http://slow.writerscafe.org/PJHensley The original writings of author Penelope Jenna Hensley en-us Copyright 2026 WritersCafe.org 1776111325 WritersCafe.org RSS Generator 15 EpilogueObenEveryone needs a happy ending.   All the tales and chronicles have had them, ending up with the little blackbird finding his family after all or the mother bear saving her cubs in the end. I remember many of the brief nursery stories that were told to me while I sat at my mothe.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448370/ Mortal ShroudOben“So you took up the offer?”   I wake from my nightmare with an unwelcome start. This is the second time I’ve been awakened on this beach.   A glare finds me from above… a wolf with sour breath and filthy fur.   “I thought.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448369/ Mortal ShroudObenThe most sickening, disturbing sound introduces me to my latest illusion of horror.   My fictional body is without feeling, but easily-controlled as I assume presence. I stand, ready take whatever my subconscious can haunt my restless sleep with.   The terrible s.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448365/ Mortal ShroudOben“What’s the matter with you?” she asks me softly in the confines of our hut.   I keep my eyes closed. “It’s nothing, Singatari.”   I can’t risk worrying her… or killing her.   It’s been days since C.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448364/ Mortal ShroudObenMy pack and I find Singatari in the hut with Karmon, the littermate of Choren and Tobias. Singatari avoids me, but I’m grateful that she didn’t leave like she said she would.   We all tell each other all that’s happened since we split up. It turns out Si.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448362/ Mortal ShroudObenThe pack is astonished at the size of the tribe and its village. I can see why, considering that the village is at least three times the size of our castle’s bottom floor.   Each of us is silent and focused on the village, along with the tribe wolves. The tribe wolve.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448360/ Mortal ShroudObenI open my eyes to my fourth day of camp, along with the third apprentices’ hut. I’ve been sleeping here in a corner on the dirt floor ever since I started my training. Although I only began a few days ago, I’ve learned a lot, and Trevrizent said that I might go on .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448358/ Mortal ShroudObenI spend the next few days unlearning my skills with the other apprentices. Trevrizent is always asking me to display a hunting crouch, and when I do he tells me how lopsided or sloppy I am. He humiliates me in front of wolves who are half my age. I would say that it’s terrible.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448355/ Mortal ShroudObenWhen night falls, I attend my first Evening Gathering.   The fire pit I saw earlier is lit with fistotia and all of the tribe is huddled around it. Darfor tells the tribe other news, but nothing significant aside from my fight with Choren. He announces my apprenticeship, .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448351/ Mortal ShroudObenIn front of me stands a natural stone structure, a tall boulder with a flat top that reaches the height of the huts’ roofs. It stands directly south of the storage hut where Neikoish had been, southwest of Darfor’s hut, and northwest of the rest of the village. The entir.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448350/ Mortal ShroudObenA thickening growl wakes me from my terror.   “Get up, weakling.” Trevrizent, whose voice I’ve heard little of, snarls in my ear. “You’ve got your first assessment today, apprentice.”   What? What does he mean, “apprentic.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448348/ Mortal ShroudObenI make my way through the deep snow that accompanies the trunk of every pine. My pack is weakly following me. I don’t know why they would; I’m no leader.   Not too long ago, we were ambushed by two wolves, Erius and Armead. We killed them both, but it took a lo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448343/ Mortal ShroudObenI can nearly feel their claws ripping into my flesh; my family must seek revenge on me. They did nothing wrong, and I stormed out on them. They will never take me back.   If they have survived these harsh past few days, I hope they will find me soon.   Ever since.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448341/ Mortal ShroudObenTheir stares are dark and cold, faintly shimmering in the daylight. They stand among the molded-stone buildings, their thick pelts ruffling in the bitter, unforgiving wind. They are all silent as I am led past them.   I can feel the unwelcomeness surrounding me, and they k.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448339/ Mortal ShroudObenI jerk into consciousness, and a cough of water splutters from my mouth. In sheer surprise, light floods my eyes. I thought I was dead.   Leaping up, I again forget my injury. I whimper, cringing.   “Couldn’t cross the water?” a blue-furred wolf.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448336/ Mortal ShroudOben“Where are they?” Altelli hisses in my ear.   I flinch, shivering, and swallow a nervous gulp. I bow next to Chinook, who is in the same position as I am: ears flat, tail under, and head low. We have lost all pride.   “Where are they?” the.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448335/ Mortal ShroudSurely my dream was mythical.   