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Two years passed without much going on. Lela relucantly allowed Jezeca to train Veli in combat when they were nearly robbed during a winter. Veli proved to be an excellent student, after taking some hard knocks she just jumps back into it. Even Nadia took it on a little, only enough for the basics, which were not enough for Veli. Veli wanted to at least be in contact with her sister during the winter but Jezeca had to okay it with Silverback.

"Can you do this without endangering the pack?" he asks.

"Yes I'll go back to my old town. There's a friend there I left alone so you wouldn't bother her. Pup's mail can be received there then my friend can arrange a meeting spot away from the den."

Silverback thinks on this awhile. He is still hurt from the discovery that Jezeca is a lesbian and he's tempted to say no just to hurt her back. No, despite it he still loves her and if this will make her happy and her plan won't endanger the pack, why not? He looks back at her as she patiently waits for his answer.

"Go ahead then, but if something goes wrong it's on your head."

"Thank you."

Jezeca then races off to reunite with her old friend Debbie. Leaving a once again shocked Silverback. She's never thanked him for anything.

After the first year of the deal with Silverback, Jezeca decided it would be a good idea to have a cache nearby in case she had to go into town for something, even for the pack. So she relocated her old hiding spot and put some clothes and coins there. She then headed into town for the first time in five years.

She headed to Debbie's place, but about half way there she sees strangers walk into Debbie's place. Concerned she decides to try her old place hoping Debbie was there. She spots Debbie in front of her old house spending time with a toddler. Silently she approaches form behind and when she's close enough she says, "I never thought I see you spend time with kids."

With a jerk Debbie stops what she was doing and quickly turns around and shock to see her old friend Jezeca smirking behind her.

"Jezeca!" She exclaims and bear hugs her friend, "I thought I'd never see you again. What are you doing here?"

They seperate and Jezeca explains.

"The situation has changed but I still need your help so you can call the kids parents back to take their kid and I'll some of it."

Debbie reaches down and picks up the toddler and looks at her friend.

"No need his mother's right here."

She then walks to the door and opens it leaving a shocked, jaw-dropped Jezeca standing at the front. She takes a minute to gather herself and notices that the toddler's scent does nearly match Debbie's scent ...and Biff's. Shutting the door behind her she walks into the dinning room and she looks around noticing a few changes. They both sit down at the dinning room table and Jezeca gets the conversation started.

"So when did you and Biff get together?"

"How did you know it was Biff?"

"The thing that forced me to leave earlier had a few perks, one being an enhanced sense of smell. Once you told me he was yours I took a whiff and he's got both you and Biff's scent on him."

"Well after you left I spent more time with him, he helped me split your assets and one thing lead to another. So are you coming back?"

Jezeca shakes her head.

"No so you don't have to worry about moving. I'm now living with the group who was after me and I spend half my time there the other half with a family I lived with when I was running. I want to be able to send and receive letters from them, but mail doesn't go to where I live down here and I was wondering if you could be the middle woman?"

"How would I bring them to you?" Debbie asked.

"You know that young oak next to the clearing southwest of here?"

Debbie nodded.

"Well on the way back I'll carve a small compartment in it as a drop off point."

"Why not bring it to where you're staying?" Jezeca shakes her head.

"No. It would be dangerous for the town and those I'm living with, sorry can't tell you more."

Debbie reluctantly nods and the both talk over the details of Veli's address and other things.

At Veli's house it was early November Vali was setting the table while her mother was putting the last touches on their supper when Pat walked in with the mail. Most of it was what Pat expected, tribute requests from the local Lord, ads for the local businesses but one caught his eye. A letter address to Veli coming from a town months away on foot.

"Veli you have a letter."

Veli finishes setting the table and takes the letter from his father and opens it. It read.

Dear Pup,

Yeas little sister the alpha gave the okay and I'm using an old friend to get this letter to you. I hope everyone is well. Oh, before I forget Nadia ask me to give her love. My situation with the pack is more endurable thanks to being with you half a year. Please send all responses to the address listed below.

With Love,

Jezi

"DAD! Look!"

Veli hands the letter back to her father and he reads over the letter. When he finishes reading he hands it back to his daughter and says, "That's great news honey. You can write your response after dinner.

