Exile in Flames

Isla

Exile…that’s what they called it when they sent me away from my former pack, but let’s call it what it really was. They were removing a half-breed from their lands to ensure their pure blood lines remain untainted.

Now, the funny thing is that they don’t even know what species I am, just that I smell faintly of wolf and failed to shift on my eighteenth birthday. The joke’s on them though since two days after I was exiled from their lands, my wolf came to me, but so did something thoroughly unexpected.

You see, not only am I a wolf, but it seems the other part of my genetic makeup is from a witch. I never got the chance to meet my parents and all anyone from my former pack was willing to tell me was that my father died less than a month before I was born and my mother died giving birth to me.

You can imagine the dark cloud that followed me with that being my origin story. I’ve been called a murderer, cursed, worthless and the pack never failed to point out my ‘impure’ breeding.

It’s been almost a year now, but what they call exile, it feels a hell of a lot like freedom to me. It took less than a month for me to realize that no other pack would want me and only a week after my last failed attempt to join a pack to find the small, rundown cabin that I turned into a home and then several months more to get somewhat of a handle on my witch abilities.

Okay, so I don’t have a handle on them…I have a vague idea of how they work…if you don’t count the weird weather mishap where I accidentally made it snow…in the middle of summer…or the time I accidentally exploded a boulder…or the time I accidentally set a squirrel’s tail on fire. Aside from those few tiny mishaps, I think I’m doing rather well.

I have to say, having my wolf out here is a godsend, making it possible for me to hunt and defend myself more effectively than I ever could in my human form. Being alone in the middle of the forest can get lonely at times, but about three months ago, something strange happened.

I was walking in the woods, minding my own business, when I ran into an older woman. Yeah, that’s right, some crazy old bat was wandering in the woods…alone. Not weird enough for you? Well, she had been carrying a satchel that contained only three books in it, nothing else.

“Ah, exactly where they said you’d be! How about we chat over a nice cup of tea?” I know, I know…she sounds nuts! Absolutely certifiable! So, you want to know what I did? Well, I took her back to my cabin and shared a cup of tea with the old lady, of course!

Don’t worry, she obviously didn’t go all ‘psycho serial killer’ on me since I am alive to tell you this story now.

Anyway, she told me that the spirits told her where to find me and urged her to bring those books to me. I’m sure you’re wondering what was in the books and let me tell you, I wasn’t prepared!

The first was a book on channeling energy, harnessing it and using it to fuel your abilities…a ‘How to Be a Witch for Dummies’ book, if you will. The second was a book on healing both with and without witch abilities…yep…a ‘Healing How To’ guide.

Now the third, that’s the one that really hit me hard…it was a book on the history of my old pack that had detailed records of my parents’ lives from when they joined the pack before I was born and even records of their deaths. The information was limited, but it’s still more information than I ever had before.

The old woman, Margaret, ended up staying with me for almost three weeks, helping me learn to harness energy and use it properly for smaller spells like protection spells, conjuring fire without accidentally harming the local wildlife and minor healing…in case I do accidentally harm the local wildlife.

She was a much-needed break in the monotony of my exile, but then I woke up one morning and she was just…gone. So, after nearly three weeks of being shown what it’s like to not have to be alone, I’m back to my life of solitude…and magical mishaps, but let’s not focus on that right now.

After waking up and watching the sunrise this morning, I decided to take a walk in the woods to restock some of my herbs. Alright, so maybe I don’t need to restock, but you can never have enough herbs, tonics and salves for healing when you live alone in the woods, right?

I spent the first few hours that I was out here near the meadow to the north then decided to move to the stream to the northeast where several different plants grow that I need for my salves.

It’s during these little explorations that I’m most thankful to have my wolf because it makes picking up on pack boundaries a lot easier. For instance, less than thirty yards from the other side of this stream is the border for the Amber Claw pack, but even when I’ve gone close to their borders while gathering, the most I encounter are a few curious patrol guards who follow me to ensure I don’t cross while watching my every move.

Today seems no different, but then I see that damn chamomile plant growing right on the outer edge of their border. In this part of the forest, finding chamomile is next to impossible which is why I refuse to leave here without harvesting that damn plant!

I make my way across the stream then take slow, measured steps over to the flowering plant, but just as I crouch down, I pick up a scent I don’t recognize, one that’s slightly different from the usual patrol wolves I’ve encountered.

“What are you doing?” I glance up at the towering figure, easily noticing his two friends that are standing on either side of him.

Obviously, the two wolves behind him are patrol wolves while the one in the center seems slightly larger with a more noticeable aura and, judging by their barely dressed state, they recently shifted, most likely so they could talk to me. Should I feel special? Nah…

“Just gathering herbs for tea. Don’t worry, I’m fully aware of where your pack’s borders lie.” The one who spoke gives a quick glance to the wolf on his left who gives a subtle nod.

“Are you a healer?” It shouldn’t seem like such an odd question, not really, but it does seem strange to me.

Maybe it’s because they’re pack wolves and I’m a packless outsider, a rogue, or maybe it’s just because it’s been close to a year spent with only one other person speaking to me like I was anything more than an inconvenient stain on the existence of all shifter kind.

“Um…yes, but not a well-trained one.” The wolf on the right smirks, but the other two are, once again, looking at each other, obviously talking through a mind link. Finally, the one in the middle turns back to face me and gives me a strangely warm smile.

“Would you be willing to meet with one of our pack members and see if there’s anything you could do to help her?” Okay…this is…weird.

“All of my supplies are at my home…” He nods as if he expected me to say just that.

“We can bring her to you.” The idea of walking away when there’s a chance I might be able to help this mysterious wolf doesn’t sit well with me and I really hate that. Damn my healer instincts!

After a moment of internal debate, I rattle off directions to get to my cabin before quickly harvesting the chamomile and rushing back home.

I guess I had figured it would be a while before I heard from the wolves again, if I heard from them at all, so it definitely surprises me when I hear the sound of footsteps coming from the forest, roughly fifty yards from the front of my cabin.

Less than two minutes pass before I hear the loud knock on my door that has me quickly pulling it open to find two of the three wolves from the border plus an impossibly large wolf carrying a limp, pale she-wolf, but it’s his powerful aura that has me pausing for a moment before coming back to my senses.

“Please, bring her in and lay her on the bed.” I keep my tone steady, but inside I’m freaking the hell out. The giant wolf is undeniably high ranking, definitely giving off alpha vibes…powerful alpha vibes at that.

“This is the Luna and she’s been in this condition for nearly a month. Her health hasn’t improved, but it hasn’t deteriorated either. We have no idea what caused her condition at this time.” The same guard who spoke to me at the border delivers everything in a rushed breath.

I give a stiff nod then head into the kitchen to fetch any healing herbs I might need, enough to cover every base since I have no idea what’s wrong with her.

With my arms filled with various jars of dried herbs and salves, I head over to the bed and gently lay them on the blanket at the foot of it.

The process of discovering the cause of her current health crisis is one of the easiest spells Margaret taught me, so I hover my hands a few inches from her skin, just as she showed me, and slowly guide them over her body from the top of her head to her toes while channeling my energy through them.

“You said she’s been like this for a month?” The alpha and guards all nod, but all I can manage to do is close my eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

“Well, I can give you the what, but the who, why and how are things I can’t help much with. Your luna has been given poison and by the state of her, it’s been given to her over a long stretch of time. As I explained to your guards, I’m not well trained, but I’ll do what I can to help her.” The alpha gives me a stiff nod, but I can see the fury in his eyes as he and one of the guards step out of the cabin.