* * *

Sage found herself aiding Alanna in taking inventory of the stock room, it was Half Crescent's final night—As the fight certainly brought an unsettling feeling among both packs that it was best to move along the processes. And while Julian wouldn't have cared either way, it was clear that his pack member's opinions would be unavoidable.

Alanna herself was feeling guilty, she loved Hera and Andy—The three extra days would've been alright, but the desperation of meeting the deadline of winter truly starting to snow them in. It was all-around safer for them to start traveling sooner.

"You can always come to visit, I would love to meet your pups." It was clear that her voice startled the young Luna and a light smile formed, though it was clear that she was having mixed feelings about the invitation.

Though Alanna had to get it out in the open.

"You know, Sage, we're not angry at all...Julian is just—When his mate died, he almost lost the pack due to neglect. It's natural to fall into a spiral, especially in the higher tiers when the relationship is also a job. When this pack lost their Luna, they lost their Alpha as well." She stood frozen, unable to think rationally as she looked up with tears in her eyes.

"Sweetheart, no it's—"
"I don't have a mate mark, my mate thinks I'm dead...He—Pack's at war..." Sage had begun to hyperventilate at the mere suggestion that her pack could've been neglected, but Alanna refused to allow her to spiral.

"No, your mate is just fine. Remus is just fine, your pups are waiting for you to come home. You just have to hold out a little longer." Sage nodded, however, she had another reason to panic. Especially when she found herself trapped against the wall.

"You know my name."
"It's hard not to when Andy shouted it when you collapsed, it's alright. Your secret's safe with me, Julian isn't the...Isn't the biggest fan of Remus." Sage didn't push the topic and instead felt her body uplift at the idea that Alanna knew who she was.

"I'm sorry for lying, I don't like lying."
"To who? Me or Andy?" Once again, guilt had layered the conversation between these two Lunas—Well, if anything, Sage/Hera was Luna twice over and Alpha in her own right.

"The Moon Goddess has special plans for you, and when you do find Remus, he'll understand. Andy will too. Those two are a lot stronger than anyone wants to give them credit for."
"I have Luna money. I'll pay you and Alpha Julian back when I get home and—"
"Take your time, sweetheart. Cuddle with those pups...They only stay small for so long." Sage had taken note of the advice, and the two finished up their tasks side by side, mostly silent, considering the tables had been turned.

Alanna knew that the switch from Hera to Sage was much too coincidental, and while she might not be neck-deep in the drama happening across the border. Julian was, for the most part, at least. The story lined up as well. Sage had been missing and labeled as dead. Other than that, it was difficult to search for any more relevant information without her Beta or Delta finding out.

However, Sage was a very powerful she-wolf. To have the backings of half of America willing to pay for her safe return, that was something that Alanna couldn't wrap her head around. Not only Mystic Grimm was her birth pack, but Crescent Moon as her mate and White Paw's Luna as a sister? 

In addition of how intertwined her Beta and Delta's mate are.

Crescent Moon was restoring what the norm of pack relations was meant to look like. Unity in all, but it crumbled right alongside the council, and Alanna did not speak about it anymore.

Nor did Sage ask. It seemed like they both agreed that the mission was to get back to Crescent Moon, not think about what issues lay in wait.

However, the easier idea would've been to just send her to Mystic Grimm, though that required identification—And Alanna worried what her mate would do.

Even if Andy is bonded to her at the current moment, they do not want a war from across the border. As she knew full well that Mystic would swap the brotherhood of the conclave right then and there if they hurt her.
All without hesitation.

The plane was scheduled to leave bright and early the next morning, and tackling the walk towards the tarmac was not as much of a challenge as they were warned off. Not when the witches had cleaned said tarmac and trails surrounding it, making Julian laugh.

"I think I need to invest in a few friendships with some covens." The witches all supported the idea, even if they were known to be closed off to wolves. It was only because of the human nature in witches, they were weak among the rest. Without their powers, they were nothing more than humans, except for their knowledge of the supernatural world.

Upon entering the plane, Sage stumbled upon seeing that it wasn't the luxury vehicle she thought it was.
No, it was much worse.
But at this point in the year, she was more than willing to strap onto the side and hope for the best. "I guess you're more used to the private jets, huh?" Andy smirked, and Sage only settled him with a growl.

