Inclusion
Shatters-Columns arrived at her ledge and announced himself, waking her from a nap.
"Skadi, I am sorry to wake you. I have news."
She yawned, "No problem. Come rest and tell me the news."
He strolled inside and made himself comfortable before her, "Our Healers have returned safely from Shadow-Spark-Pack. They say they can treat more types of sicknesses, learned what plants help with certain problems, and can help with hurts like broken bones."
"Good. We finally have useful Healers. That is one less thing for me to worry about."
He softly continued, "There is more. After our Healers left them, Cleansers from the darker and deeper ranges attacked the dark wings. The attacking Cleansers were killed, but a pawful of dark wings were killed or badly hurt. The worst hurt might not live. They sent one of their Far-Fliers to follow our packmates with the news."
The Cleansers had struck, probably fleeing the darker and deeper ranges in a group. How many were down there, now uncontrolled and not directed?
"Chilling. I hope the dark wings do not lose any more of their own."
"Can we do anything for them?" he asked
"If they ask for help, we can give help, depending on what they ask for. They probably will not ask us though. We should be ready if Cleansers come for us. Let First-Fighter know about the attack. I told him to have more Fighters on guard, but a reminder would not hurt."
"Good idea. I will do it. Different question, do you know when Deep-Pass-Pack will get here?"
She chuckled, "Any waking-cycle."
He got to his paws and paused before departing.
"Is there something else?" she asked.
"Maybe. Some packmates would like to talk to you about how to make names. I have helped give them suggestions, but they also want to hear from you. It is still important to them to hear from their Alpha."
She groaned and got to her paws, "If I must."
Their reluctance to decide on their own was frustrating but hardly surprising. They still looked to the Alpha for too much. There had to be a balance between pushing them to act on their own even if it was uncomfortable, like a dam nudging the young out of the nest, while not doing too much too fast.
By the mist-covered lake just outside the long path into New-Flame-Pack's ranges, she waited with Shatters-Columns, her guards, and a pawful of other packmates who had a special reason to be present. A Hunter had already been dispatched to make arrangements within.
A flight of nearly two tens of light wings and three dark wings glided over the lake and touched down on the shore. The arriving kin sorted themselves out across from her group and settled down to face their direction.
Leading them was a large male who surprisingly had dark spots on his white hide. His shape was also slightly different from a light wing. Was he actually a dark-light mixed-kin? Is this what the mixing looked like? He had to be one. Now that she looked more closely, there were other light wings in his group who looked a little different or had noticeable dark patches.
The male dark-light left his packmates, calmly approached her, and met her between the two groups.
"So you are Skadi, the new Alpha," he deeply rumbled.
She met his gaze, "You must be Flickering-Flare. You are welcome here."
"Before we discuss pack-peace, my flight has flown far, and some of our packmates are getting impatient. Do you object?"
"Not at all."
Flickering-Flare gestured to his packmates. A pawful of them bellowed in relief and dashed across the gap. Her gathered Hunters, males and females alike from Shatters-Columns' secretly defiant group, and even a couple pairs from other pack-roles threw themselves at their kin. Roars, shouts, and voices filled with feeling echoed.
"You have grown so much!" "Look at you!" "Sire! Dam!" "So big!" "Look at your wings!"
She hummed as she watched the various reunions: life-water kin pinning each other in play, nuzzling noses, and sharing news of all that happened in their life-flights.
Flickering-Flare sat beside her, "Is it safe out here?"
"As long as we all stay together. Life-water-drinkers can be around the lake."
"May we enter your ranges for safety?" he asked.
"Please do. We will have food for everyone."
"You are most generous."
Flickering-Flare called to his packmates and told them to follow her packmates into the range for safety, food, and relaxation. Everyone formed a procession going up into the long cave which led to her pack's ranges. She and Flickering-Flare brought up the tail of the group, just behind their guards.
"How did he die?" he asked.
"Painfully. I killed him with sky-light, teeth, and claws."
"You can do that too? I suppose you would be able to."
"Wait, can you use sky-light?" she asked, surprised at his claim.
She had not entirely believed Defiance's claim about what dark-lights could do.
"All grown and half-half dark-lights can," he answered.
"Only true half-half dark lights?"
"It is easiest for us. The less of an equal mix, the weaker the control of sky-light."
"Are most of your pack dark-lights? I noticed some others with you."
