Just saying hi, people! Hope you enjoy- tell me your thoughts!
For a moment- several moments- there was a stunned silence as everyone gazed at the letter, disbelief twisting through everyone's mind. I couldn't make any sense of it- who was Lucas? The letter seemed threatening but I had no idea what it was about, even. Feeling a strong urge to throw something- a pickup truck, maybe- I concentrated on what the other pack members were thinking, hoping they'd give me some clues.
Lake was pretty much thinking the same as Bryn had been- why now?
Chase was as inscrutable as always, though after some nifty probing I thought I could make out a thin, gaunt face, whip marks...curly hair...
I switched to Bryn, hoping to find out some more- it seemed Chase's brain said as little as his mouth- and picked up a strong feeling of regret. Then her mind closed with a snap, her face hardened and with a thrill of panic, I knew I'd been discovered.
Get out, Katie.
Her voice was hard; I recognised the alpha-tone when I heard it and knew that I was pretty much powerless against it.
I hated that.
"Who's Lucas?" I asked whilst edging-slowly- towards the door. "Why don't I know this? Who's the heartless killer?"
"OUT!" Thundered Bryn with an edge of what seemed like –panic? Couldn't be!- in her voice. I cowered against the wall and then practically sprinted for the door, taking care to bang Chase hard as I left, causing him to snarl- damn him and his irritating silence!
Once out, I breathed steadily to combat the heat rolling down my spine, taking comfort from the routine- in, out, in out- then crept slowly around the meeting house, flattening myself against the wall in order to try and hear what was going on. Bryn's power was smothering the hut like a blanket and it was hard to hear what was going on...
"Why can't she know?" That was Devon's voice, unusually serious, the first to speak.
"You know why, Devon." Lake snapped back; I imagined her tossing her honey-blond hair as she did so. "None of the kids know- that was probably the darkest moment in Cedar Ridge history."
Was it now? And why was I being called a kid?
"It'll save a lot of questions in the future."
"That doesn't matter now- our prerogative would have to be to find Madeline."
Madeline?
"Yes." That was Bryn again, a little weaker but still taking charge again. "We need to find Maddy- she cared most about Lucas, after all."
After that, the conversation switched to non-verbal and I couldn't hear or find out anymore- not without the risk of being discovered, anyway. Frustrated, feeling ready to scream, I pushed away from the door and crawled inconspicuously towards my house- before being knocked over by a bundle of pups romping through the yard.
Let's play!
And then, as they recognised me- Katie! Katie! Come play!
Okay! Anything to distract me from that irritatingly obscure bunch inside the meeting hut. I grinned, and then the familiar outwards ripping sensation came with relief. Scraps flew everywhere- and then I was on all fours again, breathing in the soft milky smell of pup.
Ready?
Ready!
I growled, and then sprang forward, cuffing them both gently and making them execute perfect somersaults on the soft turf. They, in return, leapt back and started chewing my tail. I let them. I was wolf, and the world was comfortingly simple again.
After having been thoroughly eaten by Emmy, Tom and Mark, I changed back into human form and found Lily coming back from patrol, easily distinguishable through her reddish hair. Lily! Running towards her, I almost succeeded in knocking her over, before she recovered and gave a few playful swipes. She smelled of pine forest, and lemon soap.
Hang on a minute...Lemon soap? That made me suspicious. You didn't find any lemon soap on Cedar Ridge except...
'Have you been with Alex?'
Lily looked sheepish, and hesitantly ran her fingers through her vibrant red curls.
'Is something wrong? Has something happened? It's not his patrol day today...oh my god!'
Katie, calm down! Lily whined- or whatever the human equivalent was. Nothing's wrong...as such.
'Nothing's wrong? Then why...'
It was only then, I'm ashamed to say, that the penny dropped.
WHAT? Is this right- I mean, you and? No...
She was years older than him! Three, at least! Oh my god! Wasn't there anyone on this godforsaken planet who didn't feel the urge to go all soppy and gooey over the first person available?
Aaaaargh!
Lily did the whining thing again, looking more scared than anything else. I could feel her emotions: a bizarre mix of happiness and anxiety.
Calm down, Katie...
Yeah. Calm. Well... that's great!
You...think so?