Of course, everyone was nervous about the idea of the piece of junk managing through the sky and landing without fail. But the last time Sage had been on one, was when it was hijacked and had to land in the water.

Hopefully, that won't happen this time.

Once the plane had taken off, everyone felt much more relaxed and started to lay out in the center of the plane. But Sage remained glued to the wall and held firmly onto the belt buckle. "You plan on sitting there the whole—"
"Yup." She interrupted, and Severin laughed at their feet. Both he and Elena were curled up in the center beside some of the containers. It was much easier to load and contain everything that needed to be shipped back and forth this way. While Andy didn't have his seatbelt on—He did remain seated beside Sage with his arm taking residence in between her legs, having her thigh in his grasp while she hugged the better part of his arm.

For the majority of the flight, Sage kept her eyes closed. It was clear that she was not falling asleep as easily as the rest of the pack. Andy, on the other hand, had slept through much worse. All he needed was a clear reminder that his female was nearby for his wolf to feel relaxed.

Though that rarely happened for more than a few moments, especially when Sage flinched at every sign of turbulence.

Thankfully the flight was due to end any minute. One of the pilots instructed everyone to return to their seats and strap in. Course that only meant Andy's arm wouldn't regain any feeling for another twenty minutes or so, and soon enough—The entire cabin had bounced and bucketed to the clash of tires wearing out their speed on the ground.

The homeland of more than the majority of wolves and witches with them.

For humans, Canada was the freedom away from America, and it almost mirrored the supernatural world as well. Granted, that would perhaps change now that Oak Wood was informing everyone about the Underground's relations across the border as well.

When the plane finally managed to come to a stop, the better part of the plane cheered and groaned in a moment of thankfulness. Sage knew that some wolves were starting to get a little restless as to when the plan would pick up in returning to an American pack, but they were fortunate enough not to run the rest of the way.

The second one of the pilots from Oak Wood had returned from the cockpit, Andy unbuckled Sage, earning him a damning pout which he paired with a kiss.

"Alright, everyone, let's stretch our legs and help these guys load up. We'll get a plan in order once we're done." With a task in mind, the others went to work in getting a move on with their directed order. While Sage attempted to take one step and almost fell to the ground had Andy not suspected it would happen.

"You okay, hun?"
"Fine. I forgot to stretch my legs." She said with a cheeky grin, and it earned her another right-felt growl that vibrated between their bodies.

"Could you two knock it off? We have like 500 miles to cover, and we don't even know if we're running it yet," Grey grumbled, but Sage managed to keep Andy from losing his temper. The Alpha was surely starting to feel the effects of being in the air for so long, but also—This was almost like foreign ground to him.

The last time he was here, he held an unmarked face. He was a free man with a free name. After the first few inhales of fresh air, Andy was excited to get a move on. Yet when he turned to see Sage, she was currently vomiting the remainder of her breakfast out in the field beside the tarmac.

"Elena's not feeling too great either..." Severin said in a slight warning, though handing off a fresh water bottle to give to her.

Approaching her with cation, he cracked open the lid and offered it. Which earned him a much different reaction than the one from inside the plane. "Yeah, I'm not a fan of them, but we shaved off about three weeks of traveling."
"I rather run it." She said, her voice desperate for a breath of air. Though he chuckled along at the thought.

"You might be up for it, but we have a lot of heads that are counting on us. Remember?... You wanna hang out with Elena? She's sitting this one out too." She nodded, following him back towards the rest of the crowd and helping to manage the supplies they had to their names.

The two pilots from Oak Wood were very thankful for getting help with their task of loading up the pack's supplies. If anything, it looked as though it would've taken the two males a day at the least to do it.

Once they managed to secure it, they promptly left-back to return North. And Half Crescent made the decision to watch it leave, and only when it was just about a bug in the distance, Severin started thanking the moon goddess.

"It wasn't that bad, Sev." Andy rallied, and Sage elbowed Andy in the gut. Hard.
"Getting poisoned is that bad, or challenged. Right, Chief?" She said with narrowed eyes, tempting him to speak further on their time spent in Julian's pack.

