POV - Chaos
For the rest of the afternoon, Elias and I roamed the pack grounds, getting into one adventure or another.
When dinner came, mine being another red fish, my new favorite, I was halfway through it when I had a thought that killed my appetite cold. I remembered how angry I got at Cedar River, when they fed the dogs better than the pack slaves. It made me think of the little pack slave girl I had met that day.
It wasn't fair. I got this huge fish, and a nice place near the table, with people dropping food for me on purpose. She had nothing, or got scraps if she was lucky. Kyas and I decided to try to think of something we could do.
Maybe I could take her my fish. But then, I don't think kids eat raw fish. It wouldn't be any good by morning anyway, so I finished it, but the pleasure in it was gone.
After dinner, I was distracted from the problem when Alpha had an idea of a different sort.
"Elias," he said, "What do you say we see if Blaze knows how to play with a ball?"
Elias was visibly shocked. "Really?"
"Yeah," Alpha said. "If he doesn't know how, we can teach him."
"Okay!" Elias said excitedly.
"Alright, " Alpha said. "Um, anyone have a ball?" He chuckled.
"I do!" Luna Ruby said. She went to a basket beside the fireplace and returned with a red ball.
"Common Blaze! Let's play ball with Papa!" Elias said happily, and ran with me outside.
Alpha and Luna followed us, and the pack members in the dining hall followed them.
In front of the packhouse, Luna showed me the ball. I tested it with my teeth, and it didn't appear edible. She rolled it along the ground, surprising me, and I reacted in an instant urge to stop it. I caught it, but then didn't know what to do with it.
"Come, Blaze." Alpha called. So I left the ball and obeyed.
Elias giggled. "No, Blaze, you're supposed to bring the ball too."
What? Why?
"Let's show him, Elias." Alpha said.
Elias got the ball and returned it to Alpha.
Alpha tossed it back to him, low, and Elias returned it again.
"Understand?" Elias asked me.
I nodded, forgetting that dogs generally don't do that, but they didn't seem to notice. The next time they threw it at me, I took off after it, and caught it again as it rolled, and brought it back.
"Good boy!" Luna said, ruffling my fur. This was kind of fun. Suddenly, I had a bond with her too.
On the third time, Luna threw the ball, and I started after it, but stopped, looking at Elias. He caught on and raced me for it. I won.
We played ball, the four of us, until the light faded. We turned around to find the pack, still standing there, watching us. Some with wet faces. The Alpha grinned big. "Let's go inside, pack, its time to put the pups to bed."
I slept with Elias that night, on the floor by his bed, wondering briefly why there were still two beds in his room.
The next morning, at breakfast, Alpha was still in good spirits, chatting easily with Elias and Luna, and the Luna said she was pleased with his new attitude.
"Well... there's a reason for that." He told her. "I meant to mention it, but...I think the witch at Cedar River was holding Kyas' spirit back, preventing him from coming to me without her."
"What?" Luna said.
"The other night, on the full moon" he explained, "Kyas came to my dreams."
Luna looked at him with awe, and a bit of hope, but all the happiness faded from Elias' face and I felt a wave of anger and resentment from him.
Oblivious, Alpha continued.
"He was so Real, Ruby!" He said excitedly. "Never before had the witch ever shown me his face, but he appeared by my bedside, in full form. I thought it was Elias at first, but I was dreaming of Blaze's scent instead. It definitely wasn't Elias this time. Ruby, in my dream, I swear it I touched him. I did find out that a lot of it was probably Blaze, someone let him in my room, but he talked with me too. I think the witch's death set his spirit free."
"I'm so glad, Carlisle, maybe this means he will help us move on?" Luna said, placing her hand on his.
Alpha grunted, neither committing to her words or not. Neither noticed that Elias had stopped eating, and had turned sullen and quiet in his seat.
"May I be excused?" He suddenly asked. "I have to go to school."
"Uh...sure, son," Alpha responded, surprised at his tone.
Elias bolted from the table, and was almost at the door when a kitchen maid shouted "Wait!"
I had started chasing after him, and we both stopped.
"Your lunch, Elias." She said, holding a paper sack. Immediately an idea hatched in my head. I immediately knew how to make it better for Ember. I quickly intercepted the lunch, and ran with it.
Alpha, Luna, Elias and the kitchen maid yelled at me, saying no, drop it, bring it back, come - I ignored them all. I stopped just out of sight, and made sure they could hear me messing heavily with it.
I heard the maid tell Elias to wait, while she made another for him. Yes! As Elias left heading toward the path to school, I caught up with him, proudly carrying my own stolen lunch.
Elias chuckled. "Thief." He called me. I didn't care.
We got further away from the packhouse and Elias' anger really started to build. It made Kyas anxious and I moved closer to him, falling into lock step with him so I could touch him as we walked.
"Blaze...sometimes I really hate Kyas!" He shouted, catching me and Kyas both off guard. "Except I can't actually hate a ghost, and he was my stupid brother. It's just...how do you live up to a ghost, Blaze? I can't say stuff like, Kyas made his bed, so if I make mine, Papa will love me too."
We were stunned, but we both kind of understood. It was a bit easier because we could feel what he was feeling, and sharing it.
"My whole life," he continued, "Papa has been obsessed with Kyas, and he's never tried to see Me. Sometimes I feel like Kyas stole my Papa, and I hate him for it, and then I hate that I feel that way about my dead brother. AHHH!" He yelled as he kicked a rock off the path.
I angled my body across his path to make him stop walking. I leaned hard against him, nosing under his arm with my head, practically demanding a hug. Which he did, and Kyas blended the auras like last time. Elias didn't cry this time, and I could feel when his anger subsided. He sighed heavily and got up.
"Thanks, Blaze. Who knew a dog could make things so much better?" He said with a smile, and we finished the walk to school.