Sorry for the wait, bro. I'm trying.
"Okay," Celia began, looking up from the road to quiz Tide through the rear-view mirror. "You have just one hour to eat either a mini bitesize burrito or a human sized burrito. Which do you choose?"
"Is it a one meat burrito?" he replied with a frown, "How big is the human sized one? Like, Cesare sized or Eden sized? Are we talking the average human? That's like 5"6 right?" He paused for a second, "If it's only one meat won't I get bored? Can I share?"
"No."
"Damn. Just one hour?"
"Just one hour." She confirmed, taking a right through the forest and causing me to bump into Cesare's side, who wrapped his arm around me.
"So... I gotta eat one sixth of a man-sized burrito every ten minutes? I don't know man, I don't think I could eat that much of a burrito. I don't even know if I like them that much."
"You do know this burrito doesn't actually exist?"
"Yeah, but, this is deep, would you rather eat till you're sick or eat food that's gone in a second? It's like those small foods, you know the ones that go on the tray, they're so nice but so small. Whore's de au revoir?"
I giggled and Celia shot him a horrified look, "It's hors d'oeuvres! You idiot!"
"Whatever. I don't speak French."
"So, bite size or man size?" Elma asked, twisting around in her front seat to peer up at Tide, who poked her in the face with his foot.
"...Man size."
"But I thought you said-" Celia protested, momentarily taken her hands-off the steering wheel, causing my heart to lurch for the few seconds until she put them back.
"Yeah, but you forgot about eating in wolf form," Tide pointed out, a smug look on his face.
The car collectively groaned.
"What's a burrito?" I asked, tightening the blanket wrapped around me.
After all, it was because Cesare called me one that they were even having this conversation.
"It's like a tortilla wrap stuffed with meat and beans and stuff."
Should I be offended?
"You look a little bit like one, wrapped up in this blanket." Cesare explained. I nodded. "But a really cute Burrito."
"Romance at its finest." Tide scoffed, then said something about eating me that made Cesare very flustered and Elma almost spill her drink. I didn't get it.
"Hey, I'm only kidding don't have to go all big Alpha on me!" Tide protested when Cesare whacked him.
Cesare growled, "If you're going to be so immature, you can take a walk."
He opened the door and undid Tide's seat belt.
"Come on man!" Tide protested, "I was just joking."
"Well I'm serious."
"You want me to jump out of a moving car!?"
"You're a wolf, aren't you?"
"Yeah, but if I think I'm ripping these jeans you are mistaken."
Before they could continue, Celia had stopped on the side of the road, "Alright Tide, this is your stop."
He shook his head as he opened the door and grumbled as he slammed it shut, "I hate all of you."
**
I watched Tide out of the window for a while. He was a big wolf but fast, able to keep up with the car with no problem. The longer I watched him, the more restless me and my wolf became. She was desperate to feel the wind in her fur as well, though she had a colourful way of letting me know.
Maybe one day we'd understand each other, but today at least we both wanted to run. I just had to ask Cesare, which should be easy, right?
I shifted away from his embrace, leaning back against the window. He blinked awake, his eyebrows scrunching in confusion. I hadn't even realised he was asleep.
"You okay?" He asked, sounding sleepy.
"Do you think it's okay if I could go for a run?" I asked, "I'd just follow the car – like Tide, if that's alright..."
"Oh no, no it's fine," he reassured me, and asked Celia to stop the car, before helping me out of the seat – my legs turned to jelly after the long ride and last night.
"We'll wait till you've changed before setting off again," he told me, "I can run with you, if you'd like?"
I shook my head, he didn't need to do that for me.
"Well alright then, Tide will look out for you, won't he?" he called over his shoulder to the wolf behind him. He nodded.
True to his word, they waited until I emerged in wolf form, and Cesare took my clothes from the mouth of my wolf, 'so I don't lose them'.
It was easy to keep up with the truck once it took off. We were travelling in a convoy of four trucks: Arden had two cars full of pack warriors and Adrian was driving with the others from our pack. Like any wolf pack, we take comfort in the safety of numbers. I could drop back and round them all up, making sure we had everyone.
At one point I raced Tide – loving the wind through my hair and the strain in my legs as I pushed myself faster, faster until he dropped way behind me. The sights and smells were everywhere too, since we were still travelling through the forest.
I admit I was disappointed when Cesare mind linked me to come back inside, since we were going to hit the highway soon, but as soon as I had clambered in next to Cesare, I was fast asleep.
**
I woke up in a tent, the entrance open and flapping in the wind – zip clicking against a tent pole every few seconds. Head actually feeling much better than it had since last night, I sat and observed the makeshift 'pack' setting up more tents. Cesare and his cousins were struggling to pitch a large green tent whilst Alpha Arden prowled around the perimeter. Will was sat on a tree stump, bent over an arrow as he sharpened it, a mean looking cross bow strapped across his back.
"Hey."
I jumped, startled out of my thoughts. I threw my hands up to protect myself and turned towards the voice, but it was just Adrian leaning outside the entrance to my tent.
"We're just setting up camp," he explained, "We're still a long way off the Eye though," he sighed, and then gestured towards the cup and jug in his hands, "I'm on drinks duty – want anything?"
