With only the hope that Elevie was telling the truth, that Devon was alright, all we could do was wait for some kind of sign. Benry and the others were less than accepting of our circumstances, but I couldn't blame them. The feeling of hopelessness was creeping closer and closer upon me. I had managed to convince Benry to let us wait just outside of the town, just in case we could find some trace of where Devon was or how to find him. But time was running out and we had the whole pack to protect from the imminent forces that were coming.
"Abigail."
The sound of my name jerked me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Benry coming up beside me. His eyes were stern, but held a sympathetic glow to them. I let out a small involuntary sigh before turning back to watch the people. I already knew what this was about.
"We can't stay here like this. The pack is already weak. We have to move on…"
"But Dev-"
"Abigail, I know," Benry growled out rather harshly, before it died out.
We fell into silence and I glanced behind me to see the rest of our rescue party was already shuffling to their feet to prepare to leave. My eyes slowly shifted to Benry and I felt the tears welling up. Suddenly, I felt Benry's head against mine and it caught me by surprise.
"We have to go."
This wasn't the command of an Alpha. There was concern laced in his voice, along with sadness. I knew full and well what he was asking me to do. Every bone in my body told me to resist, but deep down, I knew that he was right. I swallowed hard as he stood up and gave me a small look of pain and apology. He headed back towards the others and I looked out at the humans in the town again.
Of all the things they clamored on about the past few days, none of them said anything worthwhile. I forced myself to my feet and the feeling of defeat washed over me, making my stomach turn. I had to fight every feeling in my body as I looked away. I looked at the other wolves, who all held that same look as Benry. It only made my stomach churn even more. Benry's eyes met mine and I gave the strongest nod I could manage.
They all began heading farther into the forest's depths and I took one last deep breath before willing myself forward. Suddenly, I heard faint laughter. It brought my body to freeze in it's steps. My ears twitched as the almost mesmerizing sound seemed to call to me. I turned to look back at the town and my eyes shot wide when I saw her.
Elevie was stepping out of one of the nearby shops with Isaiah shortly behind her. I inched incredibly close to the edge of the woods before I noticed the shrike break from the branches above and land gracefully on Elevie's shoulder. It was a brief encounter, the bird appearing to have whispered in her ear before taking off again. Elevie's eyes suddenly locked with mine and she gave a small smile before turning to her father. As they spoke, it was like I could hear them as clearly as if they were speaking next to me.
"Do you think they'll take care of him?"
Isaiah looked down quizzically at his daughter before shaking his head with a soft chuckle.
"Of course. You saw how excited that boy was didn't you?"
"Yeah, Alex really seemed to like him," she said with a hum of agreement.
The mention of that name seemed to send sparks racing through my blood. I knew it was impossible, but the feeling that came over me was undeniable.
"Still can't believe that boy stood up to his father like that either," Isaiah continued, placing their bags in the back of his truck, "Took a lot of nerves for that, I'd imagine."
"I'm sure he knew he was doing the right thing. Sometimes, what's right isn't always easy."
Isaiah gave his daughter another strange look before shaking his head. He looked like he was about to speak, but was caught off guard by his daughter's sudden gasp of excitement.
"Do you think we could go and visit them? I really liked playing with Alex."
"Elevie…," Isaiah sighed, opening the door for his daughter and helping her up into the seat, "The Moons live very… Very far away. Besides, I'm sure Mr. Moon would need some sort of "reservation" just for a play-date."
He said the last line with a chuckle and Elevie's eyes flashed to mine again. She must have known I was paying attention. She looked up at him with a pout before continuing.
"You could probably catch up to them, couldn't you? To plan it out? They just left! I bet they haven't made it to the airport yet!"
I made out Isaiah's scolding tone, but didn't catch the words as I turned to catch Benry and the others. My heart was lit with hope once more and I could barely contain it.
"Leader Benry!"
He and the other wolves stopped, turning back to me in surprise. I brought myself to an unsteady stop behind them and Benry stepped up to face me.
"Abigail-"
"We have to hurry! I know where he is!"
The words came out almost broken as I tried to speak with this overwhelming feeling.
"What? How?"
"The young Crow, Elevie, she told me. I know how to get to him, but we have to hurry!"
"She told you? How-"
"Please, I really don't have time to explain," I looked up at him with pleading eyes, "You have to trust me. Please."
