Into The Mountains(COMPLETED)

Ch 4

Lisa POV

I thought that the trip made sense in every way possible. Tivald needed the medicine, most importantly. Also though, I was worried about how much I was enjoying this new family life. Every day was an adventure with children around, fun, exciting. At least, that's how it seemed, but what if I was wrong?

What if I got bored, what if the wanderlust settled in again and I just started looking for my next big adventure? Then I'd be hurting seven young children and Jennie if I couldn't get it under control. I'd made love to Jennie. I couldn't call it anything else. It'd been passionate, pleasurable, and it'd felt better for the budding feelings growing between us. I'd been a little worried she wanted to thank me for going to get Tivald's medicine, that she'd wanted to ensure I'd return with it, and that she hadn't really wanted me.

She'd been so ready though, physically, and had enjoyed our coupling so much that I couldn't worry too much about her reasoning. I was afraid of what I felt for the beautiful, timid wolf. I thought that I was more afraid of hurting Jennie though. We hadn't talked about our situation becoming more permanent, but I couldn't imagine the talk was far off. The children and I got on too well, and Jennie and I ourselves were entering dangerous emotional territory.

I half scolded myself for making love to her. I had wanted to show her how good men could be, but I was worried I wouldn't be good enough, that I'd undo all the good will I'd shown her by being my usual, imperfect self. I couldn't be perfect the rest of my life, and what if my next mistake was a big, damaging one? I supposed at the very least, I wouldn't be as bad as HyunSuk. The directions I'd received were in the form of described landmarks. Rosie had thankfully written it down and even sketched a few things.

The kin could read maps fine, but lacked the fine motor skills to produce detailed versions themselves. It worked out surprisingly well. Thar had given better, general description while Jisoo got a bit bogged down in details that often came in handy anyway. Of course there was no trial by sunrise to see if I could pass back through the mountains. I'd never expected there to be one. I hadn't even believed in the monsters.

Though werewolves had been proven to exist, I found they weren't really monsters after all. Jennie with all her shy timidness just couldn't be thought of as a monster, if you asked me. I found myself humming the old song when I was getting close to the lands where humans dwelt anyway. I'd spent a night out in the wilderness. I liked the outdoors in general, but I did find I missed the kids and Jennie. I wanted to get back to them, for all the things that I wanted to do here among the humans. In the first decent sized town I came to, I sent word ahead to Bambam and Nichkhun.

I didn't bother notifying Ten or my father. One of the others would tell them, and they and I didn't much get along anyway. I had nothing to ask they help me with. I got into the inn I'd planned to stay in late after riding hard on an unknown mare I'd gotten from one of my father's establishments. The inn was near the large town where my father held court. The next morning I got my sister the harp I'd planned to bring back for her, and then finally tracked down a doctor I could trust.

There weren't many I felt I could. Lucas and Nichkhun met me at the inn. Nichkhun brought the books and various other things I'd asked for and looked around in distaste. Unlike in Ten's case, Nichkhun's distaste for things translated to funny awkwardness that I couldn't help but be amused by. "Lis, it's good to see you. We all thought you were dead." Nichkhun said, in a way that implied he'd have rather done this elsewhere. Nichkhun's brown hair was getting a bit too long, which seemed to be it's constant state, just a little longer than was fashionable.

It probably drove our father and Ten nutts. I clapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "No no! I've just been held up is all, and I'm not staying either, heading back." "Back!" Nichkhun nearly yelled in surprise. "Why? What did you find over there?" At least Nichkhun did seem excited to hear the details of what was over the mountains, he had a thirst for knowledge, just no interest in adventuring about to get it. "I found people, Khun, what else? They had a different way of being, far different from ours, but they're still people. I found Rosie married to a lord, and I helped her in a few battles and such. Then I married her sister. I have a wife to go back to, that I want to go back to." I said, smiling.