"Many have some dark wing life-water, but not enough that they look different from a light wing. My sire is a light wing and my dam a dark wing. She refused to leave him back when the peace broke between the kinds."
"Did they live in this pack before it became rotted?"
"They did. Am I mistaken, or are you also a mixed-kin?" he asked.
"I am. You know who my sire was. My dam was a light wing from this pack."
She chuckled at how appropriate it was that she had become the Alpha of the same pack which her dam had gladly escaped from.
"What is your pack's territory like?" she asked.
"Not isolated like here. Many paths to other ranges touch in our territory. Kin of all kinds are always flying on those paths. Some of our ranges were once part of the darker and deeper ranges. We collapsed the only caves leading down into danger so our dark ranges are as safe as any. The largest range is an unending water-range where we hunt."
"Are there any other packs near yours?"
"Of strong-thinking kin, no, this one is the closest. Fire-scales, spine-tails, two-head gas-breathers, rock-bellies, and others have their own ranges near ours, but there is enough territory that we do not fight with them."
They passed the outer guards, arrived at the waterfalls, and passed through into the range. Not far within the first chamber was a stretch of open grass and moss. Food-Planners and Hunters were helping by piling food-mushrooms and many tens of fresh fish in that open space. The reunited kin were already sharing meals and wandering off on their own.
Flickering-Flare dismissed his guards, so she did likewise.
"Do you want to eat?" she asked.
"I will after they have had their fill."
He stood upright next to her and observed the visible range before dropping down and resting next to her.
"It has been many life-making cycles since I was last here. The Alpha you killed gave me a twisted offer."
"Any chance I can guess what he offered you?"
"One female of my own for each dark wing I sent to join his pack. To keep pack-peace, I thanked him for the offer, and explained that I would not command anyone to leave my pack. Back at my pack, I forgot to ask if anyone wanted to freely join his pack."
She nodded toward everyone else, "You did not have to give them a place to flee. Why take that risk? Why accept them?"
"Why did you take the risk of fighting him?"
"Probably because of some reasons you did not have. He also gave me offers, different from yours. You can guess what he wanted from me. Mostly, these kin were trapped and needed help. They still do."
"How so?"
"Most of them lived under twisted pack-rules their whole lives. Change does not happen at once."
"No, it does not. You must not have been hatched here."
"It was far away and outside of any pack. The first pack I joined was a light wing pack named Ice-Water-Pack. They are so isolated that they do not even know dark wings still live."
"That is remote. How did you come to be here?"
"I found this pack after I fled with other kin from two-legs in the above. Have you heard about two-legs?"
"Only whispers that a pack of them lives alongside a pack of kin. Nothing more."
Deep-Pass-Pack must also be very isolated if they knew so little about two-legs. Much like Defiance and Branch-Biter, he was unlikely to be concerned about what did not appear to him to be a threat.
She muttered, "They are in the same range a waking-cycle of flight from here. What is happening there is not good if I know anything about two-legs, but that is not your problem. We should discuss our pack-peace."
He faced her, "What do you want to change?"
"Our packmates should be able to freely fly to the other pack. Some of us obviously have life-water kin to visit."
"I approve as long as not too many fly at once. They must work and help provide for themselves while with the other pack."
"Fair. I also want our packmates to be free to search in both packs for mates if they wish."
He huffed, "Before I agree, tell me about your pack's customs. What has changed from before?"
She explained the important changes, mostly that everyone was encouraged to take proper names in addition to their role-number, females were no longer forced into secondary roles or unwanted activities, life-mate pairs were allowed, the structure of pack-roles had changed, and no one was made to use twisted words or only allowed ways of talking.
He remained silent for many wingbeats before he sighed, "It is chilling that such simple life-ways were abandoned."
She shrugged, "Fear does that. They wanted safety, so they chose to live in traps. Once inside, they could not get out on their own."
"Only if clear-thinking and brave kin are silent and do not resist."
She barely growled, looking away from him, "As I said, they could not act without help."
"I must be missing something, but I need not know all that happened here. I approve of letting our packs mingle as you suggest. The last pawful of life-making cycles have been warm to us. We almost have balance, slightly more males than females."
"Good. We have more females."
"Do I want to know why?"
"No."
"Better to not speak of it."
She considered how to bring up the next important topic: the egg. This topic had to be carefully flown around to not reveal the truth. Its eventual hatching might reveal the truth anyway, depending on what it looked like, but there was no avoiding that risk.
