The Blood in Our Veins

Chapter Eighteen - The Resistance

- SINDRI'S POV -

As soon as he said my brother's name, I knew that he lied. He was dead. On that very day he had fallen under my blade. My pack attacked fiercely, never letting up, never slowing. Not one of them was harmed. The horses had dumped their riders on the ground and fled in terror. I watched, wanting to see how the event would unfold. Then, to my surprise, the one called Ryon stood still. Despite the teeth penetrating his armor, he didn't fight back. He raised a fist. I gasped, for dangling from it was a necklace. From that necklace hung an emerald leaf.

I raised a hand and the wolves retreated into the forest. I moved forward hesitantly. That couldn't have been mine. I had lost it when I was with Farnoff. Ryon extended his open hand to me. I carefully took the piece of jewelery from him and examined it closely. I turned it over. On the back was an inscription. It read:

To our dearest Sindri. You will live forever in our hearts.

I remembered the day my parents had given that to me. It had been on my tenth birthday. I was mad because Tristan had eaten my entire cake before I had even gotten a single bite. I almost smiled at the memory. A single tear fell from me and onto the green pendant. The three men seemed utterly lost. Even if they were lying about my twin, they had to know Grace or Dimitri in order to acquire my well-loved possession. I looked up.

"Let's go." David looked to me in shock.

"You actually expect us to journey there on foot?" he asked.

"Who said anything about walking?" I turned around and gave two short whistles. In moments, four wolves emerged, Kian among them. I gracefully swung myself onto her back and looked to the boys expectantly. At first, they seemed skeptical, but soon we were all riding back to my part of the valley. We came to the clearing and an older male brought me a small bundle resting in a deerskin pouch. I lifted it from his teeth and thanked him. Looking into the bag, a pair of little hands reached up and grabbed my fingers.

"Did you miss me?" I asked Lani. She stuck my forefinger in her nose. I quickly withdrew my hand. "I'll take that as a yes." Bubbles erupted from her mouth as she giggled hysterically. I smiled and slung the pack across my body. After wiping my daughter's boogers on the helmet of Ethan, we headed down the mountain.

Just before nightfall, we emerged from the trees at the top of a steep hill. Below us was an enormous grouping of white wool tents. People could be seen running around doing various things. The three comrades trotted forward, then stopped when they realized that I wasn't following.

"Aren't you coming?" Ethan asked. I shook my head.

"This is as far as I go. The forest is my home. I'm not about to abandon it." I said. The three didn't move. "Pick me up in the morning, okay?" They all seemed satisfied. In a moment they had dismounted and began jogging to the camp. I watched them go. As soon as they reached the outskirts of the area, I walked back to the woods with my four pack members. Together we cleared a small area and collected fire wood. Lani lay asleep, snuggled into the side of Kian. I smiled and curled up nearby. Soon enough, I fell asleep.

*****************

I sat upon Kian watching the camp begin to stir. I had been awake long before the sun rose, as I had grown accustomed to doing. It was somewhat foggy, so my view of the ground was slightly blurred. I paced, waiting for someone to come. After a while, I made a game up. Whenever someone went east, I flicked Kian on the nose. Whenever someone went west, she would lick my ear. We both hated the game. Luckily for me, most of the time people would walk east. I giggled as yet again, I flicked her nose. Kian growled at me.

"Eh, shut up.  That's how you play the game." I laughed. She suddenly shook me off. Less than a second later, I felt a horrible, warm, wet thing slide into my ear. I squealed when I realized what had happened. I glared at her. She blew out a huff of air, reminding me of what I had said only moments before. "Not cool, Kian. Not cool."

I climbed back on, gaining a better view of my surroundings. At the foot of the hill stood Ethan. He gestured for me to come down and I nodded on response. I whistled and soon I was riding down the hill with Lani in my arms and my three other wolves on both sides. Once at the bottom, I noticed Ethan staring.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get over that." He responded, gesturing to my group. I shrugged.

"Lead on, Buddy." Together, we walked to the largest tent, stationed in the center of camp. He turned around sharply.

"This is our command center. One of the two most important people in Arkenon is inside with some of our higher generals. Mind your manners and remember to be respectful." Ethan said. I held in a laugh. He didn't have to remind me. I had grown up with those rules drilled into my head. That didn't mean I always followed them...

Ethan pulled open the flap to the inside and walked in. I heard his muffled voice through the fabric. "We found the Maiden of the Pack as you requested, sir. She is more powerful than we expected."

"All the better. We need as much strength as we can get." an authoritative voice replied. It seemed oddly familiar. I hadn't heard it in a long time. I couldn't have been right. It was impossible. The entrance opened once more. Kian and I went in first, followed by the others. The light was dim, but I could see easily. I focused on a black-haired boy and gasped. His eyes were a bright, shining amber.

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Ha ha! SURPRISE!! Caught you off guard, didn't I? If you don't know what I'm talking about, you may need to see a doctor and have your brain checked. I'm serious. You're probably a little slow. No offence. :)  Anyways, READ ON, MY LITTLE PEOPLE!!

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