赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Axel and the remaining wolves spent the entire day collecting the bodies from the village. But, they couldn’t account for all the missing wolves. Part of him hoped that it meant more survivors were out there, but he knew the truth.

The warriors of Eclipsed were trained to be ruthless. Unfortunately, this meant that many of those killed were torn apart. Unfortunately, there were too many pieces to know what belonged to whom or how many.

Axel felt sick. He was tired, and as hard as he tried not to think about it, he recognized too many of the bloodied faces.

The pyres were built, spread out over the top of a hill not far from the remains of the village. The fires were lit before the sun began to fall.

Ten pyres, all aflame. Roughly one hundred and fifty lives were lost and honored in the blaze.

Axel wondered if Amy and the others could see the smoke from Summer. He hoped it helped them find peace.

The Broken Crag wolves stayed with Axel for another hour. They returned home just as the sun was finally setting, promising to come back to take care of the village in the coming days.

It was unlikely that the surviving Eclipsed wolves would return to the village. But if that was their choice, these wolves would make sure there were no signs of the battle that had taken everything from them.

Axel would stay with the fires all night, a way of sitting with the dead as they returned to the arms of the Goddess.

The last of the sun’s red and purple hues were fading, giving way to the dark blue-black of the night sky.

He looked out over the land below. In the distance, he saw the dry and treacherous mountains that belonged to Broken Crag._.

Just beyond that were the trees and the lush green earth that was claimed by Summer.

And even further, he could imagine the clear blue ocean waters bordering Blue Reef’s lands.

There was no place in Winter like this where he could look out and see the lands that belonged to the other packs. Everywhere he went in Winter was more Winter.

He loved his people, his territory. But his pack had always been geographically isolated from the rest. As much as they had open trade and communication with the others, it still felt lonely.

The sound of his phone ringing pulled him away from his thoughts.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Axel,” Corrine said. “I just spoke with Fiona, she updated me on Eclipsed and the survivors you found.”

“Sorry, I was planning to tell you myself when I got back,” he said. “I will be returning tomorrow. Tonight, I am standing vigil for the fallen.”

“I heard,” Corrine replied sadly.

“Mom, there is a lot I need to tell you when I get back,” Axel sighed, thinking of Whiteridge and Shadowcrest.

“I know, Axel. But first, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?” Axel asked.

Corrine took a deep breath before answering, making Axel a little nervous.

“Ashleigh…” Corrine began. “Ashleigh has gone missing.”

“What!?!” Axel shouted into the phone. “What are you talking about!?”

“Apparently, she saw something strange, someone that wasn’t supposed to be in Summer. It looks like she went after that person, and something happened. Now, they can’t find her.”

He never should have let her go to Summer.

“I’m on my way,” he said.

“No,” Corrine quickly replied.

“What? What do you mean?” Axel demanded.

“Axel, I know you want to find her. We all do. But let Caleb handle this.”

“Why?!” Axel shouted.

“He is her mate, Axel!” Corrine shouted. “Do you think I don’t want to run over there right now and look for her? Do you think your father doesn’t?

“He is far more likely to be able to find her than any of us. He knows the area. He knows her. The Goddess brought them together. She will lead them back to each other.”

Axel scoffed but didn’t argue.

“Besides,” Corrine said in a calmer voice. “You have a duty. You chose to stand for them. You can’t abandon them now.”

Axel looked back at the pyres that burned brightly. He sighed.

“Twenty-four hours,” he said. “I will give Caleb twenty-four hours to find her. If he hasn’t done it by then, I will bring Ashleigh home myself.”

“Thank you,” Corrine said softly.

“For what?” he asked.

“Seeing reason,” Corrine replied. Axel could hear the smile in her voice.

“I can learn, Mom.”

“I know,” she said. “And I know that Ashleigh will be fine. Whether it’s you or Caleb, she has strength behind her. She’ll come home soon.”

***

It had been hours since he had spoken to Corrine, the night sky was clouded over, so not even the stars would keep him company.

Axel sat on the grass far enough from the pyres that the smell wasn’t overwhelming but still close enough that he was honoring his promise. He looked up at the smoke rising from the fires.

He was tired. There was so much more to come, so much worse. But he already felt worn down from the pain of the loss he had witnessed.

And now, his sister was missing, and he was tied to this spot.

He sighed and lifted his face to the night sky above.

A cold wetness touched his chin and then his cheek, his forehead. And then the heavens burst, and the rain fell.

He closed his eyes, keeping his face pointed towards the sky, allowing the rain to fall over him. He laughed.

It was fitting. Even the sky was mourning the loss of so many lives.

It was a heavy shower, leaving him soaked almost instantly. The fires were struggling against the rain. If it continued, the flames would be gone in only an hour or two. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to stay out here that long. He would need to make his way to the cave the survivors had found.

Axel hurried down the hill. The cave wasn’t far. Once inside, he looked back out into the rain. Lightning lit up the sky, and the roar of thunder followed almost immediately. Axel stepped further into the cave and immediately set about building a fire.

He removed his shirt and pants, stretching them over one of the makeshift beds they had used the night before. He was cold but staying in his wet clothes would have made it worse. Instead, he sat down by the fire in his boxers.

Removing the bindings from his hair, he let it fall loose around his face, dragging across his shoulders as he turned to look back out at the rain.

The air around him was filled with smoke and the lingering scent of death. But with the rain came a musty thickness. And somewhere mixed into it, there was something else.

A sweetness. A rich, velvety sweetness.

Axel felt his heart still as he took a shaky breath.

He knew that smell.

He stood up from the fire, walking to the cave entrance. It was faint, mixed into the rest of the scents, and dulled by the thick sheets of rain. His eyes moved up to the hill where the pyres were slowly being doused.

Another streak of lightning lit up the sky, just long enough for him to see her standing on the hill.

Axel bolted out of the cave into the rain, running straight to his mate.