Vulfu: The Primal Series

Chapter 7

Apparently, I’m not staying with Mowha in her little burrow anymore.

After we ate some of the fresh meat from the kill that evening (though I passed on the raw flesh and stuck to the pouch Vulfu had given me), everyone began to disperse to their sleeping spaces. To my surprise, Mowha meandered over to hers without me, which was out of character for her. Every night she’d bring me with her at bedtime, guiding me into the tunnel first to curl up on the soft furs. But not tonight. Instead, I watched in confusion as she went around the room, affectionately bumping her head to her family members, saving me for last. The sad sort of begrudging look she cast Vulfu over my head was evident, her displeasure with him clear, but she wasn’t going to argue with her alpha on whatever decision they’d come to.

And now, with one last little nuzzle to me, she turned and went to bed alone.

I got up and started after her, wondering if I’d somehow offended her today, but found myself jerkily pulled back. I whirled around to find Vulfu holding the hem of my dress, slowly shaking his head at me like I was a naughty girl for walking away from him. He’d sat right beside me after making sure everyone had enough food for their supper and eagerly tore through his meal. I hadn’t blamed him. After all, he’d brought down the stag and as far as I saw, hadn’t had anything to eat today. As to why he was sitting next to me, I just shrugged it off thinking perhaps he just wanted to be close to everyone for once, as he normally ate alone.

But as I found myself suddenly yanked toward him while everyone else dispersed, I was completely bemused. Now what did he want?

For a horrifying moment, I thought I was in trouble or something. Maybe I’d crossed the line by fighting him so much at the creek earlier and as he was the leader, he was going to see to my punishment. I’d seen him swat Kray and Dow numerous times when they really got on his nerves, or even once or twice to one of the girls when they didn’t listen. But I quickly shook that thought away because I was certain I hadn’t done anything today other than have my period outed to the entire family and demand a little privacy in terms of my hygiene. If I was in trouble for that, then there was a bigger problem here.

“What’s wrong?” I asked when I found myself standing before him as he sat in his crouch. “Wahoe?” He’d just finished washing off his hands in a makeshift clay tub off to the side that was refreshed with water two times a day so everyone could clean off their hands after they ate. His wet fingers were still gripping the hem of my dress, and he stared up at me from under his dark lashes, the heated look he was suddenly giving me making my heartbeat begin to pick up the pace a little.

“What is it?” I asked, though the volume of my voice had dropped significantly at his look. I found myself breathless as I stared down into his eyes, his face touched by the dark pinks and purples of the twilight sky that shone its last weak rays through the cracks of our home. His eyes shimmered, and as he shifted closer, Vulfu’s hands moved around to the back of my dress until his large, calloused hands were sliding up the curves of my backside.

My eyes widened in alarm at the intimate touch, and even more when he squeezed and pulled me flush against him, his chin resting against my sternum. I let out a little gasp, which sounded much louder in The Dome now that it had emptied and everyone else had settled down to sleep.

“Vulfu?” I whispered as one of his hands moved up to rest against my lower back. The corners of his mouth twitched at the sound of his name on my lips. Sliding the other hand up my back, he brought it around to the front of my throat and wrapped his fingers around my fragile neck. Even when he gave a small squeeze, though my heart was racing and knowing he could easily snap my bones and tendons with a single strike, I was not afraid. The hold was possessive, authoritative, dominant, and I felt my knees begin to shake as he pulled, urging my face down to his.

“Stevvy…” he rumbled, his eyes never leaving mine as he pulled me closer.

I don’t know what he was about to do at that moment, but whatever it was, it was cut off by a shout from somewhere deep in the woods.

“...Enn-furrr!”

“Kaaaay-te!”

“Te-pha-eee!”

I felt like I had suddenly woken from some dream, and the cold hard slap of reality had struck me right in the face. I jumped out of Vulfu’s grasp, both our eyes widening at the calls before freezing in absolute stillness when they continued.

“Te-pha-eee! Kaaaay-te! Enn-furrr! Where… you… girls?!” The calls were still far, but I was able to discern enough to understand that it was people… people searching for me! For my friends!

