Arch 1
Chapter 8
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"BARLOWE SO HELP ME I WILL TURN THIS VAN AROUND AND LEAVE YOU BACK IN THE CAVE!" Stormy bellowed, because this is what it had been exactly five minutes after they had gotten to the road. It had been about an hour now, and they still had almost four to go.
"What witchcraft makes this metal dragon move?" Eira asked Max, still confused about how, exactly, the higher mechanics of vehicles worked. They were curled into each other at the back of the van, lying down on blankets Stormy had thought to bring, Eira's head tucked safely under Max's chin as he stroked her hair. The other two wolves, both male bodyguards and scouts, sat positioned in the fold-down seats behind Stormy and Barlowe.
"None at all." Max laughed indulgently. "It's all science. When we get back, you can start learning all different things."
"…What if I cannot learn it? What if I am too-"
"Don't you even go there." he said, the closest to "severe" as he had ever gotten with her. "The only reason you don't know is because you were never taught. For instance, when you got out of the white room, how did you get out?"
"I plotted a course out in my head. The approximate distance between me and the window, how many times I would need to bounce off the walls, the arch that would be needed to hit with enough force to shatter the glass…"
"Eira, that's math."
"…It is?"
"Yes. And you did that without any practice."
Yes. she thought. But I was not fully me. What if it was not even me doing that…but her?
She was happy Max couldn't see her face right then.
It was true, she had to gauge distance many a time when she was on her own, in the wild…but she'd lost complete control all that time. Other Eira had been at the helm, just like she had been when Eira had first been captured, feral. That was one downfall of Other Eira, though. She relied solely on strength. And while she was stronger, she was unable to fully access Eira's more magical abilities; it was a trade-off. In such a state, for example, she was only able to transform into the most vicious of the animals any vampire could turn into, the wolf. She could not access Eira's full shape shifting abilities, or turn into smoke. If Eira had been in control, she, in reality, could have escaped much more easily.
Maybe she is not so great as she thinks. Eira thought. Or perhaps…our fighting is what causes it?
Still, that made her no less queasy about having to tell Max about her, which she knew she did. She didn't even fully know if Other Eira really was some dark part of her, or someone else entirely. She'd just have to tell him what she knew-but in private. He had said she needed to go to the doctor to make sure she was healthy…maybe they could provide some answers.
And there still was the matter of getting the thing that made her brain hurt out.
Eira hadn't realized she'd fallen to sleep until she realized Max was gently trying to rouse her. She opened her eyes blearily.
"Max?"
"Nice to have you back, sleepy head. We're here, we're home! Claron wouldn't dare attack you here, You're safe. Welcome to Moon Down."
She rubbed her eyes to clear them, looking out the window, and it was…not at all what she expected.
A grand, wrought iron (not to be confused with Cold Iron, a substance reviled by the supernatural and/or magical world at large) gate with the likeness of a howling wolf on it, standing proudly in relief against a full moon, automatically opened as Stormy pressed a button on her keys, driving through, and pressing them again to close them behind her as they drove up the long, winding drive, the salt-and-pepper colored gravel crunching almost soothingly under the tires. There seemed to be endless acres of verdant green grass, many, many houses spread out across it, off shoots from the main drive snaking their way to and from them. A high stone wall made of different color flag stone appeared to encompass it all, with no other barriers like fences within, except around the many gardens, in order to protect them, and a spacious pen with a barn and stables attached that was rife with horses and ponies. She saw cats and dogs walking around freely, and a few oddities (so long as they couldn't be killed by the cats and dogs) thrown in; she absolutely, 100% saw a capybara curled up with a dog in the sun. It made sense. What had they to fear? She could see that somewhere far in the distance, the rolling green gave way to rich, dense, dark, deciduous forest, the trees of which, though the leaves had changed to the yellows and oranges and violent reds of cold weather, had not shed them. Eira figured they must have been magicked so that the pack had cover when wolves all year round. There was another large structure that seemed to be reinforced that she could not discern the use for. She must have been staring contemplatively, because Max interjected.
"That's for the wolves who don't have control yet, so they don't hurt another wolf or eat someone's cat."
She also noticed that, no matter how far back the house was, each had their resident(s) out in front of it, their heads dropped low, and they were down on one knee.
"Why are they doing that?" Eira sked.
