The Rise-Book II

Chapter 26: The Long Walk

Legs were intertwined with legs and arms wrapped around each other; there was no beginning or end to us. The bond hummed in quiet contentment like a soft lullaby to us while we slept.

We had fallen in and out of sleep as we fell in and out of each other's arms throughout the night.

Night.

Night had waned on and dawn was slowly encroaching in while I lay on my male's chest, his fingers mindlessly toying with my hair as we let the heaviness of the day set in. It was like we were both wading into a pool of molasses together, every step we took was met with tension that only seemed to increase as the molasses got thicker.

It was time.

Ethan dipped down and kissed me, long and slow like it was a lazy morning in our cabin without the worry of the world. He pulled away and rested his head on mine, his beast surprisingly calm for a day that we both knew would change our lives no matter what the fate of it was.

"Morning sunshine," he breathed out as he pushed some hair out of my face.

I gave him a sleepy smile and kissed him again. "Hey," I breathed back.

He kissed me again, his fingers trailing the edge of my jaw while the little birds outside started to wake up the forest with their morning song.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

He nodded. "Are you?"

"Yes," I breathed out.

He nodded before sitting up and stretching up in our small tent that was definitely too small for him; I hadn't realized how small until this morning. Poor Ethan definitely looked like a giant in our navy blue tent.

I pulled on my favorite pair of spandex shorts, a sports bra, and my loose tank top with grizzly bear claw slashes on it that Elliot had gotten me for Christmas. Derek was truly a lifesaver for remembering to bring me clothes.

Ethan pulled on some shorts and watched me with a soft smile while I slipped on my favorite pair of Ked's. "What?"

He shook his head as he leaned forward to kiss me. "I love you."

I kissed him back; letting my lips linger on his and savor the taste of his mouth while his tongue traced the lines of mine. "I love you too," I breathed back.

"Ethan?" Evan called out from outside the tent.

"Yes?"

"There's been movement, we need you," he replied back. He was calm but his words made both Ethan and my eyes widened slightly while our beasts quickly shook their fur out.

She was ready.

She licked her lips and snapped her teeth in the air; she had so many lovely dreams last night, the last many nights, about how today would look.

I kissed Ethan again then gave him a tiny nod. He unzipped our tent, our safe haven and pulled me out into the soft cool air in the dim lit night that was the early hours before dawn. Evan leaned against a tree as he waited for us, his hair pulled back in a tony pony-tail that I assumed was Lyanna's.

"What is it?" Ethan asked as we started to walk back towards camp.

Evan moved to his left and nodded towards Billy and David who were talking over a map while Levi and Lander looked on. "He caught wind not too long ago, a few hours maybe? Ryder got word to most of the pack, but some of them couldn't keep their mouth's shut. We expected that much.

"He's out with fresh scouts the morning monitoring the situation. Looks like Thomas has his warriors ready, we may have to spill some blood earlier than we thought."