Chapter 4: A Simple Picnic
Lyra (2022)
Lyra made her way around the large fluffy mass of night sky, shockingly, without waking him. He seemed larger than she remembered from last night, though it could just be the small cottage making him appear so. She blew out a sigh of relief having made it to the kitchen, and began preparing breakfast. She decided that she'd make a beef stew for dinner tonight. That should be hearty enough for a big bad wolf, she thought to herself. She still wasn't completely awake yet, and she knew she needed some chai tea to wake her completely. She took out her favorite ceramic mug, it was in the shape of a cauldron, and had many runes littered throughout it. When she was finished making her chai tea, she started scrambling some eggs and placing some bacon on the now red hot pan. A thunderous, nearly earth shattering growl made lyra freeze, the spoon mixing her eggs fell to the floor.
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Thyrius (2022)
Thyrius rolled onto his injured leg and sprung awake with searing pain radiating from the wound. He let out an unnecessarily loud growl, and rolled back onto his good side, not fully awake yet. When he realized he was on a hardwood floor, he'd remembered the previous night. The silver eyed woman, so cautious, yet so carefree. Willing to bandage up a large and threatening wolf meant she also had a kind heart. He heard silverware clink onto the floor in the kitchen and he immediately felt guilt. He had not intended to scare her, he really did forget he was in someone else's home. He padded into the kitchen carefully to assess if she was okay, his leg feeling better standing on it, just had to remember not to put pressure on it yet.
When he saw her turn around to look at him, he saw her visibly relax and usher him further into the kitchen. The bacon smelled heavenly, and he knew there was a hefty amount of drool leaking from his muzzle. He felt completely at ease here, and it bothered him. He was an Alpha, he was supposed to be on high alert at all times, and this tiny, very amusing creature made him feel absolutely calm and collected.
Thyrius nodded, and rolled his eyes when she eventually asked if he wanted the eggs and bacon. She said it almost sarcastically as she mentioned the drool leaking from his muzzle. With a small laugh, she placed the food in front of him. He was starving and he'd do anything for that plate of deliciousness, even if it meant listening to her rambling on, quite nervously, about her life at this small cottage. Which is inevitably what happened as she sat across from him with a plate of her own.
He could only stare at her in awe, it was quite adorable to watch such a small creature ramble so anxiously, yet become so lively when a topic of her specific interest came up. It was also incredibly adorable that she had named him Midnight. She was close enough, his wolf's name was Night. He'd already scarfed down the entire plate of food when her fork met the second piece of bacon on her plate. When she finished her plate, she took both of their plates, and made her way to the sink. As she was washing the dishes she announced that she would have to redress his wound, and that it would hurt a bit, though it would clear up in a few days.
Her attempt to distract him from the pain and redressing of the wound was filled with more rambling, this time about her knowledge of his kind, well werewolves to be exact, he wasn't a werewolf, but a Lycan of royal blood that ruled over the various packs located in the western territories. His siblings ruled the other locations. The attempt worked, distracting him long enough for her to clean and rewrap his injury. He was in shock when it was done. He wanted to focus on the pain, he wanted to hone in on it and put that towards his revenge. He wanted those who tried to capture him to feel this pain, multiplied by a thousand of course. Yet, everything in him wanted to know more about this woman. Immediately he felt guilty for being mad at her for distracting him. She was only trying to help, and honestly she was doing a fantastic job. He was grateful for that.
Thyrius figured after dinner, which she told him would be beef stew, he would leave. One, because beef stew was his favorite and reminded him of- no he wouldn't compare her to...He shook his head in an attempt to rid the memories flooding into his mind. And two, because he had a mission set and he didn't want to inconvenience this poor girl any longer. He followed her around the herb garden for a period of time, watching her gather some thyme and garlic. Eventually he wandered off a little into the trees trying to find their scents if he could. When she was finished. She called out to him, and he followed her back into the cottage. The sun was in the middle of the sky, indicating it was around noon when she began making the stew. "It's gonna take about 6 hours, so it should be done by dinner time." She mumbled quietly, focusing on getting all the ingredients into the large pot on the stove. It was nearly filled to the brim with beef stock and veggies at this point, and even now, it smelled mouthwatering. He truly couldn't wait to taste it.