Our eyes locked almost as if we were trying to read each other. He gave a short nod and before anything else was said, I took off through the woods. I was sure they were following me, so I focused on the obvious scent of gasoline and fumes. Smells that I was all too familiar with. I knew the long stretch that led to the airport from the town couldn't be too far away. By some miracle, perhaps I could catch them before they even reached the airport. I could save Devon.
"I can't believe it," Alex giggled with glee, kicking his feet back and forth in the seat, "Just wait until Abby comes back! We'll go see him everyday and maybe she won't be so sad anymore!"
"Alex…," Claude sighed, with a light smile. He rubbed his little brother's head and then chuckled softly.
When he looked ahead, he caught his father's glare in the mirror's reflection. It caused a slight shiver to run up his spine. Alex continued prattling on and Claude continuously tried to calm down until Matthew's voice seemed to echo in the small confine of the vehicle.
"Alexander, quit talking such nonsense." The Moon Family fell silent and Alex bit at his bottom lip. Claude tried to speak up, but his father continued. "Your sister isn't coming back. She left us."
"Father-"
"There is no point in egging the boy's hopes on. He's going to have to realize it sooner or later. Abigail has deserted this family. There is no hiding it. We're going to be made into a laughing stock"
"Abby didn't desert us," Claude almost growled out in response.
"Oh, really," Matthew sneered back at him, "And what do you call abandoning your family and running off without a word? We had to come all this way to find her and no one has even a trace of where she or that "Mr. Reeves" ran off, too. A perfect waste of money and resources. Not to mention, your little escapade of rebellion."
The car fell silent before Matthew once again broke it.
"Even if your sister came back, I assure you, she's going to face the consequences of this endeavor. I've had it with her games."
"Stop talking about Abby like that!"
The sudden outburst by Alex caught both the Moon men off guard. Little Alex had hunkered down into himself, his hands into tight little fists as the tears ran down his face.
"Hold your tongue, Alexander."
"I will not! Not when you talk about Abby like that…" His voice was broken with the small sniffles he made. "She's gonna come back… I know she will."
Claude reached out to console him and Matthew Moon's voice began to raise to scold him before the driver let out an alarming gasp. The car suddenly swerved and ran off the road and just off the road into the grassy weeds. Claude instinctively checked over Alex with alarm before checking over himself once sure his younger brother was unharmed. Dark smoke began to fill the vehicle as the passenger's stepped out of the car.
"Jackson, what is the meaning of this," Matthew Moon growled out, storming towards the other side of the car.
"Sorry, Sir," the driver coughed, fixing his cap, "There was a dog… It jumped in the middle of the road and-"
"That is not a good enough reason for sending us into the bloody ditch. If the dumb mongrel wants to run in front of us on the road, it deserves to be hit."
Claude continued checking over Alex, able to inspect him more thoroughly, now that they were outside. Matthew continued to lecture and scold the driver as Alex began swatting Claude away. making sure he was alright, as Matthew Moon stepped out of the vehicle. Alex looked in through the window to check on the wolf and let out a soft sigh of relief. He wiped at his face before freezing where he stood. Claude looked at him in fear before following where his eyes stopped.
Matthew and the driver had noticed it at some point as well, falling silent in their exchange. There it stood in the middle of the road, panting hoarsely between the growls and flashing of teeth. It's deep brown eyes were locked on them, leaving the party in a state of both fear and confusion. Slowly, it straightened it's stance, growing more alert.
"It's another one…" At Alex's soft, shaky voice, it's ear twitched towards the sound, features softening only slightly. "It's another wolf…"
The wolf let out a soft howl suddenly, causing Matthew Moon to jump. It paused, seeming to wait for something. It's eyes never left them; especially the form of Matthew Moon. It's ears twitched again at the returning howl from the wolf still in the vehicle. Alex turned back towards the back of the car, while the others didn't even dare to move. His gaze returned to the wolf in front of him before he slowly began moving to the trunk door.
"Alex," Claude whispered with concern as he watched his younger brother, "Stop. What're you doing?"
"… We have to let him go…," Alex answered softly, struggling with the door, "That's what it wants us to do… We have it's friend…"
Claude glanced back towards the wolf in the road, who was now only letting out soft growls as it watched them all. Claude subconsciously made a sort of nod before slowly stepping backwards to join Alex. Matthew Moon's eyes followed them, but when he went to take a step the wolf let out a sudden snarl. It was almost like a warning that caused Matthew to freeze again. The glare those deep eyes seemed to hold for him sent a shiver running up his spine. The feeling was unnatural for him, something he had rarely experienced.
