The Last Spirit Wolf (Elena Norwood)

-Vera-

The next morning rolls along and once again, I feel as if I have not rested at all. I stretch on the bed, realizing I didn't even have time to change out of my clothes last night. Quickly. I head into the bathroom to throw some water on my face and change out of my clothes. I choose today's outfit carelessly, as we will be running in our beast forms again. "Vera?" Someone calls for me outside my tent.

"Coming!" I yell as I finish putting on my shirt, this time without a hoodie or sweater.

The further away we get from the Castle, the nicer the weather gets. The mountains behind the Castle always give the air around the Castle an unmistakable chill, but now that we are closer to Wolf territory, the weather is a lot more like summer. When I step out of the tent, Arlo is sitting on one of the beds, waiting for me.

"Good morning," he says, "we didn't want to wake you, but we almost have to go and you haven't had anything to eat. Here," he says, handing me something wrapped up in a cloth.

It's a sort of sandwich and my mouth waters at the smell.

"What time is it?"

"Just past sunrise," he says.

So, it must be around six A.M; it's already later than we had intended on leaving.

As we step out of the larger tent, I notice the guys are outside, putting out a fire they had lit up with some dry wood from the surrounding forest.

"Is everybody already up?" I ask.

"Yeah, you're the only one who decided to sleep in," Ezra says, teasing me.

Arlo rolls his eyes.

"Don't listen to him, he's just teasing you."

I blush at this. Honestly, this news takes me by surprise; it wasn't my intention to sleep this long.

"Did you guys keep watch last night?" I say, nodding at the extinguished fire.

"Yeah, we took turns," Ryker says, kicking some more dirt onto the dry wood.

"You could've woken me up." I say, unwrapping my sandwich and taking a bite out of it.

"We wanted to let you sleep; it seems only fair since once we get to the pack house you'll be taking over the mission on your own," Arlo says. I give him a look.

"Ezra filled us in. We need to be prepared for anything; it's kinda hard if you don't know what the mission really is," he shrugs his shoulders. "I'm just surprised I slept through all of this, I'm usually a light sleeper," I say, wiping my mouth and taking another bite off my sandwich. "Yeah, I tried waking you up for dinner, too, but you didn't respond. We figured the journey. really wore you down."

I frown.

Sure, it took a toll on me, just like everyone else, but not for me to pass out like this.

I finish eating my meal, contemplating whether I should get some tests done when I get to the Pack House. I could be vitamin deficient because never before had I been this tired. "Let's get ready to go," Ezra says.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Everyone, including me, step inside the tent once again to collect our things.

I transform into my wolf and sling my bag over my shoulder in the privacy of Noah's tent.

Soon, we are all gathered outside and everything inside and outside the camp is just as we found it. Nobody would even know we were here.

We begin running in formation again, with Ezra taking the lead. Ryker and Colt flanking him to either side, Emmet and Rowan a few feet away from Ryker and Colt, and Arlo at the back with me. The formation is a rectangle with me at the center, just in case anything were to happen.

After running only a few minutes, I feel the exact moment when our paws touch wolf territory; I feel the exact moment when I'm back in the forest.

I'm elated.

The joy I feel as I once again feel the warmth of my home is incredible. I had never experienced this forest in my wolf form, and it's a whole different experience; the trees themselves seem to welcome me home. There is no resistance, no coaxing this forest to show me anything, no need to even use my magic actively.

It is the feeling of utter and complete belonging.

Immediately. I am shown visions of everything immediately around us and further down. I can even see the pack house even if we are still very far away.

Then, another vision.

A group of scouts that usually guard the perimeter are patrolling only a few miles away from us; without even thinking. I begin to run faster. In fact, I'm running at full speed, leaving the guys and the formation behind.

Ezra and everyone else have to really start running now to keep up with me, but I can't help it.

This is it.

I'm finally home.

I see the scouts raise their noses to sniff the air, finally catching on to our presence. Immediately, they begin running in our direction, tails straight, ears up, and snouts snarling.

Of course, they don't know I am here. Surely, the smell of the lycans accompanying me hide my smell.

After only a few miles, I hear a wolf howling in the distance, a clear threat to any trespasser.

But I'm no ordinary trespasser.

After running some more, I finally *feel* the wolves getting closer.

*Are they lycan? They smell lycan,* I hear in my head.

Oh, Goddess.

*They definitely are, boy. Keep close, you're about to have a heck of a first day. Everyone. surround the clearing before they get here! They're coming in fast.*

*Thomas? I think, recognizing his voice.

It takes him by surprise, I can see it in my vision.

He pauses and looks around, confused.

"Did you guys hear that?" He thinks.

They all nod, also confused.

"Guys! It's me!* I scream in my head, getting closer and closer to them, my paws hurting from running this fast and for this long, but I can't stop myself. My tail is wagging, my wolf is smiling. and we are running faster than the wind. *...Vera?* Thomas finally recognizes my voice.

Before I can answer him, I am at the clearing where they had stopped to wait for us, charging at them.

Everyone is staring at me, dumbfounded. The wolves that had gone to surround the clearing stopped in their tracks and are staring at me, too, watching me quickly approach.

*Oh, Goddess, Vera!* I hear Thomas.

He runs to meet me at the center of the clearing, and we both jump at each other playfully. Soon, all the other wolves are joining in and I hear them all in my head.

*Vera! Is that really you?*

*Whoah! She's a white wolf!*

*I had never seen eyes like those!*

After jumping and pawing each other, all the scouts have gathered around me and are asking all sorts of questions,

*Where have you been? We've missed you at training!*

*How come you can turn now? And what's with your eyes?*

*Have you come back for good?*

All the questions cease when my companions come into the clearing.

Ezra and the others look incredibly tired, I can see it took a lot for them to reach me. Just how fast was I going?

Thomas steps in front of me, protectively, and so do the others.

"It's okay! They're with me..."

Just as I'm about to explain, another voice comes into my head. *Vera?!*