Lunar Shadows: Awaken

Kyran

“Kyran, wake up. Please, don’t leave us,” a distant voice is pleading in the dark.

Gasping, my eyes fly open to a view of my loft railings. Groggily sitting up, I rub my face and groan with my body aching all over. Looking around, I realize that I’m wrapped in a blanket on the sectional with Trey and Kyrre hovering and my brow pinches as I notice tears streaming down my sister’s face. Trey, however, looks livid with his brows drawn down and mouth pinched in a scowl.

“Where the fuck have you been? What happened, why couldn’t I mindlink you? There was no connection, like you just fucking vanished from existence!” he bombards me with his chest heaving and face reddening.

“I went out to run and I guess I lost track of ti—”

“All night! You are never out for more than three hours unplanned,” he seethes through clenched teeth with his hands fisted at his sides.

“Trey, chill, I will explain in—”

“Chill?” he shouts, spittle flying. “Kyran, I thought you fucking died! I had to tell Kyrre my fears after six hours had passed and our connection was vacant, we were about to gather the fucking pack before you busted through the door!”

I notice a glint in his bright jade eyes, and it registers how awful this must have been for him, for Kyrre. I understand why he couldn’t contact me, but to him it must have felt terrifying to reach for our bond and find it to not be there. Grasping the blanket, I slowly stand and clasp my hand on Treyvar’s shoulder. Holding his gaze, I apologize, “I did not intentionally mean to cause you distress. I truly lost track of time and where Valdr was going. I will explain to you the cause for our disconnection, but in the meantime, I need to take a shower. I regret the pain this has brought upon you. Both of you,” I add, looking over at my sister, feeling sorrowful.

Feeling Trey slightly relax, I release his shoulder and briefly hug Kyrre. She squeezes around my middle tightly with a sniffle and gives me a wan smile. Climbing my stairs, I turn halfway up asking Kyrre, “Would you mind taking over duties today? I will meet with you momentarily in the kitchen to answer your questions,” I add, switching my gaze to Trey. They both nod once and I continue up the stairs, closing my door a bit more forcefully than necessary.

What the fuck is wrong with you, Valdr? Do you have a death wish? I snarl mentally, dropping the blanket on the bathroom floor as I crank the shower handle to the hottest setting. Whipping around, I stalk to the sink and glare at my reflection, grimacing at how my hair is a tangled mess and the gross smears all over my face. What fucking reason would you have for going there, of all places?

Eyes flashing brightly, I feel his indignation roll through my chest and release in a low growl. You’re annoyed, with me? Are you fucking serious? You almost got us killed! We shouldn’t be here right now! I berate him with narrowed eyes.

Hearing the sink creaking, I release my death grip with a huff. Clenching my jaw, I briefly close my eyes and inhale through my nose before exhaling slowly out my mouth. Not bothering to close the shower door, I stand under the scalding water washing away both the grime on my skin and the lingering trepidation from earlier this morning. Leaning forward, I place my palms against the tiles and drop my head as I close my eyes.

Once I am dressed in my black work shirt and light jeans, I leave my room and slump down the stairs. Exhausted, the thought of fixing a meal seems too big of a task to accomplish at the moment and I appreciate the aroma of breakfast wafting from the kitchen. Shuffling in, I find Trey at the stove top flipping eggs onto a platter filled with bacon, sausage, home fries, and a tall stack of fluffy pancakes.

Plopping myself onto a stool at the large island, I yawn wide and grin as Trey places the platter in front of me. “Thank you, for this. And for giving me some space earlier, I appreciate it,” I say quietly as I hold his gaze for a moment, and he nods silently.

Taking the fork he holds out, I shovel the food in as fast as I can chew and swallow. Trey takes a seat next to me with a slightly smaller plate and begins eating, casting me a sidelong look. “What happened, Kyran? I don’t ever want to experience that again,” he speaks lowly with concern etched onto his face.

