The Unknown Chapter 3

Ahneila sat like a statue staring out over the clearing that was caused by the avalanche. The clearing wouldn't even begin to be filled in by new trees until the ice melted and then it would a field of small saplings but this wasn't what he was thinking. 'Ahneila what now, you have been sitting there with a worried face since the fireball rose.' He didn't reply but kept staring in the direction he had last seen his daughter enter the woods Anaiu continued 'if it is Neira you are worried about then you are worried for no reason Taul is with her and nothing short of a starved giant grizzly could hope to face him and win.' 'Something is wrong' he said 'I can feel it something bad has happened.' Anaiu sighed and jumped down from her spot on top of a log and trotted in front of him so he would meet her eyes 'Nothing has happened dear she is very determined and is with 3 of strongest wolves I know, maybe a few aren't so trustworthy but they wouldn't abandon her especially Eek.' His gaze focused from Bear Mountain to her gold eyes 'you think Eek is strong? He has never even gone on a stag hunt or fought with anyone before how would you know how strong he is?' Anaiu started to look frustrated and this made Ahneila a bit frightened he had never seen her get mad ever and he didn't want to. 'There are other forms of strength than just being the biggest brute, you should know this. Under all his shyness he has a very strong will and his spirit is pure and he has another power driving him. One that makes him stronger and braver than even you.' 'What power?' 'The power of love my dear. A love greater than ours.' Ahneila realized then what the look he had seen in both his daughters and Eeks eyes was. Love.

Eek suddenly couldn't feel the huge weight that had been crushing his body anymore and it felt like he was floating. He heard a noise so quiet he thought he had imagined it then he heard it again this time louder and again even louder until he realized it was a word being spoken and the word was Eek. Someone was calling him. Next he smelt something, at first he couldn't tell what it was then it hit him like an angry badger. It was the smell of the den he was born in. he didn't know what it looked like because he had never seen it but some part of his brain remembered the smell. He also smelled warm milk and he could smell something else something even more familiar than the den, a smell he was sure he would never forget 'mother? Is that you?' he asked he heard a soft reply, so soft he could barely make words out of it 'yes'  he was talking to his mother! The reality of it shocked him to his core. He only had faint fractured memories of his mother's voice. 'Why can't I see anything or move my body?' 'Because you couldn't in your memories. I can only communicate to you through what you remember of me.'  He then asked the question that he was sure he knew the answer to already 'am I dead?' he asked. When she replied her voice was almost musical 'yes and no.' now Eek was very alert 'What do you mean yes and no? I can't be dead and alive.' 'Your body is on the verge of death and your spirit is on the verge of leaving it to cross to this world. However someones spirit is linked strongly to yours keeping your body and spirit on the verge. You know have a choice. Come with me to this world or go back and finish what you must on yours. If you come with me your link with that person will be broken and there is a chance you may not find that spirit when it crosses over' there was no doubt in his mind whose spirit was keeping him alive and so there was no doubt in his mind about what he would chose. He would have smiled if he could 'if I stay will I be able to find you again?' 'Maybe maybe not. Even I don't know how it works.' Eek had a moment of doubt. He had been separated from his mother before his eyes had even opened and he wanted to get to know her but then he remembered Neira, her golden eyes that stood out against her silver eyes and he remembered the last thing he remembered her doing. Crying out his name as she saw he was doomed. 'I'm going back.' He decided 'umm how exactly do I get back to my body?' he asked 'there is one more thing you need to know. There is a chance you will go back into your body only to feel a slow painful death. Is this still your choice?' 'yes.' suddenly the smell of the den and milk disappeared and was replaced suddenly by the huge weight he had felt before.