“Oh my God,” I whispered, quickly coming out of my state of shock, just as the other family members began to reappear in The Dome. At first, it sounded like one voice, but then another and another began to call, the words becoming clearer by the second. “Oh my God!” I cried loudly and immediately turned, hurrying over to the exit, and began to jump helplessly toward the lip of the tunnel out but it was impossibly out of reach. “Please, someone help me! I need to get out!”

Before I could try to jump again, a hair-raising, intensifying growl filled the space until, with a furious snarl, I found myself ripped back, far away from the exit, until I was pressed against the curve of the wall.

I shouted in surprise and from the pain from the back of my skull striking against the impenetrable rock, and found a figure made of pure muscle caging me in. Though he now cradled the back of my head protectively, Vulfu was snarling like a beast, and when my name was called again, it only seemed to work him up even more. From the back, Dahkha, Kray, and Dow came forward, lining up at his side, all warily staring at the exit tunnel as they listened to the sounds of strangers crossing their territory.

“Wait, wait!” I said in a rush, realizing that they were threatened by these invaders. The last time others came too close to their home, we were robbed and attacked. They had no idea that these people weren’t like that. “Please, wait!” I tugged on one of Vulfu’s arms, but my fingers barely wrapped around the thick muscle of his bicep. “Vulfu!”

He peered down at me through heavily slitted eyes, his features twisted into one of mistrust and rage as his upper lip curled to show his fangs.

“Ste-pha-neee!” The voice was much closer now, and as the call of my name echoed through the trees, Vulfu’s hold on me tightened.

“Vulfu, those are not bad people. Not bad. Um… how do you say… mmuh brahda. They’re good! Gwuhk! Understand?”

His expression didn’t change, even when Dahkha began to murmur to him, speaking in a low rumble to his leader. Whatever he was saying, Vulfu seemed to disagree and began shaking his head while snapping back at him. His whole body was vibrating like he was fighting the urge to run, and though his grip on me hurt a little, I didn’t dare start flailing. I just kept trying to plead with him.

“Those are my people. My people!” I raised my voice to be heard over their arguing. “They’re home. My home!”

“Vulfu…”

The men all jerked in response to the calm voice and turned to see Mowha standing there in her usual half crouch, her face as sad as it had been all evening. Only now, she carried herself with more determination. Her mouth was pressed tight, her shoulders rigid, and she eyed her alpha, ignoring the others. “Stevvy guh hum.”

He shook his head and pulled me flush against his body so that my bare cheek was pressed to the muscle of his abs.

“Vulfu!” she snapped and took a step closer. “Stevvy guh! Vahsh!”

“Mmuh!” he growled and lifted me off the ground, whirling around until he was backing away from the rest of his family, with me clasped in his arms, feeling very much like a child sitting on its parent’s hip. “Mowha jugra Stevvy, tch! Ech Mowha Stevvy guh mmuh Vulfu? Mmuh… mmuh!” He flashed his teeth and inched towards the tight opening to his private burrow of the cave.

In the distance, over the shouting and calls of the Search and Rescue, a deep, mechanical, whip-whip-whip began to approach, followed by a thunderous, BANG! The sound had the family suddenly throwing themselves to the floor of their home as though to hide from the strange noise. Vulfu’s entire body jerked so hard at the sound, we jumped backward, his limbs vibrating as he trembled… terrified. Veshy began to wail, and Krahu started to scream, “Wahoe? Wahoe!” over and over again. I didn’t know what the bang had been, whether it was a gun or a flare, but I was one hundred percent certain that the other noise was a helicopter.

“Here! I’m here!” I screamed suddenly, hoping to be heard before the large machine drowned me out. But the moment I began to shout, one of Vulfu’s large hands clapped down over my mouth, silencing me.

“Mmuh, Vulfu!” Mowha glared at him, shaking her head at his actions, and started to straighten again. “Stevvy guh vahsh. Stevvy guh hum!”

“Mmuh!” He shook all over and looked to Dahkha, ignoring me as I fought in his arms, hoping to free my face from the obstruction of his hand. “Guh faraah vahshra, khuhgwo. Vulfu khuhgwo hum ech Stevvy.”

Dahkha didn’t need telling twice. He just nodded, picked himself up off the floor, gestured to Dow, and climbed up out of the tunnel, with the young boy following close behind. The light in the room was a darker purple now, with night coming fast, and I desperately began to fight against Vulfu’s grip, not wanting to lose this opportunity to be rescued.

