Chapter 8
TARIA
Standing at the edge of the forest with Chief Warrior Oscar, I watch the dawn rise. It’s such a beautiful time of the day, I never tire of seeing the sunrise. I see Dahlia heading our way, and I swear she’s positively skipping. Since Silas recognized her for what she is and not what she was, she has just bloomed all the more.
“Morning Taria,” she calls. “Morning Chief Warrior Oscar. Isn’t it a beautiful day for a run?”
“Morning Dahlia,” I suspect he’s not a morning person, as he hasn’t said a dozen words since we left the packhouse.
“Good morning Dahlia. What’s put the spring in your step so early?” As if I didn’t know already. They’ve been joined at the hip since Silas became her mentor, and not only during their work hours.
“Life is great and it’s good to be alive. You coming here, Taria, has been the single best thing that has ever happened to me. I’d still be moping around alone in the herb garden if it wasn’t for you. I owe you my new life.” Watching her with all her newfound confidence and zest has me smiling, too.
“Shall we get on with our run then?” Oscar is not feeling it, obviously. “Do you want to shift here or deeper in the woods?”
“Let’s go deeper into the woods first,” I’m not shy to show Maya in the least, but as a future Luna, I think it is best to show Maya to the Eclipse pack before any other. Some here have seen Maya, but not all.
Linking arms with my bestie, we follow Oscar into the darker shadows of the forest. It won’t be long before the sun invades the canopy, and the darkness is chased away. Once we’re out of sight of the packhouse, Oscar stops and announces that we are good to shift.
Seeing him become Conan, a large gray and white wolf, I have to appreciate why he is Chief Warrior. Size and physical prowess alone would have him standing out in any pack.
Shifting to Maya, I look to Dahlia and see Maiden before me. Her coat is glossy to the point of shining with its own light, and the different hues of browns blend seamlessly. Her yellow eyes are so pale they don’t look like normal yellow wolf eyes.
Following Conan’s lead, we stretch our legs and begin our run through the forest. Nearing a creek, there is still a mist hovering over the ground, and it’s like running through clouds in the canopy rather than trees at ground level. We run for thirty minutes before Conan slows and walks us for ten more.
Walking out into a meadow, we see deer feeding in the distance. Sensing or hearing us, they look our way and then dart into the forest and are gone in an instant. The sun lights up the tall grass as the wind blows gently through it.
Shifting again, we sit in silence, all three in our own little world, when Oscar breaks the moment.
“I come here to reflect on my life. It doesn’t matter if it’s a good time or bad, or just life in general. I sit here for an hour or so, watching all the different birds, animals and insects that call this home, how they interact with the meadow, and it never fails to inspire me to want to do more for myself and the pack, I can’t explain how or why it motivates me, it just does.”
“I can feel it, too. I’ve never been here before, but I feel its aura, its power. It’s not a physical thing, but it's there, talking to me. Like you said, there’s an interaction happening. I feel it. Thank you for bringing us here,” Dahlia says all this without turning her head, she just stares out over the meadow.
“Ditto. Now, where can I find a rabbit for Maya? She’s starving!” Laughing at the look of astonishment on both their faces, I burst out laughing. Receiving a punch on each shoulder from them, Dahlia laughs.
“How could you ruin such a beautiful moment? “
“A girl has to eat, you know. Now, show me the rabbits!” Shifting to Maya, I dash into the meadow and give her full rein to satisfy her hunger. Feeling Conan reach my side and Maiden just behind us, I let all Maya’s instincts run free.
Bursting from the meadow grass into the forest, we surprise a colony of rabbits that have left it late to return to their warren. It isn’t long before we’re all sitting by the meadow's edge enjoying our warm breakfast.
Having eaten our fill, we settle into a steady lope back to the packhouse. No one says anything, but I think we all feel that we’ve just shared something special. Before reaching the forest’s end, we shift back, and I can’t help but give both Dahlia and Oscar a silent hug.
Walking into the canteen, Dahlia sees Silas and I just smile at her as she silently asks permission to abandon me. Smiling, I bid her farewell and grab myself a plate of breakfast. Toast, bacon, sausages, eggs, hash browns, and beans. A couple of bottles of water and my tray is full.
Looking for a table, with my newly acquired sixth sense, I see one by a wall with good views of the room. There’s an elderly female sitting there alone. Even if it hadn’t had the view of the room, I would have gone over to sit with her.
“Excuse me, but do you mind if I join you?” She looks up from her breakfast and smiles.
“Please, feel free. I’d enjoy the company. It’s been a long time since any youngster wanted my company.” She laughs, and it’s a soothing kind of sound that makes you smile along with her.