Putting a finger up, I quickly scoop up the last few bites and turn on my stool to face him. “Valdr had been insisting on running for most of the day, so when I headed out last night I left him to it, not really paying much mind to what he was doing or where he was going. I barely even noticed the length of time either, and that’s my fault. The entire time out running, I could feel his restlessness and didn’t think much of it, not really noticing where he chose to finally rest. When I awoke, it was daybreak and I was laying under a blackthorn, out past the western border, and ran as hard as I could to get back to our territory the moment I realized where I was.”

Treyvar’s fork clatters onto his half-eaten plate, his hand still held up to his mouth. Eyes wide, he gravely whispers, “Were you seen?”

Swallowing hard, I nod my head silently, recalling the intense gaze of the raven. Trey presses the back of his raised hand to his mouth with wide eyes boring into my solemn ones. “Are you sure? Don’t you think she would have contacted by now, done something? You aren’t enchanted or cursed, I had Eir assess you while you were unconscious,” Trey informs me.

“I’m unsure what to think about it altogether, Valdr won’t even respond to me. He has not answered any of my questions about why the fuck he ended up there in the first place,” I growl, still extremely frustrated with him.

Trey clasps his hands and leans forward onto his elbows, deep in thought. Suddenly, an image of the baking aisle at the grocery market across town—more specifically, who I saw in that aisle—flashes through my mind. Valdr, talk to me. Do you think she’s connected? Neither of us felt magic from her. I need to understand why you went to rest in those woods. Were you compelled? I try to ask with a calm tone.

I cannot answer your questions because I do not have the answers, he curtly responds.

Confused, I scrunch my brow and try to remember getting there. The only thing I can recall was glancing up at the moon numerous times throughout the night. Why did you choose that shrub? I ask with subdued confusion.

Sensing apprehension, I wait for his reply. I found her scent on the wind and could not resist following it. I went as far as the barrier and no further, fearing the consequences, he quietly admits.

Whose scent, the witch’s? I clarify with a pinched brow.

Bright eyes of icy blue envelop my vision, causing my breathing to falter. Trey notices and rests a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, are you alright?” he asks as his brow creases with worry.

“Yeah, I just- I think- maybe I need to go back to the store,” I stammer, gazing down toward the floor.

“Uh, now? Why?” he asks, perturbed.

“Um, meat sale? You know, gotta stock up, can’t pass an opportunity as it arises,” I half-heartedly reply, rubbing the back of my neck. At his raised eyebrow, I sigh and admit, “I’m hoping I can somehow run across that woman again,” not meeting his gaze.

A mischievous smile spreads across his face and crinkles his eyes. “Well, if you’re feeling alright, I say go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, am I right?” he winks, lightly pushing my shoulder.

Nodding my head, I can’t help but smirk at my brother. Even in a bad spot he finds a way to lighten the mood. The both of us stand and Trey takes our plates to the dishwasher before turning to me to laugh, “Well, go on then. Get going,” he waves his hand, gesturing at the garage door.

I give him a small smile as I walk away, and I feel Valdr’s anticipation as I enter the garage. Firing up Bertha, I keep the radio off with the window down, enjoying the white noise of the wind for the duration of my hour-long drive to the market.

Pulling a cart from the stack, I meander around the store, glancing down each aisle in a pitiful attempt at finding her here. Realizing how unlikely it is for her to go to the store two days in a row, I give up after a round through the store and I head toward the back wall. Figuring I should at least take advantage of the sale while I’m here, I reload what is essentially the same cart that I filled yesterday from the meat section. Turning into the chip aisle, I hunt for something to snack on during the drive home. Pursing my lips, I grab two bags of chips—Doritos and sour cream and cheddar—unable to choose between them. Shrugging, I toss both bags atop the mounding cart. Continuing down the aisle to the checkout lanes, I nearly stop dead in my tracks. No way, how is this possible? I ask myself incredulously.

Seeing her again, here of all places, feels surreal. She is with another woman her age; both are staring up at the top shelf with a frown. My heart slightly speeds up when her friend taps her shoulder and she quickly looks my way. I begin walking as casually as possible, careful not to betray my hidden elation as I step closer.

Although hushed, I clearly hear them whisper, “Who is that?” and “Holy shit, it’s meat-cart guy!” and my sudden amused laugh drowns out whatever had been said next.