Glen and Eden had been out of the car for around half of an hour when Connor groaned impatiently. His boyfriend had joined him upfront and got behind the wheel after removing a folder from his bag.
The doctor was scanning the lines while Connor, whom he had advised to rest, had closed his eyes. Although focused, he could see out of the corner of his eye that the agent was fidgeting in his seat. A grimace followed his every move and after several seconds the doctor snapped the file shut and returned his attention to his lover. Boredom was slashed across the forehead of the man who turned to Greg with a pout that didn't bode well.
"I'm bored, let's have a stroll."
The doctor pondered if it was really a good idea but before he could answer, Connor had already turned to the door to open it. An icy wind blew through the door he had just opened, and the WIA agent climbed out of his seat with another grimace. The wind attacked his skin and the light-brown-haired man shivered. His eyes watered from the cold and he felt something wrap around his neck.
"You're not covered enough."
Greg wrapped an emerald green scarf around the neck of his lover who gave him a devastating smile as a thank you. Like every time he saw that expression on his man's face, the doctor's heart skipped a beat. He leaned down, placed a kiss on his lips then pulled away. His ultramarine irises stared at Connor with adoration.
"What are you?"
Both of them jumped and looked down at the origin of the voice. A tiny werewolf with crisp white fur looked up at them. Her eyes' nutty color, which stood out because of the whiteness of the fur, awakened a painful memory that made Connor's heart throb painfully.
The agent pulled away from his lover and crouched down to level with the little werewolf who was staring at him with a curious expression. Her tail slowly swayed from side to side behind her, and her small face showed only ingenuous interest in the two men she had seen kissing. Connor chased away his sad thoughts and flashed his most charming smile. Taken aback by the man's unusual attractivity, the little werewolf stammered.
"W-Why a-are you here? What are you? "
Her ears moved as she caught the distant footsteps of the house. Her supernatural hearing caught the voice calling her anxiously from inside the house. Without thinking she grabbed Connor's hand and started to run with all her might.
"Hey…" Surprised by the little omega's attitude, Connor thought about resisting but gave up. After all, he had just said he was bored. He might as well go along with her whims. He mentally shrugged and quickened the pace to keep up with the little girl who pulled on his hand.
The werewolf lured him to a secluded corner of the backyard garden. The snow that had fallen in abundance last night had piled up into a layer that made the pure white omega difficult to spot. When she was satisfied with the place, she finally stopped and waited a moment. Her ears moved again to pick up the sounds around her. After a moment, she let out a sigh of relief and then gasped.
She had just realized what she had done and looked up at Connor, thinking she was being scolded for dragging him behind her. When the little omega crossed a smiling face, she loosened up. The sound of footsteps plunging into the snow preceded Greg's arrival. The doctor held a scarf in his hand. He joined the unusual duo and bent down to level with the child.
"How about we make a snowman?"
The little werewolf's eyes sparkled with excitement. It had been several days since she had been brought to this house, and all she did was learn to control her powers. She was bored to death and no one seemed to care. She had no idea what a snowman was. After all, she was born in Green Lake territory which was a traditional pack but it sounded fun and that's all she wanted. Have a little fun.
"I don't know what it is but I want to do it!"
Her cheerful voice was almost a cry and the two men chuckled at her joyful demeanor. Greg kneeled in the snow and wrapped the thick midnight blue scarf he'd pulled off seconds ago around the little werewolf's neck.
"But I'm not cold."
"Yeah, I know, but it bothers me."
He went on and tied the fabric with an elegant knot, then stepped aside to admire his handiwork. The little omega's fur appeared even whiter after being decorated with the dark cloth.
She moved her neck and her chin rubbed against the top of the fabric. She couldn't understand why the human had wrapped her in the cloth. She was a werewolf and didn't feel the cold. However, she accepted the gift anyway because it smelled good, like the human.
She looked up to Greg who had closed his coat to protect himself from the cold, then to Connor. Her look lingered on the latter as if she saw something strange about him and Greg broke the silence.
"Let's make that snowman before the person you're running from finds you."
She nodded energetically, and the two men began to bustle around her. Connor squeezed snow into his hands to make a ball.
"I'm Connor by the way and the handsome and overprotective man over there is Greg. He's my lover. What's your name, little one? "
"I'm Sora."
"Nice to meet you, Sora. You know, after some thought, I think instead of a snowman we're gonna do something even cooler."
"What is it?" The omega girl was crouching on the snowy ground, her eyes locked on Connor's hands.
"A snow werewolf!"
"Yeah! Show me, show me! "
________
When he saw the message on his screen, Eden frowned. It wasn't a good timing, but he was curious about what triggered this change and what it meant. He had barely formulated the question in his mind when a new message popped up before his eyes, replacing the previous one.
