The Exile's Path

The night she crossed the boundary stones of her pack the Silvercrest pack the forest had been cruel to her.

Kallia still carried the physical memory of that long midnight barefooted walk, the unearthly cold deep in her bones and the silence of the trees. Walking away from the only home she had ever known a place where a wolfs value was measured in claws, fangs, and dominance. Infront of her had lain nothing but the human lands, where wolves were seen as bedtime monsters and demons,and rogues were hunted down like rabid dogs.

She took nothing . She had taken only what belonged her a hunting knife her mother had left behind, a the clothes on her body, and the burning shame that clung to her skin.

Wolfless,Disgrace

These words had replayed in her head with every step she took away from the ceremonial ground.As she walked through the trees, crossed the freezing shallows of the border river. She had felt broken. She had wanted the world to end when the clock struck midnight and the wolf inside her refused to answer her call.

Now,exactly one year later, the only thing Kallia smelled was herbs and roots.

The old wooden door cracked open, letting in the cold air. Kallia set down her pestle, wiping her herb-stained hands on her apron.

"Back so soon?" she called out softly, not looking up

"Yes, child," a warm voice answered from the door.

Kallia looked up, her expression softening.Standing in the doorway, leaning on a cane, was Mrs. Evelyn Gable. The elderly human widow had lived in Oakhaven for all seventy of her years. When Kallia had collapsed on the steps of the town twelve months ago cold, and starved half to death.Evelyn had not asked for where she came from with cuts all over her arms. She had simply dragged Kallia inside,warmed her, and took her as her own

"You're up early today," Kallia said, coming around the counter to take the heavy basket of herbs from the old woman's hand. "The morning cold is not good for your health ."

"And you've been earlier than me," Evelyn said her face showing affection. She tapped her cane against the floor. "Do you ever sleep, Kallia? At your age, girls in town are daydreaming about the next harvest or sleeping until afternoon."

Kallia gave a small smile that didn't reach her dark eyes. "Work keeps me warm better than blankets of my bed."

"Work will turn you into an old woman before your hair even turns gray," Evelyn muttered, She moved behind the counter, arranging herbs with trembling hands. "Besides, today is the day it makes it one full year since my doorstep became your home"

Kallia froze for a second, She hadn't realized Evelyn was keeping countof the days.

In the human town, no one cared about blood. No one bowed to an Alpha or bowed to an elder. Here, people cared about their plants,and harvests stored, and evelyn cared about her herbs.

For the first time in her life, she was not a failure disappointmentor disgrace She was just Kallia the quiet girl who worked the herb shop with Evelyn and never caused trouble.

"I owe you so much that I can't repay, Evelyn," Kallia murmured honestly, carefully placing a bottle of herbs on a shelf

"You've swept the floors of my little house,helped with my herbs, and massaged my body with your hands" Evelyn said, waving her hands. "You're the reason I'm not lonely"

Kallia smiled, looking out the glass window to the streets. She remembered the night she came to this town one year ago on her 18th birthday on the the day of her shifting ceremony under the looks of the elders,the warriors the pack she had grown in the stones of the ceremonial circle burned at her bare feet.All kallia could smell was her cold sweat. Tonight she was supposed to turn into her wolf.

Shift, she pleaded in her mind. Turn Into a wolf she begged. The drums stopped the ceremonial ground went silent. The other wolf whispered between themselves. "Broken"

"She's a human stray"

" An embarrassment to the blood" Then a verdict was passed to her "You do not belong here."She turned around and ran from the ground with tears in her eyes wandering into the woods.

Looking out on the streets Kallia snapped from her memory. Lately something inside her had been changing. At first, she blamed it on stress. But over the few weeks, her senses had grown sharp. She could hear and smell differently.

There were strange moments when she was entirely alone in her small room above the shop. Sometimes at night, her skin would heat. Her pulse would beat so loud. She would drink the tea Evelyn made to feel better she told herself it was her imagination.

"Kallia?" Evelyn's voice broke through her thoughts.

Kallia blinked, turning around. "Yes?"

"You're thinking again," the old woman said. "Take the afternoon off. Go down to the river and get some herbs. The fresh air will be good for you"

The thought of fresh air sounded pleasant.

"All right," she conceded softly, untying her apron and folding it neatly over the counter. "I'll be back soon."

She reached beneath the counter, taking her mother's hunting knife in her boots. Even among humans, Kallia never walked without It

As she stepped out into the mountains, the wind blowing against her body she smelt something familiar the smell of cidar a smell that belonged to certain wolfs, her heart slammed against her ribcage.

Kallia stumbled slightly on the stones, a gasp left her lips.

She looked north toward the towering peaks that divided human land from the great northern wolf territories.

The mountains were quiet, but for the first time in a year, the silence didn't feel empty. It felt like a warning