Redeeming the Lost (A Comforter's Tale)

Chapter 19

"Should I come out?" I asked across the packlink.

"You can peek out, but play shy," Conrad said.

Vera was still sitting, so I edged forward and poked my head under her stomach, peeking through her front legs. This spot was visible to all the rogues, who blinked in surprise at the sight of my size.

"Oh. I didn't realize you had a pup with you. She's cute."

Considering all they could see was my head between Vera's forelegs, a lot of the cute aspect was due to my Comforter's aura trying to make any wolves want to protect me. Normally, it wasn't this noticeable – and it wasn't something I could control. Perhaps being part of a small nomadic group in no man's land was amplifying that aspect of it.

One woman stood up as she gazed into my eyes, as if entranced, and began walking over. The longing echoing through her mind made me lean into Vera as I tried to suppress my aura even more, to no avail.

"I think my aura has entranced her, much like when Vera couldn't leave me alone, but I've never seen such a strong reaction before," I whispered worriedly.

Vera's ears went back as she gave a low growl of warning. The sound snapped through the woman's daze, and she stopped and shook her head. The sound also had the other four rogues on their feet with hands on their weapons. One reached out to snag the woman's arm and drag her back to their group.

"Vera," Conrad said disapprovingly. "Cool it. She meant no harm."

She stopped growling, but her hackles remained up, still a clear warning that she didn't want anyone coming any closer.

The older rogue who had previously noticed my aura narrowed his eyes. "If you want to remain, shift to your human form. We won't touch the pup, but I don't want you lunging at us after we welcomed you to our campfire."

Her ears remained pinned back as she glared at him. The older rogue didn't look away from their staring match.

"Please?" I asked her. "Then we can stay and keep talking."

She glanced back at me before reluctantly shifting. I somehow doubted that seeing her human form – even if she was sitting cross-legged – was going to help the rogues relax. Small scars criss-crossed any visible skin on her arms and legs, with a couple on her face and neck as well. She had a dagger on her belt, although the sheath looked like it had been dragged behind plowhorses for a few days.

Slowly, the rogues sat back down, although they remained on edge and ready to react at a moment's notice. The woman who had walked towards me rubbed her hand over her temple, still out of sorts.

"I wasn't going to harm her," the woman quietly murmured. "She just reminded me of the daughter I lost a few years ago. Her fur was brown, too."

Vera exhaled sharply, now torn between keeping them away and sympathizing with the woman. In a cold voice, she said, "Perhaps, but rogues who claimed to be friendly slaughtered my three children and thought they had killed me as well, a mere month after my husband died in a mudslide. I'm not about to take any chances with Julie."

"I can understand that," the woman slowly said, although her eyes drifted back to me, clearly still wishing she could hold me.

This was the first time I had ever seen someone in need who wanted help while I tried to suppress my abilities. It felt almost like a violation of the powers that had been gifted to me.

I took a step forward and looked up, although I couldn't see her face from this angle. "I know it isn't wise for me to go over there, but can she sit beside you? She is also hurting. Nothing in her mind indicates she might harm me."