Lela just walks out of the kicthen and asks, "What's all the commotion about?"

"Jezeca has sent Veli a letter."

"Good, well supper is ready so let's eat and worry about letters later."

Thus the chain of letters go forth between Jezeca and Veli.

During the winter of the third year however, something changed. Jezeca and Nadia went to the oak to check for a letter. Jezeca pops the cork door that seals the compartment and sure enough there was a letter there. She opens it and is shocked as to what she reads.

Dear, Jezi

This letter has to be shorter than most. Mom is very sick. She's been coughing up a storm and has greenish bumps over her entire body. The doctors don't know what it is despite their best efforts. I've been trying to cook and take care of mom the best I can. Hopefully she can pull through.

With Love, Pup

Jezeca quickly hands Nadia the later and says to her, "Tell Silveback I'm leaving. I know that illness and I know its cure. They don't have the plant in that area and if I don't hurry she will die."

She then runs off to get the plant and her clothes. She quickly changes after getting the plant which luckley is a mushroom that survives winter and speeds off. Normally she'd tree-hop there but time was of the essence so she just ran along the road being no more than a blur to the other travelers.

A trip that normally took a month to travel she did in a week and a half. Huffing she opens the door to an empty living room. She assumes that their in the main bedroom so she heads over to find the door closed. She quietly opens it and sees a teary eyed Veli.

"Pup I brought some medicine...."

She stops and notices Pat at the other end with Lela alone on the bed, her hands folded and a neutral expression on her face.

"No!"

Jezeca fears the truth and feels Lela's hand. It's has the coldness of death. Tears stream down her eyes. The first tears of sadness she has shed since her family's death.

"She died last night Jezi."

Veli then bear hugs Jezeca for what comfort her presence can bring.

"Oh ! Pat, Veli, I came as fast as I could with something to cure her. I'm so sorry I wasn't fast enough."

Pat finally looks up and sees Jezeca. In an instant he jumps up grabs her by the throat and slams her into the wall.

"Dad what are you doing?" Veli asks but her father ignores her.

"SHE'S DEAD! MY LELA IS DEAD! WHAT GOOD IS YOUR APOLOGY TO THAT!?" Pat screamed.

Though Jezeca could easily break free she doesn't knowing Pat needs to vent.

"Not much but it's all I can give. I can't bring people back from the dead. No werewolf can, but if beating me helps go right ahead."

Pat looks at her for a second then looks at his arm and is surprise it's there. He jerks back his hand and with a shocked and scared look he replies.

"Nnn..no. I couldn't do that. Please forgive me. My grief...I...."

He just couldn't finish.

"No need my friend. I understand."

She grabs a couple of the mushrooms and hands them to Pat.

"You and Veli take these, they're the cure. I don't want you sick to. I'll take the rest to the doctor and I'll be back."

Pat just nods and Jezeca then bends down and kisses Veli's forehead.

"Be right back Pup."

She leaves the house wiping the tears from her eyes at the lost of a friend and heads to the doctor.

The doctor's clinic was located near the center of town so he could be easily reached. She opens the door and finds him check on a young kid with a bad cough.

"Hey doc," She finally says.

He looks up and a flicker of surprise passes in his eyes before he responds.

"Jezeca what are you doing hear it's not spring and there's no way you could have heard about Lela's death. Veli has had the chance to."

"I came to bring medicine. The Illness is called the Green Cough and it's fatal unless you have a stew of this," She hold up the bag of mushrooms, "Anyone else die from it yet?"

"No, thank God," He takes the bag for Jezeca, "I'll keep one to cultivate and ground the rest. Thank you you've save a lot of people."

"But not the one I came to," She says glumly, "C'ya Doc."

And she leaves the clinic. She then stops at the post office and writes a letter.

To Silverback and Nadia,

Lela has passed away from the illness. I will not be returning to the pack until I feel Pup and Pat will be alright.

From,Jezeca.

She pays extra for an express delivery and mails it. She return's home and helps with the burial. Lela is buried in her garden. The caretaker arrives with the tombstone he just completed. It reads:

Lela Haricourt Flemming

Died of Illness at the age of 43

Wife,Mother,Sister

"Who's her sister?" Jezeca asks.

