Chapter 16: We should have stood our ground,

Eerikki repeats those words over and over in his head as they walk, the stink of the animals from last night almost tangible. They had been hiking on for hours and it did not seem to be lifting. He could sense Rebekah’s anxiety about this by the constant twitch of her ears ahead of him.

Eerikki thought of how his father would have handled this situation. He would have stood his ground. Would punish Eerikki for allowing him to be coerced by an auromni. What punishment would have been doled out he wondered? Lashing? Make him face his father in his natural form while he was in his weaker human form. He had done that one a lot. ‘To show you our power from the perspective of a human.’ He had always growled, his long face in that usual menacing frown.

Rebekah’s low whine snapped Eerikki out of his reverie, tensing at the sight of a human moving to the side so they could pass. Hackles raising when she merely glanced at them and continued on her path, as if they were passing her on a sidewalk. Rebekah looked at her but followed formation glancing back at Eerikki. The woman called something out in that language that Rebekah’s father had always used. Rebekah turned around and shifted into her human form. It always surprised him how pregnant she looked. Her stomach almost comically big, but it suited her. Her freckled face glowing in the sunrise, she asked the woman a question. The woman jerked her thumb down the mountain, shaking her head.

Eerikki observed her, annoyed that she was speaking to Rebekah so casually. The lune was a revered species, they used to run with the gods. And this mere long pig was just going back and forth with Rebekah like she was an old friend.

Rebekah turned to face him, “We are going deeper into their territory. We have to go down, not up.” Eerikki shifted while walking towards Rebekah, trying to push his temper down.

“We are here to take the whole mountain. Why not start now.” He spoke calmly but his toes ached by how hard he clenched them into the bottom of his boots. The woman nodded clicking her tongue, “Ah you speak English then.” Surprising them both, Rebekah smiled, “You speak it?” the woman waved the question away.

“It’s the twenty-first century I speak multiple languages. It’s the best way to trade.” Eerikki stiffened when the woman turned to point down the mountain, “They will rip you apart, it would be faster if you went down that trail there, it would cut you through another Lune’s turf, but Waiola is cool. It’s not a very big territory and once you cross the river, you’ll be good, I think. At least from these sorts.” She noticed Eerikki looking at her cloak glancing back at the lune pelt.

“Yeah, I suppose that looks rude, but we all know that you guys have the warmest fur. And winter is an absolute bitch out here. If it’s any consolation I traded for this. I have no qualm with the lune.”

“I suppose it’s our bones in your arrows.” Eerikki clenched, the woman made an incredulous face scoffing, “Obviously not just your bones, they are also covered in manticore poison. And it’s not just your teeth either it’s” she glanced back debating on what to say next “Well really, it’s just your teeth. They are cheaper and do the job.”

Rebekah grabbed Eerikki’s arms giving him a tight smile, “Thank you for your help.” She pulled Eerikki away from the woman, “I know it’s disrespectful. But our ancestors left here for a reason, she is not a threat, we have to get out of this territory. We are outnumbered and they have home advantage.” She shifted back to her natural form and gestured to the pack to go in the direction the woman told them to go. Eerikki ground his teeth, “We do not back down from a fight.” The woman laughed slightly, “Oh it would not be in a fight.” Eerikki reached out and grabbed the woman by the throat, she had a knife wedged in his just as fast. “I have no qualm with the lune,” she said calmly, the knife digging in as he tightened his grip. He felt hot blood run under the collar of his coat. The human did not waiver, her expression was almost bored.

“If they are so dangerous then why do you hike closer to where you claim they will rip us apart.”

The woman considered this before whistling sharp, something heavy jerking Eerikki to the ground. He looked up dazed at a large wolf, shifting he kicked the soft belly of the beast snarling. The wolf easily rolled away from him and guarded the woman’s body as she aimed her bow and arrow at Eerikki.

“You don’t have to listen to a damn word I say. If you want to follow me up this mountain then do it. But I know my way around this place a hell of a lot better than you do. I’ll just step over your dead bodies tomorrow, collecting your teeth to make more arrows.” Eerikki realized the wolf growling at him was a lune.

Rebekah barked from further down the trail, as if she had just now realized he had not followed. Eerikki snarled at her and howled for the pack to turn back up the mountain. They all hesitated before Eerikki started towards them, they ducked their heads turning around.

Vor called from the front “Can we make up our fucking minds, please. Fuck.” Rebekah stood in the middle staring at him openly, she transformed back to her human form. “What are you doing? You’re going to get us all killed for your pride!” The pack hesitated, “Go.” Eerikki demanded, Arne’s ears flattening, snarling and barking he corralled them back into a march.

