by Idella Breen
“I can’t feel her anymore.”
“You’re in shock right now. I know this is hard but you need to call out to Snow.”
The redhead nodded, and gasped once more, before becoming still, and concentrated. At first, she only felt the deep emptiness that didn’t seem to want to leave her, and the harder she concentrated, the worse her headache became. She lost track of time sitting on her living room floor next to the body of her mate, but she called out to her love, and finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she felt her lover call back.
Cait’s eyes sprung open. “I felt her!”
Gwen smiled. “Is she still here?”
Cait frowned. “No, she’s far away.”
Gwen nodded and turned to Remus. “I think she should see Yu, Remus.”
The man nodded and stood from where he had been seated on the couch. “I agree.”
“Yu?”
Gwen turned to her. “Our clan’s resident witch.”
“The one that helps the pups turn back into their human form after their first transformation?”
“That’s the one.” Gwen smiled.
“She’s also the one I’ve been trying to get you to see about your own wolf. Remember?”
Cait nodded absently. “How can she help me?”
“Yu has many gifts. Speaking to spirits is one of them. I’ll take you to see her.”
The redhead nodded and stood. “Now then!”
Gwen and Remus stood as well. Gwen glanced back down to Snow and sat back down. “I’ll stay here. I don’t feel comfortable leaving her like this.”
“Thank you.” Cait whispered as she trailed her hand along the ice before turning back to Remus. “You drive.”
He nodded and she followed him out to the car. She was going to get her mate back. She won’t fail her again.
***
Remus stopped and parked his truck in front of an old house deep into the woods on his land. The trip had been made in relative silence. Cait was feeling both angry, and a bone chilling coldness, and couldn’t help directing it at the man next to her.
“Here?” Cait asked.
He nodded. “This is where Yu lives. Not much, I know, but she’s a naturalist.”
Cait nodded and made to move out of the truck, but Remus grabbed her arm, stopping her. She growled.
“What?”
“Try to stay calm, Cait. Yu has a certain way of doing things and you’re not officially part of my clan. You will have to convince her that you are worth her time.”
Cait shook his hand off. “I’ll make her help me if I have to.”
She slammed the truck door, nearly ripping it off, and began walking towards the house. As soon as she stepped on the front porch, she felt a deep and ancient power engulf her, making her pause midstep. Her body refused to move forward. The front door opened and a middle aged woman walked out with a small smile gracing her features. Her dark hair was tied back in a tight, bun and she was dressed in overalls that were stained with dirt, as if she had been working in the garden.
She wiped her hands on her pants, and cocking a hip out, studied Cait. “And you would be?” Her voice was husky and deep.
“I need your help.” Cait managed to say, even as her jaw felt sluggish and tight.
“Ah, another youngin’ looking for the guidance of a great witch? Or perhaps an upstart looking to gain an upper hand? Let me take a look. Ah, yes. How interesting. A child of prophecy. My, indeed, you are an old spirit. But only half. I take it that is why you are here then, to find your lost half?”
“How did you-“
The woman waved her hand and Cait’s jaw snapped shut. “I think I’ll do the talking first. Remus, you may come closer. I won’t harm your friend. You are both my guests, after all.”
Remus stepped next to Cait, but didn’t seem to be struggling to move like the redhead found herself.
“Oh, great and wise one. I come to ask for a favor.”
“Yes, yes. I know why you have come. It was supposed to happen just as it is. I was expecting you both. But we will speak here. You friend’s energy is too negative to enter my home. She would tip a fragile balance.”
Remus nodded as if he understood her completely, but Cait was beginning to think the woman was a bit batty.
“Will you help us then?” He asked.
Yu looked thoughtful for a moment. “What will she relinquish?”
Cait felt her jaw loosen and spoke while she was able to. “Anything!”
“Cait!” Remus yelled.
“Ah, spoken like a woman backed into a corner. You are lucky I am one of the good one’s, but my prices are still not cheap. I claim the name of your first born. Will you give it?”
Cait furrowed her brow. “A name? Like you want me to name my first born after you?”
“Cait, Yu is a witch, not a grandmother. Names give her power over other’s. If she knows the true name of someone, or something, she will be able to control them.”
The werewolf hesitated.
“Good, you pause. You understand then, the importance of your answer. Maybe, you have learned something from your past mistakes, but I demand the name in your heart to give you back the other half of your soul. Will you relinquish it? Or will you fail her a second time?”
“Yu!” Remus yelled.
The redhead gripped her hands into fists tight enough to draw blood. “I will give it then, but I do not know the name.”
“I will know it when you know it and it will be mine to do as I see fit.”
The werewolf felt a strong magic settle over her for a moment and the pressure that had been building in her skull disappeared. She felt the tension leave her body and she was finally free to move again.
“Much better. The balance is restored once more. Would you like some tea? I have just picked some fresh mint.”
Cait looked questioningly to Remus, but he simply shrugged, and followed the witch into her house. The redhead sighed, and said a small prayer to whatever higher power there was, that she didn’t just make a huge mistake, then she followed Remus.
