Colton is preoccupied most of the day with overseeing the new buildings, checking in with the sentinels on patrol, and keeping himself busy. We have fallen into a routine of doing what we need to do separately first thing in the day and gravitating back by lunch or after to do things together. I guess today was exceptionally busy, as I had lunch with Sierra like we always do and then checked in on the school and some of the smaller workshops without laying eyes on him.
The wolves have started getting life back on track again. With the kitchens being used as a mess canteen and a bakery to provide for the village, we have begun to bring some animals to graze on the surrounding lands to fill our meat, egg, and dairy needs. Although occasionally, vampires kill a few. We have managed to get them within the boundary for nightfall most of the time, but animals like to wander.
In the evening the school runs arts and crafts workshops, drama, and other small hobby interests to keep the people occupied. They know they can’t leave the boundaries if they want to stay safe, and many have adapted to small-town living smoothly. I would say that despite the constant threat from our fanged neighbors, we have somehow created an almost peaceful existence, and the rune boundary enables us to sleep well without fear of invasion. We’re in a safety bubble where nothing can penetrate, and we’re so much luckier than our surrounding packs for it.
At the mountain, we had free reign of the vast space, the valley, the surrounding human towns, and all beyond. There was never a need for this kind of prison-like existence. So, it’s been an adjustment for many, especially those Santos who did have a life, work, and school in the human world and now are confined to our peaceful bubble. I have to say there haven’t been many complaints, and they all try to get on without fuss. Most are grateful to Colton for bringing them somewhere safe and happy to live out the days.
We try to keep this as safe a place as possible and keep disruption minimal so the young and the elders can have a trauma-free existence. In the fight at the mountain, we maybe gained several of the fiercest sub packs, but we also acquired the land-loving peaceful families, lots of femmes, and children. So, most of our numbers are those who want to spend their days in quiet living and never face vampires. Those wouldn’t know how to fight unless their lives depended on it, and even then, I don’t rate their odds highly. Much like my family, they are farmers, not warriors.
Our sentinels are all sub-packs with battle experience, and Juan lost some of his best who followed and respected Colton. He made a mistake dismissing Colton’s right as alpha that day, as those governed by our laws and pride in the pack, the strongest, were those who followed him. They provide our security; without them, I don’t think we would be half as capable of dealing with our enemies swiftly.
When I return from the village rounds, I cross the open gravel drive towards the tree line to oversee the details. I do this sometimes to see if I can feel anything out there, sometimes to flex my gifts and blow off some steam from days of not using my abilities. I’m so bubble-wrapped by Colton that having skills seems a waste as he’s Mr. Protective and over-pampering, and I get little chance to use them. I feel like since becoming Luna, I have better control of them, yet sometimes, less need for them.
I’ve fought the vampires with Colton by my side multiple times in six months, and I have to say that not using my gifts is also a little down to me. We’ve killed many of their kind, which felt awful each time. I can’t explain; even though I knew it was them or us, and they were the enemy, somehow it was wrong deep down inside me. Maybe it’s that part of me is Vampire, and I somehow connect with them on a weird psychic level, but every death has weighed on me heavily since we took them down, and I can still recall the many faces and smells of these creatures that died by my hand.
As opponents, they are not equally matched to Lycans. On their side, they have speed, some strength, and can be vicious. I was shocked to find that most vamps possess very few unique gifts as we do, in fact, barely any. Only their purest and oldest seem to possess abilities like mine, and with their own hierarchy, they never come out to use them. Or show face. That means every Vamp we have come up against has been easy to take down with little effort.
Outnumbering us. I always thought they would pose a bigger threat, but maybe they have vast numbers, and in a battle between two species, in all our glory, they would be deadlier. Once they realized we had counteracted their weapon with our own frequency and stayed within our border to ensure it, they were less eager to try and invade. It hints that they know they are the weaker of our two kinds. It makes no sense to me why they still pursue a war.
It’s no wonder they have come to the witches then to try and get a level playing field. Wolf on Vamp sways to our side more than theirs in every scenario, and even with our lesser population, we have been slaying them anytime they try to come at us. No match at all. Now they have witches in their midst though I have no idea what that will do or even mean. I know very little about witches and magic, only what I have seen from Sierra and Colton, and neither are purebreds. They lean heavily to wolf daily and only have their gifts as add-ons rather than their sole being. I haven’t ever met any real pure witch before.
I stand on the edge of the gravel, facing the dark succulent tree line of our natural wall, and spread my hands out, watching the sway of the trees as I move them from right to left softly and then gently back as I push them out. My gifts are like breathing nowadays; I’m still discovering my limits daily. I never really need to tap into the absorption side, not when my telekinesis is strong enough to disable most things, push out of my path, or create a short-lived protection bubble around me if need be. However, this is almost therapeutic, manipulating my environment, which frees my mind and helps me relax. Watching the trees waving under my command helps ease the tension from my shoulders as I make them dance for me in the afternoon breeze. The rustle is so subtle and yet calming as it surrounds me and drums out the noises of the village in the near distance.
Colton devised a way first to combat the noise weapon when we started getting invasions of Vamps, and they disabled us when we chased them out. He would cover my ears and block out the sound so I could use my gifts to build an external ball of energy. Then much like a sonic boom, I would let rip, exploding outwards, and it knocked out every device within a 5-mile radius, thus rendering their weapon useless if I was with my pack or until they got it running again and we had to repeat. Since the Doc came up with the alter frequency, even that is used less. The Vampires abandoned their weapon as it was useless against us, and I know Juan has something similar at the Mountain to deter them there.
I watch the ripples through the trees and foliage move in satisfying patterns with every turn and twist of my hand, sighing loudly that it’s become this easy, so second nature, and doesn’t thrill me as it did at the beginning of honing my gifts. The downside to having them is the ability to feel others’ emotions beyond Colton. Whether I want to or not, that, too, has been heightened in the past few months, so I must constantly dampen it down. I hate feeling what anyone near me feels, just from being within ten feet. Unlike when Colton and I share moods and emotions, it feels more invasive somehow, but it helps me deal with my people. Feeling when they are hurt, sad, or afraid, I can put them at ease or help in some small way. It’s like being psychic, in a way.
“Who knew you would turn out to be this gifted?” The familiar snooty female voice behind me startles out of my absentminded manipulation of the trees. I turn in surprise, bristling slightly to face Carmen as she stands behind me. Her hands are on her hip as she stares at the forest over my head and seems almost impressed for a moment. I was so engrossed and homed in on what I was doing that I neither felt nor sensed her, which I guess is not good. I tune in on her and sense her tension, locking my eye on her pale blues as she hesitates and looks away submissively.
The tables are turned, and I am no longer fading in her shadow. I experience a ripple of satisfaction and a small glow of smugness that she has learned who not to mess with at least in six months. I’m a force to reckon with.
“Yup, who knew?” I respond drily, hostility brimming and unsure why she seems to have sought me out. Or if she has just wandered here and accidentally bumped into me.