"There is something else. Do you know of any pairs in your pack who would want to claim an egg?"
He blinked, visibly surprised, "There might be. My life-mate might know of such a pair. Why?"
"As you know, the customs were rotted and twisted here before. Not every egg was made with the dam agreeing or wanting an egg. If there are no pairs or anyone else here who wants to claim such an egg, I would have the egg go to a warm-livered pair where it could be safe and wanted."
"Good idea. If any female is carrying an egg she does not want and no one else from her pack can or should claim it, she may fly to the other pack to have the egg and leave it. We can have a pair in each pack volunteer in advance to claim any such egg."
"What about an egg already laid?"
He grumbled, "We could not safely get such an egg back to our territory. Even if the egg is old enough to safely move that far, we must swim many lengths underwater. The cold water would be too dangerous for it. There is also the danger of needing to fight any other kin on the way."
She avoided showing any disappointment. His explanation was clear enough as to why he could not safely get an egg back to his pack.
"I understand. Is there anything else about our pack-peace?" she asked.
He chuffed, "Only that I did not believe speaking with the Alpha of this pack could be warming. When I heard he was dead and a female took his place, I was sure the Far-Flier who told me was twisting my tail."
"I too am surprised by you. An Alpha male who does not want many mates and who puts others before himself is not common."
"It is not lack of wanting. I promised my life-mate that I would only be hers, and so I am."
"What is her name?"
He purred for the first time, "Sings-From-Shadows."
"Is she also a dark-light?"
"No, she is a light wing."
"Do you have any young?"
"One son. What about you?"
"Neither. I have other priorities."
He hummed, "Nothing is wrong with focus on duty."
She gestured toward the clearing where families were gathered, some sleeping in a pile and others still talking and sharing stories. The three dark wings who came with him, one of them with their light wing mate, stood out among everyone else.
"You might want to tell your three dark wings that they will get many looks if they wander among us. As twisted as it is, some of this pack have not seen dark wings at all."
He chuffed, "I have already told them. They know they will stand out here."
"How long will you and your kin stay with us?"
"A pawful of waking-cycles if we are welcome. They have not seen each other in far too long. We will help provide while we are here."
"That will help, but you are our guests. We do not want you to tire yourselves. Do you know Shatters-Columns, our First-Hunter?"
He rumbled, "I know of him, but I have not met him."
"He is my Beta. If I am not available, he can help you and your packmates get whatever you need. Let me introduce you."
He got up and followed her on paw across the clearing to where Shatters-Columns and Herb-Scorcher were huddled with their three grown life-water kin, two sons and one daughter.
While they made their way, she considered what she knew of Flickering-Flare. He was entirely polite and reasonable, apparently wanting only the best for both their packs, but he was different in a way she could not put a paw on. He was calm, appeared aware of when he did not know something, and showed no weaknesses she had noticed, except for perhaps that he was conflicted between natural wants and a promise. Though, it was more of a strength to resist wants which would conflict with that promise. He was not motivated like the mostly warm Alpha at Ice-Water-Pack or the dead Alpha she eliminated. That was how he was different.
Was he normal or an exception? Defiance shared Alpha status with Branch-Biter. The dark wing Alphas at New-Haven-Pack shared status, and appeared as though they only had one mate each. It was not clear if Sings-From-Shadows was an Alpha with Flickering-Flare, but he clearly did not see himself as more than his life-mate. Maybe his way was not such an exception. Perhaps having two who shared power or trusted each other with all of life helped both not become twisted with power.
She waited with Flickering-Flare as he stood before his packmates at the exit to her pack's territory. They had been present for four waking-cycles and were ready to return home. Her packmates finished nuzzling their life-water kin and stepped back, all except for two Far-Fliers and one She-Far-Flier who were going with them to visit Deep-Pass-Pack and see their ranges on behalf of New-Flame-Pack.
Flickering-Flare approached her and hummed, "Alpha Skadi, I thank you for letting us fly here."
"We are warmed that you could come to us, and I thank you for the pack-peace."
"You are welcome to visit our pack if you want," he added.
"I probably will eventually. Safe and warm flights, Flickering-Flare."
Flickering-Flare turned away and led his packmates through the waterfall. Once they were gone, her packmates began departing.
Shatters-Columns came to her side and rumbled, "Is something wrong?"
"Wrong? No, I was just wondering."
