by A L Fogerty
"How dare you," Jagger said.
"It's a fair question," Kayla said, "and because I understand your misgivings, I will put them to rest. What demon would be able to do this?" She allowed her wings to erupt from her back and her light to glow from within. The entire pack hall was filled with the light of her angelic nature. No one spoke, but there was a collective gasp of recognition. She retracted her wings and sat back down.
"Now that that's out of the way," she said, "we have more important business to attend to. We have closed the rift, but in our absence, the village has fallen into disrepair. The Blackfangs and I have come back to take our place as the leaders of this pack. We understand that some of you may have become accustomed to doing things your own way and making your own rules. We would like to give you the opportunity to leave now if that is what you wish. No one is required to stay or accept us as your leaders.
“It is your choice. You may join Smoke Mountain or Tanglewood. Those who leave may take whatever you need for travel and be gone with our blessing and no hard feelings. If you do wish to leave, I would like to be informed by sunset so that we may make the appropriate arrangements for your departure.
“Now that that business is out of the way, let us focus on the restoration and repair of this village. The Blackfangs and I have done a tour of the village since returning, and we have found that the crops are not planted, and ninety percent of the buildings are in disrepair. This will require work and dedication on all our parts. The restoration will begin tomorrow.
“However, the question of witch-and-vampire supremacy still reigns in this world, and it is our obligation to complete our mission. We will be raising another army to move on Dark Haven before they move on us. So some will stay to repair the village, and others will join us in battle against Dark Haven. We plan to march within the week. Please give it some thought and inform Felix or Jagger of your decision. I now open the floor for questions, which Jagger will address, and I will take my leave.”
Chapter 44
After Kayla left the pack lodge, Felix remained behind with Jagger to field questions from the pack and receive decisions from those who were ready. They'd all been unprepared for the reaction they'd received from their pack. All of them had expected to return home to fanfare and congratulations for their work and their triumph over darkness.
None of them had expected the pack to react with anything less than complete welcome. It was a wake-up call, giving them a sense of how much had changed while they'd been gone. The old saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" was equal to "Out of sight, out of mind." And it appeared as if the pack had defaulted toward the latter.
"We thought you'd never return," said one of the weavers, a woman Felix had known since childhood. "We had to learn how to go on without you. I'm afraid some of the stronger voices in the pack may have messed things up."
"It's nothing that can't be remedied," Jagger replied quickly.
"Have you reached your decision?" Felix asked.
"I want to stay—no doubt," the woman said. "I was born in Mist Valley, I was raised here, and I hope that I will spend the rest of my life here. It was you Blackfangs and Alpha Redclaw who saved us from the slavers. Some among us may have forgotten that, but not me. I'll never forget what you did for us."
"Anyone who doesn't have that same loyalty to his people is not meant to be a leader."
"It's good to have you all back," the weaver said. "I thought it was all over—that the witches and vampires had won, and that if we wanted any kind of life, we would be forced to remain behind our barriers forever. But now that you've returned with news of closing the rift, I have hope again."
"Glad to hear it," Jagger said briskly. “And we are glad to have you remain with the pack.”
He dismissed the weaver, and the line proceeded. Farmers, laborers, and tradespeople approached their table, pledging loyalty to the Blackfangs and their alpha, Kayla Redclaw. As the end of the line filtered toward Jagger and Felix, the atmosphere in the lodge changed, and the people took on the celebratory energy that Felix had expected them to show when they’d first arrived.
After the last of the pack had left the hall, Felix took calculations of the numbers who had pledged their support. Seventy-five percent of the packs' numbers had pledged support immediately after the meeting, he informed his brother, totaling in two hundred seven, not including the children.
"How many more does that leave who have not pledged?" Jagger asked.
"Approximately twenty-seven," Felix said. "What do you propose we do about them?"
"Kayla politely invited them to leave," Jagger said. "Judging from the names on this list, I can say I wouldn't mind if we lost all of them."
Felix reflected on the names of those who hadn't pledged loyalty that day. He'd noted their ages and occupations, and the majority of them were people who contributed little to the pack. Ironically, they were most of the men who’d been in his alternate vision of life as a laborer on Smoke Mountain. Mist Valley pack had always done its best to find work to suit everyone's inclinations and skills, but there were always those people who didn't take to anything and became more of a burden than an asset.
"You think they will leave without trouble?" Felix asked.
"That I don't know. It would be a shame if they created a scene. All of these people combined couldn't threaten me, let alone Kayla. I just don't want to see it come to that. Kayla deserves a happy homecoming.”
Felix might have lacked Jagger's confidence and aggression, but he did not lack love for his queen, and he knew she was weary. They were all weary. They needed rest before setting out to war.
He returned to the house to report to Kayla but found her sleeping in bed beside Riddick with Oksana between them. He sighed and closed the door, not wanting to disturb their rest. As parents, Kayla and Riddick had suffered much. Though it was expected that they all love Oksana equally, they all knew that she was Riddick's daughter. Felix wished he had that kind of connection with Kayla. But he would do for her what he could and not worry about the rest.
