Ch160 A Rest with Dragons

Sköll rubbed his face annoyed, “I forget, little one. Forgive your father for not teaching you well. We are Ice wolves, this you know. In order of importance comes the Dragons and the Ash. Ash are stealth and secret attack, a force even Ice Wolves take pause to. Dragons are also more stealth because they hold so much knowledge. Dragons are history, Ash forge our weapons when we need them. After Ash and Dragon come Mountain and Forest wolves since most of the land is meant to be forest and mountain. Forest wolves are our best hunters and our source of lumber. Mountain wolves hunt with eagles and ravens. They can send messages that singers sometimes can’t. They also provide us with stone and gems. Mountain wolves helped build Wolf City. Ice Wolves would claim otherwise, but it is not true. Grass, River and Sea wolves fall in the same tear since there is less of them. River and Ocean wolves give us fish and ferry the waters. Grass wolves farm and watch the plains. In other parts of the world, Forest wolves are called Jungle Wolves. Grass wolves called Sand wolves. River, Lake, or Swamp depending on the climate. Each of those has its own branch and family lines, but all trace back to Luna and the King Alpha wolves. One for each content, each a decedent of Luna,”

“Wolves really have a hierarchy and cooperate with one another?” Leo asked amazed.

Drakon scratched his head awkwardly, “We are a warrior race. We do not play as nicely with one another as Sköll or Onisagira would have you believe. However, all wolves know who their superior is. Grass Wolves will always answer to the Mountain. The Mountain Wolves will always listen to the Ash Wolves and Ash will always listen to the Ice. That was why tiny little Onisagira could boss me around,”

“Can I give you orders?”

“Not if you wish to see the dawn. You’re still human, child of Luna or not. You are not one of the packs yet, you don’t even have a real name. My Queen Alpha called you Leo, son of Onisagira, daughter of Sköll, but that was because she knows no better. Lady Onisagira seems to still be a pup herself,” Drakon asked as he looked at Sköll.

Sköll nodded. “I did not help matters when I was dead, or that I thought her shared blood prevented her from learning of her heritage. I got my nose scratched for that one,”

“By Lady Ember,” Sasa teased as she giggled and bumped her father. “You do know she likes you, right?”

“I will not cause the death of another mate. Besides, I have my paws full with you, little one. I cannot leave to court a wild Ash Wolf,”

“Lady Ember, daughter of Phoenix, daughter of Draconian?” Drakon inquired. “She is my cousin, High Alpha of the Ash. That would be a fine union. Ember is unmated and has had one good pup. If memory serves right, he is a warrior now,”

“Yep, Blaze is bigger than my mate. Well, just as tall, but bigger,” Sasa teased as she flexed her arms. “Blaze is a good kid,”

“Blaze is older than you, Lady Onisagira,” Drakon corrected.

“Sooo, everyone is older than me,” Sasa protested.

“The kid isn’t,” Drakon said as he pointed at Leo. “And didn’t you mention you had other puppies,”

Sasa scoffed, “Puppies don’t count,”

“I have siblings?” Leo asked curiously.

Sasa looked at him guiltily. “Uh-huh. A brother, Ragnar, and a little sister Astrid. Fenris and I adopted them a few years ago,”

The group just seemed to walk aimlessly as they talked, gossiped, and teased. Leo, Lykos, Drakon, and Sasa were just so grateful to be free, the conversation felt healing. Sköll and Dagrim were just happy to have their daughter back. Both could tell she was acting happier than she was. The topic kept floating around mates and husbands and fathers, the whole time Sasa wanted to talk about Fenris. However, at the same time she didn’t. She felt even more empty and lost than she did once she was told she lost her child. Once dawn broke, Dagrim carried Lykos and Sköll carried Sasa. When Leo grew tired shortly after, Drakon got stuck carrying the boy. Sköll offered to trade since Sasa’s vampirism made her weigh significantly less than she should, but Drakon insisted he was fine.

