Psyche Honor (Psyche Moon) (21 page)

“Of course. Sweet dreams, love.”

The road bounced me awake before Billie had the
chance. The sun began to peek over the horizon, and I couldn't believe morning
had come already. Nathan soaked in the mountain landscape, his wild nature
calling him to run. Billie parked the Jeep in the same spot as before, and it
felt like deja vu.

Stretching and breathing in the fresh air, we relaxed and
let the tension fade. “Can I shift yet?” Nathan asked Billie.

“Not yet. We're waiting for someone.” She listened intently,
certain Kato would greet them.

“I thought we were on the outs with the Pack,” Nathan said,
confused. Apparently she'd filled him in while I slept.

“We are. This Wolf is different. Can you sense him, Sadie?”

“No. But that doesn't mean anything.” I yawned, still
waking.

She listened and sniffed the air, a smile spreading across
her face beautifully. A red Ethiopian Wolf trotted out of the camouflage and
sat before us, eyes bright and grinning.

“Nathan, I'd like to introduce you to our Eldest, Kato.”

“Nice to meet you, sir. I've never seen a Wolf like you.” Kato
shimmered into his human form.

“I am from Africa. Welcome, Pup.” He embarrassed the young
Wolf by embracing him fully naked. “It is a blessing to have you whole once
more.”

“We did it, Kato,” Billie exclaimed. “We stopped them.”

“You reached beyond courage and found something greater
within you, Beta. I am proud.” He hugged Billie tightly and kissed her on the
cheek.

When he faced me, his eyes reflected the mountains around
us. He seemed more magical than ever. He stood in front of me and placed a hand
over my heart. “The vision of the Pack's destruction no longer exists. Our
future is as it should be once again, Muzi.”

“Thank God.” I breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn’t
convince myself it was over until his confirmation. Joy bubbled up from deep
within me, and I laughed. I hugged my Muso and laughed freely.

“As Pack we run,” he announced. “You have run before, but
not free as a Wolf should.” He spoke to Nathan. “Follow your Beta and follow
me. Most of all, follow your instincts.”

Billie pulled our pack out of the Jeep, ready and waiting
for us. She brought it to me apologetically. “Don't apologize, love. I got a
little sleep. I’ll carry it so you can sprout fur and run with Nathan. It’s his
first run.”

“I feel like I'm leaving you with the work so I can go
play.”

“I'm on two legs either way. Catch me something for dinner,
and we'll call it even,” I teased her with a kiss on the nose.

“I was going to do that anyway,” she replied. Nathan and
Billie stripped and stowed their clothes in my pack. One by one, human forms
gave way to wolf forms. Billie and Nathan bounded and yipped, enjoying the
freedom of four legs. Nathan chased a bird enthusiastically, looking like an
overgrown puppy as the bird escaped into a tree.

Time for hunting lessons!
Billie commented with a
laugh.

He's adjusting well
, I replied.
Better than I
would have thought.

Same here. He's resilient. I think you have a new little
brother with him.

She was right. The adoring way he looked at me mimicked that
of a boy’s affection for his big sister.
I've never had a brother before.

John was like this with me. He was four years younger and
became Wolf six months after I did.
She missed him. She ran her head
through my hand affectionately, and the coarse hair lifted my spirits. Then she
bounded off with Nathan to hunt down our dinner. Kato fell in step beside me,
and I ran my fingers through the fur on his neck.

Why are you troubled, Muzi? This is a joyous day.

I'm thrilled about today's success. But I learned some
things about my family that I didn’t want to hear. And we're still separated
from the Pack.

Enjoy your triumph. The rest will come in its own time.

I sighed.
I miss the pack, but it's worse for Billie. I'm
just worrying instead of appreciating, aren't I?

Yes. Feel the sun on your face. It shines only in this
moment. The sun does not shine on the future or the past, so what purpose is
served by living there?

I like that.
Deliberately I felt the morning lightly
warming my face and smelled the pine trees around me. The weight I carried
began to lift.

Do you hear the blackbirds singing?
He encouraged me
further, and I nodded.
They sing to today.

