Chapter Fifteen

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Chapter Fifteen

Storm clouds darker than any Fey had ever seen before surrounded the mountain's peak, flashing ominously and letting out foreboding booms of thunder. Fey took a deep breath, munching on a pinecone she had grabbed on her way up the tree.

"Well, at least we know for sure where it went," she muttered.

The mountain was still at least a dozen miles away. If they started hiking soon, Fey estimated they could make it to the base before nightfall, assuming they didn't run into any more unexpected catastrophes.

Unfortunately, if she'd had to pick a slogan for their little adventure, Unexpected Catastrophes would have been pretty close to the top of the list.

She took another bite of her pinecone. It tasted bland, which she supposed was about as much as she could expect from eating a literal ball of wood, but it did the job filling her stomach. As a goat-walker, with the digestive system of a forest goat and the omnivorous nature of a human, there wasn't much on earth she couldn't eat, even if she didn't enjoy it. Not to mention…

"Instinct!" she whispered. Her eyes lit up with the same light that Glenn's did when he reshaped his antlers, but instead of growing her horns into new and useful shapes it converted everything in her stomach—regardless of where it came from—into pure life sustaining energy. If she were wounded, she could use that energy to heal herself back to fighting form. That was how she had regrown one of her horns after having it ripped out of her skull by a wendigo only a couple days before. But today that energy spread through her entire body, invigorating her and preparing her for the long and arduous day she knew was coming.

Flexing her legs, she bounded back down the tree, her hooves making almost no noise when they hit the dirt a couple feet away from where Zave was sleeping. He hadn't moved an inch from where she had left him—even his hand seemed to think it was still holding hers.

Fey's heart skipped, a tinge of color touching her cheeks beneath her fur. It had been so long since she'd had a real pack to sleep with. Last night, having Zave pressed up against her as she slept, their warmth mingling to chase away the evening chill, had been the best night she'd had in years. And it was still early, the sun having barely crested the horizon. Would it really be that bad if she spent another couple hours with—

She shook her head, chasing those unwelcome thoughts away. Glenn's life was in danger! Whatever was happening between her and Zave could wait until her old alpha was safe and reunited with his pack.

"Hey, wake up," she said, nudging him with her hoof. "Daylight's burning."

He groaned, but obeyed, opening his eyes and sitting up with a yawn.

"We have our work cut out for us," she said, pacing around the makeshift camp. "There's at least twelve miles between us and the mountain. The earlier we get moving, the sooner we can get Glenn to safety."

"No sign of the thunderbird?" Zave asked groggily.

She shook her head. "Not yet. And judging by what I saw yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't see it again for a long time." She shivered. "I don't care how big you are, having an arrow in your eye is never pleasant."

"Have a lot of experience with that, do you?"

Fey glanced at him, saw the smirk he was giving her, and couldn't help but smile back. "On your feet, soldier. We have some miles to put behind us."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, getting to his feet.

Fey turned in the direction of the mountain. The trees blocked it from view down here, but the distant sound of thunder was—

Crash!

Fey spun around, searching for whatever had made the sudden noise. Zave was lying on the ground, but she couldn't see anything nearby besides her and—WHY WAS ZAVE ON THE GROUND?

Fey rushed over to him, kneeling above his prone form. "Zave! What happened? Are you hurt?"

He raised his head, grimacing. "I'm fine. Just felt dizzy for a second."

A deep, gurgling growl rang through their campsite, and horror dawned on Fey.

"Zave," she said slowly, "when was the last time you ate?"

He looked away guiltily. "I said I'm fine!"

"Answer me! Was it at the airport? No, you didn’t even eat anything there, did you?”

He hesitated, and then grudgingly shook his head.

Fey stood up, slapping her palm over her face. "Oh my God, Zave! It's been almost two days! Why the hell didn't you say something?"

"Because you and Glenn never ate anything," Zave confessed. "I didn't want to be a burden."

"We didn't—" Fey slapped her face again. "Zave, we've both been eating every chance we get! Glenn is a deer-walker, so he can survive entirely on grass and leaves, and my Instinct lets me eat literally anything! Did you seriously think we were hiking on empty stomachs just because we never stopped for a three course meal?"

Zave's cheeks turned red, and he muttered something she couldn't quite hear.

"What was that?" she snapped.

"I said, you've got more important things to worry about than me!" he shot back. "You have to rescue Glenn and take care of Clueless. You shouldn't have to babysit me on top of everything else!"

"Damn it, Zave!" Fey fumed, stomping her hooves. "You're just as important as anyone else in my pack!"

Zave raised his eyes to look at her in surprise. "W- What did you say?"

"I said that…"

Oh, God, what did I just say?

"Fey," Zave said slowly, "am I…part of your pack?"

Fey's face was so hot it felt like it was going to melt right off her skull.

"W- Well, Clueless is in my pack," she replied, knowing all too well that she wasn’t making any sense, "and you're Clueless'...or you were Clueless'...and Clueless obviously doesn't want you to go away, even if she doesn't realize it, so…what I mean is…d- do you want to be?"

Zave stared at her.

You idiot! she screamed inside her head. Why would he want something like that?

"I…I think," Zave stammered, "that I'd like that."

Fey's heart leaped.

Yes, yes, y—wait, no, calm down! What are you, a thirteen year old girl? Get ahold of yourself!

Fey cleared her throat. There was still work to do. People to save. She had no right to feel this giddy and gleeful when virtually everyone else she knew was suffering.

Even so, she couldn't stop herself from grinning ear to ear.

"Well, then as your alpha…"

Why does it suddenly feel so good to say that?

"...I'm ordering you to have breakfast!"

NEXT CHAPTER: 2/19/2025