Chapter 114
After a while I excused myself telling daisy that someone will be coming to meet with her to talk about her care and plans for later.
Walking to the orchard slowly trying to make sense of everything she has said. She’s part of some breeding program by the rogue king or he’s heavily invested in whoever runs it. Annoyed I storm past everyone on my way to the blacks tree. Grabbing a shovel from the shed on my way.
Making it to the orchard I place my hand first on our peach tree. Not every family chooses a peach tree sapling for their tree so this orchard has a little bit of everything. Father called it the fruit salad orchard. Yes, we use the fruits for just about everything here in the pack. The fruits are solely for the pack. These trees hold all our offerings and blessing to the land and goddess. Finding the black carving I start digging the hole three feet from the base of it. Don’t want to hurt roots.
After who knows how long I am sweaty and dirty. Mud spread across my forehead. “need a hand?” Kaleb chuckles. Looking up from my whole I smirk at him and Dean standing there hand in hand. “work things out?” whipping my forehead leaning on the shovel. Both of them smile so brightly they could light the darkest night. “good. Welcome to the family. I will let this one time pass as you were scared for your sister. But you hurt that big moron again and it will be the last.” Letting my eyes bleed black. Releasing my aura letting him know I am serious. He nods gulping. “alright mud you already won. Do you want help or do you want to do it alone?” arching his brow at me. I hate when he does that he looks like my dad when he does. “stop you know how creepy that is.” Shaking out my shoulders. He barks out holding his hand out. Climbing out of the hole that’s halfway dug. Slapping the shovel handle in his palm. “thirsty?” I ask them both nodding I pop to the kitchen for a bottle of water and back. I have been lazy and have not practiced misting. One day I hope it’s almost second nature like it is with Ambrose. When I got back I was behind Dean who is freaking out about me teleporting. “actually I mist like Ambrose. Yes, they are both popping about but call on different magic. I turn into a mist and travel through smoke and water vapor. So I am not limited to where I can mist. Well, most who must do not have a limit being a wolf I have more limits. So it’s more of a hybrid teleport. I have to know the place like teleporting. But unlike teleporting I use outside magic to jump. Witches who can teleport use the magic in them so limited to where the triple faces goddess can touch.” His yelp gave me such delight.
“How? Are you a part witch?” shaking my head “sorry Deano my man you are not actually part of the black rose pack yet and that secret I don’t want that in the wrong hands. I hope you understand.” “Okay well, then what are you doing?” “digging a hole.” I said plopping down on the grass and opening my bottle of water. “what for?” he asks hovering close to Kaleb. “to bless the twins” Kaleb answered. “huh?” “We bury the afterbirth under family trees after a pup is born to ask the goddess and land to bless them,” I explain. Sitting down watching Kaleb Dean thinks over what we told him. “why? I mean in theory I get asking the goddess to bless pups but this I have never heard or seen before “ he rushes out.
Watching him watch Kaleb for a few moments. “what does your pack do for the birth and death of wolves?” “name them and burn them you know normal stuff. Why what do you guys do?” Kaleb looks up at Dean trying to figure out if he’s serious or not. Deciding he was serious he starts explaining things to him. “when a pup is born the alpha and or some of the leadership dig a hole for the afterbirth at the base of the family tree. If the alpha can’t dig the hole it moves down the list. Since this is for the beta's pups he would be skipped. This is something that is done by the leaders of the pack for the pups. Jas would normally be here with mud to dig but Jas is having a hard time with morning sickness. So it’s up to me and mud to dig this hole. Our Lune Kai has run to the coast to honor their tradition. I am sure you noticed Fallen is very pale. She’s from far north along with Kai. They offer the after-birth to the sea. Mud over there does not want family traditions lost just because you are mates to our pack. Tonight at moon rise, Kai will face time and we will perform the blessings.”
Kal finishes as he measures the hole. “done.” Looking up we have about twenty minutes until everyone will be here. Laying back I look up to the darkening sky. “if you honor birth what do you do when a wolf dies?” “honor them of course and ask them to watch over us.” “nothing special like this?” he asks. Kal climbs out of the hole laying down using my stomach as a pillow pulling dean with him. “we build a pyre. The pack gathers to say our goodbyes. Then we burn them to ash. Once the fire is out a d cooled enough the ash is collected. Then split it in half. Half goes to the pack house the other have is divided into eight ash bags. These are attached to a collar with ropes long enough to touch the ground and bounce back off. Five wolves are randomly selected four to run the border and another to shoot the arrow. Four wolves are positioned at the center of a border north east south and west. They start running the border the ash bags smacking the ground trees bushes anything along the way. Ash releases when it hits something.
The ash sent to the pack house is put in a balloon that’s then filled with gas and released rising above the pack house. Once it’s at least a hundred feet above the pack house the fifth wolf releases an arrow popping the balloon and releasing the ash into the wind over the pack. This helps the ash cover all the pack lands.”
“wow. Why don’t other packs do things like this? I have never heard of such a thing but it sounds like it bonds you all more. Maybe if more packs were like that then there might be less fighting “ laughing hard as Jas comes into view.