"I like Alanna, I'm calling her when I get back home and say thank you again...When are we going?"
"I think we might be camping for the night, just to get our bearings in order and see what's around. The weather's holding up too. We'll be fine." The warehouse was the perfect place to remain, and any overstock they were welcomed to, as Julian wouldn't be able to touch it until the next haul.

For the first time in a while, the pack ate like actual humans. It felt like a gourmet meal the way the witches handled their food. Andy sat beside the fire with Sage curled in his lap and Grey standing above the rest, telling one of the many legends he heard as a young pup.

While Andy didn't know for sure, he had a feeling that Grey originated from one of the fallen packs of America. Lichen, to be exact. Though he knew the trials and hardships one had to face in the realm of coming across the Underground or other sections hunters, so he never made it mandatory to announce.

Instead, Andy simply enjoyed Sage's calm figure, curled up in his warmth as they shared her bear fur. "I might have to get my own bear soon, hun." She instantly looks back at him in sheer terror.

"Can't fight bear in winter. That's bad."
"Nature decides what's intended, pumpkin. If I find one, I'm going to kill it. Make myself a cloak like you have, and maybe save some for the pup. It'd make a nice hat." She grinned wildly at the idea, prompting her to snuggle close to the center.

Perhaps they had enough time to make a pitstop...Just the one, of a place he visited a long time ago. Course, it's a little off the beaten path, but even Severin was giving him the look of agreement.

Yes. To keep Sage as a mate, he'd have to prove himself, and killing a bear was one of the many lengths he'd do in order to secure her love.

When she fell asleep, he mentioned the detour, claiming that it'd be an easier run-through considering it's mostly the wilderness, and while it would take longer, safety was their biggest concern.

On first glance, this large pack of Rogue wolves and witches wouldn't be given a second chance or an explanation. Even Sage's name wouldn't get them any breaks, well...It would, but she remained secretive over her maiden and mated name for a while longer.

With the plan in motion, they said their final goodbye to any ties that came with Oak Wood and set off towards Hallow's Creek. Andy explained that it was a national park in New England. Course, he didn't further the explanation by saying that he was going to maul a bear, but that was beside the point—For the moment, at least.

When the group had started out, Sage was rather disappointed when Andy handed her human clothes. It'd been so long since she wore proper leggings and a sweater, but it was only for the times when they'd need to shift. Her bear fur would be stored away in her backpack for the time being.

As for now, they acted like routine travelers hiking off the side of the road. Some of the males even took the initiative of holding the pups or taking sticks—So the average human driver wouldn't report it. Yet it was a blessing to know that Hallow's Creeks connected to another few trails. If they walked during the day in skin and plowed a few dozen miles in fur, they'd make it closer than they would've without taking the slight detour.

It was definitely a change of pace since packing up their losses and moving to Oak Wood, now, the real question that paced back and forth in Andy's mind was if Crescent Moon's Alpha was really all that reformed as Sage claimed.

He wanted to give her the benefit of a doubt, but realistically if her mate wasn't in the pack, he didn't doubt that she would've been kicked.

However, it had been a sad day indeed when they said goodbye to a few pack members who decided that pack life wasn't for them. Sage couldn't blame them, honestly, not after what she had been exposed to. So she wished them good luck and gave them the phone number to call. Sooner or later, she'd have her phone back.

Wouldn't she?

You alright, hun? We can take a rest stop soon.

No, I'm okay. Little more for today, then we can camp.

To say he felt guilty was an understatement. Sage was determined as all hell to make her way home. But his promise of safe and easy travel wasn't at all what he expected. The warning of traveling earlier finally set in.

The snow was making everything difficult, especially traveling with two pups that couldn't shift yet. It meant making a fire, setting a tent, and hoping that it was warm enough for them for the night.
Granted, Sage and Elena would curl right beside them, their furs keeping them warmed underneath the animal pelts they covered themselves with.

Currently, he was stocking the fire and trying to get this morning's breakfast to stop making such a loud commotion. Chase was trying to blow the smoke with a bundle of evergreens, granted that was their first problem.
One of the pups wanted to help, and while it did smell nice—Was creating a signal for others.

"Alright...What did we learn here?" He said to either of the pups, who pouted and looked up to their Alpha with guilt written everywhere. "Evergreens don't belong in fires," Poppy said, her voice close to tears. And Andy sighed, kneeling down in front of them as he shook his head.

