Page 70 of All That Has Flown Beyond
“What are you waiting for?” Amaya asked. “You’re carrying him, oh fearless leader!”
Ahmik sighed but crouched down. It was going to be a long trek to Kaiyo’s home.
**********
The scent of valerian and lavender was a fog in the air. The incense was a trail winding around the small room where Kaiyo sat, facing the prone body of the werewolf on the bed. They were ensconced in one of the bedrooms of the visitor’s cottage on Kaiyo’s piece of land, Ahmik a shadow in the corner, watchful.
The meanderer made a small noise as he began stirring under the sheets. Ahmik shifted but stopped as Kaiyo threw him a look before turning back to the foreign werewolf.
“It’s okay,” Kaiyo said softly as the werewolf’s eyelids fluttered open. “You’re safe.”
The curtains were drawn, the room glowing with the warm light of a bedside lamp.
“What…” the meanderer croaked.
“It’s okay,” Kaiyo repeated.
Kaiyo took off his charmed necklace, letting his scent loose. He placed a cool hand on the werewolf’s forehead. His Ousía reached forward, meeting the werewolf’s, who gasped in surprise. His eyes were wide as he looked at Kaiyo.
“That’s it. You’re not alone anymore,” Kaiyo said.
The land around them greeted them with a warm welcome. The werewolf’s eyes filled with tears.
“It’s okay.” Kaiyo let his Ousía meld slightly with his. The werewolf shuddered.
They stayed there as the meanderer calmed slowly, his body limp on the bed. Kaiyo watched him as he slipped back into sleep. He could feel the meanderer’s feral spirit retract.
He removed his hand from the werewolf’s skin, feeling a little dizzy as his Ousía returned to him.
“Kaiyo.”
Kaiyo opened his eyes, realizing he had stumbled as he’d tried to get up. He was pressed against Ahmik’s body, who had caught him before he fell. Kaiyo’s nose was buried in Ahmik’s neck, his familiar scent enveloping him.
He let himself lean for a while, feeling the desperate loneliness of the meanderer be washed away.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The meanderer’s name was Lars, although he offered no surname. Of Danish descent, he revealed blond hair and pale skin once he had showered. He didn’t offer details of his past, but Kaiyo wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d escaped some form of abuse. His demeanour was ironically gentle, soft-spoken, and often avoiding eye-contact. It was a far cry from the challenging creature he had been in the cave.
“I can find him a pack that would welcome him, if you don’t want him to stay here,” Kaiyo offered Ahmik when Lars was washing up. Ahmik frowned, looking at Amaya, who had been waiting in the living room for Lars to wake up.
“What do you think?” Ahmik asked Amaya. She shrugged, but not even she could fake nonchalance.
“I think it wouldn’t hurt us to extend our pack. We can give him a trial period, and if he settles in and wants to join us…”
Ahmik nodded. “I’ll talk to Thea and Emil.”
They were happy with the plan.
Ahmik, Amaya, Kaiyo, and Lars ate together in Kaiyo’s cottage. Lars looked at them, stunned, when Ahmik made the proposition.
“But I attacked you,” Lars said quietly.
“No. I attacked you,” Ahmik replied. Lars looked at his plate. Amaya sat back in her chair, watching him.
“I was a meanderer too, remember?” she said. Lars looked at her. “You don’t have to stay here. We can find you another pack. But…you don’t have to be alone anymore.”
Lars took a shaky breath. “I’d like that,” he whispered. “I don’t have a place to stay in, though, I don’t have—”
