With the lights on, she could see it was a decent cabin, furnished with quality items despite their age, as everything seemed long abandoned. The living room was divided into two areas: a sitting area and dining space, which opened up into a spacious kitchen equipped with all the necessary appliances. The refrigerator stood open and unplugged, containing nothing.
She opened the cabinets to find utensils and an assortment of dry goods and canned supplies. Checking the expiration dates, the cans had been expired for many years, but the grains looked untouched; she would attempt to cook them. Her wolf could hunt, and she would search for fruit in the forest.
Ascending the stairs with the basket containing the baby, after confirming there was a bathroom underneath, she reached a corridor leading to three bedrooms. The first held a single bed with a chest of drawers and a wardrobe, but it was void of any bedding. The second was a nursery, complete with a crib, a dresser, and a wardrobe, where upon opening, she discovered some neatly packed clothes and diapers that she could use.
There was an attached bathroom with a baby bathtub and a support stand. She smiled, feeling exceedingly fortunate. Whoever had lived here had moved on but left everything well organized and protected.
"See, little one, someone up above likes us; we have everything we need for you here," she said as she picked out some bed linens from the packaging and lined the crib.
She tried the faucet, and water came out, but she hesitated to use it, suspecting it had been stagnant for a long time. She chose only to change the baby and make her comfortable in the crib. The baby soon fell asleep, and Leona spent a great deal of time admiring her daughter, realizing she didn't resemble her but instead looked more like her dark-haired father.
"I need to choose a name for you, one that suits you. Ah, I know, you shall be Valentina!" The baby seemed pleased, as she smiled even in her sleep.
After settling her in the crib, Leona moved towards the last room, which spanned the entire width of the cabin and was quite large and tidy. It housed a double bed, nightstands with table lamps, a vanity with a stool, and a walk-in closet with a bathroom. All their toiletry items were there, neatly packaged.
The closet held an array of men's and women's clothing and footwear. She noticed a box on the shelf above the hanging garments and retrieved it out of curiosity. She sat cautiously on the bed to avoid stirring dust and opened the box. The first thing she saw was a letter with her name on the envelope, albeit with a different surname.
For Leona Vereza, beloved daughter of Carlos and Doroti.
Before opening the letter, not wanting to pry into someone else's mail, she looked at the pictures it contained, which depicted a couple with their young daughter. It was her mother, but the man was not the father she knew. She decided to read the letter in search of some clarification.
Indeed, the letter contained many revelations and secrets. The first was that her father was the Alpha of the Moonflower Pack and that they lived peacefully in that place, with a harmonious and united pack. However, some young members had wished to venture out and discover new places, returning years later with grandiose ideas and a desire to convince their people of a supposedly better place. The Alpha disagreed, and the pack became divided.
After the younger members left with their families, the Alpha was left heartbroken yet continued to lead the few who remained. Then one day, a group, led by the Death Claws Pack Alpha, arrived, killed her father, and took her and her mother as captives. Over time her mother realized the kind of life that pack led and escaped, returning to the cabin. Anticipating they would follow, she prepared everything and wrote the letter in case her daughter, Leona, found it.
"So that's what occurred, and that vile Alpha was never my father. Is that why he treated me poorly and even sold me? Now he's dead and can't harm anyone ever again," thought Leona.
In the letter, her mother listed the names of the youths who betrayed their father and the number that accompanied them upon their return. They were the ones who had betrayed her family, and they were all there now—perhaps they died in the attack by Condor and his wolves—but once she settled in, she would return to see what remained of the Death Claws Pack and seek vengeance against those who destroyed her family.
Leona resolved that her daughter would not endure the life she had endured, filled with humiliation and mistreatment. No, her daughter would have a home and a warrior mother. Henceforth, she would strive to continually improve. She'd train, study, and form her own pack. But for now, she needed to take care of the cabin and herself, starting by dressing in some clean clothes, checking the water and electricity, then beginning to clean and possibly cooking some of the food to determine its quality. It was a promising beginning.
Inspecting the water system, she realized the water was fresh and suitable for use, circulating continuously in and out of a tank, sourced from a spring through pipes. There was also a generator and fuel jugs stored in a small room adjacent to the cabin, along with a stack of firewood for the fireplace.
Her mother had indeed thought of her, leaving everything arranged so that should she ever return, she'd find everything needed to survive. Her wolf must have retained memories of this place, perhaps invoking her childhood recollections, for it had brought her to the right location.
Here she would be safe, and as the property was her rightful inheritance, no one could rightfully claim it. She’d need help to rebuild the pack, but first, she had to find any survivors. Grateful to her mother for her foresight and the sacrifices made to provide hope, Leona felt overwhelmed with appreciation.
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