Dragonflies hover low over the rippling water of the lake. The morning dew still clings to the cattails that sway gently in the warming wind of the day. A tangerine sun is starting its climb in the cloudless sky.

Odin was up earlier than my eyes could think of opening. The only thing that was heard is the flap to the tent opening, a shuffle of light against my closed eyes then darkness again.

A silence stretched out between the two of us last night. After I said,"My Half," Odin had a hard time speaking - he tried, but it got stuck in his throat, so he feasted his lips on mine. Showing me his appreciation for two little words.

His Half

Odin is on the other side of the lake edge watching Warson stalking in the reeds. The young male is full of mud, not a clean place on his body. His head turns towards me, our sight locks together.

Ancient forest greens are surrounded in blood before he gives me his Odin smile. It's a slow movement of his hand up, he waves. Clenched in his grip are fat frogs, Warson makes a leap as if he's a frog himself. When he rises, he's holding another frog in his grasp. Odin's attention back on his nephew, while mine smells the roasting meat from the outside fire near Elska's tent.

She's sitting on a cut log, with a mug between her hands. Making my way over to her, she smiles towards my sound.

"Charlie, sit with me." Her hand extending out, until I clasp it in my own. Taking a spot on a log that has been cut just for this purpose to hold bottoms up off the ground.

"Would you like some tea?" She doesn't wait for my answer already leaning down, taking a mug from a container by her feet. There is castiron teapot that's set off to the side as if just waiting to pour out its contents to visitors.

"I would love some, thank you, Elska." She drops a metal ball into my cup, before pouring the steaming water over it. A blushing pink starts to swirl out of the steel ball that holds the dried leaves of what the tea is made from.

When she holds out the cup, taking it by the handle, the vapor tells me it holds, rosehip, mint, and raspberry. Letting the tea infuse for a few minutes before drinking it. Looking around, wood racks have been set up, a single rabbit hide is stretching out on it in the heating sun. It seems wet like oil has been applied to the side that has no fur.

A female comes to stand near Elska's fire, Elska lifts her nose up, "Milda," Elska says under her breath with a cringe to her face she doesn't hide. With Elska you understand exactly what she has to say without the use of words.

Disgust, that's what she's saying about this female who is standing there looking at Elska. Her face reads the same thing back, disgust. My teeth flash to the female whose face now becomes neutral.

"Elska, I thought about your trade, and I agree to the terms." The female looks slightly defeated.

"I thought you might agree, payment to be made at my home once we arrive back in the winter grounds."

"Agreed." The female walks away from the fire muttering to herself.

"What did you agree on, Elska?"

"She can't sew, poor skill level on that one. She leaves to many gaps in the seems in her mate's winter boots. His feet almost froze solid the first year they mated when his mother stopped making him his boots. I will sew the boots, but she has to bring me a winter supply of blueberries and raspberries. That way I don't have to carry it all back, and I don't have to sweat in the bug-infested bush picking berry after berry all day long." Elska sips her tea with a smile.

"I can't even think of the walkout, if you thought the walk-in was hard, it's much worse. We carry out all our meat, berries, food, fur for the winter. It's difficult, to say the least." Elska looks dismayed already, and we just arrived here, not even thinking about the walk out.

"Do you need me to help you with anything?" Looking around she seems so organized, looking back at my tent. There is nothing set up.

"No, Odin is going to finish cutting the wood, and I should be all set."

"Elska do you think that you can help me with how I set up my site. I'm not sure what I need to do."

"I was hoping you would ask me." She claps her hands, happy with a high pitch sound of excitement.

Odin and Warson are making their way slowly back, along the edge where water meets land.

"Do you see my male?" Elska's clouded pink eyes looking in the direction where the water smells the strongest. Not where her son is at.

"I see them."

"What's Warson doing?"

"He's catching frogs with Odin." Her smile curls up revealing teeth, if it were anyone else, I would take offense but her it's simplistic.

"Has he caught any?' A worried expression shuffles within that smile.