"What about?"
"This pack broke life-sharing and pack-peace, mostly, with both Deep-Pass-Pack and Shadow-Spark-Pack. Helping grow the trust is warming."
He huffed, "Those before you did not care or try."
That much was obvious. They would only have cared about using the other packs to secure their own strength.
She stretched and yawned.
"Tired?" he asked.
"Meeting with an Alpha does that. No, him and his packmates. So many questions. Needing to tell our packmates to leave the three dark wings alone did not help."
He chuckled, "I do not know how they put up with it. Do you mind a personal question on our own?"
"Not at all."
She followed him a couple lengths away from everyone else. He sat down and looked elsewhere, not meeting her gaze.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I heard that you went to the place where others go for pleasure."
"Was it Whispering-Melody who told you?" she asked.
"Yes. She said she told no one else, and I asked her to keep it quiet."
She shrugged, "She was not speaking falsely. I went there with someone who agreed to be with me. That is all."
He hummed, "I just wanted to find out if she was spreading false rumors about you. You mentioned that other light wing packs you lived with before did not want you as you wished. Do you want to find a life-mate here?"
"No, I am not looking for anyone. I may be too different for that anyway."
"What?"
"Who could trust me enough to share life-flights while also having me as their Alpha? That cannot be equal. There are also my powers. Those would be a problem for anyone, knowing what I can do."
He grumbled, "Maybe. What about just having a hatchling? It is your right as the Alpha, especially after what you have done for us."
She looked away from him and resisted the urge to glance toward the caves at the far end of the distant level. She had not seen the egg since over two tens of waking-cycles ago when she gave it to the four egg-sitting dams to watch over. Had he heard a rumor about this too? Was he hinting that he or others had guessed where the new egg had come from, or was he genuinely curious what she wanted? Almost certainly the latter.
"Even without having a partner, I have no idea how to be a dam. There is also too much I must do which is far more important."
"It is not impossible to be Alpha and be a sire or dam. The foul Alpha you killed had his five mates do much of the young-raising for him. I am not saying he was a good example, but you could ask a future partner to do similar, if you want and cannot live like the rest of us. Just an idea."
She considered his suggestion and found that he had a fair point. With enough encouragement or rewards, someone might agree to be a sire and do all the egg-sitting and young-raising, even if doing so was not a common practice. Having someone else raise a hatchling would leave her free to be the Alpha with only minimal distraction. It was not necessary for a dam to do much anyway. Was it normally? It was possible that her experience was not normal.
"I will consider it. What about you and Herb-Scorcher? Are you done, or will you want more?"
He sighed and faced the waterfall, "She and I do not need any more. We are content, especially now that we will be seeing our three again."
"How are they?"
"Well and warm. One of our sons has a life-mate. Our other two do not, but they are younger and have friends of their own there."
She yawned, "Just let me know if you and Herb-Scorcher ever want to fly to Deep-Pass-Pack. That could be arranged."
She found First-Fighter overseeing a group of Fighters and She-Fighters who were practicing. She called him up onto a ledge above everyone else, and he settled beside her.
"Warm flights, First-Fighter."
He chuffed, "Warm flights, Alpha. I have taken a name: Wrestled-The-Fire-Scale."
"When did that happen?" she chuckled, amused by his choice of name.
"It was my first real fight against any other kin. The Fighters above me thought I would lose, but I surprised them and myself. I bit off one of the fire-scale's horns before it fled."
"Good name, and well-fought. How are the Fighters adjusting to having She-Fighters? What have you noticed?" she asked.
"All is well so far. Not much has changed for us, the males I mean. The She-Fighters are becoming more confident as they get stronger, learn defense, and practice with their flame. The last is most difficult. They were never taught how to shape fire-air or allowed to practice. They are not ready for any real fighting or to make their order yet, but I see improvement already."
"Good. Anything else?"
He softly chuckled, "The other males without mates have found it warming to be around more liver-flamed She-Fighters. They are closer than they were before, even if that makes snapping at each other more common."
She hummed, pleased that the She-Fighters had the liver-fire to bite back when appropriate. They should be so empowered and brave. It was also pleasant that the males appreciated having more liver-flamed She-Fighters around them.
With a glance below, she spotted Crushes-Rocks among the others down there. He was speaking with Sleeps-In-The-Waterfall, the First-She-Fighter.
"Anything else I should know?"
