Oregon in the Fall - 10. Chapter Ten: Eldarwood

Present Day. A small city in Central Oregon. The Lunar Haven.

“I feel useless,” I said.

Clara and Dave had done most of the packing. I was just standing around, looking at Dave’s backside more times than was appropriate. And I couldn’t keep my mind from wandering to the topic of Mark. As I glanced over at him, I saw a troubled and handsome man. A man I had once loved. That I still cared about. The things on his mind were so clear, it made him look ancient, burdened with regret and the weight of his actions and lies.

Mark caught my gaze, his eyes briefly flickering with a mix of emotions as he had done so many times before, then he quickly looked away. I had so many questions, and no way to ask them. I felt useless.

Clara, sensing the tension, clapped her hands together. “Alright, team! We’re almost ready to hit the road. Grey, can you do a final check of the car? Make sure we’ve got everything?”

I nodded, grateful for the distraction. I was probably the least qualified for that job, but it allowed me to get away from my thoughts. As I walked towards the car, parked just outside the bar, I couldn’t help but notice how different the world seemed now. A subtle shift in the air, a sense of foreboding that lingered just beneath the surface. This was the beginning.

Dave joined me, his hand brushing against mine as he passed me a bag. “You okay?” he asked, his voice low, filled with concern.

“Yeah, just… a lot on my mind,” I replied, forcing a smile.

We worked in silence, loading the last of our supplies into the trunk of Clara’s old, but surprisingly sturdy, SUV. Or truck? I had no idea how that worked. It was an odd assortment of gear—a blend of the mundane and the magical. I noticed a set of what looked like ancient tomes beside a box of granola bars. Clara certainly was prepared for anything.

As we finished up, I saw a figure across the street. The guy looked at us and suddenly seemed to be in a hurry, his head down, trying to avoid drawing attention. Fear was etched on his face.

The sight of him brought back the memory of the evening I arrived here. I might not have seen him, but the scent was one I remembered. It didn’t make sense. How could I, a werewolf with strength far beyond a normal human, be taken down so easily?

“Did you see that?” Dave asked, following my gaze.

“Yeah, one of the guys from the other night,” I said. “Something’s not right.”

“You saw them?”

“No. But they reeked.”

Clara, overhearing us, walked over. “What’s up?”

I explained, “That guy knocked me out cold.”

“He did what?” Mark joined in, a look of bewilderment on his face.

“Yeah. It’s been on my mind. That shouldn’t have been possible,” Clara said, her brow furrowing. “You’re a werewolf, Grey. You’re stronger than any human.”

“That’s just it,” Mark interjected, joining our huddle. “There’s something off about this place, about the energy here. It’s like our powers are being dampened.”

“And that would be my job, but I’m not doing anything. Even my powers are affected,” Clara said.

A silence fell upon us as we considered the implications. If our powers were being impacted here, what did that mean for our journey? What else were we going to face that we weren’t prepared for?

“Dave to the rescue! I scared them off!” Dave said, with a surprisingly confident take on things.

“No more freaking out about it?” I said.

“I think we’re past that,” he said, and smiled at me.

Clara’s expression hardened. “This just confirms it. We need to go to Eldarwood now more than ever. There’s something happening, and we need answers.”

We all nodded in agreement, the urgency of our mission becoming clearer. Whatever was happening, it was bigger than us, bigger than the Lunar Haven, bigger than my pack. It was a mystery that we were now a part of, whether we liked it or not.

We piled into the vehicle. It roared to life, and as we pulled away, I turned around to look at the Lunar Haven's neon sign hung atop its entrance, now off and unblinking. Clara was driving because, of course, she was. Our seating arrangement wasn’t preplanned, and now I regretted sitting in the back with Mark. This wasn’t going to be easy, but we somehow had to clear the air. The road ahead was dangerous, and if I didn’t try to trust him again, I was putting all of us in danger.

The landscape gradually changed as we drove, the lush greens of Oregon giving way to more arid, desolate terrain. It felt like we were driving into another world.

Mark kept glancing at me, and when I finally had enough of the silence, I said, “What, Mark?”

He looked down, his hands folded on his knees. He said, “I want to explain.”

I sensed Dave’s heartbeat getting faster. And it was important to me that all of them heard what Mark had to say.

He continued, “I never told you that Beatrice was my mom. I never told you I knew I had a brother. I just had to believe her, Grey.”

“Believe what?” I said.

“I believed her when she said that all of us would die if you left the pack. So I…”

“So you tried to make me stay. I get that. I can forgive the chains even. Hell, I even…”

“No. Grey. Let me talk. That’s not all.”

I stared at him.

He continued, “I became your friend because she wanted me to. And when… when I thought you’d just want me to run away with you, I had no choice but to end it. I’m so sorry, Grey…”

His eyes were wet.

“So it was all a lie from the very beginning?” I said. I kind of knew it had been, for a long time. But hearing him say it, that was something else.

“I did all I could so you would stay. But there’s more.”

“Of course there is,” I replied with a sigh.