Listening to the birds, I began to feel at peace. Billie and
Nathan hunted in the distance, and it felt right.
She has a Pup to care for
now.

She finds purpose in guiding and protecting. It is her
nature. Where do you find your purpose, Muzi?

I thought about that and had no answer.
I don't know.
Today wasn't about purpose. It felt more like an obligation.

It becomes what you perceive it to be, even if not true.
What obligation did you act on?

Mages were threatening the people I love.

How were you responsible for their actions?

I wasn't.

Then what debt could you owe for their actions?
I
didn't answer immediately, pondering over his words.

I did what I did today because it was the right thing to
do,
I replied after a time.

Yes. Now enjoy the sun on your face, free of the debt you
never owed.

I did as instructed, and by the time we reached the cave, I
hummed softly to myself. Kato shifted into human form so he could gather wood,
and I set up camp. Billie and Nathan ran, and I joined them through Billie's
mind for a while. Nothing compared to running on four legs as they did. I'd
only slept a few hours since the morning before, so I napped with Kato curled
by my side. Periodically, he patrolled the area, but mostly we lay around and
enjoyed the respite.

As the sun neared its peak in the sky, I sensed Billie and
Nathan's return. They moved slowly and loudly through the brush, and as they
came into view, I understood what had taken them so long. Each had hold of a
large carcass, dragging it home with effort.

“Oh my God, Billie. Is that an elk?” I asked the proud wolf
in front of me.

What's left of her. She's very small, and Nathan and I
ate so we didn't have to carry so much.

“
You brought home an elk for dinner?” I couldn't
believe what I saw in front of me.

We'll eat well, and we deserve to.

Nathan left the elk mostly intact, dressing part of a haunch
expertly. He had several large steaks prepared by the time I had the fire
ready. Billie disappeared into the trees and returned with a few herbs for
flavoring. “I packed salt. It should be in with the dishes.” Nathan sniffed the
herbs appreciatively and declared himself master of the elk steak.

“I can't cook anything else worth a damn. But I can cook
meat.” I watched him brighten at the task.

“You know,” he mentioned while the pan sizzled. “It's not
cold enough to keep her from spoiling.” He pointed at the dressed carcass.
“Sadie won't be able to eat any more after today unless we do something. I can
smoke some.”

He’d caught Billie’s interest. “You've done that before?”

“Yep. Several times. It's pretty easy. The biggest trick is
to not overdo it.”

“That would be great!” I beamed at him. “I've never had
smoked elk before.” The steaks tasted delicious, tender and juicy. I complimented
him profusely.

“I know who I'm putting in charge of the barbecue next full
moon,” Billie decided. She and Nathan had already eaten their fill, but they
munched on the steaks for pure enjoyment. Even Kato ate a few bites before he
shimmered into wolf form and ate from the carcass.

Smoking the elk for me made Nathan happy, and he went at it
with gusto. As soon as we finished eating, he said. “I saw some wood downstream
that'll be better flavor than this pine.” With that he took off whistling.

Billie shook her head at his retreating form. “The Nathan we
thought we knew was nothing like this man.”

“He was just a shadow before.”

“That's right. You met him once. Jason ordered me to keep
you away from him. I keep forgetting that you didn't.” She remembered how I'd
spied on her, successfully. “I thought he was haunted because he was made Wolf
by force.”

“You didn't know him before Cassandra got hold of him. His
friends wouldn't have recognized him.”

“You knew.”

I shrugged. “I'm a Mage.”

“You're more than that, and you proved it today,” Billie
said. “You're the most powerful Mage in the world, and you used it to help
people.”

We hadn't spoken yet what I'd discovered about my family and
origins. “They were so terrified of my grandmother that they chose death over
angering her. My grandmother killed my parents because she was afraid of me
before I was even born. Somehow she knew who I would become.”

“Kato mentioned a vision about you,” Billie reminded me.
“Maybe it's time to ask him.”

“We may speak openly while our Pup cannot hear. This is not
for others to know yet.” Kato replied from the mouth of the cave.

