Aiko and Faris collected logs and twigs, Cassandra dried them and Siroos set them on fire using his dragon breath. They created a small bonfire.
Lotus and Razial swept away the fallen snow from the area around so they could sit and heat up some meat and bread. The warm blankets they had brought along were spread on the freshly chopped logs so ladies could sit with ease.
Lana’s freshly made bread, salted vegetables and meat were taken out first. Preserved meat was left for the later days when it would be difficult to hunt for the food.
"We should have hunted instead of eating our reserves," Razial matter of factly said, skewering a piece of bread on a stick and heating it.
"My mate decided to befriend the dinner, so here we are. If this continues we will only be eating grass soon." Siroos broke a large piece of potato and began to chew. His long legs spread as he comfortably sat with his elbows on his thick thighs.
"Grass has feelings too, just saying." Faris plopped himself right beside his brother and picked up a boiled potato as well.
"Don’t give him more reasons to scowl," Cassandra called out to Faris, breaking a small piece of cinnamon bread and placing it in her mouth.
"For such a notorious Alpha, sometimes you do act like a baby. Jealous of a bunch of furry large cats. Tch! Tch!" Lotus couldn’t help but tease her brother-in-law as she accepted the stick from Razial who had warmed the bread for her.
Siroos cast her an annoyed side glance but stayed quiet, content with gnawing at his food. He was hungry and food was what he wanted at that moment.
The crackling fire warmed up his stiff body casting his face in an orange glow.
"I would be slightly jealous too if some other fox would lick my mate," Aiko spoke her mind too, stirring the fire with a stick she had randomly picked up.
The tips of her ears turned vermilion as she tried to not peek at Faris while uttering these words.
"Finally! Aiko. See, someone gets it." Siroos roared out, throwing an appreciative glance at Aiko and she graciously took a bow.
Faris’s heart took a small leap at her words and suddenly he didn’t wish for anyone else to touch her or him. Possessiveness wormed its way through the bond and his wolf wished to pounce on her, throw her on the ground and mark her neck.
The mate bond did indeed work in its mysterious ways.
Cassandra put her arm around Siroos’s waist, placing her head on his shoulder.
He instantly eased, the creases on his forehead melted into smoothness.
"Let go of your anger, you big barbarian," she purred.
"Hmm, will see."
"Kiss him later, all this gritty alpha act will disappear," Faris sing songed, others tittered while Siroos side-eyed his brother and let out an annoyed grunt.
The moods lightened after that as they continued to have their dinner while being surrounded by Cassandra’s protective shield.
"We should have some attractive name for our group. How about Oathbound six?" Faris suggested but with a meh expression, he didn’t like his own suggestion and from the looks of it nor did the others.
"How about The Circle of Six?" Lotus thoughtfully said.
"Maybe, Wardens of the Hope?" Razial added.
"Or Hope Forgers," Cassandra mumbled, while trying to chew the bread in her mouth.
"CAFLRS, it has our initials and is short, easy to use as well." It was Aiko who spoke.
"I like the sound of that."
"Me too!"
"Yes! CAFLRS, sounds about right."
Everyone nodded their approval at Aiko’s suggestion and she truly felt a part of the group. She had been trying to fit in, although they made her feel welcome but everyone had this connection with the other that she felt like an outsider at times.
Not that they made her feel this way, it was how their bonding was.
Cassandra, Lotus and Razial knew each other since childhood. The girls were sisters.
Siroos and Faris were brothers. Cassandra was Siroos’s mate while Faris took her as his older sister.
Lotus and Faris shared this special kind of friendship where they joked and teased together. Although Aiko knew they didn’t have any kind of feelings for each other the mate bond did make her feel jealous at times.
While, she still believed herself to be just Faris’s unwanted mate. He didn’t make her feel that way any longer and they were having their moments in between. She still had that slight discomfort.
But when everyone chose the name she suggested for the group and praised her, a part of her heart opened up and accepted them as her companions. She understood they would be there for her, always.
"I feel honoured." She placed her hand on her chest and bowed.
"So, CAFLRS, we need to move. We have eaten but we can’t sleep here. Every kind of wild animal and vampire will get scent of this soon and by the time they reach here, we should be gone. We will travel some more and then settle for the night at some safe place," Siroos addressed his companions and stood up, taking a swig out of his waterskins.
There was plenty of moonlight available, as they got up and tidied the place. Razial used his magic to cover the bonfire with his ice, it settled like a shield on it making the fire go poof. It hid away any traces of soot, charred wood or the smell it carried.
Lotus and Aiko gathered up the blankets and settled back in the carriage. This time Siroos took the reins while Faris took Siroos’s horse Shadow.
Cassandra approached Shadow and placed both her hands, palms down on his head and belly. The ebony-hued steed leaned into her touch and closed his big eyes.
She transferred some of her heat energy to him so the horse would keep warm. He graciously neighed at Cassandra making her rub his head in affection.
"You are such a good boy."
She repeated the process with all other horses as well, the temperature was below freezing point and she wished for them to keep warm.
Siroos watched his mate with a chest heaving with pride.
She climbed next to him and settled right beside him.
"You will feel cold, sit inside the carriage," Siroos suggested but Cassandra refused. Wishing to sit by his side.
"We will keep each other warm."
They began to quietly move again, the slow movement of the carriage and the rhythm with which the horses moved put Aiko and Lotus to sleep.
Cassandra snuggled with her mate and he kept his arm around her while they moved forward towards an unknown destination, bathed under the pale moonlight.