Cernunnos - 16. Chapter 16

Walter skeptically looked at his leader’s cheeky grin. Alright then, he knows someone to fit the bill. But what is with the… Quickly realizing his Alpha’s plot, he crossed his legs and furrowed his brow. “Alpha, surely you jest? Me?”

A harrowing snicker left Arric’s lips and leaned forward on his desk, elbows holding up his interlocked fingers, “I dare you to suggest a better option. You have proven your trust, not only now, but throughout your years as my Beta. For the entire time I’ve known you, you have exhibited a genuine passion for our pack. There is no doubt in my mind you would be suited to help and protect Cyn.”

Huffing, the older lycan resigned in Arric’s apparent decision. Walter did his best to come up with some other candidates, but he couldn’t list any. “You may be right, Arric. When is the cernunnos due back?”

“Sheamus should be coming back within ten or fifteen minutes.” The Alpha’s eyes followed Walter as the man rose and walked to the door, “Going somewhere?”

“Yes, to the woods. I suppose I should find some acorns. Could you have some of your staff assist me? Finding several handfuls would suffice.” Arric smirked and nodded. He quickly messaged his personal assistants, as well as one of the patrolling pack members to help in the demeaning task. Best to have it done quickly. Putting his hands behind his head, Arric leaned back in his cozy office chair. Snorting, the Alpha shook his head in disbelief. Acorns. What my Beta will do for the pack.

***

Reading the latest text from Arric, the lycan let a satisfied sigh loose. That’s good news! “Kara! Walter has been cleared.”

“Good! I knew that old coot would never get involved with Eike. Are we heading back, commander?”

“Yes. Hey, Cyn? There’s someone at the house that we want you to meet. He’s the Beta to our pack.” Shea watched the deer look up with a perturbed expression. “Don’t worry, Walter is a really nice guy. He read stories to us at the library when we were little pups. The man is a big softie.”

Hearing his friend describe the Beta to the local pack put some ease into Cyn’s mind. Sheamus and Kara seem to think very highly of this wolf. I...I just hope he is nice like Sheamus. The buck enjoyed the time spent on the walking trail. He couldn’t tell where the group was going but with Shea holding his hand the entire time, Cyn couldn’t have cared where they ended up. Often, the deer was looking up through the treetops and admired the snow-covered branches. The snow was beautiful in his eyes and wished it could stay. But I feel that it would be getting warmer soon. The winter season is almost through, so the snow will melt.

Returning to the backyard, Cyn heard the fountain again and let his eyelids close. Hearing the flowing water created a calm in his mind as Shea guided his body’s direction. “You okay, little man?” The buck opened his eyes and saw a raised eyebrow on the lycan he had grown to trust. With a hummed response, Cyn nodded his head. “You looked like you were in some deep thought. Care to share?”

“I was just listening to the fountain again. I like the way it sounds.”

“Well, as long as you’re here, I don’t think Arric would mind you coming out to the yard to listen to it.”

Cyn’s heart leaped in a sense of wonder, “Really?”

“Yeah, I don’t see why not. The manor is very secure and the guards know not to bother you.” Cyn darted his head around through the woods, forgetting that there were several lycan patrolling the dense trees. “Don’t worry about them. Like us, they’re just here to help you and keep you safe.”

Resigning to the intentions of the invisible wolves, Cyn allowed Shea to lead on back to the house. When they arrived at the front door, the buck halted as his nose smelled something familiar. “What is it, Cyn?”

It...it smells like them, but they smelled...burned? No, not burned, but the aroma is more pungent! “I...I smell acorns.”

Shea cocked an eyebrow in disbelief but once he found the odor, he understood what the smaller shifter was talking about. Is this Arric and Walter’s doing? Oh, man! Cyn’s gonna freak out if they’re roasting acorns for him! Opening the door, Shea’s sensitive nose was blasted by a strong wave of the unfamiliar smell. Damn, how much are they cooking? “Alpha Claude? Beta Haynes?”

“In here, Commander! Is the cernunnos with you?”

Hearing the sound of the chipper Beta, Shea held Cyn’s hand tighter as he felt a tremor through the deer’s grip, “Yes, but give us a moment.” Turning his attention to the smaller man, Shea knelt, “Hey, Cyn. It’s okay. Like I said, Walter is a good guy. He was probably tested by Arric for his loyalty, so he wouldn’t be here if he wanted to harm you.”

Cyn swallowed and nodded, “O-Okay.” Watching Shea rise, the deer was guided further into the house and arrived on the outskirts of the kitchen. He saw three standing bodies in the kitchen and only recognized Arric.

The Alpha looked up and did his best to give a meager smile to the young shifter, “Cyn, I have someone I would like you to meet. He is my most trusted advisor and dear friend. Walter, this is Cyn.”