“I find that hard to believe. I bet you could tell them some tales from your younger days.” I must look horrified as I realize how I’ve just referred to her age. “I’m sorry, that didn’t come out quite as good as it sounded in my head.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. You’re right. I’ve seen and done things that would make their hair stand on end. Pups these days hardly know they’re born. Why, when I was your age, I was mated with pups and trained as a border warrior with skills they could only dream about. I was top female warrior for three years running. Would have been longer if my wolf hadn’t been such a hussy and always trying for pups.”
Her smile loses some of its sparkle when she talks of her pups, and I just know that it must be a delicate topic for her. I feel I need to change the subject.
“My name is Taria. I’m very pleased to meet you.”
“Oh, I know who you are, young prospective Luna for the Eclipse pack. I know a lot about you and it’s all been good so far.” She gives me a sly look and has me on the back foot, so to speak.
“You know a lot about me? And who might you be, to know so much?” I can feel Maya paying attention now and I sense her unease.
“My name is Merry, and I’m a member of the Shifter Council.”
Maya relaxes and, after pacing a couple of circles, she settles back down with her head on her paws.
“Well, I’m pleased to meet you, Merry. I wasn’t aware that I was getting a visit from the Shifter Council?”
“I’m not here for you, per se, but thought as I was visiting my old pack, I’d take advantage of the opportunity to meet you. I wasn’t available for the last Council meeting.” She still looks like an old female but has a glint in her eye that I hadn’t noticed before.
“If there is anything you need to know, or need clarifying, please don’t hesitate to ask. I have no secrets to keep. Well, not yet anyway.”
“After breakfast, if you’ve finished all that before they serve lunch,” she says, pointedly looking at my loaded plate. “You can accompany me while I visit Alpha Connell. His mother and I were very good friends.”
Clearing my plate in record time, I take the tray and dirty dishes away. Merry waits for me and then we head off to the Alpha’s office together.
Watching the way Alpha Connell greets his visitor has me in awe. He is genuinely pleased to see Merry that it looks as though he’ll hug her forever. Merry’s eyes are watery at his heartfelt welcome, and I think I should leave them alone. Walking quietly to the door, I turn just as I am about to exit and catch Connell's eye. I see him mutter a thank you and then shut the door behind me.
Walking to my room to freshen up, my phone rings. Taking it from my back pocket, I see it's Bronze.
“Hi Bronze. Couldn’t get a message to me, huh?” I laugh as this is the first time he has rung me directly.
“Hi Taria. Everyone was busy, so I thought I’d brave it and call you. How’s things over there?”
“Everything is wonderful, thanks. Maya had a good run in the forest this morning with Conan and Maiden. Maya had her fresh breakfast, so she’s in an excellent mood now.”
“Conan is Chief Warrior Oscar’s wolf if I remember correctly, but I’m not familiar with Maiden.”
“Oh, she is Dahlia’s wolf. I made a new friend and did a little touch of matchmaking. Maya and Maiden wanted to meet, so I cajoled Oscar into an early morning run with us. Oh Bronze, he took us to a private place he found, just a meadow, but so much more than that, too. We need a place to go, similar to that at Eclipse. It was fantastic.”
Taking the next few minutes to explain my matchmaking, and then the beautiful meadow, Bronze listens and only when I’ve finished gushing does he say anything.
“I think that was a brilliant observation of yours with Dahlia and Silas. Well done for making him see the new Dahlia. As for the meadow, if we can’t find one on the pack land then we should design and create our own. It sounds like a little piece of heaven.”
“Oh, there’s a member of the Shifter Council here, too. Her name is Merry, and she used to be part of Blackshadow pack. A friend of Connell’s mother. She told me she has only heard good things about me, which makes me think I must be on the right track.”
“I don’t doubt that for a minute. I’m confident that you’re going to be a great Luna and make me very happy as my mate.”
“I truly hope so. I’m working hard to be the best at everything I need to be. My fitness and fighting skills are far beyond the level I expected them to be now. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.” I can’t help but speak with a measure of pride in my voice.
“It won’t be too long now, and I’m so proud of you and cannot wait for you to get here,” Bronze states with a rumble in his voice, showing me his wolf Titan is to the surface.
Ending the call, I sit on my bed and reflect on how far I have come to date.
You are head and shoulders above where you were, there is no doubt. You are naturally more confident and you give off an aura of self-assurance.
‘That’s quite a change you’re describing there, but I don’t feel it in myself.’
Perhaps not, but just your actions with Dahlia and Silas show how your awareness of the world around you has evolved.
Diving into the shower and freshening up, I dry myself off, put on clean clothes and listen to my stomach complaining. Seeing it's lunchtime already, I head back to the canteen and wonder what’s on the menu this time. I hope there’s a good dessert selection as I am feeling my sweet tooth at the moment.