Mowha tried one last time, reaching toward me while casting a pleading, desperate sort of look at her leader, only to have him actually swipe out at her in warning. Instantly, she backed off, but with his hand away from my face, I began to scream again.

“Here! I’m here!” I shrieked, praying someone close by would hear me over the ruckus of the helicopter which sounded like it was almost completely overhead at this point.

Vulfu hissed and covered my mouth, or rather, nearly my entire face given how large his palm was and dragged me back into his private burrow in the redwood tree.

“Mmfff! Ease up! Let me go!” I struggled beneath Vulfu’s rock-hard frame, trying to crawl out from under him. Since he brought me into his private burrow, he’d been practically smothering me into his furs, using his body to hold me down, his head tilted toward the exit as he listened to the helicopter and calls from the distance. Whenever a voice sounded closer, he’d curl his upper lip and snarl threateningly, as though he was getting ready to run out there and attack the poor person who was just searching for my friends and I. As the calls continued throughout the night, I noticed that amongst the names, Lisa’s wasn’t mentioned. Did that mean I wasn’t wrong when I thought I saw her going the right way after the waterfall? Had she made it out and been found? My heart leapt in my chest at the thought, hope renewed. But every time Jennifer’s name echoed through the wilderness, I’d go cold, and my stomach twisted, threatening to make me sick. They hadn’t found her broken, battered body. And then Kate…

Where the hell was Kate?

What had happened to her?

Of the three of my friends, she was the only one that was the real mystery. There was no indication or hint as to her fate. It was like she just vanished without a trace. Though I worried she had met the same circumstances as Jennifer, I could feel that, deep down in my soul somehow, I knew she was okay. It was like a strange sixth sense. Kate was a survivor. She always had been. If any of us were stranded in the woods, she would be the one to adapt the quickest and make the best of her situation.

And then there was me…

“Vulfu… oof! Ge’uff!” My voice muffled under the fur as he shifted, his hip pressing down on my frame, incidentally resulting in me face-planting into the bedding. He quickly changed his position so I could breathe, but didn’t give me a moment’s reprieve as he continued to stand guard over my body, watching, listening, and occasionally growling whenever my name was called.

Knowing that he was the only reason I was unable to connect to the rescuers calling my name had seriously soured the feelings I’d carried for him before now. I was furious. As much as I appreciated and had grown to enjoy my time with him and his family, as much as the spark between us both fascinated and terrified me, I also didn’t belong here. His intention to not let me go ever was clear, and we were now at a serious crossroads. How the hell could I ever forgive him for this?

You have a soft heart, Stephanie, my brain chastised me. You always forgive.

But I don’t forget, either, I reminded myself, thinking of Cece and the others.

The night was long, and when it became too dark for the searchers to continue, their voices and calls going quiet, Dahkha returned with Dow from their excursion and reported in to Vulfu before retiring to their beds. Only then did he get off me and curl up at my side. Although, I noted that he lay between me and the only exit, like a shield. Wrapping his arms around me, he brought me in until I was crushed to his chest, and he threw a leg over both of mine. Finally, tossing a fur over our bodies to keep warm, and settled in to rest. He kept a hand cradled at the back of my head, his fingers lightly stroking, my face pressed into the hollow of his throat, and slowly, his breathing eased.

If I thought that I could try sneaking out while he slept, I was mistaken. One arm was like a steel band wrapped around the small of my waist, while the other remained cupping the back of my head, holding me effortlessly in place. When I cramped hard, he’d rub my stomach with comforting circles. Any time I shifted or made a sound, I’d feel him jerk awake and check on me, giving me a little nuzzle after seeing all was well and that I was just getting comfortable. It was clear he wasn’t used to sleeping with someone else, not to mention, he had probably trained himself to be aware of any disturbance in the night so he could protect his family. No, sneaking out of here while he slept wouldn’t be possible. At least for now. Even if I did, I’d have to find a way to reach the lip of the cave to get out, and that would be a challenge in itself, seeing as we didn’t have the pile of furs I’d used the first time, having been stolen.

