Chapter 9

I had a dream last night, of that same figure in my drawings. He seemed different this time, as if there were more details, as if I were closer. He was talking to me directly, yet that was not his first time in my dreams. He has talked to me before, but not since I stopped drawing. I wonder how I even still remember my dreams of him, as I can't recall any other dreams of different people or ideas, only him.

I still want to know him name. Who is he? And why do I feel like I have known him forever even if I've never seen him?

"Stella, come on, we have to keep moving." I feel Amber nudge me with her paw. I was awake but didn't want to face the reality of Alder's outrage last night.

"I know you're awake," She pauses and lowers her muzzle to my ear and whispers, "I talked to Alder last night, let's go." I hear her raise her head and leave. I grumble and begin to rise to my paws.

I shake out the dust and leaves from my pelt, Crystal walks towards me, "Can we find a river please? The smoke from the fire is making me nauseous.

I point my head towards Alder, "I'm not the leader, he is." Knowing my brother, what I said just made him feel proud, if I still know him.

I finally face the courage and look over at him, he was staring right back at me with as much of a smile as wolves can make. I realize that I do still know him, that I wasn't as bad of a sister as I had thought.

He stands and addresses the group, "Alright then, let's head northeast so we still get further away but can also get closer to the river." Everyone nods in agreement. If there was anything my brother was born to be, it would be king. It always should have been him, not me. He was a great leader.

It only took us about 30 minutes to get near the river. We split up, I go by myself again and change back.

~

The longer you stay as your wolf, the harder it is to change back. I don't let my wolf out as much as other do, which makes it harder for me to change back in less time than them.

~

I put on new clothes I grabbed from my bag and headed back to the river. I realize I wasn't the only one to change back. Alder was the only one still wolf, he watched the river.

I walk over to him, "Can we talk?" He still gazed at the river.

"Sit." It was as if I were his pup, but I obeyed.

"I'm sorry." We both say this at the exact same time, but Alder raises his head to go first.

"I'm sorry I went out on you last night, Ally told me what you said. It means a lot to me, and it is actually not very possible. It just depends how the future events will play out." He seems to have more to say but pauses. I wait for him to continue, but he nods for me to go.

"I'm sorry too, I need to think more about the pack, not me. I know it's too late now, but I should've stayed and became queen." He looked at me for the first time since last night.

"Actually, I've been thinking more about that. I think us going is the right thing to do." He says this so casually my knees fall making my hands smack into the dirt without the support.

"What? But you have been so against it this entire time." I was not subtle at all, he looks at me directly. He was as serious as I'd ever seen him, and he is normally very.

"You must be queen, to fulfill the prophecy."