Wolf Heart

Chapter 20

Planet: Eteran

First Insurgency War

AVA

Their group trudged through the mountainous snowbanks through Eastpoint with the Clearers starting at the outer edges of the town to clear a path onto the highway into Roxton. Flurries bit at their wrists past their gloves. Rayan took the pack to forge a path, bundled with copious amounts of scarfs and hats with spindly bulbs at the end.

Ava followed Rayan's path. Chills crawled through the fabric of her gloves and it stung her nails. Behind her, James tucked himself in the collar of his winter jacket. Snow fluttered at their shoulders with the wind undeterred by the skyscrapers of Eteran's larger cities. Ava grinned behind her scarf when Rayan shivered with an infuriated huff as he tucked his heavy gloved-hands into his pockets. "First time in this type of cold?" she asked.

"You could say that," he said, muffled by multitudes of fabric.

James lagged behind with a small sniff.

"Hey, James," Meryn said. "You've only got a Quad left before graduation. Have you decided to go to Pero?"

"I don't know," James grumbled with an odd glance her way. "I've got a lot I need to think about."

Ava stopped to let her brother fall in step with her. "Dad recommended you. You should take the chance, at least."

"Just because Dad recommended it doesn't mean I have to listen." His brow furrowed into an unseen sneer, but she gazed at the heavy shadows underneath his hazel eyes. "It'd be a Deccan miracle if you stopped listening to him for once." He stomped closer to Rayan, who held out his datapad. "You're not seriously lost, Rayan?"

"Oh, no," Rayan said as he flicked through tabs. "Meryn, have you given thought to what you wanted for your starday?"

"Uh." Meryn brushed the top of his toque. "Can you build a teleporter to my brother? I... want to talk to him after all that's happened in this Quad."

"Phasers don't count?" James asked.

"Too much distance for a phaser." Meryn pouted. "So, no teleporter?"

"Sorry, Meryn," Rayan replied. "Would if I could."

Meryn threw his hands into his coat pockets and jut out his lower lip. "It's the thought that counts." He shrugged his shoulders and bounced along Rayan's steps. "At least the Festival of Stars is being held this Deccan on the week of my starday."

"Oh! Absolutely!" Ava clapped his arm and held onto the surprise. "We're all going to that. We're going to make it the best starday."

"Ranier!" Jon's voice boomed as they approached the school grounds, where the faculty changed the awnings for heating purposes. Some students huddled inside them to escape the cold on the way to school or for a place to hang out. "Catch this!"

"Which one?" Ava turned.

White whizzed past her head and a loud thump slapped skin. James landed on his backside where clumps of the snowball stuck to his dirty-blonde hair. He raised his hand to wipe it off with a huff, and Jon rushed to them with a hearty chuckle. "You were supposed to catch it!"

Rayan headed for James to grab him by the arms and help him to his feet. "I caught it with my face, clearly." James pushed Rayan to the side and wiped off the rest of his face. Rejoined with Jon, they headed into the heated school building, where bots chirped at the front entrance to suck muddy slush out of the way of arriving students.

Safe in their homeroom, Ava sank into her seat

Professor Yava stood at her podium with a beaming smile. "Welcome back from the weekend!" she said. "Are you all excited for the winter term?"