Fur vs Skin | on hold

17.

↠C h a p t e r  S e v e n t e e n↞
A TASTE OF THE WILD

❝Winter wakes the Wolf.❞

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A few days passed by in a blur, the time finally arriving where I would join the other members of the pack in their activities, further emerging myself in this small community. As promised, Marcus finished explaining a few things that I would need to know when mingling with the others, some of the teachings being no more than simple gestures, words, and the dos and don't's for certain situations.

For instance, never look one of the elders in the eye for too long, for that it means you wish to challenge them. There were also a few other rules that I could slip away with not doing, the unforgettable thought that I was not actually a part of this pack.

The sun has risen high in the sky by the time we've left the cabin and ventured down the path leading to the pack, it's golden rays bring a wave of warmth that has been trapped behind the icy clouds.

Our footsteps create a rhythm of noise, squeaking and crunching the snow beneath our weight as we wander. A sense of peace drenches my bones, the quietness of the forest surrounding me in its cocoon. The feeling was short-lived as we strode closer to the forest's edge, the echoing of children's laughter rings through the air and travels the short distance between our arrival along with muttered conversations.

We cross into the clearing, the image of the lively pack awaiting us. The atmosphere felt different from before, carefree and joyous compared to my first arrival as we venture toward the bonfire. Two small children shortly miss the stride of Arsen's frame as they dodge around him, shouting out in their language before continuing on their way, their giggles traveling after them. The action surprises him as he watches the two scurry away to the other side of the clearing.

An emotion molds in his eyes as he regards their interaction with two other females. My eyebrows raise slightly with interest, pinpointing the sight as.. longing. Sealing his eyes for a second, the look cleared from his irises before they flickered toward me. Instead of turning away, I give him a closed-mouth smile in return, allowing that wave of heat to flood through me like a tidal wave.

"Amelia," Marcus suddenly calls out to me.

Turning away from Arsen, I find Marcus's brown eyes locked on my form. "Yes?"

"How do you feel about children?"

My lips tug upward as I shrug casually, "I don't mind them. Why?"

"For your first day, we're putting you somewhere simple enough for you to participate in for the time being," he says, catching my eye for a moment, "and it involves children, so, I was just wondering how you felt."

"It doesn't matter to me, whatever you seem fit."

Marcus grins, "Alright."

A short period of silence falls between us just as we reach the bonfire, where the elders were settled. They appeared to be in a heated discussion upon our approach, ceasing their exchange once we were within earshot, or to easily put it, once I was near. Maarika greeted me with the same calculating gaze as she always has but they held a kinder edge to them than before and the nervousness that seized my heart relented in its intensity at the discovery.