Chapter 24 : " Old Friends part 2 "
The night faded away quickly and gave way for the sun that started to climb on the blue, cloudeless, sky. As soon as the sun was above horizon I woke up yawning since i did not have a lot of sleep that night. I was still thinking about what my mom said, that I should go with the pack. One part of me was happy to do so because I would have a pack but the other wanted to stay with the family.
'Grrr what should I do ?' I kept asking myself. 'Both family and the pack saved me, they both can cover the hole in my heart. Eh hard decision' I said to myself while I was walking to river to take a drink, but I failed to notice Maka and Miakoda laying down close to the river on my left.
"Look who's awake" said Maka with a bit of the laught.
"Oh, morning Miakoda, morning Maka!" I said when I saw them.
"Where is Ragnor ?" I added shortly after.
"He went to look around, you know, habit" Answered Miakoda.
"Oh ok" I said.
"Do you feel better Miakoda?" I asked.
"Yes I feel better, at least I can limp on my own." Answered Miakoda.
"That's grate! You should be able to walk today if you will let it rest and not move around too much." I replied with a small wag of my tail.
"Thank you for stoping your sister yesterday" said Miakoda.
"I told You, I wouldn't allow anythink happening to any of You" I replied happy that I could help.
"Stay as long as you need. I will make sure nothink will happend to you during your stay here" I added shortly after.
This situation reminded me of my own pack ... about my father ... about my mother, because of those memorys suddenly appearing my tail stoped wagging and the face that showed smile now it showed pain caused by loss of a family and fear of this repeating. My head droped low when I saw my mom in my memorys and small crys made they way into my mouth.
"What is it Sky ?" asked Miakoda.
" Sob N-nothink ... i-i just ..." I said still looking at the ground.
"Both of you are like my parents. B-but since I lost them i-i never saw another allo in my life and you were the first." I continued after I catched some air.
"And I don't want to lose you as well but at the same time I don't want to lose my family." I said looking up to them right into they eyes.
"Oh well ..." started Maka.
"That surprised me." he added.
After quite long time of silience as I was still a bit sad and lost since I couldn't choose between family and pack Maka spoke up trying to somewhat comfort me
"Come on Sky. Stop acting like a child. You survived all the challenges life had throw upon you so far, and let me tell you, it will get worst with time but you are going to be strong enought to beat every single one of them. I know that." When he said that he made me look at him right in his eyes. He realy meant that, hearing those words comeing from him make me feel like my own father would say them.
'Why do I feel like that?' I thought to myslef confused by feeling of relief and safety whenever I was close to them. It was the same feeling I got when I understood that I was a member of giga family and that I was going to be safe with them.
"Come on. Grow up. You are strong already and you will get stronger. Nomatter witch path you will take." said Maka causeing my thoughts to fade away.
"Thank you Maka, i-i just ... I just don't know if you would want me in your pack." I said lowering my head a bit.
"Sky listen, it's not on me if you want to become part of ouer pack. If you will want to come I will welcome you in, even if you will want to come to us after we will leave you can come to ouer territory. I can get you already remeber the path." said Maka.
'How did he ... was that so obvious I was going to do so ?' I asked myself as Maka walked towards river to take a drink.
"Oh there you are Ragnor." he said when he saw him getting out of the forest.
"Sorry it took me longer then I expected. Area is quite hard to look around." said Ragnor walking up to us form the other side of the river.
"Found anythink ?" asked Miakoda.
"Beside footprints of gigas? No." replied Ragnor.
"If you were looking for prey you would need to go to the area when we hunted last last time. There is always plenty of herbivores there since mostly we hunt for shants and big trikes." I explaind to which both Maka and Ragnor looked at me.
"I was actually looking for danger." said Ragnor.
"Well you won't find any heh. Rexes that dared to attacked us are dead and I even killed one of them." I said puffing my chest out in pride.
"If that was a juvie, sure, other whise it would not happend." said Ragnor snorting with laughter.
His laught has been cut short as Orchid come out of the bush and heard ouer conversation.
"Actualy it was an adult. Almost twice his size." she said walking up to take a drink.
"Nah, there is no way" said Ragnor.
"I saw it will my own eyes, and not only me but my mother and father alsaw saw it as well as Lynx." she said a bit anoyed by Ragnor's disbelieve.
"If you say so" replied Ragnor.
"I know that sound like made up story but I made it." I said.
"And you know why it sound like it's made up? Because you couldn't win with me but you defeated a rex." Said Ragnor.
"I-it because you were smaller and faster, a-and we were fighting in the open while I was fighting that rex in a forest." I said trying to defend myself.
"Boys! Stop it! You both act like a hachlings." said Miakoda.
"Sorry Miakoda." I said, and backed away before Ragnor could speek up.
"If you will need help I will be next to the pond." I said walking down the river.
I layed at the pond for quite some time and I could not stop my crys comeing out.
'I miss my mom, I miss my dad. Why did that happend to me' I wispered to myself crumbling in a ball. I did not noticed that Maka was watching me from the upper part of the river.
"Hey brother what is it ? Why are you crying ?" asked Roody.
I picked my head to look at him, I couldn't find worlds in myself to describe he pain I was feeling.
"I-i ..." I tryed to speek.
Before I could think of what to say Roody came up to me and layed beside me, and putting his head over my back.
"Its ok brother, I saw that look on your face many times. The pain of loss." he said to which I slowly looked up to him trying not to cry.
"Come let's go to mom, you need her comfort and you know that. Staying here alone won't help you" added Roody as he stood up and start to slowly walk away.
