25. Ylfa
The ship makes portat last and I remain frozen against the stern. A crowd of humans have gathered along the pier. They’re of varying ages from men, women, and children, waiting to welcome their families home, and it seems they truly have built-up a thriving community here.
I almost don’t want to ruin it. I feel as if we are trespassing. It appears we will be the first of lycan kind to step foot on this island.
The humans on our ship disembark first, rushing down the ramps. I spy Tim running to a woman as he throws his arms around her, and she’s heavily pregnant. Then old Ethel hobbles toward a younger man, who I assume is her son, and a pang forms in my gut.
There will be no friendly faces waiting for us when we got off this ship. No loved ones or family.
We truly are alone out here.
Patrick takes my hand, smiling down at me. “Ready? It will be fine, Ylfa. I’m sure you’ll win them over.”
I hope so. Otherwise, this mission would have been pointless.
Brianna hugs an older couple on the pier when she disembarks, and they must be her parents. She told me she grew up on the continent in a small, rundown village. It was attacked by wolves, but she and her family managed to escape.
Every human here must be a refugee from the continent. I spy many children too, and I wonder how many were born on the island.
Those children will see us as monsters. The types their parents tell them ghost stories about.
We really have some proving to do.
My eyes bug when I recognize a pair of children in the crowd, and it’s the little girl and boy we stumbled upon on our way to the gathering. Brent had spared them their lives, advising the boy and his family to find a bigger settlement.
There is safety in numbers, after all, and it seemed the boy heeded his advice. I spy the couple behind them, and I’m just glad they got away.
They’re alive because of Brent.
I put all thoughts of my third mate aside, and focus on the mission. I have work to do.
Elder Floyd sent me on a diplomatic mission to find some humans and talk with them, and it appears the fruits of our labor have finally paid off.
So I disembark, taking my first step onto the island, and the crowd falls silent. Only the sound of flowing water fills the air, and I guess this is it.
Time to talk.
I raise a sheepish hand, and Silver growls at me for daring to act so sheep-like. “H-hello... You are probably wondering who I am. I am Ylfa Wolfe, a lycan from the continent, and I come in peace.”
Smooth. Real nice. And not cliché at all...
Shut up, Silver.
No human utters a sound. They stare at us like we’re a pack of aliens from the stars, and I guess we kind of are in a way. I sure feel like an alien.
Hunter and Patrick take a hand on either side of me, and I realize how horribly outnumbered we are. There are only thirty wolves, but hundreds of humans. Possibly more.
It’s best I just focus on one person in the crowd. Someone who doesn’t look so hostile and ready to skin me.
I focus on the little girl, Rosie. Brent spared her and her big brother because he has a kind soul. Even if he does work for a major asshole.
Her eyes pop when she spots me staring at her, and she hides behind her brother. However, I smile to let her know I mean no harm, and now I address the crowd, keeping my focus on her.
“I swear we will put an end to our one hundred year feud. No human or shifter will suffer anymore. I was the wolf prophesied to meet with your chosen one and savior and bring peace to the world. We can all live in harmony. So long as you are willing.”
More silence. There comes a cough and then a sneeze and I’m running out of time.
No one seems to know what to say, and it’s the tensest five seconds of my life. Brianna, Ethel, and Tim are ready to defend us, but it will take more than their word. We will have to live among them too and teach them what we’re all about.
The crowd parts next, and now a familiar face stares back at me. She grins, and for a moment I’m not sure if she’s the same person. She has flower decorations in her raven black hair and a healthy tan, and I have to rub my eyes.
“Raven?”
Her smile widens. “Ylfa! You made it!”
She rushes forth, throwing her arms around my neck, and the tension breaks at last.
Finally, we’re reunited.
It’s time to build our new world together.