Set had been pacing back and forth for what seems like eternity. He was still angry. More than angry he was pissed. Owen and I laid down on the floor watching as he paced angrily in front of us. Neither of us have figured out how to shift back yet and Set's not letting us back inside the training room with Kaya, Rue and Amun.
Owen's cold nose rubbed against my fuzzy face as he whined lowly in distress. Like me he wanted to help his mate but there wasn't really anything we could do. We ewren't sure how to shift back and Set was still pacing back and forth. He had yet to say anything to either of us.
Owen's large blue eyes looked at me in distress before he rolled his large fuzzy brown body to the side as he watched Set continue to pace. I pushed my nose into his side causing him to yip in shock before he bopped my nose with his paw.
"I can't believe he would allow that." He growled out not sounding like the Set we had grown to know and love. He snapped the two of us out of our newly acquired playful mood. Owen rolled back over and stared at Set waiting for him to say something else.
Neither of us said anything because we could kind of understand both sides of the coin. Although we were mad that they did that to us we could understand that they were just trying to help us shift. Seeing as Owen and I feel like we barely know these people it's hard to bypass the feelings that it was possible for them to hurt us and focus on the fact that they were technically our family.
"Set?" I questioned, stopping him from pacing.
"What's wrong Declan?" He questioned as he turned to look at me. Everything about the usual jovial and light-hearted Set seemed to disappear. His eyes were golden and devoid of every emotion besides anger. Even as he spoke to me I could see the storm brewing still behind the soft facade.
"Can Owen and I go for a run somewhere? Our wolves want to run." I told him hoping it would distract him enough.
"Where do you want to run?" He questioned seeming to calm down.
'Where can we go?' Owen piped up picking his head up.
"Do you want to run around in here?" He asked.
'No. Too small.'
"I can take you back to the mortal realm. I don't think your wolves will do well in our natural climate. I won't take you back home because I don't want anyone finding out about your problem just yet. We can go somewhere else and then I can have Anubis teach you how to shift back. I'm still not pleased with Amun and your siblings."
'Run!' Owen cheered in both our minds. I think at this point he was more wolf than man.
"Yes Owen, run." Set smiled at him as he reached down running his fingers down Owen's back. Owen in turn nuzzled his head into Set's side. "I have a friend who owe's me a favor or two in another Pantheon."
'Where we going? I want to run! And play!' Owen was really excited and bouncing around.
"Calm down." Set laughed. "We'll go to Sweden where you can blend in more and you shouldn't know anyone over there."
'Sweden? Never been.' Owen chirped as he stopped bouncing around and tilted his head to the side to stare at Set.
"Well we're going there now." His grin widened into a full blown smile and I was glad that he had finally calmed down.
'Sweden! Sweden! Decky we're going to Sweden!' Owen cheered as he bounced around once again.
'I know Owen. I heard.' I laughed over our link.
"So I'll pack a few things. We'll spend a day there after you guys have run around like crazy. Anubis can come and help you shift back and then we can just relax. How does that sound?" He questioned as he reached down to an excited Owen and scratched behind his ears.
'So good...' Owen moaned with his eyes rolling close and his tongue flapping out of his mouth.
"If only you weren't a wolf right now." Set moaned as Owen nuzzled his snout into Set's groin.
'Find Anubis.' I barked.
"No. I already sent him before us to make sure our accommodations are set besides. If you shift now you won't be able to run." He laughed and then choked down his laughter as Owen's tongue darted out an ran the length of his clothed bulge.
"Okay, none of that now." Laughed nervously, "I may not survive the trip." Set groaned more to himself than to us.
'But Set smells so good.' Owen whined.
"That's no exactly a very good reason." Set muttered.
'Let's just get going before Owen molests you anyways.' I laughed.
Set nodded his head before pushing Owen's head away from him. Owen whined, Set and I laughed as he walked into the closet and began pulling out several outfits. He tossed them all onto the bed and in true Owen like fashion he climbed onto the bed curious to see what he was trying to pack.
"We're not going out on the catwalk Owen. I'm just tossing things together and you'll wear them." Set grunted.
'Bring the red hoodie.' He barked.
"I'll bring something warm, don't worry." Set replied as he walked back into the closet pulling out the red hoodie. He pulled out two large bags and stuffed them full of everything we would need for more than a day and night worth of escape.
