Obsidian Night Pack

3

"Where did you last see her?" I asked Joshua as we walked along the side of the forest.

"In the packhouse, we were in her room, haha she wanted to make sure I hadn't tried to move into her room. Then she just quickly left and ran downstairs."

"Hmmm, I wonder where she went to... your parent's cabin maybe? Or the creek? Maybe she shifted again tonight." Joshua didn't say anything as we kept walking he just shrugged and scanned the area around us.

"Or maybe..." I began again but then was interrupted by Joshua.

"Ash? ASH!" He yelled and I turned to look over to where he was facing. I looked to see Ashlyn running over to us waving like a mad man with the biggest grin on her face.

"Josh! Clove! Hey! Hey! Hey!!!!" She bellowed as she got closer to us.

"Where have you been?" I asked.

"OMG, hehe! I found him! I found my mate!!! I smelled him when I was in the packhouse and then I just followed his scent! I was just going back to the feast to tell mom and dad! I'm so glad I ran into you! I'm so happy!" Ashlyn told us as she was jumping up and down clapping her hands.

"Oh, Ash!" I opened my arms and enveloped her into a hug and squeezed her tight.

"Well? Who is he, was someone late to the feast tonight? I didn't think anyone was missing?" When I asked Ashlyn that the smile on her face faltered for a moment.

"Ya... um well, he's actually not from our pack and he's also very adamant that we return to his pack... '' Mine and Joshua's faces fell in disbelief. She really found him, her mate, and she was really leaving.

"I was just on my way to tell mom and dad.." Ashlyn was no longer talking to me. Her full attention was now on Joshua.

"Well I guess you're not so ugly after all," they both laughed and she pulled him in for a hug.

"There's one more thing... Um, he's needed back at his pack, so... I'll be leaving late tonight." For a moment there was a sickening silence in the air and the person in front of me I didn't recognize. Sure it was like Ashlyn to have wild ideas and follow-through, and she was definitely the type of person to want adventure in life, but it wasn't like her to want to pick up her whole life and leave in the middle of the night like some runaway.

"Oh wow, Ash...are you sure? This seems kind of rushed." She gave us both a sad smile and nodded her head slowly.

"I'm sure, in fact, I've never been more sure, excited, and terrified in my life, but I need to do this and I want to do this. I'm sorry, we can talk about this more tonight. Come to help me in my room later? I'm going to go tell the rest of the pack." She smiled sweetly and jogged off back to the small glow of the fire in the distance.

And for a moment Joshua and I just watched her runoff. She had so much excitement and determination in her I couldn't believe it.

"You okay?" I asked Joshua as I looked down at him, his eyes not moving, not ready to let Ashlyn out of his sight quite yet. He didn't say anything.

"Sorry, stupid question."

"I think I'll head back to the feats now," he said and without waiting for me he began running off after Ashlyn.

~~~~~~~

Things were changing, everything was changing, I knew it was for the best I knew that Ashlyn would be happy with her mate and in her new pack, but I had a feeling that she didn't. I had a feeling that Ash was just putting on a brave face, because no matter how much she had wanted to leave the Bright Moon pack I knew it would be hard for her. It was something you could always dream about and never actually imagine happening. Some things are like that, better as a dream then in reality, because it's hard for things to be bad in a day dream.

I walked up to her room, it was already open with light streaming out into the dark hallway. I looked in and saw her very preoccupied with her clothes. I tapped my knuckles to the door a few times which got her attention.

"Clover!" She jumped up and ran to me. She quickly took both of my hands in hers and pulled me into the room.

"You need to save me, I don't know what I need and what I don't, I don't even know what clothes I should bring!" Letting go of my hands she dodged boxes and grabbed hangers from her closet that held random dresses and shirts. She held them up as if to say "do you think I'll need these?" I laughed and smiled at her.

"Ashlyn.," I said her name and her hands that grasped the clothes fell to her side.

"Clove, don't do this, this is a happy night! I'm happy! I found my mate! I shifted! I'm m-moving.." I watched as her eyes filled, but she tilted her head back trying to keep anything from falling.

"Ash..." I said again.

Her hands released the clothes and she brought her face forward causing all the tears to fall from her eyes.

"I don't know if I can do this! I love him, I love him so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. He's so amazing and everything I knew my mate would be and yet I'm sitting in my room and I'm so mad! I'm mad that nothing is fitting in my suitcase and that I can't decide what to bring and what to leave and I'm mad that I'm leaving!"

I quickly ran over to Ashlen before she came crashing down to the floor in a mess of emotions. I held her as she cried all of them out.

"You know it will be okay, you're 100% justified in feeling mad and sad and even bad," I laughed and she chuckled at my bad rhyming.

"I know you will be extremely happy once everything slows down. It's just happening a little fast is all. But you just have to remember to breathe." She nodded and looked up at me and smiled sadly.

"Just because you're living doesn't mean we won't be friends and it doesn't even mean you won't be able to visit. Or even me to visit you! You're focusing really hard on the negatives right now, let's take a break and focus on some positives. You haven't even told me this guy's name." She laughed some more and sat up and looked at me.

"Oh ya! I forgot! His name is Sander, and he's amazing, he's so cute and sweet and you wouldn't guess it but he gets embarrassed very easily." She told me as she giggled and my own eyes went wide.

"Sander? As in Sander Rove from the.." I trailed off and looked into Ashlyn's eyes to see if she knew what I was talking about.

"You know him?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I'm the one that brought him to my dad to find his Alpha that's here."

"Ya! That's him! I followed him all the way to the cabin where his Alpha is staying! I didn't know what to do so I waited until he came out and it was like... like... I can't even describe it Clove, it's just something that you need to experience in order to know. But our eyes met and it didn't even take him two seconds to come over to me."

"Wow Ash, that sounds amazing... do you know what pack he's from?" Ash's face fell a little after I asked her.

"Ya, I do, and that's terrifying I mean you know all the stories that come from that place. Especially from their previous Alpha, but I'll have Sander and he reassured me that I'll be okay and that everything will be okay. I mean it took all of my convincing skills just to have him let me go and be able to tell you guys and come and pack tonight."

"Where's Sander then while you're packing?"

"He had to go talk to his, well I guess mine now too, Alpha. Let him know what was happening and plan a date I guess to have me officially accepted into their pack." Now it was my turn to shake my head.

"This is crazy, I can't even picture waking up for breakfast without you."

"I'll call you every day and I'll keep you updated on everything."

"I know you will," we both smiled at each other, "but let's start packing so you can actually have some clothes to wear when you get there okay?"

"Okay."