After a few nights the troupe found a city, they could rent a car from. Lykos made his farewells and stated he was heading home to rest up. He promised Sasa he would visit her soon and meet her other children, but not now. Sasa understood and hugged her friend good bye. After that a great argument broke out. Sasa wanted to go straight to Norway to look for Fenris. Sköll and Dagrim wanted to take Sasa home. Drakon finally settled the argument by offering them shelter and rest at his home. It was on the way and they could rest. Begrudgingly, all parties agreed and they set off for Drakon’s home. He lived in a forest, and as they got close, they turned the car back in and continued on foot. As the smell of wolves grew stronger, the great warrior threw his head back and sang his arrival. Several happy voices howled back in greeting. Several younger wolves leapt out at him from the trees and tackled him like Sasa had Sköll.

Sasa caught the scent of a familiar wolf and bound away and jumped on the wolf. “Lady Eirwyn!”

Eirwyn hugged her and twirled her around, “Sweet little one. You look a mess, what happened to you?”

“She feels more like a vampire too,” Sebastian stated as he walked up and rubbed her head. “What mischief have you wrought, little vixen?”

“And who is your companion? He looks like the beast, but he isn’t,” Eirwyn stated as she studied Leo.

Leo bowed to Eirwyn, “I am Onisagira’s son,”

“The one that was lost? How, you told me you lost him to death, not lost him lost him,”

Sasa clung to Lady Eirwyn as she sobbed and told the wolf who felt like a mother to her all that happened in the Man in White’s hands. How she was threatened and blackmailed by not only her safety, but that of a friend and her mate, then her son when that truth was discovered. How she planned and plotted to get Fenris free, how she turned him human because the man in white let you go if you returned to normal, as he put it. That she murdered and killed with intent. She discovered too late that she sacrificed her connection to Luna to free her mate. The way she freed her mate was by locking away his blood like a puppy and the only way she knew to break it was with his own blood. Sasa had none of his vampire blood to undo her magic, thus he was gone from her forever. How the man in white locked her in a maze with all the prisoners as her buffet. Even how she slowly went mad with hunger and drew her family on the walls so she had someone to talk to that she couldn’t ham, eat, or kill. Sasa even mentioned Namuh and how big he had gotten and how powerful as she learned how to harden the blood and make chambers in his body for storage and such. Sköll and Dagrim listened at a distance as the two she-wolves sat under a tree, Eirwyn petting the sobbing Sasa. Sebastian took care of getting Leo fed and cleaned up, introducing him to the boys close to his age so he had someone to talk to and play with. Drakon excused himself when he freed himself of the puppies and went to find his mate and ensure she was well.

Eirwyn mothered the sad and abused pup for several nights as she cried and grieved. Even Sebastian sat next to them to add counsel if Sasa wanted it. Dagrim hovered like he always did when he felt unsure how to act, just so Sasa knew he was close. Sköll watched as he showed Leo around and met Drakon’s son Leviathan. The wolf preferred to be called Levi for short, thinking Leviathan sounded too intimidating. That amused Sköll, a wolf’s name was either to describe the wolf, or strike fear into his enemies. Leviathan was a good name for a warrior. In fact, if Sköll ever had to rename Sasa he would choose something fierce and strong since she was a fierce and strong warrior of Luna. If it wasn’t frowned upon, he’d call her Luna. In Drakon’s absence Lady Eirwyn had come to protect the Dragon Wolves. This was their high pack, Drakon had been high Alpha. When Eirwyn left to talk to Sasa years earlier she had left the young warrior, Levi, in charge and never took back command when she returned. She said she could no longer be queen or high Alpha, that the title better suited the young wolf until his father came home, if he did. Even a fortnight of imprisonment never bode well for wolves, over a decade was near impossible. Drakon explained the Would-Be-Man knew he was Dragon and wanted to know more about them since hunters had never captured one alive. As it was, they stopped Drakon from killing himself. The knowledge dragons held was too great for them to risk falling in enemy hands. Levi wanted to pass his power back to his father, but the wolf said he was still weary from his travels. He would take command back when the time was right. For now, Levi was to continue on.