RIVER'S ILLEGAL ENTRY

21 FEBRUARY, SUNDAY, 12PM

River showed up at my doorstep exactly at noon. He was escorted by Ben and a few warriors.

I happened to be snacking in the kitchen and followed Ki to answer the door. I'm sure my mouth literally fell open at the sight of the three human captives bound with cuffs and chained together.

"Hi Sam." River said sheepishly.

I was speechless.

Keanu popped his head out from behind a warrior and waved, "Hi, Sam!"

He was also wearing a sheepish grin.

I looked at my stoic warriors, if they felt their human captives were weird, they didn't show it. I looked at the three humans grinning like fools. Even Wilhelm. I didn't know Wilhelm all that well, but I've always imagined he was the more sensible and grown up one. Now, I was seriously reconsidering my initial opinion of him.

Maybe this was part of the humans being wildcards thing.

I looked at Ben for some kind of explanation. He only shrugged, "They were caught trespassing packlands. Your Dad's gone with Beta Gerald to Morning Light to deal with some stuff. My dad's still out of action, so you're in charge. What do you want to do with them?"

Ben's monotone was so emotionless, it sounded exactly like the time he recited the Youth Club welcome speech to me.

It didn't help that Keanu and River nodded happily at the lines like it was exactly what they wanted to hear.

And then Ki had continue what sounded like a very forced and badly written script.

Shaking his head and sighing in an exaggerated way, he exclaimed, "Oh dear, isn't this Prince River? We must inform Alpha Gunter at once! Although, I suppose in the meantime, it would be best to keep him in custody here at the alpha house where we can keep an eye on him while still ensuring his comfort and well-being. After all, he is from our ally pack. We don't want to needlessly offend Snow Moon Kingdom."

{You know, you guys need to give me a heads up when you're going to act out stupid scripts like this.} I grumbled into their mindlink.

Like seriously! I hastily checked the warriors. I suppose they would be the audience for our little play. Luckily, they didn't look like they thought anything was off. I can't imagine they were buying this... Our warriors were really too trusting of their betas.

I stepped away from the doorway to let our guests in. Part of me was still reeling from the shock. Dad was going to kill me...no, Mum was going to kill me. Unless Alpha Gunter kills me first.

I can't believe River went and did something like this! It was lucky Ben seemed to have intercepted their detention, or I imagine these three would be in our stinky dungeons.

At least Mum and my sisters weren't home either. They had gone to bring Sunday Lunch to the destitute house.

What lucky timing! River's luck was really good... Wait a minute. It's just too many coincidences. Was River's luck that accurate?

It's almost like the goddess had blessed their path, or rather, maybe my betas were the ones who blessed their path. In fact, my betas probably arranged it. Ooooh... if they did, my betas were good... and oh, so, sneaky.

Ben instructed the warriors to stand guard outside and Ki had our captives seated on the sofa.

"Can we maybe take off the cuffs now?" Keanu asked as Ki poured out tea for everyone.

I looked at Ben, who sighed reluctantly before releasing our guests.

"What did you think you were doing?" I scolded River once we were all settled in. I couldn't help it. Of all the foolhardy things to do! One did not enter the Green Packlands without the proper papers. Didn't he read the news? How many humans had disappeared this way? "What if this was a trap? Do you know how dangerous that was?"

"I knew you wouldn't betray me!" River boasted.

"I didn't even know you were still coming!" I snapped back, "Purposely trespassing to get yourselves caught! Who's stupid idea was this in the first place?"

"It was a very good idea!" Ben protested, indirectly answering my question, "You said you wanted to see River. Now he's here."

Well, that confirmed it. I knew it was too much luck even for River to step in and get caught, be intercepted by my beta, and brought directly to me at the alpha house, while everyone else in my family happened to be out. Yes, my betas had thought of everything. Well, almost everything.

"Alpha Gunter is going to be furious." I said.

"At him." Ben pointed to River, "Not us. We revoked his visa as agreed, but he still dared to trespass our land."

River laughed a little nervously at that, "When you put it that way, it does sound kind of bad."

"We better hurry, your highness." Wilhelm worried, "Alpha Gunter will be here soon."

"He'd have to get through customs first." Ki smiled, "He has no visas either."

Ooooohhhh they were evil, my betas.

And then I realized, "Sabre isn't here! Oh! Wilhelm, you came all the way here for nothing!"

Wilhem shook his head kindly, "Please don't say that. I'm here as Prince River's guard. I don't have to see her. In fact, I feel quite sure it would be better if we do not see each other."

How could he feel this way?

"So what do you need to talk to Sam about?" Ben cut to the chase.

River took out his stone. It was glowing, "Its been like this since we entered the Green Packlands. Sam, if you know where the stone comes from, please tell me."

"Why do you want to know?" I asked.

