IT WASN'T OKAY JUST YET

26 FEBRUARY, FRIDAY, CONTINUED

I spent the next five minutes just looking at the dandelions growing all around us. I've never thought about what my favourite flower was, but if I had to pick one, it would be the dandelion. It was bright and yellow, and free of charge. And it turns into a ball of puff that you could blow on and watch fly. As a pup, I could pick and blow dandelion clocks all through the long summer day, only stopping for ice popsicles.

Back then, we used to pretend that blowing out a dandelion clock was like casting a spell. The more fuzz you could blow off the dandelion, the more powerful your cast. If you blew it all out in one go, your spell was undefeatable.

Ben, Lizzy, Savy, and I would scour our backyards for "magic dandelions" to cast all sorts of extraordinary spells. The best part was how each spell we cast planted seeds in its wake, to grow into new spells one day. We'd even fight to have the "magic battle" in our respective backyards, to sow the seeds for future magic.

Thus the Alpha's backyard always had the most dandelions by the end of Spring and all through the summer. It was dandelion paradise. It was wonderful!

I missed playing like that. Hunting imaginary gyaaras, casting imaginary magic, exploring imaginary and strange new lands and finding imaginary, but no less extraordinary, treasures - all in the safety of a backyard.

Real life wasn't anything like how I imagined it would be. For example, right now I was really in a strange new land. And I hated it.

I looked at Ki, his breathing was even, like he was taking a nap under the tree, but we could've died.

I wondered what happened to my other wolves. Did they get away okay? No one else fell down the cliff after us, so I could only hope they landed in a better situation after turning off the path.

I idly picked a full headed dandelion and blew as hard and long as I could, turning it on its stem so I could get all of it off at one go.

If this was a magical dandelion, I cast a "keep everyone safe" spell.

Then I picked another one and blew, I cast a "make everyone lucky" spell. Since I couldn't be with them, the least I could do was send them some of my luck.

By now, I did realize I was only making childish wishes, but one last one. I carefully picked the biggest, fattest head of dandelion in my reach and blew with all my heart. "Bring everyone home" spell.

Then I waited and watched the tiny fluffy parachutes sail across a passing breeze. Nothing happened. But magic was like that. It usually didn't happen right away.

Plus I was just blowing on dandelion clocks. I hadn't the faintest clue how to actually cast any kind of spell. I've always blamed the lack of magic in the plains, but now even in the magical warlock lands, all I could feel was that I hated this place.

Ki stirred next to me, and then he suddenly sat upright, grasping at the air in front of him, "Goddess! F*** it! Damnit..."

And then he realized I was there.

"Pop." Ki said, and then the pain sort of hit him and he had to grab his side and wince, "Apologies, goddess. Are you hurt anywhere?"

I shook my head and gave him my wide smile, "I wasn't hurt that all."

"Thank goddess." Ki sighed relieved.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I've been worse." Ki answered as he checked himself.

"You passed out. It was hot. I tried to check if you were hurt." I quickly tried to explain his disheveled clothes.

Ki smiled gently, "Thank you for your care, goddess."

And then after a pause he looked up at the sun's position and asked, "How long was I out?"

"Not that long. Just maybe a little over an hour." I looked up to check the sun too, but I already knew it wasn't near noon yet. I would have guessed it to be about 10.

"A quarter past ten" Ki checked his phone. His phone! I was immediately hopeful, "Has anyone texted?"

Ki shook his head, "There's no reception."

Oh.

So no mindlinks and no phone. Now what?

I got up and dusted off, "I'm going to just go over and check the ledge over there. You rest here a bit longer."

"Please be careful, goddess." Ki managed another gentle smile. I think he was still recovering.

"Don't worry." I promised, "I won't go too far, and I'll just take a little look around."

Now that Ki was awake, I did feel an undeniable sense of relief, but I also realized that we couldn't just sit here and do nothing.

At the very least, we should look for lunch. I wished I ate more of the fancy breakfast with the snow wolves.

Wait, this wasn't the time to be thinking about fancy breakfasts! Focus, Sam!

