raven1

I was truly impressed with the wonderful description of forest and its smells. Forests in the Pacific Northwest are amazing in their diversity. The geography of this area create micro-climates that mean the same forest like Mt. Hood National Forest is a series of many types of forests ecosystems with different types of trees and plants dominating a particular area depending on elevation and weather patterns. However, Wouldn't be the typical reaction to just any scent. @WolfM and none of your readers believe this Timberline Lodge is just as wonderful as you described. I loved ski the slopes there. I do think that the parents visit will help Chris, especially since mom has apologised for her involvement in pushing Chris at Michael. A family move to the Columbia River Pack would be good for all of them.

Now that Michael is dead, I hope that Chris can find the closure he needs to put the past behind him. He has been focusing so much on Michael and his feelings about Michael that he hasn't been able to work on his own feelings. Fortunately Kyle and Corey have been giving him support and opportunities to feel better about himself. Unfortunately, he has not been able to integrate those new experiences and feelings. I hope now he will start to do that and finds what he wants from living a new life, not just reliving his old life. Another great chapter.

Chris is excellent at analysing Michael's behaviours. However, he needs some help analysing and understanding his own behaviours. What does Chris want now? Before, he wanted what Michael wanted, or at least that was how he has been thinking. Now Michael is out of his life and Chris has started to set some positive goals, what will make him happy?

Now Chris is learning the true meaning of belonging to a pack. He is recovering step by step. Great chapter.

I had to laugh at this funny acknowledgement of procrastination. The rest of the chapter was a bit of a horror. Chris finally has the courage to write about what happen with Michael. I agree that Michael is definitely a bad seed. Now that he has written what he fears most, how will he react when telling the therapist?

I too sense Michael is behind the attack. Corey and Kyle being there for him is an important milestone in Chris's developing understanding of true friendship. It is interesting that Corey admits to being a bully as a teen, and is working with Chris to make amends for his past behaviour. These two seem to have a lot in common. I suspect I know some of the secrets that Chris does not want to share yet. He may be able to share them with friends he trust before he shares them with his therapist.

The nice part of this chapter is that Chris is learning about real friendship. It is also nice that the wolf has been let out to enjoy the freedom he finds in the forest. You describe this very well. I know, because I was born and raised near here. I built a home for my retirement on the slopes of Mt Hood and often hiked thru this magnificent forest. Great chapter.

I agree that Chris is thinking in circles, but that is the worth of a journal. A good therapist will see this in his writing. Then, the therapist will be able to show Chris what he is doing. Chris's next step is to change how he thinks and the therapist can help him with this change. The therapist also needs to deal with Chris's wolf and the damage done to it. This journal entry also provided clues for the therapist to follow up by talking to Chris. What things did Michael do to degrade Chris to the point Chris wanted to go feral? What did Chris come to enjoy after he had become conditioned to it? I also believe that Chris's mother's reaction in the trial is in large part her realisation that she pushed Chris into the relationship with Michael.

Hoping you would forget them???

Hi Val, I am sending my best wishes and hope to both you and Joker. Terry

I like the amount of time you are spending inside Chris's mind by using the journal. It is very interesting to me to read about how Chris was thinking and how that has changed. A lot of writer's let the reader figure out those things. That's not bad writing, just common enough to allow me to appreciate your different approach very much. It is refreshing!

Wow! I guess I will have to endure the spoilers. The comments at the beginning now make sense. Thanks for the heads up!

I scanned thru this video and it definitely is Asian style fast food cooking. Some of these are very similar to Thailand, but not on this large of scale here in Chiang Mai. Instead, there are many small vendors who buy and prep early in the morning, set up for the open markets and cook to order. To get a full meal just go from one vendor to another. Restaurants do the same. Food can be found everywhere in the city.

I think that Kadin may have been safer than the hold where he was in the hills. He and Jevikel spent time there and know what is there for protection. Kadin also knows the ballads and knows what to expect. He will have known the signs that indicate thread was about to fall and probably was able to get the herds into shelters and caves to save their lives.

