Demonstar: Das Erwachen

Chapter 13 : Pegasus Wolf

I could hear him behind me, getting closer. I wasn't afraid of him, but I figured it would be fun to have him chase me. I kept running till I came to clearing. A bunch of wolves looked up from what they were doing, startled by my sudden appearance. I saw Wolfin and ran to her, and the mystery wolf burst from the trees just as I reached her. As soon as he saw who I was standing next to, he stopped and dropped to his stomach. Wolfin looked at him, then me, then back at him, and finally she snarled. He didn't move from his spot, just whined. Once Wolfin was sure he wasn't going to attack me, she diverted her attention back to me.

"Why are you teasing my wolves?" she asked.

I could tell there was amusement in her voice.

"I think the real question is: Why is your wolf chasing me?" I retorted smugly.

Wolfin looked to her wolf, then back to me.

"The angels aren't supposed to be in the forest. This area is off limits to all but Rashel and her pack. We prefer it that way, and so do they; none of us have to see each other. He did not realize who you are," she told me.

"Wait, so you guys don't have anything to do with the Wolf Clan in general anymore?" I asked.

She shook her head, then explained, "Ever since the night most of my pack were killed, we've tried to stay away from your kind. Since Rashel and hers were slaves at one point, they understand us more. That's why we have a treaty with them."

Some of the other wolves began to circle around us. I recognized most of them as they came up to greet me. They rubbed their heads against me in greeting, but the younger wolves were a bit more cautious of me, as was understandable.

"After you were sealed away and my wolves were slaughtered, we retreated to sanctuary," Wolfin explained patiently, watching her pack with a motherly gaze. "The few of your kind that were injured or had children, we took with us. We retreated to the mountainside throughout Switzerland. We were able to live there for many years, until the ones we gave sanctuary to decided to change sides. They gave Sakura our location, and as I'm sure you could guess, Angelic and a bunch of her cronies showed up."

She laid down in the grass, resting her head on her paws. The other wolves either laid down or playfully nipped at one another. Looking at the pack was heart breaking—so few remained from before. I sat down next to Wolfin and laid back, letting my upper back and head rest against her side.

"The enjoyment they had while killing my family was horrific. It showed me how cruel your kind truly are," she confessed. "Most of my adults that are still here were injured from the fighting. They had us cornered, alongside the few pups we had been able to protect. I stood ahead of them, ready to defend my family no matter what. That was when the white wolf appeared at my side."

"Alec?" I questioned.

She nodded, saying, "He brought the pack with him. The werewolves' company turned the tide of the fight. Though we had won, we had also lost. The casualties were far too high for us to easily recover from."

"How did Alec know, though? You weren't in contact with the Brotherhood Pack, were you?"

She gave a soft smile and said, "Neko."

I should have guessed.

"He found out what the Lion Clan was doing and sought out the werewolves," she explained. "They were willing to come to my aid, as was Nightwish. She had just started learning medicine at the time and bandaged my wolves. Those she could save, she did. As payment for Alec's help, we agreed to help locate Rashel. It took many years, but we were finally able to make good on that debt. After Rashel was freed and healthy again, she approached us and offered us refuge here. From there, it was set that we would live in the forest, where only the wolves would travel."

I placed my hand in her paw, and she tightened it around my hand.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts, then said softly, "I'm sorry about your wolves, Wolfin. I never meant for them to be slaughtered the way they were. Had I known-"

"I never blamed you for what happened. You helped me long ago, and we formed an alliance. You have always treated us as equals. War is war; killing and death are inevitable."

There was commotion from some of the trees beside us. We both stood quickly, ready for what was coming. A little red-and-blue wolf ran out of the trees with a few other wolves following close behind. The red and blue wolf ran to Wolfin and hid behind her legs.

"Making friends again, I see, Moonshine. What have you done now?" Wolfin asked, amused.

The wolf just put her ears back and lowered herself to the ground.

"Allow me to introduce you to my daughter, Moonshine. She likes to get into trouble," Wolfin said, moving away from her daughter.

That was when I noticed Moonshine had no wings.

"She's your daughter?" I asked, then stated plainly, "She has no wings."

"No, she doesn't, but she may grow them later. If she lives long enough," Wolfin said the last part with some threat in her voice, causing the little wolf to cower. She turned her attention back to me, asking, "So, what are you doing here anyway, Demonstar? Aren't you training your new pup?"

"I guess he's at school—so are Rashel and Katla," I explained, pulling a face. "So, I'm kind of bored right now. They don't get home till sometime in the afternoon. I'm also nervous about going to Nightwish's house tonight, because Kyo's an idiot, and if he says something stupid, I don't think I'll be able to stop her killing him."

"Let's walk together," she suggested.

We headed through the trees and talked about things that had happened and things we hoped would happen. After a while, we ended up outside the forest and back in Rashel's backyard.

"Rashel should be getting home soon. It would be good for you to greet her when she arrives."

With that, Wolfin turned and began to walk back into the woods.

I stopped her, calling out, "Wolfin, I understand why you and your wolves live in hiding, but just so you know, as long as I'm here, I'll never let them hurt your wolves again. I miss you living with us, as you did before."

She looked at me for a long moment, evaluating, before she said in a measured tone, "That's not a promise you can keep. You won't always be around to protect us, Star. Many will die when this war resumes, and you could very easily be one of them. So could Rashel, Katla, or I; none of us are safe, but staying in the woods until you need us gives the small number of us who do still live a chance to survive. I don't want to lose another child. Seeing Okami die was hard enough."

She let her last words hang in the air between us, and I could see how much it still pained her.

"Have fun with your sister, Demonstar."

With that, Wolfin disappeared into the forest, leaving me alone.