OLIVER

 

The decision was made.

With only one day before the snow came, the skulk shifted their attention to focusing on trying to prepare for the arrival of the fierce wolves.

“We can do this! Come on, everybody! Show this land how strong the heart of a fox beats!”

Everybody worked together to gather as many sticks and stones as they could. We were not fighters but we would need everything we could get our hands on to defend ourselves.

While some gathered weapons to fight, others dug into the ground so those unable to fight could burrow into the soil and hide.

Knight and I worked together at one end of the clearing.

“Are you sure this will work?” I asked. “The fierce wolves are quite strong.”

“They won’t be strong enough,” he replied. “Any wolf who passes through this area will be strung up by their limbs. They may thrash as violently as they want but they will be unable to escape.”

“I trust you…”

I smiled at Knight after setting the trap at one entrance to the clearing.

“We have to set one on the other side,” I said. “There’s no telling which direction they’ll come from.”

Just as Knight and I started making our way to the other side of the camp, Silas and Eve stepped in our paths. The arrogant Omegas stood before us with their arms crossed. It was easy to understand why they were so upset. They were the only two who still protested.

“This is ridiculous,” Eve said. “You’re going to get us all killed.”

“The wolves will not kill us all,” I said.

“You are selfish, Omega. You could have left. For the good of the skulk. Why should we pay for your mistakes?”

Knight put a hand on my shoulder and took a step forward to confront them.

“You speak about the good of the skulk,” he said. “But what about Oliver? Does he not matter?”

“No,” Silas said. “He is the lowest Omega. He is expendable.”

“Then you are a coward. Your ancestors would be ashamed of you if they knew you would cower so easily.”

Silas growled at Knight. But the Omega fox was in no position to engage with an Alpha jaguar.

His sister spared him the embarrassment by putting a hand on his shoulder.

“If you were not helping, my brother would thrash you, jaguar,” she said.

I had to hold back my laughter at the thought.

Silas continued to stand his ground defiantly. But the arrival of Anita interrupted anything that might happen.

“You two,” she said to the twins. “Get to work. Stop wasting your time.”

The twins begrudgingly left us. Anita turned to me and sighed a deep breath through her nose.

“Jaguar,” she said. “I need a moment to speak with Oliver.”

Knight bowed his head and smiled at me before walking to the other side of the clearing.

Anita moved next to me and we both watched Knight in the distance.

“He is a strange man,” she said. “Unlike any I could ever imagine meeting.”

“He’s a good man. I’m sure there are many like him. But our skulk has been so secluded from everybody else that we haven’t met them.”

Anita turned to me with a kind smile on my face. I’d known her all my life. She was so strong and defiant. It was strange to see any sort of kindness on her face.

“I want to tell you that I’m sorry,” she said.

“You’re sorry?”

“I’m sorry I neglected you. I’m sorry I did not treat you with the same courtesy as the other Omegas.”

“You have no reason to apologize to me. You are the lead Alpha. You can do whatever you want. You have that authority.”

“Exactly. I have the authority to do whatever. And now I know that includes influencing those that will come after me just like those that came before have done to me.”

She turned toward Knight in the distance.

“He made me realize that,” she said. “I was content with the way things were. I enjoyed being the Alpha and indulging in all of the benefits that came with it. But he’s an Alpha the same as me. He knows there’s a desire that beats strong in my heart.”

Anita looked at me and her smile grew even wider.

“After we defeat the fierce wolves, future generations will hear this tale until the end of time.”

“And you, Anita, will be the greatest Alpha this skulk has ever known.”

I chuckled softly after realizing Anita’s ultimate motivation for all of this.

“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for doing this.”

“Thank me after the deed is done. Get back to work, Omega.”

Anita slapped me hard on the back and sent me on my way.

I walked to the other side of the clearing where Knight had finished setting up the trap.

“There we are… That should do it. Any wolf that comes to this area will be caught. Make sure the rest of the skulk knows not to come to this part of the clearing.”

I couldn’t help but smile at Knight.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “What did she say to you?”

“Nothing is wrong. She only told me why she’s doing this. I can tell you… It’s not very surprising. You did well to get through to her.”

“She’s an Alpha. It doesn’t matter if she lives in the Timberlands or in Dirge. We can’t fight the feelings inside of us.”

“It appears that way…”

I turned back toward the clearing. The men and women were all pushing themselves to make final preparations for what was to come. It was a long day but all of us would be working well into the night.

A sudden coldness on my shoulders made me shiver. I looked up into the night sky and saw the stars shining brightly. I held my hand out and felt the snow fall into my hand.

“My ancestors taught us that the stars guide our way,” I said. “No matter where we are, all we have to do is look up to figure out where we’re headed.”

“There’s a sort of permanence to the stars,” Knight said. “You can’t change them.”

“Perhaps not. But you can look at them differently.”

Knight and I both turned toward each other.

“What do you see when you look up there?” he asked.

“I don’t need the stars anymore to know where I need to go.”

Every star I’d ever seen in my life was in Knight’s eyes. Shimmering blue, brighter than anything in the night sky. Knight was my fate. He was the Alpha I was destined for.

As the light snow fell softly all around us, I didn’t feel the cold that was coming.

Knight moved closer to me and leaned in with a kiss. Then he held me close and whispered into my ear.

“No wolves, no weather, not even the stars themselves will stop me from being with you.”

The snow was here. The fierce wolves were coming.

The skulk would be ready.