Page 3 of All That Has Flown Beyond
His Ousía wouldn’t listen, but he’d make his body act.
**********
Kaiyo parked outside the pack house. It had been impressive and alive when he was a child, but now the large house was draped by the ghost of a mofuku, leached of colour by grief.
It had been days since his attack. Emil had been the only one to visit him in the hospital after Thea had left. Emil was a recent member of the pack, having visited from a distant, Chilean branch of Ahmik’s paternal side of the family tree. Thea had been born into the pack despite having no blood ties to the Garrows, her African-American parents having been accepted onto Garrow land before she was born. Both Thea and Emil had fallen for each other quickly, and Kaiyo wouldn’t be surprised if they were one of those strange high school couples that actually made it until the end.
Kaiyo paused a moment beside his car. The air was thick and unfamiliar with silence. The forest seemed to have been hushed into stillness. Despite their small numbers, it was usual for the house to be active with music or the sound of voices, if only to drown out the silence of ghosts. Now, there was nothing but absence.
Kaiyo approached the house slowly. The white of its paint had faded and dirtied, but the inside boasted a lived-in home. Kaiyo entered through the kitchen and was relieved to see signs of life. The large windows let overcast light in, lighting up the walls and counters that seemed to be trapped in the sixties: yellow wallpaper peeling slightly at the edges, the tiles reminiscent of a provincial house. There were a few plates in the sink, and the air smelt like coffee.
“Hello?” Kaiyo called out.
“In the living room.”
Kaiyo closed the door behind him, a little irritated. The werewolves would have heard his car approach. He knew they were angry at him for his reckless behaviour, but they could at least welcome him back from the hospital. Especially Ahmik, whom he hadn’t seen since the night of the attack.
Kaiyo and Ahmik had been brought up together. They had been pack members from birth, and with Ahmik only being a year older than Kaiyo and Thea, the three of them had been attached at the hip for as long as Kaiyo could remember. Kaiyo’s first memories were of squabbles with Ahmik, the way they would tease each other mercilessly but would let nobody else have the privilege. It didn’t matter that Ahmik and Thea were werewolves and Kaiyo human; Kaiyo would give as good as he got.
Ahmik had always been far more emotional and internal than Kaiyo, who had always preferred to act instead of spending most of his time brooding. He had kissed Ahmik when he was fifteen, in the revealing light of an almost full moon. Kaiyo didn’t like to work in the shadows. He could still remember the shock on Ahmik’s face, the way his brown skin had flushed high on his cheeks. There had been nothing but determination on Kaiyo’s own face, daring Ahmik to reject him.
Ahmik had done no such thing.
Still ransacked by grief, they had clung to each other.
Kaiyo walked towards Emil’s voice. The living room was silent as he stepped in, even though he could see everybody was present, sitting stiffly on the couches and seats crowded around the coffee table. The room was the one which they spent most of their time in and was usually in some type of disarray. Now, however, everything seemed fit for guests. The video games were put away, the pillows and cushions back on their respective seats instead of strewn on the ground, no snacks or drinks on display. The lamps weren’t even turned on, the overcast sky fogging the air with its phantom light.
“What…” Kaiyo trailed off as he spotted Mehdi Saba standing behind one of the sofa chairs.
“Hello,” he said, nodding at the shaman from their neighbouring pack.
“Hello, Kaiyo Amanati,” Mehdi said formally. His voice was deep, discordant with his tall, skinny frame. Kaiyo frowned. He looked around the room again, at the collection of sombre faces.
Kaiyo’s eyes landed and caught on Ahmik. He was looking back from a face of stone. The dread in Kaiyo’s chest hardened in turn.
“Um…what’s going on?” Kaiyo asked.
“Why don’t you sit, and we’ll explain,” Mehdi said, pointing at one of the couches. Kaiyo looked around the room again. Thea was avoiding his eyes, Emil sitting close beside her.
“Okay…” He’d been expecting to be told off for the injury—had already been chewed out by his mom at home—but this was obviously some next-level chastising if Mehdi was present.
Whatever it was, Kaiyo knew he wouldn’t like it, but it would be better to bide his time before he put up a fight.
He did as he was told, sitting down slowly on the couch.
“Okay…what’s this about?” Kaiyo asked. There was a moment of silence.
“Kaiyo,” Ahmik started, but his voice broke on the word. Kaiyo looked at him in surprise. At his oval face, his large eyes peering out. He had grown his thick black hair out, and it was gathered in a bun. A strand had escaped and hung over his ear. Kaiyo wanted to lean over the coffee table and push it back.
Kaiyo watched in concern as Ahmik got up, away from the clustered seating to pace a few times in front of the large, flat TV.
“What—” Kaiyo started, but Ahmik stopped walking suddenly, turning towards him. Ahmik tilted his head up, squaring his shoulders. He was still a little gangly, skinny with exhaustion and responsibility, but his eyes were fierce.
“Kaiyo Amanati,” Ahmik began again. “We are here today as witness and executioner for your severing ritual.”
Kaiyo opened his mouth. He tried to form words, but an incredulous laugh fell out instead.
“What?” he said eventually.
