of fear kick in. War sounds coming from all directions.
The Luna takes the first throw which grazes my mom's shoulder. Mom doesn't shift, she walks towards the Luna in complete command of her body. There is no shaking, no outward sign that my mother is frightened, but the Luna's hands start to tremble when my mother's war volume starts to growl out. So ferocious is the sound that the wolves in her radius for a moment flinch their shoulders down.
Dad and the Alpha's wolves are violently attacking one another, tremendous snarling of the two fur forms ripping, tearing into one another. Bodies crashing together with blood spraying the area, Dad's teeth tearing into the shoulder tendon, just like we always practice, severing the movement of that leg. It's just a matter of finishing him off now.
Uncle Grey's wolf so massive against the Beta of that pack, it is no match. It's quick disposal of the enemy who stood no chance against him. Within seconds, the Beta's last breath is wheezed out of a torn-out throat, his life spilling out. Uncle Grey's muzzle dripping in blood as it turns its sights on the next wolf brave enough to think he's more than his wolf.
The Luna of the pack lets out a warning growl to my mother's advancing form, she has one knife left, the last one just embedded into my mom's shoulder, while I'm screaming out, trying to escape the iron grip of my handler. Still, my mom is slow with her pace, letting the Luna understand what's coming for her. The Luna raises the knife to throw; it looks as if she will hit my mom dead center until the last minute with a calculated eye, she launches the knife in my direction. I can see it coming closer and closer the gleam of silver catching the light of the sun.
A turn of my body from hands that are trying to take me out of death's projection.
Seeing my mother taking the knife out of her shoulder she launches it at the Luna, severing her head. Running towards me with a look of horror on her face, she's a blur of movement that the wind would have to compete with to try to out run her.
Flaring
Searing
Pain
The silver knife embeds deep in my back, coughing blood sprays out my mouth all over my mother who is trying hard to catch me before I fall to the ground.
Aunt Meela is yelling for help, my hearing starts to become muffled as if the sound of an ocean is swishing inside my ears. Lots of blood now coming up from a mouth that is hemorrhaging red, dripping down my chin.
"Mom." The gurgling of sound comes up because I'm choking on my fluids.
"No, no, no." Hands that I know so well cradle me, rocking me, holding my hand. Her voice is so pained.
"Charlie look at me, baby." Her voice has my eyes trying to focus back, but the darkness is surrounding me.
Something is there just on the edge of my peripheral vision if only I can see it clearly, but my mom keeps screaming at me to stay awake.
Black mist shrouds my mother except it's not my mother's blue eyes that stare into mine from the darkness.
"Charlie." The voice seems like a smile if only I can see the face that's hidden from view. Swirling vapor surrounds, so only her eyes shine through the nearly opaque veil.
Screams are tearing through the peace I feel.
Agony
Heartbreak
Helplessness
All those thoughts are fading away from me as her voice starts up, "you are going to be the greatest that has ever lived, remember my words when you are at your weakest my beautiful female. You are the greatest that has ever lived. Make the moon proud of who you are and who you will become." I feel as if my cheek is being touched except I see no hand before my eyes go blind.
A floating feeling as if I am in a canoe lazily drifting on the small waves underneath the afternoon sun. It's motion lulling me to sleep.
"Look at her!" Shouting starting to stirs my senses.
"We see her, Odin." My mother's voice is a gentle tone.
"A knife to the back, she's only a pup still. How could you allow her to be harmed?" This male sounds enraged.
My eyes trying to open. "We took care of them." Now, it's my father's turn to speak with this upset male.
"No, you didn't, you didn't take care of them. It's time for everyone in this world to know what the Far North is capable of when wolves try to kill what belongs to them, Finian."
"You didn't bring enough wolves for their pack. What makes you think that twenty of you males can take the entire league on?" My father questions out.
"You don't know us, but soon you and everyone else will." Loud footsteps are walking away, no more yelling and I fade away again into the black.
It's a slow waking, falling back into darkness this act repeating itself over and over again. The sounds of my whimpers are what startles me out from the black.
Hushed voices, surrounding the air around me. I'm on my mom's lap; she's got her hand in my hair, trying to give me some soothing feeling that is no comfort because the searing pain of silver heat consumes my mind in a singular thought of how brilliant pain can be.
Nothing is helping that Lana is trying on me.
She is yelling back at my mother saying that "I will not give her more than what she has already consumed, I will not kill her on accident."