As busy as my thoughts were, as close as freedom felt, I fell asleep regardless, too exhausted to fight it. There were no more calls, no more sounds of the search continuing, and despite being half-smothered, I was surprisingly comfortable lying here in Vulfu’s arms. His body warmed me up in the brisk, night air, and his deep breathing lulled me into slumber. When my eyes finally opened in the morning, I found I’d slept more comfortably here than I had any other night in the little burrow with Mowha. Beside me, Vulfu stretched and yawned, too, rubbing his eyes in a way that made me giggle, as it made him look like he was ten years old… innocent, waking up, vulnerable and not yet in alpha, protector mode. He was just… Vulfu.

At my giggle, however, he immediately peered down at me, still lying in his arms, and a slow, tiny smile curled up at the corners of his lips. Not a wide, beaming smile most people did, and I got the feeling it wasn’t his style. But all the same, he looked beautiful when he did it.

“Stevvy,” he crooned and ducked his head to nuzzle the space beneath my ear. It was such an intimate gesture, and that, combined with the sexual tension built up between us over my time here, I couldn’t fight the butterflies it gave me, even if I was still pissed as hell at him for preventing me from connecting to the outside world.

That morning, no one was allowed to leave the boulder home until Vulfu, Kray, Dow, and Dahkha ventured out to do a perimeter check. To my dismay, there were no calls, no signs or sounds of a helicopter flying overhead, and about twenty minutes later, they returned to escort the family out to relieve themselves and wash up by the creek. Helplessness overwhelmed me at the silence, but I was still hopeful they'd come back this way. They had to return in the direction they’d come, surely, and when they did, I’d try to be ready for them.

Again, it was Vulfu who escorted me to clean up. Mowha lingered near but kept a respectful distance between us, which bothered me. When I tried to go over to greet her good morning, Vulfu appeared and after gently bumping his head into my stomach to urge me back, I had to begrudgingly go along with it.

“I was just trying to say hello, Mr. Bossy…” I muttered under my breath to him before crouching at the side of the cool, running water to refresh myself.

I was relieved that my bleeding was lighter this morning, a sign that it would soon be over. When I moved away from the others to clean up and change, Vulfu lingered near, standing crouched like a gorilla on the embankment behind me, always watching around us, listening for signs of a threat. By the time I finished changing my padding, washing the old one, and laying it out to dry, the calls for me and my friends started again.

I snapped to attention, heart pounding as I stared through the trees southward, but with my poor vision, all I could make out was a fuzzy blur of green, brown, and pale early morning light as the sun emerged over the hills to the east.

“Aaaay-te!”

“Te-pha-eee!”

“Kaaay-te!”

“Ste-pha-neee!”

Oh my God… this was it! The calls were faint, but they were still looking!

“Hello, I’m here!” I cried back, stepping forward right into the cool water, hands extended as I began to stumble toward the opposite side of the creek.

A vicious snarl pierced through the calls, more animal-like than I’d ever heard… furious, primal, and beastial. It had all the hairs on my body standing on end before a hand reached around to slap over my mouth to silence me, another securely snagging me around the waist and hauling me backward into its hard frame. Above me, I could see how Vulfu’s teeth were showing, the canines lethal and sharper looking than any I’d seen from people in society. All of his people had teeth like that, on the rare occasions that I saw them when we ate. But now, Vulfu was spitting, snarling, and carrying me backward while the rest of the family broke into a run, heading for home as he stood guard.

Only when the last head disappeared into the opening did Vulfu then carry me down to join the others. I struggled the entire time, trying once again to desperately explain to him that those were my people, that I needed to connect with them so I could go home, but he refused to hear it. Vulfu had no intention of letting me go.

For two days the searchers remained in the area, sometimes coming incredibly close and it was those moments that I feared Vulfu would actually go out and attack. I’d seen him kill with his bare hands. I had no doubt that some poor volunteer out looking for my stupid ass stood no chance against him one on one. Unless they were armed. It was that thought that sent a chill through me. The idea of Vulfu reacting as the leader of his family, believing he was protecting us from a threat, only to be shot down… it was the only thing keeping me from being absolutely furious with him every time he held me in his lap, wrapping his arms around me tight in some semblance of an embrace, each and every time my name was called. He didn’t know. That, or he believed I didn’t belong to them. I belonged here, with him now.

I couldn’t make myself believe anything different because he and his people had a very simple existence. I could only imagine that their thoughts on life were anything but complicated. What it came down to, whether it was right or wrong, he believed I was his family now, too. And he was ready to protect me against signs of an abduction or threat.

