The whole area was transformed at the first rays of morning light. It didn't take long for pack members and traders alike to arrive, hurrying to gather what they sought.

"Look Red!" Everett points at a blanket with an array of small figures. The pieces of clothing I traded for stuffed in the pack. I had to trade a length of twine, and the pair of shoes, and some dried meat for the clothing. With the weather as it is, it will be worth it in the end.

"One moment Everett." Turning back to the trader, I look down at the fur animals. It's common for parents to give their child a stuffed toy made from an animal fur they hunted and killed themselves. Often the animal is a wolf, with strip of fabric tied around its neck showing the pack crest. My fingers brush over the furs, under the watchful gaze of the she-wolf. Stopping at a soft fur.

"That one is lovely. A little kit of a rabbit. Not many take those for obvious reasons," the she-wolf informs, her hawk-like gaze pinned on my hands.

"No." I nod in agreement. "Most prefer giving their pup a fur they caught themselves. However, I would like it." I indicate the delicate, dark brown wolf.

"What will you offer?" the female asks, one eyebrow raised, eyes flitting in a searching mannar.

I take out the neatly packed rabbit skin, and some twine. "I offer this rabbit pelt, and some grass twine." Setting them down, I let her feel the fur, and test the strength of the rope. The small wolf, made from kit fur isn't worth much.

Humming, she nods in agreement. "This will do." Handing over the wolf, I place it carefully in my bag.

"Everett," I call him out of his dream world.

"Huh." He looks up, those big eyes staring up. "What iz hap-ning now?"

"Come, I think now is the best time to go bathe. Everyone else is trading, so we will have some quiet." I head over across the clearing, towards the water with Everett trailing slowly behind. I can feel him getting further away. Turning around I see him dragging his feet, stopping to look at trees and rocks. "Come Ev. Come pup, we should bathe while the sun still has some warmth."

If we waited much longer the day would cool, and Lily may help me, however without a wolf Everett runs a lower temperature.

"You first." He points to the slow flowing stream.

Stepping into the water, it sloshes around my ankles. It's chilly, however ridding myself of my layers I scrub the dirt and grim away. The water beneath me turns murky before being pulled away down stream. The water is chilling, so I hurry to get out, pulling on just the underdress, leaving the dress itself to be washed up after.

"It is your turn Everett." Bringing him closer to the bank, I step in, careful to hold his hands. He pulls against me, backing away. The scent of fear engulfs him, as tears drip from his eyes.

"No!" He screeches, letting the whole word know just what he thinks about getting in the water.

"Everett." I look at him as he continues to move away.

"No-no-no." His eyes are puffy up, face getting rosey, and nose wrinkled. "I dun't wanna."

"It is important Everett." Biting my lip, unsure of how to proceed. Everett has never done this, and in my old pack the older she-wolves always swooped in when these situations occured. "Why do you not want to go?"

He sniffles, tears still pouring out. "I d-d-dun't. Wa-a-nna." He manages to breath out the words, hiccuping between them. "N-o, wan-n-na!"

Leaving the water, I approach him. Hands out I pull him closer, balancing on the tips of my toes I get down to his level. Looking him in the eyes I try again, wiping my thumb across his cheek. "My inkaer, my Everett. What is wrong? Why do you not want to go into the water?"

Gasping his cries die down. The tears stop, and he is left shaking. As I hold him something, humming softly, I try and remember what would have caused this.

"Red." His arms wrap around my neck, hanging on for dear life. Hiding his face in my shoulder he mutters, "Don't go."

The attack flashes through my mind.

"Oh, Ev. Don't worry, you are safe. No one will harm you, my inkaer." I wait until he stops trembling. Petting his head, and rubbing his back. Slowly, it dies down and he is quiet. "It is important, we must get you clean, you'll never leave my arms. Okay?"

I go in ankle deep, and knee. Letting his feet touch the surface. He yanks them up trying to move away for either the cold or the uncertainties. I start to peel away his stain covered clothing, and using the extra cloth from the cloak I scrub him clean. His soft skin is so delicate and soft as wash the dirt off. The water, becoming even murkier then it had for me, a cloudy area of brown. It takes some work until only clean water comes down. Pulling Everett away, I ring the rag, and wipe all the grime off his face.

Wadding out of the stream, I set Everett down, and pat him dry with another piece of clothing. Digging into the pack, I pull out his new set. The new set of clothing is made up of a thick fabric. Helping him pull everything on, I adjust everything so it fits just right. The shirt is a tad long, however that may be a good thing.