"You probably wouldn't remember this but there are special ways to get from one Underworld to the other. As a god it's easier to transfer from one Pantheon to the next but Underworld's are quite different since they have to keep an eye on who comes in and out." Set explained.
'So we have to go through a special entrance to get to where we're going?' I questioned.
"Yes. Freyja should be waiting for us by the time we're ready. Are you two ready?" Set questioned as he finished shoving the last bit of clothes into the bag. His tongue poked out the side of his mouth as he concentrated on trying to zip the bag up. In annoyance he yanked a few articles of clothing out, tossing them haphazardly to the side before successfully closing the bag.
He looked up to see us just staring at him and he shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal. He held out his hand gesturing for us to finally leave. With a huff I stood up, stretched out my large wolf body, shook out my fur and walked lazily to the doorway where Owen and Set were already waiting for me.
Since shifitng I hadn't really thought about the shift. It was pretty cool that we were able to shift into these abnormally large wolves. We were almost half Set's height standing on our four legs and standing up on our hind legs we were even larger. I wasn't so sure how exactly we would be blending in to the forest when we looked like wolves on steroids.
"Now, I'm sure you remember how it felt when I transported you here after the incident at the oasis. That is how this will work but it won't be as bad as that. It'll be a little hard to breathe but as long as you remain calm you'll be fine." He instructed us as we walked down the hall.
He led us down a series of hallways and down a set of stairs. There was no way I'd be able to remember this pathway even if I tried. It took an annoyingly long time to get to where we were getting and when we did get there it was a strange place to be in.
"Well this is it." Set replied opening his arms gesturing to the room before us.
It was a series of levels with doors lining the wall on each level. There was a main stairway in the middle that branched off into different sets of stairs that allowed to access to the doors. Each door looked different and no two door was alike. Colors, age, size; everything was different.
"Not every door leads to a known Underworld. Some doors simply lead to a different place in the world, or in another world." Set explained as he walked down the main flight of stairs. The two of us followed him looking from one side to the next as we tried to take in as much as we could while following behind him.
'This is amazing.' I told him as I stared in awe at the wall.
"Well we try. It's a lot easier than what your uncles do." He laughed shaking his head.
'What do they do?' Owen questioned.
"They have mirror like windows. It's a lot more trouble forcing your body to contort into a painful position as you get sucked through the mirror and into the new realm." He replied waving his hand around dismissively.
'So which one is the door to Sweden?' Owen asked excitedly.
"It should be over here somewhere." He replied distractedly. "It's an extremely old looking wooden door with ancient carvings in the front of it."
'Like that one?' I questioned nudging the side of his leg as he turned to face the opposite direction. He spun around looking at where Owen was now bouncing around eagerly. He stood up on his hind legs and began scratching at the door.
"Alright, alright Owen. Calm down." Set smiled sweetly as he walked over to where Owen had finally relaxed. He dragged his short nails back and forth behind Owen's ear causing him to whimper softly. His tongue flapped out his mouth as he panted in response.
'He's going to start humping you soon.' I laughed over our mind link seeing how much Owen was affected by what Set was doing.
"Well then I guess we should stop then." Set replied as he pulled back his hand. Owen nudge his hand wanting him to go back to doing what he was before. Instead Set ruffled the scruff of hair that Owen had at the top and walked past him towards the door causing Owen to snort in annoyance and shoot a glare my way.
'Do you have to say or do something so that we can walk through it?' I questioned, ignoring Owen's death glare and genuinely interested in how this worked.
"All we have to do is open the door and walk through. That's why no one is allowed down here unless I accompany them. It's too easy to get in and out of other realms that way. Freyja is a part of the the Norse Underworld and she's waiting for us but if another soul or person crossed over it could end up badly."
'Okay, let's go then.' I replied excitedly. Coming to the Egyptian underworld was the furthest we've ever traveled from home according to Rue and Kaya and now we're about to travel even further. It was on the other side of the world compared to where we lived. I was genuinely excited about this.
"Alright when I open the door we'll just walk through. I'll go last but when you get through and make it to the other side just wait for me. Don't go off with anyone and don't say anything just sit and wait for me. Understand?" He questioned, his hand on the ancient iron handles.
Owen looked at me then at Set and barked loudly which we both took as a yes. It seemed that his mannerisms changed a bit when he was in animal form. He was more playful and more puppy like then anything.
I bowed my head down and then nodded so that he knew I understood. He nodded his head once again before opening the door. Small snow flurries floated into the room and a cold breeze surrounded us, causing my hairs to stand on edge.