At night, Vulfu would take one of the young boys and go out, and then rotate with Dahkha and the others. I could only imagine what they were doing… lingering close to the trees and bushes, watching comfortably in the dark as volunteers began to wrap up another day of their search and rescue mission, unaware they were being stalked through the blackness, risking death if they chose to head in a certain direction that would inevitably lead them here. As far as I could tell, no one did, because the men all returned looking tired, but not like they’d had a death match. There were no screams, and no sounds of gunshots, so I breathed easy at that, my conscience guilt-free.

Every time Vulfu departed, I would try an escape attempt, albeit all very lame ones. My small stature had never been as infuriating to me as it was now, with me hopping as high as I could to try to reach, but my hands swung through the air, nowhere close. The others would watch in amusement until finally, Mowha pulled me close and gave me fresh water as I panted from the exertion. Whether she agreed or not with Vulfu, evidently, she was prepared to follow his orders, which meant keeping me here.

When the third day rolled around and there was silence, the family all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and relax. The tension that had been holding them all prisoner finally released. I, however, had quite a different reaction.

I’d awoken once again to find him awake and ever vigilant, his arms tight around me as he cocked his ear and listened for the calls that began every morning at dusk. Only today, there was silence. No sounds of a helicopter, no shouts, nothing. Just the birds singing their early morning songs. When he saw that I was awake, he gave me that little nuzzle beneath my jaw as he had started doing since he insisted I stay with him in his bed, and got up, stretching and flexing his muscles that moved beneath his beautiful golden, tanned skin. He shook his silver-streaked dark hair out of his eyes and reached for me, helping me up before escorting me out to The Dome where the others had begun to gather.

For a long time, we sat quietly, waiting for some sign of the others. But as the sun rose and nothing came, I could feel their relief as everyone hopefully watched the world outside the cracks of the boulder we lived in, the light shining through turning from pale pinks to bright oranges and golds as the sun rose. While they were all obviously very relieved to finally have the invaders gone, I sat pouting, feeling utterly defeated that I’d failed once more in getting out of there. I sat quietly, not really listening to any of the others, and as though sensing my feelings, they left me alone to stew. The only upside was that my time of the month was finally over, so the rush to get outside to clean up wasn’t as vital. I was glad it was done with, though it would have been nicer to be able to come and go as I please to deal with it, rather than rely on the others to carry me out.

While we waited, Veshy was working on a strange red dye I hadn’t seen them make before. She churned it over and over in an animal skull, the eyes and cracks sealed with a clay they’d packed and hardened to keep the ingredients from leaking out. She’d been working on this since the morning after I was forced away from Mowha. I couldn’t help but wonder what this was meant for, as it certainly didn’t look edible in any way. At her side, my adopted mother had been sharpening needle-like twigs, smoothing them down to fine points with a sharp-edged stone. Both the older women were solely focused on their work, and though Mowha still seemed upset by her confrontation with Vulfu about me, she diligently worked on her task.

I could feel my hope dwindle with each passing minute, and when Vulfu finally motioned to the others to follow him out, my heart officially sunk into a deep pit in my stomach. He handed me off to Dahkha to carry as he went first up the tunnel leading out to scope out the area. Always the leader. Dahkha guided me to his back, and I clung on with my arms around his shoulders, legs wrapped around his waist as he made his way up the opening, now a tighter fit with me locked onto him like a baby monkey. He waited at the top, with Kray and Dow at our backs, peering through the thick fern that hid the entrance, listening for some sign from our alpha that all was well.

I felt such a strange clash of emotions as I waited.

On one hand, I wanted to hear my name be called from a distance, a sign that the Search and Rescue teams hadn’t given up on me. Mom… Dad… But then again, I wanted to hear Vulfu’s call. I needed to know he was okay, that he was safe. Every time he put himself out there in the face of danger or conflict before the family, it sent me into a bundle of nerves. The thought of him being ganged up on by that evil group of men, or face to face with a mountain lion, or a bear… or worse… a human. A hunter. Someone crossing into the national park illegally and surprising Vulfu as he surveyed his territory. Would Vulfu attack him? Would the hunter shoot him in surprise?

