To Rise Again

It had been too long since the wolf had been free... Starting off with a slow trot, it remembered all the times and many miles it had ran through those woods. With the wind in its face and the soft mossy forest floor under its paws, the large black wolf ran. It ran, chased small prey, and smelled all the things that it had been missing. This is what it had needed... to just let go and be wild again.

******

River was enjoying the day, just walking through the park on the edge of the city. The sun was high in the sky, the weather was perfect. He had been there many times before, walked all the trails in and around the park and the woods that lined it. He let his mind wander as he listened to the chatter of others taking advantage of the beautiful day.

******

The wolf ran for what seemed an eternity, taking everything in. It slowed to a walk deciding where to go next. It knew that the park was just beyond the tree line ahead, it needed to avoid being seen by the humans. As the wolf got ready to turn and go back it heard something approaching his location hidden in the brush. It looked up and saw a man walking along the trail leading from the park.

******

River felt the need to take a certain trail as he passed by it. He followed it thru the woods for about a mile until it forked off. He didn't remember this trail, never had he been this far in. He stood there contemplating which way to go. Feeling childish he closed his eyes, spun around a few times and just started walking. When he opened them back up, he saw something big and black move. It felt like he was being watched.

******

The wolf stalked towards this man, circling, it wanted to play a bit. The wolf had not been free in so long, it needed to have a bit of fun. It was just one man, no one would know. It would just toy with him, scare him, and then watch him run away in fear. Closer and closer he came, the wolf waited for the right moment. When it was about to make his move, it recognized his prey. It could no longer have his fun. It would never harm this man, its mate, River.

******

River stopped to listen; he heard movement coming from his left. As he turned toward the sound, he saw something move. He started to worry, backing away slowly only to have whatever it was come out of the underbrush and stalk towards him. River recognized this animal... from his dreams... his wolf. That is how he thought of this beautiful animal, the wolf belonged to him now.

******

The wolf needed to get closer; it needed to feel River's hands on him again. Stalking forward, it stopped a few feet from where River stood, and waited to be recognized before approaching any closer. Once it saw what it was looking for, it lowered its head and slowly closed the distance between them. To show it meant no harm, it sat down at River's feet and whimpered.

******

River stood there watching his wolf come towards him, he felt no fear. The wolf approached, head lowered to stop at River's feet. He reached out slowly to place his hand on his wolf's head, stroking gently. River knelt down to look into those steel grey eyes; he couldn't resist the need to touch that powerful animal. River buried his hands in the wolf's fur. Once again, the magic happened. Like electricity, not a jolt, more like a soft current that flowed from one to the other. It made his body tingle.

******

The wolf rubbed its head against the hands of its mate. It needed more contact though, slowly standing, it nudged River in the chest which caused him to fall backwards. The wolf walked forward so he stood directly over this man. Never once taking its eyes off River, it began to lightly growl deep in its chest. It needed its mate to touch him again. The things it felt as this man ran his hands over its body, the wolf couldn't get enough.

******

The wolf surprised River, but he got over it quick enough. As he stared into his wolf's eyes, he grabbed him around the neck and rolled to the side. River was not going to allow this animal to dominate him; it had to understand that River would not be intimidated. River laid there, his hands still embedded in his wolf's fur. He didn't want to remove them, but he knew he needed to get off the ground. His wolf whimpered when he tried to move, River knew how it felt. Slowly he let go, got to his feet and looked back down to where his wolf stayed. He turned and started walking down the trail knowing his wolf would follow.

******

Located somewhere in the city in a rundown building was a little girl. She had been passed around from person to person, each worse than the one before. She couldn't remember when she had eaten last, she was so hungry. The clothes she had on were all but rags and did nothing to keep her warm.

Where was her mommy? She had promised to come back, but her mommy never did. What she really wanted was her daddy. She missed him the most; her daddy always made her happy. As long as she thought of him she would be ok. Thoughts of her daddy always made everything else go away and made her feel like she was wrapped up in his big arms.

When she slept, she dreamed of playing hide-n-seek with daddy, he would always call out her name as he walked right by where she hid. But she couldn't make a sound; if she did then the mean people that had her would know where she was. They couldn't find her, she wouldn't allow them to. They were mean and hurt her. No... she wouldn't allow it.

She was young, only three, but she was smart. People used to say she had an old soul in her. She managed to sneak out of the room the mean people had placed her in, but they had come back too soon for her to get out. She had to find a place to go where they wouldn't find her. She ran up the stairs, all the way to the top and hid there until it got dark.

She slept for awhile, dreams of her daddy in her head. She tried to call out to him, but he couldn't hear her. It didn't matter how loud she yelled, he never heard her. When she woke up, she made her way back down the stairs. She stopped every few feet and listened for the mean people.

She made it to the front door, but it wouldn't open. The mean people made sure that no one could get in, therefore she couldn't get out. She tried the windows, but they all had bars on them. She had to find a way out; she had to find her daddy. He would protect her, keep her safe and make her happy again.

