Chapter Eleven

The bird squeaked and looked at my feet, it's dazzling orange feathers blazing as it moved. I wasn't sure if it was the afternoon sun that was making it glow or if the bird itself was on fire but as it strutted in front of me, I couldn't help but marvel at it's incredibly long tail feathers, orange with a dark blue eye in the centre. It squarked again before pecking at my leg as though impatient.

"Eryx, enough." Zak barked and I blinked.

"The bird has a name?" I cried, completely forgetting that most people usually named their pets. Zak sighed and smiled slightly.

"Tera, meet Eryx, the longest living resident of Fortitudine." Something about the way he said that made me frown and study the blazing bird even closer. Despite the fact he only had one eye there was an intelligent glint in it, like he knew exactly what was he had just done. It was slightly unnerving.

"Sorry, he doesn't usually do that to strangers." Caerun tried to hide a smile as he helped me off the ground. I grinned at him and he returned the gesture, Zak shook his head, a small smile gracing his face as he carefully hitched the boy further up his back. However, this small movement must have roused him because he finally raised his head and frowned at his precarious position. I rested my hand on Zaks should and he turned to look at me.

"Monkeys awake." I told him. He frowned and looked down at the massive wall slowly growing closer.

"I think we're close enough for him to walk by himself." Zak mumbled, turning his back to me. For a moment, I was surprised, before I realised he was asking me to lift the boy safely off his back. I smirked and carefully placed the boy on the gorund, laughing when the first thing he did was run up to Eryx and pet his beak, which was only barely smaller then the boys hand.

"I swear, that kid if the only one who can do that without getting bitten." Zaks back cracked as he as he stretched it out, an hour of being hunched over had apparently taken it's toll. The snow on the ground was getting heavier the closer we got to Fortitudine and I quickly caught myself when my foot slipped on a hidden rock. Zak paused when he heard me scream but I was already dusting myself off.

"You're quickly proving yourself to be trouble on legs." Caerun joked, making to jump over the rock I'd slipped on. Instead, he misjudged it and ended up face first in the snow. It took me a very long time to stop laughing.

"And you all me trouble?" I asked as Zak walked up to help his friend out of the snow. Caerun spit out a mouthful of water before smirking at me.

"Well, if I hadn't tried to avoid the rock you slipped on, then I wouldn't have faceplanted the ground." I scoffed, crossing my arms in front of my chest as Zak rolled his at us. "So, yes, you are Trouble." Zak shook his head as I launched a snow ball at Caeruns face, smiling as it splattered everywhere. The brown haired man scowled and leaned over to gather enough to snow to return fire when Zaks eyes suddenly flashed and we both stopped.

"This is not the time to play around, you two. It's going to be dark soon and you are not settled in yet, Tera." He turned his piercing gaze on us and the snowball fell out of Caeruns hand. Zak sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Besides, have you forgotten that you are injured, Caerun?" We looked down at Caeruns leg, which had been bandaged back at my place. I flinched, remembering the gaping wound he'd been nursing, I had completely forgotten about it. He hadn't complained once the entire trek here, despite how much pain he must have been in. That was impressive.

"Right. Sorry, Zak. Let's get going." A subdued energy fell over us as Zak and Caerun pushed on ahead of me. As the towering wall grew closer, so did the twisting dread and anxiety in my stomach. Was it too late to turn back now? Yes, it was. I had made my choice. Now, I just had to last a month. Just one month and I'd be able to go home, find my friend and everything return to normal.

"That really isn't normal." Caerun said, shocking me out of my thoughts.

"What isn't?" I asked and Zak pointed ahead of us to where Eryx and the boy were walking side by side, the boy using the large bird to keep steady in the deepening snow.

"Why isn't it normal?" I asked, scowling when my foot fell in a ditch and my pants got soaked to the mid-calf. Caerun and Zak smirked when they saw me and helped to safely lift me out.

"Eryx isn't like other phoenixes. Normally, phoenixes live to be incredibly loyal creatures and will attach themselves to a person they deem worthy and just until that persons death. In which case, they will travel the world looking for someone else worthy enough for their companionship." I tilted my head, trying not to look up at the looming wolf snarling down at me. I made me uneasy, like it was asking why I was there. I swallowed and looked at Zak.

"I thought you said Eryx was the longest living resident of Fortitudine?" I asked and he nodded.

"That's why he's different. He's been here so long no one remembers who his last companion was." The bird squarked and took off into the air, leaving the boy standing in front of th gate, which was about ten times his size. He looked even smaller then usual beside it.

"Maybe he's decided the kids the one." Zak muttered, frowning to himself before waving at the two men on the edge of the wall.

"Zak, Caerun! Got a straggler with you?" One of them shouted down. Zak turned to look at me and I blinked. His poker face was back.

