Athena Laurent

Bringing three new people into their group wasn't as easy as Athena had hoped it would be. Mainly because one of them had tried to kill the other two. After Shani ran off to find her mate, Darius, Demir, and she had stayed behind to resolve the issues between them and the humans. It wasn't easy, and at first, one of them - Denise - was eager to get away from them, but when the other human - Kara - appeared to have a painful leg, they decided it would be better to accept some help.

Athena hadn't been sure if it would be a good idea to bring the humans along; there is a reason their worlds are strictly separated, and from the first moment they were together, the tension was high. Therefore, Athena wasn't surprised she felt extremely relieved when she saw Shani return to their spot with a blond-haired young man by her side.

Of course, there were problems right away with their arrival, too. When Denise saw the newest member of the group and acknowledged him as the werewolf who attacked them, she lashed out. Frankly, Athena was quite surprised a human had the guts - and the vocabulary - to make a shapeshifter petrified. Denise possessed them. Big time.

Athena knew the human wasn't happy with the direction in which her camping trip was going, but her girlfriend was quite keen on staying close to supernatural creatures to avoid other, more dangerous, supernatural creatures. Now she knows what's out there and she suddenly didn't feel safe in the forest anymore. Poor girl. Can't say I blame her. Apart from that, Kara's still hurt. Athena didn't offer to heal her leg the first day. One miracle at a time. Besides, everyone who came even slightly close to her had to deal with Denise's icy glance.

As for Leon. He keeps his distance from everybody, especially Denise, Kara, and Shani, who started to look pale after day two. She's strong, but being forced to watch your mate ignore you; it's another level of pain. In only a number of days, Athena witnessed Shani's upbeat, hopeful expression slowly turn into a frowned, dejected grimace. Werewolves are idiots.

The fourth day in their new, mixed group composition dawns when the sun finds its way through the darkest sections of the forest. Athena is slowly drawn out of her sleep. When she opens her eyes, she realizes nobody woke up with her. Well, almost no one. If she hadn't had the tight connection with her surroundings, she wouldn't have noticed the soft cries coming from afar.

Shani. There is no need to think twice as to why the werecat is crying in the forest while the sun is barely lighting the trees. Everybody has noticed her mate is keeping his distance from the group, especially Shani. It hurts to watch her, and although Athena wishes things were different for them, Athena knows why Leon is distant towards her. She can sense a lot of anger underneath his surface, but it's his fear that takes over from time to time. She saw the look Kara gave him when she saw him again, it was almost enough to make him run away again. If it wasn't for Darius and Demir, he would have. Shani didn't look at him when he wanted to leave. Athena can only imagine how it must feel to see your mate desperate to leave you behind.

Athena casts a glance at Darius - who's still peacefully asleep next to her - and then quietly rises from the ground. She walks away from their camping spot, silently searching for her friend. It's not difficult to pick a route. Athena's heart clenches for Shani when the melancholic sounds that reverberate throughout the forest tell her exactly where to go. From afar, Athena can now see the werecat and she deliberately starts making some noise to not frighten her too much.

Shani turns around immediately when she hears it and her eyes widen when she sees Athena.

"Athena, hi!" she says, while roughly wiping away her tears. Athena wants to tell her she doesn't need to do that for her, but she stays quiet. Sometimes the last thing a person needs is a friend who feels sorry for them.

"Good morning, do you want to go for a walk?" she asks instead. The werecat nods and lifts herself up from the ground and Athena guides her friend in the direction she wants to go. For a few minutes, they walk in silence, but Athena still sees Shani relax a little. The ambiance in the group has been intense for days. They haven't talked about Shani's surprising shift and things between Demir and Denise are pretty tense, not to mention Kara, who's still trying to wrap her head around everything that's going on. Apart from all that, the variety of species being in a small space together isn't helping the already unstable situation. These few minutes of silence are a blessing.

"Isn't it weird, two weeks ago, we didn't know each other? It has only been fourteen days since I was almost beaten to death and you saved my life. And now, we're traveling with two humans and three hot-headed werewolves, including our mates. How can any of this be real? It sounds like a freaking fairy-tale," Shani says breathlessly. She exhales in relief; like a huge burden just fell off her shoulders. Her cheeks redden a little in embarrassment.

"Well," Athena starts, unsure how to respond to Shani's outburst. "Fate does always have a fun way of getting involved, whether you want it or not."

"I figured, but that's the thing, I didn't know what I wanted until now," Shani bites her lip before continuing. "I was there when you and Darius met. You were practically glowing and your smile just kept getting bigger and bigger. In those minutes you showed me what I want more than anything. I never dared to think about what could happen tomorrow because I was always busy trying to survive today. And when I saw Leon, I stopped worrying for a second and start thinking about a future. But with the way he's acting, all I want to do is run away from him as far as I possibly can. My first impulse is always to leave and go back in that survivor mode."

