Chapter 144: A pleasant day of simplicity

I woke up to the soothing hum of the morning sounds down the pack house corridors. Calista and I had been on the training grounds this morning before dawn, working to get the fluid movements that had been our special language between us down just right. The wind was cutting, and each calculated step, each slick motion, held within it the promise of strength, and a silent, unyielding delight. We trained energetically, sparring easily with each other as Calista directed my form. Her commands were sharp and merciless, but her eyes held a warmth that softened each critique. I could feel the strength of our training surging up like a silky wave in my bloodstream, with every breath falling into rhythm with the rustle of trees and the distant call of the morning birds.

We were in the midst of a quite beautiful sequence when the noise of approaching footsteps disrupted our deep rhythm. I caught sight just in time as Rowena approached us, her face twisted in a scowl that could not be ignored.

"Althea, Calista," She exclaimed as she walked, stopping before us with her arms crossed. "It appears that the two of you've been lost in your own private worlds since Thalia left." Her tone was crisp, flavored with disappointment. "You've been so lost in your own little worlds and worse, you haven't even had the common courtesy to check on me all this while to know how I'm doing."

I exchanged a stunned expression with Calista. For an instant, her eyes seemed to flash with humor and amusement , as if she knew way more than what Rowena talked about. We tried reassuring her in whispered, panicked tones that we'd been working and training , but Rowena wasn't having it.

"Stop the excuses!" she said. "I’ve been busy. We’ve all been busy, but here I am. I made out time to come talk to both of you but neither of you even thought to do the same all this while, it’s not nice, it’s like you don’t care about our friendship ."

I was whipped to the core by what Rowena said. While happy with the success we'd enjoyed with our training, I could see she was right: we'd let ourselves drift off on solo paths, blind to the bonds that held us.

“Now,” Rowena continued, softening slightly as she looked from one of us to the other, “go freshen up and join me for breakfast under the old sycamore in the garden. We’ll talk like real pack members for a change.” With that, she turned on her heel and marched away, leaving Calista and me standing amid the dew-soaked grass.

Calista rolled her eyes in a good-natured manner. "Always the voice of reason, isn't she?" she teased, but there was a warmth to her tone. I could only smile wryly, resigning myself to the fact that whatever our disagreements were, Rowena's affection for us went as deep as it went straight.

We went for our belongings and headed to the pack house to freshen up for the day. The pack house corridors, brightened by the soft light of early morning, now felt rather warmer, as if censure had prompted within us a feeling of a responsibility shared.

Then, in the pack garden, I found the warm embrace of our outdoor breakfast spot, a great old sycamore tree with broad arms that had been a signature meeting place for the pack for a long time. Under its shade, a small wooden table contained mismatched mugs, a pot of herbal tea, and a tableload of freshly baked bread and fresh fruit of the time. The atmosphere was casual, soft laughter and subdued conversation blending together as the three of us looked at each other, each face a map of tiredness and anticipation.

I entered with Calista, and Rowena had already arrived, her disapproving visage softening into a friendly smile at our approach. "Good morning," she greeted, although her eyes still twinkled a mischievous spark, one that belied her first lecturing.

And so we all sat there, the strain that had permeated the morning slowly dissolving into friendly talk. I was laughing more spontaneously than in days. There was something deeply cathartic about such small things, eating, joking, recalling carefree times when life had not hung so burdened with former prophecies and evil portents.

Among the soft laughter, I couldn't resist teasing Calista playfully. Grinning mischievously, I leaned in closer to her and told her, "Rowena, you should know that I always see Calista in Leah's room. I'm starting to think that’s her second home."

Rowena let out a thrilled gasp at this. "Oh really?" she asked, leaning forward with real interest. "Calista, what is going on between you and her, tell me the full details, I need to know, I’ve been in the dark for too long.”

Calista feigned a glare, but her eyes sparkled with love. "You're one to talk, Althea," she mocked. "But yes, Leah's been an incredible influence, one that I can’t even resist."

The table was in stitches, and for one moment our cares about what our responsibilities were and the weight of fate were just a distant memory. We exchanged sly grins and friendly jibes, the atmosphere heavy with friendship and a simple, uncomplicated joy that only between true friends is possible. My heart was full of gratitude, how I had yearned for such unfettered connection, when love and laughter could make anything possible.

After breakfast, our restless spirits took us wandering out of the pack garden. Rowena, always the purveyor of senseless chaos, declared that we needed to go for a walk into town, a respite to enjoy the finer points away from our isolated lifestyle. Calista and I exchanged glinting looks as we trailed behind her.

The walk into town was an excursion in itself. We strolled along winding cobblestone streets with brightly colored market stalls and small shops tidily lined along the route. The town was bathed in gentle light from the sun, and a soothing hum of activity reigned, a welcome relief from the subdued tedium of pack life. There was laughter to be heard as we strolled along, and I was relishing the mundane but magical touches: the smell of fresh-baked goods, the good-natured jibing between salespeople, and the glint of sun on flower-filled windows.