***
The inside of Yu’s house seemed to be much bigger than the outside, which led one to believe that the witch had cast a spell on it. Cait sat at the small wooden table, in the kitchen, next to Remus, as the woman set about pouring hot water into a pot and adding tea leaves.
“So, Cait, have you been having trouble with your wolf lately?”
The redhead’s eyes widened in shock but she nodded anyway. “Yes, it has been refusing to listen to me as of late.”
Yu nodded sagely. “Then the time is now. Or rather, now is the time.”
“The time for what?” Remus asked.
Yu smiled. “She must undergo the trial of the protector. Her birthright and burden. They are one in the same.”
Cait frowned. “I thought I already did that when Snow and I killed the dark bloods king.”
“The king? Oh, yes. Him. Well, he was the first part of the prophecy, I suppose. The lesser part at that.”
Remus frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“You wouldn’t, would you. I suppose I should share a little bit of lost knowledge. That is the problem with Lidia and her Silence. It breeds ignorance.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The full prophecy is one only few know of now. To know the full prophecy, is to become part of it, which is the true reason Lidia enacted the Silence.”
“What is it then?” Remus asked.
Yu smiled. “Do you wish to play a part as well, Remus Lander?”
“Aren’t I already playing my part?”
Yu laughed. “Good man, a part you have played well.”
“Enough of your games, Yu.” Cait sighed.
“Fair enough, the prophecy in its entirety is this, a child of ice will be born, her protector sworn, and an era of peace will be brought about, through the power of fire and ice.”
There was a silent pause before Cait broke it. �
��That’s different from the one I’ve heard.”
“Much like the game telephone, I suppose.” Yu mused.
“It’s kind of vague.” Remus muttered.
“As are most things of that nature.” Yu smiled.
“Snow has the power to control ice, but what does that bit about fire mean?” Cait asked.
“And that is the true reason you have come to me. Your mate is lost, encased in an eternal winter, which only the heat of a god can melt. Where else to find such a heat, then in the ancient soul of a god bound to a mortal woman by a great witch. You have reclaimed your lost soul, a heart unbound. Now the two must fuse and become one once more.”
Cait felt anger burst in her chest. “I don’t understand what you’re saying, witch. Speak clearly or I’ll beat the answers out of you.”
“Cait!” Remus gripped her arm and held her in place. “Calm down and listen. It’s obvious what she is saying. Your wolf has been uncontrollable as of late. This is a problem common among pups. In order to create a balance between the wolf, and the human, the pups are taught to meditate. It is during this meditation, that the wolf and human come to know one another, and a sort of fusion between the two will take place.
You told me that the soul of you and your wolf was retrieved after Xavier took it, through an oath stronger than blood. Gwen has told me, in passing, that when she met your wolf through the link, when she very first met you, she said that your wolf was made of an ancient power. If what Yu is saying is true, then that same wolf was once a god, but was bound to your soul by a witch. That is what makes you the protector and that is what makes you strong.
Your wolf has been trying to fuse with you fully, but you have been resisting it, so it has resorted to trying to dominate you into submission. Unless you fuse with your wolf fully, you won’t be able to be the true protector, and therefore, you won’t be able to gain the power you need to find and bring back Snow.”
Cait calmed and turned to meet Yu’s gaze. “What do I need to do?”
The witch smiled and took a sip of tea before answering. “Meditate, undergo the trial of the protector, and fuse. Only then will you have the power to bring your mate back to this world.”
“How do I meditate? I’ve never done it before.”
“I can help you with that. I have helped several pups through the same process. I would be willing to walk you through your first time.” Remus said.
Cait nodded. “Then let’s do it now.”
Yu smiled. “The living room will be more comfortable.”
Chapter 4
Cait settled into the sofa and tried to relax. Remus smiled at her from his seat across the room.
“Now close your eyes and slow down your breathing. Take slow deep breaths. In through your mouth. Out through your nose. Deep breaths. That’s it. Feel the tension leaving your body. Silence your inner worries. Now i want you to imagine a cage in your mind. Are you imagining it?”
Cait nodded.
“Good. Your wolf is in that cage. I want you to open the door. Let your wolf out and follow it to your inner sanctuary.”
Remus’s voice continued to drone on and on, but she had tuned him out, sometime after she released her wolf from its mental cage. The beast burst forth and she was suddenly sucked deep into her mind.
Cait opened her eyes to see she was in an open field. Her white wolf was sitting across from her. The rays of light from the sun glittered on its fur, making it look like silk.
It spoke to her in its deep baritone. “You have come to me.”
At the question, she felt a wave of calm settle over her. “I have.”
“Are you ready to listen?”
“I am.”
“Then follow me.” The wolf stood and moved through the field. The scene suddenly changed and they were standing on a frozen lake. The wolf turned back to her.
“I was once a god among men.”
“What happened?”
“I met my mate. She was a mortal but I loved her like no other. I would live forever while she would die a mortal's death. I called a great witch to me and she promised me an eternity with my mate.”
“How?”
