Greykin Mountain

| 35 | Celebrate

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Jackson couldn't stop thinking about what he'd seen.

          He struggled to dismiss the thoughts of what if and why. What if all those cadejo swarmed towards the castle? Why were they in that canyon? How did they even get down there? What if they'd grouped up like that on purpose? How long were they going to stay in that place?

          His heart was racing, and his legs were trembling as he hurried through the silent woods. What were the pack going to do? They all seemed so content at the ruin; how were they going to react to the fact they might now have to leave? Jackson didn't want to be the bringer of bad news, but he did want to ensure the family of the wolf he'd come to care for would be safe.

          He also couldn't help but wonder, what next? Just yesterday, Elias' hunting party had brought home a stray wolf—whether he was a rogue or part of a pack wasn't clear, but if there was a hostile pack out there, it might very well lead to war or the decision to head back out on the road. Now, a pit of cadejo was a few kilometres from their new home. So, what next? Would the hunters find them? That camp they'd seen while up on the mountain was still out there and the direction they were moving in wasn't clear yet.

          Jackson didn't want to think like that, though. After all he'd learned lately, he was more inclined to believe in jinxing things.

          He continued forward, running as fast as his shaky legs would carry him. The wind picked up, a light flurry of snow began to fall, and as the moon moved out from behind a thick, grey cloud, the castle came into view.

          For a moment, the silence ensnared Jackson's heart with fear, but before his paranoid thoughts could penetrate his mind, he spotted an Eta up on the wall.

          When he crossed the fallen wall to get into the castle, he was met by two other wolves, who eyed him closely, but he didn't have time to stop for them.

          Where was Damon?

          Jackson stopped in the courtyard, where the entire pack seemed to have been waiting for his return. And Damon—there he was. Over by the fountain with the council.

          "Da—Alpha Damon," he called, heading over to him as the Alpha and council set their sights on him.

          The Alpha kept his usual vacant stare. "Did you complete the Moon Goddess' task?"

          Had he? There wasn't time for that. "I-I...I found something out there."

          Damon and the council waited as the pack stared in silence.

          "It was...it...." Why the hell couldn't he speak? Maybe it was all those eyes on him. He took a deep breath. "I found this...pit. It was full of cadejo—and I mean full. Hundreds of them, maybe more."

          Unsettled whispers erupted from the silence.

          "What?" Rachel uttered.

          "A pit?" Tokala questioned.

          Damon's vacant stare contorted into a concerned frown. "You're sure?"

          Jackson nodded. "I-I think they were trapped down there. And cadejo find each other, right? What if they've all just slowly been grouping up down there? Or maybe they're trapped. It was quite far down, and I didn't see a slope to get up out of there."