The Vine Keeper's Plan
Osprey
I pushed Godric harder, slowly pushing to the front of our party as I started recognizing the area we were in. I knew approximately 150 miles ahead of us lay a secret cabin. One that I had forgotten about since it had been years since Timothy had brought me and Gerald here, but now I was starting to remember the way there, picking up the clues that I had left to find it without anyone knowing. I had a stupid of idea that one day I would bring Scarlett there and confess all my love to her, so I wanted to be able to find it.
Suddenly, vines grew rapidly out of the ground, twisting around Godric’s limbs, forcing him to stop while creating a barrier to make the rest of everyone stop as well. On the other side of the vine barrier, the ground opened up as a pod surfaced, opening up to reveal Vine Keeper Annaria. Vines came from the ground, wrapping around her legs as she walked before letting her go as another one came up to grip her leg. Godric lowered his head as the vine barrier opened to allow the vine keeper to walk through. She stopped in front of Godric, placing her hand on his shoulder.
“Shift back, Godric. We need to talk,” she told us softly.
I shifted back without hesitation, maintaining my bowed position. She knelt in front of me before lifting my chin up so that I was looking into her eyes.
“I have brought Alpha Jarrod here,” she told me.
“WHAT?!” I roared. “He’s needed at home! There are no alphas there to ensure our people’s wellbeing without him there.”
“Because he’s needed here more. Luna LaToya can handle the sleuth and pack. She will make sure that everyone is safe. As much as you hate it, wolves are faster than bears. Not necessarily stronger, but definitely faster. He can get to Annie and lead back to where the rest of your guys are,” she said.
“And why can’t you do that?” I asked.
She held up her hands showing fresh scars around her wrists. “The Goddess has literally tied my hands. I am not allowed to help Annie anymore. But she didn’t say that I couldn’t help you. And that’s why I’ve brought Alpha Jarrod.” She stood up, looking over my head at a point in the distance. “And he should be arriving soon. Right about now.”
The ground exploded behind me, making me jump up to get in front of Elena as soil rained down on us. Jarrod stepped out of the pod, wiping his shirt off before holding his hand out to me.
“Osprey.”
“Jarrod,” I said, shaking his hand.
He turned toward the vine keeper, lowering his head. “Vine Keeper Annaria.”
“Welcome, Jarrod. We do not have much time, which is of the utmost importance right now,” Vine Keeper Annaria greeted him.
“And why is that?” My mother asked, getting to her feet.
The vine keeper turned to look at her. “She is in active labor, and I can no longer keep it at bay. And–”
“Wait! Backup! She’s not due for months. How is she already in labor? Is the baby okay?” My mother inquired.
“I’ve been speeding up her pregnancy at her request. Now, listen to me, quickly. Alpha Jarrod will go ahead, I know that you, her, and Toya created a special series of howls that no one knows about. Right now, she is just waking up from being tortured by Gerald. She needs to get out of there and to us. If she doesn’t she won’t make it, and we all want her to make it, right?” She said, looking around. After we all nodded, she continued. “When you are a few miles, maybe 20, outside of the cabin’s location, call out to her, using one of your specialized calls. She will meet you as long as you continue to call out to her.”
“And how do you know she will make it to him?” I growled lightly, having stopped caring about the whole respect thing.
“Because I embedded a vine into her. It’s still very much in tune with the forest and will carry your calls to her while guiding her to you.” She held up her hand to stop me from interrupting her. “Trust me, please. I’ve never let you down before. I won’t start now. I love Annie. She is the only daughter that I have ever known. The only that I’ve even claimed as my daughter. I want her to survive more than anything. So, please, just do as I’m instructing and I will do my best to help you save her.”
I bared my teeth at her before turning to look at Elena. “What do you think, Lena?”
“I say we trust her. We all know that we can’t do this without her. If she thinks this is the best way to save Annie, we have to try. Or we lose them both.” She met my eyes and just like every single other of the times she cried, I gave in immediately. “I really don’t want to lose two siblings. Isn’t one bad enough?”
I sighed as I pressed my fingers into my eyes while I thought about our options. Already having made up my mind, but not trusting myself to make the right decision. I turned to look at my father, trusting his opinion above anyone else’s even after everything that happened recently.
“Dad, what do you think?” I asked. “Should we follow Vine Keeper Annaria’s plan?” When all he did was study my face, I cleared my throat anxiously. “Dad? I could really use some guidance right now.”
He moved to stand in front of me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Son, you do not need my guidance, advice, or opinions. You have spent years learning how to make decisions and how to be confident in every one of them. This is your first step in becoming alpha, Osprey. You can do this. I know you can. You just have to have faith in yourself like I do. Like we all do. There is no one better to lead us through this than you. Yes, you have made mistakes, but at least you saw through all the lies. You knew something was wrong from the jump and you tried to prevent the situation from getting to this point. So, Alpha Osprey, what’s it going to be? Are we going to follow Vine Keeper Annaria’s plan, or are you going to make your own?”
I took a deep breath as everyone’s eyes focused on me, waiting for my decision. I scanned all of their faces before meeting Elena’s eye. I walked over to her, stopping in front of her before placing my hand on her shoulder. “Let’s do it, Lena. As long as you're beside me as my beta, we can do anything. Even saving Annie.”
She smiled at me as she lifted her hand to put her hand on my shoulder, creating a square with our bodies. “Let’s get this done, Alpha brother Osprey. So I can take you home and remind you why I should be alpha.”
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