"Who wants to go first?" Set questioned and not knowing what was on the other side of the door caused my wolf to panic. There was no way I was allowing Owen to go through the door first when I couldn't be sure what was going to happen. So when the excited Owen took a couple steps to the door my first instinct was to stop him.
The deep, low growl that left my mouth caused him to stop as he turned around, his ears flat back on his head as he waited for me to do something. My body was in a half crouch and my lips partially parted in a snarl.
"What's wrong Declan?" Set questioned nervously.
'I'll go first. I don't want Owen hurt.' I answered him as I quickly moved in front of Owen not wanting him to get sucked in or go through the door before I could stop him.
"Well alright." Set shrugged his shoulders as he held the door open.
My wolf was apprehensive but I pushed aside that feeling and took a step towards the utter darkness that was on the other side of the door. My nose twitched at the darkness as I tried to detect something on the other side but I could not. All I could do was take a deep breath and step in and so I did.
Every bit of light disappeared as I stepped through that doorway. Owen's distressed howls echoed around me slowly disappearing as well. My paws tried in vain to find some ground to run on but there was no ground, no way for me to tell where I was going...there was just nothing. I was alone in a void with the tightness in my chest steadily growing.
'Breathe.'
Set's words echoed in my mind as the only bit of voice I could hear. Slowly I tried to take in some type of air something that would keep me from losing myself in here. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to find my way out but I was sure that Set wouldn't lead me into a place like this for me to die.
There was no way of telling how long I had been in the void. What felt like minutes could have been hours and what felt like hours could have been weeks. Although I'm sure that it's just my mind playing tricks on me. It's hard to focus on anything else when there's nothing else around you.
There was nothing but me, the darkness and the lone call of the cold wind. It was strange that there seemed to be no end to the darkness yet there was a wind that brought along a sharp sting of winter air across my face.
Panic was starting to set in slowly when I caught the first glimpse of light off to my side. How was I to get to it? I was sure that I needed to be over there. With everything that was in me I began kicking my legs as if I was running but it was hard to run with nothing to run against.
That was until my paws met with a hard, cold surface and I was able to sprint towards the light that grew and formed into doorway open and ready for me. I ran through the door allowing the cold air to woosh around me as I broke through the doorway. I was momentarily blinded causing me to stop in my tracks and try to see my surroundings.
"Are you Owen or Declan?" A soft but authoritative voice spoke up.
I rubbed my paws across my eyes trying to clear up my vision. Opening my eyes once again I looked up at a beautiful red headed woman standing before me. She was wearing an elegant green dress with gold embroidery all around. With no way to really respond to her I let out two quick yips hoping that she'd understand what I meant.
"Declan?" She asked again and I nodded. "I am Freyja Norse goddess of many things."
I bowed my head slightly showing respect but not enough to take my eyes off her. She seemed harmless enough but my instincts told me that no one could be trusted. Especially not after what Horus did to us. If someone I had once considered friend could have turned out so bad then anyone who was not my mate could do the same.
We stood there in silence, my back towards the doorway so that I would be there when Owen finally made his way through. She said nothing as she simply stared off into the distance looking at something. It was clear that she was growing impatient but she said nothing more about it. She didn't really strike me as the helpful type which means her and Set must be close.
A couple more minutes passed before I felt a soft breeze coming from the doorway. I stood up and turned towards the door waiting for Owen to come through. My beautiful brown wolf sprinted out the door gasping for air and looking around, frantically searching for something.
'Come here.' I beckoned to my beautiful mate. He quickly shuffled over to me burying his muzzle in the crook of my neck. I could feel the fear pulsing off him in waves. I could understand the fear. The fear of not knowing what was on the other side, the fear of not being able to find a way out and more importantly the fear of never seeing either of my mates again. The last one was what really had me on edge during my brief stay in the void of nothingness.
"Set should be right behind you and then he'll be able to lead you to where it is safe to run." The woman spoke up breaking us from our cuddling.
"I assume you already have a suitable place for us to go." Set's melodic voice spoke up causing both of our heads to snap up in his direction. Before either of us knew it we were running over to him and burying our muzzles in his neck and sides. My wolf literally purred at the scent of our mate and it calmed instantly.
"I do but after I lead you to the place where you can run I will be on my way because there are an influx of souls that are all waiting on me. I have a lot on my plate today Set and I don't think you'll be willing to help me out of it this time." Her laughter seemed almost flirtatious as she reached out and barely brushed her hand across Set's shoulder.