"It looks like he might have caught three or four." Elska beams, the worry sliding away.

"What are your plans for today?" She asks me as if I know what I'm doing.

"I'm not sure, Odin was gone before I woke up." Elska puts her head down facing away from me as if all of a sudden she's uncomfortable.

"Is there something wrong, Elska?" Blowing on the cup before taking a sip, it's tangy with a bold aftertaste of mint.

"No, nothing." Alpha Borson and Luna Bessa walk towards us, and I stiffen up. When the Alpha's eyes hit mine full force, the Wild within says her hello's outwards with the smallest of noises. She shifts herself to the most profound layering of my skin, ready to charge herself forward. She does not like this male wolf. In a way, I think he understands the dislike she has towards him. Instead, he looks harder, not at me, but the inside of my pupils as if giving a wordless taunt.

"Where is my grandson?" Alpha Borson asks, shifting his eyes away from mine because Luna Bessa has just pinched the soft skin of his inner arm. When he looks at her, she smiles lovingly, fluttering dark lashes towards him. He stops everything only to see into his mates eyes before putting his attention on Elska.

"Catching frogs with your oldest." Both her parents smile after she tells them where he's at.

"I've made tea, sit and join us until they come back with their catch." Elska already reaching into the container by her feet getting two cups out.

"How are you, Charlie? How was your first night here?" Elska chokes on her own spit turning flaming red.

"I think she enjoyed it." Elska answering for me through small giggles. I realize then that she probably heard me last night and now I am almost as bright crimson as her.

"I had a good first night," Trying to keep the embarrassment out of my voice because Elska has sonic hearing, and her tent is the closest tent to us. She must have heard my sound last night.

Warson runs up to his grandfather holding a frog in both hands. He's so muddy, even the lids of his eyes are covered.

Alpha Borson takes one out of his hand, inspecting the squirming thing. "He's fat, look how long his legs are." Too put emphasis on how big the frog is he stretches the frog's leg out. The Alpha now on one knee in front of his grandson, inspecting the other frog. He's meticulous with his scrutiny.

"These have to be the biggest frogs I have ever seen" Alpha Borson's voice sounds so proud of this male whose own smile shines with pride. "How many did you catch?" Alpha Borson letting Elska take a frog her outstretched hand. She inspects it, smells it before taking a knife - killing it quickly. The legs taken off, set to the side she dismantles the frog. Until only guts and skeleton remain. She uses almost everything.

"We will feast at lunch because of you Warson." Elska standing up putting the pieces of the frog into a pot that's hanging on a tripod that dangles over the fire. She's adding some hot water from the teapot into the pot that sizzles the water to vapor before she adds more water.

"How many did you catch?" Alpha Borson asks Warson as Odin hands the other frogs to Elska.

"Four." The male's young voice sounds out, as he holds four fingers up to his grandfather.

"You did better than your Uncle on his first frog hunt." Alpha Borson picks up the male tossing him effortlessly in the air which causes him to squeal, Elska stops her dissecting of the amphibian.

"That's only because you tied his left hand to his side." Luna Bessa smiles to Odin.

"He tied your left hand to your side, why?"

"So he could easily hunt with his right as he hunts with the left." Alpha Borson says with a hint of a taunt while throwing up Warson in the air higher this time. "Didn't your father do the same to you? Tie your Right so you can use the Left just as smoothly you use your Right?" He has a mock in his words that ruffle the Wild within. She doesn't like this Father wolf to her. She tries to flash fang, but I keep my mouth clamped.

"I didn't think he did." Alpha Borson sounds as if my father's teaching has not been adequate. I can't stop the stare she throws his way, he's not looking because he's throwing the male even higher - my heart stutters in its beat because he's too high in the air. As he comes down, the little males face has an edge of fear to it. The Alpha is there to catch him quickly in his secure grip. No worries about him dropping him.

Odin's face says that he agrees with his father about my father that has me ruffle towards Odin.

"I don't like you," saying the words in my mind to the Alpha whose concentration is on the male flying so high in the sky it makes my stomach turn. I hate heights.