"That's half right, this," He claimed, holding up the small thistles in his hand to gesture the issue, "Doesn't belong in the fire. It creates smoke. And we can't have that. The wood from an evergreen is fine." Both Poppy and Clementine eagerly rush to nod their heads along, countless apologies followed, and they make the rest of the pack's tea with the remaining bristles in hopes to make matters better.

Severin had flashed him a grin and nodded. "Got that parent thing down pat now?"
"Not even close. They've almost got their wolves...No, Sage's pups are actual pups."
"They're soon going to be your pups. I don't think you're ready for that, chief." The taunt earned Severin a fitful rumble straight from Andy's wolf, though he simply laughed it off.

Yet that was one of the many reasons he sort of stalled their travels with an impromptu bear hunt. The Appalachian trail would provide the perfect cover all the way down to the state needed to cross into Crescent Moon.

The only issue is that Rogues were notorious for using it all the same.

With the snowfall having delayed their hiking as humans, they decided it would be best to continue on four legs instead of two—Whatever they managed to get done today, they could rest tomorrow.

It wasn't just the two pups and two females that might be carrying pups. It was the whole pack that needed to be well-rested and well-cared for. Andy knew that this was just as important as anything.

So when Sage decreed that the weather wasn't letting up anytime soon, they settled their attempts within an allotted set of trees beside the side of the mountain. Sage hardly spent a moment or two in skin before her fists made the connection off towards the rocky structor to hallow it out.

Great work. You wanna shift back?

"No, I need to stretch these legs too. I put it back the way it was before we leave." It was adorable to see how much care the female put into nature, and better yet—The witches could make a campsite out of nothing.

It seemed like Andy, and a few of the hunters had left only hours ago, only to find the set up close to the same status as Black Crescent. With warm water bowling away and the beds all set up inside the makeshift cave.

"The witches have the inside hooked up like it has heat from the fire! Isn't that fucking cool?!" Chase called out, and that earned a squeal from the female he's been seeing as of late—Thalia.

The she-wolf explained what happened when they left, Andy's wolf was eager to think of other possible ideas. But Sage knew the layout of a camp base well pat, directing people this way and that as she remained by the fire and either entertained the pups or made sure that everything at the cooking fire was all set.

"Smells great," he said, pleased to see his female being able to provide for their pack members so thoughtfully. He leaned forward and placed himself by her shoulder, and she caught him in her grasp, giving him a soft kiss on his scarred skin and blinking at him for a moment.

"Blake teaching me how to cook. I only know a little. Cooking for pups and everyone sometimes." She said with a fond smile coming on her lips. Hopefully, her picture of home wouldn't change so abruptly from there.

He could make friends with her friends, for sure.

It's her family that he was worried about. They seemed protective of Sage from the stories he's heard. Though he hardly blamed them after everything troubling tale, she'd come up with next.

______

Date: 10/21/22

Time: 9:16

Words: 3716

Author's Note:

Please excuse if there are a few grammatical errors, I caught the flu this week and I've been absolutely miserable. Had so much planned to get done, but I haven't touched my computer since Monday!

Hopefully it's almost over because I can't afford to miss any more work!

I apologize if I haven't responded to comments, I mean to, but it always slips away in my notification box. I'm sorry!

But I did read a few from the last couple of chapters are I am seeing a consensus--

That Andy's an asshole and that Remus better be alive.
Which I can neither confirm nor deny👀

I do want to clear up as well, that the reason Sage stayed silent when her brother called Julian is because she didn't know if she could trust another Canadian pack. Technically, her brother is considered a member of the conclave, but if Swift Tail acted against Crescent Moon and Remus...There's no telling what Oak Wood's views are.

Even if they are connected with Mystic Grimm.

I hope that clears things up. I've made a note that when I go back and edit this story I need to add a bit more context to explain that.

But I do love seeing all your theories!
Not going to lie, I wish I had thought of a few of them before!

We'll just have to see what happens!

Anywhoooo, we're out of Oak Wood and back in America! It might've made things easier, but like Grey said--500 miles is still a lot!

Alright, I know it's barely nine but I'm hitting the hay. I'll do my best to respond to comments but everything is so blurry.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you Monday for the start of the Third Quarter!