I watched as Claude helped Alex open the trunk. My heart beat wildly in my chest as I waited impatiently. I kept my eyes locked on the form of my father. I kept a view of Benry and the others in my peripheral vision. They had circled the backside, just within the treeline. I trusted Benry and the others, but I also wanted to protect my family in case things should slip. I heard the metal of the cage scraping against the floor of the trunk as it appeared Claude had pulled it forward. Then, I made out Devon's soft growls.
"Devon," I whined, taking a step closer.
I watched Claude push Alex behind him before he leaned forward. A soft clink and thud of the cage door falling loose was the last sound I heard. Claude held a protective stance in front of Alex as he kept stepping backwards with him, giving Devon more space.
Suddenly, a flash of white flew from the back of the car. He looked around frantically before spotting me. He ran towards me without a second thought, practically colliding his body into mine. Something fell from his mouth as he began nuzzling into my neck, both of us whining joyfully. I returned his affections, still cautious of my father. I looked around Devon as I saw Alex step back up just past our father and the driver. Claude cautiously stepped up behind him. Devon turned to look at them as well and the thing Devon dropped at our feet caught my attention. Devon's gaze must have followed mine as he nudged it towards me.
"I'm not sure what it is… But it smelt like you… The little one gave it to me and it helped me keep calm..."
I couldn't fight the small smile that toyed at my lips. I picked it up gently and slowly began walking closer to them. My father flinched, but at Devon's warning growl, he didn't dare move. As I came closer to Alex, Claude took hold of his shoulder and tried to coax him back. Instead Alex knelt on the ground as I stopped a few paces away.
"A-Alex…"
I looked up briefly at Claude's worried expression. It made me somewhat happy to see how protective Claude was. I knew it meant that Alex would be safe and cared for. My eyes came back to meet Alex's gaze. We held that eye contact for a bit before I dropped his stuffed wolf just in front of me.I stopped maybe two feet from him and sat his stuffed wolf between us. I let out a small whimper as I nudged it in his direction. A look of wonder lit up his features and I turned, running back to Devon's side.
"Come on, Abby. Let's go home…"
"… Yeah…"
He ran out of the road and into the woods, disappearing in the trees. I paused to look over my shoulder at them one more time. I smiled, seeing Alex clutch his toy tightly to his chest. Claude had stepped up beside him now, his hand resting on his shoulder. My father and the driver still had a bewildered look about them and I chuckled lightly. Claude's voice drew my attention back to my brothers.
"You realize you just let "your" wolf go, right, Alex…"
"Yeah… But it's okay…"
"Oh?"
Alex nodded, keeping his eyes on me, as he replied. A bright smile pulled across his face as a howl tore through my lips, ringing through the air. I looked at them one last time before taking off into the woods, meeting up with Devon and Benry in its depths. Alex's words echoed in my head and I realized that even if I wasn't there, he was going to be okay.
"It's what Abby would've wanted…"
Benry and the others joined up with us and we all exchanged our own gratitudes for Devon's return amongst ourselves. As the other's broke away, Devon suddenly grew tense as a wave of realization seemed to wash over him. He turned sternly to look at me and I looked at him puzzled.
"… You shouldn't have come for me…"
"… You expected me to just give up on you? To lose you all over again?"
He growled lightly as he looked away from me and motioned to the others..
"The pack is without it's leader and, by the looks of it, the only one's left fit to protect it are here. What if the pack's in danger? They've all been left defenseless… Because of me…"
"Devon…"
Benry broke between the lot of us, pulling Devon and I out of our conversation. Devon let his head lower, his body trembling under Benry's gaze. He approached the two of us.
"I assure you, Ezekiel and the others may be old wolves by now, but they are fully capable of leading and defending the pack in my absence."
"But still… Risking the entire pack in their time of need for one wolf…"
An almost shocked expression fell across Benry's face as I unintentionally cut him off. An annoyed growl tore out of my throat. Devon looked up to stare at me and I nipped out at him.
"You know what? I'm tired of you selling yourself short. So, just stop it."
He backed up from me slowly as I kept walking up on him, nipping every so often until he all but cowered in front of me.
"Yes, you ran off without me, trying to prove yourself. And, believe me, that was one of the most reckless things I've ever seen you do. But you did it to try and protect me and to help your pack. And, now, you have the nerve to think your own pack would value your life at such a disposal? Being part of a pack means looking out for one another. We are a family. We fight to protect each other and do whatever it takes to keep our family safe. You taught me that. And you are a part of that. I won't let you keep believing you're not."
