One With the Trees

Chapter 3 Fears Unknown

Picture of Cain ------------->
Travis POV
"Son, it's time to make camp." My father said through our mind link. "Dad where are we going? We've been running north and south for three days."I asked concerned.
"We are traveling to and old pack house that was abandoned many many years ago. No one has dared go near it since the massacre if the pack that used to live there. It's said to be guarded by the spirits who once called the place there home when they were alive, but I don't believe spirits walk the earth after death." He said calmly. "It's hidden deep deep deep in the woods. It's a 4 hour drive to the nearest town and the town is so small it doesn't even have a grocery store. The towns people themselves drive and hour-hour and a half to get them."
"Then why are we moving that far then? That doesn't sound very good for the younger folks in the pack." I say pointedly.
"No I reckon not,but son I'm worried about some of the younger generation being so out if touch with there wolves and with their instincts. It's dangerous for a wolf to be without his senses. The hunters were getting closer. Plus we all need a Break from city life. It's time for everyone to find a deeper connection with their wolves. Everyone will be trained to survive roughly, so no matter what happens everyone will be prepared."
My father did have a point many if our wolves were beginning to fade from their wolf ways which could get them killed if hunters ever discovered them. As an alpha and a future alpha it was our duty to protect and prepare them for any problems in the future the all relied on us.
"Everyone we will camp here tonight." My father said through the mind link as we arrived in a late clearing with thinned trees sprinkled around its edges. "Son why don't you take some of our future leaders and go scout out the area." My father suggested after everyone began to lay and sniff around in there wolf forms. It was customary to scout the area before we shifted back into human form to actually set up camp. My father felt it was safer for everyone that way. I nodded my wolf head and mind linked my friends telling then what we were doing.
10 minutes later we had already ran a 1 mile perimeter check and decided to rest in a small clearing. Clarity and James were running around the clearing and through the surrounding trees chasing each other. They were best friends and hopefully mates. They may not realize it but they are deeply in love with each other so if either one of them finds they have a different person as a mate when they turn 21 they will both be heart broken. Trent is digging up plants and chewing on some of them. Out of all my friends he had to be most in tune to his animosity. Taylor is just relaxing in the sun. "Trav what do you think about this place?" Taylor mind links me. Trent of corse buts in saying, "it's creepy ever since we entered this thicker forested land it feels like we are being watched." " I wasn't talking to you pup." Taylor sneers back at Trent. "I am not a pup! We are both 20!" "Then stop acting like you just shifted for the first time." Taylor retorts. When wolfs shift for the first time around the are of 10-12 they're not used to there bodies so they teethe like human infants and can't run for a few weeks in wolf form and Trent hasn't grown out of his teething faze he still loves to chew on things. I personally think it's funny. He's the smallest male werewolf I've ever encountered which leads me to believe he has a male mate or his mate is the smallest female in the world. There are female werewolves bigger then him. He thankfully doesn't seem to mind his size he gets picked on a lot but he's very strong emotionally. Me, Taylor, clarity, and James protect him from the people who are stupidest enough to try and mess with him when we're his friends. You would be surprised the number of people still try to hurt him, so we take him everywhere with us to ensure his safety though I don't think he realizes what we are doing. He cute like that. Sort of ditzy, but not stupid. He comprehends deep things yet some stuff just flies right over his head.
I zone out deep in thought as they're still arguing. It's true I feel as if we're being watched and for the last 5 miles I've felt pulled around as if there is something moving around in these woods that I'm connected to with a string. All if a sudden I sense someone walking toward us...downwind. Smart because we can't smell them this way. I'm about to notify my friends when I feel a sudden jolt run through my wolf body. Just who is this person. I feel them stronger then I've ever felt anyone's presence before. There is a aura of power,but gentle power to this being. Like this person has two souls that are one. This person is a shifter I realize. I stand upon my rock I've been laid out on and through a local mind link for this clearing I say, "come out I can...feel you. I know you're there." My friends give a start and slowly walk there way back to me as a small figure in a dress made of vines and flowers steps through the trees slowly. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you," she says as her face and head comes into view. She's...she's my mate and a...deer. I'm shocked! She has the cutest doe eyes framed by freckle kissed checks and long hair no normal human could ever naturally possess it's a mahogany brown the color of a deer with blended tan and a few white highlights that reaches down to her cute little bottom but what's the most shocking is her antlers. They aren't sharp like a bucks are but more velvetie looking and slightly rounded where sharp tips would be. I have the sudden urge to touch them. I'm still entranced by her when I realize she was speaking to my friends and has moved over to the torn up vegetation. She brushes her hand over the claw marks on a few if the trees and moss grows over them healing what has been done to them. She picks up a stout and says sadly, "The trees don't take kindly to animals uprooting there hard work, creating these saplings!" Wait she understands the trees? All of a sudden I realize she can talk to us in wolf form and before I can speak my friends are asking "How are you speaking to us?" She just smiles a smile that makes my wolf and me want to put our head in her lap and let her pet us all day long. The mere thought makes my wolf sigh in contentment. "I just can. This is my forest...the area I protect, and I have come to tell you this is not a place to harm the trees. I also would like to inform you of the springs. They are not to be drunk from with out reasonable cause. They are poison to anyone who is undeserving of their healing properties. The water spirits will not tolerate any thievery. " so this is her home I wounder if there are others like her, but if there were wouldn't I have heard about her kind before. In my 21 years I've never met someone like her who can speak to spirits of the living.