"O-ok sob I don't know why I keep haveing a problem with letting my past go." I replied trying to stand up and walking up to Roody's side.
We walked up to where the nests were. Enna was there talking to her sisters Maddie and Haute.
"Mom, Sky have a problem" said Roody while we walked.
"What happend Roody?" asked Enna.
"Well, Sky have a problem with his past again." replied Roody.
"Oh realy ? What happend Sky ?" asked Enna.
"Yes mom ... I again saw my family die. I can't get this out of my mind." I said laying down.
"Aw again?!" said Maddie.
"I fear like that might be somewhat related to the pack I met." I explained.
"Huh ? What do you mean ?" asked Haute.
"Well ... I-i feel like Maka and Miakoda are a mirror image of my parents ... at least how they act." I said
"Sky, I told you yesterday, go with them I bet you will be visiting us, I want you to be happy." said Enna.
"But that's the think. I'm unable to choose between family and pack." I replied.
"You don't need to choose, my child, you will alwasy have contact with us, at least give a pack life a chance." said Enna comeing up to me and nuzzleing me.
"Th-thanks mom, I-I will think of it." I said nuzzleing Enna's cheek to which she licked me and said.
"I hope you will decide soon, take your time Sky."
"If you don't have anythink against it I will go to eat somethink." I said, being now happy that nomatter what decision I will make noone will stop me from making it.
I went to eat what was left of carcas and I saw that beside it there is almost no food, so I started to look for my sister Orchid to ask her to go for hunt with me.
After a while I finaly spotted her sitting on my spot on the mountain side.
"Sis!" I said walking up the hill.
"Oh hi brother! How are you doing ?" she asked.
"Not bad Orchid, I was looking for you since I wanted to to for a hunt cause there are only scraps left." I replied.
"So you want me to go with you for a hunt, right?" she asked giggleing a bit.
"Y-yes ... for some reason I feel safer and more comftable when I hunt with you sis." I replied.
"Yea I know. Come on let's go for a hunt then." she said standing up and leading me to where we suposed to go hunting.
We walked for quite some time to the area where mostly paras, shants and trikes show up. When we made it we saw a heard of paras and few shants with them.
"This para will be easy target for you Sky." wispered Orchid pointing at bull para who was covered in wounds, probobly utahs' job.
"I will take the one next to it" she added and we began to follow the herd untill they stoped. It was the time to prepare the ambush.
I kept close eye on my target and at the same time being realy carefully to not get spotted by look outs. I did not wanted to lose element of surprise.
Time was going so slow that waiting for a perfect moment felt like ages, but it finaly came.
The target that my sis picked for herself moved away from the herd and reviled the easy way to injured bull for me.
"Perfect timing. You will run out first do it very close to right side of that page close to us so he will be confused and stunned and make your way to your target and then I will get my prey." wispered Orchid to which I nodded and came closer to the edge of the forest.
I lunched forward just like Orchind told me to. the para I runned next to got surprised and confused of my presents what gave Orchid time to strike it. Meanwhile I was already in air and colliding with the side of the injured bull, topping it over.
As soon as the bull hitted the ground I closed my jaws on its neck and end it's life.
"Good job brother!" said Orchid from behide as rest of the herd was already running away.
"Thank you sis!" I said standing proudely and wagging my tail.
"Alright let's bring those kills home." she said picking her prey like if it was weightless.
I was dragging my kill but it was hard due to the fact we needed to climb a bit and it was a forest area.
As time pass by and I was struggling to move the prey further I heard a voice to my right.
"Mind if I help you?" the owner of the voice was Ragnor, I instantly recognised it.
"What are you doing here Ragnor ?" I asked surprised.
"Was just looking around but I saw you and that giga getting the prey back to your nesting ground so I thought I might help you." explained Ragnor.
"Thank you, I might use some help." I said giveing Ragnor some space to help me drag the body.
"You have good hunting skills" he said as we were draging the body.
"You got this one all by yourself. Not bad Skylen." he added shortly after.
"Thanks Ragnor. Let's get that body back home." I replied.
After we made it, Maka was already waiting.
" sigh I thought somethink happend to you Ragnor. You were gone for long while." said Maka.
"I was just helping Skylen with his kill." replied Ragnor.
"He had some hard time dragging it" he added.
"Alright. Did you saw anythink?" asked Maka.
"Yes, lots of prey." replied Ragnor.
as they were conversing Maugrim and Roody came to me.
"Come on let us help you brother." said Maugrim.
"Thank you" I replied and all three of us dragged the body of para quickly to where we stored ouer food.
Everyone who needed came to eat and we still had enought food for at very least another day.
Soon it was starting to become evening and I went to take a drink from the river before walking back to Enna's nest.
"Sky come here for a moment." said Miakoda laying in my nest with Maka.
"Yes? How can I help ?" I said walking up to them.
"Maka wanted to talk with you." replied Miakoda.
"Sky, I want you to know we are moveing back to the pack tomorrow. If you want then come with us." said Maka.
"Thank you. I need to think a bit more about it, tomorrow I will let you know if I will go with you or not." I replied uncertain what to do next.
"It's alright, I know it might be hard decision. Take your time." replied Maka.
"That's all I wanted to say, if you don't have anythink to ask us you can go." he added shortly after.
"No I don't have anythink to ask you. Have a nice sleep." I said turning around and starting to walk back to Enna's nest.
"Thank you Sky" said Miakoda.
When I made it to my mom's nest I layed down in it and shortly after I fell asleep more certain that I will go with Maka and Miakoda to join their pack.