Fatal Justice

† Chapter Twenty-Six †

Rough roads often lead to the most beautiful destinations. 

When he set out the next day, the wolf followed. 

He wasn't sure what to think of it at first. They obviously kept their distance from each other. He was leading, though, and the wolf just followed wherever he was going. He had to get used to paws following him and he had to remind his nerves to stay calm when a twig snapped. He was so used to defending himself, though he kept a careful eye on the wolf. 

He never quite knew who his enemies were out here. 

By noon, he found himself enjoying the company. He had lived alone for so long, it felt nice to have the company of someone else as he ventured further north. They paused for a drink whenever water was available but other than that, they traveled in silence. 

When night fell once more, he found a giant oak to rest beneath. There was a river nearby, rushing over giant boulders that had fallen down the valley from the mountains above them. Slowly, the land had grown wilder and wilder, less traveled by simple beings. 

It had grown cold, enough to make his paws chilled, and he finally decided to shift. As excruciating as it was, his bones forcefully realigned themselves. He hadn't been human for years and it felt foreign to stand on two legs once again. He paused to allow his head to stop spinning and then he cast a glance around for his companion. 

The wolf was nowhere to be seen. 

A heaviness settled in his chest but he brushed it off. It happened, often. Some rogues would travel together for a few days, hours even, and then they would randomly break off. Disappear. All of which he never saw again. He felt disappointed his companion had taken off so soon, he wanted to at least speak before things ended. Of course, he hadn't used his voice in years, and he wasn't sure his companion was capable of shifting. 

It was dangerous to remain in wolf form for too long. He had been lucky, he hadn't gotten stuck in his wolf's form. He had heard stories of men who could no longer shift, or it would kill them, and he hadn't considered that until now. Though, there had been a few times he had shifted before during the winter to build a fire so he didn't freeze to death, so he supposed that had saved him. 

Shrugging to himself, he set about his task and collected a bunch of dried tree bark, grass stalks, and sticks. He found two flattened pieces of stone from the riverbed and he began clashing the two together. A tiny spark flew from the rocks and landed in the bed of dried grass. Instantly, the spark grew into a tiny flame. Bigger and bigger until he had a decent fire. 

He settled back against the trunk of a tree and relished in the heat of the fire. He only ever built fires when he had no other choice. Tonight, it seemed to be a necessity as the cold bore down on him. He was getting closer to Canada, he knew by how far north he was and the cold that almost never went away. He figured he would have to get used to this since Canada's winters could be the most brutal. 

However, he found himself appreciating the rugged nature around him. It was untainted by greed, untouched by humans, and it was utterly beautiful. He loved to listen to the owls sing their eerie songs at night. He craved for the danger of the unknown, a wild path that his soul trekked, and the rugged land was teasing him. 

As always, he had a lot of time to ponder about who he wanted to be. It had been on his mind often as he had left his obedience once he chose the life of a rogue. No one would control him and in that freedom of choice, he pondered who he wanted to be. His own actions were not repressed, his emotions unsuppressed, and he was ready to spread his tattered wings for the future. Give it everything because he had nothing left to lose.

Each and every time, Rowan came to mind. Rowan had intrigued him from the moment they met. He also remembered Rowan's final words to him, the years of a lonely life had not faded those memories. There had been something different about Rowan and he hadn't figured it out until after they would never see each other again. Rowan had a very interesting way of speaking, it was almost elegant and smooth, like a foreign accent that rolled with grace.

Ever since he decided that he looked up to Rowan, even if in memory, and he adopted the speech pattern. It wasn't purposefully, it just happened unconsciously from how many times he replayed the memories of their interactions in his mind. Rowan was a true Alpha and he would honor that. One day, he had a debt to pay, if he ever found his way back to Norman Pack. 

He was torn from his thoughts when a rabbit was unexpectedly thrown across his legs. 

He startled and his head whipped towards whoever managed to sneak up on him. He sat up to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, but sure enough, his companion was there with bright eyes. The wolf backed away, head lowered, and retreated to the other side of the fire with his own rabbit. He glanced down at the food and back up. The gesture spoke volumes. 

"Why have you been following me?" He rasped. He didn't even recognize his own voice. 

The wolf froze like a deer in headlights before eventually sighing. There had been a full pause of contemplation, all the gears turning in the wolf's mind until he deemed the encounter worth of the effort. In all reality, neither of them had anything to lose.

After a moment of the fire crackling between them, he heard bones breaking and realigning. He winced as he watched the process, it looked extremely painful. His previous question about this wolf being unable to shift was answered. Before too long, a man sat across from him, their appearances just as wild as the forest behind them and telling of a past life that hadn't been perfect. They observed each other.

The man coughed and then spoke, "Does it bother you?" 

He shook his head, "No," Then, he paused, thoughtfully, before saying, "I'm Joel." 

"Fox." 

"A wolf named Fox?" His eyebrows rose. 

Fox narrowed his eyes, "Is that a problem?" 

He leaned back, lips twitching, "No, not at all." 

It was silent between the two men. Eventually, they stopped staring each other down, and they devoured their meals. He was grateful, he hadn't even considered food tonight, but Fox had already been thinking of it. Someone had his back, he definitely wasn't used to that. 

He had to admit, he could definitely get used to the company as a permanent thing. They sat at the fire together after eating and shared its warmth. Their words may have been few but there was enough spoken in the silence that he didn't feel the need to pry. He could sense pain, especially when Fox would occasionally stare off into the distance. He knew that look. 

He turned his gaze into the sky, a few stars twinkling from behind dark clouds, and he exhaled.

"I followed you because you cared." 

He almost jumped, unused to hearing voices speak. He looked at Fox across the fire but the man had already turned around, laying down for the night. There was no discussion to be had, Fox had said the words with finality; answering his first question from earlier with brutal truth.

He was left in stunned silence. 

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Oh, my heart. I love these two. 

I am so excited to progress through these early stages and begin forming their brotherhood. This scene came out so much better than I had first imagined, I still feel my heart skipping its beat. And yes, Fox is one that we can trust.