Ten years have passed since the demise of Banastre, and the Yuen Pack thrives under the leadership of the dictator's benevolent stepson, Oscar Yuen. With a flourishing community and accumulation of wealth, the Yuen Pack has become second only to the...
Ananya returned to the pack with Oscar hand-in-hand. Wordlessly, they kissed again, and at Karsten's call, Oscar released her and shifted, rushing toward the border. Ananya watched him go, the wind combing through her hair as she observed the men crowd together in an orderly fashion. They all howled, reciting a phrase in a language that Ananya didn't understand or had ever heard before (though she assumed that it was Latin) and the pack howled with them. A cheer rose from the crowd and all the wolves shifted, disappearing through the gates and past the border into the forest, advancing for the first and last battle to free Bourdier from June and Dafowick.
"You took a while," Samiya noted, coming to Ananya and wiping her hands on a rag. "What did the Alpha have to tell you?"
Ananya shrugged, praying that her blush wasn't noticeable. "Nothing serious," she said. She picked up the box of gauze and resumed measuring the lengths. "How are things here?"
Samiya sighed. "We have improvements, though there are some still in critical condition," she said. She sat on the stump next to Ananya and took the second roll of gauze. "It's the humans that I'm worried about. Their immune systems are weak - no offense - and we don't have the proper medication to heal them. I'm hoping that the Alpha finishes this fight quickly so that they can get the help they need."
"I hope so too. And no offense taken," Ananya agreed. She regarded her phone, which lay on the stump, and subconsciously realized that she hadn't been called by Rutuparna in a while. Then, remembering their confrontation, she deflated.
Right, I don't think she'd want anything to do with me anymore, she thought, and though she should have been relieved, Ananya found herself feeling saddened. She blamed it on the schedule she'd gotten used to following from the time she was a toddler. Rutuparna would check on her every day, morning, afternoon, and night, and now when Ananya was finally free from her controlling hands, she felt lost, wondering if she had done the right thing.
Samiya studied her. "You did the right thing," she said softly, and when Ananya fixed her with a look of perplexion, she smiled and tapped her head. "Mind-link. After the Alpha marked you, we have access to your mind. Don't worry, nobody looks at it apart from the Alpha now and then. I'll teach you how to put mental blocks up." She approached Ananya and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You did the right thing, Ananya. I know it may not seem like it right now, but if you think about your future, could you live the rest of your life under somebody's hand?"
"No," Ananya admitted through pursed lips. "I don't think so."
"Then you were right to run. I understand why you'd be upset, though." Samilya smiled sadly. "No matter what, family is family, and even if they're not the kindest, a part of you will always be reminiscent of them."
The younger girl nodded, reflecting Samiya's gloomy smile. "You're right," she said, counting the blades of grass absently. "I...I'm glad that I can think for myself, but it feels...odd. I'm not used to it, and honestly, I keep wondering if I'm doing the right thing."
"What makes you think that you're doing something wrong?"
"Nothing yet, but what if I mess up along the way?"
"Then you fix your mistake. You're not expected to be perfect, Ananya, not here."
"But...I'm supposed to be the Luna..."
"Being the Luna doesn't mean that you have to do everything right." Samiya gave a short laugh. "I can't tell you how many times Cai and the Alpha have let their mischief out of hand. It's okay to make mistakes. It's natural"
"Really?" Ananya's heart skipped a beat. "It is?"
"What's it?"
"Making mistakes is natural?"
"Sure it does, at least to me." Samiya took the empty box and tossed it in a nearby trash can. "It means that we can change, and if you can't change, then you're a robot."
"That makes sense." Ananya lifted her head and felt her lips turn. "Yes, that makes sense." A renewed sense of resolve settled in her stomach and she pumped her fists. "Okay! I'm going to do my very best!"
Samiya merely smiled. She held onto Ananya's arm and settled herself onto the stump with a relieved exhale. "Good," she said quietly, resting her hand on her belly.
Ananya frowned. "Are you okay? Is anything hurting?"
"No, no. I'm just tired. I think I may have overworked myself." Samiya blushed.
"That's not good." Ananya watched her rub her belly gently. "Can I get you anything?"
"Nothing right now. Maybe some water later."
"If you don't mind me moving slowly, then I'll get you the water."
"That's fine, thank you." Samiya continued to stroke her stomach, murmuring to her unborn children now and then. Ananya resumed measuring the gauze, though her mind was elsewhere, specifically thinking about Oscar. She hoped that he was okay, and even though she didn't consider herself to be a very religious person, she prayed to all the Gods who were awake that he would be safe.
She noticed every time she'd look up from her work, that the injured humans would occasionally stand and stretch, and their heads would turn suspiciously toward the border, as though planning to make a run for it. They never moved, however, their eyes remained on the border, as if observing something that Ananya couldn't see from her vantage point.
"Ball!" A chorus of squeaky voices shouted. "Ball!"
"I'll get it!" The stuffy, familiar voice of a young girl proclaimed, and before Ananya could react, she was shifting into her wolf form and bounding through the pack toward the Southern Border.
"Ah, hey, wait!" Ananya dropped the gauze. "Don't go that way!" She looked helplessly at the pups, who stalled when they realized where their friend was going.
"We can't let her go there," Samiya, who had been previously dozing, murmured. "It's not safe. Ananya...can you...?"
Oh, right, there are only nurses, children, wolves, and humans who can't fight in the pack. Why did Oscar leave this place unattended? Ananya slid from the stump. "I'll go get her." Her arms trembled; she wasn't comfortable with the Southern Border, where Oscar had mentioned multiple murders had taken place, but she gathered her wits and followed the path that the pup had left, weaving through cots and barely nodding to wolves who would question her destination as she passed them.
"Hey! Slow down! Wait!" Ananya called after the girl, whose pace had dropped as she began to search for her ball. Ananya approached her, crossing over a pale yellow line in the grass that she assumed was for directional purposes, and she stood behind the girl as she rummaged through the bushes for her ball. "You can't run off like that, sweetie. Something can happen to you."
"But...my ball..." the girl pulled her face out from the bushes, and embraced in her small arms a rubber yellow ball. "I couldn't let it get away."
"I understand, but if something happens to you, then the ball will be the least of our worries. Your parents would be very sad if you got hurt," Ananya explained gently.
"Why would I get hurt?" The girl tilted her head. "I'm still in the pack."
"Are we?" Ananya looked around. "I don't know." A chill passed through her wrinkled clothes and she hugged herself. "How about we get back inside the pack first? I know your ball is important to you, but if it crosses the pack borders next time, then how about we ask a patrol wolf to get it for us, okay?"
"Okay. Sorry," the girl bent her head.
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