Jaymie and Stace stayed for a couple more nights before they were both guided back to the arch doorway feeling warmer than they had done in a while. The journey back was as easy as Jay said it was, they had managed to do the journey in a day.
They both turned to have one more look at the mesmerising view and took a deep breath.
"Come on let's go, your daddy will be waiting for us on the other side," Stace said trying to encourage Jaymie to move.
"OK, let's go. I do miss Daddy Tate, I hope he's alright," Jaymie asked, stepping through the arch. As he walked through his body began to change, he looked at himself then he looked at Stace.
"You're little Jaymie again" Stace stared amazed.
"And you've changed back too" Jaymie told her, "but why?" he continued to ask.
"Well what happens in that world works differently, time moves a lot faster as you have just found out," Tate explained.
"So how many days have we been gone? Stace asked.
"Only about three months. You haven't missed too much. I knew what to expect and that I wouldn't see you for a while" Tate explained, showing clearly that he missed them.
"Three months?" Jaymie's eyes wide.
"Wow, three months. Will I be able to find the same strength and spirit here, like it was in there?" Stace said.
"Of course you will Stace. Your strength and spirit is always inside you, you just have to learn to trust it like you did in the oasis. And Jaymie, you had a little taste of your strengths, how do you feel?" Tate explained.
"Daddy, I loved having that extra spirit and strength in me, so I am going to work extra hard to make you and Daddy Jay proud."
"Aww Jaymie, don't push yourself too hard. Your dad and I love you very much and are very proud of who you become. I'm sure Stace is too," Tate said, as Stace nodded agreeingly.
---o0o---
As the day went on, night came upon them, they were happy back together again but were feeling exhausted. They all went to their own rooms and had a restful sleep. Jaymie woke up in the middle of the night. He had a strange dream. He dreamt of an enemy he had never met before who said he knew his father and had to settle a debt with him. This person transformed into a wolf and darted straight for him. Jaymie struggled to hoist himself in the air, but he did just as the wolf took a swipe, narrowly missing him.
Little did he know, this was a gift of foresight, which meant he could see the future.
He struggled to get back to sleep worried to see it again. Before he slept, he decided to write down his dream in his notebook to ask his Daddy and Stace in the morning. As dawn began to break through the horizon, Jaymie snuck outside and stood by the stream to watch the sunrise. For a moment he thought he saw his dad fly out of the sun. He knew it was him, he felt him in his heart.
"I miss you Dad. I wish you were here. I had a strange dream last night and I'm not sure if Daddy or Stace would know what I'm talking about," Jaymie spoke quietly with tears flowing down his cheeks. "I wish you could just give me a sign, so I knew you are listening." he finished, before heading back to the house to see Daddy Tate standing outside. Jaymie almost rushed to him. As he got closer Daddy Tate held his arms wide open, Jaymie ran into Tate's arms as he wrapped him up like a blanket.
"Son, are you ok? I sense you have something to discuss with me," Tate whispered in Jaymie's ear. Jaymie fell silent before looking at his Daddy's face. He opened his mouth, Tate could sense Jaymie's brain working up what to say.
"Daddy!" Jaymie began to say, "I'm not sure how to say this, but I've had these dreams about a guy that knew Dad. He apparently has to settle a debt with him," Jaymie eventually finished.
"Did he say who he was?" Tate asked.
"Erm.. No he didn't" Jaymie told him, "Do you know any of Dad's friends?" Jaymie asked.
Tate shook his head, "No I don't know them all. I only knew the ones he talked about," Tate answered with a worried look on his face. Then Stace came back from her run and saw his expression.
"Hello Jaymie, glad you're back, we missed you. Where did you go so early this morning?" Stace greeted, before turning to face Tate, "Are you alright Tate?" Stace asked. There was a moment's silence as Tate stared off into the distance.
"Tate!" Stace called to him again, waking him up from his daze. "What's wrong? You have that look. The look that says you know something bad is about to happen," Stace asked, reading him like a book.
