Redeeming the Lost (A Comforter's Tale)

Chapter 12

The sound of pieces of wood being dropped woke me, and I pulled the blanket off my head to blink groggily at the world around me.

"Good morning, girlie," the lanky man greeted me, although the sky was still dark. "I'll have breakfast warmed up in a moment."

"My name's Julie," I murmured as I sat up.

"I'll try to remember, although I wasn't too far off. Since we're being all chummy, I'm Carson, the blonde over there is Rodger, and that's Liam."

I nodded, which seemed to be my new habit. This time, I managed to go into the bushes and come back without getting lost. Carson was already holding a branch with meat on it towards me. I took it with quiet thanks and went back to sit on the blankets.

"We'll be ready to go shortly," Carson told me. "You get to make the decision on how you want to travel. You can either ride on Liam's back, be carried in the duffel bag, or you can opt for the sleeping spray. We once had a Comforter that got motion sickness, and he preferred to sleep the entire trip."

I fiddled with the edge of the blanket. "Can I shift back and be carried in the duffel bag? I'll be lighter that way." I really wanted to be on four feet again, but the wooden disc was still around his neck.

"Sorry. Believe it or not, it's much easier to transport a Comforter in human form just because of how noticeable your aura is. It becomes really complicated if we cross a band of not-so-friendly rogues who are hoping for some quick money. That's why Liam always carries our guest – it leaves Rodger and me free if a fight breaks out. Even normally friendly rogues get testy if they sense a Comforter in no man's land. There's just something about a packless Comforter that sets people off."

"I can try riding." Being shoved into a duffel bag didn't appeal to me in the least.

"He'll have a harness, so the worst part will be how stiff your legs will get by nighttime."

From conversations among my past pack mates, I knew that doing a lot of riding often resulted in sore muscles, and considering my arms and legs already had a dull ache from being human for so long, that didn't bode well.

The three began packing things up, so I folded the blankets I had been sitting on. If the pawprints around the campsite were any indication, the men had slept in wolf form. I sat on a log and watched them somehow cram all the supplies into two massive backpacks, which Rodger and Liam put on before shifting.

The clothing and backpacks disappeared along with their human shape, leaving them standing on four paws. Their wolf forms were large, even for adult males. Both of them were taller than I was, although I was a bit on the short side.

Carson picked up a series of leather straps and began buckling them onto the tawny wolf.

"There we go," Carson said, tapping a small pouch on the harness. "There's a water bottle in there and some jerky if you get hungry. Come on over."

I slowly walked over, and without warning, Carson picked me up by my waist, making me squeak in surprise, before he deposited me on Liam's back. Instinctively, I grabbed onto the handles sticking out of the padding.

Carson shifted into a soot black wolf and trotted into the trees. I held on tight as Liam followed him, with Rodger bringing up the rear.

  

~

  

       It took me almost an hour to figure out how to ride with the least amount of discomfort. As I got the hang of riding on Liam's back, the group also picked up speed until they were running at a steady lope.