The rest of the day leading up to dinner had been uneventful. He had taken several naps, upon Lyra's request, he'd learned her name from various tangents she'd gone on. Reminding him that rest is going to be the best way for him to heal. He could already feel his strength come back throughout the day, and he was ready to exact his revenge. He'd been going through the plans through his head, and as soon as he could he'd mindlink his beta to come get him, and they would be on their way. The stew had woken him up from his last nap, and his stomach growled nearly as loud as him on a bad day. The stew was divine, and as usual he was beyond hungry and gobbled it down with such intensity, Lyra giggled, lifting a hand to her mouth. Her smile met her eyes with a crinkle, and Thyrius could only roll his eyes in response.
When they were both done, Thyrius made his way to the door. His plan was to be put in place now. Yet, when his leg nearly gave out as he pounced on it her voice rang through the entire cottage. "Where do you think you're going?" She was stern, and there was an authority in her voice he hadn't heard before, which made him turn around in confusion. "Your leg isn't healed properly, and in order to get revenge on the....things?? That did that to you, you need to be healed, or the same thing will happen again." She was right, oh how he hated that she was right, and with that she ordered him to rest for the night, and that she would check in the morning if it was totally healed, and made him promise if it wasn't that he'd stay until it was. Thyrius was sure that with the potion she gave him, that it wouldn't be more than a day, so he agreed.
When he woke again, the sun was blinding him through the shades in the big window, and he heard Lyra humming. Amused, he got up and walked, almost perfectly, into the kitchen. She was making sandwiches, he smelled ham and turkey, his favorite again. She placed the meats along with various cheeses and veggies onto thick slices of sourdough bread. Each sandwich was piled on top of one another in a large woven basket with a cloth under them. She finished the last one and covered them with the excess cloth hanging over the basket. When she turned around, she gave him a bright smile, seeming much more at ease today. "Oh good you're awake! Let me check out that wound" She walked over to him slowly, and he nodded letting her have access to the somewhat dirty gauze around his leg.
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Lyra (2022)
Lyra knelt down to examine his wound closer. And, as she expected the wound was healed quite nicely, almost completely. She felt a wave of sadness come over her, she liked having Midnight around, it was comforting. She'd never admit that it could get lonely out in the woods, because she prided herself on being content away from people. "Well," she started. "It looks like it's nearly completely healed. Which means we are going on an adventure!" Excitement radiated through her body, she was going to take him to the gorgeous waterfall that connected to a small pond a few miles from the cottage. It was her favorite place to visit, and there were some mushrooms that grew there that made a pretty penny when they were in season. Now was the time to harvest them, and retrain his leg while they were there. It was the perfect terrain for him to rehabilitate. Not too rocky or uneven, but not completely flat.
Midnight looked at her quizzically. "We need to rehabilitate that leg, and I need to harvest some things that grow there." She responded, and he seemed to understand, grabbing her basket of sandwiches and drinks that she packed, in between his large teeth. She laughed at his enthusiasm, something he seldom showed, and made her way through the still broken frame.
They made their way through the seemingly endless forest. It was a simple hike, and took less than two hours to get there. When they arrived she looked over to Midnight, and saw him staring at it in awe. So, he also saw the raw beauty that surrounded them. A glorious, misting waterfall flowed from the side of a cliff and into a crystal blue pond, it now reminded her of his eyes. There were flowers and vines that decorated the surrounding area, and they only added to the immense beauty of the place that Lyra had claimed as her own. It called to her the same way it called to her when she found it, every time. It captivated her the same way every time. As if she was an extension of this pond. Midnight placed the basket at her feet and bounded to the stream. He was taking long gulps from the water, occasionally looking back at her with an insanely goofy grin that only enticed her own.
