The Wolf of the Wilds

The Gift

There was a noticeable tension during the rest of the summit. The wolves seemed to huddle closer together; faces were sombre. On the couple of occasions that Helena caught sight of the alpha Boa, he was scowling or spitting like the nasty little rodent that he was. But seeing him suffer brought her joy though, so not all things were bad.

On the final day of the summit there was to be a celebration dance with a lavish meal, music and entertainers. From what Helena had heard it was supposed to be an amazingly fun event, where lovers kissed and danced, and old friends laughed. But of course, she wasn't invited.

No, instead of feasting and having fun, she was shopping for last minute souvenirs that she had forgotten to buy before then. Fortunately, she wasn't alone as Felix had also neglected shopping until now and as an omega he wasn't welcome to the festivities either. Instead they navigated their way through the winding streets of the central Semul market. Waxed clothes hung above to keep the wind and rain away from the merchandise and stalls of all kinds lined the walls.

The pair slipped through the market place, dodging angry hagglers and guarding their belongings from the wandering hands of pickpockets. Felix struggled to keep up with Helena as she deftly waltzed past the crowd. When she paused at the side of a large stall, he reached her and grabbed her sleeve.

"It's so busy!" He said, his eyes wide and staring. Helena grunted in reply; her ears were less than happy with the elevated noise levels.

"That's what we get for leaving souvenir hunting to the last minute. The one here has pretty stuff I think Iona might like," she said, jabbing a thumb towards the stall to their right where a kishi exchanged his goods for various trinkets, coins and foods. "It's probably worth having a look at least."

Felix snuck between two conversing aswangs and started rooting through the selection of delicate trinkets. Helena soon joined him and grabbed a random item from a high shelf. "What've you got?" Felix asked while comparing two decorative hair pins. Helena opened her hand and held the stone carved pendant out to him. It appeared to be some kind of snake, tightly coiled with teeth bared, eyes scratched into the rock like a pair of oversized plates.

Felix pulled a grimace and picked it off her palm. "What is it?" He rolled it between his fingers.

"It is a carving of Nyami Nyami," a smooth deep voice said from above them. Felix looked up to where the kishi was watching them with a pleasant smile, white teeth poking from between his lips.

"What's that?" Felix repeated, this time curiosity replaced scepticism. The handsome man's smile only grew, and his dark eyes seemed to twinkle.

"Nyami Nyami is a river god. He is said to inhabit a large river east from my homeland. The humans once believed that he would give protection in harsh times." He scratched his ear and continued. "There are many stories scattered around about him. I'm not sure how valid those stories are, but I'm not one to disrespect a god."

Felix now regarded the small object with interest and handed it back to Helena. "That's pretty unique actually. Sounds like your kind of thing, Lena. I imagine Iona will like it," he said to her.

"A lovely lady?" The kishi asked, leaning forward, his grin widening. Helena glanced up at the merchant and raised her eyebrow in warning.

"She's a very lovely lady, but I'm afraid she isn't on the menu," she returned playfully to the dark-skinned man. He just began laughing and nodded to her.

"Wolf, I like you. So, do you wish to buy it? I'll even wrap it nicely for you in return for one of those biscuits you've got in that bag of yours." He leant on his elbow and pointed to her side. Helena snorted under her breath and drew out a biscuit and several coins. Placing the sweet treat between his teeth, the kishi turned away for a moment, the face of a hyena now leering down at them, long thin teeth shown off by its grin. When he turned back, he held the little package by the thread of a coloured string.

"Thank you," Helena said with a bow of her head as he dropped it into her palm.

Felix continued hovering at the stall until he finally decided on a pair of red and orange hair pins. He paid, and the pair moved on with their inspection of the market. The omega held the gifts between his fingers, rubbing the surface with the pad of his thumb.

"Do you think she'll like them?" Felix asked cautiously as they exited the busiest part of the market place.

"They're from you. You put time and thought into them. Of course she'll like them," Helena said matter-of-factly. Felix's gaze met the ground and he fell quiet.

Whilst they were there, Helena searched out several rare herbs for her collection, and she bartered for a bottle of fine writing ink. After that they went and picked up Adrian's glasses from the opticians. The beta had paid an awful lot for his new possessions, so the pair were careful to carry them like they were made from delicate china. Lunch soon swung around, and they ate vendor food on a low wall. Helena devoured hers like the ravenous animal she was, but Felix picked at his, all the while holding the hair pins.

"Lena, what do you think of people who fall in love with those who aren't their mates?" he asked in a small voice.

Helena leant back, swinging her legs and watching the people that passed them by. "I don't personally believe there's anything special about mates. I think if you can fall in love despite society saying that you should wait for that perfect one, then your relationship is valid, if not more so, than relationships built purely on physical attraction. No pretences. No societal expectations. And probably a bucket load more actual chemistry."

Felix scrunched up his face and sent her a confused look. "Then why...why did you come with us Montis if you didn't think mates where important?"

Helena shrugged. "I was bored, and Adrian proved himself to not be an absolute arse. I wanted a change, so I took the opportunity. Don't tell this to Adrian of course, the poor man would be devastated. He waited so long..." she said, pausing and then continuing, "I believe that mates are just a side effect of being a wolf. Our noses are keen, and it wouldn't surprise me if we were drawn more strongly to certain scents. Hence why people find more than one mate, why people have so called 'second chance' mates and why, despite being supposedly 'perfect' matches, many mate pairs have little common ground and have dissatisfying relationships. Most would lynch me for saying this, but I honestly don't think it's that special."

Felix smiled down at his hands, a pink hue tinging his cheeks. "So, you think I have a chance? With Iona?"

"I reckon so. You're cute together. Of course, if you continue dancing around each other like spooked pixies then I doubt anything will ever happen, but if you both grow up a little and spoke it out, then I think you would make a fine pair," she commented, watching him with a playful grin.

Felix made an indignant noise and looked at her. When he saw that her amusement, he shook his head. "Geez. You don't sugar-coat anything do you?"

"I merely speak the truth, my dear Felix."

He laughed and tipped his head back, still smiling.

"That makes me feel better though. At least we'll have one ally if everything goes horribly wrong."

"Two. I'm sure I could drag Adrian along with me."

"That's a fair point." He let his words hang in the air for a moment as he seemed to deliberate with himself, his mouth opening and closing several times. "If you don't believe in mates, how do you feel about Adrian? I mean, he's completely head over heels with you, but I'm no good at reading your emotions."

"Oh, I love him," she said softly and without hesitation. There was a smile on her lips as she spoke, a tenderness in her gaze as she looked to Adrian's parcel. "But I don't love him because he's my mate and because he smells a certain way, I love him because he is good. A madman of course, but a wonderful madman all the same."