Wrestled-The-Fire-Scale answered, "There is nothing else inside the pack itself. Beyond, the dark wings from New-Haven-Pack are still leaving us and others alone when we are out there. We are all thankful of that."
She recalled mentions of how those dark wings would flame at packmates who were just going about their tasks. The former Alpha had tried to keep that news quiet, not letting it spread throughout the pack, probably because it would have made him appear weaker.
"Why did they start flaming at us?" she asked.
"I do not know for sure, but it might be that the last Alpha attacked first."
"What? Why?"
"He said the dark wing Alphas tricked a Helper into following them, but I think she fled because she wanted to get out. He went to confront them at their range and bring her back, but he returned without her. It was only afterward that the dark wings started flaming at us. I heard a rumor from one of the now-packless Fighters that he attacked one of the dark wings' young while he was there."
"He broke the pack-peace because he did not get his way? I can see him doing that. Why have the dark wings been leaving us alone?"
"The peace has held since the dark wings flew here with other kin and threatened him. I do not understand why he sent Fighters to attack the two-leg things. That was twisted of him."
She looked away from him, "He said it was to teach the dark wings a lesson. They did stop harassing us, but I agree it was a terrible idea of his. Maybe he and the dark wings made an agreement to not flame at each other. Who knows what really happened?"
That had gone wrong. The plan was only to make life unlivable for the two-legs and force them to leave for their own good. The two Fighters had gone beyond her suggestion by actually flaming at the two-legs to kill. That was not the plan. Or was it? It was difficult to remember. Regardless, the only losses were a Fighter who had been cruel to Helpers, and one two-leg, so nothing important was lost.
"Do you want someone to speak with the dark wing Alphas of New-Haven-Pack? Having lasting pack-peace with them could only help," he suggested.
She remained silent for several wingbeats as she considered how to answer. As far as she knew, the dark wing Alphas did not know about her status in this pack or about her at all. She had not sent a messenger to speak with them, and the New-Haven-Pack was more isolated than others, apparently not bothering to regularly send Far-Fliers to the nearby packs. That pack's isolation and lack of trust with other packs, which was a sure sign of rot, could be an advantage as it would have no allies.
"If it were only the dark wings, yes, that would be good. The two-legs are more dangerous than you know. For now, we will keep a close watch on that range. If they do anything or attack any kin, we must be ready to act."
"I hope we do not need to," he mumbled.
"Better to able to fight and not need to fight than to need to fight and not be able. Warm flights, Wrestled-The-Fire-Scale."
"Warm flights, Alpha."
He returned to overseeing his packmates while she watched from above for a few wingbeats. Satisfied, she spun away and took flight, pleased at the signs of progress with the females becoming more equal among the Fighters. However, Wrestled-The-Fire-Scale's words were somewhat frustrating. If the First-Fighter of her pack did not see the importance of defending the pack against threats, that was a problem.
What if he was correct? What if the two-legs never left that New-Haven-Range? If they stayed trapped in there for all time, perhaps it would not be so bad. If the kin were able to leave whenever they wanted, the harm the two-legs could cause was much smaller.
But the two-legs were already using kin as a way to get around. That was undeniable. Just what was happening in that range?
"Alpha!" a Far-Flier cried as he landed.
She spun away from the packmates who were telling stories to the young, and she bounded to him. He appeared disturbed, his ears flattened to his head.
"What?"
"There is a monster-kin near us!"
"What type of monster-kin?" she hissed.
"It looks like a Cleanser and a dark wing."
She gasped, alarmed. If her suspicion was correct, this monster was one of the dark wing hunters. Perhaps it fled the darker and deeper ranges after Omega's death, and only now found its way into the wider ranges. Omega must have had another one which she did not have time to use in the battle down below.
"Where?" she growled.
"Out in the biggest path-connecting range outside our territory."
"Has it attacked?"
"Not yet. It is waiting out there."
Curious. What would it be waiting for? Was it waiting for dark wings to show up so it could hunt them? It would get no such opportunity.
"Have at least five Fighters join me at the pass!"
He took flight for the living-range while she flew for the pass out of her pack's territory. Once at the exit waterfall, she landed and waited, anxiously pacing. With a passing thought, tiny strands of sky-light sparked to life before fading away. Finally, Wrestled-The-Fire-Scale, her two guards, and one additional male and female arrived.
