* * *

By morning, the witches caught that the wound was healing. But waking up the slumbering female was out of the question, it was easier to strap her down onto Andy's figure as they needed to get to the bear cave today.

No exceptions.

We should be around the corner, hear the water?

I can't really hear anything other than Sage's heartbeat right now, Grey.

Stop being a worry wort, she-wolves like her always bounce back.

It was true, and what was even more surprising was Andy's reaction when he had caught Black Crescent's setup. He hadn't been the one to visit nor set up the safety supplies. The females certainly knew how to live, especially seeing the way they crowded the fire and walked around with ease.

"Oh goddess! What happened?!" Elena called out, clearly not believing the severity of Sage over the link. But Severin held her back, whispering that an Alpha and his hurt female were just as protective as a mother and pup.

It was a good thing he held her back, because Andy was close to snapping—And he certainly would've felt instant guilt in attacking a pregnant female.

"S-set her over there, we have a healing station ready" She issued, which brought him to lie down and the gentle hands of the witches had managed to set Sage on the furlined table.

Both pack healers and witches had bustled forward, crushing up herbs all around him. But all Andy could do was sit and wait right beside it. Admiring the work ethic as it allowed his beast to settle. However, that didn't stop him from making contact with her free hand the majority of the time she was tucked in.

He was surprised that his blood was helping her, but as Lycia said, the possibility of pregnancy just skyrocketed. When he managed to return back to shift, he instantly bent over her slumbering figure and rushed out words of prayer. She needed to be okay, she had pups that needed her.

Her second chance at life shouldn't end this way, not in the middle of nowhere as a Rogue. No, Andy stood by the idea of everyone having a pack.

By the late afternoon, Severin had to pull his Alpha away to get his own injuries sorted. Of course, those around him were surprised to see his body jump back so quickly.

Little did they know his life had always been cruel.

That night he slept over Sage's body, feeling her stomach lifting up every time her lungs demanded air. He needed sleep, and he knew that. But his nose nuzzled her breasts and stomach in hopes of smelling any hint of a pup.

He hardly recalled what it meant to have an Alpha pup anymore, but he was hoping that Oak Wood could lay out the options. He knew Julian and Alana would be thrilled, especially at the prospect of meeting Sage. It was almost like showcasing his mate to his parents, or that's what he felt like—If they were just a little closer, then perhaps Half Crescent would be able to thrive.

The Alpha of a migrating pack had little to hope for at the moment, but the annoying tickle behind his ear caused an instant flick. Hoping that it'd go away, but after the third, he pulled his head up, only for the weight of Sage's hand to follow after him, which fell flat onto the cover.

"H-hi..." She whispered, her voice struggling out of her throat. Andy had hoped for the last day and a half for this moment to come, but the excitement dawned on him as he rushed forward. Licking her face, neck, everywhere. Her initial giggles soon turned into coughs, which prompted Andy to shift and hurry to feed her a bowl of water.

"Slow...Drink slow, Pumpkin. There's plenty." He urged, but she soon gasped for air after gulping down everything the bowl offered. Clearly disoriented, she started to rise up the best she could under the pressure of both her bear blanket and her wrapped arm.

Her huff caused him to still her next action, especially when she took in the scene of the campfire just in the distance. "Where are we?" She questioned, and Andy fell back to his knees.

"We're in Black Crescent. We made it this morning." Her eyes wandered over towards the roaring fire, thus creating a smile to see the given bodies managing to stay warm but also guard the perimeter. But like a dominating Alpha male, Andy had moved in her line of sight to be her center of attention.

Thus earning him an even brighter smile. "Hi, Chief."
"Nuh uh, I don't think that's going to do it, hun. I believe I told you to run." It caused her to laugh, wiggling her body to try and roll her shoulder. But, of course, it earned her a warning growl.

"I'm fine."
"I don't believe that for a second, you turned full witch on me. And now you're healing like one. The last thing I need is for this to get infected again." Her eyes widened at the word. She didn't realize that her wounds had gotten so bad. It was one of the first things engraved into her head.

"Hard for wolves to get infected..." She whispered, and he firmly nodded in response.
"Yeah, yeah, hun, it is. But it's looking a lot better. A little disconnected from your wolf there a bit. We're staying here for a few days before heading to Oak Wood. Some of the witches are a lil banged up." It sparked a new pain in her eyes, and he instantly he cupped her cheek and was the mix of soothing her guilt—Something he knew quite well after a catastrophe.

"This is not your fault, Sage."
"Yes, it is."
"No. Noah was gearing up for years. You were right about it all. Swift Tail will fall now."
"But Half Crescent falls too." She said, her tears starting to trickle down at her previous home being gone—Literally. Her last view of the pack house had been in wooden shards.

"We were never a pack. Not a real one, not in the eyes of the conclave."
"But what now? It takes us a long time to heal and get to Oak Wood. It'll be winter soon." "Winter's coming quicker this year, but Alpha Julian will help us. He's the nicest Alpha on the continent." Sage nodded in agreement, however, she would've argued that Remus was the nicest Alpha.