Loud footsteps in the house, the raising voices, "she's my mate, I will see her anytime I want." Odin's unmistakable sound threatens my father's voice.
"Finian you have one job as I see it, to keep Charlie safe until I come for her and I see you can't even do that right." His insult has my dad taking a step towards the male that is coming so close to me now.
Another older male that slightly resembles Odin is standing in the doorway, his tattoos on his neck look old and faded. Bryon is standing close to him, watching him as if he's a threat that needs to be watched. Looking at Odin, his wild hair has blood dried out blood in it. His shirt more red than white, his body covered in large slashing wounds. Knuckles have no skin that remains on it.
"You have failed to protect your own daughter, Finian." Odin is descending into something that would make hellfire feel threatened.
He's pacing in the living room wall to wall looking at me, his teeth flashing his madness at my father, who has to take some calming breaths.
"Odin, you need to calm yourself pup." My dad standing up to Odin's raw power, unflinching.
Both of them chest to chest with both their teeth exposed to one another. Odin doesn't carry the weight yet.
He's starting now with his transition from leanness of a juvenile male to an adult male who is filling out with the power of strength.
"I blame you." Odin's nail pokes into my father's chest.
Instantly my father is on him. Both their bodies are crashing against one another's. Until Odin is pinned down, just barely.
"If you weren't my daughter's mate, I would gladly sink my teeth into you." Dad releases Odin, but Odin goes for him again only to be pinned again. He's held down until he settles himself down and even then my father holds him there. The older male that Odin brought inside with him just watches, without interfering.
Once released again, Odin looks out the window into the yard, he stays there for a minute of two, before turning to my mother.
"Mother wolf, she's my mate, she's hurt, what can I do for her?" Just then Lana enters.
"Odin, I need more of the medicine you bought for Charlie when you marked her. I need lots of it. Your father is refusing to give Alpha Finian any of it. Charlie dies without it, a slow death that will have her get weaker and weaker every day. Her unshifted body can only produce so much blood in a day and she's slowly losing more than she's making."
"My father won't hand it over? He knows it's for Charlie's life?" Odin's voice loses its strength.
"He knows." Lana's voice is dropping in sadness for Odin it seems. Lana starts to clean the wound.
Tears are burning my eyes up because the pain is all consuming now. Odin kneels at my head, near my mother's legs.
Deep old growth forest eyes meet my sky blues.
"Look into my eyes Charlie, don't think of anything else just look in my eyes." I do what he says trying so hard to get above the pain, to let the pain breathe out of my body. It's facinating being so close to his face, his eyes not leaving mine either. Before long Lana is finished with changing my dressing and the blanket is once again tenderly put over me by Odin, tucking in the edges around my neck, without touching me.
"Charlie, I'm going to leave you now, but I will come back soon." The pain now is slowly pushing the once again inside with the loss of eye contact.
Arguing of epic proportion coming from my father and Odin once again before the sounds fade away into the yard, the door slamming behind them shutting out their sound.
Days again mingle into one another.
The Alpha of the Far North refusing my father's request for the medicine I need has the threat of war breaking out. Looking up from my spot on the grass, blue sky holds wisps of clouds with the outgoing scent of spring, mingling into the summer's coming heat.
My favorite time of year.
Lana insisting on my parents taking me out of the house to lay me on my stomach to have the sun heat up my skin and try to dry my wound up. It's still oozing blood that doesn't seem to want to clot or heal. Lana is feeding me lots of red meat, trying to boost up my blood supply.
The problem is that I just don't feel like eating anymore.
Laying with my head on my mother's lap, as if I am a small pup again. Her hand stroking through my hair helps me with the throbbing pain I feel in my back. Nothing Lana has given me has been able to take the pain away. Even breathing hurts, the movement expanding my ribcage always draw a little whimper from my throat with each breath I take in.
The destructo twins even sitting by me, trying to tell me jokes but no one is laughing. The twins are dressed for war, they will be leaving soon. It's expected that this time, all juveniles will need to fight.
"Is everything ready?" My father's demanding voice expects nothing, but a yes to come out of Becca's mouth is expected.
"Everyone is ready to move on your command." Our entire force gathered, marching to war against the Far North over me and what Lana needs to heal me.
Alpha Borson is refusing to give my father the plant that's needed to stop my bleeding.