“My father was involved with the curse, and my mom told me we had to fix the shit he had caused. Together. I was so young, Grey… When she disappeared, I couldn’t even tell you, because I had to be strong for her.”

His eyes were no longer just wet. They were streams of sadness, but also relief.

He continued, “But she tried to tell you. I know that now. When you three had me chained on the porch, I was listening. And when you said his name, I took all my strength and broke free.”

“What name?”

“Theodore,” he said, then he looked at Dave, “Theodore is our father. I’m putting it all out here, but it’s all just a puzzle to me, too. Why would she keep me from you, Dave? Why would she say that we’d all die if you left, Grey? It’s clearly not true. I was just a child who believed his mother. And I feel so stupid. For what I threw away, what I sacrificed.”

I had no words. Nothing made sense to me. I still said, “And… how am I connected to this?”

“All I know is, us three are connected. The energy, you felt it, right?”

“Yeah,” Dave and I said simultaneously.

I paused for a moment. The golden light that connected us, I had it seen it before. “The light that connects us, I saw it the day Beatrice disappeared,” I said.

“Where?” Mark wanted to know.

“On me. It’s the first time I noticed it. That day I felt like I had become more. So maybe… I don’t know. Perhaps she gave it to me? Or maybe something awoke in me when she left. I’m not the magic expert here.”

Clara had remained silent the whole time, until she said, “There’s someone we need to see, because the more either of you talk, the more complicated things get. And we need answers, not more questions.”

And that’s when I accepted Mark’s apology. We could theorize more about what it all meant, but I still knew him. He wasn’t lying to me. The car’s silence was deafening, each of us lost in our thoughts, only interrupted by the occasional shift of a seat or a deep sigh. The scenery outside had morphed even more. And dramatically so. Sparse trees and scrubby bushes dotted the horizon. As I gazed out the window, it felt like we were driving into a different reality, one where the familiar rules might no longer apply.

My mind was in shambles. Unresolved feelings lingered, and I wasn’t sure that was a thing I could fix. The golden light that connected us was another thing on my mind, a symbol of an enigmatic bond that we were only beginning to understand. The mystery of Beatrice’s disappearance and her cryptic actions weighed heavily on me. And there was Mark. And Dave.

Suddenly, Clara slowed down the car and pulled over. We were in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, a desolate stretch of road with nothingness stretching out in all directions.

“This is it,” Clara announced, her voice cutting through our silence.

I looked around, bewildered. “Here? There’s nothing here,” I said.

Clara got out of the car, and we all followed suit, our designated backpacks in hand. The heat was more intense outside, the sun beating down on us mercilessly. It was hotter than I expected.

“We’re at the edge of Eldarwood, but it’s hidden behind a barrier,” Clara explained. “Only those who know of its existence can find it, and even then, it’s not easy to get through.”

“A barrier?” Dave echoed, his curiosity piqued.

“It’s designed to keep the uninitiated and unwelcome out. We need to break through it,” Clara said, her eyes scanning the horizon.

“But how do we do that?” Mark asked, his brow furrowed.

Clara closed her eyes and began to chant in a language that sounded old, beautiful, and complex. It was unlike anything I had heard before—a series of rhythmic and melodic sounds that lacked consonants and seemed to echo in the air around us.

As she chanted, the air in front of us shimmered, and slowly, an ethereal gateway materialized, its edges flickering like a mirage in the heat. It was round and it pulsed with an otherworldly energy, a swirling vortex of colors that defied description.

“Wow,” Dave muttered, his eyes wide with awe.

“We need to go through together. Stay close,” Clara instructed, stepping towards the gateway.

We followed, each of us hesitant yet determined. As we passed through the barrier, a sensation like passing through a thin veil of water washed over us, and suddenly, the world on the other side snapped into focus.

What the fuck.

Eldarwood was unlike any place I had ever seen. The air was cooler, the sky a deeper shade of blue, and the trees—they were enormous, their trunks wide and their leaves a vibrant green. The forest floor was covered in a carpet of lush moss and ferns, and the light that filtered through the canopy cast everything in a surreal, dappled glow.

This was so unlike the arid desert I knew.

“This is incredible,” I breathed, my eyes taking in the beauty of this hidden realm. “What is this smell?”

“It’s almost… arousing,” Mark said, his face radiant.

“Get a grip, you two. Or do I need to put you on a leash?” Clara said.

Our wonder was short-lived. Ahead, blocking our path, stood two figures. They were tall and imposing, with skin that seemed to be made of something impenetrable. It glowed, no it shimmered with a silver light.

“We seek passage and answers,” Clara said, stepping forward. “We mean no harm.”

The guardians remained silent, their gaze fixed on us, unblinking and assessing. The air was charged with tension, the silence only broken by the distant call of an unseen bird.

“Why isn’t this working…” Clara said, and with more force told the guardians, “Hello?! Anyone home?”

They glared at her, cocking their heads.

I don’t know what got into me. Maybe it was the weird dreams I’d been having, but I said, “Grak Wepwawet. Throk narzak. Vokum nek thrag.”

Yep.

