14 years ago
Jana chased Nia through the forest, always making sure to not be more than a few metres away from her. The forest was dense here but Jana knew enough about the woods to know that it would start to thin out soon and then there would be the human world.
She was excited but also extremely nervous. She could tell that Nia wasn't at all scared, however. I was as if Rhydian disappearing had given Nia the adventure of a lifetime. Jana worried that her friend might be tame at heart. She couldn't bare the idea of losing her too.
Nia turned back grinning and grabbed Jana's hand, before they both ran at wolfblood speed. Jana hoped Rhydian was ok, and that he wasn't scared. She hoped the adults found him quickly, then everything would be ok. Because if Rhydian was gone forever.…
She would be broken.
He had always been there for her. He was six months older than her and had been the one who looked after her, teach her how to climb the biggest trees, been a co-conspirator when in came to playing tricks on Aran, taught her how to talk and charm her way out of getting disciplined...
She didn't know how she'd be able to live without him. He was her enaid cymar alffa, also, or so she'd been told, apparently she'd know that feeling when she older, cubs couldn't tell who their enaid cymar alffa was.
The woods began to thin and Jana could hear a whooshing sound coming from somewhere in front of her. She gave Nia a worried look but the girl just shrugged nonchalantly, moving towards the whoosing sound. Jana didn't want to be there any more, she just wanted to back at camp, with her Mama and Papa, waiting safely for Rhydian to return. She didn't feel safe here.
"Nia, I want to go home," Jana said.
"We have to find Rhydian," Nia replied adamantly.
"Can't we just let Aran and Meinir find him?" Jana asked, with a yawn.
Nia shook her, "You know what they're like. You know what Meinir is like. Imagine what they'd do to him, once they found him. No, we have to find him Jana, we have to."
Jana bit her lip, "I just have a bad feeling about this. But, I guess, ok. But any danger and we come straight home."
Nia nodded, "Ok, and yes, if it's too dangerous then we'll leave it to the adults."
Jana breathed a sigh of relief, but only just a little one, because she knew that Nia had no real sense of danger, not in the way she did. Nia didn't have too much of an appreciation of risk. Maybe she needed that right now, Jana thought, there was no time to be silly scared little cub.
She had to rescue Rhydian.
BREAK_BREAK_BREAK_BREAK
"What do you mean they're gone?!" Arianne yelled distraughtly before bursting into the tent. She saw a pile of blankets on the floor, right where she'd left her daughter sleeping. It had been a good few hours now, and when Arianne had returend she'd expected to find her daughter playing, or running around camp, or teasing Aran. But worryingly, she couldn't find Jana's or Nia's scent as strongly as she found everyone else's.
They must have left camp.
"How could you have just let them leave?!" Arianne continued, yelling at a small group of wolfbloods, who had been left behind to look after Jana and Nia.
The other wolfbloods mumbled.
"I know I should have left Meinir with them," Arianne concluded, "At least, she would have kept them here. Even if she had to tie them down to the tent floor!"
"My alpha," a young girl said, tearing through the group and bowing low before Arianne, "I heard you mention my name. I'm sorry if I have wronged you."
"Not you, dear," Arianne reassured her, "Nia and Jana have gone missing."
Meinir looked up at her alpha with horrified eyes, "Not the humans, they didn't surely come into our camp!"
"Alric is out looking for a clue," Arianne said, "It's more than likely they ran off trying to find Rhydian. I can't even be mad at them, if I was Jana I would have done the same."
Arianne looked up just as Aran and Alric came racing back towards the camp.
"We have a scent," Alric said, "And we found this. In north-east direction about a league or so from the camp."
Alric held out one of Jana's hair ribbons- it was thin and black and covered in a fair bit of mud, but Arianne took it gladly, tieing it around her wrist.
"Let's go," Arianne commanded, "And if any more cubs go missing, Gods help whoever is responsible."
"Arianne, my alpha," Alais said, "I believe Nia was behind this, she has the evil eye after all."
Gerwyn gave his sister a disbelieving look, "Ceri is besides herself with worry about Rhydian, she wishes she could help but she's in no good way to. I will go instead. Find out the truth in a way that doesn't involve beating young children with sticks."
Alais shrugged, "Nia needs it."
There was a murmur of disapproval amongst the pack members. Sure a slap here or there was unusual but not frowned upon, not that Arianne would ever discipline Jana or Nia like that, and Ceri and Gerwyn didn't really discipline Rhydian per say, not when the young boy could just give them a grin and they'd have to start smiling too. But beating a child, and being so casual about it... There was something immensely wrong with that.
Gerwyn shook his head at his sister before moving to stand next to Arianne. He hugged her, sensing that she need a friend's support. It wasn't the done thing, hugging your alpha in front of the whole pack, but he couldn't care less right now.
Alric nodded to the group before Arianne, Meinir, Aran and Gerwyn followed himm out of the camp.
BREAK_BREAK_BREAK_BREAK
"What are those?" Jana asked in wonder as she watched the little brightly coloured beetles zoom past, "I've never seen anything so fast. They're amazing."
