POV - Chaos
Around mid-day, I awoke to the sound of gravel under the car's tires. I was draped across the Alpha's lap as he softly snored, his head leaning on his window.
The car eased to a stop, and the driver got out, alerting and waking the Alpha. The door opened, and the Alpha got out. He put a hand on the driver's shoulder.
"Steven... there are no words... 'Thank you' just seems like not enough." He said.
"It's not necessary, Alpha Carlisle, but I'm glad you're still here to say it." Steven replied.
Alpha Carlisle stepped away from the car, then turned back, giving a dog whistle, which was obviously for me. I hopped out of the car to follow him, surprising Steven.
"Who's this then?" he asked, walking with Alpha Carlisle.
"He's the other reason I'm still here to say thank you." Alpha said, "This young pup is a fighter and defended me twice. On top of that, his collar tag says his name is Blaze."
Steven looked amazed. "Well, if that isn't the Goddess' own work, I don't know what is!" He knelt down to my level. "Welcome to Fire Moon pack, Blaze."
I stepped forward and licked his hand, earning a chuckle. "Come on, Blaze, let's get you cleaned up."
I finally noticed our surroundings, and it seemed we were in a gravel parking area next to a secluded lake. Alpha, still naked, walked right up to the water and dove right in. I watched him wash the blood off himself from the shoreline until he splashed water at me, shocking me.
He called me over, but the only experience I had with water was as a drinking source while on the run. Kyas himself had only been bathed a handful of times, so we were both very unsure. Alpha whistled again, and I stepped into the water, trying to trust him, but also very scared.
Alpha came to me, slipped his arms under me, and picked me up. It wasn't hard, as I wasn't even a full-grown wolf pup. He walked me deeper into the water and lowered me in, but maintained his support under my belly.
Instinct kicked in, making me panic a bit, and thrash around, but he patiently waited for it to pass, hushing me and using soothing sounds. I got ahold of myself and was soon actually swimming. Once I got the hang of it, Alpha Carlisle pulled me in close, and worked at getting all of the blood from my fur and rewashing himself after that.
When we were clean, we walked out of the lake, and I shook the water from my fur. What a feeling! I was clean and back on dry land! I felt a burst of energy and didn't know what to do with it!
Alpha Carlisle laughed and shifted into his wolf. In the daylight, he was the same color as me. He was easily twice my size. I put my head down in submission, but he gave me a play bow and lightly nipped my shoulder, then bounded away. Instinctually, I knew this was a game of 'chase me' and bounded after him.
We spent nearly an hour playing by that lake, chasing, playing doggy games, and lightly tussling with each other, burning off energy. During this time, something happened. I touched the Alpha, and one of those bond lines from Kyas' memories formed between us. It didn't touch Kyas, only me. Odd. Finally, Alpha Carlisle shifted back to human form, took a final bath in the water, and met Steven back at the car, who was waiting with a fresh set of clothing for him.
"Are we headed home, Alpha?" Steven asked, staying oddly turned away from him.
"Yes, let's go home. Best drive it, though. I don't know the process for dogs on planes, and he's definitely coming home with us." Alpha said, climbing into the car.
"Of course, Alpha." Steven said. As he closed the car door, I saw his face briefly through the window. He had tears running down his cheeks. I wondered what that was about?
A short while later, I found out. Steven was told to stop at a store, and Alpha Carlisle told Steven he needed to get a new phone, the previous one lost at Cedar River. I stayed in the car, curled up on the floorboards.
I heard Steven make a call of his own. He called his mate, Marcia, and was telling her of the events that had happened. He started crying on the phone when he recounted our time at the lake.
"Carlisle was playing with the dog, Marcy. Full out enjoying himself, just goofing around, with this little scrap of a pup, doesn't even come up to his shoulder yet." he told her. "Marcy, I haven't seen him just relax and have fun since... well you know. It was beautiful to see. Who knew all he needed was a puppy, haha. I still get tears thinking about it, it was that amazing."
Now I understood. Alpha Carlisle still missed his son, and hadn't been happy in a long time. I had heard that. I felt our time at the lake was special too, forming a bond that just keeps getting stronger. Its new to me, connecting with anyone, but in the back of my mind, Kyas was happy. Kyas said there was a bond between Steven and Alpha, and that it's color had been black, but there were colors in it now.
Kyas said he had never been allowed to play, as a slave of a pack, there was no place for that. Even though it was me, and not him, and I just did what came naturally, he said he also felt it was a special moment. We didn't really expect it to happen again, Alpha Carlisle has better things to do than spend his time with a stray from another pack, but Kyas and I both agreed that the lake was a moment to treasure.
When Alpha Carlisle returned, he made other phone calls, to his Beta, Scott, catching him up on events and learning of any pack issues that may have arisen while he was gone, and then to his Luna.
I heard him speak in softer tones to her, reassuring her that he was ok. He got a bit quieter, more somber. Near the end of the call, I heard him mention me.
"Ruby," he said, "I need to tell you that I'm not coming home alone. I have a survivor from Cedar River with me. He saved my life, Ruby, I owe him. ... No, it's not like all that, he's, well, he's a dog. No, Ruby, like an actual dog. ... You're right, I don't, that hasn't changed, but, I was thinking maybe Elias would like to meet him. ... It's worth a shot. Well, if not, the kennel master can find him a job to do, I couldn't just leave him behind. There's something else interesting about him too. His pack... they named him Blaze. .. That's what sealed it for me too. Steven thinks it's a sign from the Goddess. ... Yeah, I don't know either, but... who knows? No, just tell Elias I have a surprise, and we'll see how it goes. I love you, Ruby, I'll be home soon." Then he hung up the phone.
As the sun began to set behind rocky mountains, Steven made a turn onto a narrow, heavily wooded road. Five minutes later, I was watching through the window as we pulled up to Fire Moon pack house.
Bathed in the dying sunlight, the house and all the forest around it looked aflame in the deep orange glow. It was beautiful. Kyas and I both stared out at the amazing sight. It was bigger than Cedar River, but it wasn't domineering. It fit into the land around it, not taking from the forest, but part of it. There were separate family homes and pack buildings woven throughout the trees, adding a community feel.
So, this was my new pack. My new home.