"When he did that to my young when they were small it always scared me too." Luna Bessa must have seen my concern in my eyes. "He's never dropped one. Do you remember, Elska? She would make you toss her up over and over again for hours." Luna Bessa's voice of her memory mind.

"I remember," Alpha Borson's voice sounds as if it holds an actual smile to the sound as he looks at his daughter whose putting in what looks like cattail root and wild onion springs into the stew she's making."I always loved when you would do that to me, father." Again Elska smiles with teeth showing rudely but no one here takes any offense.

It's just her way.

"Lunch is provided by Warson today, come back in a few hours to feast on the bounty he provided for us," Elska says loud and proud I never knew a pup could puff himself up so much be he is, strutting around the campsite.

"He needs to get cleaned up, let's go swimming." Alpha Borson picks Warson up, carrying him towards the water.

"Odin, this is a bountiful spot." His father directs his words towards Odin who nods his head, he doesn't puff himself up, like his nephew.

"Let's go for a walk," Odin starts off, his face is red looking away from his parents.

"Your cup Elska." She holds her hand out, which I place the cup in.

As we set out Odin's hand is just by his side, and I put mine into it. Automatically he pulls my wrist to his mouth, kissing my pulse of life.

A group of both males and females are dressed in furs holding spears. Odin walks into the center - all stepping off of his forward path, giving him ample consideration of room without Odin having to do anything but walk into their radius.

My Wild taking Odin into her complete consideration, a rumble of sound that filters my face red. My face grows hotter, looking down at the ground. Odin's eyes are on me, scorching, burning fingers of sight.

Blood rimmed eyes with traces of green have my thighs quiver a feeling has the entire surface of my skin heating up.

Odin takes a step into the direct center of all these wolves, they all take another step away from him before they breath comes out easier. He looks at everyone in the eyes, "good, hunting." That's all he says walking away.

"Why aren't we going with them?"

"I wanted to show you around, then I need to cut a trail later in the afternoon for Elska. We have all summer to hunt.

"I can't wait to hunt with you." Odin presses his voice into the spaces of me.

"I'm looking forward to hunting with you too, Odin," Odin's cheeks creep red as if my voice holds a crimson paint that reddens the canvas of him.

Odin begins our tour, he's pointing as we walk. "The Eastward direction holds the herds, they feed on the grasslands that you can't see the end of." Odin's smile is here right now in front of me. There's no wiping it away.

He's in his element.

Looking at his bare chest, his flesh is bunching underneath the canvas of his art. Noticing he still has no shoes on, his feet are bare, covered in mud and I think to myself - this is Odin.

"What's the matter, Charlie?" Odin still holds that smile, but he's stopped talking.

"Nothing Odin."

"Something, because you stopped walking."

"I'm just looking at you."

"Looking at me? What do you see?" His smile drops, body tenses, shoulders back, preparing as if I'm about say something to hurt him.

He's preparing for the assault.

"I see you, Odin." Stepping into the radius of him, slightly raising on my tiptoes, placing my lips on his neck where the beat of his life is the strongest. The Wild within shifting herself forward, teeth nipping at his mark she gave him. He holds us to him, this male made of flesh, sinew, and bone.

Ours, thinking to myself, all ours.

When he lets go, we continue on our path forward.

"The Westward direction holds the blueberry patches, the rocky ground for the raspberries. Plants that you have never seen are there, Charlie. We can go over each one together, document them in our book." I can't stop the smile spreading wide over my entire face as I look at him.

It's a slow, lazy talking walk where I just can't stop touching his feast of flesh. I need to be touching him, whether it's his hand, wrist, bumping my hip into his. Letting my shoulder rub into his bicep. All his tattoos are shifting with the movement of him, and at times I think some of them are watching me. The eyes of the beasts seem to house a soul inside them. As if all those animals have been tied to him in a way.

Sweat trickling lone lines down my back, making me sticky. The heating day seems to be steaming up the world it's hot vapored breath.

