Wolf-blood

I'm Amazing

Present

Lenus stopped talking then. He shook his head and the daze in his eyes vanished. He blinked a couple times and looked at me. "You had no right to do that. None."

I looked at him too. "Neither did you. But you still did it. Now, I am going to tell you what I think you should do. Go home. Bring Deu if you must, but go home. Go back to Richard and Cigs and Teller. And for the love of the Earth Mother, ask Deu on a proper date. She likes you. A lot. And tell Orvar the truth about what you did to him. Then let him make his decision. I know that I've made mine."

"First off, I can't go home. There is a psychotic Alpha there, didn't you hear me?"

"That was six years ago! He's bound to have either lightened up or felt remorse about killing Jane all those years ago. And if you still refuse, I will force you to, don't think I won't."

"Fine. But I refuse to tell Orvar."

"Then I will! You are going to do what I say, Carter. One way or another. Now go out there and tell Orvar the truth. Then pack up your tents and take Deu back to Wisconsin to see your family. Your real family."

"You guys are my real family. I'm not leaving you."

"Yes. You will. Because I'm not staying. I'm going to go home and see my family."

"And what about Anu? You can't just leave her, you're her protector."

"I won't. I'm only going for a while, then I'm coming back."

He sighed and wrapped his fingers around his neck. "What if he blames me for her death?" he whispered.

"If he loves you as much as you say he does, he would never blame you for her death. He would mourn for her, and then for you, because you had to leave too. He lost his whole family that day. You lost Richard too, sure, but you knew that you could always get to him. He doesn't have that luxury. You lost a mother. He lost a family."

"I'll think about it."

"You have three days to do it voluntarily. Then I use my power." Lenus nodded.

"You're right. I know you are. You do have the wisdom wolf. It's just hard."

I nodded sadly. "I know. Now go." He nodded again and walked out of the trees. I, though, climbed up the closest tree and sat to meditate. I needed it.

When I was done talking to Anu, I silently climbed down the tree. I walked into the campsite and saw Orvar sitting at the fire with Lenus telling him a story. Hector and Carter. It was weird to think of them like that. I walked silently into Orvar's tent to find Mikey sitting on the ground with a black eye.

I sighed. He looked up and smiled. "So much for Arrow Boy not hurting me."

I shook my head and sat down next to him. "Did you provoke him?"

"I think you did that well enough." He started to poorly imitate me in a squeaky girl voice, "I'm thirteen! Not a whore!"

"Shut up!" I yelled and pushed him before falling into a fit of laughter. When I was controlled, we were both on the ground, staring at the canvas ceiling. I put my head on his stomach like a pillow and he absentmindedly played with my hair. "I think I know what I'm going to do," I told him quietly.

He stopped playing with my hair. "Yeah?" he asked.

"I'm coming home. For a while at least. I'll come home for a month and then return to the woods. Minimus can fend for himself for thirty days. I'll come back and serve the Earth Mother for the rest of the year, then. I'll return a month every year so that I get to see you and Mother and Father. But I do need to be out here with Anu. I'm her protector. Artio Flidais. Goddesses of bears, wildlife, forests, and protecting them. It's my job."