At the mention of his name, the older of the three shifters took his hands away from the countertops and folded his hands, placing them in front. “Cyn, it is a true pleasure to meet you. I’m sure Sheamus and Kara have told you I’m an old fool that means no harm?” Earning a very timid head nod, Walter smiled and returned to the counter, only to hold out a handful of shelled and roasted acorns to the deer, “I know I may seem like an imposing figure, but I bring you a peace offering. I heard through the grapevine that cernunnos love acorns, so we shelled, leached, and roasted some for you.”

Cyn saw the nuts and grew eager. He left Shea’s grip and slowly walked up to the strange man. He would stop for a moment, only to continue his small trek further into the kitchen. Taking a single piece, he smelled it and was enticed by the aroma. It smells amazing! Placing the food in his mouth, he chewed and was visibly delighted by the salted flavor of the cooked acorn, “This is...this is good!” Lifting his head to meet the older lycan’s smile, he recognized the man as someone to be friendly, “Th-thank you.”

Walter’s smile grew in size but he was careful not to show his teeth. Don’t need to seem predatorial to him. I have never encountered a cern before and I don’t know how easily scared he can be. “You are most welcome! We made a batch while you were gone and we’re working on another. Would you like to join so you can make them yourself?”

“I...um...sure.”

“Right this way. This is the house chef, Melinda, and she just showed me how to cleanse acorns of...of…” The Beta furrowed his brow as he tried to recollect his newly obtained knowledge, “My dear, what was it you called that brown gunk?”

Melinda lightly chuckled under her soft-spoken voice, “Tannins. They’re innocent to shifters, but they can cause an upset stomach to humans if eaten in large quantities. I leach them out because it makes the acorns taste better.”

“Ah, tannins. I will say this was a much more in-depth process than I first imagined, but it’s quite fun! Come, Cyn. We can make a new batch so we can show you the entire process.”

The deer gently stepped forward, immediately interested in the delectable treats. I liked acorns before, but those were really great! They taste better than the ones I found in the forests. “Alright then. First, place them in a bowl of cool water and pick out the ones that float.”

“Those are the bad ones.” Cyn pointed out several of the nuts on the table as Walter placed a handful in the water.

“Really? You can tell from looking at them?” Walter was genuinely perplexed by the deer’s intuition.

“Yeah. I also smell some of them. This one…” Lifting a particular acorn, Cyn pointed out a tiny hole, “...has a wormhole. I can still eat them, but they make the acorn taste sour.”

“Interesting! We picked out the ones with holes when we shelled them, right Melinda?” The lady nodded and returned to her batch. “Well, once we picked out the bad nuts, we rinse them in a strainer for a couple of minutes.” Cyn watched carefully as the lycan poured the bowl into a similar one in the sink. The deer was fascinated by the bowl, noticing the tiny holes as the water flowed through. Walter saw the piqued interest and witnessed firsthand the buck’s nomadic nature. Ah, yes! I forgot that he may not know much about humanity’s creations. Even a simple colander can be a foreign object to him. “Then we dry them off and remove the caps.”

Cyn watched as the wolf pat-dried the acorns and started removing the caps. Maybe...maybe I should help. The buck picked up an acorn and swiftly took off the rigid cap. Removing them became an enjoyable process for Cyn. Walter slowed himself to a stop as he watched the cern move at an autonomous speed. My word! He’s adept! I shouldn’t be surprised but this little fellow can move. “Excellent work. Now, we can remove the shells. You just cover them with a tow-”

The light sound of cracking disturbed the lycan’s thought as he saw the deer breaking the elastic shell of acorn after acorn. He...is doing them by hand? That’s crazy! Those little shells are tough as nails! “Cyn, how are you doing that?”

“Doing what?”

“Breaking them open? We’ve been using a hammer and here you are using your fingers!”

Cyn looked at the hammer on the countertop and then at his fingers, “You pinch them hard in the middle. It’s a little hard, but it’s the way I learned.” The deer demonstrated again with another acorn, easily cracking the shell. After observing, both Walter and Melinda took an acorn and performed the action themselves, delighting the shifters.

“Fantastic! I really disliked making noise with the hammer. This seems a little more tedious, but I like to do things the old-fashioned way. Thank you, Cyn!” The lycan grew proficient at the shell-cracking technique and worked alongside the cernunnos. If my father could see me now, he would howl in pure confusion! Cracking acorns with a cern! Quite the funny picture I’ve painted here. “Once all that’s done, just pick out the ones you think aren’t the best...like this one! This has some black and fuzzy nonsense.” Cyn looked over and nodded in agreement.

