Comfort in Company

Joss was as handsome as her brother had said - in fact, she felt that Jyriah hadn't described his Adonis-like beauty well enough.

His silver hair was shiny and long, and was slicked back and tied in a low ponytail. He was definitely taller than her brother, too. His beautiful orange eyes sat in contrast to his monochrome hair, and they were filled with the spark of life.

"Hello, are you Myranda?" He greeted with a light, sweet voice that was drenched in the sound of familiar friendship. The moment he walked into the room, it filled with warmth.

"Yes. Joss I presume?" She questioned in a tired tone. Her voice was also gritty again from the tears spilled just moments before he had entered the bakery.

"Oh, dear. Jyriah told me what happened. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but since you're about to be my new pack - you're my little sister now, too. I'm here for you, whatever you need" he was intensely sincere, which instantly put Myranda on guard.

'Please trust me from afar' she recalled Metas' words and swallowed her fear. For once, she replied to a stranger with respect. "Yes.. and thank you. It means a lot to me and our family that you came to help me. I'll try not to be slow on my feet."

Myranda hadn't looked in the mirror, as she had been far too busy. She had watched her dough proof, mixed and folded pastry dough, and checked the oven twice to ensure it was the proper heat. Had she been able to see her face, she would have washed it. Her eyes were red, and so was the delicate skin around them as she had constantly rubbed her tears away.

She had flour on her face, some of which was caked on from being soaked with sweat and rivers of salt that had run to her chin.

"I found a few things - my nose is pretty good, so I was able to find filbert bushes (hazelnuts) and some fully grown peanuts. The other trees haven't started producing yet. It's a pretty cold summer so far. Hopefully the fruit nuts will grow this year," Joss spoke very softly, which soothed her a little.

Before he had even come here, she had dreaded his arrival, but now she was glad Jyriah had sent him, because he had already helped her with his calm disposition.

Myranda was impressed. "You found filberts? I always mistake them for simple flowers - and I can only smell the flowers."

"Yeah, the flowers can smell potent up-close. I may or may not also know where they grow in mass," he boasted humbly.

"Maybe you can show me when my leg gets better?" Myranda appealed to him with wide eyes, half to make conversation and half out of curiosity.

"Absolutely. I'll go put these in the sink for washing and de-shelling," he informed her and walked right back to the kitchen. All of the layouts of the lower levels were the same, some were just outfitted with different supplies and tools.

"Oooh, nice sink. We have only a singlet at my place - but we don't use water like you do, I'm sure. We just sew, I imagine you have to use a lot."

Myranda meant to reply, but was distracted as two armed soldiers came in to the shop - one with a stoic face, and the other hidden under a full mask. She was immediately both terrified, and excited.

'Did he change his mind? Does he want to meet me?' She wondered, smiled briefly at the thought of his company.

"Myranda of the merchant clan?" The taller one with deep auburn hair asked in a voice that matched the darkness of his locks.

"...Yes..?" She answered uneasily - unsure of whether to shout or cry.

"We came to ensure you had returned to your den accordingly, " the same guard announced with authority.

"I've been here as I've been told, and plan on it" she replied with a little bit of fire in her words. She did not like that they checked on her like a child, and the way he spoke to her really pissed her off to her core.

Joss came out from the small washing area and looked between the two 'lackeys'. "Are you done? She's complied, is there anything else we can do for you?"

"W-Well..." the second guard started. His face was covered by his helmet, so his features were hidden. Whoever they were, they sounded young.

The auburn haired answered for his cohort in a stale tone. "Five of your freshest pastries, and yes - we will be paying for them. Four wrapped, and one straight in my hand?"

"We only have honey loafs ready - is that okay?" Myranda informed, but hoped they'd say no.

"It is," the man replied and held out a few bits of gold and gems for her to take. This was beyond abnormal, and so the baker hesitated to take the payment.

Neither Joss nor Myranda looked pleased. Since they had both come from the 'working' class, they felt no kindness towards the guards who enforced their Alpha King and his Luna's awful laws.

 Joss smiled with a faked kindness as he took the payment while. "Thank you," he offered with acid that bubbled in his eyes.

While Joss kept the two guards in conversation, Myranda packed up four beautifully round buns that had perfect golden tops upon them. She then drizzled a little honey on them, and dusted the tops of what looked like brown-sugar that had been painstakingly dried and ground into a fine powder.

Myranda then closed the little pastry box weaved from long, dried leaves and handed it and the free-standing bun over to the guards.

"Thank you," the one with a deeper voice 'stated' more than thanked.

The nervous guard just gave an awkward bow and followed his taller cohort out the door.

Joss and Myranda looked at each other with a silent agreement that whatever happened just now was weird.

*****

"Well that was the dumbest thing you've ever had me do, and that includes the bird incident" the same guard that had been to Myranda's shop complained as he handed over the packed box to Metas.

"You can't have us do that again, you know - at least not for a while," Lara reminded as she pulled off the helmet and let her long white hair cascade down from the top of her head.

"Is she....okay?" Metas asked as he held the box delicately in his hands.

Lara looked to the tall male who had gone with her, and begged him with her eyes to say nothing, or to at least just lie.

"Do you want the hard truth, or what you want to hear?" The soldier ignored Lara and questioned Metas seriously.

Metas affirmed his words with valor, but his eyes begged for a lie. "The hard truth. I need to know how much to make up to her when she's finally in my arms and in my protection.

"Gerald, don't-" Lara started with worry, but it was too late.

"She's terrible. You can tell she's been crying. I told you to give us something to pass to her," Gerald advised with a 'told you so' sound.

"No. I can't. She'd know - and then she'd come to fight at my side. Myranda doesn't strike me as one who would sit back idly if revolution is afoot....and I don't want to risk her life over matters that she doesn't deserve to be thrown into. Plus, that little shit, Silas is her sister's mate. If he knew she was seeing me - he'd tell my parents immediately," Metas informed Gerald with anguish as he shook his head to try to throw away the words his parents had threatened him with earlier.

'If you approach that commoner, we'll have her put in a stockade and let our favorite friends take turns with her. Don't test me, Metas. You know I will,' his father had warned him with callousness.

'I'll have her fur stripped and made for a rug to be put in your room after they've enjoyed her. You'd be forced to watch all of this, of course. Does that sound pleasing to you, my son?' his mother had taunted immediately afterwards.

The voice of his friend brought him out of the bad memory from the previous week as it echoed in his skull and shook him from the words he recounted.

"Metas, she's not alone. There was another wolf there - Jyriah's mate, Joss. I've seen them moving into their new den together. At least she has some comfort, so you need to keep that in mind," Lara offered gently.

"I know.....but for now, I just want to plan on how I will make all of this up to her, and if this is the closest I can get to her, then I will endure it," Metas replied proudly as he looked down to the delicate grass box.

"Okay, but no more torturing yourself, or sending someone over there. Focus on our goal - our duty," Lara reminded him with a frown.

"I won't - and I am. I had nothing of hers to hold on to - it isn't much but this box will do, at least it was in her hands." He had a goofy smile he hadn't intended to let crawl on his face in front of his best friends.

He expected to be ribbed with taunts from the two of them, but instead Gerald and Lara put a hand to Metas' shoulders in solidarity.