I got as close to the ledge as I could without stressing Ki out. It was a sharp drop down. I got down on my tummy and crawled over on my elbows to get a better look. It was a long fall down too, like looking down from a third floor window.

I back tracked and got back on my feet, "We're like three or four stories up." I informed Ki, "I'm going to check out the other side for a way down."

"Understood, goddess." Ki answered with his usual smile. He was already standing on his feet again.

"Do you want to rest more?" I worried.

"I'm quite well now, goddess." Ki assured me. I couldn't sense a lie, but he didn't say he was healed.

"Don't push yourself." I told Ki, "We still need to get home."

"Yes, goddess." Ki smiled like a flower to the sun. Okay. He was really feeling better. Thank goddess.

I headed downslope along the grass, Ki walking just behind me.

Right at the end of our ledge, our strip of land stretched narrowly down the face of the larger cliff. I narrowed my eyes to check out the terrain. We could possibly edge ourselves across to a lower jut on the other side, and then maybe, just maybe do a cobra jump down to the ground from there.

Maybe.

At least I was quite sure I could. Especially barefoot with just my tights and t-shirt. Ki... I took a second look, even assuming his ribs had mended, I wasn't sure about the leather shoes and fancy suit - why was he dressed on a full suit today?

Ki was focused on the jut of rock sticking out of the side of the cliff, "I wonder what's behind that..."

"More cliff?" I asked. What a weird place! What was there such a thing as a cliff here in the warlock lands?

And then it suddenly clicked. I remembered the cliffs at the back of the warlock lands, it was where Dad and his wolves had quarried for rocks to build the foundation of our pack house. Back then, Fount had been a friendly neighbor and had offered it to us as material to start a new life here in the Green Packlands. It was also where Dad and Beta Lucas found the baby gyaara that was kept in the secret room of our dungeons till recently.

"The map! Ki! Do you have a copy of the map?" I couldn't keep the excitement out of my voice.

Ki took out his phone. He had a copy of the photo of the map Roy had drawn. It had been shared by Ben in their Beta Group, the original one without the "places of interest" blanked out. Ki opened it on his phones gallery.

On the top part of the map, Roy had drawn something that looked like a tsunami wave and labeled it, "Gyaara Cliffs".

I pointed at it, "We are here."

Ki considered it and nodded.

There was a straight path out of the warlock lands into our Packlands. It was wider than the other paths in the warlock lands. This was probably the road our wolves had dragged their rocks home on.

As if to confirm my speculation, Roy had also drawn a cart filled with a pile of small boulders. It made me realize that Roy must have been around back then. He remembered the old times when our pack first started and had marked out the landmark accordingly.

Ki and I had our foreheads nearly touching as we squinted at the map on Ki's phone screen. I magnified the view on the cliff, "We need to get down to the ground, and take this road home. Once we get to zero base, we can check in, regroup, and head out again to look for the others."

"What do you think the others are doing, goddess?" Ki asked.

"I don't know." I shrugged, "But I don't think any of us would just stand still. If they aren't heading back home to regroup, they're probably somewhere out there having their own adventure."

The both of us took a moment to survey the land spread out in front of us from our high vantage point.

Dad and Beta Lucas were adventure veterans. I've heard enough of Beta Lucas' stories to know they wouldn't be just moping around.

My Luna wouldn't let something like falling off a broken magic path stop him from exacting his revenge on his uncle. He was single-minded in his purpose like that.

I was quite sure the Snow Wolves were no strangers to danger. At any rate, Harvey should be with them. My good beta would surely keep his cool till they figured out the way home. I hoped River's bad luck hadn't split them up, but whoever he was with, I felt quite sure River wouldn't be just standing around either. He would definitely head towards the nearest trouble in his vicinity.

Ben wasn't likely to have the patience to sit around waiting to be rescued. The special team were survivors - I mean, they survived the abuse in the vampire cages.

It was going to be okay.

"Do you think you can scale along that edge?" I pointed out the stony narrow ledge stretched out from the ledge we were standing on.

Ki nodded, "It shouldn't be a problem, goddess, but please allow me to go first to test the ground."

I decided it was better to let him than stand here and argue any further. The sooner we got back down to flat land, the better.