The next time Cungr woke the splitting pain in his head receded to a dulled nuisance. His left hip felt measurably better, yet still tender. Many of his other aches and pains seemed gone altogether. Under normal circumstances it would have taken a week or more for him to recover, had he been under that long? He was hungry, but not with the ravenous gnawing that would have overtaken him had he not eaten for a week.

Rich lilting guitar music washes over him as he turns under the wool blanket feeling his skin brush against its weave. Did he shift to human form while unconscious? Was that even possible? Slowly his eyes slit open to scan the small cabin. A few feet from him Krish lounges on an intricately carved rocking chair hair held knotted up with porcupine quills, one leg over an armrest the other splayed sideways with toes on the ground, tipping the chair methodically, guitar nestled in her lap. The guitar is a masterwork of art, complex ivory and gold inlay designs against glossy dark wood. It’s deep soulful melody being coaxed from the strings effortlessly by strong adept fingers. It would take a lifetime to acquire the skill to play this way yet she looked little more than 2 or 3 decades old. He wasn’t sure what to think of her, she didn’t exude the same aura as a pureblooded werewolf neither did she have that peculiar odor human hybrids carried. Still, her bloodlines must be powerful considering the way she put the local pack on edge.

Cungr shifted his position to better view her. He was well over a century and a half old, but in all that time he’s never met anyone like her. Her dark honey-colored hair spills from where it is caught by the quills cascading down to her hips. Fire flames illuminate olive tinted skin casting shadows across her features, almond-shaped eyes look up at the ceiling as she strums the delicate tune. It seemed the blood of many continents danced in her. His movement caught her eye, but the melody did not cease as she lowered her gaze to observe him, a quirk of a smile appearing on the edge of her mouth. When the song ends she sets the guitar aside and slides out of the chair like liquid to a squat on the floor next to him.

Krish reaches a hand forward and brushes his tousled auburn hair, he leans slightly into her touch a warm sensation spreading into his bones.

"Feeling better?" Her voice sounds a soft purr.

He remembered the pressure of her strong hands kneading his stiff shoulders and back the first time he woke. There was something about the way she moved, spoke, and reacted that did not fit the manners of a wolf, especially that of a werewolf female. He gazed in her pale jade green eyes as her calloused hand slipped across his jaw.

"Cat got your tongue?" she says is a low mirthful voice.

"I will live." Cungr croaks through a dry throat. "Why did you run from me?", his tone turning dark.

Krish taking her hand away from its caresses, "I think you know I wasn't running." She picks up a pitcher and pours him a cup of water.

Annoyance rising slightly in him, "What would you call the 3-day cross country trek I endured?"

Krish hands him the cup and regards him, considering her words carefully, "How do you think you got here?"

Hesitantly he replies, "I don't know, the last thing I remember was… " his thoughts trail off, "She'll think I am insane if I tell her what I thought I saw."

"Yes? What was the last thing?" she lifts a high arching brow at him. He rises to a sitting position, the blanket slides off his bare torso allowing the firelight to dance across his muscular physique.

"Well?" She persists, her eyes follow the curves of his chest.

Cungr rubs his hands over his face, her blatant observation of him was unnerving "You'll think I have lost my mind."

"Try me." She chuckles.

"Promise you won't reject me first." he asks.

Krish rocks back on her heels sucking in her breath, "This must be good, but I don’t make promises I may not keep. Go on."

"It is ridiculous, I had to be delirious from exhaustion and pain.” He pauses, “When I tried to leap the creek I saw a large creature. At first, I thought it was you, but it was massive and not a wolf or local wildlife. The thing came bounding down the hill. Then it ran along the river bank as I was struggling against the current. The last thing I recall is its face inches from mine, then its fangs closing over my neck. Obviously, that is not what happened." he concluded.

"Why would you say that? And what is it you think you saw that you won't name?" She asked in an amused tone.

"If what I thought I saw had come down that hill after me I wouldn't be here with you. I won't name it because… what grown Alpha admits to seeing a fairytale monster used to threaten young cubs into going to bed on time?" His tone bothered. Why is she pushing on this?

