Chapter 14: The Winged Messenger
The messenger from the Aethon tribe was unlike any beastman Astra had seen. He stood tall and proud in the center of the village, his immense, grey-feathered wings folded tightly against his back. His features were sharp and severe, his eyes the color of a stormy sky. He carried an air of ancient pride and a barely concealed disdain for the earth-bound wolves around him.
He inclined his head a fraction of an inch towards Kaelen. "Alpha Silvermane. I am Corvus, Speaker for the Aethon."
Kaelen returned the nod, his own demeanor cool and authoritative. "Corvus. The Aethon rarely leave their spires. To what do we owe the... honor?"
Corvus's stormy eyes slid past Kaelen and landed directly on Astra. The intensity of his gaze was unnerving. "We come because of the disturbance. The unnatural growth. The taming of the Kitsune." His voice was like the rustle of dry leaves. "The winds carry tales of a Star-Fallen who heals what is broken and makes the earth obey. Our Seer has dreamed of this."
Astra felt a chill that had nothing to do with the evening air. "Dreamed of what?"
"Of a blight that does not rot the flesh, but the spirit," Corvus said, his voice dropping. "The Beast Rot you have encountered is but a symptom. It is spreading. Faster now. It has reached the lower spires of the Aethon."
A collective murmur of fear went through the gathered Silvermane. The Beast Rot was no longer just a ground-level threat.
"Our Chieftain, Theron, would speak with the Human," Corvus continued, his gaze piercing Astra. "He believes the key to understanding this plague may lie with the one who is not of this world."
"Absolutely not," Kaelen growled, stepping slightly in front of Astra. The bond flared with protective possessiveness. "She is not a commodity to be summoned."
"This is not a request, Wolf-Lord," Corvus said, his tone hardening. "The Rot does not care for your territorial disputes. If it is not stopped, it will consume all—wolf, fox, and bird alike. The human's unique perspective is required."
The weight of his words settled heavily on the clearing. This was bigger than tribe, bigger than the Boar-Tusks. This was an existential threat.
"Astra does not go alone," Kaelen stated, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Corvus gave a curt, dismissive shrug. "The skies are no place for your kind, Alpha. She may bring one guard. No more."
The negotiation was over. The Aethon had delivered their ultimatum.
Later, in Kaelen's cave, the air was thick with tension.
"You cannot go," Kaelen said, pacing like a caged animal. "It is a trap. Or a fool's errand. The Aethon are arrogant and secretive. They will use you and discard you."
"What if they're right?" Astra asked, her voice quiet. She was sitting on a fur, her knees drawn to her chest. "What if I am the key? Or at least, I have a piece of the puzzle? Kaelen, I've seen the Rot. I felt it when we fought those corrupted beasts. It's... wrong. It's a sickness in the world itself. If I can help, don't I have to try?"
He stopped his pacing and stood before her, his frustration and fear a turbulent wave in the bond. "I will not lose you to some vague prophecy from bird-men!"
"You won't lose me," she said, standing up to face him. She placed a hand on his chest, over the steady, fierce beat of his heart. "I'll have Lykos with me. And I have this." She tapped her temple. "And I have you. Even from a distance, I'll have you."
He searched her face, his internal war raging. His instinct was to lock her away, to keep her safe within the territory he controlled. But his mind, the mind of the Alpha who had accepted her complicated solutions, knew she was right. The threat was too large to ignore.
With a sound of profound frustration, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against him. His face was buried in her hair. "You will take Lykos. You will be careful. And you will come back to me." It was a command, a plea, and a promise all in one.
"I will," she whispered into his chest, breathing in his scent of pine and cold night air.
The next morning, Astra and a still-limping but determined Lykos stood at the edge of the clearing. Corvus waited, his expression impatient.
Kaelen stood before Astra, his people watching. He didn't care. He cupped her face, his thumb stroking her cheek. "Remember your promise."
Then he leaned down and captured her lips with his.
It was not a gentle kiss. It was possessive, desperate, and filled with all the unspoken words between them. It was a brand, a claim, and a farewell. Astra melted into it, her hands coming up to grip his arms, pouring every ounce of her own feeling into it.
When they broke apart, they were both breathless. The pack was utterly silent.
Without another word, Astra turned and walked towards Corvus. Lykos fell into step beside her, giving his Alpha a final, solemn nod.
Corvus unfolded his massive wings. "Hold on," he instructed tersely, and before Astra could fully process it, his arms were around her and Lykos, and with a powerful downstroke, they were airborne.
The ground fell away in a dizzying rush. Astra's stomach lurched. She caught one last glimpse of Kaelen, a solitary, silver-maned figure standing on the high ledge, watching her until she was swallowed by the clouds.
The journey to the Aethon spires had begun. And as the wind whipped past her face, Astra couldn't shake the feeling that she was flying straight into the heart of the storm.