"Just...what are you?" Trent suddenly blurts out. "Me? I'm merely just a healer and communicator of sorts I can understand the language of souls." She answers again with a calm smile that makes me want to melt. I can't wait any liger I'm to my breaking point. lei slowly jump off my boulder making me excited and jittery, but I hide it. I watch her checking me out and I know she feels the pull to. My wolf strides slowly and confidently up to her. I can feel my friends nervous stares and tense attitudes.
I'm taller then her and most likely taller then her deer form. As I take slow Massive steps toward her she takes small petite steps toward me cautious but curious like a baby deer. Her eyes are large brown orbs that seem to see into everything openly and purely. I feel myself gravitating toward her and I know it's time to shift for her. I wounder if she can spence that I'm part human like her. My shift is in the span of a mere blink if the eye. Her eyes open wide shocked. I don't think I've ever seen such a cute expression on anyone before. I just want to hold her small frame against me, but before I can do anything she backs up a few steps and is pulled up and away by the trees. She even seems shocked when it happens. No! Mine! My mind yells as we follow her under the trees I begin growling threateningly. After about 500 feet I hear her sweet musical voice ask the trees to put her down. The vines pause as if contemplating what to do but finally end up setting her down 10 feet away.
"I'm sorry. The trees are very loving and protective of me." I just grab her and pull her I nto a hug and do the only thing that will fully calm my wolf I stuff my face in her neck and hair and inhale her sweet vanilla spice scent like it's my life line and as of this day it is. "Mate," I whisper gruffly into her ear, breathing in her scent, and holding her tight in my arms. Suddenly I hear Trent sniffing my mate. No he better back off right now she's my drug not his! I know he doesn't mean any harm but my wolf can't take it. "Mine!" I yell at trent who yelps and backs up quickly. I feel badly for only a moment, but then I'm quickly distracted by music the my ears.
"Why do I feel like I shouldn't stop touching you or like I shouldn't ever leave your side?" She asks me. I take my glare off the Trent as soon as I hear those sweet words and smile as I look down at her "Because...we were made for each other. Mates are meant to stay at each other's side till death and forever after. We are meant to be together."
She just nods and smiles slightly.
Ahoooooo ahoooo ahoooooooooo
Howls rise in the air and I can't help but tighten my arms around her. I have to introduce her to my pack. "How do you feel about meeting my pack?" I ask.
"I don't know...how many are there?"
"Over 100." I say calmly, but on the inside I'm worried. I don't want her in front of all those other males! Plus she is a deer and I don't want people seeing her as prey.
"What!" "100!" "100!" She says eyes wide with fright.
"Hey, it's alright. I'll be right there the whole time." I say smiling trying to reassure her.
"No! No, no,no, no, no! I can't do that! You don't understand I'm a deer!" She says in hysterics on the verge of hyperventilating. "It took everything I had to confront a small group like you guys! There is no way I'd survive a whole pack of wolves staring at me! I'm sorry but my instincts won't let me! It's impossible! I mean I've never even spoken to anyone but you guys! Y'all are the first humans I've ever spoken to!" Half way through saying this she started crying nervously.
"Shhhh...shhh it's ok you don't have to meet them all today, but you must come with me. My wolf will not let you leave his side." I Say stroking her head gently grazing her antlers. I was right they are velvety smooth.
"Okay." She says still worried but unable to deny that she doesn't want to leave my side either.
I reach down and grab her tiny hand she stands about a lean 5'7" to my all muscle 6'7". I love just how tiny she is compared to me. I am broken from my daze starring happily at her when clarity nervously speaks up from 20 feet away saying, "Trav...ugh we need to get back your dad wants us back before the sun sets in 10 minutes." She says looking at her feet nervously. "Sorry guys I didn't mean to scare y'all! This is my mate...what's your name?" I ask her realizing I hadn't asked before. "It's Fionn. What's yours?" She says excitedly. "Travis...Travis Hayworth." I say the happiest I've been in a long time. I turn to my friends, "My Mate Fionn.," I said guiding her with a hand on her waist slightly closer to my friends I still didn't want males touching her which is still shocking to me because I've never been possessive of anything before, "This is Trent or little red as we call him every now and then. This is Taylor he'll be my theta when I take over the pack he's the calm serious one and we sometimes call him An Fran which he hates, don't ask it's a long story. This is Jeramy who will be my Beta in the future he's nice but whatever you do don't talk to him or smile at him before 12 noon or he'll glare you into the ground the rest of the day." That made her laugh and less tense about being in a group of 5 wolves when she is a deer I could feel some of the tension roll away which made me smile and throw an arm around her shoulders. she jumped a little but then relaxed some under my arms warmth. She still didn't trust us fully but I'm just glad she has agreed to come with us back to the pack. Now...how am I going to sneak her to my tent unnoticed. She smells line a baby deer so maybe I can play that up.
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Thanks so much for reading I'm sorry it was so long! Thank you for the comments and votes!! Have a lovely rest of the day/ night whenever you read this! :D :D :D :D :D
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UNEDITED :D :D :D you can comment mistakes and I'll fix 'em :D :D :D :D thank you! :D