"Does it always get so hot here?" Asking Odin this while we continue to the other side of the lake, where there are large patches of reeds.

"Sometimes, during the summer we can get hotter than the Far South. Everyone thinks that just because we live in the Far North that it's always cold. When it's summer, it's hot. When it's winter, it's cold." Odin also looks like he's heating up, his body giving off pulsing waves of heat that keeps soaking into the first layering of skin. Which makes me hotter, stickier with sweat.

Odin has stopped the walk, the lake edge is almost lapping at our ankles

Skin on skin.

The naked silence beats between the pulse of us.

I can hear his intake of breath, the way his heartbeat is increasing when he steps solidly within the radius of me.

"Let's go swimming," His voice low, toned in depth if his sound. Pulling away from me, he steps into the lake.

"I don't have a bathing suit."

"You don't need one with me." Odin's now wading chest deep in the clear lake. The curve of his lip pulls upwards, revealing a flash of teeth.

Lifting my shirt over my head, Odin watches. The next is my shorts to be removed leaving me in my bra and panties. And indeed it's like I'm wearing a bikini. When I turn around to place my clothes away from the water's edge so they stay dry I can feel those eyes on the rise of my bottom. He holds the vision right there before I turn around.

"Charlie, come here." There is a depth of want that edges his words.

The water is cold, refreshing but it does nothing to tone that burn down, that heating desire to have this male's skin against mine. Odin reaches for me when I'm within his space.

Lips, tongue, and roaming hands.

"Odin," his name is moaned low in his ear.

"Charlie," he gives me the same sound back.

"Wolves might be able to see us." Odin looks around, searching before walking us into the camouflaged of the reeds. Acting as a natural curtain to blind the sight of anyone who might be looking on.

Odin stops himself looking up at the sky. "We should get back, lunch should be served soon. Warson would want us all there. It's his first meal that he provided for his mother. It's a big honor." Reluctantly I agree, not wanting to leave just yet.

On our way back, it's more skin touching skin, smiles and even laughter at the way I just tripped over a root because I can't stop staring at Odin.

There are many fires that hold cooking pots, the young that are Warson's age are standing around the fires all puffed out. Odin stops at every fire, looking into the pot. Each one is looked at carefully, inspected with careful eyes before he tells the young pups that he has provided a great feast for his family. That the kill holds lots of meat on it, and he or she is a Provider for the family.

When we get back to Elska's fire, his mother is sitting with Elska with a sleeping Warson on her lap. His hair is damp with sleep, cheeks flushed. Alpha Borson is cutting up logs for firewood. Stacking a neat pile that is close to Elska's tent.

"Odin," We ate already. We couldn't wait, he was dying of hunger." Elska's voice holds a tightness to it. She's upset.

"We must have lost track of time. I'm sorry, sister."

"It's not me you have to apologize to, it's Warson. You disappointed him." Odin's shoulders fall slightly, guilty emotions I can see nipping into his space. Alpha Borson has stopped cutting wood. He's looking at me as if I am the cause of this. Again he's got a taunt to him that doesn't settle well with me.

"He will get my apologies." Odin nods to his parents before walking away, following him back to our tent he's not looking like he's in a very good mood now.

He takes an ax, with a blade that flashes with the sun's light. "I'll be back in a few hours, Charlie. Would you mind collecting wood for our fire? I have to make a trail for Elska." Without another word he walks heavily away, it's as if he's carrying a weight within him that sinks him down into the dirt.

Doing what he wants I start to collect wood for the fire. Dropping the sticks then going back for more. When I come back with another arm full. Alpha Borson is there, the pile of sticks neatly piled up.

"Do you not know how to collect firewood?" His voice pokes into my chest as if it's a finger. Poke, poke, poke...

"I know how."

"No you don't, look at what you have brought to your fire. Nothing but decaying logs that will stink up the fire that causes to much smoke, with no real flame." He points to the discarded wood that didn't make it to the nicely stacked pile.

"Your father should have spent more time with you, showing you things that matter." Poke, poke, poke his taunting voice lunges into me.