Yes! Sure...it's great, I love Alex, I mean I love him to be happy! I had the feeling I was waffling but couldn't seem to stop talking. If a Were fell in love- seriously, I mean- then it was normally for life.
Is it patrol time, Katie?
Lily's voice was gentle and had the effect of shocking me out of what promised to be a never-ending stream of talk. It also had the effect of changing the subject.
Yes. No. Yes... I groaned. I'm with Devon.
Not Devon.
I'd better go.
See you, Katie. Lily smiled almost nervously- thanks to the pack bond, just about everyone knew my views on love. I could almost see her wolf-self cowering, but I smiled and waved as she left.
Have a good time with Devon. Was her parting shot.
Will do.
I sighed and headed off towards the forest-I had a rucksack on my back to stash my extra clothes in just in case anyone saw me- especially those from other packs. I passed Mitch's restaurant on the way by, and the server, Dorothea, waved at me as I walked quickly by, looking as unruffled as usual. I waved back, allowing a grin to stretch my face. Dorothea always made me feel better.
I continued along the lake shore-line, kicking up splashes of water with every step that I took, allowing the coolness to soothe my feet. Why was it that I was always on patrol with Devon? And why had Alex inexplicably found love?
It wasn't like I wasn't unaware of love in the pack: most people were mated and had some soppy romance thing going on- Bryn and Chase practically never touched compared to some: Sophie and Dave for example. Alex and I had always grown up aware of that; I just hadn't thought that it would happen to Alex, of all people. The sight of most mushiness was enough to make me want to puke. Romance? No thank you!
I had just assumed, I thought angrily, kicking up a spray of water with particular viciousness, that Alex thought the same. And I was wrong. Well, then.
In any case, most members of the pack were mated, save Devon, bachelor of the year- or the decade. As I hiked towards the emerald forest my thoughts turned to him, creating a quick thumbnail sketch.
Despite his sunny persona (hmm) he had never found anyone, despite- as Bryn said- his Calvin-Klein-modelling capabilities and size- he was bigger than Bryn, much bigger. Now I thought about it, he probably had a fairly good claim on the title of alpha. He was pure-wolf though- his mother had been a Were, too- I remembered that much. But like that made him any better than us. I wasn't sure what I thought about Devon- his general air of frilliness made him a source of ridicule- in my eyes, anyway. How had he become alpha's second?
The shoreline disappeared, swallowed up by the pungent smell and solid trunks of the forest. I hiked a couple of metres in – just to be sure that nobody would see –then set my rucksack down quickly and flumped next to it, causing a flurry of pine needles to leap into the air.
Watching the world go by was overrated, I thought after a few intensely boring minutes of watching bumblebees frolic joyfully in the air. Give me a good fight any day. As in sympathy to my irritation, both my earlobes twinged simultaneously and my hands leapt up to cover my ears, only to drop down again guiltily.
Ah, my earrings. The earrings that were something of a forbidden rule among the pack, on account of them causing infections due to rips, fights and our general state of wolfy uncleanliness. Earrings shifted with you, and were more trouble than they were worth anyway, especially as we healed so quickly. I only had one pair; a passing Were called Snake had done it for me- around a week ago actually. It was for free, and I loved bending the rules- something rebellious inside me had snapped, and here I was with throbbing ears.
Uneasily I glanced around- was someone watching me, observing my descent into rebelliousness? - and decided I'd better get ready.
Hastily stripping and shoving my clothes into my rucksack, I felt a moment of unease- could I do this? Then I shifted, fur rippling up my body as I fell to all fours.
Blinking a couple of times to dispel any post-change dizziness, I s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d luxuriously, then, overcome by a sudden itch, flopped down and rolled around vigorously on the floor, limbs waving. Aaah, that was better...just about there...
Katie?
Eeep! I almost died there on the spot. Flipping onto all four paws, I saw- to my intense embarrassment- Devon watching me, head cocked to one side. And as if that wasn't mortifying enough, a brindled wolf stood next to him, tongue lolling out in a wolfy grin. Oh my god- it was Mitch!
Flattening my ears against my head, I whined uncertainly. Way to go- embarrass myself in front of my patrol partner- check. Embarrass myself in front of my foster-father- check!
Don't worry, Katie. Mitch advised. A good scratch makes everyone feel better. Just as well...