She made her way over to him, basket in hand, and sat down. She took out two sandwiches and offered one to him. He all but snatched her hand off, scarfing it down in one big bite. "Hey! Don't take my arm off please" She laughed jokingly giving him a small shove. He huffed at her, and to Lyra's surprise, dipped his enormous paw into the water, and splashed her. She squealed when the water hit her face, got on her knees and cupped her hands into the water, and retaliated, leading to a rather fun water fight that had them both gasping for air by the end of it.
The rest of the time spent at the waterfall, Lyra had managed to get a hefty amount of mushrooms, and even found some crystals in the pond, while Midnight continued to train his leg. Pouncing on random things, running and jumping. It was a decent amount of time until they both decided that they had had enough. It was getting late and night would fall upon them soon. Lyra felt at ease in the night, but she could tell that Thyrius was tense, and very, very alert. Sadness surrounded her at the thought of what he must have gone through. Her heart ached for him, and for what happened to him. She felt herself being nudged by a large, cold nose. Looking back at him, she heard him whine, a look of concern flashed across his face. He gave her a questioning glance, and she sighed. "I'm just sad thinking about what could have happened to you, what you've gone through, ya know?" she tried to make out a laugh, but it came out as a wheezing cough. His brows furrowed, and she saw a sad look cross his face, but quickly masked it with indifference.
They were nearly to the clearing that held the cottage when she saw Midnight bound in front of her with a ferocious snarl. He began sniffing the ground feverishly, a trail leading to her home. Worry made its way into her heart. What is he smelling? What is going on? No one knows this cottage is even here. Quickly, she followed behind him, reaching the clearing just as he bounded into her home. She made it only a few more feet when another snarl came from the cottage, though, not the same one she heard moments before. She watched in horror as Midnight came crashing out of the cottage, further obliterating what little door frame she had left. He slid across half of the clearing before getting up on his feet, growling the whole time. A smaller, but still unnaturally large, dusty colored wolf emerged from her home. Its eyes glowed a furious red, and it was practically foaming at the mouth. The wolf slowly made its way towards Midnight before the two broke out in a completely terrifying and chaotic fight.
Teeth were snapping, growls were echoing off the trees, and Lyra couldn't move. She was frozen with sheer terror watching the two wolves attack each other. Midnight was winning, but just barely. He was on his side as the other wolf had his paw on his throat when Lyra did something completely out of character. Her concern for Midnight, and her sheer stupidity snapped her out of her frozen state, made her scream at the dusty wolf. "HEY!" This distracted the wolf and it set its sights on her, she froze again as it raced toward her, flashing its sharp teeth at her menacingly. Just as it was about to pounce on her, Midnight grabbed it with his teeth, threw it on its side and promptly closed his jaw around the red eyed wolf's neck. Lyra heard a sickening snap, and saw life leave its blood red eyes. Midnight threw the now dead wolf onto the ground, and looked at Lyra's terrified face.
Maybe she was insane, and maybe she wasn't, she wasn't sure. But she was sure that the wolf lying in front of her was dead, and she watched it die. She almost died. Midnight almost died. There was a ringing in her ears, and she heard another growl. Midnight snapped his head to her cottage and emerged two more with the same blood red eyes. She was sure her cottage was in complete ruins. Midnight had an easier time with the first one, and it landed a few feet from the other wolf. The last one however, had the advantage, midnight was running out of energy, and its energy was probably full. The final fight broke out. Lyra had enough.
She was in shock, traumatized, and on the verge of losing it, and when she saw that midnight had probably less chance of winning this time, a scream let loose from her lips. Piercing through each wolf's ears. Immediately after, a beam of light emerged from the center of her chest, impaling the enemy wolf. Lyra hit the ground with a thud, her energy completely gone this time, and a blackness in her mind emerged, taking with it her consciousness.