"You the sister Jezi," Veli responds.

Tears shed anew from Jezeca's eyes at the revelation and tightly hugs both Pat and Veli while they all mourn the lost in the famliy.

Jezeca got up early the next morning to cook breakfast. She'll admit she isn't as good as Lela was but she can make a decent breakfast. Veli and Pat both limped out of their bedrooms drawn by the scent of cooked food. Jezeca served them eggs, bacon, and with a cup of milk and they all sat down and ate in silence. When breakfast was nearly done Pat sits back in his chair, looks at Jezeca and asked, "So how long can you stay?"

"As long as you need me. You both need me more than the pack, so if the alpha wants me he'll have to send someone."

Pat just grunts in response. Breakfast is done and everybody helps clean, Jezeca repeatedly hugs or kisses Veli on the forehead. Werewolves are very physical whether born or reborn and the wolf feels their pain. Though the wolf isn't as close to the family as Jezeca minus Veli. She did consider Lela pack and mourns her that way.

Two months passed since Lela's death and things in the house start to return to normal though mainly because of Jezeca carrying them along but they start to engage in life again. Jezeca figures she'd probably will stay the rest of winter go through her usual time here then leave next winter if they continue at this pace. Veli starts helping more in the kitchen since when Jezeca leaves it will be up to her to cook for now on. Thankfully Lela was teaching her and Lela did leave her recipes behind and the food got a little better.

Jezeca was worried though. There has been no response from the pack on her choice to stay. She expected at least a letter even if was only a request for her to come back or be dragged back, but nothing except silence. One day however Jezeca was doing a little cleaning before supper wearing her cooking apron, or more correctly, Lela's apron when there was a knock on the door. She opened it to a man with violet hair and silver eyes which both were strangely familiar. The stranger looked down her down with an amusement when he spots the apron.

"What do you want other than to ogle my body," She growled.

The man responds, "Sorry Jezeca. I never thought to see you with an apron."

Jezeca's eyes widen when she recognized the voice.

"Silverback what are you doing here?" She paused to look at the fact he was wearing clothes and had a bag in his hand, "And where did you get your clothes?"

"Nadia helped me, she knew where your cache was though she wouldn't let me see where. She should be behind me and you should use your nose more often. May I come in?"

Jezeca looked over his shoulder and saw Nadia coming from Sela's shop.

"Allright, come in and sit down," she said.

By this time Pat and Veli had shown up to see what was going on. Silverback put the bag on the dinner table as Nadia closed the door behind her. Silverback then walks to Veli and looks deeply at her. She just glares back. With a smirk Silverback breaks the silence.

"So this is the infamous Pup," he then looked at Jezeca and continued, "She's a lot like you, that's scary."

"Jezeca, Nadia who is this?" Pat asks.

"This is Silverback the alpha of the werewolf pack. Now why are you here?"

"When we got you last letter the entire pack howled to the moon in grief for your loss. Then we made this to honor your fallen packmate."

From the bag he retrieved a wooden sculpture. It depicts a wolf howling to the sky and at it's feet another wolf curled in death. Though a little crude and rough it was still a good sculpture. Worthy of sale in our world.

"The entire pack worked on it," he explained, "We make these for packmates who die out of battle to honor them."

"Why? She wasn't pack," Jezeca said.

"She was pack to you, that was enough."

Jezeca just looks stunned by the remark while Pat goes up to Silverback and holds out his hand.

"Thank you for your gift Mr. Silverback. It means a lot to me but the greatest gift would be Jezeca staying. At least for a while, not permanently."

Silverback shakes his hand and responds, "That's the other reason I'm here."

He looks at Jezeca again, "You can stay for as long as they need you. Of course Nadia had to come, she can stand to be without you for long periods."

Jezeca finally recovered and then states, "Well we were about to make dinner."

"Oh good I'm hungry. I'll stay for that then leave," said Silverback.

Jezeca nods and looks to Nadia.

"Nadia, join me in the kitchen."

They both disappeared into the kitchen. It was amusing seeing Silverback try to eat using utensils but also a mess. Silverback left after that to head home. Jezeca was relieved to see him go because being a born werewolf he's never really slept alone and she didn't want to be around when he lost it.