2003
The Hale twins were inseparable, everyone knew that. They were everything a first grader wanted to be: good at four square and top of their reading groups. The girls were nearly identical, and could usually only be told apart by their facial expressions, which were quite varied. Cora, the oldest, was feisty, full of sass, and hot tempered. While Clara was quiet, kind, and steady. They balanced each other, one keeping the other out of trouble, and the other making sure her sister was never overlooked.
Consequently, it was quite the shock when Clara wandered onto the playground alone one Monday morning. The full moon was that night, and, although they wouldn't gain the power to shift for several years still, Cora's temper had gotten away from her during addition tables earlier. Leaving Clara to face recess alone for the first time since they had come to school.
Gathering her courage, because that's what it took, Clara made her way to the pavement where the fading white-lined four square courts resided. As she waited in line for her turn in square four, the faint smell of blood reached her nose. Confused, Clara looked around for a fallen child. When finding none, she turned back to the game, watching as that strange spastic kid from a different class got out. It made her frown because it was very obvious they had purposefully targeted him. If Cora had been there, Clara would have said something, but as it was, she was too scared to say something now.
The next person entered the game, the boy that smelled like the medicine from that little white box. Once again, the three already in the game teamed up to get the kid out. "Aw, man," the boy said to his friend as they walked away. Clara couldn't help but listen in, the full moon making her senses stronger.
"We never get passed the first square, Scott. Let's just give it up already."
"No. I can get to square three, I know I can. We'll try again tomorrow."
Clara's attention was again drawn away by the smell of blood. Something that Clara had never felt before roared in her chest. It urged her to follow the scent, screaming that the smell of the blood was wrong, and she needed to fix it. Nearly panicking, she once again wished Cora was here with her. Clara was about to go in and find her, in order for them to investigate the strange smell together, but the moment she took a step in the direction of the school, her heart let out a howl.
Realization washed over Clara. Was this her wolf?
Her mother had said she wouldn't start to feel her wolf until she was at least twelve, until she was ready to start shifting. She was too young to be shifting now! Clara had to go home, she had to find her mom, her alpha. Her mom would know what to do.
But instead of her wolf agreeing with that thought, a stronger impulse took over. She had to find the blood, or maybe the person that was bleeding. Clara had already searched with her eyes, there were no scraped knees or skinned elbows on the playground today. So who was bleeding?
She resolved to follow with her nose, but it didn't make much of a difference. The moment she decided to move, the wolf took over. Clara had always assumed her wolf would be like her older brother had described, as he had gone through his first shift this year. Derek had said his wolf was impulsive and aggressive, following its instincts quickly and effectively. But Clara's didn't feel like that.
Her wolf stalked what Clara had interpreted as its prey, by staying low and moving with small, calculated steps. Clara and her wolf crossed the grass together, and then moved onto the bark chips. The call to action was getting stronger the closer she got to the scent. She followed the wolf under the jungle gym and back towards a small figure under the slide. Upon seeing the shadow, her wolf immediately laid down inside of her, as if begging her to do the same in front of the small boy.
"Hello," Clara said carefully, looking for evidence of his fall.
The boy's head snapped up and Clara immediately froze. He had a mop of curly hair covering his eyes, but Clara could feel his piercing gaze. Clara couldn't smell the blood anymore, it was masked by the overwhelming stench of alcohol that clung to the boy. She couldn't understand it, she had seen him before, but he had never smelt like this. There was an acrylic scent about him, different than anything she had ever smelt before. Once again, Clara had a feeling it was something that wasn't supposed to happen yet. It smelled like chemosignals, which was impossible. She shouldn't be able to detect them, even on a full moon.
"My name's Clara. Who are you?"
The boy sniffled, like a had been crying, but then jutted his chin up defensively and said, "Isaac."
"Oh," Clara said. Her wolf seemed to like his name. "Why are you under the slide?"
"Because."
Clara nodded her head. "Me too."
Isaac looked up at her with confusion. Then she started to move and Isaac tensed, unaware of her intentions. The girl crawled over to his side and sat down next to him. Isaac shifted, moving only slightly as to not hurt his ribs again.
"Are you okay?" Clara asked.
Isaac didn't say anything, just picked up a piece of bark chip and split it with his finger nails.
Clara watched as the boy began tearing up the bark chips. She liked being near him.
"Can you be my friend?" Clara didn't have a lot of friends. She had a sister, and Cora had a lot of friends. She thought having a friend would be fun. Her wolf said that was a good idea.
"No," Isaac said, he wanted her to leave. He wanted everyone to leave him alone. The girl didn't say anything and he had a feeling he had hurt her feelings. Good, maybe then she'll leave.
A bark chip was suddenly thrust into his face. Isaac startled and then looked at the hand attached to the chip. The girl, Clara, was holding it out to him.
"Can I be your friend?"
Isaac didn't know what to say. He just took the bar chip and slowly nodded, watching as Clara's face lit up. Her smile made him want to smile back. He didn't, but he wanted to. That was the first time he had wanted to smile since his mother died.
Clara was ecstatic. She had made a friend, kind of. But he had said yes! Her wolf watched happily as he accepted her gift and promptly split it like all the others. Clara smiled again and handed Isaac another.
That afternoon, Talia knew something was different about her youngest the moment she walked through the door, but before she could approach her, Derek howled in the distance. Called off to help her newest beta, she pushed away the feeling, filing the information away.
A few hours later, at dinner Talia finally got to ask.
"Clara, did something happen at school today?"
"Cora got in trouble," Clara said over a mouthful of peas.
Talia's brows shot up. "Did she?"
