The Wolf Pack: Next Gen

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Spring laughed. "You would have thought the kid had caught on, huh?" Her smile was sardonic, but filled with an affection for her descendant.
"His power is mine, passed on. His talent, is growing herbs and flowers at will." She explained casually, dropping the ritualistic attitude she previously displayed at this wolf's summoning. "The flowers will come and go with the intensity of Hock's emotions. If he can control it, this will only happen rarely."
 
Hock beamed with a gratitude. Delphi was right. They were family now, even if they hadn't crossed paths before this. Rhaegar had gone with Bran to see his visions, to call his ancestor forth, and now he looked to Caicias. The wolf was standing by Delphi's tree, staring with a concentration.
 
Rhaegar smiled; it was a charming gift.
"Thank you, Spring," he said graciously. "I'm sure Hock will use it well. Can I relay to him any tips from you on how to tame it and use it to his advantage? He'd be so pleased to have your advice."

 
Caicias was still recounting, though he was stuck on one. A bunch of chamomile flowers, strung together to form a small net, which would hang over the top of the head. He remembered chamomile was a relaxant, but for the life of him couldn't remember its ritualistic purposes.
 
"Chamomile is used a lot to keep wolves, especially pups, safe from darkness and evil," said Delphi with a smile, noticing Caicias' squint at her net of the flowers. "It's believed they are spiritual beings in themselves, and catch the dark spirits. That's why they're hung from trees - and since pups are most vulnerable, you'll never see a Western pup without several nets around them when they sleep. It's really quite endearing." She grinned warmly at him. "But I'm sure you already knew that - I'm sorry to go on."
 
Caicias gave a little shy smile, embarrassed at being caught staring. "Ah- no, that was the one I'd forgotten, actually." he admitted. "It's nice to have these ties to the West, though. I didn't think I'd meet another wolf who knew them."
 
"Nor did I," said Delphi. "I'm glad to have another Western wolf here, along with my brother - may the gods look kindly on each of us. Which pack did you originate from?"
She knew every pack in the West, as they knew of her; the Oracle had made an accidental name for herself on the flatlands after the premonition she had as a pup.
 
"The Drastern Pack," Caicias responded. "My family lived on the outskirts, being scouts from birth, and we never really interacted with the rest of the pack. Still, we strayed into the pack every now and then, and your legacy was well known even to us." It embarrassed him, slightly, the fact that his family had had such little involvement with the pack. So he tried to cover it up; first saying he still interacted, then quickly deflecting it back to her.
 
Spring bowed her head. "It will take time, as it always does, for Hock to control his skill. What may help him succeed faster is possessing a mindfulness." She tilted her head at Rhaegar. "Perhaps your sister could teach this through meditation?"

Hock padded over to listen to their words quietly. He listened to the Western wolves speak of their individual pack traditions, smiling. Although it all seemed alien to him, he was interested.
 
"I know the Drastern Pack," Delphi said warmly. "I even slept beneath one of their trees on my way here."

Rhaegar nodded. "She definitely could. Thank you, Spring - this will mean a lot to Hock."
 
Caicias smiled. "The pack wasn't the closest of the Western packs, I know. We were all good friends, but not as intertwined as we should have been. The alpha's daughter was trying to rectify that when I left. We did like to take care of our trees, though. It was one of the things we all came together for."
 
"Sage Pack treasured its trees too."
Delphi looked up at her own tree with affection. With its spindly branches adorned with chains of flowers and herbs, it looked like a hand wearing a thousand rings and stretching up to link fingers with Heaven. It was the first tree she'd selected and decorated alone; usually her father, and oftentimes her eldest brother, would help her each time they moved camp. She couldn't imagine sleeping in a den, with the sky hidden from view. How could the gods watch over and speak to you if you were tucked away out of their sight?
"Are you two settling in well?" she said brightly, opening the conversation to Hock too.
 
Spring smiled. "You're very welcome." She stepped back, and her image faded.

Hock grinned at both Galenia and Caicias. "I sure am. These grounds might be uh, different to what I'm used to, but I'm really starting to like 'em!" He laughed. "Starting to like the folks here too." He gave a friendly nudge to Caicias.
 
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Caicias blushed, quickly hiding it from Hock with a laugh. "Yeah! Everyone here's been super nice so far, it's great here!"
 
The Oracle smiled gently. "I'm glad to hear it."

Spring vanished, and Rhaegar woke with a start and a huge gasp of breath.
His commotion alerted Bran, who turned from the other side of the glade to the source of the noise, peering into the healing den.
"You were out for exactly an hour," he said somewhat smugly, padding over. "How do you feel?"
"Fine," Rhaegar said. He stood up, feeling wired with energy. Unlike Delphi, when he used his gift it seemed to make him feel more alive as opposed to his sister's fatigue. "Thank you for your help, Bran. Demelza's training you well already."
Bran blushed pink and smiled. "Well, she's a talented teacher, even if she refuses to stop tripping me up with her quick-witted comebacks all the time."
The burnt-brown wolf laughed, then excused himself.
"I have to speak with Hock and my sister - they'll want to hear about my dream."

"Hock," said Delphi, her eyes focusing on something over the two wolves' heads, "Rhaegar's awake."
 
Hock turned around briefly, and then turned back to Delphi with a stirring excited energy. He resembled a younger version of himself for a fleeting moment, something childish and glowing in his own eyes. The pink scar by his ear flushed.
"I wonder what he'll have to say to me." He reminded himself that using a gifted power for such a long period might be taxing on a wolf.
"If he's- tired, then we can talk about it tomorow." Hock told The Oracle.
 
"No, no, he'll be fine," Delphi reassured Hock, able to easily see how excited he was. "He's always so energetic after he dreams."
Dipping his head to Caicias and his sister, Rhaegar came to a halt beside Hock, turning to face him head-on.
"I met with her quite quickly," he said, smiling. "Spring was so eager to see me about you."
 
"I wasn't so eager to meet her the first time." Hock murmured, tipping Rheagar a grateful smile. He examined the wolf's features, scanning over Rhaegar's upright ears and energetic eyes. Delphi had been right about the wolf acting almost charged by his dreams. "What did Spring say?"
 
"I asked her about your gift," Rhaegar said. "She told me you've inherited hers: the gift of life. Flowers grow at your feet when you're feeling something strongly - she said if you practice meditation with Delphi, you could learn to tame it."
 
"Talking to the dead? You can do that yourself, Liguria."
Liguria's eyes widened as she felt the alien words invade her mind, almost clawing for purchase in her thoughts. She made another attempt to react to Selkis' statement, but found she had forgotten it entirely. Again the voice hissed in her mind.
"Who needs a Seer when you have me, a vision?"
 
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