"Out of respect. They know this auspicious Chevrolet Van holds members of the alpha family, as well as the one who will be the Crowned Alphess-you."
"But-I am not even a wolf."
"It doesn't matter. I'm the Alpha Heir, and you are my mate. I will lead the pack one day, and you will be by my side. Plus, you can still turn into a wolf, regardless. You can just do it whenever you want. And it doesn't hurt you. If you ask me, that's a way more efficient way to turn into a wolf." he frowned. "I do wish I could have had you in something other than my shirt for your big entrance, though."
They stopped only when they came to the largest house, right in the center of the property. It was apparent that the other houses-still two-story (not counting the attics and basements) though not quite so big-were modeled after the spacious main house. It had four levels-again, not counting the basement and attic-and was made of beautiful reclaimed wood in varying colors that erred on the brighter side, with light gray, brown, tan, and white, with a few darker browns and greys thrown in to break it up. It had a majestic wrap around porch that completely enclosed the house, and turned into balconies as they went up, with windows in them that could be opened or closed, each one screened. There were chairs and such set up on each level, as well as a few heating and cooling units in each for comfort.
"Park the car, boys." Stormy said, tossing them the keys before leading Max, Eira, and Barlowe back inside.
The door they entered through a heavy and dark cherry oak door, polished to perfection with a golden doorknob. The inside of the house was the same reclaimed throughout, except for the doors on the rooms; all of those were the same as the front door, and all the knobs and handles were gold as well. It was big, but it still looked like a home. It looked lived in, with blankets thrown haphazardly over the back of chairs and the sofa in the living room, which had a brick fireplace with beanbag chairs placed in a semi-circle in front of it, and coffee cups with sayings like "Over The Hill" and "Don't Talk to Me Yet" painted on them turned over in the drying rack by the sink alongside cereal bowls and silverware.
"MOM! DAD! I'M HOME!" Max called happily.
There was a split-second of deathly silence before a two-person stampede made its way down the stairs. It was immediately apparent who Max took most after, which was his mother. She had the same wavy dark hair and eyes, full lips, and bronzed skin, though she was approximately average height. His altitude he clearly got from his father. He had very deep auburn hair that was currently slicked back and forest green eyes as deep as the woods towards the back of the property. They threw their arms around their son.
"It's good to have you home, son. We were so worried." Max's dad said gently, backing up with a smile.
His mother, however…
She stepped back a few steps, smiling…and then stretched up and smacked Max in the back of the head.
"DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED ABOUT YOU I WAS I NEARLY HAD HEART ATTACKS EVERY FIVE SECONDS YOUR UNCLE HAD TO PUT A DAMN HEART MONITOR ON ME!"
Ok. So it was apparent that Max also got his temperament from his dad as well.
He reached back and squeezed Eira's hand with a reassuring smile before she could get mad.
"Well, as you can see, I had very good reasons." he said, gently tugging Eira forward. "Mom, Dad. This is Eira."
Eira looked up at them, and she knew they could smell she was nervous. But she wasn't nervous out of fear. They weren't going to hurt her, and even if they had tried, they would be no match for her. She was nervous for a reason she had never been before: she wanted his parents to like her, and she was worried they wouldn't.
Max's father leaned down, taking Eira's hand and kissing it.
"It is a distinct pleasure to meet you, young miss. I am Markus."
He stepped back with a smile, letting his wife greet her.
"And I'm Stella. The pack has been waiting anxiously for your arrival. We're so happy to finally have you here."
Eira smiled a small smile.
"Thank you. I am very happy to be here and meet you all."
"And Barlowe, you'll be honored before moonrise tomorrow, when we introduce our lovely little Eira to the pack."
"Oh, t'was nothin', ma'am."
"I hate to cut the pleasantries short, guys, but…" Max interjected. "I really need Uncle Bear to look at her. We need to make sure she's healthy and there's something Claron put in her head. It needs to be out yesterday."
"No, no. You're quite right. Let me just find-" Markus began, but got cut off by Stormy.
"DAD I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE SOMEWHERE WE NEED YOUR MEDICAL HOODOO STAT!" her voice boomed, echoing around the house.
"…Yes. Thank you, Stormy. I cannot imagine that anyone within a five-mile radius failed to hear that."
"Any time, Uncle Markus."