She heard the mean people moving about above her, she had to hide again. She found stairs again, this time going down. She followed them all the way down and into a big open room. She saw doors along the walls but they were all locked. She needed to find a place that was small she could fit into.

After she tried all the doors again, she found one that opened and led into a smaller room that was filled with boxes, crates and cabinets. She climbed up a stack of boxes and into a cabinet all the way at the back of the room. She knew the mean people wouldn't look for her here, she would be safe, and she wouldn't let them find her.

She sat there in the dark and thought of her daddy again. It made her miss him even more, but it made her smile. She fell asleep to thoughts of hide-n-seek, playing in the park and piggy back rides. Her dreams took her to a happy place; a safe place.

******

As River walked along the trail he could hear his wolf behind him. He stopped and waited for it to reach him before he continued. He didn't know where they were headed; he just knew they had to this direction. His wolf stayed right beside him, always within reach.

He didn't have to speak to his wolf, they were connected somehow. River was unsure of what or who his wolf was supposed to represent, but he could care less. This wolf would forever be his. He felt is with his whole being.

They continued to follow the trail thru the woods until his wolf stopped suddenly, eyes and ears alert. River tried to get it to move, but it wouldn't budge. He watched as his wolf searched the surrounding area. River didn't see or hear anything unusual, but obviously his wolf had. It looked up at River before it took off at a dead run.

Up ahead there was a clearing, his wolf headed in that direction. River tried to follow but his wolf was too fast. Once he reached the clearing he looked around, he had been there before; in his dreams with Siobhan. River turned around in a slow circle like he did in his other dreams, he figured Siobhan would show up. She didn't appear however, so he just felt foolish.

River looked around again and realized that his wolf was no longer with him. He turned to head back towards the trail that would lead him to the park when he heard the wolf's howl. Where had it come from though? Again he headed for the trail, again the wolf howled. He scanned the tree line until he spotted his wolf.

The wolf waited for River to approach before it took off at a slower pace to ensure its mate could keep up. After about fifteen minutes, the trees thinned out and River noticed they had come to the edge of town. Why had his wolf led him here? All he saw were houses and buildings that had been abandoned and condemned.

He looked down at his wolf; it just stared up at him like River should know what this place was. He had decided to turn back and go about his walk when he heard Siobhan's message in his head. Trust in yourself, believe the unimaginable, see with your mind, listen with your heart. So he did just that.

River closed his eyes, cleared his mind, took a deep breath and waited. He was just about to give up when he got a flash of an image along with a sense of something he couldn't explain. He saw Raivyn; she was in a dark place. He could feel her, she was scared; but he could tell she was in a happy place within her own dreams.

River wondered if he could reach out to her this way. He thought of his baby girl and told her that daddy loved her very much and that he would find her. He imagined his arms around her, holding her tight as she slept. He tried to send feelings of warmth, love, comfort and protection to her as well.

He opened his eyes, not knowing of what he just did helped any, but he had to trust in himself. He looked at the spot where his wolf had been before he closed his eyes... he was gone. River spun around, but the wolf was nowhere to be found. He took one last look at the area he had been led to. Could this be that place Raivyn was being held? He stored it all to memory before he headed back.

River wondered where his wolf had gone as he walked the trail that would take him back to the park. He would stop time to time to look around for his wolf; he spotted it finally on the trail ahead of him. He made his way to it, but with each step that took him closer, the wolf would run just that much further ahead. Frustrated, he gave up and watched as his wolf vanished.

River had just entered the park from the trail when he collided with someone. He looked up to apologize only to look into a pair of steel grey eyes under a shock of shiny black hair, like onyx. He was looking at Eithen, but how? It couldn't be... no... not possible. His wolf was an animal, Eithen was a man. They couldn't be one in the same.

Believe the unimaginable she said. NO... could it? His wolf, steel grey eyes, black fur the color of onyx. Eithen, the same steel grey eyes that drew him in, hair the color of black onyx. OH... MY... GOD!!!

******

Eithen laid there and thought about the dream he just had. He had been in his wolf form, but he was still aware of all that had happened. The run, finding River, the clearing, the buildings and then nothing. He woke up as River stood there eon the edge of town. Strange as hell he thought as he played with River's hair. He needed to touch River while he could, he didn't know when he would get another chance.

******

Lonnie ran into Eithen's office and stopped just beyond the doorway. He could see his Alpha on the sofa, but he was awake so he said what he came for. "Alpha, forgive me for barging in without notice, but you were not answering any of your phones. We received an urgent message from your father. He believes he has located the couple but requires back-up from the pack." Lonnie rattled on unaware of the deadly look in his Alpha's eyes.

Eithen had turned his head as the door opened and his runner came in and started to ramble on. Before he could speak, Lonnie started in on his message unaware that he had just broke Pack Law. Eithen realized that Lonnie couldn't see River on the sofa with him from where he stood by the door. As he stared Lonnie down, he released just enough of his Alpha power to get Lonnie to shut-up for a second.