The rolling laughter that erupts from Krish's curved lips is unexpected. She's making fun of him. Cungr bristles with anger as he watches her fall over sideways gasping.

Putting effort into the command he stiffens, "What is so damn amusing?" Shock rolls through him as he realizes his command voice has exactly zero effect on her and at best manages to increase her mirth.

Still gasping she retorts, "Used to scare cubs?" His exasperated expression sends her into another belly splitting roll of laughter.

There is a joke here that he isn't getting. He is beginning to understand why the local pack gave her wide birth and were not thrilled when she crashed their meeting. Maybe she was insane, who would dare to treat an Arch so casually, and now that he thought about it, why couldn’t he feel her emotions? Crossing his arms over his chest he delivers a stern look and waits for her levity to subside. Still grinning Krish rises and takes a set of folded clothes off a small table. She tosses them down at him.

"Get dressed so we can have a proper chat. I won't manage the conversation we need to have with you flaunting about naked." Krish turns, still chortling softly to herself, and walks out of the cabin.

He looks at the bundle of clothes, they are odd, antiquated, ornately embroidered and sumptuous. Even with their fine quality, there is still something rugged about these clothes. On top is a tunic made of a soft rough spun material, it was somehow thick and weightless at the same time, inhaling he could tell it was silk, even if it looked like mid-weight wool. The color was a rich green with gold and black threads embroidering ornate animals and what he guessed to be characters in an ancient language edging the hem, collar, and cuffs. He slides it on, it is slightly large on him. He is larger than most men, jealousy springs up into his chest, did she have a male more formidable than him? Whose was this? Yet he could only detect her scent on the garment, closer inspection revealed it had most likely never been worn and he could smell faint bits of her blood in the embroidery. She had sewn the entire thing, stitching every thread into place occasionally pricking herself. The pants were a dark grey made of similar materials held up with a drawstring at the waist. Who had she made these things for? He felt like he had been drawn back into the middle ages. After slipping on a pair of thick wool socks the door opened letting in a gust of cold wind.

Krish held a small sack, a bucket of water, and a slab of meat. Her eyes softened when she saw him standing in the tunic, a flash of lust passing over her face. He stepped up to her offering to help with the items. "No, sit down so we can talk." She chirped. Rolling apples and a few potatoes out onto the table she poured part of the water into the cookpot over the fire and unceremoniously dropped the potatoes in. She filled an iron kettle then swung the kettle's hook close to the fire.

Leaning her head towards the apples. "I don't go in for those usually, but I imagine you need more than just meat." At that, she began to shave meat off the slab.

Cungr set next to her at the table, his stomach rumbling. He snapped up an apple and crunched into its cold sweet flesh. A continual glint of amusement danced in Krish's eyes, "You pups and your people food."

Cungr sets the apple down and regards her cooly, anger bubbling just under the surface "I was a cub, never a pup. Now I am neither. I would appreciate it if my mate did not compare me to a dog." The constant disrespectful condescension in her tone was getting under his skin.

Her eyes snap to him and seem to be regarding him seriously for the first time. "Good, I'd kill you if you turned out to be a mongrel." She stated flatly.

Her words stirred something in him, his mate had spoken as if killing him was a possibility to her. He bristled at the implication that she saw him as weak. She clearly understood he was insulted but did not cower in fear like any sane creature would. She seemed apathetic towards his anger. Her demeanor was maddening, yet he longed for her to accept him.

"Now why don't you act like a wolf and tell me what fairytale you thought you saw?" She asked.

He growled, wanted to drag her out of the cabin and back to his pack. Krish raised an eyebrow, holding a mildly amused look on her face. It was similar to the amused look the Bright Moon pack received when she crashed the meeting and tried to tell them about the rogues. It was like she was watching a child have a tantrum and was willing to weather it out. Perceiving that the main tools in his belt, intimidation & anger, would not work; Cungr capitulates and half mumbles "Tigraata. It is not possible though.”

"What if that was what you saw?" She queries, a smile creeping onto her face.

"It's not possible.” He insists. “If they ever existed there aren't any left… (He pauses trying to judge her reaction, seeing her smile fall he begins again) If there is a Tigraata then we need to leave here immediately. The legends are clear it would take more than the local pack and my men that are here to bring it down. I'd have to bring in an Arch War Legion to take it out." he replies.