Cora suddenly seemed very interested in her steak. "Snitch," she muttered under her breath.
"Cora," Talia warned.
Cora sighed before looking up at her mother with an innocent expression. "It wasn't my fault, Mom. I just got so frustrated, and, and-"
"Cora, I understand how the full moon can make you feel out of control, but you need to learn how to use your anchor."
"I don't have an anchor."
"You'll find one," Talia said, gentler this time. "You're still young. You have time to learn yours. But until then, there are other ways to regulate our heartbeat and keep us calm."
"I know, Mother," Cora conceded. "I'll try harder next time."
Talia nodded, happy with her daughter's concession.
Dinner continued on, slightly tense as everyone knew the reason Derek and Peter's seats were empty, everyone knew the reason Laura was gritting her teeth.
Suddenly, Clara looked up and said, "I met my wolf today."
"I'm sorry," Talia said, thinking she had heard her wrong.
"I met my wolf today," Clara repeated.
"Clara, I don't think you understand," her dad, Lance, started.
"No," Clara said. "She led me to my new friend."
"A new friend?" Talia and Lance shared a look. "Cora, did you meet Clara's new friend?"
Cora shook her head, looking back and forth between her parents, knowing there was something going on.
"His name is Isaac. And he's not very nice. And he seemed really sad. But I like him, and I think I want him to smile, and I like sitting by him. And my wolf likes him too."
"Your wolf likes him," Lance whispered under his breath. Another look passed between alpha and mate. Was this what they thought it was?
Talia cleared her throat. "I'm sure we'd love to meet him sometime."
"I don't know, he said he didn't want to be my friend," Clara said hesitantly, remembering what Isaac had said.
"If he doesn't want to be your friend, then you're not his friend, Clara. He obviously doesn't like you," Cora said, still sullen that her sister ratted her out.
The change in Clara was startling.
"You mean I can't be his friend? Why doesn't he like me?" Clara's breathing rapidly increased. "Mom?" she let out an acute whimper that instantly put all the wolves on edge.
If Talia hadn't already been sure that her daughter had met her mate, this would have solidified it. Sitting at her table was no longer her seven year old, but Clara's underdeveloped wolf. Sending a fierce look at Cora, Talia's alpha came forward. Talia's eyes glowed red as she came around the table and knelt before Clara.
"Clara, everything will be okay. There's no need to panic, pup. Isaac just doesn't know you yet. I'm sure you two will be great friends soon enough."
There were a few more whines, but, eventually, the wolf receded. Clara pitched forward in her chair and into the waiting arms of her mother. Talia held her tightly, fearful of the exhaustion that had descended on Clara after her wolf had taken over. "Lance, I'm taking her into town."
Lance nodded, knowing 'into town' was a cover for Talia taking her to see Alan. As the pair passed them, Lance dropped a kiss to the crown of his sleeping daughter. "Be careful," Lance said, all too aware of the hunters that had entered the territory last full moon.
"Take care of the children," Talia responded.
When they got the the small veterinarian clinic in the middle of town, Talia lifted Clara from the back seat and hurried her inside.
"Alan?" Talia called.
"Talia? Is something wrong?" the doctor inquired as he came out of the back room. He stopped short when he saw Clara. "Bring her this way," he instructed, opening the mountain ash gate.
Talia carried her around the front desk and into the examination room.
"What happened?" Deaton asked as Talia laid her on the table. He immediately brought out a stethoscope to check her heart beat.
"Her wolf came out."
Deaton looked up, surprised. "Her wolf?"
"We think she found her mate, but that's impossible, isn't it? She shouldn't have been able to identify him as her mate until she shifted for the first time."
Satisfied with her steady heartbeat, Deaton straightened up. "Not necessarily. If her mate was in distress or immediate danger, it could trigger her wolf to prematurely attempt to lay claim." Deaton switched topics to his diagnosis, "If her wolf emerged, then she's probably exhausted. When a born wolf first begins to shift, it is stronger than the human. That's why children have a hard time controlling it. Her wolf hasn't matured yet and therefore would have had to have had used excessive amounts of Clara's energy to sustain any form of shift, even a nonphysical kind. Clara will be fine after she recovers some rest."
Talia began to relax, but then realized something. "Immediate danger? Clara said she met him at school."
"Did she mention anything else? Intense emotional distress could also cause the bond to flare."
Talia thought back to her words. "Clara said he was sad and that he wasn't nice to her."
"If something had upset him, it could be possible she was sensing that. A common defense mechanism in children is anger. That could be why he was rude or even hostile towards her. Usually it would send other kids running the opposite direction, but if her wolf had taken over, it would have been focused on alleviating that stress. How he was treating her wouldn't have mattered."
"Is that dangerous?" Talia asked, worried if her daughter had found a mate who would treat her poorly.
"Not necessarily. Like I said, the anger is most likely a way of coping with something else happening in his life. Her wolf wouldn't have chosen him if they weren't compatible."
"What could have happened?"
"Anything really. We won't know for sure unless we can talk to the boy, or his family. Do you have a name?"
"A first name. Isaac."
Deaton thought for a moment. "Isaac Lahey?"
"Do you know him?" Talia asked.
"They have a golden retriever. He's an old dog, but they treat him well. Mrs. Lahey just died from cancer a little over three weeks ago. It would make sense, if this is your daughter's mate, that he would be extremely distressed. He's probably just returning to school."
"That poor thing," Talia sighed, looking at her daughter. "I hope he's alright."
Deaton smiled calmly, "I'm sure with Clara looking after him, he'll soon recover."