The very thought had me trembling on Dahkha’s back. He glanced at me over his shoulder, his much older, crow-lined eyes studying me as we waited in the tunnel for a sign from our leader. With a free hand, he reached back and gave my arm a little pat. It was a surprising gesture, as he’d never really paid me much mind before. At first, I thought he disliked me, but since I’ve been here, I think he was just a quieter person. A great second-in-command, ready to back up his leader at a moment’s notice.

“Bip! Bip!”

Vulfu’s call had me sighing in relief and one by one, we all climbed out of our home and into the early morning light, breathing in the fresh air that smelled of flowers, the bark of the trees, the creek… all things I’d never really noticed or appreciated before. I’d sort of just taken nature for granted, if I was being honest. The hiking club being a way for me to try to put myself out there again, hoping to meet some new people. To start over. It had never been about the outdoors.

Dahkha carried me down the side of the massive boulder and redwood to where Vulfu waited at the bottom, eagerly reaching for me the moment we landed. I was passed off, feeling very much like a child as Vulfu clutched me to his chest and carried me over to the creek like I was an invalid. The family followed, all choosing a comfy spot to linger as they washed themselves off. Krahu carried out food for everyone, and she made her way around, passing it out. It was dried deer meat, something they liked a lot. They roasted it on the rocks in the hot sun, and though it looked like dried bark, they seemed to take great pleasure in it. I had always refused, but this morning, Vulfu wasn’t going to let me. When Krahu offered me a piece and I shook my head as usual, Vulfu held out a hand to her and took the meat without a word.

“Stevvy, ug!” he commanded, holding the palm-sized bit of food out to me.

“Thanks, but I’m good,” I said, shaking my head. I had no idea how safe it was to eat their food this way, whether or not my stomach could handle it, so I’ve been refusing. But since I got my period, I’ve been craving hamburgers and steak. I so badly wanted the protein, but I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to handle it well. As a result of eating nothing but seeds and berries, I’d become incredibly scrawny, something that I was already too much of in the first place. Evidently, Vulfu noticed, and he poked at my ribs that hid beneath my deerskin dress.

“Mmuh, Stevvy! Brahda! Stevvy ug vahsh!” he commanded. I’d been sitting on the side of the creek on a thick patch of soft moss, watching while he had cleaned himself off, waiting for my turn to use that strange stuff they rubbed free from some root. It was like soap, but a little foamier. I wanted to change my clothes and wash myself and had been about to until the food was offered.

Again, I shook my head. “I’m not hungry,” I lied.

I knew he couldn’t really understand me, but Vulfu wasn’t an idiot. He knew I was refusing and I’m sure it wasn’t something he was used to. In fact, that became especially clear when I was suddenly tackled to the ground in less than two seconds. I found myself on my back with him sitting partially on my stomach to hold me down, both my hands held above my head with one hand.

“Vulfu!” I shrieked, in surprise, eyes wide. He had been so quick and smooth with his movements that I was barely jostled. “Let me go!” I glared up at him, heart pounding and anxiety rising when I realized my scars were on full display to everyone. The entire family was watching our exchange with keen interest, especially Kray and Dow who had moved closer.

My scars… they’ll see them…

Only Vulfu had seen them before, and he’d treated them with such tenderness it had honestly caught me off guard. But what would the others think? I’d hid them for so long that it was as effortless and natural as breathing. Even now in my deerskin, sleeveless dresses, I moved with my arms close to my sides, undersides pressed inward, hiding them as best I could. Or crossing them over my chest.

“Stevvy ug!” Vulfu pressed the meat to my lips, his grey-green eyes narrowed as he ignored my struggles, which, let's be honest, were nothing to him.

“Oh my God, Vulfu! Please, please let me go! My scars… my scars!” I cried, looking sideways in horror as Kray and Dow moved in, their dark gazes flickering curiously to the slashes now fully visible to them.

“Ug, Stevvy!” he hissed between his teeth, pressing the food again to my lips.

“Let me go!”

“Ug!”

“If you’ll release my arms I’ll eat the bloody meat, just let go!” I cried, kicking my feet as best I could just as Dow tilted his head to the side, staring at the marks with curiosity and surprise. Once more, Vulfu pushed the meat at me and I opened obediently, took a bite of the tough ration, and chewed as quickly as I could before swallowing. The moment I did, he let go, and I sat up, tears in my eyes, my arms automatically crossing over my stomach to hide.

