3
Most of the cubs are well behaved. The children between ten and twelve helped keep the babies and toddlers under control. I cooked some steak and hamburger meat. They could have eaten it raw, but I prefer the meat to be cooked so they don't get sick. Their immune systems are still getting stronger. As some of them ate, the older children were watching TV upstairs. I was sitting on the couch with five of my cousins lying on me.
Meat stained their cheeks and we were just engrossed in TV. A few more cousins joined us from upstairs and lied on top of the couch and on the floor in front of me. I wandered how everyone was doing outside? Have they run into any of the neighbors? Probably. I can only imagine how they're handling it. A quick smell caught my nose however, the smell of a dog who had just come inside from being under the hot sun. Wild. Keoni, a fifteen-year-old and Aunt Ma'at's daughter, was running down stairs.
"Someone's here!" she replied. I stood immediately and moved over to the window looking out it. I could see them in the trees, hidden by bushes and tree trunks. The hairs on my back stood as I closed the curtains and moved to the door. I pulled off my shirt and pulled down my pants as I looked at Keoni.
"Stay with the others!" I demanded, and she nodded as I moved to unlock the door. I stiffened at the thought of what was going to happen and slowly I opened the door and stepped outside. The air was moist, damp almost as my body shivered from the humidity. I stepped further out onto the porch looking out to the trees. There were three of them, standing large and intimidating as they saw me. Immediately their smell hit me hard and I sneered at the musk.
I stepped down off the porch and gave a low crouch. My right hand flexed as my claws extended, showing I was in the process of changing. My back began to pop outward as well. But familiar scents caught my nose immediately and I paused and looked to my left as a deep roar ripped through the air and Micah came running out standing before me now. He roared loudly in the directions of the wolves and now they jumped forward, coming into view. Three of them stood there. A dark silver wolf, a brown wolf, and a much larger black wolf stood in the middle. The silver and brown wolf began to move off to the side as if to corner Micah. Another roar, this time with a higher pitch, sounded from above causing the wolves to look up. I looked toward the roof to see Leonardo's giant form walking across the rooftop.
I smiled as he jumped down onto the ground causing a loud thunder like thud to emit from his paws. He was blotched with red blood spots. His muzzle was drenched red. My brothers stood a few feet apart and the brown and silver wolf moved back over to the black wolf as if to regroup. I watched the three wolves carefully, my brothers merely pacing back and forth watching and waiting for the wolves to make a move. It was like both animals were waiting for the other to strike. Throw the first punch so we can demolish you. The black wolf stared at us for a moment looking back at us one by one. The scent of our pride was flooding in around us and I knew the male could smell it.
He gave a grunt to his wolves and they began to turn and run back into the forest. The twins took a few steps forward to make sure they do plan to try a different type of attack. Now the front yard was flooding in with lions and they all met each other rubbing their heads against one another. My parents found us and rubbed their heads against mine before doing the same thing with the boys. I was relieved to be surrounded by them. I knew I couldn't fight three adult wolves on my own. But I would try for our cubs. Hours later, we were all sitting outside, now. Mother stood atop of the porch.
"We had a good patrol. The wolves shadowed us but did not make contact. However, we do not want to leave our homes and children unprotected. Until we know if we can be allies, we will keep our patrols close to the borders I have created. And if any of the neighbors wish to come here, they will speak to me." she replied before bowing her heard. We all bowed our heads in response. The next morning, it was pretty quiet. The smell of wolf was all over the area. Even after marking our territory they had come close to our homes numerous times. Luckily we are very alert even when asleep.
"So you can go to the reservation high school or go to the school in Forks." Mother said from the kitchen table as she looked at little brochure of both schools.
"Doesn't make sense for her or the others to drive out to Forks. Besides, the children could learn a little more culture. Lord knows they've never associated with Native Americans before." Father replied.
"Well there will be nothing, but Quileute children there." Mother told.
"And that means some of those wolves will be there. Their scent bathed the school." Micah announced.
"But they can't go to the Forks school either. The rotting corpses go there and I'd rather my young have issues with other animals then the mummies." Father announced. That's what we called them. The undead. Sure they drank blood but could devour flesh if they truly wished as well. None of their organs worked, probably ash beneath their marble like bodies. That was a mummy to us. Mother nodded handing father the Forks brochure and he threw it away.
"It's settled then. The children will go to La Push High." she replied looking at me as I ate my cereal quietly. "What's the matter my little scarab, you've hardly said anything all morning?"
I shook my head and kept eating.
"I'm fine. Just didn't sleep too well last night." I answered. She nodded with a light scowl.
"Yes. The mongrels' scent was everywhere. It's like sleeping with smoke all around you." she said standing up and moving from the kitchen. "They're bound to make contact with us soon. Love, if you could make the call and get our children enrolled in school. Luckily we haven't missed the enrollment deadlines." My father nodded.
"It will be done my love." he said, with a smile and she smiled back before looking at me.
