Once Upon A Fae

Chapter 29(cont)

"I shall be telling this with a sigh   
Somewhere ages and ages hence:   
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-   
I took the one less traveled by,   
And that has made all the difference."

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Chapter 29(cont)

Faith scavenged the kitchen looking for anything that survived the destruction. Pulling out miscellaneous snacks that needed no preparation. The coffee maker was in pieces, but at the back of the pantry was a dented percolator that though it had seen better days was still in working order. Taking her finds into the living room she started the coffee warming in the fire before she approached the sleeping pup on the couch.

"Asa, it's time to wake up." Gently shaking the male Faith called his name again. "Asa."

The teen jerked upright looking around blindly. His heartbeat kept a frantic pace in the sleeping silence of the house. Reaching out, Faith placed a calming hand on his arm.

"Hush Asa, your safe. It's Faith. We're back at the house."

Taking deep breaths in, Asa stilled. Gripping Faith's hand tightly, he turned his damaged eyes to the sound of her voice.

"What has happened? Where is everyone?" Asa's graveled voice queried.

"Our shelter caved in, Asa. The males had to dig us out."

"Was anyone injured?"

Sadness overwhelmed Faith at his question. She did not wish to tell the fragile pup that they had lost the two other teens from his pack. That they had been crushed beneath the earth and left to die alone in the darkness. How much more could this young male take before he broke?

"Faith? Are you still here? Just tell me. I need the truth." The ravaged voice became a graveled whisper as tears that could never fall clogged his throat.

"We lost the teens at the front." Tears began to stream down Faith's cheeks as she looked at Asa. "They all perished. Only the young are still with us."

"I have failed my pack. I am the Alpha heir of what?" Asa screamed. "I rule nothing but ghosts and corpses. Why? Why am I not with them?" Dry sobs racked his body as he tore at his hair.

"You have failed nothing, pup."

Faith turned towards the doorway. The males had returned. The council's man walked into the living room followed by the higher ranking males. Lines of grief and guilt were etched upon their normally stoic faces. Each male being crushed under the weight of responsibility. Shiraz walked over to Faith and Asa and kneeled down beside the couch.

"Alpha heir of the Solaris Pack, it is not you who has failed your followers. It is I." Taking the pup's hand into his own, the vampire squeezed tightly. "You have persevered  in the harshest of settings, keeping as many of the young safe as you could. While my men and I have failed at the most basic of our duties.  We are supposed to be warriors. Our only purpose in life to protect those that cannot protect themselves. I have failed all of you and I will carry that burden unto Shoal."

Each word was a vow to the young alpha teen. A promise that he would never allow such a failure to happen again. He would go to Shoal before allowing another innocent to perish. Faith held back a sob at the warrior's impassioned speech. The cold from his desolate soul sending goosebumps along her arms.