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Soul Meets Soul

Cutter's closest family clung to him as the rest of the tribe stood nearby. They silently watched the great palace of the High Ones sink beneath the waves, taking Rayek and Venka with it. Finally, the chief touched minds with his lifemate, allowing the pain of waiting to fall away, leaving only relief and a sense of home. Nothing else mattered to the elves except for the ones around them.

Despite only a few hours having passed for the cubs, Ember and Suntop knew their father was not the same. They climbed into his arms as the tribe made their way from the craggy beach and refused to let go. Even the low buzz of the tribe's excitement couldn't keep the exhausted children awake.

Long hours later, Ember woke nestled warmly in a pile of furs, suddenly afraid that she had dreamed the previous day. But the unfamiliar wood of the tree and the scents on the air told her it was an entirely different time. To one side, Suntop sat tranquilly communing with Savah after their long separation. She ignored her brother and peeked out of the magically shaped den for her parents.

A flash of white hair in the branches high above caught the cub's attention and she silently climbed up. Skywise didn't acknowledge her approach, so Ember crept up until she could throw her arms around his neck in a surprise hug. The silver haired elf was taken off guard and nearly fell off the branch before he managed to right himself.

"I didn't mean to startle you so bad." The child apologized, blowing a lock of his hair away from her nose.

"It's alright, Ember. I just wasn't paying attention." Skywise continued staring into the woods where his best friend had disappeared earlier in the night with his mate.

She settled more comfortably against the older elf, unaware of the thoughts she was interrupting. "You smell different. Are you alright?"

The stargazer smiled sadly but kept his voice light. "I'll live." And so began a new age.

Seasons turned as they always do, and the pain of their long wait for the palace to return faded from thought and dreams through the tribe, except for Cutter. For a full blooded Wolfrider, the chief had the longest memory, and sometimes it was difficult to reconcile with the Way. Especially when the Way meant different things for the four tribes that made up their holt.

Go-Backs didn't know how to exist without fighting for something and it was a constant battle to keep them from taunting humans. Aroree thought only of physical pleasures after the ages spent under Winowill's power and blindly followed Skywise. The Sunfolk were adaptable, but moved at a slower pace than the others as they were longer lived and even tempered. But the Wolfriders had the Way.

The Way kept the tribe in balance through the cycle of life and death. Old age was an unknown, as was even the thought of change. For 10 generations, the Way endured unchallenged until Cutter was forced to lead his people away from the forest they knew instinctively from birth. But the hardest choice he ever made was to split the tribe and send his daughter and soul-brother away.

Cutter only forced half the tribe to leave the forest because it meant they would be safe from the humans and the Way would continue. Though young, Ember was a true Wolfrider and would keep them safe. And when she didn't know what to do for the good of the tribe, Skywise would always be there to help guide her. The chief refused to let the sorrow overwhelm him and thought wistfully that they would make a fine lifepair. Perhaps some day he would see them again, if the High Ones allowed it.

"Cutter would-"

"Finish that sentence and you'll be sleeping alone for a moon."

"But your father would share what was bothering him."

"I'm not my father, Mender." The red haired elf warned the healer.

"But I have to know what happened."

"Leave it alone."

"Don't walk away from me, Ember."

The moment he laid a hand on her arm, the chieftess spun and punched him swiftly in the face. Unprepared for the sudden attack, Mender was knocked to the ground, blood dripping from his nose. He sputtered for a moment as Ember stood over him, fists clenched at her side.

"Never touch me again." The warning was clear. If he dared, she would remove whatever bits offended her.

The healer left his throbbing nose and jumped to his feet. "Wait, you can't be serious."

Ember didn't walk away, but she was tensed and angry. "Of course I can be. We're through."

"Why?" He was genuinely confused as they had been lovemates for several seasons and expected everything to go back to the way it was after rescuing the palace.

"Because you still don't follow me." It felt good to release the poison she had hidden since they had first lain together in the mountains outside Sorrows End. "You only like me because of my parents. Well, I'm not them and I never will be."

"I know you're not them." Mender held his hands out carefully, begging to be allowed to touch her again.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you would have even noticed me if I were Redlance's daughter."

Seconds spun out until the healer couldn't look at his lover. She spoke the truth and it hurt to admit. As he hung his head in shame, Ember softened slightly. "It is simply time for change." With no more words to say, the chieftess walked away into the deepening twilight.

Ember was so lost in thought, staring at the endless horizon, she didn't notice the soft tickle of scent that betrayed her best friend's appearance.

"Are you done shouting for now?" Skywise teased and settled in the grass at her side.

The redhead looked down at her feet in embarrassment. "You heard that?"

"I doubt there was anyone that didn't hear you."

Ember groaned and leaned back on her arms. "Perfect. Now they'll really never respect me."

Skywise studied his soulbrother's daughter and felt a little flutter of desire. Without Mender warming her furs, she might look to others for comfort. He almost chuckled to himself when he remembered Cutter suggesting he might assist as Ember grew older. He would have jumped at the chance then and still would.

"They don't care who you spend your nights with." The silver haired elf leaned back, mirroring Ember's pose. "They've all had their share of lovemates."

"Father made being chief look so easy."

"He had his share of bad days." Skywise playfully nudged his chief's shoulder with his. "But I always helped him get over it."

Ember caught the playful tone in the older elf's voice and arched an eyebrow. "And just how did you do that?"

"I'd show him the stars." Skywise pointedly looked up at the endless blanket of sky.

She forced the thought of Mender away and focused on the now of wolfthought. "Tell me about the sky pictures."

"Well, you can see them better if you lay back."

Joining with Mender had been sweet and comfortable, like a warm summer night and honey. But she knew summer always gave way to fall. Conversely, Skywise woke something she didn't know was missing. He was the hunt, the blood of a fresh kill, running with the wolf pack. Ember's entire world dwindled to where their bodies touched and she prayed to the High Ones that she would never lose the completeness she felt at that moment.

Soul meets soul when eyes meet eyes.

The grasslands surrounding them disappeared until all that was left was Skywise's wide eyes and the stars shining behind him. Ember drew in a breath and with the air came the knowledge of who he was. The moment stretched impossibly long and the chieftess waited for her lifemate to speak her soulname but he never did. And the moment was broken as the stargazer trembled letting his eyes slip shut.

Fahr.

Ember was felt like she was walking on the edge of a cliff, the sea breeze threatening to push her over. There was no possibility it had been anything but recognition and yet Skywise appeared unaffected. Her heart sung to be in his arms as the mother moon wheeled steadily overhead towards morning. But she could not bring herself to give voice the name she knew was his. Unwilling to give up the fleeting moment, the daughter of Cutter Kinseeker remained silent.