Rebekah stared at him for a long time, and for just a moment he felt like the ghost of her father was standing behind her. With a weary sigh she shifted and joined the others, Eerikki slowly turned away from the woman and her snarling pet. “Pathetic.” He scoffed shifting and turning his back on them. “Idiot.” She called back her tone unbothered.

When the sunset, the full moon turned the snow blue. Eerikki watched as Rebekah paced around the auromni, while everyone else watched her, laying down in the snow.

“We are not safe,” Vor said simply, her eyes closed the auromni's hands clasped. They had made a tight huddle, whispering.

Eerikki didn't bother answering her, the hair on his neck standing up. They were being watched.

“Eerikki,” Magnus said standing suddenly making him turn, she yelled blowing something away from her.

Something seared into his right shoulder surprising him. Rolling away from the attacker he twisted his neck, snapping at whatever had a hold of him. It let go and he saw in the moonlight a horrible beast. It had the mouth of a dog, but its skin was leathery with patches of course fur. Its teeth so big it did not fit in its mouth, nocturnal eyes, and large hulking humanoid body with elongated feet and fingers with grotesque black claws. It made him step back in horror before registering the howl of pain behind him. Rebekah was being attacked by one of the monsters, lunging forward he yelped as the creature that had drooled above him before now sunk its teeth back into his back pulling the meat loose from his body. Eerikki wanted to vomit at the sickening sound of the beast chewing the large piece of his flesh. Hot blood oozing from his shoulder, he realized too late it must have gotten a piece of his spine too because his back legs no longer worked. It also explained why he could not feel the pain of the wound. Howling for someone to protect Rebekah as she fought the beast, Vor helping as best she could.

The auromni were not defensive creatures, they could not manipulate energy without it costing them something. The sound of crunching bones made Eerikki roll his body as best he could to see two more creatures snarling towards him. One walking on all fours his eyes glowing yellow in the dim light. Its long-jagged ear ripped and bleeding on Eerikki as the beast crawled up his body, his mouth going to his throat. He howls out again for Rebekah’s protection, knowing that he would regenerate and be ok. The sound was lost in the creature’s throat as he ripped Eerikki’s neck open.

Eerikki lay there listening to the sounds of crunching bones, howls, and yelps. Gurgling and choking on his own blood, unable to even turn his head when the woman from before stood above him. Her bow and arrow out, and her face smeared with blood she quirked a brow at him. “Well well. Don’t you look worse for wear” She smirked spinning to shoot her arrow in the direction of a snarl the sound of something heavy falling in the snow following the attack?

“It’s almost as if you didn’t know how to fight off a werewolf.” She squatted low whistling while appraising his wounds, “You aren’t savable, but I think we got the rest of your pack sorted out. You were a great diversion so I can’t thank you enough for that. I won’t take your teeth until you die.” Eerikki choked and made a guttural sound at her and she tilted her head to the side nodding.

Standing up she stepped over Eerikki stopping when he grabbed her ankle, glancing back at him. He gurgled trying to push the words past a throat that was no longer there. The steam rising from his body letting him know most of his insides were outside now. The woman raised an arrow a look of pity on her face, and before Eerikki could try to choke out any more words she put it between his eyes.

Vor held on to Magnus' arm as they searched through the carnage for what felt like hours. Her eyesight was coming back blurry, she made the beasts believe they were blind. So in return, she was blinded. She could just make out Severine cradling her arm, the make-shift bandage they had made for her severed fingers dripping in the pink snow. Vor watched her out of the corner of her eye while Magnus helped August drag one of the werewolves off another figure. Still no sight of Mom or Rebekah. Panic began to rise, Vor wiping her eyes with her wrists, her hands covered in dirt and blood. “Don’t panic,” Severine called but her eyes watered also, she was too tired to try and control their mood.

“Ok, that’s the last of the survivors!” Kaja called the woman who had stopped them yesterday afternoon. Vor sagged with relief when she saw Rebekah being helped by Ople and one of Kaja’s people. Doing a head count she found the rest of the missing, Ase, Wednesday, and Udom. Vor’s brows furrowed counting again, spinning around. She had used too much energy helping to blind the enemy during the fight. And couldn’t feel for her. Couldn’t feel her presence at all. And she couldn't see her. She tried to calm herself rationalizing that she couldn't see much of anything.

Vor moved through Kaja’s people to Rebekah hugging her tight, kissing her forehead, moving her to arm's length to look at her friend's face. It was smeared with blood, and her eyes were swollen from crying. “Did you see Mom?” Vor’s words barely came out when Rebekah’s head dropped, she crumpled to her knees at Vor’s feet. “I’m so sorry, I’m sorry” She sobbed gripping Vor’s feet Vor spun around searching the crowd again. Not wanting to piece it together. “I tried so hard to protect her, they just kept coming, I couldn’t,” Rebekah gasped, Ople dropped wrapping her arms around Rebekah, Magnus and Severine came to Vor’s shoulders as she turned in circles searching every face. “No,” Vor whispered her eyebrows coming together as she squinted around.