[Skill: Perception Grade: Legendary 10/10
Allows you to increase the analysis capacity. You can now detect spiritual threats and energies within a perimeter of 700 feet.
Used in combat, it predicts the opponent's next move. Used in strategy, it allows an analysis of your enemies to devise the best counter plan.
You can now access all information up to legendary grade.
Recharging time: 1 hour.]
Did his system upgrade one of his skills because of the weird powder? If he got it right, now he should be able to discern spiritual energies around them. If he has to come face to face with the witch who cursed Glen, it sure will help them.
He closed the panel and focused on the healer who was staring at him as if she had seen something. The woman who had noticed his lack of concentration had stopped talking. A strange light shone in his eyes.
Eden couldn't shake the idea that she had seen the screen or at least that she suspected something. It wouldn't be surprising given the abilities of the old werewolf. Still, she just waited in silence for the omega to recompose himself. He did so, clearing his throat.
"Sorry, I… It's just a lot to digest."
"Yes, of course. I understand. Is there anything else you want to know? "
"Yes. This vials. You said this potion would help us enter Skinwalker lands. How is that supposed to help us and why did you use my and Glen's blood? "
"I needed both your blood to activate the potion so it works only on your body. Thats why I filled one vial with your blood and the other one with your mate's blood. This is protection so no one else can use the potion. If this were to happen, the potion wouldn't activate and the werewolf would be kicked out of Skinwalkers' territory as if they had never drunk the potion. "
"They don't want us in their territory," Eden commented. "I wonder what we could have done to them. You looked sure they don't hate us, but the fact that they've gone so far as to cast a spell on their land so that we can't even cross paths puzzles me. If it weren't for the curse, we would never have known they existed. "
"And it has to stay that way," The healer's tone, for the first time since they met, contained a warning and she sighed, frustrated.
"The reason for their mistrust is the only answer I could never get from them during our only meeting. I can assure you that they don't hate our kind.
In our archives here in Little Soul, we have collections that speak of a time when the two races lived in peace side by side. It's said that they had great respect for each other. But these archives were partly destroyed as if someone wanted to hide what had happened after this peaceful time. No pack knows about the Skinwalkers and I hope you will keep this covered."
The two werewolves nodded and felt that their meeting was drawing to a close. Two quick knocks sounded on the door. The woman who had greeted them earlier swung the door open. Her eyes were filled with worry.
"Elder, I'm sorry to disturb you but…" She glanced at the guests. Willow didn't want to blurt out something and end up being scolded later.
"Speak up, Willow."
"Sora, she's disappeared. I can't find her anywhere. "
"Did you look outside?"
"Yes, Elder. But she is nowhere to be seen. "
The grey-haired healer sharpened her senses and just after a few seconds, she answered with a smile.
"Do not worry. She's playing in the backyard with… "
Her smile froze. The old woman sprang up, quickly reached the door, and passed by her disciple. It was the second time the two werewolves witnessed his speed and it was still impressive. Even though they didn't understand what was going on, neither Glen nor Eden didn't see the point in hanging back.
When the werewolves couple and Willow joined the old healer they had tracked down with her scent, she was standing watching an omega child who must have been no more than six years old propped up on Connor's shoulders.
She was decorating what must have been a huge snowman but had pointy ears and a muzzle making him look like a werewolf. The duo went so far as to stick pebbles in the snowy mouth to represent its fangs. From where they were, they could hear the giggles of the little omega who was delighted with the result.
Greg patted his lover's arm and pointed at the group watching them. The omega girl wriggled on the agent's shoulders so he let her down. He did so and the little werewolf ran towards the old woman.
"Elder! Elder! I made a snow werewolf with the two big brothers! Come! Come! "
She grabbed the healer's hand and pulled her over to the ice sculpture. The latter eyed the ice werewolf curiously before returning her attention to the little omega who was looking up at her, waiting to be praised.
Glen then arrived with Eden and a Willow more than suspicious of the two humans who were accompanying her Master's guests. The alpha eyed the snowman and raised an eyebrow.
"That's supposed to be a werewolf?"
"Hey! I did my best, you know. My hands got cold unlike yours. If you think it's ugly, I'll let you know that it has been built to look like you. " Connor was sulking because it wasn't as cool as he thought it would be.
Glen snorted at the attempt of insult and looked at the little omega whose tail was swinging furiously behind her as she waited for compliments. The Elder patted her head and smoothed her fur.
"That's awesome, Sora. You're very skilled. "
The little girl chortled, delighted, and stretched out her arms for Connor to carry her. The agent complied with a smile. The closeness the omega girl showed to the man surprised the old healer who didn't take her eyes off the light-brown-haired man.
"You… You're not what you look like. You are a…"
"Skinwalker."