“I would need to become both eternal and human. The witch turned my soul human and bound me to my mates. She could not make my mate immortal, but she made it so that once I was bound to my mate, we would live an equal lifespan. She would share in my longer mortal lifespan, and when I died, she would follow me into my next life. Thus, we would be mortal but eternal.”
“But what of the fire?”
“I have always been a beast of flame and my mate a soul of ice. We were balanced. I wish to teach you of the flame, so that the balance will be restored once more. I was told a day would come when we would be called upon to protect the balance. This would repay the debt owed to the witch and she would bestow upon us a final gift. Will you accept the flame?”
“Yes.”
“Then burn eternal with both passion and love.”
Suddenly, fire surrounded Cait, and the ice beneath her began to melt.
“Accept the flame or fall to your death.”
Cait reached out her hand and touched the fire surrounding her. It burned up her arm and engulfed her body. Everything was burning. It was one of the most painful things she had ever felt, second only to the loss of her mate. She stumbled towards the wolf and fell to her knees as she screamed. The fire was everywhere. In her, around her, part of her.
“Name your flame!” The wolf yelled.
She didn’t know what it meant, but suddenly a word bubbled up from the recesses of her mind. An ancient word flew out from her mouth.
“Tine!” She gasped out and the fire was gone. They were once again standing in the field of flowers and the wolf was watching her, it’s amber eyes haunting in their beauty.
“Use your word of power to call upon my flames. They will burn down your enemies and protect those you hold dear. They are born of the love and passion in your heart and fed by the bond between your mate. They will never burn her for she is as much a part of you as my flames are. Go now, and wake the dead, for now is the time of life.”
Cait opened her eyes. Remus was an inch from her face. “Hey!” She yelled and fell off the couch.
Remus chuckled and helped her up. “Sorry, but I swore for a minute you stopped breathing. Just wanted to check.”
“Yeah, well, you need a breath mint.”
He frowned making her laugh. Cait glanced out the window and saw it was dark outside. “What time is it?”
“Around nine o’clock in the evening. You were out of it for a solid two hours. That’s some deep meditation. Was your wolf as arrogant as you are?”
Cait punched him in the arm. “Come on. Take me back to Snow. I know what to do now and I want to do it as soon as possible.”
“Okay.”
The redhead looked around. “Where is Yu by the way?”
“She stepped out not long after you went under. Said she had some errands she had to run.”
Cait nodded. “Come on, let’s go then.”
***
Cait stood over the ice coffin where her lover was encased. She ran her hand along the ice before standing back.
“Get back everyone. I don’t want to burn you.” She said as she held up her hand, letting it hover just above the ice.
Gwen grabbed her shoulder. “Won’t you burn Snow?”
Cait shook her head. “She will be fine.”
The blonde nodded and stood back, next to Remus.
The redhead concentrated and felt the burn of the fire build in her chest. She waited until it reached unbearable proportions before she yelled. “Tine!”
Flames burst from her hand and surrounded the ice coffin. The ice rapidly began to melt until there was only a puddle left behind. Just as the white wolf had promised, the flames left Snow unharmed, and Cait ran to her, pulling her into her arms. For a moment she simply held the girl until Gwen kneeled beside her.
“Wh
at now Cait?”
The redhead met her gaze. “Now I call her home.”
Cait settled on the floor with her feet in a pretzel style. She held Snow in her lap and wrapped her arms around the cold girl. She ghosted her lips over the girl’s forehead in an almost kiss, then she took a deep breath.
She heard Gwen whisper to Remus. “What is she doing?”
His deep baritone answered softly. “She’s meditating.”
***
Cait listened to her soul, as it called out for its mate. She felt herself separate from her body, and watched the scenes shifting seamlessly around her, until she was standing in the bedroom at Snow’s old apartment.
“Snow! Can you hear me?”
A quiet whisper, “Cait?”
Cait followed the voice until she found the girl cuddled up in the blankets of her old bed. She dove for the girl, pulling her into her arms, and kissing every part she could reach.
Snow wrapped her arms around her mate and held her close. “You came.”
“Of course, I did babe. I’ll always come for you.”
“I’m so sorry, Cait!”
Cait pulled back giving the girl a confused look. “Why are you sorry?”
“I didn’t mean to fight with you before you left.”
“No babe. I’m the one that is sorry. Snow, you have no idea how sorry I am. I should have never left you like I did. I’m so stupid.” The redhead said, as she kissed the tears that were flowing down Snow’s cheeks.
“I just remember thinking, when I was separated from my body, that I would never get to tell you that I loved you again. I love you Cait. I was scared when you said you were going to leave and I didn’t know how to tell you that. I was scared that you would get hurt and I just didn’t know what I would do, if you were ever hurt again. I was so terrified after the battle with Xavier, I don’t know what I would ever do, if I almost lost you like I did then.”
“Snow, stop.” Cait whispered but the girl continued to ramble, so she stopped her another way.
The redhead’s lips settled gently against the girls, silencing her rambles. They moved slowly against each other, but it soon turned feverish, and hungry. Cait pulled the girl impossibly close, as if she was trying to make the girl one with her own soul.
