Nimue's POV

Closing my mind off to the world I grab a pencil alongside an empty book I set to the side, shutting my eyes and beginning to write with nothing but the subconsciousness of my head. Scribbling along the pages I focus on the scratching sound of the lead, leaning my face closer for some sort of hint or whisper to gloss through me.

𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬

'Waiting...waiting...'

𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬

'I've been...so...patient, please just work again' I chime out through my mind.

𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬

I feel my face scrunch up with an unwelcomed sound entering my ears. Snapping the pencil in annoyance I stand up from my chair, opening the door to greet...absolutely nobody. I stand outside the door with the light from my home falling along the stoned path.

"Is this some sort of game?" I call out to the wind, moving my hair out of face as it latches to my lips. I stand there feeling like nothing more than idiot...but now that I'm here let me check on the sword once more.

Watching the highly hung lanterns that shine across the path I feel something within me make itself known as it did that same day. Inhaling a bit I murmur to myself, "If the wolves can do it...why can't I?" Staring at the flame I click my fingers. Once, twice, thrice..."Come on!" I impatiently kick the pebbles by my feet, picking up my pace and passing through a small marbled doorway I had one of the wolves carve for me.

Facing towards the mountain that hides the moon I reminiscent about the fear I used to tremble with when going outside the walls. Eyeing the dark linings of what trees are left...is there truly nothing else to be scared of or are we being obnoxious? The last sighting of a rogue ended on that fateful day almost as if they just shut off and rotted back into the ground alongside their leader.

-

Stepping through the cave I let my eyes wander from wall to wall, noticing the end of it is lit up compared to the usual dark abyss of a tunnel. I smile upon remembering my encounter with Percy, changing the future years to come that lead up to this moment. And that man...the beast with a human heart, step by step I close my eyes. The soothing repetitiveness of my feet tapping across the ground, I open my mouth and recite a passage I discovered within the underworld. "The human made into a beast through his own wicked fate, that beast who embraced the spirits of others, that human who made them whole and gifting them with a reason to fight."

'If not given the choice to love, wouldn't you be forced fight for that right?' I quote within myself.

Standing firm I greet figures that appear in front of me, "And what would you all be doing here?". I run my eyes between them, trying to figure out their distraught looks as the boy steps down from the pedestal and the man approaches me.

"I'm aware of a village that's just past this place, am I right to assume you're from there?" He formally asks.

"That you are" I continue on, noticing the boy looking back briefly at the pedestal. "You just passing through or...you need somewhere to stay?"

The man scratches his head a bit with indecisiveness but ultimately responds after the I start tapping my foot impatiently, "My...pack, I heard some members were staying here?" He worriedly asks.

Feeling my eyebrows raise with shock when something clicks within my head, "Your...pack? As in...you're an Alpha? No offence but you don't have that...pressure surrounding you. Or is that just me being used to a swarm of them" I cheerfully laugh to lighten the comment but he gives me a stern look, "Listen, the only known Alphas at the moment are Yue, Adam and...the MIA Keyon". I walk around the cave examining it further but not making much distance between them.

"Yes" He simply replies

Stopping in my tracks when I catch onto his simplistic word, "You're saying...after all these years you just decided to return like nothing? Where were you this entire time and where's what's left of your pack?" Rushing my words out and quickly questioning him

"I-I-wasn't...ever able to find them. I'm sorry" Looking down with a dried eye expression as if he's incapable of crying, forced to go to his knees to express his grief. "I...looked, and I looked...all I ever found was carnage left behind by the one they called Oneiros" He clenches his fist in anger, "His pack swarmed through, caging everyone or beating them to death as they pleaded for my help...but I couldn't save them." He punches the ground, leaving a dent in it before standing back up and pleading to her again.

"So please, if my pack is here then guide me to them"

"I can't let just anyone in and this question basically decides it for you...show me your eyes" Pointing to my own, knowing that he can't lie about what he is.

He closes his eyes, clenching his eyebrows together before opening them again as if strained by the action. "They're...dull?" Standing back a bit in disbelief when staring at the watery red as they quickly flicker back to his original colour.

"When he took us he also took parts of us, gutting my family and hanging them like ornaments and tossing them around like puppets. My blood...every day he strapped me to something new and made me bleed out...over and over again I grew closer to death. So I'm sorry if they're not up to your usual standard...I'm just not what I used to be" He weakly smiles at her

"It's fine, we'll set you two up for tonight then in the morning we'll meet everyone! Imagine the surprise they'll wake up to! I've heard a lot about you and I'm sure you're eager to catch up with everyone." I opens her arm to lead him out, noticing the boy looking back again.

