The Destined Protector (The Chronicles of Mistar - Book 1)

Ten · · · Mell (.2)

Still holding his hand, Mell stepped forward with Ryn following. She put her hand on the side of Cossie's snout making the giant wolfa look at her. As Mell stared intently into her eyes she said, You have to get up now. We can help you, but you have to stand up and walk.

Cossie glared at her. I can't, the wolfa responded when she wouldn't get up.

Mell glanced back at Ryn. "Tell her about her son."

Mell nodded in understanding and turned back to Cossie. Do it for your son, she said. Ossian still needs you. Will you please get up for him?

Cossie shook her furry head. I'm sorry. I can't. Whatever I said about the boy with you, I take back. I've seen the way they interact. I want him to father Ossian, please, Cossie replied.

"No!" Mell shouted aloud.

"What?" Ryn asked surprised. "What's wrong?"

"She won't listen," Mell frowned. "She won't get up and I don't know what to say."

Ryn hummed for a second before he looked into Cossie's eyes.

Mell felt like all of time had stopped. Everything was silent, unmoving as if the wind was scared to take a breath making the leaves shake. Even the birds stopped calling and Ossian sat still with his head turned to one side and his ear twitching as if he was listening for anything that would make a noise. This is what Ryn must have felt like everytime Mell and Cossie had a conversation together, which was frequent.

Mell was even amazed that he was able to talk to Cossie. It took a few months to figure it out when she finally looked into a wolfa's eyes. Earlier, Mell thought Ryn would never be able to it, mostly because Ryn was scared of the wolfas but also because Mell was taught that Pents were one minded. Her teachers were wrong. Like everybody else, Pents could change.

Finally, Mell watched Ryn pull away from the grasp that Cossie had on his eyes. "We made a compromise," he said. "She said that she would as far as she could. It's still a long walk but she might make it. She's only doing it so she can spend the rest of her life with Ossian instead of us taking him and leaving her here."

Mell nodded in response. "Okay." She didn't know what else to say as she looked with pity at Cossie.

"How did you do that?" Mell asked Ryn her fingers still hanging in between his.

"The compromise?" he asked hunching shoulders, which was probably what he did when had the power to make uncomfortable situations pleasant again when he was forbidden to. He wanted to save Cossie, but the wolfa wouldn't let him.

"No," she said. "The communication."

"Oh," he hummed like he did when he was thinking. He shrugged his shoulders as he said, "I just did, I guess. I don't really know how it happened, but I just looked at her spoke words but they weren't coming from my mouth. At first, it scared me and I thought I could never use my mouth again, but then I thought of you and how you talked to Cossie. I spoke to the wolfa and she spoke back. Can I just say, it was a weird feeling."

"I know. It is."

A breath escaped her mouth when Ryn let go of her hand when it turned cold for an instant. The warmth returned quickly as she put it into her jacket's pocket.

"We should probably get going," he said. Mell watched him turn to Cossie.

He probably asked her something like, Can we help you get up?

Mell guessed Cossie's response was something along the lines of, yes, since Ryn stepped forward and grabbed Cossie's left front leg with his own left hand. With his right, he brought it over her back, trying to pull her up. Mell quickly ran behind Cossie and pressed her hands on her underside. She then pushed up and was able to feel Cossie's legs move. Mell could hear Ryn grunt on the other side as Mell's muscles tensed from the weight of Cossie's massive body.

Finally, Cossie was on her feet with her head bent. From Cossie's stance, Mell could tell that Cossie was determining if she should give up or not. Of course she wouldn't, though. Cossie still had Ossian to think about.

When Cossie turned to glance at Mell, she caught her eye and said, Time to take a step now.

Cossie didn't say anything in return. She only faced forward and took a shaky step. When she was stable again, she took another step. For the past hours, this was how they traveled with Ossian rolling in the dirt around them.

As the sun set, the colder it got. Mell couldn't say it was colder, though. The air was still warm and still made Mell sweat, but she could tell the difference in temperature. Mell could tell the heat didn't bother Ossian at all. He jumped up and down attacking the beetles that flew through the air, the leaves moved due to the wind, and every once in a while he would stalk Ryn's feet. From the smile on Ryn's face, Mell could tell that he loved it.

Mell got nervous when Ossian stopped in his tracks. She could see him stick his nose up in the air. His nose wiggled up and down as he slowly walked forward.

"Ossian!" Mell yelled at him. "Come back!"

Ossian only tilted his head and kept walking forward stepping in little faster.

Ryn heard Mell's commands and turned his head to Ossian. They watched Ossian disappear into the brush.

"Shoot," Ryn mumbled under his breath. He looked up at Mell as a lightbulb lit up behind his eyes. "You keep walking with Cossie," he ordered Mell, "and I'll go find him."

As he jogged around Cossie he stopped in front of Mell and took her hands in his. His lips lightly touched each hand. They were soft against her dark brown skin and when he looked up at her, she fell in love with his dark green eyes.

"I'll be back, Princess," he said soothingly. "Don't wait up."

Mell followed Ryn with her eyes as he raced through the brush.

"Ossian!" she could hear him call.