"Erm… It might be nothing, but it's just something that Jaymie dreamt about. A person that said he knew Jay," Tate told her.
"Who is this someone? Did he or she say anything?" Stace asked.
"He said he has to settle a debt with Dad" Jaymie answered.
Stace pondered at that, then her eyes widened, "Could it be Keda. He was my mate but I told him I didn't feel that way anymore and we went our separate ways," Stace wondered out loud.
"It's possible but I don't know. I'm not even sure what Jaymie's dream means yet" Tate questioned.
"Thanks Tate. I would like it not to be him, but my instincts tell me it is and I have recently learnt to trust them as it has served me well. If I remember rightly Jay and Keda had been alright, but Keda had always been good at keeping his feelings to himself. However he can be very quick to blame others over himself and I think he blames Jay for being a 'bad' influence to me. I remember telling him before he ran off that Jay is not a bad influence, I have my own mind to make my own path of choice. Whether he heard me is one thing, but believing the words I say is another. He also had a lot of pride after becoming an alpha, he knew without me he was nothing," Stace explained, sounding slightly egotistical, which was so unlike her.
"He sounds pathetic to put it nicely," Tate reacted, "why did you leave him?" Tate asked.
"Erm… Well… I just stopped feeling a certain way about him, because I felt like I was missing something. This was just before I met Jay as a red kite," Stace explained.
"Wow, you've known Dad since then," Jaymie exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes, it did feel like good timing," Stace admitted.
The day grew colder and darker. They went inside the house to have a hot meal and then to bed. However, the three of them found it hard to sleep that night. Swirling images of the wolf shifter roam Jaymie's mind. Tate's mind was filled with questions he wanted answers to and Stace had mixed thoughts about whether or not she wanted to see Keda again, let alone be with him.
When the morning sun broke through, the three of them were still sleeping. It wasn't long before Jaymie was the first one up and naturally he woke up Daddy and Stace.
"Morning Daddy, I was going to make you breakfast in bed, but I couldn't do it alone," Jaymie greeted with a big grin on his face.
"Thanks, you are a good boy. Let's clean all this up and we can finish up together," Tate said lovingly.
"Okay Daddy," Jaymie said apologetically.
"What were you making?" Tate asked.
"I was trying to make french toast and pancakes," Jaymie answered.
Tate guided Jaymie as they made breakfast and laid out the table setting just as Stace came through.
"Morning boys, something smells good." Stace asked, grateful.
"Well, from Chef Jaymie, we have french toast and chocolate oat pancakes," Jaymie said, trying to sound posh. Stace and Tate couldn't help but chuckle a little.
They all laughed as they ate and talked about what Jay would be doing if he were still with them. Though theconversation changed the mood of the atmosphere. Tate immediately got up onto his feet and started to clean everything up.
"Tate? You ok? You know Jay wouldn't want us to be sad. I can do this. You can take Jaymie out for a while" Stace offered.
"Thank you Stace, you have been so helpful" Tate slowly responded whilst drying his hands. He walked away up the stairs. When he saw how happy Jaymie was it brought a smile on his own face, just in time as Jaymie turned to face him.
"Hi Jaymie, we are going out for a bit, you and I," Tate said softly.
"Oh! Where are we going Daddy?" Jaymie asked curiously.
"I will take you somewhere that was…" He paused, "That is a special place to us all," Tate said.
"Why is it so special Daddy?" Jaymie asked.
"Well you see this place is where your dad and I found each other after he was reborn and learnt how to fly. I will explain more when we get there" Daddy explained briefly.
Tate helped Jaymie into the truck before he sat himself down into the driver's seat. As Tate set off, they chatted, laughed and played a few car games. The journey lasted for approximately two hours.