After helping Everett, I pull off the underdress, and swap it out for the new dress I traded for. The new dress is made from a much sturdier material type. A working dress, typically seen in the lower ranks of the hierarchy or worn by the Solus. It is quite stiff, like most dresses in the start. Picking up my old dress, as well as Everett's old clothing, I rub them together in the water. Ringing them out I hold them in one hand, and lean down planting a small kiss on his cheek. "Thank you Everett."

He giggles, the puffiness gone from his eyes. Everett's hands feel cold, so as we walk, I drap his cloak back around his shoulders. One of these days I'll have to hunt for some furs in order to make a warmer cloak.

As we walk back to the camp I hear the cries in the distance. Keeping my head down I walk towards the little camp I had made. Everett keeps up, his short legs working double time to cover the distance. He doesn't look back as I usher him under the makeshift shelter. The cries are muffled, and soon enough I tune them out completely.

Unwrapping the dried hare, I hand Everett the pieces one after another. It's the last of the preserves, but it won't matter. We'll be on the move as soon as both of us are completely dried off. Crossing my legs, I turn to look out at the traders. The winds are blowing, and my hairs prickle, the scent of impending cold.

"Yes child?" I shift to look at Everett. He crawls onto my lap sideways, curling into me, his feet dangling.

"Iz cold." His small hands brush against my neck and the coolness in his fingers surprise me. As they pass I freeze, my eyes locked onto something in the distance.

My world is fogging, I can't think clearly. My whole line of sight is distorted, I can't tell which way is up and what's down. It feels like a lifetime before the dizziness clears, but when it does my heart aches. My heart shatters once again. My sister, she is sitting on a log in front of my brother's grave, our mother behind her, and our father, his hard gaze seems to penetrate me. Seeing right through the mist, through the vision.

The forest is silent, not an animal in sight.

What is going on? The sky darkens, but there is no sun. The moon rises and the darkness falls. A lullaby, a tune seems to weave itself throughout the area. It reverberates through the area, like it is taking on the air itself. I try and reach out, but my arms are stuck. A dark forest grows around us, and I look around the area trying to figure out what's going on. The undergrowth thickens, and something coils around my leg. A chilling sensation erupts from my legs, and spreads through my veins. The wailing grows, and soon it changes to a scream.

Light fills my sight and, my heart races. The sobbing and screams echo, but soon the sound of footsteps joins in. Blinking, my eyes adjust, a slight ache forming. Everett is still sprawled over me, only moments seem to have passed.

"Why your eyez glow?" Everett looks up, resting his hand on my cheek.

I stare down as my head clears, the bandage on my heart tearing, and the wounds reopening. It's so raw, blistered and bruising. Bringing my hand up to my chest, I let it rest over my heart. Hesitating, the heaviness and warmths from the life form on my lap has me stopping before I can do any harm. Looking down, I concentrate on Everett.

"Well, my Inkaer." I speak softly, and reaching to drag his cloak over to cover us. After securely wrapping within its fold, I nuzzle him, my wolf demanding it. "I am what shifters like to call Lupaena Lua." The words feel bitter on my tongue—a moon's child, a moon born shifter—it's all I can do to keep my voice level.

The resentment runs quickly through my veins, and a feeling in my stomach tingles.

"Why?"

"Lua Lupa, the moon herself decided to..." I search for a word other than 'gift' to use. "Give me capability to receive visions. I have never seen myself have a vision, but I am assuming that what you saw with my eyes was apart of it."

"You fam'ly nevah told about it?" The innocence is strong, his simple questions striking a cord deep within.

"My family never knew I was a Lupaena Lua, and my visions were nothing but a figment of my imagination." I draw circles on his palm with my thumb. "Not everything is right, but it is how we live."

"They no help you?" Everett uses his free hand to play with my damp, brown hair. He holds it up to the light, tilting it so the red highlights appear. The faint hue of silver glints, marking me out from others. His deep green eyes search me with nothing but pure curiosity. "Grey?"

"I was born with it. It's not noticeable unless you look." I inhale deeply, and a tinge of surprise flutters deep within. Scenting the air once again, I realize Everett has taken on much of my own scent. I'm not surprised by that, it was bound to happen even if it is faint. We used to blend in with the plants, but the bathe in the river washed most of it away. A sharp, prominent fragrance registers, through a faint undertone can be almost felt. The scent that clung to since birth is rubbing off on Everett. It's been so long since my own scent has been uncovered: bare without anything intentionally mixed it. My mother used to douse me in flower oils, trying to hide it, and on the run I subconsciously rub against the plants.

