Year: 2333
"You cannot let him leave. He is still a child...he knows not how to protect himself." Lilian argued as she paced the floor of their cabin just a short distance from the clan camp. Emmett was being unreasonable, not for the first time in their last nineteen years of marriage. But this time he had gone too far. Eaven wasn't ready. He couldn't possibly go out into the world at the age of nineteen, a year before his coming of age ceremony and be expected to protect himself adequately. That was the whole reason all lycans were kept within the clan until they came of age, aged twenty, when they would no longer age and no longer have things to learn. He couldn't allow Eaven to leave.
"He is a man. We must allow him his freedom. He has not undergone the ceremony, but he knows his heart and we must accept he is not like the others. He does not wish to wait, he has heard the call and he must follow it." Emmett understood Lilian's concerns, but he couldn't fight Eaven. Ever since he'd been born, he hadn't been able to deny him anything. Not because he was their first child or because he was a son. It was because Eaven knew, deep down, even before he could talk, what he wanted and that it would end well. He had no hesitations about anything and never had his whole life.
If he wanted to leave the clan a year before it was permitted, it had to be important. He had never done a reckless, stupid thing in his life and Emmett trusted that he wasn't about to start aged nineteen. As worried as Lilian was, he needed her to understand that Eaven was old enough and smart enough to make his own choices. It didn't help that he had already left, without telling anyone, but at least it was done and couldn't be undone.
Lilian had discovered Eaven, missing from his bedroom early that morning when she had gone to wake him. They had argued about it ever since. A few hours had already passed, but no matter how she pleaded with him, to use his mental connection with Eaven to urge him to return home, Emmett couldn't do it. He didn't want Eaven to come home. The poor kid had heard the call for his mate since he was eleven years old. He knew instinctively that she was a long distance away and his special skills had enabled him to know she existed and was waiting for him. He couldn't have asked him to ignore that even if he thought it possible.
He had already waited eight years, he couldn't ask him to wait any longer.
Emmett had always been afraid that when Eaven was finally able to leave the clan, all he would find was heartache because his mate had died long ago. He was glad his son had continued to hear the call regularly, reassuring him that wasn't true.
"Lilian, my love...the boy has a strong heart and his bond with you is greater than even the bond of a father and son. He would not have left us lightly. Had he asked for permission, it would have ailed his heart to hear you deny him his mate when his heart is set on her. He continues to hear the call for her. We are lucky she has not fallen to an ill fate. Never has a call been ignored or discarded for such a time." Emmett reminded her of the most important thing. His mate still lived and therefore, Eaven would survive. If she had died, his life would have been ruined, all because he was special and had known of her existence before any other lycan would have. They needed to accept that they had kept him sheltered long enough.
"We have guarded him, taught him well and kept him safe. Now it is time for him to be free. As it will soon be time for them all. We yet have Lenora and Felicia to care for. Let them not think they come second to their brother because he is special. All our children need us, but we must accept that Eaven needs us not at this moment." With a sigh, Emmett sank back onto the edge of their bed, worried Lilian would never quite understand.
Although Eaven was special, it wasn't a bad thing. She worried day and night that someone would hurt him because he was the only hybrid in the world. That they would target him to use for evil and use his innocence against him. She had all kinds of crazy thoughts, but Emmett trusted that Eaven was smart enough to know who was good and who wasn't. It would be his decision who to trust.
"But he is so young...he is so different..." Lilian sat beside him reluctantly, finding that moving around made her feel like she was doing something productive. She knew it was far too late to send anyone after him, to make him return home. No-one could match his speed and they weren't even sure how he was going to travel or where he was going. She just wished Emmett would use their connection to make sure he was safe and ask him to come home for just one more year.
"I am scared Emmett. There has never been a hybrid out in the world, those who encounter him could either kill him or accept him. Are you willing to accept that there is the same chance of his death as there is of his survival?" Emmett wrapped his arm around Lilian protectively as she sank into him and lay her head upon his shoulder in defeat. Her only son had flown the nest and she was finding it difficult. He wondered if his mother and grandmother had suffered the same worry when he and his father had left home for the first time. Lilian was right, the coming of age ceremony came with a reassurance the child was fully prepared for the world. Without it, Eaven seemed at risk. But he knew better.