Her cold demeanor seemed to have disappear with the appearance of our mate and my wolf didn't like that and judging by the low growls slipping from Owen's wolf he didn't either. She flicked a strand of her fiery red hair out of her face before staring up at our mate, waiting for his reply.
"Nor would I want to. I have enough on my plate right now and handling your problems is not even close to being on my list." Set replied as he ran his fingertips gently through our fur as we walked on either side of him.
I'm sure we were a sight to behold as we walked up a set of stairs that led out of the room we were in. As other people walked by us their heads dipped lowly in respect to the woman we were walking with and then their eyes bulged as they saw us. I'm sure we weren't the only shifters around so I'm not actually sure why they were so shocked to see us.
"I know you know your way around the castle already but if you venture further there are a large set of doors that lead outside to our part of the forest. There are clearly marked boundaries that you should not go past if you don't want to be shot by mortals that roam the woods. If you need anything else you know I'm always here for you Set." Her hand seemed to find Set's shoulder again as she spoke.
"Freyja, darling, I can't thank you enough for all the help. I will come see you when we have returned to the castle." Set informed her as he stepped away from her hand. She nodded her head to him and without further indication of our presence she walked off.
With a disgruntled snort I walked forward annoyed with the woman who was so eager to help Set. If I didn't know better I would say she was flirting with him and wanted our man but considering she helped us I ignored the feeling and kept on walking.dis
'What's wrong Decky?' Owen questioned.
'I don't like her.' I murmured over our link.
"Why not?" Set questioned aloud.
'I definitely forgot that you could hear that.' I sighed, 'I don't like the way she acts around you or even looks at you. It's like she's trying to keep all your attention for herself.' I pouted, well the best I could when I was a wolf.
"She probably just hasn't gotten over our past relationship." He shrugged as if it was no big deal.
'Relationship?' I snarled as I stopped walking and spun around to face him.
He nodded his head and simply stared back down at me until it really clicked in his head what he just said. Set sighed as he reached up and ran his hand through his hair pushing it away from his face.
"Listen, it was a long time ago, obviously way before I met you two. I needed some companionship and she was there to help me. That's it." He explained.
'Well I think you need to explain that to her. Making all those damn googly eyes at you.' Owen huffed as we began walking on. A pair of guards pushed open a set of large doors that looked older than i'll ever be and I tried not to let the fact that Set and Freyja had a thing ruin my happiness at seeing the vast open space ahead of me.
It was breathtakingly beautiful. The sun's rays crept through the canopy of trees and managed to warm the ground below. The lush carpet of fallen leaves crunched under our feet as we stepped outside the castle walls. The doors quietly closed behind us with a soft thud but my attention was on the scenery in front of me.
A light breeze rustled through the trees causing even more leaves to fall as we passed by them. My wolf howled within me wanting to run free. There was no reason I could see to not allow it so I took off in a sprint hoping that Owen would follow suit so that we could play. The soft thudding of footsteps behind me had me yipping in a playful manner at the idea of my mate running with me.
My wolf led me as I turned running in another direction and sped up a little. A low howl sounded behind me followed by a series of barks and yips aimed at me. He was catching up fast, that was sure but I refuse to be caught by him.
Once more I picked up speed and ran off hoping to lose him long enough so that I could hide and attack once he got close enough. The sound of him coming to a stop echoed in the quiet of the forest. He whined at the loss of his playmate and then huffed when I refused to come out of hiding.
Slowly I crept along the forest floor, careful of any extremely crunchy leaves as I made my way to wear I thought he had stopped. The adrenaline coursing through my body had me on edge as I stalked my prey. When the moment seemed right I pounced but before I could even process that Owen was not underneath me as I had originally planned I was tackled from the side and sent sprawling into a tree.
With a disgruntled bark at whoever attacked me I looked and was shocked to see Set standing there with a smug smirk on his face. Did he really just tackle me? I questioned more to myself than anyone but the nod of his head told me that he had heard my thoughts loud and clear. Where was Owen during all of this?
'We plotted against you.' Owen chirped as he ran from behind Set.
'Traitors!' I shouted over the link but was met with nothing but laughter from my mates. As I got up and shook out my fur I crouched down and wagged my tail in the universal sign of 'Let's Play' and hoped that they knew what I wanted.