I know none of these characters from that scene.. or do I? Yes, it was eerie and intense, but who was I? Who were the three others? My imagination must have conjured it up somehow.   I refuse to pursue the topic as I remember. How am .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448331/ Mortal ShroudObenThe three pairs of gleaming eyes stare back at me in the night. I can see the devious thoughts glittering among their gazes.   In other definitions, they are my pupils. My children. My bloodline. They come from me… I can already see the cunning about them.  &n.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448325/ Mortal ShroudObenMy eyes open. This time, my awakening is calm. No screaming or thrashing or anything like it’s been in the past. This time, I truly rested.   My dream? I’m beginning to wholeheartedly believe these dreams are real. Chinook is alive. Singatari is alive. The pira.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448324/ Mortal ShroudOben“I’ve managed one, Brutus,” the brutal wolf calls as we enter the throneroom.   I see a dark black wolf sitting in Kotash’s throne on the opposite end of the room.   “Welcome back, Altelli! I see you’ve snagged one of those str.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448322/ Mortal ShroudObenAs I saunter through the faintly-moonlit night, I realize what I’ve done. I’ve lost my kingdom and my love. I gave up my family. Chinook has lost everything I have, yet unlike me, he still seems so have some sort of appreciation and self-respect about him, as far as I ca.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448321/ Mortal ShroudObenI flee from my dreams, my body twisting in panic over the grainy earth. Landing numbly with a thud, I verify my surroundings.   Thick, shallow oaks loom over me, and patches of undergrowth litter the widespread trees. I am lying in the sand, my heart pounding and my chest .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448320/ Mortal ShroudObenI look out over the short walls of the castle’s roof. Below, I can see my mate escaping with some others into the forest.   At least she’ll still live after this attack.   The sea wolves Oben told us about have defeated the helpless wolves in the room.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448319/ Mortal ShroudObenI open my eyes to a dense surrounding of young trees, saplings, and ferns. The ground is damp and leaves crunch underneath my side, moistening my fur. I look up motionlessly, finding an array of gloomy light beams and fog lining the treetops.   I take my first breath of th.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448317/ Mortal ShroudOben“I’m sorry, Sinaia,” Singatari tells the small white pup. “It could have been a sign anyway.”   “How?”   “My old home was inhabited. It could mean that we don’t belong here anymore. It’s time for us to m.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448314/ Mortal ShroudObenSingatari, Geraka, and I race, panting, through the ferns. We are excited to see the old burrow again. We bound ahead of our packmates, each stride effortless.   The forest’s brush and undergrowth whip past me, and I  have no time to observe them as I burst thro.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448313/ Mortal ShroudOben“There’s nowhere else left for us to go.”   My grief-stricken whisper echoes through the woods.   “Don’t fret, my son,” Kotash replenishes warmly. “It’ll all be fine.”   I close my eyes, forgetting m.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448311/ Mortal ShroudObenI wake from my nightmare with a whirling mind.   “Oben! What’s wrong with you?” Singatari’s panicked voice sounds over me.   I stand up quickly, my throat hoarse. The others in my group loom over me, their eyes wide.   “N-n.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448310/ Mortal ShroudOben“It is not your fault, Oben.”   My heart plunges downward. “Who’s there?” I stutter, my voice shaky.   Columns are scattered about, and gloomy light floods from a hole in the roof. Am I in the old Alkadian dome?   “Do.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448309/ Mortal ShroudObenDuring hunting, we make it to the portion of the Giving River that is in the Central Forest. We make our kill there, our kill being an old, sick doe. Night falls, consuming the ancient oaks.   We make the best of the deer beside the narrow river’s shallows. The corps.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448307/ Mortal ShroudObenI weave among the silent, whispering oaks. Sorrow and depression hang in the air.   Scents of the Central Forest fill my nose with every mundane inhale. The earth underpaw is soft, strewn with old leaves and twigs. My muscles grow even more sore with each stride. The mass.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448306/ Mortal ShroudObenThe journey back to the castle is only half as easy as before. With every pawstep, the blizzard grows heavier. Ice and snow pack in my fur and my ears rim with frost. I feel guilty for treating Sinaia like this on her first day.   I am consumed in the biting, blistering co.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448305/ Mortal ShroudObenWhen we reach the South Mountains, a heavy blizzard has set in. My paws are blistered and numb from the frigid winds and snow. The rest of my pack drags behind me.   I stop and wait at the foot of the mountain farthest to the east.   “What are you waiting f.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448304/ Mortal ShroudObenMy sleep was dreamless.   