That’s what I did.

And one by one, Clara, Dave, and Mark turned their heads, slowly, looking at me. Their eyes closed slightly, trying to comprehend what the fuck I just did. And just as I started to shrug my shoulders, our gaze quickly shifted towards the guardians again, who stepped aside and motioned for us to pass.

So we did.

As I passed the guardians, I said to them, “Thanks, guys.” I was clearly in full control of the situation. This wasn’t awkward at all.

“What the fuck, Grey?” Dave said to me.

Before I could answer, Clara put her arms around me, and hugged me close as we continued walking. She said, “You’re so entertaining, sweetie. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time!”

The atmosphere in Eldarwood was thick with magic and ancient power. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that we were being watched, that every step we took was being scrutinized by the forest itself.

As we ventured deeper, I couldn’t help but wonder what secrets and challenges lay ahead, waiting to be uncovered in this mystical, hidden world.

The trees towered above us, powerful and old, and I wanted to howl at them. We walked through the forest for a good half an hour, when the scents and sounds starting shifting yet again. There were people ahead. And they all smelled like pine and roses. Like Clara.

She separated from our group walking side by side, and ventured a little ahead of us. I guess she wanted to be the first to speak to whomever we were about to meet next.

A tall woman was walking towards us, towering above me at way over six feet with deep brown skin, and a face that just knew everything, but at the same time looked young and fresh and vibrant.

“Clara-yaol-kao,” she said with a warm smile, directed at Clara.

To me, Clara felt… anxious. There was history between them.

“Maio,” Clara said, and she went in for a hug. And I felt Clara melt into her, the anxiousness fading. It’s a nice feeling, a nice scent. Like a breeze of the ocean.

Maio opened her eyes and scanned us. She stopped at Dave, and walked over to him. She hugged him so forcefully that Dave just stood there, his arms dangling.

Turning to Clara, she said, “This is him? Aww, he’s so pretty. A bit too white, though.”

“Maio-na, meet my brother, Dave,” Clara said.

“Dave? What a dumb name.”

Maybe bluntness ran rampant among druids. She was one, right?

Dave was so startled by that, he simply said, “Thanks.”

She just stood there and smiled at him, then reached behind her and pulled a blue flower from wherever and placed it atop Dave’s head.

“There you go,” Maio said.

I don’t know what got into me, but I felt daring today, so I said to her, “If you call his name dumb, I’m going refer to you as Mayonnaise.”

That got her attention, and she zoomed towards me and Mark. Zooming is the only accurate description I could give, because she was in front of me in the mere blink of an eye.

She cocked her head, and said, “Insolence. Interesting. I like you.”

So I responded, “Um, thanks?”

“Wait…” she said and scanned Mark and me, her eyes fluttering in rapid motion between the both of us. She turned around to Clara, and said, “You brought me wolves?”

“You’ll find they are most fascinating, especially the one who just insulted you. His name is Grey,” Clara said.

She turned back around. “Grey? That’s an even dumber name.”

Mark growled at her, which resulted in Maio slapping him across the face. She said, “Listen, pup. I’m so old, I could ingest you with a single breath. What’s your name, then? Tuft? Bark?”

“Mark,” Mark said.

She jolted her head backwards in disbelief. “Who would name a wolf Mark?”

She focused on me again, “My guardians tell me you were speaking ancient. Why?”

“I don’t know?” I said.

“Yeah, I guess you don’t. You are very interesting. And sexy. What are you?”

“We’re here to figure that out, Maio. The air changed. And I think I found a prophecy around it,” Clara interjected.

“Alright then. You’re all welcome here, especially you, Grey. Or should I call you Wepwawet? That’s what you said before, after all,” Maio said and with giddy jumps led us into their settlement.

As we proceeded further, it was like walking into a living fairy tale. Above us, nestled among the gnarled branches of ancient trees, were tiny houses that looked like they had been crafted from the very essence of the forest. They hung, suspended and serene, as if defying the very laws of gravity.

Each house was unique, with organic shapes that flowed seamlessly with the natural contours of the trees. Bark and leaves were intertwined, giving the impression that the trees themselves had built them. Ethereal dwellings, exactly as nature wanted them to be. And I thought my people were close to nature. Soft lights glowed from within, casting a warm, inviting aura around each home.

The ground was a tapestry of lush green, dotted with colorful flowers that emitted a faint luminescence. Fireflies danced around me in the daylight, their tiny lights flickering in welcome. Like stars brought down to earth. It was mesmerizing. The air was alive with a soft hum of nature, more concrete and more aware than I had ever experienced.

The colors around me were vibrant, a kaleidoscope that changed with every step I took. Some trees bore lanterns that glowed even now with gentle blues, and greens, and purples. I was awestruck. This place felt healthy, and right, and ancient. The worries of my journey momentarily faded, replaced by the sheer wonder of this magical enclave.

Maio led us towards a massive building. But building was the wrong word. It was like a cave, naturally formed inside a giant ancient tree. Maybe this was her home?

“I made soup! Let’s talk,” Maio said.

Good idea.