She faced Wrestled-The-Fire-Scale while the others listened, "Do you know what is happening?"
"Yes, a monster needs flaming!"
"It is a dark wing hunter. Be careful. It has fade and will make you feel weaker if you are close to it. I can kill it with sky-light if I need to. Stay close to me."
They followed her out the waterfall, down the cave, and into the misty lake-filled cave. She eventually reached the outer ledges where Far-Fliers would stay for advanced warning. The ledge where she had watched the foul Alpha face off against the dark wing Alphas passed by on the left.
She continued out into the massive expanse of the open chamber of dark depths hidden by mist, pillars larger across than a six-eyes boulder-tail was long, ledges where kin could rest or compete, and distant cave-paths leading elsewhere.
All was quiet. Too quiet. There were few echoing roars or calls. There were always kin flying somewhere out here unless they were hiding or afraid.
She eventually spotted a dark shape gliding above a high ledge, the distant kin in about the correct size and shape. Why was it not faded and hunting?
She turned for it and flew with purpose, her Fighters at her side. She felt for her life-will-powers, faint strands of sky-light sparking to life. The dark kin ahead noticed her, dove for the ledge, and landed upon it. Good. The monster being on the ground made it easier to strike at and-
'Skadi?'
She almost fell out of the sky. That was a thought-voice, and a familiar one at that. A thought-voice she had not heard since a single meeting with a solitary kin in a dark range protected by sky-light-eaters.
'Reflection!'
She joyfully roared and pulled ahead of her Fighters, much to their confusion and alarm.
"I know that kin! It is safe!" she roared.
"Safe? What?" Wrestled-The-Fire-Scale barked.
"It is not a monster!"
At Reflection's ledge, she dove and landed, her Fighters right behind her. Reflection remained still, not moving as she approached. Everything about Reflection, the dark hide, the long and curved claws, and the bone-like spikes on her head looked as dangerous as it had before. However, the dark eyes had no pull or influence at all. Unlike before, she did not feel weary from being around Reflection, whether because she was strong enough to not notice or because Reflection was actively not making her weaker.
'What are you doing here?' she asked.
"Alpha, be careful!" Wrestled-The-Fire-Scale shouted.
She spun on her Fighters, all of whom were alert with their teeth bared or flames ready, "I know this kin. She and I can thought-speak. Calm down!"
She turned back to Reflection, 'It is good to see you again.'
'Likewise. You appear to have grown in liver-fire since we last met.'
She purred, 'I am now an Alpha for a pack of light wings.'
'You have risen far. I felt when you killed that which was below. What was it?'
'You do not know? It was a six-eyes boulder-tail named Omega. I can tell you more about her later.'
Reflection deeply rumbled, 'That explains much. I was told to never fly down into those ranges, or I would be lost. There was a pull which wanted me to go down there.'
'So why are you here? I thought you never wanted to leave where we met and could not leave even if you wanted to.'
Reflection paused before answering, 'When you killed the enemy, a weight lifted from my life-fire.'
'What weight?'
'The whispering pull which was always there is no more. I knew that whatever you were doing concerned me and must be important, so I waited for when most of the crashing-light-eaters were asleep. I escaped and found light wings who heard whispers about these ranges, and I spoke to them from fade in the shadows so they did not need to see me. With packs of light wings and dark wings around here, I guessed you would be close.'
She purred, surprised and pleased that Reflection had sought her out of all places she could have gone. Or maybe there was nowhere else the not-kin-hunter could have gone. What pack would allow such a dangerous kin to live with them?
'Is there a reason you were searching for me?'
Reflection lay her head on her forepaws, 'No special reason. I have no purpose anymore. I do not know what to do with myself.'
'You could live with us.'
'What?'
'Live in my pack. We have space and more than enough food for new kin.'
Reflection rumbled, clearly considering the offer, 'Are there any dark wings in your pack?'
'No, only light wings. You are not afraid of being around the dark wings, are you?'
'Maybe I still am. I have avoided searching for them or being around them.'
She huffed, 'There are two groups of dark wings near here. Shadow-Spark-Pack is only dark wings and dark-light mixed-kin. New-Haven-Pack is different.'
'How?'
'It also has two-legs.'
Reflection was visibly surprised, 'Are the two-legs anywhere else?'
'Only there as far as I know. We are keeping watch on that range, but do not worry about it. Do you want to live in my pack?'
'Would your packmates not be afraid of me?'