The others stood around us in silence. I felt the wind race between all of us, making the silence more evident. I let out a soft sigh before resting my head against his, causing him to jump slightly.
"Even while I was gone in the human world… The only thing I could think of was returning here… Returning to the pack… My family… You… I heard your cries even when I was there… Even as a human… I knew your pain… Your loss… My loss… And now that I've returned… It seems you've only wanted to be separated from me again…," the whine was evident now and I practically buried my face in his fur, "Is that what you want?"
Before he could even answer me, I pulled away and walked past Benry and the others. My body seemed to tremble now, recovering from the sudden outburst of emotion. I heard footsteps behind me as Benry came to my side. He didn't say a word and I found comfort in just having his presence. I made out the sound of the others footsteps, glancing back to see them following us. Devon trailed just behind the others, his eyes down on the ground.
"Abigail… You know what you mean to him… What you mean to each other."
I reluctantly nodded my head, but kept my eyes forward.
"He just can't see the value in himself…"
"... Did he tell you what all happened while you had disappeared?"
I looked at Benry with curious eyes as he chuckled softly.
"After you had vanished, Devon stayed at the Old Crow's cottage. He would leave occasionally to hunt down some minor game or search the area for any trace of you. I came for him once and he was so consumed by grief and this desire to find you that he even tried to challenge me."
My eyes widened in shock at the mere thought of Devon challenging our Alpha. Benry let out another gruff chuckle before shaking his head.
"Don't worry, I knew he wasn't in any right mind. Kala was actually the one to get through to him though. She was the only one he would confide in. But even she could not convince him to give up. After speaking with her, he had calmed himself enough to speak with me. He told me that he couldn't give up on you. That until he could find you, he wouldn't be able to help his pack. Reluctantly, I agreed to let him go. And, I'm sure, that despite his need to find you, deep down, Devon felt like he had abandoned his pack."
We both came to a stop as we reached the bluff. As the others approached, Benry nodded for the others to continue to the den. They followed their Alpha's command and as Devon came up behind them, his eyes met mine, briefly. He looked like he wanted to speak, but he stopped himself before following after the others with his eyes on the ground. It took everything in me to stop myself from going after him. Benry let out a sigh and then continued.
"He probably saw this scouting as a means to show his pack that he was still a part of it. As a way to make up for leaving. I'm sure that's why he left you to go off on his own. Well, that, and to protect you so he wouldn't lose you again."
Benry and I watched him together as he stopped just as the other wolves disappeared into the mouth of the cave. Instead of following them, Devon wandered around to the path that led towards Heaven's Gate.
"I never told the pack that Devon had left."
My eyes quickly darted to Benry as he continued.
"Really, I never considered that he had. How could I tell them all that he had abandoned them, when he did the only thing he could think of to help them… I managed to create little cover stories for him, to keep the pack at rest. Kala and the Elders helped as well. Anytime someone had asked where he had gone or why they hadn't seen him, they were told he was on some errand for one of us. That's why the pack was more surprised at your return than his. The pack knew you were gone, not Devon."
Benry looked at me with a soft gaze before touching his nose to my forehead.
"He loves you… Without you, Devon knew he would lose everything. After Corbin, you were the only one he ever loved. He would have fought to his dying breath to find you again."
My gaze followed his bright white figure as it continued upward. This longing in my chest felt like it would break me apart as it continued to build. He was going through the same pain I was. The only thing that kept me going throughout all that time was faith that somehow I would get back to Devon. Even if I had no way of knowing how or if I ever would, without that faith, my heart would have given out long ago.
Benry pulled back and before I could say anything, I caught a glimpse of a smile on his face as he nodded gently. I quickly made my way down the cliffside and then up the slope towards Heaven's Gate. When I made it through the clearing, I saw Devon sitting alongside the smooth stone. His back was to me and I slowly made my way up next to him. His ears twitched as he heard me approach, but he didn't move as I sat beside him.
"Devon…"
He didn't speak and I went to call for him again. He cut me off before I could, his voice soft and sounding broken in a way.
"I waited for you since the moment you disappeared. I cried out for you every night when the moon rose. I abandoned my pack all for the sake of finding you again."
He paused to look at me and I could see the hurt in his eyes.