'Hurry up Corik and help me get it off him!' it was Neiras voice and Eek knew then simply at the joy just the sound of her voice gave him that he had made the right choice. He tried to call her name but couldn't and he realized his lungs were empty and burning, he tried to take in a breath but couldn't, he tried to open his eyes but all he saw was blackness, he tried to move but couldn't and the weight was still crushing him. 'Don't pull that way! Pull with me this way!' he felt the weight that was crushing his lungs shift 'faster if we don't get it off him he might suffocate!' he heard someone elses voice but couldn't make it out but he heard Neiras reply clearly 'DON'T SAY THAT! HE IS STILL ALIVE!' the weight shifted again and he felt the weight lessen 'Almost there! Pull harder!' the weight shifted again and suddenly he was blinded by light and he could move his head he tried to take in a breath but the weight was still on his back crushing his lungs and he couldn't manage more than a tinny wheeze which made his lungs scream in pane 'he's still alive! Hurry get the bear off him!' the weight shifted one more time and then was gone. he instantly took in as big a breath as he could and nearly snarled with pain. His lungs felt like they were on fire but fire or not he breathed. He couldn't remember how long he just lied there in the snow breathing oblivious to the world but eventually he realized Neira was lying pressed against his side furiously licking his face begging him to say anything 'Hey.' He wheezed. Neira stopped licking his face and stared at him with a look of horror 'Hey? HEY? All you say is HEY?! I DIGGED YOU OUT FROM UNDER A BEAR FEARING YOU WERE GOING TO SUFOCATE THEN SAT NEXT TO YOU WHILE YOU JUST LIED THERE WEEZING SCARING ME HALF TO DEATH THINKING YOUR MIND WAS GONE AND ALL YOU MANAGE TO SAY TO ME. IS HEY!?!' even though it caused him great pain he managed to laugh a little at her hysterical rampage and her face softened and she started licking his face again. 'Well you must be ok if you are laughing. But I was so worried I had started to believe Taul that there was no way you could have held your breath that long without dying or never waking up' Eek took in a few breaths and tried to stand but Neira stopped him 'you need to get your breath back. When you stop panting you can try to stand.' He knew she was right as she always was with anything to do with injuries so he just turned his head to try to figure out what had happened.
He saw the bear that had attacked them lying dead on its side its throat completely torn open and a very large patch of blood stained snow next to it where he figured it must have fallen on top of him. He turned his head the other way and saw Taul and Corik sitting next to each other. Taul had 3 gouges surrounded by dried blood along his flank where the bears paw had hit him they were both talking to each other but they were too far away for him to make out anything they said. 'What happened?' Eek asked 'I was sure that bear was going to kill me when it threw me down I saw it raise its paw and then I….. I can't remember anything after that up to when you dragged it off of me.' He lied. 'I thought you were a goner too and the despair nearly made me not even bother to keep holding onto the bear but then Taul somehow managed to rip out its throat even with his broken ribs.' 'He saved me?' Eek asked surprised 'He probably saved all of us Eek.' Eek suddenly felt great respect for the old wolf. He knew Taul was strong but he had just killed a fully grown grizzly with 1 blow even after taking the full strength of the bears forepaw to his side. That was a strength he didn't know any wolf had. He remembered his mothers words "some ones spirit is linked strongly to yours keeping your body and spirit on the verge" he turned his head to look back at Neira and gave her a big lick on her cheek 'I love you.' He said softly 'I love you to.' She replied just as softly. 'Is Taul going to be ok? It looks like he lost a lot of blood.' Neira recited out all of Tauls injuries like Kimera had taught her to. '3 claw wounds but none of them penetrated deep enough to do any permanent damage. 3 broken ribs but none appear to have punctured his lung or shift so he got lucky. A badly bruised leg but as long as he doesn't put any weight on it he should get better soon and last of all he chipped a tooth on a rock in the snow when he landed. He is very very lucky he could have hit his head on that rock not just his muzzle. If the bears claws had gone only slightly deeper they would have caused him to bleed to death and none of his 3 broken ribs is life threatening though they will cause him great pain.' Eek felt that he now knew what had happened but then another question popped into his head 'why are they just talking calmly to each other?' he said nodding at Corik and Taul 'just minutes ago Corik and Taul were just about have a full out fight now they are talking like old friends.' Neira also looked at Corik 'I don't know either as soon as Taul killed the bear I started to pull it off you and when I did well this is where I have been the entire time. Right by your side.' She rubbed her muzzle under his chin and he thought there was no where he would rather be and at that moment he realized they were still in bear territory 'Neira we should move, we are still in bear territory and some of them may have heard all the commotion and come to investigate.' 