She glanced back at her Fighters, all of whom were still visibly anxious.
'They might be at first, but I can explain to them that you are not dangerous.'
'But I am.'
'Not to light wings. You said so yourself last time we met.'
'I meant that you should not say I am what I am not. I am dangerous, and so are you. Do you truly want me to stay?'
She purred, 'I do. You will be safer here, and you can make a difference with us. There are packmates here who have thought-problems you could help with once they trust you.'
'Then I will stay here.'
Pleased, she turned back for her packmates and stood before them, "This kin is named Reflection. She can thought-speak with you."
Her packmates started in surprise as Reflection introduced herself to each of them in turn with thought-voice.
Wrestled-The-Fire-Scale recovered himself, "Alpha, what should we do?"
"Nothing. She is not an enemy. I will allow her to fly with us."
They quickly looked from her, to Reflection, and back to her.
She continued, "I met her before. She helped other light wings with thought-problems. I trust her, so you also should."
They slightly bent their heads, deferring to her while clearly being uneasy.
She faced Reflection, 'Do you need anything special for a cave-den or food?'
'Only a cave-den where I can be alone and not make others fearful.'
'We can find one for you. Follow me.'
She and Reflection took flight, her packmates following closely behind and above. They had to be keeping a close watch on Reflection. That was fine as long as they did not flame or attack. Their concern was understandable but mistaken.
She stood upon the main pillar in the living-range. Much of the pack was already gathered at her summons. Shatters-Columns and her guards sat at the base of the perch.
Reflection shifted at her side, finding a more comfortable position.
The range was unusually quiet, no one making idle talk, whispering, or laughing. Everyone was nervous and unsure.
"Packmates! You know why I called you here! This kin is named Reflection!"
"What is it doing?" "Make it go away!" "Monster!" "What is it?"
"She is not a monster! I know her and trust her!"
"Really?" How?" "Why?"
She glanced at Reflection and nodded to her. Reflection looked out over the crowd of light wings and bent her spiked head toward them.
'Light wings, I ask only that you judge me for what I do, not what I am.'
That was what the light wings needed to hear. Just because Reflection looked like a monster-kin did not make her a monster-kin. It was individual actions which were far more important than-
On second thought, groups mattered too. Reflection's kin-kind was monstrous, but perhaps individual kin could be different from the group-rule. The group-rule did not change though.
She blinked and recovered herself, "You heard her! She has thought-voice like I do! We will allow her to fly with us!"
Shatters-Columns spoke up, "What will she do here?"
"Live in peace, help with hunting, guard our territory, give life-flight advice to any who want it, all of these. You do not need to feel warmth toward her, but we will respect her as a guest of the pack! That is all."
Everyone began to disperse, heading off for distant ranges or the lower levels for rest. There was far more whispering as everyone departed.
She hopped down to the Firsts, all of whom stepped back to make space as Reflection jumped down beside her.
Shatters-Columns huffed, "My Alpha knew a monster-kin. You do not stop surprising me."
"Reflection is not a monster-kin," she objected.
He grumbled, "Sorry. What is her kin-kind? Does it have a name?"
Unsure, she faced Reflection, 'Do you have a name for your kind?'
'Void wing is what I used.'
"She calls herself a void wing. You can speak to her yourself."
"What is her kind?" Shatters-Columns asked.
"It is a twisted story, but she is a mix of dark wing and the Cleansers."
"Why would that happen?" Shatters-Columns barked, visibly confused and disturbed.
"You do not want to know. It was a foul and wrong joining which will not happen again. I will take Reflection to a cave-den after we are done here."
"Which one?"
"The empty one up above the caves I gave to the sires and dams. She can be alone up there while staying close to me. As I told everyone, Reflection can help kin with thought-problems. Getting that help can be scary, so I will wait before suggesting anyone try that. Any questions for me or Reflection?"
No one spoke up at first. Finally, Shatters-Columns asked Reflection questions about where she had lived, what she hunted, and how she could help with thought-problems. As the Firsts listened to Reflection's answers, they somewhat relaxed, still alert but not as alarmed as they had been at first.
With all the discussions finished, she took flight with Reflection and her guards close behind through the living-range, the forest-range, and finally to the destination.
She flew higher and landed on the rocky ledge outside the large and deep cave above all the others. Her guards and Reflection landed beside her.
She spun and addressed her guards, "You can wait below. I will show her inside."
