Blackbird

†Chapter Five† (Edited)

For a whole year, I preferred the silence that followed me. I enjoyed being on my own, relying only on myself, but now the silence was heavy. Axel walked briskly ahead of me, remnants of irritation from yesterday still evident in his shoulders. I remained in my wolf form, tail hung low, and my eyes pointed towards the ground. I understood that my mistake could have gotten us killed, but did he really have to ignore me?

We walked all day, only taking a couple breaks to eat before we took to the trail once more, still shrouded in silence. A few times, I had thought about saying something to him to put an end to this unbearable quiet, but eventually decided against it. It seemed like he didn't want to hear anything I had to say. To him, I must have seemed like a reckless child with a death wish, which I didn't understand. He lost everything too, but he didn't have to join me on my suicide mission. I only got in contact with him because he had information that I needed in order to go after the King myself; it was his choice to come with me.

The sun set on the second day of silence; Axel and I were next to a small fire eating the last of the deer he cooked a few days earlier. Neither of us said anything, though we both knew we would have to hunt soon. It was still a few more days until Revenport, then from there it was another day and a half to reach Silver City where the castle stood nestled against Cemjan Mountain. I almost couldn't believe that I was this close to killing the King. It took me months just to find someone who could point me in the direction of someone who had solid information. As it turned out, the humans didn't really understand why the wolves were being slaughtered, but they didn't really care since it put money in their pockets--

"So what's your real name?" Axel asked, bringing my train of thought to a screeching halt.

I looked up at him, chewing on the hunk of meat between my teeth slowly while my mind tried to switch gears. "What?" I asked.

He met my gaze for a brief second over the small fire. "You said Blackbird was a nickname," he replied. "I'm asking for your real name."

I hesitated a few moments, unsure if I wanted to tell him. It seemed so personal now, like the memories I held close to my heart. All Axel knew was why I was so determined to make it to the city to go after the King, but he didn't know anything else about it. I wanted to keep it that way, but something was urging me to tell him. Seeing him upset about something I had done didn't sit well and I wanted to make things better. For some strange reason, I couldn't explain why I wanted to see him smiling again.

I heard him scoff. "Fine; you don't have to tell me."

"Luna," I said softly. "My name is Luna."

He paused, looking over at me.

"Bye, Bye, Blackbird was the name of a song my mother used to sing all the time," I explained softly. I met his gaze, seeing that they had softened a bit. "I think that's one of the things I miss the most; hearing my mom sing as she sat on the front porch, watching my sisters and me play in the yard."

Silence descended on us once again, but this time it was different. The tension was gone and in its place, the warmth of nostalgia. "What was it like growing up in your village?" he asked gently, standing up and coming over to sit beside me. I felt my heartbeat quicken at how close he was.

I smiled a bit. "It was wonderful. We were all really close and we looked out for each other, like a giant family. I knew that most packs weren't like ours, so it made me feel grateful that we were so close. The elders taught us where to find the best herbs, our Alpha gave us sweets when he came through the village, and we held feasts once a month as a way to reinforce bonds. We took those times to relax, have fun, and just be together. I always looked forward to them..." I let my voice trail off as I felt a lump beginning to form in my throat. My chest felt tight and suddenly my eyes were blurry. Gods, how I missed those days.

Axel reached over and gently brushed his thumb across my cheek. It was then that I realized I was crying; something I hadn't done for what felt like ages.

I slowly wiped the tears from my cheeks and let out a shaky breath. "What about you? What was your village like?" I asked, looking up at Axel and meeting his gaze. All frustration that his emerald irises held before had now melted into something I didn't recognize. The tightness in my chest eased and for a few moments, I felt calm.

He was the first to look away. "It was peaceful, I guess. I was always too busy to go out and be a normal pup. I used to watch the others running around, playing wolf and deer while my father put me through training. I was the oldest of my brothers, so I was next in line to become Alpha. They got to play with the other kids while I had to sit through endless lessons before my father, our Beta, and a few warriors put me through sparring sessions until it got dark. When I wasn't training, I was out perfecting my hunting skills. I never really had any free time to go out and enjoy being around my pack members," he explained, staring into the fire.

"That sounds awful. I'm so sorry," I said quietly. With the knowledge that he was the Alpha of his pack, everything about him suddenly made sense.

He shrugged. "An Alpha's training needs to be difficult in order to become a strong leader, ready for anything." He paused for a few long moments, moving his gaze to the ground at his feet. "But I let them all down... They counted on me to protect them, but I couldn't."

"It wasn't your fault, Axel."

"I could have done something more. I could have fought harder," he growled.

I put my hand on his shoulder and he looked over at me. "We can still do something about the slaughters. We can protect those who are left," I replied gently.

He looked into my eyes for a few long moments, then let out a long sigh. "You're still determined to the kill the King, aren't you?"

I slowly nodded.

For a moment, it looked like his eyes grew sad. "Once we get to Revenport, would you wait until we hear what the rebels have planned before you go off on your suicide mission?" he asked softly. I could hear what sounded like concern lacing the low timbre of his voice.

I shifted my gaze from Axel's eyes and stared into the heart of the small campfire, feeling its warmth deep in my chest. I wanted to kill the King as soon as possible, but something about the way Axel had asked me that question made me want to wait. Maybe the rebels had a better plan. "Okay. I'll wait," I replied.

Axel gave a small smile, seemingly satisfied with my response, before he stood and began to prepare the area where he would sleep. I finished the last of my food and shifted into my wolf form, curling up close to the fire, watching Axel as he lay under a thin blanket with his back to me. I thought about what Revenport would hold for us, and if the rebels would truly do anything about the slaughters. I could only hope that they felt the same way I did about the King.