"Let me get this straight. You would assemble a War Legion to attack a creature that has been minding its business and living peacefully for over a century without provocation? One that you know little to nothing about?" Her eyes have narrowed and tone dropped.

"What is this thing to you that you would question my trying to keep you safe from it?" He snaps, jealously seething in the words. Is this the male the clothes she gave him were meant for?

"You need to catch up cub, figure out what this THING is to you. I had hoped you'd be smarter than this." She retorts.

Furious at her words, possessive passion consumes him, he stands barely able to contain his emotions. He needs to take her back to his pack now! Cungr reaches out with his mind to contact his Beta. There is no response, only a crackling static in his mind keeping his hale from reaching Alex. Hands clenched on the table as he stares at her, fear rises to mix with his jealousy. The teapot whistles and she gets up to fetch it, he catches her arm. Touching her skin sends a fiery sensation jolting through both of them.

She snaps her arm away, "Not yet, we need to solve this. Now sit down and calm yourself."

He feels her command wash over him soothing his temper and forcing his knees to buckle. How can she do that? The last time anyone was able to command him was his father when he was a young cub.

Setting the hot water on the table she lays out a small porcelain pot, spoons some leaves into it and then pours the hot water over. The movements are methodical, practiced as she fills his cup then hers, turning the pot slightly and resting it in a precise manner. Why does this feel familiar? Who has he seen do this before, his mind races, it was at one of the global Arch gatherings… a Selene from the Asian continent had done something similar, though the nuances were different. He tried to remember what he could, how he was supposed to take the cup. And it starts to dawn on him as he stares down at the tea. This is all part of a ceremony. Three days chasing his mate, these oddly beautiful clothes, a ritual of precisely served tea. His mind races… the clothes were made for her mate, but she was expecting someone bigger, perhaps the Tigraata? She would have to be insane to want a creature like that as a mate. His anger begins to roll to the surface again.

"Drink your damn tea." She snaps. He picks the tea up and sips it. She then picks her's up and with half-closed eyes peers at him through the vapor rising off the tea.

"I can see you haven't quite figured it out yet. Would you like some help connecting the pieces?" she asks.

His annoyance steadily increases with her condescending tone. Used to being in charge and obeyed, this attitude of hers grates him. It was past time to reassert authority. Firmly setting his cup down he leans forward, "It doesn't matter, I don’t care if you thought you were going to be the mate of that creature. You are my mate and now you must come with me and live with my pack." he growls.

Picking up the knife she resumes shaving the raw meat into thin strips. Krish regards him stonily. "Think carefully before you say another word. There is no one here for you to be jealous of." she rumbles out at him.

He eyes her with hostility, she is his mate and speaks to him like an unruly child. He would not share her. He was roiling with emotions, looking to spring on any threat. It was exasperating to feel so out of control, driven by primal urges.

Letting out a deep sigh she shakes her head slowly then reaches over and places her hand on his. "We haven't even mated and you are already this possessive and protective." Her touch sends a vibration through his skin that settles his nerves a little.

"Now I want you to push through those hormones and try to think. Listen to me carefully Cungr." He focuses on her voice trying to suppress the rampant emotions, hearing his name from her lips soothes him. It is shameful he is this out of control and he knows it, but his wolfblood is burning with an odd mix of anger and longing.

"When we met at Thompson's Farm, do you remember what Thompson and Davin said and did?"

"I.. I think so." he stumbles out.

"Take a breath and carefully contemplate what happened, then slowly explain exactly what you remember." she asks soothingly.

"Davin was shocked to see you, angry even. He was hesitant to attack you. Wait… have you mated with him? I'll kill him!" Cungr growls.

She lets go of his hand, "If you can't knock off the theatrics and take this seriously just LEAVE!" she hisses the words at him.

"Not without you!” he snarls. “I am done with these games. Now shift to your wolf so I can take you home to my pack!" He throws every bit of command he has into demanding she shift to her wolf. He sees a slight ripple flow across her skin and her green eyes flash feral and then slit like a cat's. It shakes something in him.

"I can't!" She retorts.