Time escaped us as we lost ourselves in our surroundings. We distracted ourselves by running around chasing after each other and various small animals that Owen got distracted by. He would convince us to help him catch them only to then beg us to release them. He was a benevolent predator.
After a while the light breeze and the early afternoon sun began to disappear only to be replaced the chill of the coming evening. The temperature was dropping fast and the light was almost gone but Set had promised us one last game of hide and seek before we went back. Currently I was crouched down under a fallen tree that had bushes growing around it providing the perfect cover from Set.
Owen was nearby and was terrible at hiding because all he kept doing was giggling over our link. Several times I had to shush him and tell him to calm down but the nearby rustling told me he had yet to relax.
Set had finally counted to two hundred and declared that he was coming to find us. Owen finally stopped moving and the forest seemed devoid of any noise for those agonizingly slow moments that we waited for our mate. We waited for what seemed like forever before we heard the sound of heavy footsteps stepping on the leaves near us. Owen began giggling again and this time it was easy to hear where he was at meaning he would be the first one caught.
'I think he found me...' Owen laughed and I smiled at his cheerful demeanor before the laughter abruptly stopped and our link was filled with nothing but silence. My laughter died off as the silence became eerie and I didn't like that. The forest was now cold and dark and there was no sign of either of my mates.
As I crept out of my hiding place I didn't see either of them and no one jumped out to attack me either. Thinking this was just a joke I gingerly began to make my way back to where we had set up home base. There was a clearing with a large rock in the middle surrounded by gorgeous pink flowers that seemed to bloom even in these harsh conditions.
Still there was no sign of my mates and now I was beginning to worry. I hadn't made it to home yet and there was still a chance that this could be just a trap but a nagging feeling in the back of my mind told me that this was no trick, something was wrong.
'Owen?' I questioned but got no reply. I tried to more times to talk to him but got nothing. 'Set? Do you have Owen?'
Nothing.
No giggling, no answer, no nothing and it was scaring me. Finally I had made it back to where we had set up home but there was no one in sight. At least that's what I thought until I saw a large shadow moving besides the rock. I was on guard but I needed to check it out so slowly I crept over to it to examine whatever it could be. As I got closer my heart dropped when the features of the being slowly came into focus.
'Set!' I shouted as I sprinted towards him. The low groan that came from him told me that he was at least alive enough to groan in pain.
"He...He has Owen." He breathed.
'Who?' I questioned whining as I nudged his side in an attempt to help him up. Looking around I tried to see if I could figure it out on my own but I didn't really need to.
"I have him Decky..."
Spinning around my teeth automatically bared at the sight in front of me. Horus stood proudly as he held a terrified looking Owen by the scruff on his neck. From what I could see he looked a little roughed up but there was no sight or scent of blood so there was no need for me to attack...yet.
'Kill.' My wolf snarled.
"Now Declan, is that anyway to treat an old friend?" Horus questioned looking genuinely hurt. "I only came to talk but I knew I would need a little incentive to keep everyone's attention long enough to request what I'm owed."
'Owed?' I questioned in a whimper as my head tilted to the side. Who owed him what? If I understood this whole predicament as I'm sure I did he owed us something. Our memories. Who was he to snatch up one of my mates, hurt the other and then demand something.
"I see you haven't told them yet." Horus spoke up seeing my confusion. "Well either way I've called in a lot of favors for this one. Including one that I've been saving for a long time. I'll never get that one back from Freyja so I better make this all worth it."
I knew she shouldn't have been trusted but no, I just had to be the mature one and take the high road. Another whimper from Owen had my attention turning back to them. He was fidgeting in Horus' grip and the tears brimming in his little wolfly eyes had me on the verge of an all out attack. No one made my mate cry and gets away with it.
"What...What do you want?" Set questioned as he finally sat up, leaning most of his weight on the large rock behind him.
"Simple really. Before your mates get their memories back I want there to be a little family reunion." He smirked.
Really? That was it? The best he could come up with was sending us to see our folks? I think they would be more pissed off with him then they would be with us keeping this a secret. There had to have been something more to this, he wasn't that slow.
"You want them to go see their dads?" Set questioned sounding as confused as I was.
"No, not their dads. I want them to go see their Uncle." He replied.
'Our Uncle?'
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Sorry for the long wait you guys. My internet isn't working and between work and school I barely have any time to actually get to someplace that has internet. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll try my hardest to get another chapter up eventually.
Oh by the way, the picture is Freyja.