Before I go into deeper thought, I open my eyes. Clear, golden light glows through the window over Signatari’s head across the way.   I lift myself off of the matted brown rug, my head lurching over my paws as I stretch. The air is.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448303/ Mortal ShroudOben“I have never heard of sea wolves, Oben,” Kotash barks, rising from his rug on the floor.   I swallow. “I swear there were.”   “They actually sailed ships on the Calarian Sea?” Singatari asks me.   “Certain of i.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448301/ Mortal ShroudObenEVERYTHING IS DARK.   No light shines through the gloomy trees. Frigid wind, telling of the Season of the Freeze, stings through my pelt like frost. The swamp water of the marsh is frozen underpaw. Each breath is a cloud, like fog in the night.   The waters of t.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448297/ JuvenilityGeraka“Geraka, wake up,” a voice barks gently from above.   I open my eyes to see Singatari hovering over me.   “Come,” she barks, and dashes up the steps.   I roll onto my side and gather my paws to follow her up the white steps. I rea.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448294/ JuvenilityGerakaThe cellar is dank and empty.   Only a beam or so of light makes its way down the stairs. All of the remaining wolves huddle at the corner of the staircase. I am lodged between Singatari and Chinook’s warm bodies.   I tilt my  head back and begin a sof.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448292/ JuvenilityGerakaThe Alkadian Fortress is magnificent. It is a massive, white-walled palace with deeply-creviced stone columns in the front… or at least that’s what I can tell from about thirty lengths up the steep slope.   Around the great structure is a very deep-looking moat.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448291/ JuvenilityGerakaThe length of the Alkadian River is immense. It seems to have no end as we follow it into the woodland. At least four Emphioran Fortresses could fit in its width. Its waters rush vigorously over its low bed of rocks.   Fish fly about it, splashing carelessly, so we stop on.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448289/ JuvenilityGerakaThe skyline towers just past Sky Lake. Surely Chinook is waiting somewhere there. no treetops tower overhead today, only the green plain surrounds me. Few chirps of birdsong sing faintly in the air. The soft, earthen grass under my paws sinks slightly as I step. The air is frigid, an.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448288/ JuvenilityGeraka“I can’t believe this.” Kotash cringes, his golden eyes dull.   “Fabi didn’t make it,” Oben tells him, his paws scratching the bedroom’s stone floor.   Each of us sits in silence, the gray light of afternoon streaming thro.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448285/ JuvenilityGerakaMy eyes open slowly.   The narrow, golden-walled canyon conceals me.   Suddenly, reality returns. I’m being held captive by Nurit’s gang of rebels. A quick thought runs through my mind. Where is Sivi?   I flip onto my belly and heave myself o.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448281/ JuvenilityGerakaDead trees of the barren woods tower overhead. An owl soars above, its wingbeat battering against the bare branches. The dead silence of the cold desert night is almost overwhelming.   Skulka and Fabi follow close behind with Singatari and Oben leading in the front. Up ahea.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448280/ JuvenilityGeraka“They’re nowhere to be seen,” Oben reports, his bark echoing off of the throneroom’s stone walls.   Kotash looks up from his paws, which are resting on his throne.   “What about their scent?”   “Broke off at the .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448279/ JuvenilityGerakaA long, sickening wail splits the air fiercely, a terrifying tone of mourning about it. My eyes pop open quickly, my ears alert.   Instantly, Singatari soars over my head, sprinting into the hallway toward the throneroom.   I clumsily scramble to my paws and follo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448277/ JuvenilityGerakaThe dining room is much smaller than the throne room. Like the other walls in the castle, the walls are made of thick, painted stones molded together with mortar. There are various murals on every surface here, considering there is no furniture. Aside from the the windows in the ceil.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448273/ JuvenilityGerakaWhen we reach the castle, the light of mid-evening shines through the ceiling’s glass, flowing swiftly into the throneroom below. A glowing sun dwindles away quickly, as it does earlier and earlier with each passing week. The days grow shorter when the season turns cold. &nbsp.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448272/ JuvenilityGeraka(Notice: spoiler alert)FALLEN LEAVES WHIRL BY MY EARS, whistling as they plummet to the ground. Above, the autumn woodland’s glittering trees are admirable as their fiery foliage rains down from their branches.   I focus, squinting at the furry creature before my eye.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448271/ The InevitableSingatari(Notice: This chapter, and the rest of Part One, are in high-level revision; therefore, it is cut off at the end of this chapter. However, the book is continued on to Part Two. If you don't mind a bit of a plot jump, you are welcome to continue.)Through the woodland, up the sl.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/PJHensley/1448269/