"That is how we live Lilian. That is lycan life, every day. Eaven may as well learn that now while he is young. He will not fail to protect himself. No-one can do the things he can. I cannot imagine that he has these talents for no reason." He wanted Lilian to accept that both their daughters would eventually leave home as well, though they had yet another two years to wait. She would have to let them leave without the same fight that they weren't ready. The call knew when a person was ready to love. It had brought them together. It had kept Briant from taking a mate until he accepted that love was not a wish but an emotion that needed obeyed. It was smart and if Eaven had heard the call since the age of eleven, Emmett knew it was trying to tell him something important.
-
Emmett allowed himself to worry about Eaven for a few hours after his talk with Lilian. He waited until she had taken the girls to see his father, to learn more stories that would shape their future decisions. Then, alone, he sat at the desk in his bedroom and picking up his utensil. He was going to write a letter to Damian, in the hope he could offer Eaven help if he ever needed it. He would have just connected to him mentally, but he knew too many other people who could do the same thing. He didn't want anyone to hear of his worries.
A letter could, at least, be ensured unread as long as the seal was intact and he sent it with a trusted scout. And if anyone could be trusted with Eaven's secrets, it was his best friend Simon. He was planning to return home soon and there was no better opportunity to deliver a secret letter than to entrust it to him.
Dear friend,
I write to you in the hope you are well, as I hope are your family. I have grave news to share with you. Eaven has taken it upon himself to depart from the safety of our clan, in search of his mate. He has long heard her call since a young boy. We have kept him safe until now, but fear that his talents will cause him harm.
He is no ordinary boy. As we thought, Eaven is special. He has the power to enter one's mind as you have and manipulate their thoughts. Any enemy will be unaware of his approach, even if they witness him with their own eyes. Eaven is also what the Elders call a shape shifter, with the power to transform not only to a wolf, but also a hawk and a panther, as we have witnessed so far. These animals have long hunted in the wilderness and caused many troubles for humans. I fear that if he is seen, as one of these animals, he will be killed.
Alas brother, that is not why I write to you. The most troubling abilities of my son have become clear in these last few years. He can control the weather with a single thought and often finds himself creating thunderous rainstorms when he is angry, as his emotions are heightened even beyond that of my people. I fear for his safety in the world.
He cannot yet control his emotions and yet, they can transform the weather even if he means not to and any wish to hide can cause him to transform. I warn you of this, in the hope he may seek you out for shelter or advice. He has long known his story and that of your kinship to us. I ask you to care for him as you once cared for his mother, that he may complete his journey in a short time and return with his mate to the safety of our protection.
May you live long and in happiness, your brother Emmett.
Emmett took his letter and placed it into its envelope, sealing it with a small amount of melted wax from a candle. He wanted to make sure that no-one, not even Lilian would know of what his letter contained. He was afraid to admit so, even to himself, but he had kept secrets for Eaven that would have shamed and hurt him and devastated his mother. His connection to his son was strong, stronger than of any other lycan father and son and he had always allowed Lilian to believe that her connection to Eaven was stronger, but it was not. His continual connection with Eaven before his birth had cemented a link between them that would never be surpassed except when Eaven had his own children. But it hadn't always been a pleasant connection.
Once, a few years back, although Emmett had never told anyone, Eaven had used his powers against him. It began small, as a teenager rebellion when Eaven wanted to go hunting as a panther, to practice his transformations. It wasn't safe, but Emmett found himself agreeing and the two had run together through the woods, panther and wolf, hybrid son and lycan father.
The complication had come when shortly after Eaven had used his powers to make his father transform whenever he wanted him to. Without knowing how or why, Emmett found himself transforming in the middle of unusual tasks. When walking from the clan to the cabin, he would change three times without understanding it. When he was playing with the girls, he would find himself transforming at times when it most caused danger to his daughters.
It was only when Emmett changed within the cabin walls that he realized he was not in control of himself. He and Lilian had argued for hours afterward, as they had already sworn themselves and the children to behave inside the cabin and never transform as the space was too small. After their argument, Emmett had gone to speak to Eaven, only to be confronted by the confession that he had forced his father to do things with just the push of his mind. It hadn't been intentional, nor had Eaven realized the severity of what he was doing. As far as he knew, he was testing out a new power.
