EPISODE 9
Life among the rogues was nothing like Amethyst, but I was slowly learning to adapt. The pack was rough around the edges, but they weren’t unkind. They valued strength, and while I wasn’t strong in the way they were, I was proving my worth in other ways.
It hadn’t been easy, far from it, but every day, I found myself integrating more into their way of
life.
Physically, I was still weak.
The years of miscarriages had taken their toll on my body, leaving me unable to handle heavy labor or join the hunts. My muscles ached easily, and the simple act of keeping up with the pack’s daily routines exhausted me.
Beyond that, I had been deaf for so long that certain sounds were completely foreign to me. I didn’t recognize the growls of approaching predators, nor could I identify the rustling of prey through the underbrush. It made me vulnerable, and I knew it.
But if the rogues saw me as a burden, they didn’t say it aloud.
I had one advantage, though- my sense of smell.
Losing my hearing had only sharpened my ability to pick up even the faintest scents. I could distinguish herbs from meters away, recognize sickness before symptoms even showed, and track fresh meat better than most.
Back in Amethyst, I spent time with healers, learning to identify medicinal plants and their uses. That knowledge proved invaluable here, where medicine was scarce and survival depended on every resource the pack could gather.
Yvette had been the first to notice my skill. She assigned me to work alongside the healer, a grizzled old wolf named Adam, who tested my abilities before fully trusting me.
Soon enough, I was responsible for appraising and sorting through the collected herbs, ensuring that nothing poisonous was mistaken for something beneficial. My health didn’t suffer in the process since Adam was always with me, overseeing my work and making sure I never overexerted myself.
It wasn’t long before the others took notice of my contributions. Julio, the rogue who had first brought me here, had always kept an eye on me. He and Yvette both approved of my efforts, though neither openly praised me.
It wasn’t their way.
But I saw it in the way they looked at me, in the way the other wolves no longer regarded me as an outsider.
The burden of searching for medicine had lessened significantly since my arrival, and for the first time in a long while, I felt needed.
I also found another way to help, by cooking. Food among the rogues was simple, usually just roasted meat with little seasoning. But I knew how to make it better, how to use herbs to enhance the flavor without wasting their medicinal properties. Mealtimes became more pleasant, and even the toughest warriors seemed to appreciate the change.
The Delected Lues Diese
1/2 42.5%
8:44 pm DDDD.
The peaceful environment allowed me to heal in ways I hadn’t expected.
I drank tonics that strengthened my body, followed Adam’s instructions carefully, and took tim to rest when I needed it. The days blurred together in a quiet, steady rhythm, and for the first time in years, I felt something close to contentment.
I hadn’t even noticed that three months had passed since I left the Amethyst Pack.
Then, one afternoon, something unexpected happened.
I was inside the healer’s hut, sorting through the latest batch of herbs when the door burst open. A group of teenagers stumbled in, their expressions tense, their bodies covered in scrapes and bruises.
They were trying, and failing, to appear nonchalant, but the moment Adam laid eyes on them, his sharp gaze darkened. He seemed to know what had happened but asked anyway, as if waiting for them to admit their wrongdoing.
“What happened?” he demanded, setting aside the salve he had been preparing.
One of the boys, a lanky wolf with a split lip, shifted uncomfortably.
“We… uh… um,” he muttered, avoiding the healer’s eyes.
“They snuck out,” a girl interrupted, glaring at them. She looked slightly older than the others, her arms crossed over her chest. “They thought it would be fun to track a deer on their own. Without permission.”
The tallest of the group, a boy with short black hair, huffed. “We almost got it.”
“You almost got yourselves killed,” the girl shot back.
“But we’re fine. If you didn’t pull us back there-”
His words were cut off by a loud bang. They all turned to look at Adam, who now held a long, bendy stick from a leaf plant. All of them shivered subconsciously, knowing that this thin stick was more painful than being struck with a punch.
“Without supervision?” Adam’s voice was clipped, laced with disapproval. “You know the rules. You know you can’t leave without an adult. Just because you’re close to adulthood doesn’t mean you can bypass them.”
None of them had a response to that. They looked down, shuffling their feet. Their guilt was evident, and Adam could tell they had learned their lesson.
Adam began treating their wounds. I observed quietly, noting that while the injuries weren’t fatal, some were deep enough to require stitching. The scent of blood filled the small hut, sharp and metallic, and my stomach twisted uncomfortably.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look away. But the smell lingered, clinging to the air, seeping into my senses until it was all I could focus on. My breath grew unsteady, and a wave of nausea hit me with sudden force.
My vision blurred. My knees buckled.
The last thing I heard before everything faded into darkness was someone calling my name.
1/2
