Arctic Pack (Living in a Pack book two)

Chapter Three: Memories

"You're best friend?" Dylas questioned.

"Of course he's my best friend, what did you think I didn't have friends before I met you guys or something." I snorted. Dylas sighed, shaking his head.

"No." He muttered under his breath. He looked at me guilt in his eyes. "I'm
Sorry."

"Don't apologize to me apologize to Theo, he's the one you attacked."

"I'm sorry Theo." Dylas said extending his hand towards Theo. Theo smiled and took it, shaking it.

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Dylas said smiling back.

"Alright." I grinned and threw an arm around each of their shoulders pulling them in for a hug. "My two favourite guys in the entire world have finally met." Theo grinned back at me and pulled away from my hug.

"We've got a lot of catching up to do." He said walking forward and motioning for me to follow. "Common I know where we can go, and you might as well bring wolf boy with you." Theo then shifted into his arctic fox shape and took off down the street once more. I laughed to myself as I watched the direction he ran in, I knew exactly where he was headed. I shifted along with Dylas and took off after Theo.

After about a half hours run that took us out of town we skidded to a halt at the mouth of a small cave. I walked excitedly towards the cave but Dylas grabbed my hand making me stop and look back at him. His face was full of uneasiness and worry.

"Should we really be going in their ?" He asked sounding unsure. "I mean who knows what could be living in there."

"It's okay trust me." I grasped his hand tighter and pulled him towards me, walking towards the cave. I noticed Theo's fox ears twitch out of the corner of my eye, and I turned my head slightly to look at him. I saw the realization sink in on his face and I knew instantly that he had guessed that me and Dylas were mates. Poor Dylas, he was about to go through a very hard test, he needed to get the approval of my best friend.

Theo caught up with us and we all walked into the cave together.  The initial part of the cave was small. It was dark and damp inside, and over all pretty empty. Towards the back of the cave their was a small opening, only wide enough for one person to fit through at a time. A small wooden box lay on the floor next to the opening in the cave, the words flashlights scratched into the wooden cover. Theo flipped open the cover and pulled out three small flashlights handing one to each of us. Dylas looked at it confusedly and started to ask a question but decided not to. Instead he flicked on the flashlight. Theo turned his on too and walked through the gap in the cave wall. I followed behind him and Dylas came last.

The gap in the wall lead to a short tunnel. It wasn't very wide, just wide enough to be able to turn around but not wide enough for two people two walk next to each other. The walls were both jagged and smooth, it varied in different spots and the floor was even with only a few small pebbles were scattered about it. After walking for only about two minutes the tunnel suddenly opened up into a large cave.

"Wow" Dylas said coming in behind me and shining his flashlight around the cave. Theo walked over to the side of the cave and flicked the switch on a medium sized battery that lay up against the wall of the cave. Two or three strings of small light bulbs that lined the cave wall suddenly came on, dimly lighting up the large cave.

"I guess it needs to be recharged." Shrugged Theo, "I mean I haven't been here in a while." I patted him on the back.

"Then we'll have to start using it again won't we." I grinned at him.

"Was this place your club house or something?" Dylas asked gazing around the cave. Me and Theo both nodded.

"Who needs a tree house when you can have an epic secret cave?"

Dylas grinned at me and I took it as him agreeing with me. He walked off to explore the cave a bit. I walked along the walls of the cave. They were covered in drawings, posters, and pictures that me and Theo had taped up there as kids. I stopped in front of some pictures, they were slightly dusty so I brushed it off. I examined one picture. It was of me and Theo. we were young, about five maybe, and we were standing in the backyard of my house covered in snow. I could remember it like it was yesterday. It'd snowed heavily the night before and when we woke up the snow was perfect for building, so naturally we both built forts and had a huge snowball fight, in the end we couldn't decide on a winner so decided to call it a tie and went inside for hot chocolate.

I turned to examine another picture. It was a picture of Me in polar bear form giving Theo a piggy back ride. It was the first time I shifted, not counting when I was born. I shifted before him and he'd forced me to give him a ride on my back because he thought it wasn't fair that I had shifted before him.

The third picture was of the two of us in animal form. Theo was standing underneath me, laughter in his eyes and I just looked annoyed.

I turned from the pictures and wandered over to a corner in the cave. It held a set of bunk beds that were pretty small now. I remembered the sleepovers we used to have here when we were old enough. Our parents wouldn't let us first but after we shifted for the first time they eventually agreed but I knew they still came to check on us during the night.

There were boxes of toys and things scattered around the cave, as well as books and other things. This place was our hangout spot our whole lives, up until my parents died anyway. I felt a fresh wave of pain when I remembered their deaths. I didn't only lose them that day, but I lost my home too, and my friend. Although Theo and his family had offered me to come stay with them I couldn't. I needed to do as my parents asked, what they thought best for me. I'd tried to convince Theo and his family to come too but they couldn't leave their home. Theo had made me promise to write to him and call him as soon as I got settled in enough to do so, but of course that never happened. I'd managed to call him when I first arrived in Toronto and tell him I'd be in touch more sooner, once I found my pack and got comfortable, but of course I never got a chance to do that. All because of Scarlet.

Theo and Dylas approached me from across the cave. Breaking me from my thoughts

"So ready to do some catching up?" Theo asked. "You haven't told me why you decided to come back yet. Or why you brought your whole pack back with you."

"Alright" I smiled and grabbed him and Dylas by a hand each dragging them to the couch that was up against one of the cave walls. We all sat down and I turned towards Theo. "Basically," I began, "this is what happened."