“Cassandra was my cousin, Muso. She told me things about my
family.” Kato nodded and motioned me to continue as he sat in front of me. “My
grandmother believed that I would destroy all the Mages, so she tried to kill
me before I was even born. She killed my father. My mother must be dead too.
She had no powers.”

“A Mage cannot keep a secret from a Kratos. A mother would
die to protect her young. I believe your mother took her own life to keep you
safe.” Kato affirmed my thoughts.

“You said my life was foretold. Is this why my grandmother
believed I’m a threat to Mages?”

He nodded. “The prophecy was not meant for her so she did
not understand its meaning.”

“You know the prophecy?” I asked.

He nodded. “The prophecy came to Sages a hundred years
before your birth. We understand its truth and meaning and have prepared for
its unfolding.”

“Are Sages another race, Kato?” Billie asked in
astonishment. “I've never heard of a fourth race.”

“We are the bridge between Mage and Human. A few have stood
as the bridge between Mage, Human, and Wolf. My brother, his grandson, and I
have held that honor.”

“Half Human, half Mage.” I spoke.

“We watch. We guide. We foresee. Sometimes we change what is
to come.”

 “Do you and other Sages do this kind of thing a lot? Change
the course of fate?” I asked.

“We are honored with that responsibility. We serve all of
the races. The prophecy does not foretell the end of Mages, but a transformation.”

“How am I supposed to transform Mages?” I couldn’t fathom
it.

“You have already begun.”

“Will you tell me the prophecy, Muso?” I asked him.

“Soon. Our Pup returns. There is time for only one more
question.”

I had so many questions I didn’t know how to pick one. “Can
you tell me any more about my parents?”

Kato smiled broadly as if I'd chosen the best question to
ask. “I had the privilege of watching over your father for a short time. He was
a man of honor and courage. You are much like him.” Kato signaled the end of
the conversation by shimmering into wolf form.

Before long Nathan returned with an armful of wood, still
whistling a tune as he prepared a fire and smoked the meat. By the time night
fell, we were ready for a long sleep. Billie and Nathan hadn't slept at all the
night before. Even though they needed less sleep than I did, fatigue had caught
up to them.

“Kato has offered to keep watch again so we can sleep
deeply.” I relayed the Wolf's mindspeech as we all sat by the fire in the
waning light.

“That would be greatly appreciated,” Billie replied. “I
could use it.”

“I tried doing the mind talking today, but you didn't hear
me. Why can they do it and not me?” Nathan asked.

I replied. “It's the way that Mages communicate, not Wolves.
I can speak to a Wolf's mind, but they can't speak to me. Billie and Kato are
the exceptions. With Billie I'm assuming it's because we're mates.”

“Why can Kato do it?”

I answered honestly without telling the whole truth, a trick
when talking to someone who could smell a lie. “Because he’s Kato.”

Nathan frowned in thought, his entire face scrunching, and
he looked deliberately away from me. Billie helped the Pup understand. “A
half-truth can smell like a lie. She's holding back, but she's not lying.”

He looked at me, and I shrugged sheepishly. “I was asked not
to repeat the rest.”

“This is confusing. How do I tell the difference?” he asked
Billie.

The teacher in her came out. “Does your instinct tell you
that Sadie is friend or foe? Trustworthy or dangerous?”

“Friend. Trustworthy.” He didn’t hesitate.

“Listen to your instincts. They won't lead you astray. If
your instincts tell you someone is trustworthy but you smell a lie, there may
be good reason. They may be protecting their own privacy or someone else’s, or
they could be keeping a promise. Half-truths smell a little different than
lies, and you'll learn the difference with time.”

“I remember all the stuff ya told me about being Wolf, but
it didn't make much sense while I was collared. I'm sortin' through it again.
It's startin' to make sense.”

Billie nodded her understanding. “Once you learn to balance
your two natures, it gets a lot less confusing. Our wolf side is uncomplicated,
direct, and straightforward. Our human side holds grudges, worries about the
future, and is deceitful. How much depends on the person. Both sides are
loving, smart, loyal, protective, and devoted to family or pack. Find balance
between the two sides. They have more similarities than differences.”