"Everyone's in position." Becca is giving me a soft look, her silver knives catching the rays of the sun creating beams of sparkling light to hit me in the eyes. I can see my father ready for war, while my mother looks up into his eyes.
Uncle Grey right beside him is looking at Aunt Meela with love.
"I won't let her die. Victoria, I'll bring back what she needs." He's on a knee now in front of us. Bending down, he kisses my forehead before he hugs mom close to him. A bite to her neck that she relaxes into before he pulls himself away.
It's always his way with my mother.
"Finian!" A male's voice yelling over top of the legion of warriors gathered.
Hard footsteps that rumble the earth, oddly I can hear the dragging of feet behind him.
Looking up, I see Odin with his hand around the material of a female wolf shirt, who can't keep up with his pace, falling over her own feet only to be dragged forward until her body rights itself back up. My father strides also shake the ground, standing to their full height they regard each other.
Fading bruises all over Odin's face, a cut lip that's healing with a scab over it. His knuckles look as if all the skin has been peeled off of them from hitting something repeatedly.
"My father might be able to let you die, but I won't let that happen!" His words are spoken to me, yet everyone here can hear him loud and clear.
The female is pulled out from behind him, a leather satchel a healer wears is at her side. This female wolf's eyes find mine and hold, not looking away as they start to dilate, her nose raising in the air, pulling great lungfuls in. She's starting to look like Lana who showed me her healers nature.
A hand reaching out towards me as Lana takes a step in front of me blocking that strange wolf's eyes path.
Growls coming low from Lana's chest to intimidate, I've never heard her wolf growl and not in a way that would provoke violence.
It's then that my mother takes my head off her lap, resting it gently on the blanket. The current of air shifting quickly around me until I see the black fur of my mother's wolf standing over the top of me.
It's one paw forward; the wolf's eyes just on her prey. Nothing will stop her when she commits herself.
"I won't let you kill her. She's the most seasoned healer we have. I need to bring her back alive. She needs to come back alive to the Far North." Odin now in front of the wolf my mother's eyes are targeting.
He doesn't understand; she doesn't listen to anyone except my father's wolf.
She takes another step forward with confidence. While Odin balances from one foot to the other, his weight shifting with each step she takes.
The healer takes a step towards me from behind Odin's back, her fingers are outstretched towards me, a rumble coming from deep within her chest that sounds as if she's hungry makes Odin look in her direction. He's watching her with eyes that can see how her face is shifting, her pupils begin to devour all color in her eyes. She's got her nose in the air taking in my scent.
"I need to touch her." Her whispered plea sounds out begging Odin for just a touch of my flesh.
It's a blur of movement. Odin's claws so sharp, so quick, sever her head that falls off her body and rolls to lay directly at my head. This strange healer's eyes meet with mine, she blinks once at me before her life drifts forever away. Odin
takes her satchel off her body and throws it at Lana, "fix Charlie." Telling Lana like he is the Alpha in charge here before he turns away towards his warriors.
His men start to set up makeshift camp as if they will be spending time with us. My dad just shakes his head at him, but my mother eyes him with a respect that she hardly gives any males.
For a few days, Odin is the one to apply the ointment to my back; and change my dressing without touching my skin.
He has hunted game up and now, he feeds me from his hand.
At first, I was only able to eat a few bites. Odin trying to make a joke that I can trust him not to kill me with the food he gives me.
He's trying so hard for me to eat more meat. The medicine Lana made up works but no one can touch it, Lana made a mistake of touching it, once. Her skin burnt off instantly where the ointment touched.
The White Heat she called it.
Once I was well enough to travel, Odin arranges that I along with the rest of my father's warriors go to the border. When we arrived everyone's nose curls up with the stench that rotting decay brings.
The Far South and our Southern borderlines have as far as the eye can see in both directions sticks with skulls resting on the top, males, females and pups.
No one was spared by them, a whole entire nation wiped clean away from our world.
Odin, walking the line of death while my father's men watch him with nervousness, a skittishness that's displayed with them, taking a little step away from his path forward.
"Let this be a warning to whoever thinks of touching what's mine again." His voice bellowing out, so the crows have no choice but to take to wing. They are so great in number that their bodies block out the sun for a few minutes, casting us in darken shadows.
Odin's men lined up strong as bears, mad as the most savage of wolves, looking at Odin as if he is a God himself.
Author's Note
We are all caught up, next chapter will be a brand new one....
Thank you again for reading!