The relief that Everett will never have to live through the trials of being a Lupaena Lua is immense. There have been no records of a male Lupaena Lua, so it is thought only females can be moon born. My wolf and I only want his happiness and wellbeing.

"You no like it?" Everett rests his head against my chest, sighing with content, still twirling my locks between his fingers.

"The grey undertone?" I rest my chin on his head.

"Be'ng, Lulua."

"Lupaena Lua?" Chidding myself, I forgot how perceptive pups can be. "I don't enjoy it, Ev. I live with it though, since it is my reality. It is what I am, and I cannot change that. I used to want it to go away, but now I can only dream."

Everett lets out a hum, and I can almost see the thoughts running like a fast flowing stream. Soon we'd have to pack up again, so we could get moving. The encampment will stay open for another moonrise, however I have nothing left to trade.

I start to tune out, letting Lily roam free with our senses. I start to pick up on something, the word healing packs catching my attention. The shifters that are speaking must be trading for some kind of herbs or information.

"I've heard there are three healing packs. Vera of course is the one everyone knows in this area, but I've been listening around, and word is that the other two are Axinla, and Senae." The voices go back and forth on the point, trying to narrow down the area. I've gathered it is somewhere is somewhere with very harsh winters and light ribbons.

Harsh winters. I start to think about where it could be located. When I was younger, I used to eavesdrop when my mother brought me out on her trading runs. The traders that used to visit my pack told of a place where lights danced in the skies at certain times of the year, and the shifters have pelts of snow.

There have been tales of the white wolves, and their vicious nature. The Vera pack never mentioned their name, however that could be for protection. It would be a ways away, but it's the best lead I have to a cure. My time is flying, and running will only get me so far.

"Where are we gonna go?"

My heartbeat picks up, and after a few drawn out breaths I look down. Is it fair to bring a pup? To drag him on a hunt for unseen prey? It's the only thing I can do at the moment. "We are going to find a pack of the name Axinla."

"Why?" My wolf grumbles in amusement at the hint of annoyance creeping in.

"We are going to see what they can do for..." My curse, no that doesn't sound right, I won't burden Everett with the information. "Something I need help with."

"Can I's help?" He chirps, cheerily, kicking his feet.

"If only my inkaer. It is kind of you to offer, however you cannot do anything." After a moment I tag on, "All you can do is be a good pup, and remember my heart is with you."

My heart melts as he nods vigorously in agreement. Repeating my words, reassuring me he'll do his best. The childish grin, and innocent eyes gleam with such trust, it hurts.

Raising my hand I run it through his hair. It's still damp, though a bit longer and it should be okay. Tonight we'd leave. No point in dawdling around like an injured deer without a herd, when we could make a dent in the distance.

"Red." A thick wall of anxiety slams into me. "What happen' if you go into glowing eyes place and never come back." The fear clouds him, as I start to rock him back and forth.

"Hush, Ev." I croon gently. "I'll always do my best to come back for you. I'll always be in your heart." I tap his chest with a finger. "And you'll always be in mine. Sometimes certain visions take longer than others, and if that happens and we are in the open hide well." Always keep the pups safe, keep them out of danger.

My wolf only knows how to care for Everett from her instincts, what nature dictates her to do. I only know how to care for a pup by listening to her, and recalling what was done during my childhood. The lessons of what to do and what no to do still ingrained as firmly as ever.

The fears are new to me. The fragile complex of a pups mind is challenging. For so long I've been kept away from the younglings, been living as a solitary creature, but with Everett, those lonely pangs have ceased.

Fear. Handling fear is different. I don't know what to do. Lily wants to coddle him, and show him the reality of things both at the same time. I'm torn. I can't shield him from life, but I won't throw him head first. Everett will have to fight his own battles. But until he grows his claws, and sharpen his fangs or until he has someone else, I'll stand beside him with my wolf's claws and fangs bared on full display.

I bit my lip, I don't want Everett to have a childhood like mine. I want him to be free, not to fear being himself, not to grow up being told how everything should be done. As a female the etiquette and rules were harsh, but males didn't escape it either.

I saw the scars in my brother's hand. Where my father would lash out with his claws if something was wrong. Luckily, my mother never took that approach with my sister or I, but I've met my fathers claws a few times. The scratches healed, only faint, thin, pink links left. My brother and sister took to the ways of the pack easily, but I struggled. I struggled and fought. They shoved me into a box I didn't fit it, and eventually it cracked, and I was free again.

I cuddle Everett closely. No one would lay a hand on him if I could help it. Lily grows vicious, eyes flashing at the thought. Whoever tries had better have prayed to Lua Lupa beforehand.