"Two?" He gazes at me with nothing but confusion, running back to the pedestal and climbing on top his expression quickly turns into one of panic.

"Hey don't touch that!" I hurriedly extend my hand to him, so he can climb down easier. "Are you looking for someone? Cause I promise you I only saw you two in this room when I entered."

"But-she was right here"

"We'll find her in that case, don't worry about it" I try to encourage him, pulling his hand along to walk beside me. The mannerisms of his body reminding me of someone, "What's your name?"

"Jackson" He deadpans

"Well Jackson, my name's Nimue. Nice to meet you" I bow down a little to remove the inched height difference, meeting eye contact with him from my 5'11 stature, shaking our hands together as a joking greeting. Making him to smile a little but still glancing back at the missing spot from where he was searching for his friend

-

"Hey so, mind if I ask what's up with the statue?" Keyon slows his pace to match ours as we walk out of the tunnel and into the shadowed greenery in front of the village.

"Uh, know that name you said earlier. Oneiros? It was his father...long story." I shake my head, not wanting to explain the rest. "Maybe the others can explain it for you, if I'm honest I couldn't fully wrap my head around it to begin with"

"Nimue, why are you scared?" Jackson looks up to me, his eyes gleaming a little but nothing compared to the Yue's gift.

"I mean, I'm bringing two strangers into a place I call home. While one seems to be the lost Alpha, who is the other one?" I look to him, unable to grasp this ethereal air to him.

"I...don't remember who I am, I'm sorry" He talks quietly as if trying to hush himself out.

"Ah, don't worry about it! We'll get those memories back for you in no time. Speaking of time though, let's speed up a little so you two can catch some sleep for the morning, yeah?" I let go of his hand, unlocking the door and letting them pass by me first.

"This...place-"

"Amazing right?" I mimic his wide lipped smile as he runs up to the centre where the statue resides. "Wanna know who she is?" I quietly call to not disturb the sleeping people, receiving his nod as confirmation as I lead Keyon to the vacant side of the village where we build spare homes for those who survived the attacks from rogues...and our increasing population.

"Well as with the statue in that cave, they're related."

"To the beast?"

"Yeah in a way, everything we have now is cause of him fighting for us. And yet there wasn't much we could give back to him." I sigh a little bit knowing I probably won't ever be able to meet a specimen like him within my lifetime.

"Here you go Keyon, I'll come for you in the morning so just sit tight till then." I open the door to reveal his living space, although he's more likely to live within the pack house once they meet in the morning.

"Thank you" He states before closing the door behind him, seeming tired already with his sluggish movements.

"Jackson, are you okay sleeping by yourself or..." I linger my words on, waiting for his behavioural response before continuing.

His timid movements giving away his response already, "You want to stay with me for the night, don't you?" I lay my hand on his head, smiling like I would to Arthur.

"I used to share a place with my brother, it's cool if you wanna chill with me. Plus my home's been getting a tad bit lonely" I admit before open my hand to guide him, quickly coming up to my own house that was previous owned by the Elder. With his passing came my leadership to the village no matter how much I begged by his bedside, alas he didn't take no for an answer.

"If you have anything on you that you wanna store you can put in this shelf, okay?" I gesture to it, tapping twice before making my way back to my desk. Glancing at my pathetic attempts of studies within something I barely understand myself. Picking up the book that was preserved from the underworld, "Whispers to the gifted and the cursed".

Placing it inside the shelf alongside Jackson as he takes something reflective out of his pocket, laying it flat against the surface. "There's a spare bed that my brother used to use just down the hall, it's all yours" I tap him on the back to encourage him to move on without me, tying my hair up and throwing myself onto the bed. Waving briefly at him as he enters the room, "Goodnight Jackson".

-

Jackson's POV

I step through the room, closing the thick wooded door behind me and staring off into the window. "Irene..." I ponder off to myself. As far as my consciousness is aware, I've known her for a day. But my body feels otherwise...like I'm incomplete without her. Wandering to the bed I notice a shift in the sheets, a lump even. Reaching my hand to it but I get startled by the sudden appearance of a face, my body thumping to the floor and my arm stretched across my face in defence.

"Yo!" Irene salutes from under the sheets

"Jackson are you good!?" Nimue calls out from the hall.

I go to speak before realising Irene putting a finger to her lips, signifying for me to hush myself. "I'm okay! Good night!" I roughly call out, feeling unfamiliar with the tone I shouted at.

A swift motion from the centre of the bed to the end of it, putting a finger to my lips this time. She quiets me, "No questions, feel these sheets and go sleep" She picks me up, tossing me into the bed and grinning wildly at me from under the cover. Instinctively I close my eyes, letting a sudden fatigue take over me and carry me off into the next day.