No one said a word, but I could feel their eyes on me, and my face burned in humiliation. I bowed my head over my legs, my thick mane of crazy, dark hair hiding my face from them all. The sound of the creek, of the birds singing overhead, was all I could hear. I kept waiting for an explosion of questions, for them to point out the marks and ask about them in their strange way. I felt anger at Vulfu for forcing the situation in which I’d inevitably become exposed, rage churning in my chest for being put on the spot like that, despite the fact I knew that hadn’t been his intention.

“Stevvy?”

I refused to look up at his gentle tone. No, I was mad at him. He could take his domineering ass to the other side of the water for all I cared at this moment. He wouldn’t let me go home. He wouldn’t let me stay with Mowha anymore. Now he ruled over what I ate? This guy had serious control issues.

That’s not how they think, Stephanie, I thought begrudgingly. Yeah, yeah… I know.

“Stevvy…”

Vulfu reached out, lightly touching my knee, as though checking to make sure this was allowed. I hadn’t expected that. I didn’t move, nor did I tell him to piss off. I just sat there, lip quivering as I held myself, trying to hide from everyone, hoping they’d leave me alone. From my side, Kray and Dow moved closer, too, slowly, as though trying not to startle me, and Vulfu moved in from the front, now touching my other knee.

“Stevvy,” one of his large, roughened hands reached up and as gentle as a wild man could be, cupped my cheek as he urged me to look up at him. Reluctantly, I did, my eyes still shining with my tears, to see Vulfu watching me with pain in his own expression. His brow was pulled down over his eyes, the corners tight, his lips slightly downturned as his jaw clenched at the sight of me. His other hand carefully wrapped around one of my wrists, pulling my arm free so that the underside was turned upward, right under the gold light of the rising sun, exposing my very shame for all to see. I went to tug it away, but he shook his head, holding my gaze as the two boys now moved in on either side of me.

“Hum! Chomm!” Vulfu called. Home, come!

At once, the others all rose and made their way over, surrounding the two of us, all staring at the old scars on my arms, taking in the sight of them. But my gaze was locked on his, on the torn expression on his face, wondering what the hell he was doing.

When one of my tears slid down my cheek, he used his thumb to wipe it away, before lifting my arm a little higher for the others to see. My heart pounded in my chest, my face red, my whole body trembling from feeling so exposed.

Dow moved in first, his eyes, so similar to his leader’s, taking in the marks. Very lightly, he lifted a hand and grazed the tip of his finger over each one, like he was trying to figure out the picture that had been etched into my skin. There wasn’t one. It was just pain. Pain, anxiety, incredible loneliness, confusion, my inability to cope with the burning mess that my life had become… a lasting reminder of the worst and darkest time of my life.

Dow stopped his tracing, only to then lean in and touch his forehead to my skin, right over the largest, messiest line I’d dug in all those years ago. He hummed deep in his chest, and turned to me, moving closer to touch his forehead to mine.

“Stevvy shvouy,” he murmured before pulling away, only to be replaced by Kray, who went through the exact same steps as his friend.

“Stevvy shvouy,” he said to me after touching foreheads.

Mowha came next, her lips curled up ever so slightly, her expression warm and full of love, “Stevvy shvouy.”

Stephanie strong…

Every single member of the family came over to do the same thing, all while Vulfu held my arm in place, his eyes never leaving my face for a moment. Dahkha came last, and though he didn’t spend as long looking over the marks, he did cup the other side of my face and linger with our foreheads touching longer than the others, his expression more pained. He pointed at the marks, shook his head, and pointed at my heart.

“Stevvy vahsh!”

Vahsh… the word had two meanings. Fast, or faster depending on the usage. But the second meaning meant fast, or now. Stevvy now. Stephanie is here now…

I don’t think they understood fully what happened to me, or that I was the one who did this to myself. But I think that they knew that whatever had happened, however I got these scars, it had been painful, a hardship. But as Dahkha had said, it was the past. I am here now.

At last, it was just Vulfu and me, and I was a sobbing mess.

He pulled me close, my arms close to his lips, and to my surprise, pressed a kiss to the marks, mimicking how I’d given them to him. The touch was light, new for him to do, but he kissed each one before turning his burning gaze to me and whispered, “Stevvy mmahch.”

Stephanie beautiful.