Sierra watched as Elyse left she inquired with Chase to see what was wrong. A picture of a mate and pack and Elyse feeling alone were what she got. Followed by the a wolf being hunted. So this was just more added to her friends plate.
She sighed when he asked her if Elyse was okay. "Knowing she is hunted only adds to her existing problems."
It wasn't her story to tell but the wolves had no compulsions to staying out of each others heads so when Sierra had inquired they passed along the well being of their pack memeber because Sierra couldn't see her. "These Atharim may not be all the same, but you still hunt us. Otherwise you'd not smell slightly of fear and dislike. Tell me you wouldn't have killed my brother if he had randsacked a chicken coup of some villager? Before her."
Sierra nodded. "My brother was gone. There was no humanity left in him. The wolves say it happens sometimes. A two legged will become a wolf in instinct and mentality and not know he once walked on two legs instead of four. They've never seen someone come back from it. There was no other solution to my brother except to lock him up, but we tried and he'd get out. My mother was at her wits end."
Sierra figured him out. It was a interesting set of gifts that allowed people to smell emotion. Knowing this, her question wasn't unexpected, but she almost seemed to say it with no malice, and Enrique wasn't sure what to make of that.
"I honestly don't know,"
he replied sincerely. It was true that he never took contracts regarding supposed channelers, wolfkin, or the like because he was conflicted about them.
Sierra's story was a sad one, and Enrique wondered if her brother had been trained in how to control his abilities that fate might have been kinder to Sierra.
"It might not mean much, especially coming from me, but - I'm sorry,"
he said again with sincerity. He honestly didn't know how to respond.
Elyse walked away out of sight and took a seat on the ground. She let the tears come again. The pain returned anew. Elyse knew that she would be fine, and that the pain would diminish with time. But everything was overwhelming. She wondered about Nox and if he was okay. Despite her anger at him, she still cared for him.
She had been a traitor when she left the Atharim - but now to everyone else, she was a terrorist. A terrorist for trying to keep them safe.
Her tears turned to uncontrollable sobbing, and despite trying to keep it hidden from the wolves, she knew she couldn't. They knew she hurt, and likely Sierra did too. The wolves didn't know when to keep things to themselves.
As the crying stopped she wiped her eyes, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep and forget the day, but she didn't want to sleep alone. She dried her eyes and returned to the camp. She didn't speak, only lay down on the ground next to Sierra and rested her head in her friends lap. She didn't care what their guest thought. She needed the contact.
Enrique apologized and Sierra could only nod. They ate in silence until Elyse came back and laid her head in her lap. Sierra gave her a friendly smile and ran her fingers through her hair. She missed Snow.
Stinging Nose came up to them and curled up in Sierra's lap nuzzled into Elyse's face to comfort her too. It was a regular old puppy pile. It wasn't long before other pup's came and curled up with them.
Sierra looked to Enrique and smiled. "You should go back to Moscow. Leave Marta here with us for a few days. We'll help her and then bring her back to you."
Elyse came back and immediately snuggled up with Sierra. A wolf pup came and nuzzled her before laying down next to them. It wasn't long before other pups did the same thing. Elyse looked better at least than she did before. Enrique had the feeling that there was more going on with her than met the eye. It wasn't his business, so he wouldn't pry.
Sierra's suggestion, however, was out of the question. "I can't do that,"
he said. "It's my responsibility to keep her safe, and I just met you. I can't leave her alone. I'll stay out of your way while you help her, but I need to be close by."
Enrique had the feeling that Marta could take care of herself. She had been through more than most girls her age had been through. Her trust was also fragile though. Enrique had worked hard to gain it, and he couldn't break that by abandoning her now - even if it was for a short time.
Elyse snuggled into Sierra. The contact was a wonderful thing. Stinging nose soon joined her, and she nuzzled him as he laid down. Elyse was beginning to relax as Sierra stroked her hair and the warmth of the pups enveloped her. Elyse had lost her parents, but had gained a family here.
Sierra's statement even caught her by surprise though. She was asking the man, who seemed to be a father figure to the young pup, to leave her with two people he had just met. His response was expected.
Elyse took Sierra's hand - the one that wasn't stroking her hair, and gave it a slight squeeze. "That shouldn't be a big issue, right?"
Enrique had said he would stay out of the way. They could help her and then the pair could go their own way.
Sierra nodded but sighed in response. "It's alright for Elyse and I, but the wolves aren't going to want to help with a human around."
Sierra curled her fingers in Elyse's. "The wolves don't like when two-legges are around. And there is no place you can go and be close that they will like. Even to help a pup."
Stinging Nose sent images of him going into the city to help. Sierra patted his nose and smiled. Chase's images were not no, but caution. "Stinging nose is offering his assistance in the great big city. Chase says that he'd have to be careful. He'd have to listen to us."
There was a chorus of 'i want to join' images of the other pups around us. Sierra sent one for each to Chase. But the wolf looked at her and said she was asking too much, but the pack wanted the human gone. Sierra looked at Elyse then at Enrique. "A companion for Marta is currently floating the pack. One for Elyse too, both pups in aspects."
Sierra laughed as Stinging Nose sent her an image of herself as a pup. "Myself included."
Enrique understood. The wolves didn't want him around. It made sense. The other humans at least had a connection to them. Wolf companion though - that was something he hadn't heard of. Doing it in the city would be acceptable to him at least.
"That is acceptable - as long as the wolves are willing. They don't strike me as ones that would go if they didn't want to though."
Elyse looked like she was falling asleep as Marta came back out. She was wrapped up in her blanket.
"Couldn't sleep?"
Enrique answered.
"Not really,"
her tone telling him that it wasn't the nightmares that usually woke her up at least.
Marta began to hum and dance around in a circle. It never ceased to amaze him how she was good at everything she tried. Everything came to her naturally. Her steps were simple, yet graceful, and as he watched he knew that moving here was a good idea. There were too many ghosts for her in Mexico.
Suddenly Marta stopped, her eyes on the wolf in Sierra's lap - Stinging Nose is what Sierra had called him.
"I don't understand,"
she said her words directed at the wolf.
Elyse was very relaxed now, and as Sierra curled her fingers with hers she reciprocated. Elyse wasn't asleep, but she kept her eyes closed and her breathing slowed as she relaxed. The pups around her didn't move much, and the warmth was comforting.
Marta came out, or so she guessed from what she heard, and then the image came.
A wind blew, rustling the leaves and the grass as it moves through the trees.
"I don't understand,"
Elyse heard Marta say.
Elyse smiled. "Windsong,"
she said. "You have been named."
Chasing butterflies wasn't happy. But the pups were all excited. Windsong, Silent Fang, and Long Eye were all going to have their own little pup.
Everyone would sleep on it. Sierra included.