They grumbled but bent their heads, stepped back, and glided down to the flat below. Reflection followed her inside and observed the empty chamber. While there was nothing in the way of moss within, the cave was sufficiently deep, dark, and clean.
Reflection rumbled, 'This cave-den is a calm place.'
'It is not as nice as the cave you lived in before, but no one will bother you here.'
'This is enough for me. What is below?'
'I gave the level below to the sires and dams to raise their young and sit with their eggs, so that level is more peaceful than most other ranges. You should probably leave the sires and dams alone until they get used to you being here. I will explain everything to them again though.'
Reflection hummed, 'I understand. If I am correct, the last Alpha here was not good for the pack. Did you defeat him?'
She growled and flexed her claws, 'I killed him myself. He had to die.'
'There is much anger in your life-fire.'
She considered whether to reveal the truth. As far as she knew, only Shatters-Columns was aware of how she had been attacked. But Reflection was as deserving of trust as anyone she knew.
'He attacked me and forced himself on me.'
Reflection growled without saying anything.
'I had to flee to the darker and deeper ranges where I found and killed Omega. After that, I returned here, killed him, and became the Alpha. The kin here lived under twisted pack-rules and are still learning how to live better. They need help.'
'You are strong.'
She purred, 'I learned to trust myself far more.'
'I can tell. What did you mean about the New-Haven-Pack and two-legs earlier?'
'We have seen two-legs using kin for flight. I was trapped by two-legs, and I learned what we are to them: lives they use for their own foul purposes.'
Reflection was silent for many wingbeats.
'Have they acted against your pack or any other kin?' Reflection finally asked.
'Not yet, but we are watching and will be ready when they do. You said you were told to never fly into the darker and deeper. Was that my sire who told you?'
'No, my second-dam: She-Who-Sees. Your sire's former mate.'
She deeply hummed, remembering how Reflection had told her that long ago in their first meeting.
'Can you tell me more about her? Is she like my sire?'
'She is dead now. Yes, they were the same kin-kind. Her body was yellow, and she had soft spines like yours, only much longer. She could swim better than any other winged kin. She also had life-will-powers as you know.'
'What could she do?'
'She could see what has not yet happened, though what she saw was not certain to happen. She could heal others' body-hurts. She could also make dull some connections in the link, which is why my thoughts were my own instead of the monster's below.'
What Reflection had explained last time made more sense. She-Who-Sees had wanted an egg to raise, so she somehow stole Reflection's egg from Omega. Why had she gone to all that trouble of flying into the darker and deeper ranges? Why not just find a willing male light wing or dark wing instead? Maybe the problem was indeed on She-Who-Sees's side, such that no male could have helped her. Regardless, Reflection had been wanted.
What was it like to be truly wanted like that?
'I am glad she took your egg, and I wish I had met her.'
She relaxed and made herself comfortable, eager to hear all about what had happened to Reflection since they last met. It must have been a long flight over many waking-cycles for Reflection to arrive here.
Resting alone in her new cave-den and looking out at the green, life-filled range of Skadi's pack, Reflection considered all she had learned so far.
Skadi had grown stronger and far more sure of herself, much more like her sire-father had been.
The news about New-Haven-Pack having two-legs along with the kin was confusing. Had the dark wings and two-legs she met long ago been part of this New-Haven-Pack? They must have been if there were no other such mixed-packs. It had not appeared that those two-legs were at all cruel or threatening to the dark wings and dark-light she had briefly encountered.
She recalled her time in the above under her adoptive dam-mother's care. She-Who-Sees had taken her to observe nests of two-legs from afar, warning her to stay away from such places and that two-legs would one season-cycle fill all the ranges of the world above.
How had the two-legs gotten into the hidden ranges? They had to have been brought by kin. There was no other way. Perhaps she could go there herself in time, except that doing so would mean being around dark wings.
While Omega's death had killed the whispering pull at the edge of her thoughts and awareness, there was still the chance, however small, that rot remained in her life-fire. Failing to resist, giving in to that rot, would mean dead dark wings, so it might be better to avoid temptation unless completely necessary.
New-Flame-Pack did not largely approve of her presence, which was fair and deserved. However, they deferred to Skadi's will which allowed her to be present. Perhaps they would come to trust her in time. For now, it was enough that she had a place to rest in peace. There was no concern that a flight of threatening or fearful kin might come across her as she slept.