Lonnie knew he had fucked up somehow when he felt his Alpha's influence. He stopped talking and walked over to where his Alpha was laid out. What he saw made him nervous, he had just spoke about the pack in front of a human. "Al... uhh... umm... Eithen, I am so sorry, I didn't think. I was told to come give you this message as quick as I could. I never considered the possibility of him being there with you. All I saw was you and I just started talking, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to break the ..."

Eithen held up his hand and silenced Lonnie. He understood that his runner had no idea that River was in the room before he spoke. Lonnie was still young, a pup really; but he knew the laws and the consequences for breaking them. He knew he should have walked into the room, waited to be acknowledged, and then given permission to speak. If he had done that, he would have known there was a human present. Eithen would have to think about the punishment later.

"Lonnie, I understand you did what you thought was right, however you went about it the wrong way. You are lucky that River is asleep and did not hear what you were saying." Eithen stated with authority, yet quietly as he looked back down to the man in his arms.

"Thank you Lonnie for the message let Troy know that I will contact him within the hour. You are dismissed. BUT Lonnie... keep in mind that this matter WILL be discussed at a later date. Do you understand?" Eithen asked, as he pushed a bit of his power out. "Yes Al... Sir, understood." Lonnie said as he bowed his head and walked back out of the office.

Damn that was close; thank god River didn't wake up. I'm not ready to have that conversation yet. Eithen thought to himself, just as River started to stir. "Hey sleepy, you feeling better now?" Eithen asked as he looked down into beautiful brown eyes.

******

River woke up a little confused. He had been about ready to tell Eithen about his dream, next thing he knew he was in the park. Was that a dream as well? It had to be; but what did it all mean? The wolf again, the buildings on the edge of town, Raivyn in a dark place and then Eithen. He would have to think about it all later.

He blinked a few times to get his eyes to focus; as he did River looked up into a pair of striking steel grey eyes. Not now, I can't think about his eyes he told himself. He noticed a look of concern cross Eithen's face, and then remembered the question he had yet to answer.

"Yes, I feel much better now. And thank you I guess, for catching me again, it seems that is all you do anymore." River said quietly as he tried to get up. Eithen wouldn't remove his arms however from around River. He needed space, he needed to think; he couldn't do that when he was this close to Eithen.

"Let go Eithen. I need to get up." River said as he pushed himself up off Eithen's chest where he had been laying. He had to think of something to talk about or he would've happily crawled back into the protective embrace Eithen offered, and he wasn't ready for all that. "Did, I hear someone talking a minute ago?" he asked as he looked around, but saw no one else in the room.

"Um... yeah, sorry about that. One of my men came by to give me a message from pops." Eithen replied as he stood and walked over to his desk chair. He needed to hide the evidence what River's body against his did. "They think they have found the couple that Angelica gave Raivyn to. Pops needs a few extra mean though before they go in."

Eithen looked over to where River sat on the sofa, he could see the look of hope in his eyes. "I really hate to do this, but do you think you'll be ok for a few hours alone? I wanna be there when they talk to those people." He couldn't let River know that he would be the one in charge of getting the information they needed to finally find Raivyn.

River jumped up with a look of disbelief on his face as he stared at Eithen across the room. How dare he try and keep me out of something that concerns MY daughter. He raged inside, but knew it was not wise to anger this man who had already done so much for him. He took a deep breath to calm himself before he responded.

"NO, it's not alright; I have to go with you. They have my daughter, I need to be there. There is no way that I am going to stay here while you run off to be the shining knight... huh uh... not gonna happen." River said with conviction, as he stormed over to the desk to make sure he got his point across never breaking eye contact.

"River... I understand you want to be there, I do. You can't go though, I won't allow it." As soon as Eithen said it, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. He was not dealing with an employee or even a friend right now. He was dealing with an emotional parent, he knew better.

"Allow it... You won't ALLOW it... and why the hell not? Give me one good reason why I should sit my ass here and do nothing while you are out there finding MY daughter!" By the end of his rant, River was fuming.

"DAMN-IT River, you're not going. I don't have to give you a reason, this is not a choice you get to have. Either you stay here alone and behave or I send my mother over here to keep watch and make sure you don't do anything stupid. What's it going to be River?" Eithen was not about to let River go in there when he didn't even know what the situation was yet, he couldn't chance River's safety.

River was not happy about this at all. This was his daughter they were talking about. He had every right to be there. Fine, if Eithen wanted to be this way about it, then he would figure something else out after he was gone.

"OK... fine, have it your way. I'll stay here while you go do your thing. I don't need a damned sitter though. Just go Eithen, find out what you can and bring my daughter home to me." With that, River turned and walked over to the window and stared out into the woods. He never heard Eithen leave, he had other things running thru his head; like how to locate the place from his most recent dream.