He brought down Coren by himself. He said finally, though he knew that telling her how Ziem had died wouldn’t make him any less dead. He’ll be remembered. Not just by us, but by everyone here. Your children will hear their entire lives, from everyone they meet, how great a wolf he was.
To them he’s only great now that he’s dead. She whimpered loudly again. Now that he died for something they thought worthy. But he was already a great wolf long before that.
He didn’t answer that, because he didn’t want to fight with her, but he did look over at her. He was. I’m sorry, Aura. I don’t know if you believe me or not, but I am. He saw several members of the Guard coming their way as wolves, sent by Lea to watch over him and the house. He stepped down off the porch and gave them orders to stay nearby, then finally looked back at Aura one last time as she cried over Ziem’s body.
No one said anything to Aura and all kept their distance, but they remained in a tight circle around the area as the entire compound began to settle from rage into grief.
One of the younger women of the guard, a blonde wolf, came up to Nick with a message. We received news of Zara, Alpha. Reports say that she was last seen being chased through the Earthborn sector, and then someone saw her run out of the compound.
Even at the mention of Zara’s name, he didn’t look away from Aura, but he finally did turn and look at the young wolf with a nod. Thank you. Only then did he look back at Aura for a moment, then turned and started running off. Watch over her.
XIV
As Nick ran through the remains of the compound that had been torn apart from top to bottom, all he could feel was the ringing pain of all the wolves crying over their loved ones. The ground was a destroyed chaos of rocks, pitted earth, scorched bodies and blood-soaked mud.
Some were celebrating the victory, wolves here and there pissing on their enemies’ bodies with a leg in the air and laughing about it among themselves. But there were too many others howling at the afternoon sun to let victory linger too long in any one mind.
Those who saw him nodded or bowed to him, no matter the color of their eyes, but he couldn’t even acknowledge them as he began to worry more and more for Zara. Finally he broke out in a run toward the fence, and leapt through a hole in it, headed towards the stream. His thoughts were half with his people as he looked for her, and he didn’t dare shout out for her in case there were still enemy wolves out in the forest. So he stuck to his senses and kept his nose to the ground, trying to catch the scent of her that he’d come to know so well in the last few months.
Zara was lying down near the river, afraid to even look back in the direction of the compound. She hadn’t felt anything that she knew she would feel should Coren actually die, and while she heard the screams and sounds of war start to quiet, she only prayed harder. Her Oceanborn guards had left her a long time ago at some unheard signal, but she hardly noticed their absence, she was so intent on her prayers.
Coren wasn’t dead, so he must have claimed victory. That was the only thing that could have happened. She dipped the tip of her muzzle into the water and took a drink before she stared down into the depths, praying particularly to the goddess of the Oceanborn, since she would be the one to keep Coren safe.
Nick saw a Forestborn wolf up in a tree as he went, and shifted quickly so that his thoughts wouldn’t give him away. He was careful to get into the stream as quickly as possible, to get away from anything that might tip off the Forestborn to his presence, and submerged himself almost entirely before shifting again and continuing silently on his way. His shifting made a splash in the water, but the Forestborn didn’t notice, and Nick slipped past, trying to catch any hint of Zara, since he knew she would be in her wolf if there was fighting about. She was weak in both forms, but her wolf at least had teeth and useful claws.
Zara closed her eyes and thought about Coren, envisioning him so that the Goddess would be sure to know who needed her protection the most. I come to you, most precious goddess of the waves, and I beg you to hear my plea. It was different, praying to a being that wasn’t of her kind, that didn’t know her sacrifices or her power. She had spent almost the entire time praying to her own god and his mate. Some packs thought that another element’s gods wouldn’t respond to the prayers of those who didn’t belong to them. She hoped those people were wrong.
Coren was chosen by your hand, born of your ocean, to lead our people. You have protected him at every turn, through every war and every hardship. I beg of you, keep him safe. Watch over your most faithful leader. Please, blessed mother of the depths…bring him back to me.
As she finished