Nia and Jana were standing on the grass verge, the woodland just behind them. A wooden post towered above them but they couldn't read the writing on it. They assumed, correctly, that it must be a sign to tell humans how to get into the woods.
"Look at that!" Nia yelled, pointing at another sign post, "It looks so funny! What is it? Some man with some triangle thing."
Jana squinted trying to see it better, "It looks like some man trying put up a really weird looking tent."
"And look over there!" Nia pointed at several orange and silver cones, "It's all so strange!"
Jana nodded, "It looks like the beetles are trying to play some kind of game, weaving in and out of those yellow barrier thingies and what on earth is that machine thing?"
Nia shrugged, looking over at a small digger, "I think it's a wolfblood with a really bad disease, I'll ask my auntie when we get back."
Jana sniffed the air, "Uh-oh."
She turned around to see her Uncle Gerwyn, and instantly felt guilty. He should have been looking for Rhydian, not following them.
"I wouldn't want to be walking in your paws when we get back," he said gravely.
Nia burst out crying in fear, "Please, you have to save me, please!"
Gerwyn picked up his crying niece, "It will be Alric who deals with this, not your Mama."
"Thank the Gods!" Nia yelled, before sobbing again.
Gerwyn shook his head. The next few days were going to be hell. But he knew what needed to be done. Alais was no fit mother. He would go to the elders, he would ask to adopt Nia. Gods, he was already looking after her enough of the time. She needed good parents, and someone who actually loved her. Alais had been in the camp all day, but not once had she noticed that her daughter had gone missing.
Jana stared guiltily at her boots, "We only wanted to find Rhydian. Now I've made everyone angry."
Gerwyn ruffled her hair, "No, they're just worried. We all figured out what you were up to. Arianne will likely never let you out of sight again. Speaking of the red haired devil..."
"JANA!" Arianne yelled, racing towards her daughter, and picking up, kissing her hair and face, "Thank the Gods! Don't you ever scare me like that again!"
"Sorry, Mama," Jana said, crying. She felt so awful.
Arianne hugged her tightly, "What on earth is this place?"
"There's a poorly wolfblood," Nia said pointing to the digger.
"That's not a wolfblood, dear," Arianne said, stroking the young girl's hair, "Come on, lets find the others and head back."
"What about Rhydian?" Jana asked, rubbing the tears out of her eyes.
"We'll look again tomorrow," Gerwyn said, sharing a knowing look with Arianne, they both knew that it was unlikely that they'd find Rhydian now. They just didn't want to admit it yet.
Jana pouted, "But it's still daylight."
Arianne bit her lip, "What do you think?"
Gerwyn sighed, "I would, but Alric said..."
"Stuff Alric," Arianne said, "I'll see what I can do. You take the girls back to camp."
"Mama?" Jana said, confused as Arianne passed her to Gerwyn.
"Go back home with your uncle," Arianne said, "I'll be back home soon, with Rhydian."
Jana smiled, jumping down to hug her mother. She knew her Mama would always do the right thing.
That's when it happened.
The car was travelling too far to stop, but neither Arianne or Jana had noticed.
Jana was standing too close to edge of the curb.
"ARIANNE!" Gerwyn yelled in horror.
He watched it all happen so quickly, the car mounted the pavement just as Arianne puushed her daughter away with all her might. Trying to keep her safe.
But she wasn't able to keep herself safe.
Gerwyn on instinct ran at lightening speed, as the car flipped landing in the ditch below. He knew the man inside it wouldn't have survived that impact.
When the car had finally stopped, he grabbed the cubs who were both screaming and terrified and raced towards Arianne.
She was a mess, both of her legs were broken and there was a nasty cut on her head and a huge deep one cutting across her stomach. They had to move now... Get her back to Ceri as soon as possible.
"Mama!" Jana yelled, but Gerwyn pulled her back, shielding her from seeing her mother like this. This wasn't the kind of thing a cub should see.
"Just look after them," Arianne said, her eyes refusing to focus.
"No," Gerwyn said, "We'll get help."
Alric, Aran and Meinir raced out of the woodland.
"ARIANNE!" Alric yelled, pulling his wife into his arms. She was losing blood at an alarming rate.
She gave him a weak smile, "I want to see Jana."
"No, we'll bring Ceri here," Alric commanded, "Aran-."
"Alric," Gerwyn began, as he saw Arianne grow pale.
"I WILL NOT LET HER DIE!" Alric yelled.
Jana sobbed loudly, screaming, "MAMA! MAMA! MAMA!"
Gerwyn didn't want her to see this, but if this was the last time she ever got to speak to her mother...
Jana walked wobbily over to her parents.
"Mama," Jana said, "Please don't go."
"Fy merch fach hardd," Arianne said, stroking Jana's cheek, "Everything will be ok, fy merch fach hardd."
Jana sobbed, hugging her mother.
Arianne stroked her hair, no longer able to speak.
She looked up at Alric who was trying and failing to hold back tears.
She wished she had a chance to say goodbye to Rhydian and Ceri.
She looked at her daughter again. Please be strong, Jana, she thought, please grow p big and strong, and always be loved, fy merch fach hardd.
Then everything was dark.