However, her silence caused him to chuckle. "I was prepared for you to correct me and say I'm the nicest."
"You are, but I don't meet Alpha Julian yet." His wolf surged forward and leaned to make contact with his crossed arms, now both at eye level, he found himself grinning.

"I was worried about you...Can't do that to me, pumpkin."
"I told you, trouble's my best friend." She said, only to be interrupted thereafter with a few coughs. It tasted foul, and now that she truly thought about it, her entire throat seemed to be coated with it.

"Go back to sleep. Nothing we can do right now." She followed his order with a hum before lifting up the blanket with her free hand, though she struggled with it more than she would've thought.

"It's better to stay laying down. Just for tonight. Then you can—"
"Come in. I'm cold." She issued, and her tactic worked as Andy didn't hesitate to join her after she expressed she was cold. His body engulfed hers with ease, and once he settled down, she nuzzled him in reward.

At least this would give either of them ease, but when morning came—It was certainly not at ease.

It took all of the convincing in the world for Sage to stop both Andy and Severin from killing Maeve. The she-wolf seemed desperate in going to a pack, a real one. But if that had been the case, she would've been dead twice over.

Not because of the Rogue rule of killing first and asking questions later, but because she hardly listened to her Alpha now. This tight nit group didn't have that many rules—They were almost entirely Rogue now that Andy had taken up to calling them Black Crescent.

"For the last damn time, Maeve...You aren't going with the hunting and scouting parties. That's the end of it!"
"You aren't my—"
"You sure as hell don't want me to be, because your head would be on a fucking spike the moment you—"
"ENOUGH!" Sage had been one with the level head, granted she was still heavily on pain tonics now that her wolf genetics started to pick up.

"No fight. You're not leaving, and you're not putting anyone's head on a spike." They both attempted to lay out their reasoning, but Sage pulled up her one hand.

"I can still hit you with my other hand. Stop it. Acting like pups! You are not Delta anymore. You lost the title. Now shut up! And you! Stop yelling at my females!" Clearly, Sage was growing agitated. Black Crescent wasn't designed for this amount of people—And with Sage's inability to produce magic on the suggestion of both wolf healer and witch healer, they were just going to have to make do with the arrangements until they head further West.

With Swift Tail no longer being an issue, and the remains of Half Crescent having been properly sifted through. Time was of the essence to continue to move, though Andy was beyond cautious on the idea of Sage shifting—Especially when she still had her arm wrapped against her chest to keep it firm and protected.

Yet that still didn't stop her from making the necessary strives to make sure everyone was okay and fed. Even better, she managed to argue with Andy just fine, so Severin and Grey weren't all that worried.

It just threw another scenario into the mixed, that the females who went into heat might be looking at pups in the future. The biological clock was passing quickly, and the onset of winter snowfalls hadn't helped at all.

This base was not secure nor prepared for the Winter season, and it angered Sage that she was still not with her pups. It wasn't in any direction to Andy or the rest of the pack. But mainly on herself, though she knew better than to speak out loud on this matter.

Instead, she did her part where she could and continued to lead right beside Andy.

A date had finally been set. They would stay for two more nights.

Andy claimed that if Sage needed another few, then that'd be that. But she was determined to heal and get a move on.
This bear cave was a dead zone. It was never meant to house them for winter—Nor would it with the given dozen that walked it on the daily.

Whether that meant sitting around the campfire to skin and cook, she did it with pride. Her wolf was thriving with the previous kill, and it was hard to truly ignore the heated stares from Andy. She hardly had to provoke him before he kissed either her lips or the damn mark.

It was pleasurably annoying.

With nothing else to do, it was easy to drive the male insane. Fairly simply, especially when he caught her bathing just an hour before. It was damn near impossible for him to keep his hands to himself and instead help her finish up—Granted, it took double the amount of time that she could've managed with one hand, but it was worth the little bit of fooling around.
He was very gentle, though Sage didn't like being treated like a pup all that well.

"Sage—Goddess, Sage, please wear a little more. You're going to freeze!"
"I'm fine. I like cold."
"Nah hun, it's going to drop soon. Wear this underneath." He was giving up his furs left and right, and she was already wearing a thin fur from earlier this fall underneath her bear coat. But she would always humor it—With the help of Severin and Grey, who took the fur and hid it in their hut.

The morning finally came, and Andy had asked countless times if Sage was alright to travel. And she simply waved her arm gently back and forth to prove that she was.
However, that had not been the case when she shifted.

It translated much differently than her wolf. Andy had an inkling this would happen, so before she flat on her chin—His hand scooped under her and hovered her over the ground.

"We talked about lying to each other, Sage." He scolded, and it earned him a firm gruff as she steadied herself on her three good paws.

I thought my arm is okay! I guess wolf needs to heal too?