"My father taught me a lot, we don't do this where I'm from. So I didn't need to learn this." Poking my voice back at him. He stands to his completed height right in front of me. I stand to mine with my shoulders back, head straight, taking on his eyes. The spine within me feels his power, the bones crunching themselves down, but I remain upright. A dilation of his pupils before Luna Bessa interrupts our silent discussion.

"I want to go for a swim, join me." The Luna has her hand on his side, which when he looks at her, all the attention that was on me, now shifts solely on her.

Watching them leave to the other side of the tents, I gather the wood needed for the fire. Make a small fire of our own to cook in, not sure yet what we will be cooking.

The warmth of the day is a smothering blanket that's hard to breathe in. Inside the tent, it's cooler in the shade. Pulling out my satchel that I brought with me. Taking a green pencil out. I look at Our Book.

Contemplation, a wash of twisting emotions that hold guilt if I take a bite of it. Putting it away, for now, I am not sure if I want to eat any more of those herbs. I'm not sure anymore if I don't want to go into my heat.

I'm conflicted.

Taking out my very first book, I start to look through it. It creates a calming peace within. Just looking at the memories on the pages has time fading away and memories sinking into me until I realize that by the end of the book hours must have gone by.

Near the water a long table is set up, females are around it talking and laughing while cleaning fish. Some of the fish have been placed on racks to dry on. Young pups with slingshots are looking into the air, trying to shoot down the birds that are circling high in the air for an easy meal.

Walking up to the table, "where is your knife?" The female that holds Odin's eye color on her neck says. Her hands are full of blood. Elska is beside her, her ear turns to her.

"I don't have one."

"Charlie, I have a spare one." Elska smiling towards the female with her teeth showing rudely.

"I don't know how to clean fish." Saying it to Elska who has a knife handle pointed my way. Some of these females laugh under their breath at me. I hate being laughed at and I think it would be funny to smash a fish or two in their faces. I don't act on the compulsion of my Nature wants to show them.

I can feel Odin's eyes on the back of me.

"Did your father not teach you anything useful?" Alpha Borson's voice is heckling me from behind. I think he loves to berate me in front of his pack. It brings him a pleasure to see my discomfort. Turning, looking up at Odin to see if he might come to my defense, he doesn't.

Taking the knife from Elska, "I just never had to do this in my pack." Trying to put the knife exactly where I see the others doing it, mine is not filleting mine is butchering the flesh.

"Of course you never had to." The smugness of words irritates my skin. Some of the females start to laugh louder at me underneath their breaths while other females hang their heads down as if they know what I'm going through.

"What's that suppose to mean?" The handle of the knife squeezed tight in a fist that wants to hurt a wolf who is taunting me. Instead, I breathe it out like I have been trained so long ago to do.

"Nothing, it's just, you're not really useful are you?" My whole body stills, the restraint takes extreme concentration almost to the point of meditation. When I look at Odin he stands stoic side by side with his father. Their expressions are virtually identical.

"Don't worry Charlie, I'm useless too. I can't clean fish either." Luna Bessa sipping on her tea as she comes to stand beside me while looking at her mate calmly. The females all stop instantly with the preparation of fish, as if waiting for something to happen.

Nothing does as Alpha Borson walks away from his mate. Luna Bessa smiles wandering around the group of females touching only certain ones on the shoulder as if giving some kind of reassurance that everything is alright.

"Charlie why don't you go get washed up." Without another word, she turns around walking in the opposite direction that her mate went.

Turning from the group wanting to get the fish blood off my hands.

I don't like blood on my hands.

Walking away Odin follows close behind almost stepping on my heels. Increasing my pace because I just need to get away from this, from him. He never defended me, His Half.

"You can't run away from me Charlie." His voice just over my left shoulder, so close I can feel how it stirs the air in fluttering vibrations that descend down my spine, tingling my legs.

Turning on pinpoint, so he almost bumps into me before he needs to take a step back.