“No.” she went down to the trail the group had just come up from the steep incline making her slip but she didn’t care. She scurried down the mountain on her knees pulling herself up on the trees scanning the bodies. “Mom!” she called over and over turning over the beasts that had returned to men. Everything was drenched in blood. There were so many. Rebekah and Magnus called after her trying but Vor’s ears roared. Her eyesight blurring worse due to tears. She could barely make out the trees scratching at her, tripping over rocks and branches. Her calls becoming hoarse, spinning around trying to find some glimpse of her until she saw made out the color of her own shawl. The one she had put over Addeline’s shoulders before everything had begun, was ripped in half hanging on a low hanging branch. The other half wrapped around her grandmother’s arm. It dangled free from her body, which lay just inches away twisted and unrecognizable. Vor let out a cry her legs no longer working as she crawled to Addeline, "No, no, no” she turned her untangling her until she lay on her back, her neck ripped out. Her eyes and half her jaw were gone. Vor rocked holding her head in her lap. Her eyes sight slowly coming back so she could see the carnage in more detail.

Magnus and Rebekah found her straightening out her locks, what remained of them, whispering that everything would be alright.

“Vor,” Rebekah whispered dropping down behind her wrapping her arms around hers to stop their frenzied motions. Vor struggled crying out, making sounds she did not recognize as her own. Magnus cradled Vor’s face making eye contact, “She has returned to nature,” Magnus said Vor ripped her face from the woman’s hands and struggled against Rebekah’s grip, “No, I wasn’t ready, it wasn’t time. It wasn’t time, she was all I had left.” Her cycle was now broken, her mother gone the one who was supposed to raise Vor’s children so she could finish her duties to the Lune. Her grandmother, gone. The one who was supposed to teach her until she mastered her abilities, the one who was supposed to help her through life until she became a grandmother herself. Vor wailed pressing her forehead to Addeline’s whispering prayers. The same Addeline would whisper to Vor when she would retwist her hair when Vor would cry at night for all they had lost when she had thought Vor had fallen asleep at night and she lay stroking her hair.

Severine had made it down the slope and joined the others in cradling Vor who sobbed into Addeline’s ravaged chest.

Vor later with dried blood and tears making her face tight sat up. “Let’s bury her. Her spirit needs to be put to rest.” Her voice cracked, standing she found August standing nearby, unsurprised she motioned for the knife on his belt. Without question he passed it to her, Magnus made work of making a hole. Using her abilities to move rocks and dirt below a large knotted tree. Rebekah and Severine helped Vor move Addeline’s locks around so she could begin cutting them. They had grown out quite a bit in the journey, them not having time to retwist it. Vor smoothed the fine hair above the twisted hair cutting each dread off handing them off to Rebekah and Severine who buried each piece under trees. They floated them down the river, tied them around branches.

“Why are you doing that?” Kaja asked sitting on a boulder cleaning her bow, watching with curiosity.

“The auromni are from nature,” August said watching them continue, “When they become a certain age they are passed to the grandmother because she has mastered her ability. When the child begins to develop her power, her hair will be locked, to show her commitment to nature.” August moved out of the way so Rebekah could bury a lock under the tree he stood at. He sat next to Kaja to be out of the way, “They believe their hair is an extension of themselves, it helps them feel energy better, and to greater distance. Like antenna.” He got quiet as they lifted Addeline. Vor cradling her head, Severine and Magnus at her arms, Rebekah at the feet.

Everyone remained silent as the auromni joined hands, Rebekah stood outside of the circle, but Vor pulled her in. Gripping her hand until her knuckles were white.

They repeated every prayer Addeline had ever taught them, poured their energy into the ground, whispering until the ground grew grass, then white flowers, the tree that towered over Addeline’s covered body began to bloom vibrant flowers.

When done they sat, heads bowed and their hands locked.

“They will stay like that for the next three days.” August said to Kaja who watched with a look of awe, “This isn’t really a safe area to do that.” Kaja said looking around then back at the women huddled together. August glanced up to see the other Lune had gathered back-to-back with the auromni. Everyone except himself, Arne, and Xander were protecting Eerikki’s body. “We will protect them. As they protect us. Those things can’t come back until the full moon, right?” Kaja nodded at August and said, “I’ve met auromni, and lots of lune but they do not speak to us.” August nods pursing his lips, “We don’t make it a habit of talking to humans either, but without you, I don’t think we would have gotten away with just one of us lost.”

“Two.” Kaja corrected and August shook his head at her, “We appreciate the help.” He called over his shoulder before sitting back to back with Vor.