Building Foundations

We took our time finding the perfect spot, we walked for days through the woods searching for it. With Joey giving Patrick a piggyback ride during the day allowing us to move quickly, and with us huddled together at night to stay warm, we managed to live to see another day. We managed to…almost avoid other rogues along the way. On the fourth day while walking through the woods close to one of the mountains, we found home. A fertile piece of land that wraps around a gorgeous crystal clear lake. As we approached, I could see fish swimming just below the surface and wildflowers growing in every direction.

It was simply perfect, the mountains provided streams of fresh water that fed into the lake and the height of the mountains blocked off the harsh winter winds.

“This is it!” I announce looking at my three new friends beside me. Joey gives me a side eye, as he lets Patrick down off his back to play in the fields of flowers. Patrick rolls around in the tall grass, a delighted smile on his face.

“What are you talking about?” Sarah asks me while she seemingly searches the area for something worth getting excited over. She seems to have quite a pessimistic attitude towards life, but I guess that might be due to the new rogue lifestyle she has been forced to adopt. She may have been a much happier person before we met, maybe I’ll get to met that version of Sarah one day.

“I think we should live here.” I explain and they still look at me a little confused except for Patrick of course, who is currently out of my sight, presumably hiding in the grass taking a nap.

“There’s nothing here Dawn.” Joey tells me, as if that fact wasn’t obvious. I roll my eyes at him but can’t help the smile that crosses my face.

“Not yet.” I explain and realisation finally crosses Joey’s face. He turns away from me and looks around the area, truly taking everything in and hopefully picturing what I see I my mind.

“We can make temporary shelter in the woods for tonight, and then tomorrow I can start chopping down some trees to build something more permanent.” He suggests, looking off in the distance of the woods as if picturing which trees, he thought would make the best building material.

“What exactly are you thinking Dawn?” Sarah asks, tell seeming to be out of the loop that Joey and I have formed. We both seem to be on the same page about what we want to do here, she just hasn’t connected the doubts.

“I want us to live here, forever.” For the first time since I’ve met Sarah, a real authentic smile spread across her face. A smile so real that I could see it in her eyes, they sparkled now. She didn’t say much else, she doesn’t seem to be much of a talker, she’s more action less talk. In classic Sarah style, she gets straight to work.

She turns and marches off towards the woods, ready to get things started. I watch her until she disappears from sight behind the treeline, before turning to face an anxious looking Joey.

“I love your ambition Dawn, but I don’t know if we can stay here. I need to find the rest of my pack; I need to find my mate.” I take a step towards him and place my hand on his shoulder.

“That was always in the plan Joey, but we need a home base. Somewhere safe for Patrick and I to stay while you and Sarah go looking for your pack.” I informed him, not even being able to imagine what it must be like to be away from your mate for so long. Especially for poor Patrick, the poor kids lost his pack and his mother all in one day, only to be thrown into jail the next.

Joey gave me a look that was so full of gratitude that my soul buried itself deep inside, unsure of how to manage such raw intensive emotion.

“You’d do that for me? You’d look after my son?” He asks me, his voice shaking with vulnerability. It’s strange having a grown man look at me the way Joey is, as if I’m the only thing keeping him from falling off the edge of the world. A fifteen year old looking after a full grown man, it should be the other way around, he should be looking after me.

“Of course.” I tell him honestly; I haven’t known Joey or Patrick for very long but there is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep Patrick safe. When I was on my own after my banishment, I was weak and unprotected, desperately in need of someone to save me. Then Zack and Rosella came, they gave me the love and safety I needed. The most valuable thing Zack gave me was my training, I might not be able to shift into a wolf, but now it would take one determined rogue to kill me. It’s my time to be the protector, the safety that Joey will cling to when he leaves Patrick to find his mate.

Joey seemed a little speechless, his eyes wide and his jaw slack. I watched with great interest as Joey’s eyes dilate and his wolf comes to the surface, usually this means that he’s initiating a challenge but his wolf’s presence didn’t feel threatening. It caused a strange feeling in my chest…but it was a good feeling. Almost as if a bridge between Joey and I had clicked into place, kind of felt like the pack bond but different in so many ways. It felt precious, more valuable than an ordinary pack bond.

Out of nowhere, Joey bows his head. A universal signal of respect for the…Alpha. I didn’t know what to do with that gesture, did it have a second meaning what I’m not aware of or is the truth behind it staring me blatantly in the face. Joey’s wolf resides back into his subconscious and even he seems taken back by what his wolf had just done.

“What was all that about?” I asked him, my mind running over all the possible implications of the interaction. Is it possible that all this time spent away from his mate and his pack has started to drive his mind mad? Rogues normally begin to go crazy shortly after being separated from the pack, we need those pack bonds to keep our wolf and our self in balance. It's one of the main reasons rogues have such a bad reputation, once they lose their minds they have no conscious and will take, say and do whatever they want when they want.

“I’m not sure, but I’m looking forward to finding out.”…