He took his figures and started back down the stairs, determined to find someone to help clean the house of the dust and remove the garbage that remained. He found Sid sweeping out the pantry and Quinn taking inventory of their food stores.
"How did it go in the pack lodge?" Quinn asked.
"Most of the pack has pledged loyalty."
"And those who haven't?" Sid asked.
"Those who haven't will be dealt with," Jagger said, stepping into the room.
"Alpha Redclaw," a voice growled from outside. It grated through Felix's skin and into his bones. The brothers hurried to the front door to inspect the sound. They found a group of shifted wolves growling and snarling in the front yard, led by Tom, still in human form. It was clear that they were the group who had chosen not to pledge loyalty.
"What do you want?" Jagger barked.
"This is our pack now. You left us defenseless for five years. We are the ones who took care of the pack all this time. We don't accept your rule, and we don't plan to leave.”
"Get Kayla," Jagger hissed.
Felix ran upstairs and burst into the bedroom. He knelt beside her bed. "Kayla, you have to come," he said, gently holding her shoulder.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she crinkled her eyebrows together. "What's wrong, Felix?" she asked, sleep in her eyes.
"We have a problem with the men who refused to pledge loyalty."
"I had a feeling this might happen," Kayla said. "The last of the darkness is trying to retain its grip on the souls of the mortals.”
"How do you know?" Riddick asked, slowly rising from the bed.
"I've been in communication with my father. He has given me great insight into the state of this plane of reality. We have closed the door to evil, but it has not lost its hold on this world."
"There's a group of shifters outside in wolf form. How did they shift so easily?" Felix asked.
"They're shifted?" Kay
la asked, rising from the bed.
"All but Tom, their leader," Felix said.
"The return of the light should also mean the return of the shift," Riddick said. "The return of Wolf Father strength."
"I wonder if I can shift as easily," Felix said.
The shift had never come readily to him like it had to his brother Riddick. He'd done it numerous times throughout his life, but it had always been a challenge, as it was for most shifters after the cataclysm.
Felix stepped back as Riddick’s and Kayla's eyes followed him. His heart beat in anticipation. If the shift had returned, shifters would not need Kayla's protection against the vampires and witches. They could easily defend themselves with their poisoned bites as they had in the world that once was.
He took a deep breath and focused on his inner wolf, a part of him that was sorely out of use. He beckoned the inner beast to come forward, and slowly, with little provocation, he felt the beast come alive within him. His body changed and shifted, tearing apart and reforming anew. He fell to the ground on four paws and looked up at his queen, whose face betrayed her shock and excitement.
"Well done, brother," Riddick said, stepping forward to pat Felix on the back.
"I wonder if I can shift," Kayla said. "It's always been the biggest challenge for me."
She took a deep breath and stepped into the middle of the room, and the same process that had taken place for Felix worked on her.
"Well, I'll be damned," Riddick said. Instead of a pure wolf, Kayla was as white as the sun, and her wings glowed from her back like an angel's.
"I guess this is what hybrid wolf-angel looks like," Riddick said, bending down to kiss Kayla's head. "Let's go show these idiots what they're dealing with."
The three of them left the bedroom with Oksana happily playing in her crib. They stepped out onto the porch, passing Jagger and Quinn as they let themselves be seen by the wolves outside. Kayla was the last to show herself. Her massive wolf body and glowing white wings dominated the yard and the porch. Everyone, from her mates to her adversaries, stood back in awe. Felix had never been prouder. Upon seeing their queen in wolf form, Quinn and Sid quickly shifted and stood beside Kayla as a silent, protective presence.
"Now you can see what you're dealing with," Jagger said, dropping into wolf form himself.
Kayla stepped out into the yard, her wings softly swishing in the air. She took flight and rose high above them. The brothers left the porch and headed toward their foes, most of whom cowered in the presence of such power.
But Tom was not so easily persuaded. "My wife gave her life for you lot. I will never follow you."
High above the crowd, Kayla shifted in midair from wolf to woman, her body gleaming in the sunlight. "Your wife did us a great service. But I'm afraid you are no longer welcome here. You and any who wish to follow you must leave now. We cannot allow you to threaten the peace and harmony of our home any longer. Be gone at once. This is the last we will speak of it."
Kayla threw her head back, and a boom of sound, light, and energy quaked all around her. Most of the shifters returned to human form and bowed before their queen, but Tom turned feral and ran toward the shields, disappearing into the forest. Then Kayla descended from the sky and joined her mates on the ground. A crowd had gathered, and all were shocked and amazed.
"Any who wish to follow that man may leave now in peace, but if there is ever a scene like this again, I will not be so forgiving. There are children and elderly among us. This is our home—a place of rest and peace. Those who wish to disrupt that peace will be dealt with swiftly and decisively. You may leave now if you disagree. But such disruptions are not welcome here."
"We pledge our loyalty to you, Alpha Redclaw," the villagers said, moving closer and dropping to their knees. "We prayed for your return. You've not only returned to us, but you've returned the sacred shift as well."
