"Are you sure about this, Laris?"
Theo, with his piercings, glanced at the back of the person they rescued until the person vanished among the surrounding woodland. He watched Girtro bend down to retrieve the cup he had previously offered the youth that Alpha Laris had brought back.
"It's fine. Let him cool his head off for a while. You too. Cool your head, Theo." Laris patted Theo's shoulder lightly, turned back, and glanced at the person who tried provoking Videre by saying his sister was dead; Serena.
Letitia went back inside a tent. Laris swept a look over their camp, hearing various conversations.
It wasn't long since the pack ritual had been executed. Laris felt a bit unaccustomed to being linked to so many minds other than Letitia, what's more is being its foundation. Though he is thankful to have the burden halved with Letitia; as they took charge of their new pack's mind link simultaneously. Either way, he had to get used to it. It's a pity that the other human-kinds can't mind-link with the Lycan-kind and half-Lycans. Nonetheless, they are connected with them by ritual, which influences their mood and decisions greatly due to the pack's emotional fluctuation, so he could instinctively understand Theo's mood, and vice versa, more or less.
It could be said that a pack is closer than that of Lycan family ties.
『 Serena, be sure to have him back by sunset. Take a few wolves if needed. I'm counting on you. 』
Serena made a face at Laris, but still stood up to track down the emotional bratt. It wasn't that she was provoking him earlier, but more likely, wanted to test whether or not he was aware of something. Her eyes drifted to Theo for a second.
It seems like he doesn't know either. Serena headed to a small group of wolves lounging on the soft grass, bellies exposed.
『 Come on, we got orders. 』 She nudged the foot of one wolf that tried to play dead. 『 Get your lazy asses up or I'll claw your little brothers off. 』The small wolves immediately stood up, closing their legs tightly at the sudden cold breeze that passed by.
Serena saw Laris on the aftermath of their rescue mission, carrying a fainted boy over his shoulder. His expression was calm, but his eyes held anger and contemplation. It wasn't until dawn that Serena saw something other than that in his eyes; Laris was surprised to see Karen bringing back a one-armed replica of the boy he carried last night.
Laris was so sure that Karen would've gone suicidal right then. Anyone with a weak mind would've done so at the death of their mate, and yet...
At the corner of her eye, Serena eyed the lone female wolf sitting at the far part of their camp. She instinctively felt something wasn't right with her, but then, most of their comrades had a hard time recovering from their earlier losses. She could say that Laris was the person who felt the most over their losses and struggles. It was only because of this that she, as well as the rest, could stay calm or even laugh a little.
The trust they had for each other was magnified after the pack ritual. Serena knew that other pack members like Theo would eventually come to accept the half (hybrid) siblings once he knew the truth about them.
On the other side of the camp, Letitia was changing the bandages on Tukare's arm.
『 How is she? 』 Laris asked as he entered the tent.
『 What do you think? 』 Letitia gave a sardonic reply, rolling her eyes. 『 She'd probably survive if you let her drink Theo's blood directly. Safe to say, if she ate his flesh, she might even grow a new arm. Wanna try it? 』
Laris gave a dead look at his twin. Letitia raised her arms up.
『 Bad joke, bad joke. Sorry. 'Sides, we don't want her turning into a Wendigo by accident. 』
『 That's just folklore. The Wendigo-kind aren't born by eating human flesh. 』
『 But their ancestors did. You forget Father's history lesson. He said there's a big chance that the first Wendigo-kind came about by eating the flesh of both the Healer-kind and the Lycan-kind at the same time. 』
『 I don't see how your nitpicking on my memory can help our situation. 』 Laris frowned at her.
Letitia shrugged one shoulder, as if to say, 'Just saying'.
"Where's my brother?"
Letitia startled. 『 Fuck, that scared me! 』
『 Stop shouting in my mind! 』 Laris scolded, before he skootched over.
"Hello, how are you feeling?" Laris smiled at the unmoving Tukare, whose fish eyes stared at Laris.
"You didn't answer my question", Tukare replied.
Laris pressed his lips in a line. Without an answer, Tukare sat up.
"You shouldn't move yet—your wounds will open", Letitia worriedly supported her, only to be swatted away.
