Why? He had no idea. The world had never welcomed him. His family damn sure hadn't.
Prove to me that you're at least worth the grain it takes to feed you. Protect your brother. At all cost. Even if it means your own life. That had been his only use to any of them.
Bleed for others.
And it was still his sole reason for living. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Grinding his teeth, Ren pushed all those thoughts back to the place of darkness where they belonged.
If only they would stay there.
Angry at himself for a weakness that shouldn't exist, he finished cleaning and binding her wound, then got up to put away his bloody shirt and get a fresh one.
As he stepped away, lightning flashed brightly and was followed by a clash of thunder so loud, it jarred his entire home.
At midnight, the Reset would officially begin. A ten-day festival of counting down to the opening of the gates. The first day of fun would be violent storming. Followed by tornadoes, floods, and hail so severe only a fool would venture into it. And with the dawning of every day, Windseer would be one step closer to release.
Once she was out, then she would set free the Grizzly Spirit.
And then, they would come for him.
Ren ground his teeth as he remembered the day Windseer had taken him before her master. At first, Grizzly had appeared old and withered. It'd only been when their gazes met that Ren understood the power of the immortal bastard. What it would take to restore the ancient being to health.
"Release me and I will make all your dreams a reality."
The Grizzly had required a blood sacrifice from a child of the Stars. His heart filled with utter hatred and contempt for the world that had kicked him in the teeth one time too many, Ren had gladly performed the ceremony and restored the Grizzly Spirit to the human realm. And just as gladly, he'd welcomed Grizzly to use his body as Grizzly's own.
In blood and sweat, Ren had been reborn a new man. But not a better one. Strange how he hadn't really found his humanity until after he'd sold his soul to Artemis. Only then had he learned what mattered most in life.
Only after he'd lost absolutely everything.
I'm coming for you, Makah'Alay. I can't wait for our reunion. The Grizzly's voice was getting louder and stronger.
And the only thing that could stop one of the oldest, deadliest creatures to ever walk the earth was a tiny slip of a woman who slept on his couch. If it wasn't so pathetic, he'd laugh.
From the doorway, he glanced back at her. Her features pale and relaxed, she breathed so lightly that she didn't even appear to be alive. How could someone so small stand against a creature who made Ren appear dainty and frail?
Grizzly would eat her alive.
It didn't matter how strong she was. If the Guardian didn't return to battle Grizzly, there would be no hope for any of them. Even if she reset the calendar, it would change nothing.
Evil would not be denied. Having once served it, he knew that for a fact.
With a heavy sigh, Ren went to clean up.
* * *
Dressed all in white with an eagle's feather tied in her dark hair, Kateri followed a path through a dense forest. The scent of pine hung thick in the air, stinging her throat. She didn't know why, but she'd never cared for that smell.
"Because your father told you to fear it when you were a baby. Though you don't remember him, you remember his words of warning."
She paused at the sound of her grandmother's voice. "Grammy?"
Her grandmother stepped out of the woods in front of her. "It's so easy to lose your way, child." She gestured to the trees around them. "When you're in the middle of something and you're surrounded by so much that overwhelms you, it's easy to focus on the wrong thing."
"I don't understand."
Instead of answering, her grandmother rushed forward as a wolf ran at Kateri.