I tried to help out, everyone seemed adamant that I should rest, even though that's all I'd been doing. When I asked Chloe, she was all on board for me helping out, and set me to the task of sharpening some daggers. I worked through the pile at my feet, inspecting each blade as I ground them against the stone. Cesare noticed, and looked like he wanted to say something, but was stopped by Chloe who said something low to him – so that even with our wolf hearing I couldn't hear.
One knife had an intricate crest embedded into the hilt, and I held it up to the fading sunlight to see better – it was a set of deer horns with thorns wrapped around them. It felt like I'd seen it before, but I had no idea where I could have done. It felt well balanced in my hands and I twirled it around, cautiously, getting a feel for the blade. I thrust it forward, trying to imagine what it'd be like to actually stab someone. I don't think I'd be able to.
"Careful," someone reprimanded, I glanced up to see Will smiling down at me, "You'll take someone's eye out."
"Sorry," I mumbled, setting it back into the sharpened pile. Will bent down and picked it up, twirling it deftly through his fingers.
"It's mine," he said, and quieter, "it's served me well."
"You, uh, you've killed someone?" I asked, heart jumping with the thought of having held such a weapon.
He sheathed it, in a handy holder on his wrist, "No," he replied, although I knew he was lying, and came to sit at my side. I handed him a dagger from the blunt pile and he raised an eyebrow, I shrugged, "You may as well make yourself useful. I know you can sharpen arrows."
"Touché." He agreed, and began sharpening, although unlike me, it seemed like he knew what he was doing. And that'd he done it many times before.
"So," he began, "Where you from?"
My mouth suddenly felt dry, "Not far from Cesare's pack. You?" I answered, quickly deflecting the question.
"Here, there, everywhere." He replied. Seems like he doesn't like to answer his own questions.
"You said you were an oracle warrior or something, what does that mean?"
"Prognostication Protector," he corrected.
"Sounds like they just really wanted it to rhyme."
He smiled, this time though it reached his eyes and he looked down at me in amusement, "Something like that. I'm a solider," he shrugged, picking up a stray sword from the pile, "It's my job to protect you and the Eye and anyone else worthy."
"Worthy?" I wondered, furrowing my brow in disbelief. I'm not 'worthy'.
"That's for the Eye to decide. I just follow my orders."
"Oh."
We remained quiet for a while, and my thoughts wandered from knife sharpening to how far I'd come in the past month or so. Meeting Cesare has turned my life around. For the better. Getting drunk wasn't so fun, though. Oh God. I'd almost forgotten it, since I'd been so preoccupied with my hangover, but I'd made a complete mess of myself, according to Elma. I don't even know what I did. Or said. A wave of panic rushed over me, what if I told Cesare something serious, or embarrassing-
"You good there, kiddo?" Will asked, I looked to him to see him staring at me with a worried expression and a raised eyebrow. I realised with a start that my wolf was completely relaxed around him, as if our wolf defences were unnecessary. It was like she basked in his presence, which was confusing because we hardly knew him at all. She was only like this with Cesare. I didn't understand her at all.
"I'm fine." I muttered, but he was still assessing me, "No really, I'm okay, just thinking about some things."
"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked, and then paused, "Not that I even have a penny to give you."
"It's nothing," I shrugged, even though I felt relaxed around Will, I still wasn't much of an over-sharer. Or at all, really. "Can you tell me about the Eye?" I asked instead, "What's She like?"
"Intimidating," he replied, scratching the back of his neck, "She can give you one look at you feel like she can see inside your soul. Things is, though, is that she can."
"Creepy." I whispered. He titled his head in thought, the sword he was sharpening resting comfortably in his hands, "She'll like you."
"Yeah?" I asked, my wolf felt proud of that, even though we had no way to know if he was right. But if the goddess herself gave us approval, then that was really something.
"Yeah." He confirmed, rolling up his sleeves and returning to his sharpening. I glanced down at his arms and my eyes almost bugged out of their sockets when they saw the marks on them.
"What happened!?" I breathed, hands reaching out (without thinking) to take a hold of his wrist. He jerked roughly out of my hold and raised his arm. I flinched violently, hands thrown up to protect my face in anticipation for him to punch me. My eyes were clenched tight shut, waiting, but nothing was happening. I peeked an eye open to see him staring down at me, eyes wide and his breathing heavy. He looked spooked. I'm sure I did too.
"I'm so sorry," he eventually said, lowering his arms. Both of our breathing was still heavy, as if we had run a marathon. He was sat tense now, and I glanced around to see Cesare trying to start a fire and the others finishing up the tents. No-one had noticed the incident and I tried to take a few deeper breaths, and tugged my sleeves over my hands to try and hide their shaking. "I'm sorry," he repeated, his eyes sincere.
My heart tumbled when I stared back at him. It was like he was apologising for more than that incident, but that would be impossible.
"You don't like people touching you?" I asked, hugging my knees to my chest.
"I try to avoid it, yeah." he replied, "It's complicated." Before I could reply, his phone rang and he stood up, "I gotta take this call. Nice talking to you though."
I nodded, watching him leave and muttered, "You too."
I couldn't get it those marks out of my head though, and glanced down to my own wrist – at the burn marks circling them. Burn marks that matched his.