"Praise Kayla Redclaw. Praise the Blackfang brothers." A collective cheer rose up from the crowd. Finally, the Mist Valley pack greeted them with the celebration and respect they all deserved.
Chapter 45
"We'll send for Aaron," Kayla said to her council, which was made up of the four witches and her mates. "We need to start assembling the army, and we don't have time for travel. When he arrives, I want you to travel to all the packs and clans in the region. The army will assemble here before we finally portal to Dark Haven."
"I'll leave right away." Gloria cast a portal, and she and Malik disappeared.
"When they return, we need to begin preparing food and supplies for the army. It will take time for all of them to arrive. And I want full bellies for every soldier before we depart." Kayla looked at her mates and her friends. They'd come such a long way, but the war was not over. "Felix, I want you to oversee the rebuilding and repair of the village. Make sure that the pack members who will not be joining us in battle are gainfully employed. I want as little disruption as possible when we return."
"I'm on it," he said.
"Dark Haven is amassing an army as we speak," Mackenzie said. "If we don't march within the month, we will lose the upper hand."
"They know they're losing strength," Willa said. "Without the added power of the dark lord to support their black magic, everything is falling apart around them. This is their last-ditch effort to bring the world under their control."
"It's the same with the vampires," Mackenzie said. "There was panic among the ruling classes. They didn't expect that this day would ever come."
"It's been prophesied since our childhood," Quinn said, "and it is coming to pass."
"They won't go down without a fight," Willa said. "They ruled this world for thirty years, and while there may have been lip service about the time before the cataclysm, most who accepted the darkness were content with things as they were. None of us have ever agreed with the way our people treated the humans and now the shifters. The reign of darkness is finally coming to an end."
Kayla nodded. The young witches had been loyal and faithful to the cause longer than she'd known them, and when the dust settled, she had plans for them.
Gloria and Malik returned through the portal several minutes later as the others were starting on their individual tasks. They had Kelvyn and his flying carpet with them this time.
"Felix will give you a map of the region and a list of names of the alphas, most of whom you would have met during the war for the rift. They may be surprised to see you, but I will be sending Quinn with you as my surrogate. He will explain what we're asking. My hope is that the shifters will still gather under my banner."
"We need to leave now," Gloria said. "Time is of the essence." She and Quinn climbed on the back of Kelvyn’s carpet along with Sid, who insisted on going along for protection. They took to the air. Kayla's heart went with them as they climbed above the rooftops of the village. She watched them disappear over the treetops. Then she turned to Felix, who had come to watch their departure.
"We've started the restoration project," Felix said. "Ninety percent of the village has suitable accommodations, but they won't last through the winter. With our resources divided at this time, it would be unwise to start a large-scale building effort until we have returned from war."
"Very well," Kayla said. "But we need to get the oat fields into production and stabilize the health of our herds and flocks."
"I'm way ahead of you on that," Felix said. "I have the older farmers and older children working in the fields now. The soldiers are with Jagger, practicing combat in wolf form. If we approach the witches and vampires in our feral state, it will intimidate them into submission. At least, that's what Jagger believes."
"It is very likely true," Kayla said, walking with Felix toward the practice ring, where Jagger was working with the men and women who'd volunteered as soldiers. Most of them had never known their wolf forms and had enough trouble getting used to their own bodies, let alone becoming proficient enough to fight a trained army of mages. Jagger approached Felix and Kayla an
d raised an eyebrow.
"We will have to do this with all the packs," Kayla said, "if we want to meet the witches and vampires in our native forms. The sight of us alone won't be enough to garner surrender."
"According to my calculations, it should take Kelvyn’s carpet a day to reach Smoke Mountain, another day to reach Tanglewood, and then a week to reach our farthest allies to the east.”
"That should give us some time to practice," Jagger said.
"I want to leave here within the fortnight," Kayla said.
"Malik said we had a month," Jagger said.
"It is unlikely that the witches will wait a month to march on the world," Kayla said. "News of the shifters regaining their power will travel fast, and the fear and desperation will cause the witches and vampires to act rashly."
"We have to go with what we have as soon as we can. Our soldiers are trained in armed combat, and if we have to meet the enemy in our human form, then so be it."
"But I want you to continue working with them, Jagger. And get Riddick down here as well. He has the most experience of anyone in wolf form."
"Where is Riddick, anyway?" Felix asked.
"He's in the house, playing daddy," Jagger said with a laugh.
"Riddick is an amazing father," Kayla said wistfully. "But I need him down here in the practice ring."
Kayla found Riddick rocking Oksana in their old rocking chair. The baby happily cooed up at her father as he beamed down at her. "There you are," Kayla said, sitting across from him.
"She's having a growth spurt," Riddick said, feeding her a bottle of cow's milk. "She's getting so big."
"Big and healthy like her dad." Kayla took a few minutes to watch her beloved family before breaking up the beautiful moment. "I hate to pull you away from daddy duty, but I need you out in the practice ring with Jagger. He's helping the soldiers learn how to fight in wolf form, and you have more practice than anyone."
"I'll be right out. Can you finish giving her lunch?"