I'm off to be also. Take care everyone! Good Night!

Good Night Bucket!

Chris is retrospective and aware of his prejudices. He seems concerned enough to question his own beliefs and wants to know if those beliefs are based on facts. Kyle is interesting in that he seems to want to know Chris better and is sensitive to Chris's moods. He press Chris about what was bother Chris, then accepted what he was told without judgement. Chris trusts Kyle enough to tell him the truth. The big reveal of Aaron was an interesting scene. I definitely am beginning to like these characters.

Chris's self analysis caused him to become vividly aware of how low he had fallen. He was acting like he was only one step down to becoming feral. His only place in the pack was there because of the fear he caused, not because of his ability or achievement. In a way, he was already a rogue wolf without a real connection to the pack. This is what brought him to the brink of suicide. Now the crisis has occurred, may be he can begin to rebuild his life. I did enjoy the analogy used by his doctor. He also has a positive plan that will not only help him deal with his guilt, but also build his self confidence and the respect of the community that is helping him.

It is hard to accept that Chris is worth saving at this point after reading this chapter. He may be able to change, but what he was before is so evil. His only redeeming point is that at least he does not try to blame any of the others. What I don't understand yet is why he has changed so much. That he almost lost his life, but didn't was a obvious starting point. However, there seems to be something more that sustains his motivation to redeem himself. That's what I would like to know.

Chris is remorseful and regrets what he has done in the past. He is now in the questioning stage of why he did those things. He is reviewing what he once thought. He knows there were peer pressures, pack prejudices and parent beliefs involved, but he is not trying to shift the blame to others. He is owning up to his own actions. I think it boils down to one main question. Why did he allow Michael to influence Chris's thoughts and actions. He may be surprised when he realises the answer to that question. Michael is on the loose, a rogue wolf. Will Chris once again be confronted by Michael? How will Chris's changes and his new life influence what happens if Michael reappears. Great chapter of reflection that establishes many of the factors that influenced Chris to behave as he did.

Hi Albert! How are you and Steve this morning? I'm glad you got a good bill of health from your doctors!

I do enjoy the humorous nature of Loren and his friends on the show. The innuendoes as Issac is lifting weights was so fun. Loren gets home to find Aiden has been crying, but does what is needed for Aiden shows how much he has come to love the little spud. I was surprised at his actions towards Jay when he left the house. At that point, it didn't make sense to me. Cole, Issac and Corey come to the rescue of Loren, then helped me see the light. Loren was having a panic attack because of an assumption that triggered his own PTSD. When the talked some sense into Loren I felt relief. I knew that Jay would understand. Why do I think that Aiden was just trying to get Loren's attention in the first place? That kid is very complex. Matt and Seamus are going to have a lot of fun raising him. I was very impressed by Loren's change of feeling towards Aiden as the week progressed.

Thread finally hit Pinnacle Hold and wreck havoc on the reed roofed barn and the beasts inside. Vikkel has learned a very hard lesson. The description of their first threadfall was chillingly written. The thread growing as it consumed the roof and then the beasts was horrifying. It was provident that Vikkel and Jevikel were there to get the barn open so at least some of the beasts escaped. It seems fortunate that there were enough dragons to keep most of the hold safe. With Jevikel I worry about Kadin and the rest of the animals in the hills. Great chapter.

Not know what Chris did, since I started this series with this prequel, I am sure it must have been horrendous for him to be facing a death sentence. However, his saving grace seems to be that he is very ashamed and repentant for his crime. He has chosen to own up completely and honestly with the Columbia River Pack. They in turn know from his scent all of this. That is probably why they have chosen to enforce the sentence, but treated him with dignity and concern. This give me hope that Chris will be able to become better in this kind environment.

I think that I am going to like this story very much. It is like a few stories I have read on GA, and a reason I like GA very much. Many of the authors here create characters that demand their own stories for a variety of reasons. The characters may be supporting or minor, but they have a spark that catches the author's attention and results in another great story. The beginning of this story flows nicely as it details the transition from the original story to this new circumstance. I like the journal format as a device to tell this tale.