"After hearing you tell Benry and Kala what had happened, I realized that the human I attacked at the cottage was really you. I attacked you. Realizing that brought so many emotions and thoughts in my mind. What if I had hurt you? Killed you? How would I ever live with myself…"
"Devon, you didn't-"
"And I tried to bury those feelings and emotions inside me. When you had the idea for scouting and mentioned searching the town, I thought I could pretend things were back to normal, like they always had been. But that night, I had this stupid, stupid idea. That if I could do it on my own, it would make up for everything. That way I could protect you and reconcile my actions while you were gone."
Before he could continue, I nuzzled my face into his nape. I caught him off guard and could feel him tense momentarily. I felt him relax as he returned the gesture.
"You didn't abandon your pack, Devon. Benry knew you'd come back."
He jumped slightly and started stammering, but I licked his muzzle to calm him.
"Benry told me everything… You were suffering just as I was. I know how that pain feels and I wanted nothing more than to get back to you to ease my own. So, I understand why you did what you did. Benry did, too. But, Devon, what happened when I changed back to a human, that was all my fault. I should have listened to you in the first place. You reacted how anybody would. You had no way of knowing that was me. I never resent you for it."
I forced myself as close to him as I could and he embraced me as well. I could feel the relief radiating off of him and I sighed with content. I pulled back slightly to meet his icy blue eyes. The look of hurt was gone, now replaced with a glow of warmth. I caught something bright reflecting in them as I looked up into the sky. The moon glowed brightly down upon us and I felt Devon move closer to me.
"You asked me if I wanted to be separated from you," Devon started softly as we both gazed up at the moon, "And it couldn't be farther from it. I know what I want, Abby… I want to see our pack grow strong again. More importantly, I want to spend every minute of my life at your side… No matter what we face, until the Golden Moon calls me home."
I felt my heart skip a beat and I couldn't help but run my muzzle along his and bury my face into his fur. I felt him lick the top of my head and I pulled back to press my head against his.
"From now on, we will do it together, okay? No matter what."
He nodded shortly and then pulled me back against him. We stayed there for a while until we heard footsteps approaching. We both turned and saw Benry coming up into the clearing. He came to sit at my side.
"Glad to see you two worked things out," he chuckled gruffly. "Now, we can make our plans for the future. We have a lot to discuss."
"Well, our scouting trip was unsuccessful to say the least," Devon sighed with a tone of annoyance at himself.
"Not entirely…"
Devon and Benry both looked at me with a questioning gaze.
"Despite everything, I think we may have found an ally… Elevie was the one who told me where to find Devon. I think… She may be able to help us."
"Who's Elevie?"
I turned to look up at Devon and explained what had happened when I thought I lost him. About how Elevie had given me her grandmother's book to send me back, along with the note for the spell to save Devon. When I had finished I noticed the look of shock on Devon's face. It was understandable. considering what I had just told him, and I went back to discuss further with Benry. But Devon cut me off.
"There was a girl… She was there when I was captured… Do you think she's the same? The Crow's granddaughter?" He continued when I nodded softly. "And you think we should trust her?"
"I think we can," I started, roaming my eyes from Devon back to Benry, "She helped me save Devon, twice now, and hasn't given me a reason not to trust her. I think it's worth the shot… Considering our options."
None of us spoke for a moment and I began to try to recall my idea when Devon rose to his feet.
"I trust Abby. If she feels this young Crow can help us, I'm with her."
A feeling of pride built up within me. I turned just as Benry rose to stand at my other side. I rose to my feet to join them and met Benry's powerful gaze.
"We'll convene with the Elders…," he started softly, "I'm thinking it's worth looking into. However, we should still err on the side of caution…"
He slowly began to walk away from us and a strange feeling washed over me. I saw his feet begin to stagger as he came to a stop.
"Leader Benry… Are you-"
Before I could finish my sentence, Devon and I watched in horror as Benry collapsed on the ground. We rushed to him and my eyes widened with fear as he began choking out labored breaths, blood running from his nose. Devon rushed to get the Elders as I sat by his side, whining and running my muzzle up and down his neck.
"Abigail," he choked out, causing me to look down at him, "Help me up."
I nodded vigorously, using my body to support him. I managed to get him upright, his weight still pressing down on me as I held him there. He gasped suddenly and then his breathing slowly went back to a normal rhythm. He choked a bit before nodding to me that he was stable now.
"Leader Benry-"
"We have much to discuss," he wheezed out as he still tried to get control of his breathing.
I nodded lightly and watched as Devon returned with the Elders coming up behind him. Our eyes locked in fear. I didn't know what was going to happen next, but the unmistakable fear pooled in my belly and brought tears to my eyes.