Emmett had sworn him to secrecy.
Manipulating others was a vampire trick, not a lycan one. Emmett knew that if anyone knew Eaven was now in control of such a power, they would only ostracize him all the more than they already did. Only Simon shared their secret and now Damian. Emmett was worried that if Lilian knew, she would never allow Eaven to be around others, for fear he would make them do anything he wished them to. But after realizing he had caused danger to his sisters and broken a cardinal house rule, Eaven had sworn to only practice his gift with Emmett's consent. Over the years, the two had honed that particular skill as best they could, so nothing was done unintentionally any longer.
With his letter written, Emmett left the cabin and ventured across to the field where Simon chose to camp out. He enjoyed living outdoors, knowing that once he returned to the clan, he would be confined to the clan house for most hours of the day. He found him practicing a skill Caspar had taught him, whittling wood, as he whistled to himself and enjoyed the March sunshine.
"Simon, I would like to ask a favor of you." He explained as soon as he was within the long grassed area Simon had claimed as his home. His plans were to return home shortly, but he wasn't sure whether he would reach Avelina before Eaven or not, as no-one knew of where he planned to travel or how he planned on getting there. Simon nodded his agreement to do anything for Emmett, who he considered a second or third father. Emmett sank down to his knees in the grass and handed the letter to Simon, who saw Damian's name on the envelop immediately.
"You wish me to take this to Avelina when I leave or immediately?" He wondered, not sure if he was truly ready to leave the lycans yet. They had welcomed him with open arms and he found their company to be somewhere much closer to where he belonged than home was. Only with Eaven did he feel like he belonged; two outcasts together. He almost wished he had known of Emmett's letter before, so he could have traveled with Eaven for the most part of his journey. But even he couldn't keep up with the kid. As a wolf, he ran like the wind, as a hawk and a panther, he was even faster.
"I do not ask you to leave if you are not ready. I have written to Damian, asking him to safeguard Eaven if he ventures into his territory. It may not happen and the letter is not urgent. But its contents must remain a secret, even from Lilian." Emmett felt sorry for Simon as he stared down at the letter as if it were an ominous prophesy of his death and he was too scared to look inside. The young lad had learned much over the years, studying their culture and the call as no-one ever had before. He was ready to return home. They could all sense it, but fear lingered inside him that he wouldn't be good enough. So he couldn't push him.
"I entrust this mission to no-one else. It must be you who takes the letter and delivers it into Damian's hands. You may leave when you wish." He offered Simon a smile of reassurance that the decision of when he would leave them was still his to make. He didn't want him to rush back home if he wasn't ready, nor did he want him to stay longer than was necessary. His childish view of love was gone. His heart belonged to a girl who was not Gretchen. Although he believed she would never love him in return as he had treated her badly in the past, Emmett still believed he would never know until he returned home and confessed his feelings to her. That choice was now before him and he was afraid to make the decision.
"Is this about Eaven's...gifts?" Simon asked the most important question he could as he looked between the envelope in his hand and Emmett, who seemed genuinely worried. If he wanted the letter kept a secret, even from his wife, then it contained a secret that only very few people knew. And he knew how important that secret could be now Eaven was out into the world, by himself. He would need someone to look out for him. When Emmett nodded, he decided there was only one thing to do. Eaven was his best friend, after all.
"Then I will leave immediately. I have greatly missed my uncle and my family. I believe it would do me good to return, though I shall miss you all very much. You have been like a second family to me and I regret that I must leave. Perhaps Eaven and I shall meet again in Avelina?" He hoped with a nervous smile. He wasn't sure how anyone back home would take his return or how much things might have changed in that time. He was sure Antonio would have children and their friendship might not recover from his long absence. But he was hopeful that with some time and effort, they might regain what had been lost.
"I should like that very much. Then I would know he was safe and with family." Emmett thanked Simon for taking on the responsibility that should never have been his. But they both knew how close he and Eaven were. If he was going to face trouble, Simon wanted to be there. As soon as Emmett returned to his cabin, Simon began preparing himself for the long journey home.