He coughed out another laugh, and I sent him a rude image.
Anyway, he said hastily, getting to the point (my rude image must have done its work well). Just here to brief you. Devon doesn't need it, of course...
Of course.
...But you do. Bryn has stated that you're to patrol the whole outskirts of Cedar Ridge, just in case of anything happening. Treat anything you see as an emergency- we're on high alert here, especially because of the letter Bryn received...be careful. Devon should be okay and you should be too, if you stick to the rules. NO high jinks, Katie.
I grumbled. He knew me well.
I mean it. Mitch was adamant. You have a talent for getting yourself into trouble...
Too well, if anything.
I'd better go, he said. Touching noses with me, he turned on his tail and left in a graceful- if slightly creaky- wolf lope. I stared after him. As much as I detested his trying to tell me what to do- I was not a child- I still loved him. My father didn't figure into the equation- it had been- how long? Nearly 3 years since I'd last seen him. I didn't really like to waste time thinking about him.
Shall we get going, then? Devon intruding. My relationship with him was far from relaxed- we had a habit of winding each other up- me sometimes too much, considering the fact that he was the alpha's second.
Yeah, alright. I tensed for a moment- then sprang away, leaping up the ridge and digging claws into the soft loam. That showed him- but almost immediately he was at my side, and then overtaking. Why did he have to be so monstrously huge?
We bounded up the ridge at a speed that would've outstripped a cheetah, turning it into a race more than anything else. I tried to ignore all of my worries- not hard- letting the wolf take over, turning all of my dormant frustrations into energy. I needed it anyway, just to catch up with Devon.
Trees flashed by; the miles slipped past. We didn't speak, just exchanged images, showing the land from different perspectives. It was an effort to keep human thoughts in my head- but this was probably the only chance I'd get to find out what was going on. But then I had a brainwave- why not ask Devon about Lucas? He must know- he'd been with Bryn since the beginning.
Devon growled deep in his throat and I jumped- he obviously didn't like the direction my thoughts were taking me.
Devon... I tried, with some effort. It was hard forming human thoughts as a wolf.
No, Katie.
Damn it.
Why not? Everyone knows; I don't. You did ask why I couldn't know...its pack business, and I am pack.
I thought my argument pretty good, to be honest.
Bryn doesn't want anyone to know, Katie. It was a dark time for the pack...enemies everywhere. They still are everywhere- we're just better at dealing with them.
So why can't I know?
Overcome with frustration, I leapt forward and nipped at his heel; he turned around and snarled at me. I resisted the urge to cower, but only just.
Tell me, Devon!
Katie. Drop it. Now.
With teeth bared and ferocity radiating off him, Devon was an awesome sight; it didn't hurt that he was humongous for a wolf, probably the biggest in the pack. Like all males, he had an inborn instinct to protect females. But I wasn't any female: I was Bryn's sister; I could hold my own in any fight. I needed to know what was going on, so I could protect the pack and the people that I loved.
I fought the urge to submit and shrink back and snarled, giving way to the wolf and the frustration and uncertainty inside me.
All at once, he was on top of me, pinning me down, almost half a tonne of muscle and fur. I shifted sideways, wriggling, then jerked my body upwards and flipped him backwards onto the ground. Adrenaline pulsed through me like a drug: I was ready for a fight, and he certainly seemed ready to give one.
We were wary now, both of us tracing a circle on the floor with our steps, seeking out a weakness. Then he snarled and leapt forwards¸ and I took the opportunity and snapped at his belly before leaping nimbly backwards. Emotions fought for supremacy: he was trying to assert his dominance and I was challenging him, the pack-bond causing us to see what the other was thinking.
The fight increased in tempo- snaps and snarls coupled with claws and growls. I dodged a biff from a paw and gave one in return, and he shoulder-rammed me backwards into the dirt. I looked up and snarled my defiance at him, and he hesitated.
I suddenly became aware of a dull ringing in my ears and my vision went blurry for a second. Then the piercing pain was in my bones, a howl that became a scream, and I was shivering on the forest floor with a huge wolf looming over me.
For a moment I was stunned and frightened, my head splitting and useless adrenaline surging through me.
Then I curled myself into a small ball on the pine needles and pressed my head into the dirt.