"Don't worry Odin, I would never run away from you when all I have to do is walk away." He's quicker than I ever thought. A blur of speed that makes me think he's holding back some of his abilities from me. That he hasn't let me see who he really is.

His chest touching mine, stepping into my space. His stance screaming aggression.

"Don't ever, say something like that again." An undercurrent of threat spills out from a voice that's hard and cold.

"You could have defended me." My words come out hurt.

"Why would I need to defend you when you can defend yourself. If you don't like what he says, make him stop." It's growled out from Odin.

"If I defend you constantly, how will you be able to defend yourself. He doesn't like you, I can't make him like you. I can't, I've tried and tried. You will need to start defending yourself. I won't help you anymore. I won't baby you when you are an adult female who can more than adequately defend yourself against anyone here. Do what you're Nature wants. Let her guide you, trust in who you are." His hands are on my shoulders.

"Trust in yourself, Charlie." His lips briefly touch mine. The rest of the day holds a silence because I'm contemplating everything he's telling me.

There is the constant sun, the day remains without even the hint of a darkening sky. Within a few days, Elska has taught me how to clean fish, frogs, and geese. She's taking her time as if I am a pup again at Lana's side learning how to ground the nuts just right or how to dry the herbs without mold. Or how to get a mold on the herbs that are used that help infection of non-shifted pups.

Odin is busy, constantly helping everyone. He's leading big game hunts now. He told me first I need to hunt the frogs, then the fish, birds only to graduate to the game with teeth. The frog hunting has been fun, he's tied my right arm to my body, so I couldn't use that limb. That day I provided for our supper. We cooked it together, ate together then fell asleep in each other's arms.

Fishing was with our hands in a stream. Waiting to grab the trout that swam by, lifting its body in the air to flop on the banks. That was harder than I thought. It took complete stillness of body to trick those fish into swimming in your hand.

After our feast of fish, when going to bed, Odin has to talk with Warson, he's been taking him everyday rabbit hunting. Warson's spear sharpened to a death point, Odin has shown him how to do it and all he does is make sure that spear never loses its sharp edge.

When Odin comes into the tent, I can't help the nervous giggles laughter that comes from underneath the furs.

"Why are you laughing?" I just giggle, until he gets under the furs with me. His hand on my bare hip. I've decided not to sleep with clothes on tonight.

Much to Odin's appreciation as he starts to feast on the flesh of me once again.

In the morning he's gone. Noticing the woodpile getting lower and lower. I decide to get more so Odin doesn't have to.

Alpha Borson is coming in my direction, the path only allows for one to pass, the other has to stand to the side. Both of us looking at each other.

No one is around.

"I see you're still taking the wrong logs even after you were told what kind to gather. So like your father." His words ruffling up my ridge fur along my spine. The Wild within looks into him, there is no stopping this, no pulling her back. The wood in our hands drop.

"My father is more of a father than you can ever hope to be." Words coming out poking back into him.

Our stance becomes wider, posturing the intent to hold our spot on the path, he will have to try to go through us, or around.

His teeth flash, does he realize he's going to bring the Monster out.

"If you don't hold your tongue I will rip it out of your mouth." Fighting words from the Alpha. It's just him and I, no witnesses. He has me cornered. No escape but through him, it's unfortunate for him because I'm not moving from this path without force. This is a stand that I need to make, here and now.

Trust within the Nature of myself.

It's her that smiles with her War towards the large male. It's her that shifts us easily to our Wild. It's her that reaches out within Nature as if she can tap into the breathing life of the world.

The power of Nature is seductive.

He's pushed us, poked up, taunted us...

Retribution

A leap up, the Wilds meet in a thump of flesh and bone. Tooth and claw fighting. He is no match for her, she's pure energy that is housed in a body of skin. Nature is surging through the very soul of us. I can feel the core of the world, it has no end just a surging pulses of energy that's becoming too great for our body to house.

His neck angles away, creating an opportunity for teeth to sink into flesh that sprays blood on the path we are on.

The Wild biting deeper, deeper leaving her mark.