"Everyone has to learn to fight before they can fight the fight, Shani. And once you're strong enough to stay, you have a chance to win. That survival mode has kept you alive until now, it's completely natural you want to go back, it's everything you've ever know. But life changes and this time, life might have changed for the better." Athena closes her mouth for a second, waiting for her words to sink in. "I think you and Leon aren't very different from each other, but while you have managed to keep your pain and suffering buried on the inside, his is trying to get out."

"Do you think he even feels the bond between us? He seems miserable, and yet also indifferent when he looks at me."

Athena places her hand on Shani's shoulder and a sudden feeling of affection irrupts in her stomach; she reaches out to hug her tightly. Shani responds immediately and she wraps her arms around her friend. Athena can't remember the last time she gave a hug this intimate to a friend. It might even be the first time. "He feels the bond, I'm sure of it, but his fear of hurting you is stronger right now," she whispers to Shani. It pains her to see her friend hurting like this, knowing there isn't anything she can do except be there for her.

"That's so stupid, he's hurting me more by not trying to hurt me. I can handle some bruises; a broken heart can't be healed that easily." I know that, but your idiot mate doesn't seem to realize.

"In time, you can totally tell him that, but I'm afraid you're going to have to be patient with him. Just know, Shani, that until he sees it, you have me." Athena intercepts a falling tear from Shani's face. The werecat sniffs once. "Thank you, Athena. For everything. For saving my life that day, and being here and saying the things I need to hear. And for... for not hating me."

"I would never hate you for who you are, Shani. I understand completely why you didn't want to say anything. People aren't kind to anyone who they think are a little different. You didn't know who to trust, nobody blames you for not telling the truth, least of all me. We all have secrets; it takes time to be completely open." Athena says, smiling. "Besides, you're not the first werecat I've seen, but you're definitely a lot nicer. You didn't try to eat me."

"You have really low standards then, but thank you."

Athena has never felt the urge to tell someone her own secret too; after seeing Shani so vulnerable and yet so strong, she wants to show her she knows exactly how she feels. She wants to tell her how she almost ran away after the group grew bigger, and after she met Darius; that her first impulse is also to flee. "Shani?"

"Yes."

"I want to..."

"Athena, Shani, there you are! It's so early, and they are already yelling at each other. It's giving me a headache. Please help me," Darius says, sounding really annoyed. Athena sighs, partly disappointed, but also partly relieved. Maybe it's a sign she's not supposed to talk about it yet.

Shani raises her eyebrows. "Why are they fighting? They just woke up," She says. It's not a surprise who 'they' are. From day one, Demir and Denise clashed. They cannot agree on a single thing. Darius lifts his arms in frustration. "Same. Damn. Thing." Great. While I was here, trying to distract my friend from her idiot mate, they thought it would be a great idea to start bickering about their living arrangements? Again? Athena has to admit, it's not ideal. Humans and supernatural creatures simply don't mix. Especially when one of the humans used to be a freaking hunter. But is it really necessary to start a fight about it for the tenth time? These are the kinds of problems I didn't have when I was alone.

The three of them walk back to the group; Shani and Athena can already hear the discussion from afar. It's mainly Denise and Demir they hear, but when they approach the group, they see Kara and Leon are also there. They are both quiet. Darius mingles himself into the conversation real quick, trying to calm them down. Very unsuccessfully.

"Guys, come on, why are you still shouting at each other?" Athena asks them eventually. She immediately knows those weren't the right words to say, because both their eyes turn to her. If they had been witches, she would be a pile of ash right now. Denise starts to explain - what Athena thinks is for a second or third time seeing Darius's face - she's isn't too fond of Demir and the idea of Leon being in the same part of the forest as them. The first one annoys her, and the second one almost killed her girlfriend after he lost his "freaky werewolf temper." To which Demir responds that Leon feels better now, adding that he is not enjoying the fact there is a hunter in their midst as well.

"I am not a hunter anymore; I don't want to kill anybody."

"I have to say, I'm also not very comfortable with her here," Shani admits which earns her an are-you-kidding-me-look from Darius. "What?" she says, shrugging her shoulders. "A hunter's purpose is literally to kill us. You can't blame me for being a little reluctant towards her presence."

"I'm not the one with claws and fangs," Denise responds to Shani, although she's not watching her. Her fiery eyes are still focused on Demir.

"No, but you shoot arrows in my kind for fun," Demir fires back, making the human even redder.

"I don't do that anymore, and I never enjoyed it."

"Guys, can we stop with the bickering, for just one second. We just have to deal with the fact we're all here at the same time. Denise, your mate-girlfriend is wounded and we can help you get her back to the human world; Demir, come on, mate. Let it go, and for you Leon, your mate is here, whether you accept it or not. You can't just leave her."

"I don't want to leave," Leon answers immediately. Athena could swear his eyes turned black for a second. He's just as affected as Shani, he's just able to hide it better.

"And I'm just glad y'all didn't kill us.. and that you help us," Denise adds softly.