He attempted to delay them further, but the combination of Sage and his males in his ear caused them to leave. Sage wasn't the only one who needed to ride on one's back. Some of the witches didn't have very mobile familiars to keep up with a pack of wolves. A snake, for one, did not make that cut. Neither did an Otter or Badger.

It was the addition of the familiars that took the form of birds. Those were the ones out scouting. And if there were anything of interest, then they'd round back and shift to gain the pack's attention.

The only true delineate they faced so far was the small river that would add an extra day to their week's worth of travel.

Just as they were managing to trail and see just how far it spanned, Sage raised her hand and caused the given majority of the area around them a bridge to cross. It consisted of a thick slab of ice, strong enough to allow them a safe transfer above.

You're full of surprises, Sage.

The familiar voice of Severin had called out, and the pack laughed in return. "I hope that's a good laugh!" She returned back to the pack, and they howled and whined their appreciation for the help, only for a few to slip and slide on the new terrain.

The beautiful sound of Sage's worry caused Andy to stop in his step and growl.

Don't you dare shift again, Pumpkin. Get back on.

"But Bree—"

I'm fine! I'm fine! Promise. Would it make sense if I told you this is my first time ever seeing snow before?

Andy was thankful that Bree had distracted her, and that the idea of places without snow was almost unheard of—Considering Sage was imprisoned her entire life, and the only whether she had been exposed to was Crescent Moon.

Anyone who lived in the New England weather knew well enough that it was bipolar at best.

However, the group soon decided to camp for the first night, and it was extremely difficult to do so. Not only was Sage exposed to the night's air. So that sparked the need for a few surrounding campfires, however, at the first sign of another snowfall—The need for a tent sparked.

It caused the Luna to hate the fact that her injury caused for such high maintenance. But it worked out for the better. The small lower tent was a suggestion made by herself, an Elwood trait for sure, knowing the different types of camping methods.

But unfortunately, Remus didn't allow her to help with the tent that faithful day of their bear hunting adventure...This left her actually helpless to execute said plan once again.

So she remained curled up in the furs and underneath the low roof, the opening already starting to get blocked with the better part of the pack wolves, yet when one wiggled their way through—She smiled.

Andy's wolf was a warm chocolate brown that made an instant shiver course through her, yet of course, that didn't translate the same way.

The protective male instantly hurried over to her, his head issuing a bow that soon turned to nuzzle her neck. Forcing her onto her back and securing her wrap up, he huffed in affirmation to see that she was all set, but he wasn't, not until he allowed himself to lay his head to settle right on her stomach.

Quick access to her heart and a protective guard on his 'maybe' pup.

A strong urge of something being wrong with her after taking in his blood was always at the back of his mind, even after she was revived with it in return. However, it didn't stop him from being the last to fall asleep and one of the first to wake up.

When he left Sage that morning to take a look around, Grey had instantly replaced him—Much like any Delta would in this situation. It was a harsh relay to see that there was indeed snowfall, that keeping the fire was worthless, and instead, the best course of action would be to get moving and keep the blood pumping.

With a quick breakfast around the little flicker of warmth around the crackling fire, they were ready to get moving again. However, it was only then that Andy was thankful for the bear fur that his female never parted with, she was beyond warm underneath it, and it protected her greatly—Not only that, but it provided him some warmth as well, as he battled out the winds.

The pattern continued, but the farther they ventured, Sage noticed that the more snow seemed to fall. And every damn step she took would be a crackle underneath her newly upgraded boots. Her urge to shift was striking, but Andy begged with his adorable puppy eyes to wait until they made it to Oak Wood to meet a proper healer before shifting.

Not that Brian was any at all offended, his Luna's injuries were beyond his own knowledge, and even agreed with the Alpha that shifting right now would disturb her injuries.

Yet now came the real challenge, and Andy huffed as he caught the sight of a familiar mountain. He had only gone to visit this pack a handful of times while he was Alpha of Half Crescent.

But going up the steep terrain caused Sage to worry, not knowing if the witches could make it with the blistering cold. And even now, she had to pull up her undershirt over her face to protect her entirely. Goddess, she prayed in whispers that the harshness would fade.

Once it did, they were introduced to the beautiful sight of Oak Wood, and Grey laughed in response before everyone else.

That's why they call it Oak Wood!

______

Date: 10/03/2022

Time: 9:39

Words: 3266

Author's Note:

We are now entering Oak Wood Pack, which means a new phase!

I've had some time over this weekend to try to get the next story edited and fix some very loose ends--While it's not as long as Mystic Grimm, it's very close! I try to stick with under forty chapters, but managed over fifty! (That's if the edits are going to keep everything).

I'm hoping to start tackling this within the next two weeks! This means less of a break between Half Crescent and the next book that follows.

Speaking of the next story, it's obvious that I like to take pack names to use as titles, any guesses on what pack might be next?

I have a busy week, and I'm not looking forward for it, but I hope everyone has a good week and I'll see you on Friday as we enter into Waning Gibbous and Oak Wood!