"I want to return the stone to its rightful owner." River said, he raised his hand to silence Keanu, "I know, I know that the stone's power had made many impossible things happen for me, for our kingdom, but I don't know how to explain this, but ever since my mother passed away, the stone has been dying. It needs to go home."

"It's just a stone, River." Keanu exclaimed, "It doesn't have feelings or life. Its just magic, and yes, its power is fading but it has so much power, if you conserve it carefully, it might last your entire lifetime! Or maybe we can find a way to recharge it by coming here..."

We all looked at River's stone glowing softly in his hands. Well, yeah, it did kind of do that light fading in a out thing like how Ki's hand held vacuum cleaner's light indicator would glow while charging... But no. It wasn't charging. For one thing, there was no magic dense enough in the air for it to charge. For another, if magic was moving, I would be able to smell it or at least sense it. I knew what magic felt like - I could feel it in the mating bangle around my arm. I could sense it's pulse from Grandma Luna's ring, or feel it when I touched the crystals I picked up from the Warlock Forest.

River's stone wasn't charging... it was... I frowned at it. I had a bad feeling about this.

"You said it was doing this since you stepped onto the Green Packlands?" I asked.

"Yeah." River nodded, "Do you think it's charging?"

I shook my head, "Ki, can you go fetch the crystal necklace from my dresser?"

"No, need. I have mine." Ben pulled it off from around his neck.

The moment he did, the clear crystal shard darted forward towards River's stone. Ben's quick reflex caught it by its string.

We watched a moment as the clear crystal floated in mid air, pulling on the string towards River's stone.

"Don't let them touch!" I cried out. Super bad feeling welling up inside of me like a pot of pasta that was going to overboil in Mrs Martinez's cooking class, "Put your stone away, Ben! Far away."

Ki picked up a wooden box from the side table and they shut the crystal in.

"This is bad." I got up and paced, "River, you need to take this stone and get out of here now."

"What?" River asked, "Why?"

My hand flew to my mouth as the realization hit me, "Your stone is calling its master. The warlock knows you are here."

Thanks gift of insight. That was just the news I needed to hear.

OMO we were so dead.

"What? Sam... Don't stop talking! Think aloud!" Ben ordered. Ben's beta wolf had sprung up to stand by my side.

"I don't know. It's just a feeling..." I mumbled, "Okay, like I think Fount can sense the stone calling him." I pointed at River's stone, "That's not the charging signal, it's a homing signal. So now Fount knows that the stone is within the packlands. The only good news here is that Fount is super weak, so he might not be able to come out here to get it..."

"Why are you freaking out, Sam?" River asked, "Why is everyone freaking out?"

"Because, if you had read anything about warlocks, you'd know they are really powerful and can be very deadly when you take their stuff!" I pretty much yelled at River.

"Including that shard in the box - I'm going to assume you took that without permission too." Keanu pointed out.

"And when Sam meets the warlock, she will die or something!" Ben added.

"WHAT?" More than one person joined me in yelling.

"Yeah. Or something." Ben said, a little quieter.

"Look Ben, I'm not going to die!" I told him. When was he going to get that idea out of his head? And I certainly wasn't going to die just because I met a warlock. That wasn't what the prophecy said. Technically, the prophecy didn't say anything about anyone dying - but no time for that.

"Oh no! What have I done now?" River slapped his hand over his eyes.

Now his stone was floating all on its own, tugging on River's chain. I looked at it carefully, and the direction it was pulling at, "You're right, River. The stone wants to go home."

"What should we do?" River asked.

Keanu rubbed his chin, "Hmmm... We could stay here and wait for the warlock to come to us."

"Or you could take that stone and run." I said because that would be what I would do, "Obviously he couldn't reach the stone when you were outside the Green Packlands."

"But what about you, Sam?" Keanu asked, "How would you deal with the warlock when he comes to your door?"

Oh right, good question. But I had a good answer too.

"I'll fight him?" Actually, I had no idea, "Maybe I can explain that his stone isn't here anymore?"

"We're doomed." River moaned, "I'm sorry, I seriously flubbed. I've messed everything up for everyone."

And then Wilhelm spoke, "Prince River, please give me the stone."

Eh?

He stood up, "My sister has finally found a safe place. If the warlock comes, what should happen to her and her new family? Give me the stone, I will bring it back to the warlock, and I will take the repercussions. The Warlock doesn't have to know it had anything to do with you, or the New Leaf Pack. Just this human who trespassed on his own accord."

Keanu considered this, "It does seem as the fastest way to solve our present problems."

"No." River stood up now, "This is my stone. I will bring it back to the Warlock Forest."

"Don't be stupid, River." I growled, "You too Wilhelm. 'Don't rush headfirst to your deaths without first planning the escape route'."

"Sam, I think you mean, 'don't rush headfirst into the fray without first considering your options'." Ben corrected me.

"Same difference." I shrugged.