Zan sat on a bench at a cemetery one snowy evening. This was what he would do when he had the chance; he would come visit the very cemetery that Randali was laid to rest at. It made him think what life could have been like. He felt guilty, for he had a new Alpha whom he loved and even though he admitted to himself, mating with Sous was a horrible idea, he was proud at how strong Xeno had turned out. Zan was sure it was all to do with Sous and her genes.
The snow lightly fell down upon his coat, turning into moisture. He smiled, that's all he could do, smile or cry.
His ears twitched and he could smell his Alpha coming to him. "Why won't you go see a medium?" He asked. "See if you could maybe talk to her spirit."
Zan got up and ran his fingers through his dark hair. He turned to his Alpha and walked ahead of him. "I don't know any mediums," Zan answered.
"No, but you know a priestess and priestess are often connected to mediums," the Alpha explained.
Zan stopped and kept his head down. His Alpha was referring to Faye. He took a deep breath, having not seen her since her kids were young. He hadn't really kept too much in touch with his old friends from school. Usually it was just too painful for him.
"When was the last time you saw her?" The Alpha asked, as the two walked along side the main road. They were headed back home now to their town.
Zan shrugged; he hadn't even seen Randali's family since the whole situation, since Randali's funeral. He shook his head and felt exhausted with barely just sitting around on a bench.
"I don't know," he said. "I have to think about it, showing up out of the blue like that would seem odd and even rude."
The two wolves transformed into their werewolf form and began to run on all fours, running back, miles and miles to their home.
They ran through the snow-covered woods, the crunch of frost beneath their paws the only sound in the silent evening. Zan's muscles burned with exertion, each stride a release of the pent-up tension from the cemetery bench.
His Alpha stayed close beside him, a dark shadow against the pristine snow, their synchronized movements creating a rhythm that numbed Zan's swirling thoughts. The cold air bit at his exposed fur around his muzzle, carrying the sharp scent of wilderness deep into his lungs. Snowflakes melted instantly on his warm tongue as he panted.
The rhythmic thump of their paws against the frozen earth became a hypnotic drumbeat, driving them deeper into the skeletal embrace of the winter forest. Bare branches, heavy with snow, reached like gnarled fingers overhead.
Zan focused on the physical burn in his limbs, the ache in his joints, the sting of the wind, anything tangible to push away the haunting image of Randali's grave marker and the unsettling suggestion about Faye. He felt the Alpha's warm flank brush his occasionally, a silent anchor in the vast, white silence.
They finally made it home the next afternoon, no longer having to deal with snow but instead humidity and warmth. It was just Zan and his Alpha since all their kids were grown and gone now in university or even starting their own familes. Life was like that...fast.
...
Faye and Makala laid in bed nude after having just made love. Faye had her hand resting on Makala's stomach; she smiled at her wife. "Are you ready for this last one?"
Makala laughed. "Maybe we should have just one more-"
"NOOOOOO!" Faye moaned-
Ding, dong!
Faye and Makala both looked in the direction of the front door then exchanged looks. Makala looked at the analog clock on the wall and saw it was quite early in the morning, before Faye was supposed to head out for work.
Ding, dong!
"Stay here," Faye told her wife as she jumped out of bed, got dressed, and went to the door.
Zan stood on the porch with a small t shirt and his hands in pocket. Faye opened the door, surprised to see the wolf man standing before her.
"ZAN!"
He smiled, a bit nervous, even waving at her shyly. "Hi..."
Zan sat on the couch. He looked up when Makala handed him a cup of tea. He drunk it after thanking her then placed the empty cup on the coffee table before him. They were quiet at first with Zan looking at the interior of the house, able to smell the scent of Sous. So they still spoke, uh?
"Is something wrong?" Faye asked.
"I...was wondering if you could help me find a medium," Zan said.
"Whats up with every one wanting a medium these days?" Makala joked, but not really. "Sous was just here a few weeks ago requesting for one."
"Oh..." Zan licked his lips and told them why. "I...I want to speak to Randali," he said, silence, complete silence.
Faye patted her jeans and nodded her head. "Yeah, we can do that," she said looking at her wife. "How about this weekend, when I'm off work. Give me your coordinates and Ill go to you. We can go see one together."
"I wanna come to," Makala said. "I want to talk to her too."
"Okay," Zan said softly. He stood up and thanked them again. He hugged Faye tightly, breathing in her scent, a mixture of sex and old memories. Then he shook Makala's hand, her grip firm and reassuring. Without another word, he turned and walked out the door, closing it softly behind him. The early morning air was thick with humidity, clinging to his skin like a second layer. He didn't look back.
One he got into town, the walk home was quiet. Zan moved through the sleeping streets, past houses with drawn curtains and silent porches. Dew glistened on manicured lawns, catching the first weak rays of dawn. His mind drifted, not to Randali, but to Sous. That scent in Faye's house, sharp and metallic, like ozone before a storm.
He began to wonder how she was doing after all these years; whether or not she ever got the chance to meet Xeno. Probably not, Zan never told Sous where he was which was the truth. He didn't know where the family had taken him, no matter. He had things to focus on now.