"Don't touch me, Lycan." Her voice was low, but it was brimming with menace.
Letitia's hand froze upon the chilled look Tukare sported.
"We'll leave you to heal then. I'll send someone to bring—", Laris got cut off.
"Where is Videre?" Tukare cold upturned eyes pierced through Laris' every move, like a wounded, cornered animal ready to strike.
"Oh, he walked off who knows where", Letitia nonchalantly answered. "Maybe he thought you were dead so he left."
『 Letitia! 』
『 What? We aren't getting anywhere unless you answer her bluntly. 』
『 Even so… 』
"I see." Tukare looked down on her remaining hand, her thoughts and emotions unreadable. "So? What do you plan with us?"
Letitia gave her twin a look. 『 See? These are the wonders that bluntness can offer you, brother. 』
Tukare added, "I'm pretty sure you weren't just doing things like rescuing people for charity." She snickered, her angelic look reserved only for Videre.
Laris said, "We didn't save you just to force you into something. If anything, you're free to decide what you want from here on."
Tukare snickered again but didn't answer. Something like that seemed too good to be true. Let's see how long you can even keep up such a farce.
"We'll get you something to eat."
The twins walked out of the camp, Letitia going so far as to clutch her arms in a trembling manner, rubbing a few times.
『 Cold! So cold! 』
Ignoring Letitia's remark, Laris mind-linked a wolf to tell one of their non-Lycan-kind packmates to bring Tukare some food. He thought it might help to lessen the hostility if the ones that came weren't wolves.
『 You think she'll help us? 』Letitia can't help but wonder.
『 I don't know. 』 Laris sighed. It would've been great if they did, but knowing how their parents had died, he wasn't too optimistic. There was a part of him that understood their anger though, so he can't blame them.
"Alpha! Alpha!"
Both of them turned at the voice of a young Djinn-kind running in their direction.
"Girtro—What's wrong?"
"There's trouble—I saw four hunter packs ravaging the camp", the young Djinn nervously reported.
When he said that he 'saw' the hunter packs, it meant that it was going to happen in the near future. As part of the Djinn-kind, Girtro can envision far futures or immediate futures, awake or dreaming. The Djinn-kind are dream-dwellers that are able to feed off of people's dreams if they had no other means to get human food. Girtro was a person Letitia scouted, through foodie means of course. One can say they share the same interests.
"How long until they arrive?"
"I was distracted when I got the vision—around, at least by nightfall—I'm not sure!" Girtro gave an apologetic look.
Laris smiled. "That's plenty enough time. Go gather the others outside the camp."
Girtro nodded and hurriedly left.
『 I'll go tell the others to pack up too. 』 Letitia started mind-linking the other wolves, beginning with those inside the camp.
Laris closed his eyes and searched with his mind. 『 Serena. 』
『 Alpha? 』
Somewhere in the woods, a brown wolf stopped sniffing to raise its big head. The other wolves focused their attention to the brown wolf, feeling something through their pack's connection.
『 Serena, get back quickly. Four hunter packs are coming by nightfall. 』
『 Alpha, we have a problem. 』
Serena eyed the path going large trees that got thicker and thicker as they went inwards. There was an intoxicating smell that came from there, where the footprints of the youth pointed to, and yet they were going in circles countless times now. They'd follow the footprints and then somehow lose track only to go back to where they first started from. It's like their minds were clouded and the road was hazy every time they went in the denser part of the forest.
『 We can't find him. 』
『 Explain. 』
Laris calmly listened to Serena's report.
『 Hmm. 』
『 Alpha? 』 Serena called when Laris never answered again, just hummed while thinking. Serena didn't really want to disturb him but they needed orders.
『 Retreat first and help the others pack our things. 』
『 Yes, Alpha. 』
Serena didn't have to confer the intention of their Alpha to the other wolves with her; they heard their Alpha's last statement. When they headed back, Serena gave one last look to the path where Videre had wondered to before she too had run to their camp at full speed.
With no one present, the thick roots of the trees rearranged themselves and pulled the whole tree to obstruct the previous pathway as the branches of other trees grew thicker. It was if the path never existed in the first place—just another dead end.