“Then we grab two of these pots and fill them with some water. I’m assuming you’ve never worked in a kitchen before, correct?” Walter watched the buck’s head shake in dismissal. “That is quite alright, we can show you. This large device here is called an oven. You can use it to bake and cook food. See that little knob? That’s how you decide how hot to make the oven. Most of the time, you set it to three hundred and fifty degrees.” The lycan turned the knob slowly to showcase how the knob worked and found the cern deeply fascinated.

“This little silver bar? You pull back on it and that’s how you open the oven. Now see that bar turning red? That’s how the food is cooked. That heats up this little box. But you have to let it heat up first or you’ll be waiting longer for your food.”

I get it. If I put in the food now, the box won’t be hot. “I understand. But...how do you know how long to cook them?”

“Depends on the food. I’m sure Melinda will be around to teach you some neat tricks.” Melinda turned softly and smiled at the cernunnos. She seems unsure of how to handle him. I’ll speak with her later on adjusting. “Until then, let’s enjoy some of the already cooked nuts!” He passed a small platter to Cyn after taking a few for himself. I must say, I’d rather have a steak, but these little things are a treat.

The buck took a few and grinned as he popped them into his mouth. He stared once more at the lycan male and decided that he was a kind man. “Thank you...Walter?”

“Any time, my boy! Arric told me that we’ll be spending some time together, so I thought this would be a wonderful ice-breaker.”

“A...what?”

“My apologies. An ice-breaker is a slang term for getting to know someone.”

Cyn smiled at his new friend and took a few more roasted nuts. He turned back to where Shea was standing but didn’t see anyone. Where...where did he go? “Cyn? Are you looking for Sheamus?” He turned back to Walter and nodded furiously. “I believe Arric was wishing to talk to Sheamus for a moment. He and Kara should be back shortly. Do...do you like Sheamus, little one?”

Feeling a little lost without his friend, Cyn could only turn to the newly met Walter and nodded. “I do. He makes me feel safe, and he said he likes me. I like him too. He...he’s warm and kind to me.”

Very interesting! The cernunnos and the commander are growing fonder and fonder by the minute. I thought it silly at first, but when I saw them holding hands, I thought it could be within possibility. Now, with Cyn’s words, my suspicions are growing. These two might be courting with each other and not realize it! Walter lowered himself and placed a hand on Cyn’s shoulder, “Did Sheamus tell you about what he does for our pack?”

“He...he tracks.”

“That’s correct. Did you know he is the best in our pack and regarded as one of the best trackers in the surrounding five states?”

Cyn blinked and almost felt a sense of pride for Shea. He’s that good? He must have a really strong nose! “I know you’ve grown fond of Sheamus. If I have any idea what my Alpha is talking to him about, I know neither of you will be happy. Sheamus will have to be the one to locate Eike.”

All of the air in Cyn’s lungs escaped from him. Sh-Sheamus has to be the one? The grip on his shoulder grew firmer and Cyn turned his attention back to Walter. “Don’t worry. Sheamus has gone on countless missions and he always makes it back unharmed. He just tracks them, never encountering the enemy. Plus, he will probably have Jaime and Kara to back him up. He will be back before you know it.”

Despite the promoting words about Shea, Cyn’s nerves did not quell. He wanted to be by the lycan’s side, just as Shea had been for the deer. I...I understand why he needs to go, but I don’t want him to.

“Cyn?” The deer’s eyes widened as he heard the familiar voice. He turned and saw the shaggy-haired man. Cyn didn’t need to command his legs to move as he jumped towards Shea. “Hey, woah! I was only gone for a few minutes! What’s going on?” The lycan quickly wrapped his arms around the smaller body.

“Are...are you going?”

Shea let out a long breath through his nostrils, “Yeah, we’re going to head to the Kettle and track Eike’s location. We won’t be gone long, I promise you.” He felt Cyn quake in his arms and dropped down to a knee, “Hey, there’s no need to be scared. Walter and Arric will take good care of you. I know Arric still seems like a scary guy, but he is our leader. I put my trust in both of these guys.” Shea grabbed Cyn’s hand and gave a firm squeeze, and was given a responding squeeze from Cyn.

“I’ll be back in a couple of days, little man. Just remember that, okay.” Shea saw the wheels turning in Cyn’s head but was satisfied with the subtle nod. He rose and headed for the door with Kara leading the way. I feel bad about leaving him but it needs to be done. Eike needs to be found and Arric said I was the only one for the job. Walter will do a good job-

“Sheamus.” The whisper rang loud enough for the lycan to crane his neck. He gave another cheerful smile to the deer and turned his body around.

“What’s going on, Cyn? I kind of need to get-”

“I...I want to go with you.”