"Something like that. Open the gate!" He called back. A few moments of silence and then the gate began to slowly creak open, the chains struggling in the frigid air. I swallowed, watching the engraving split in half as the gates pulled apart. I still couldn't shake the feeling of the wolf watching me so, as Zak and Caerun pushed the kid into their home, I hesitated. I couldn't go back, I knew that, but now more then ever I understood that this world was never going to be my home. As I stepped into the compound, the gates instantly began to close behind me. At the last second, I turned to look at the last glimpse of my own life beyond this wall and blinked. As the gates swung close, I could have sworn a snow white wolf with ice blue eyes was sitting at the top of the hill, it's eyes narrowed and it's tail flicking as though it was waiting for something.

"Tera, are you okay?" I jumped violently when Caerun took my elbow and turned me back towards the compound. I nodded and looked over to where Zak stood with the boys hand resting in his.

"Come on, we have to find a room for you." Zak said, nodding his head towards the multi-storey building.

"Is she staying with us?" Came a childs voice, I looked over to find a group of kids standing in the middle of the compound. The one who had spoken seemed to be holding some kind of ball.

"What pack is she from?" An adult called and I blushed. They didn't know about me?

"Why are we letting strangers behind the wall at the moment?" Another voice called. I tried to make myself as small and nonthreatening as possible. I wasn't a danger, for gods sake, I was here because I wanted to protect people. Zak raised his hand and the voices died down.

"This is Teranika. She doesn't have a pack, for reasons out of her control she's been put in danger and needs to be protected." A murmur spread through the quickly forming crowd.

"We should be protecting ourselves, not some rogue wolf who can't look after herself." I swallowed, my mouth going dry. What had I gotten myself into?

"Teranika isn't a wolf." A hush instantly fell over the crowd, a wave of confusion passed through them. I could feel them holding their breath as they waited for Zak to elaborate. "Teranika is a human that saved mine and Caeruns lives a few nights ago. We were attacked the night before the full moon and Tera interfered. Unfortunately, this choice of hers has put her at the mercy of the people we suspect are behind the attacks. For this reason, and to protect the people in the town, Tera will be staying with us for a while." The surprised murmur spread through the crowd like rolling thunder, soft at first and then gradually growing louder.

"You seriously expect us to babysit a human right now?" Came a peircing feamle voice. Zak glared at the crowd and they all began to look a bit sheepish, including an elderly man who looked to be about four times Zaks age.

"No ones baby sitting anyone. Enough gawking, don't you all have work to do?" The crowd instantly disperse and I was left with a heavy feeling in my mouth. The compound was completely covered in snow, the kids that had been in the centre had shifted into wolves and were now hitting the ball around what looked like a field with football goals and either end of it. The semicircle of houses was bustling with life as people moved in and out of them, some of them with their hands full of food or other miscellaneous things. An octagon building was across the other side of the compound and I frowned at the steam that seemed to be rising around it. At least, I thought it was steam, until someone tossed a handful of firewood into the pit and poked at it with a long metal rod. Not steam, smoke. Beside that I could see two large wire coops where a handful of chickens and rabbits were making tracks in the snow, little babies following the rabbits in the now clear sections. Someone was shovelling snow out of the cages as carefully as they could. I swallowed. Fortitudine was the home of werewolves and yet it really did look completely normal. I sighed and looked around me one more time before running to catch up with Zak, who was waiting by the door to the multi-storey building.

"Your rooms on the fourth floor." He announced and we passed through the first 3 floors. The first floor was just a large expanse of a room with a very long table in it. Second floor had some offices and what seemed like a library. Third floor kind of looked like a classroom? Zak didn't exactly give me a tour as he speed walked up to the fourth floor. I ignored the ache in my thighs from the hike as I followed him until he stood in front of a door, pushing it open when I reached him. It was basic, a double bed, a bed side table and a fireplace that already had a low fire blazing in it.

"Asked one of the others to make sure it was warmed up for you." Zak said, walking in and taking a look around with a nod. I swallowed, running my hand through my hair.

"Um, there's no bathroom." I muttered and Zak blinked.

"Oh right. That octagon building is actually our communal bath. The women have already had their bath today so you're going to have to wait until tomorrow to have a wash." I hugged myself at the thought of bathing in front of others. I refused to take my necklace off, I didn't need to be reminded of my life before.

"Okay." I muttered. Zak looked at me for a moment before shaking his head.

"If you want something, I'm in the room beside you." I nodded and he left the room without a second word. Now, sitting in the gathering darkness with nothing but my backpack, it finally hit me. I left my life behind. I'd walked away from everything that I knew. I breathed in deeply. This place seemed nice, despite the fact that everyone here was a werewolf. They had rabbits and chickens and a gods damned phoenix. I walked over to two large glass doors and pushed them open, looking down at the wolf cubs smacking the ball around. I sighed. This place seemed so normal, all things considered. So, why did I still feel like I was being watched?