---o0o---
Back at the village Stace had finished washing up and cleaning the house so she decided to run to the edge of the cliff. She reminisced over the memory of when she jumped the gorged. She still couldn't quite believe she had made it. Then thoughts of Keda suddenly came flooding through her mind and she still felt there was something missing. Without Jay to guide her she felt lost. She soon realised the sign she was looking for would not come. So she turned around and headed towards the forest, began to strip down and shifted. She ran for what felt like hours when a voice spoke to her.
'Your time has come. It is now time that something was given back to you. This is your reward, use it wisely'
There was silence as Stace looked around speechless, the words hadn't sunk in before wings began to appear out of her back. Just as Stace stared at her beautiful white wings, a wolf appeared who she recognised immediately.
"Keda!?"
"Well there's nothing wrong with those senses of yours. Actually, I'm surprised you even remembered me at all" Keda snarled.
"Just because I don't feel anything for you, that doesn't mean I forgot you, that would never happen," Stace explained.
"So where's Jay?" Keda asked, changing the subject.
"There was me thinking you were going to try to win me back. I will have to disappoint you there Keda, Jay is no longer here," Stace said.
"Well that's disappointing, I was hoping to challenge him and win you back the alpha way," Keda huffed.
"Well if you arrived a few months ago you could have," Stace growled and watched Keda step back, "you won't win me back that way Keda" Stace said.
"Not to worry, I shall challenge Jay's mate then," Keda threatened without as much venom as before.
"One, you don't know him, two, what has he done to you. To be honest Jay has never done anything to you either, so why are you holding a grudge against them?" Stace asked, she was beginning to get frustrated now.
"Jay took you away from me!" Keda yelled.
"Jay did not do anything. He helped me believe in myself when I couldn't. I was already starting to feel less for you before we met Jay. You might want to ask yourself if there is anything wrong with you. From what I see right now there's nothing right with you," Stace spoke truthly.
"Why do you have to hurt me like this?" Keda is pissed off now.
"It was the only way for you to see sense," Stace said.
"And what are those things on your back?" Keda asked, staring at them almost mesmerised.
"What do you think they are, a new pair of legs? They're wings, Keda. I've been given wings," Stace bragged a little. She moved away back towards the gorge, as she walked she began to gain momentum and just as she reached the edge she leapt into the air. Her wings outstretched, she struggled to flap as she glided to the otherside. However, she didn't land, instead she managed to gain a little altitude, circled round and flew back and landed with a thud.
Keda rushed over to her to help her, but Stace had had enough and swiped a wing at him. He yelped and whimpered. Stace growled loudly in warning and he slowly walked away.
After Keda left, Stace flew back to the village to await Tate and Jaymie's return. She grew very anxious as the day turned to night very quickly. She tried to keep herself occupied by preparing dinner as she knew they would be hungry. She'd almost sent out a search party when they eventually swooped in startling her. She gave them a big hug.
"Thank the gods you're alright" she breathed out.
"Why what happened?" Tate asked, with a worried gaze upon his face.
"Keda stopped by, but I managed to send him away for now. I don't know when he will be back, but I think he might come back again. Maybe for you Tate or you both. I have no way of knowing. Keda and I have no telepathic connection anymore not since I chose to be on my own. On the plus side something amazing has happened," Stace explained, as she walked out of the house. Shifting quickly, she allowed her wings to appear.
"Wow! They look beautiful" Jaymie said in awe.
"I agree, they are stunning. When did this happen?" Tate asked, stunned.
"Well after doing some thinking by the edge of the cliff, I phased and went into the forest for a run, that's when they first appeared. Keda had turned up then, but I managed to walk-away and test my wings. I flew across the gorge, circling around before gliding back, though gaining some altitude needed some effort. After I landed Keda pestered me some more and I made him leave," Stace explained.
"Maybe this was the sign I was looking for from Daddy Jay. He answered my call," Jaymie said.
"What do you mean?" Tate and Stace asked in sync.
"Well I wished that he was here to give me a sign, I guess this is it," Jaymie explained.
Tate and Stace looked at each other then back at Jaymie.