"Come darling. The sun is coming out. Let's take to the field and sunbathe with the others." That made me smile now. The scent of the wolves so close to the house made me anxious and I couldn't fully sleep without waking up every so often. The hike into the mountains was an hour long until we finally came to a large field. The grass was short and gold like wheat. The women around us smiled happily and the cubs took off into the field. Their mothers followed, and mother and I just walked toward the middle of the field with leisure. Mother wrapped her arm around mine and patted the top of my hand.
"Soon all of this will be yours." she replied as she watched her cousins and aunts and sisters remove their clothes and lie down together. I looked down some thinking of her words.
"Was it always so easy for you… to rule over everything?" I asked looking up at her. She raised her head some.
"No. But times were different years ago. You had to be tough and brutal to keep your title. One of your aunts tried to fight me for power." she said. I looked at stunned now as we found a spot amongst some of my great aunts and we sat down.
"What happened?" I asked. Mother simply shrugged running her hand over her legs. They gave off a light sparkle beneath the sun.
"She lost." she merely answered, her voice calm and collective.
Hours passed and some of my family were sleeping while others were playing with their kids. Father, Emery and the twins were asleep further away. This was a good day. Mother had brought a book and was lost in the other world. I was bouncing Tiko, one of my aunts' newest cubs on my lap. He cooed and laughed happily. The sparkle in his eyes made me so happy. I licked over his bald head and he laughed even more.
However, a scent caught my nose, and immediately everyone in the pride stopped and turned to look across the field. Mother's eyes remained stuck to her book, her finger lifting only to turn the page in her book. Someone was coming, two men. My father and the other males began to raise their bodies up, but mother raised her palm leisurely to them and they stopped in their tracks lying back down. But they were definitely alert. They had bronzed skin and choppy black hair. The only thing that covered them were pairs of cut off shorts. Mother continued her reading as the other lionesses gave low growls of caution.
The two men stopped a few feet away from us. All eyes were on them and I held Tiko close to my body, my hand resting over his head. The older man stepped forward. The second man was a bit younger around my age probably.
"My name is Sam Uley… I am the alpha of the pack that reside here on the reservation. You are not welcome here and we will only ask you once to quietly leave our land." he said with authority. The lionesses and I looked at each other upon hearing his words. No one stood up, no one growled or hiss in the presence of this threat. These men smelled horrible. I finally looked to my mother and she finally lifted her head, the hot wind blowing against her face.
"There are about 800 people on the La Push reservation." she noted to no one in particular. It was almost like she was talking to herself. "It would be a shame… to have to kill you, your mate, your children and everyone else here because of an empty threat." She turned to look at the older man now and Sam replied with a low growl, his body shaking some as if trying to calm himself. Are these wolves so enslaved to their emotions that they can't even control a simple shift?
"Our pack is stronger than yours and we do not take any threats lightly." he stated lowly. Immediately I could see more wolves coming from the forest behind the two. Wolves of different colors and marks appeared from the trees in a straight line. I had never seen such diversity in a pack.
I looked at the younger man who gave a hard glare himself. He was baby faced, a small cleft in his chin made him look more distinguished. We all took note of the wolves who growled and attempted to snap at us. Mother let her eyes roam the wolves who now paused when Sam raised his hand and formed a hard fist.
"You have until tonight to vacate the area." he demanded. Mother let her eyes move from left to right as she observed the mighty wolves who were itching to attack. I could feel it. Mother replied by giving a soft smile as her eyes fell on Sam.
"That's quite a little pack you have there, Mr. Uley. I am sure they can do quite a lot of damage to a family of dead people." she said with an impressed smile before placing her hand over her chest. "Let me show you my pride." I looked at the two men now with a soft scowl.
"Medjay!" she shouted swiftly, the ancient Egyptian slipping from her. Immediately, every woman over eighteen shifted, their skin tore immediately, and their bodies grew swiftly. They formed a straight line and roared loudly as if challenging the wolves. My father and the rest of the males trotted before the long line and stood at the front.
The smaller line of wolves rushed to stand behind Sam. The other male who stood with him had shifted in a wolf with deep brown fur growling and snarling at the line of women. Sam gave a low snarl and crouch as he looked at the long row of lions that stood together. His arms were raised to stop his pack from charging. He was heavily out number. The lioness stood a few inches taller than the wolves, but both packs were large and intimidating.
The wolves growled and snarled and now mother just turned a page in her book
"So you see Mr. Uley, there is no point trying to prove how big your dick is." she said before looking at him with a dark threatening glare. Sam frowned down at her. "Because mine is bigger." Sam's glare was hard, and the anger was apparent in them as he kept eye contact with her. He turned so the side of his face was looking at his pack.
"Move out." he demanded and the wolves all growled and crouched lowly. Their eyes watched us carefully as they started to back away. Sam slowly backed away as well shooting us all a glare before turning and shifting quickly and following his pack back into the forest. I let out a relieved breath and looked at my mom. She didn't give a sigh of relief or run her hands through her hair in liberation. She continued to stare seriously at the wolves until their scent finally cleared out. My father moved up to her and gave a low growl. She gave a light hiss at him. My father grunted and took off into the direction of the wolves, my brothers and Emery following behind. The earth shook with the power of their massive paws stampeding together.
I knew what mother was doing. She was making sure they truly did leave and were not going after our homes.