"Lyra" a voice called out to her in the darkness. "Lyra, you've woken darling" She couldn't place the direction of the voice but she called out. "Who are you? Where am I?" There was a slight chuckle, a woman's dainty chuckle. "You are in your mind right now, but in reality you have finally woken up. Your true self has come out of the shadows" In a flash, a burst of white light emerged out of the darkness, and a beautiful woman appeared in front of her. Her black hair cascaded down her back and eyes of a vibrant purple pierced through her soul. A beautiful silky white gown shrouded her perfect figure. "Who are you?" Her question came out hoarse. "You know who I am dear, I know who you are, and I am elated that we can be connected once again. Just follow the path that you know, and you'll be where you need to go, I'm just a whisper away darling. Now, It's time for you to face fate head on." Her voice trailed off as she disappeared into the brightest light she'd ever seen. "WAIT! What do you mean face fate head on?" Lyra felt hopeless, clueless, as darkness encompassed her yet again.
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Thyrius (2022)
Thyrius had to close his eyes as the beam of light burst from Lyra's small body. Waves of shock and awe flooded his body. He hadn't smelt anything but human on her before then, and now she radiated something of another realm, something that not very many come across in their lifetime. When his eyes finally opened, the feral wolf had all but evaporated into ash as the light beam dimmed from her. Bones, crisp and clean, fell to the ground, and when he looked over to Lyra, she had also collapsed. Her new, nonhuman scent clouded his nose, fogged his brain, and it all clicked into place, she was his mate. A rarity in the wolf world, and even rarer in the Lycan world.
He ran towards her unconscious body and nudged her, trying to get her to wake up. His heart clenched, and he let out a strangled cry. He wouldn't let her die, he wouldn't let this happen to her, he vowed it. With gentle jaws he clasped onto her wrist and pulled her into the entirely rampaged cottage, cursing the ferals that did this to her home. It was completely in shambles, and it fueled his rage and determination to get her out of here. If lowly ferals were able to find her here, and they connected her to him, she wasn't safe here. He needed to shift, yesterday. Within a few, quite irritating minutes, he was able to shift back into his human form. Bones cracked and fizzled, and soon his 6'4 frame was in view of the small mirror placed on the wall aside from him. He cursed when he realized that he would need to find clothes, and that more than likely, hers would barely fit around his thigh. He made his way to her bedroom and placed her still unconscious but alive body on the soft bed. He liked that her room completely fit her. The soft green comforter was decorated with small, delicate flowers. Each deliberately stitched in patches on every inch.
Thyrius rummaged through her dresser and to his surprise found a pair of large sweatpants and a white shirt that would do the trick, maybe one size too small. It took all of him to not growl at the fact that these pants existed in her home. Nonetheless, he scented no other male, and calmed himself down pretty quick for his temperament. He pulled on the clothes in a flash and searched for a bag to put some of her belongings in. He grabbed a few shirts, skirts and pants, and made his way to her front room. He scanned the area, as messy as it may be, for any important items she may want. And made her way to the kitchen. Herb jars lay scattered on the ground, some shattered, though, ones with twine wrapped around them were intact. He grabbed those and shoved them in the bag along with a few delicate looking vials, her potions. He closed the bag and went to grab lyra.
She looked peaceful, almost completely at ease, and her breath was shallow, deep and even. He prayed to the goddess thanking her that his mate was still alive. With Lyra in the backseat of the rusted pickup, Thyrius made his way to the driver's side, threw the bag of her belongings on the passenger seat, and started the truck. It would be a long drive, but her truck was full of gas, and he was hoping he'd only have to stop once before entering his pack territory. With one final look at the cottage, he put the truck in reverse and drove off on the dirt road, his exhaustion was weighing heavy on him, his leg killed, but his determination to get her safely to pack lands was stronger than those combined.