'Eek I may be the expert at how to treat injuries but Taul is the expert on hunting, fighting and all those kind of things and he says that the smell of this dead bear will keep the others away because they wouldn't want to meet whatever killed it. If he thinks we are safe we are safe.' Eek knew she was right, she was always right. Taul and Corik stopped talking and walked back to where Neira and Eek were lying down 'are you ok?' Taul asked 'I was sure you were dead you were under that bear for so long I thought you had suffocated' Eek agreed with Taul he should have suffocated but he didn't say that 'well I guess I got as lucky as you did then' he attempted to joke. Taul however did not find this very amusing. 'what part of having a bear clobber you on the side breaking some ribs and nearly killing me do you find lucky? Or what part of having a dead bear fall on you and nearly suffocate you do you find lucky?' 'Well you didn't die that I find lucky and because you didn't die you managed to kill the bear and save all of us I find that lucky and I am still alive I find that lucky.' Taul glared at Eek for a while then said 'your right we should look on the bright side.' Neira gave Eek a nudge 'come on you should be ok to walk now and we need to get moving let's not forget what we are out here to do.' Taul limped foreword 'that's what we were just discussing. With me in my condition I will only slow you down and be unable to fight when we find the monster so I have told Corik the safest route over bear mountain.' He looked unsure for a second then appeared to have made up his mind 'and I am now going back to the pack.' Eek felt a bit afraid then. They started with 4 and he didn't know if that was enough and now the strongest of them was leaving. He looked at Neira as she nodded her agreement with Taul. 'it is good to know your limits Taul, I hope you have a safe journey back.' Taul still looked troubled 'my injuries aren't the only reason I'm going back, while you were recovering Corik told me about his old pack and what had happened to it and I need to report it to Ahneila immediately so I cannot stay here and chat with you any longer I must be going. Good luck with your quest.' And just like that without turning back he started limping in the direction they had come from as fast as his injuries would let him.

Eek and Neira both looked from Tauls disappearing hide to Corik at the same time 'I still don't trust you Corik, if Eek hadn't ducked when you lunged at him you could have killed him.' Neira said with a sneer 'I don't expect you to start trusting me all of a sudden' Corik said calmly 'I know I have done a lot of bad things but that was before I got my memory back. I now remember how I used to be and I am honestly disgusted at what I have done. Your pack took me in and all I did was try to take it over and harass every one.' He looked at the ground 'now I want to try to make up for everything I have done.' He looked up into Neiras eyes and to her own shock she believed him. His eyes had changed. They used to be cold and merciless but now they seemed to have new life in them. Even his voice had changed, it still sounded like gravel being grinded under a boulder but it had a different tone a friendly one that made him sound gentle and caring. Neira found herself believing that all he wanted was to repay the pack for all they had done for him and make up for what he had done to them. 'I trust you Corik. Lead on.' He bowed his head 'thank you Neira.' He looked at Eek 'now I don't expect you to trust me. I nearly killed you before but all that rage is gone now.' His face changed to an expression of joy 'I don't feel it anymore. The anger that was tearing at me all this time is gone.' Eek looked Corik up and down. 'If Neira trusts you then I trust you.' He looked into Neiras eyes 'she has never been wrong as long as I have known her.' Corik nodded at Eek then said 'according to what Taul told me we if we leave now we should reach where Ika saw the monster just before the fireball rises.' 'Well then we better get going' Eek said enthusiastically 'we sure have changed a lot haven't we' Neira said 'yes we have' Eek said. He pressed up against her side 'when I'm with you I no longer feel useless. I feel like I have a purpose and I will never leave you.' If wolves had the ability to frown Neira would have had a frown on her face.