Chapter 16
The days and weeks that go by turn into months.
The grips of winter never made it past March and April brings with it an abundance of wildlife and flowers.
We’ve all been working hard to get the entire ranch back to its former glory and for the most part it is.
Even the barn and paddocks have livestock occupying them now.
Goats, Chickens and a few horses. Although we all pitch in with the chores, we all have particular ones we prefer.
Mine is taking care of the animals. I rise with the sun and get them all mucked out, fed and watered before lunch time then every chance I get I go riding.
I’ve always loved animals and now with my nymph powers I have a bond with them that is nothing I've ever experienced. I can feel their moods and tap into their minds to a degree to communicate. I understand them and they understand me. I try not to have favourites, but my bond with Daphne, a black, silver haired mare is quite special. She’s as swift as the wind with incredible sure-footedness.
She scares at next to nothing and is tender and patient.
Another horse is a young stallion I’ve named Apollo.
He’s sandy brown with a black mane and tail.
He can be silly and stubborn but with a lot of patience he’s getting better.
I’m sure if Daphne could roll her eyes at him, she would.
She’s the first to tell him off if he gets carried away.
As for Alistair, thankfully I’ve not heard a peep from him.
Mum said that the only way he can get in my head is if I let him, so I’ve purposely been forcing down any emotion I feel for him.
It seems to have done the trick in any case.
With the ranch keeping me busy it’s been pretty easy to keep my mind far from him.
I know I’m acting like an ostrich with my head in the sand but I don’t know how else to handle that situation.
Ignoring it for as long as possible seems to be working for now.
Another situation is Lukas. We have a constant flirty banter and we get along so well.
I know he's interested in me. Izzy has said as much but I don't want to start something with him when my fate has been promised to someone else. It wouldn't be fair on Lukas and I'm not ready to reveal to the pack my darkest secret. He’s such a decent guy and I can see why my Dad made him Beta. He’s hard working and dedicated to helping everyone. He doesn’t pull rank and treats everyone in the pack equally.
Nothing is too much trouble and he knows so much about Yellowstone and how to run the ranch.
He spends a lot of his time with Caleb. They mostly train.
Sparring and the like. Lukas seems like the teacher and gives Caleb pointers for improvement.
The pack are a very tight unit that runs like a well-oiled machine.
Perfectly in sync with each other in a way that I’ve not yet been able to understand.
They’ve been a family long before I came along and have been through a lot together.
Suffered together in ways I can only imagine and that has formed an unbreakable bond between them all.
My mum is just as much a part of it since she lived with them for years before Hades attacked.
They have all been welcoming and amazing but I still can’t help but feel like the newbie.
I know that part of it is because I’m not opening myself up to them completely.
If they knew my secret then they would hate me and that makes it hard to let my guard down.
Izzy has been great from the beginning and out of everyone I’m closest to her but sometimes I just need my best friend.
Cassey and I talk nearly every day. Sometimes on phone calls that go on for hours or quick texts throughout the day.
We’re hoping for her to come visit once College has finished in June, but that’s still such a long way away.
I can’t wait for her to see the ranch and go on rides for hours into the forest. She says her and Christian are still going strong and I’m so happy for her.
Part of me is jealous of the normal life she has.
Nothing is mapped out or decided for her.
She can love who she wants and can go and do whatever she feels like. Whereas I’m stuck.
I love being a nymph and the power that it gives me but I don’t feel free.
I can’t leave the pack because I’m their only protection and as for a love life…
There’s just no point. Not that I can meet anyone anyway.
With Alistair waiting to spring from a hole in the ground at any moment what future can I really have with anyone else?
He’d probably eat them out of spite. So, that leaves me in my Yellowstone bubble waiting for inevitable things out of my control to happen and turn my world upside down.
That’s why I love riding so much. Daphne and I spend the afternoons and sometimes the evenings going where ever the wind takes us.
The freedom of going somewhere unexplored.
The mountain range is so vast here that we always find somewhere or something new.
No matter where we end up the forest guides us home.
Today we rode north for about 3 hours before we stopped for a drink and something to eat.
I don’t need to tie her up because I know she won’t leave my side.
She lowers herself down and I sit against her side as we both munch on some apples that I brought.
Her ears are relaxed but twitch at nearby sounds.
Comfortable but always alert. I open myself to the feel of the forest and there's tranquillity. Untouched and as pure as it comes.
The low rumble of unfathomable power that is the super volcano is a consistent presence.
The sheer magnitude of force that lies sleeping beneath the ground is apocalyptic.
That’ll be my Hail Mary should Hades come.
Mum could never channel that much power before her body gave out and she collapsed unconscious, or worse.
I just hope I can withstand it long enough.
After a half hour rest I walk alongside Daphne for a while as we wander through a new part of the wood.
The trees grow taller and the thickness of the canopy blocks the blue sky overhead.
There’s no path or track. The ground is covered in a thick carpet of moss scattered with white flowers.
A small stream trickles to our left. It’s quiet and I realise there is no bird song.
No animals at all actually. Daphne snorts beside me and I feel her send me a warning.
I don’t feel unease but it’s so quiet. Like this place is forbidden to walk through.
I stop and look around at the stillness surrounding us.
Not even a breeze. Daphne stomps at the ground, ears twitching and eyes scanning intently.
“Easy girl.” I soothe as I stroke her cheek.
Another snort is my only response.
“Come one. It’s getting late.” I say and begin to turn back.
That’s when I feel it. A pull telling me to turn around.
Like a tendril through the still air inviting me further in.
I look up at Daphne and she’s staring in the same direction that I feel the tug.
It doesn’t feel bad natured, but old and patient.
I take a step towards it and Daphne is on my heal.
We follow the mossy ground to a curtain of leaves.
Pushing them apart I see an enormous oak tree.
It’s trunk at least 50 feet in circumference.
It’s ancient and haggard looking like a hunch backed old lady.
Some of the branches stoop low to the ground like the tree can no longer hold them up high and proud.
The stream flows around its base and the sun comes through its branches like a halo.
She looks beautiful. Like she’s been here for all eternity and watched the world grow for centuries.
I don’t know what makes me think it’s a lady but it just seems to feel right.
The life that pulses from her is bright and happy but also worn and tired. Like she has seen the best and worst of the world and now she is weighed down by it. I go to her and she feels safe and warm like a mothers embrace. Reaching the base of her trunk I reach out my hand to touch her.