"See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" Darius exclaims excitedly, joining his hands together. Everyone turns to him, glaring at him until his face contorts. "Jeez, I'm sorry. It's what my father used to say. I get it. Wrong move. Noted," he says quasi-offended. "I'm going for a run now..."

Athena walks towards Kara, who's still watching her girlfriend staring at everyone to pick a fight with everyone who's willing. She gazes back at Athena but doesn't seem too afraid to talk. It's the same look she wore when Athena had asked her if she could heal her leg a few days ago:

"I can try to heal your leg you know. I'm almost certain my powers work on humans too, they did last time I wiped some minds." Athena laughs when Kara's eyes widen, but she isn't sure what part of her sentence is the cause of it. "Bad joke, I'm sorry. Are you all right? I can't imagine what you must be thinking right now," she says to Kara while she drops to the ground to sit beside the human. "It's a lot," Kara admits.

"May I?" Athena points at Kara's leg. Kara nods. As careful as she can, Athena places her hand on Kara's swollen ankle. She knows she has to take her time; a human body can't handle the accelerated healing process as well as a supernatural creature, but it will take minutes instead of days with some magical help. She mends the small fracture in her foot and a couple of bruises and scrapes on the rest of Kara's body. When she's finished, she looks to Kara again.

"Amazing," she simply says, looking a little pale, but also very excited about the magic Athena just used on her. The enchantress blushes a little bit, a proud feeling emerges. "Thanks, Athena," she says grateful, still looking stunned at her smooth arms and legs. "You're welcome." Athena shrugs, not knowing what to do with the compliment.

--------------------------

The fight is slowly forgotten, and the day goes by fast. They look for any clues related to the pack Athena's so desperate to fight, but it's hard. Are they even real? She doubted Alexis' belief in the mysterious pack before, but after days of not finding anything that can bring them closer, she's even more skeptical than before.

At night, Athena lights a fire, and everyone sits down around the source of light and warmth, even though most of them don't even need it. For Darius, it's an excuse to sit close to his mate, Demir just wants to have a conversation and for Leon and Shani, it's an opportunity to look at each other without having to talk. Kara and Denise actually need the warmth; they sit the closest to the fire. For Athena, the fire is a way to focus, it's enchanting to watch the flames eat the wood around them, burning it until there's nothing left.

It's pleasantly silent; no one fancies it to talk - or to fight - at the moment. After dinner, which was a funny mix of all sorts of diets - everyone went their separate ways for a few hours, only to return to this cosy setting. Athena is watching the group, wondering what the hell happened to the lonely life she had only a couple of days ago. Meeting Shani, then Darius and Demir, and now Kara, Denise, and Leon, is this the help Alexis was talking about? Is this Fate telling her to trust them, let them help her? She's ashamed of the thought she had during dinner; running away is not an option, she knows it. But it would definitely be easier.

What if she does trusts them and something goes wrong? She's been betrayed too many times in the past, she promised herself it will not happen again. And what if she can trust them, but she betrays their trust? This mission is dangerous, someone can get seriously hurt or worse. Telling them is risky, but not telling them can be just as deadly.

"What is going to happen tomorrow? Will you all join us to the pack in the North?" she asks, gazing at Leon, Denise, and Kara.

"I will," Leon says immediately. Athena reads Shani's emotions quickly; she's more than happy about it.

Kara and Denise seem unsure of their decision yet. Athena got the feeling Denise would like to leave their little group, but for some reason, Kara seems intrigued by them; her long stares at everybody hadn't escaped Athena. The human is hard to read, but her observing everybody suggested there is something Kara isn't telling them. First, she brushed it off, given the fact Kara is new to the supernatural world. Her gawking at werewolves, werecats, and hybrids doesn't seem that weird, but Athena still can't shake the fact there is something more about the human...

"We'll stay too. For now," Denise says eventually.

Athena smiles, then lifts her hand and with her mind, she pictures the flames forming a picture. She imagines their group; three werewolves, a werecat, a hunter, a human, and... a witch, for now. She sees them sitting like they are, around a fire, chatting and laughing, feeling safe, free, and alive.

Everyone is captivated by her magic, watching the versions of themselves in the fire; shifting into their animal forms and then running around the fire. A werewolf comes loose from the wood and dances around Demir's body. Of course, he has to try and touch the burning wolf. "Ouch." A few soft chuckles are heard around the fire, amused by his predictable reaction. "What did you expect, Demir? It's fire. It burns," Darius says, still looking at Athena, who's making the werecat chase another werewolf. Shani's watching it while stealing sneaky glances at Leon. Athena is certain they're both aware of their stares, they're just choosing to ignore it.

"What do you think of this group, Darius?" She asks him, so softly, no one else can hear them. "I think it's going to be messy," he answers, using his amused tone. "But I also think we can help each other out. I have this feeling we're all after the same thing."

"What is that?"

"A home."