Chapter 16: Friends and Feasts (written from January 15th to January 16th, 2020)
"You know it's not necessary. It's just a short feast, no?"
"Finishing touches are always necessary," Henry replied. "It shall be the best short feast in the history of the South. Or at least in the top ten or something." Cindi couldn't help but smile. She appreciated his care. One day she would be his second-in-command. Her future looked bright, and she was happy that a caring leader would succeed Stormfast. Royal feasts, feasts that involved the royal family and their friends, were not common. The beige she-wolf felt honored to take part in one.
She and especially Henry were engrossed in an assortment of chopped up meats. The future pack leader wanted his feast to be at the bottom of the hill below the pack leader's den, also known as the hillside den. In the sunken place, he placed the meals at the lowest part of the depression allowing for an optimal eat-and-talk experience since having the meat as low as reasonably possible was considered to be a good aesthetic. Currently, he was busy placing garnishes. He put leaves around all the edges of the pile. Pieces of crushed pine cones were sprinkled on the meat which, Henry hoped, would give a mildly nutty flavor. And although not popular, there were fruits and vegetables too, including a scattering of switchgrass and an aggregation of onions native to the territory once owned by Stone.
Autumn and Brooke were nearing the feast. Brooke was significantly behind her friend, looking forlorn and anxious. She wasn't sure how long she could last in Henry's presence before acting irrationally. Stormfast's youngest son made her insane. For a while, she was holding in those emotions, but now that Autumn was aware of them, she let herself be slightly unhinged. She hoped she didn't take it too far. Henry disowning her was the last she wanted.
The two she-wolves arrived the same as Arthur. Arthur noticed Cindi immediately. As the others began to sit around the meat, Cindi did was she thought she was going to be assigned to do: keep guard. She went a few yards up the hill, so she could oversee the area better. Arthur, an Omega, took his opportunity.
"Watcha' doin'?" he asked.
"Keeping you guys safe. Up here, I can notice an ambush a mile away."
"Are we expecting an ambush?"
"No... but you never know." She shrugged her shoulders and resumed peering through the canopy. Arthur wasn't going to let her go that easily.
"Why don't you come down and eat with us? C'mon, there's a good space next to me. Hannah and Kris should be arriving soon. We Omegas can tell the funniest ghost stories."
"I really admire the offer! But I can't... I gotta watch you guys."
"There's no wolf in this whole valley that hates us. Don't be paranoid. C'mon, let's eat! Let's howl! Let's have a good time!"
"I can't Arthur. I'm an Alpha. It's... what I do."
"I see..." The Omega was ready to regress to his bashful state.
"Hmm... A few minutes, okay?"
"Really? Okay! We can do a lot in a few minutes," Arthur assured.
"No, I mean wait a few minutes while I do a sweep of the area. I'll be down," she said with a chuckle.
After ten minutes, the rest of the wolves came. Hannah came with her mate, Kris, and Martini came with her boyfriend, Andrew. It was the first time all nine of them were together. Brooke, Cindi, and the Omegas had never met Andrew, a dark brown wolf. Henry wanted to make sure he belonged.
"Guys, this is Andrew. The Northerner Martini always talks about."
"Welcome to the family!" said Hannah. "This is my mate, Kris, and that's my brother, Arthur. And that Alpha over there is Cindi, the second-in-command. The other is Brooke, Autumn's partner in crime!"
"One of Henry's friends," Brooke hastily corrected.
"Right," Hannah continued. "Welcome!"
"Thank you so much, guys!" said Andrew. "Northern feasts are legendary, but this will be one for the records!"
"Cheers," said Henry
"Cheers!" everyone else replied.
"How's everyone's life going?" Henry asked. "Brooke?" Brooke stared at the meat, clenching her jowl. She was visibly unstable, and it made everyone else uneasy. Autumn, who sat between Brooke and Henry, stepped in.
"Um, Brooke isn't so hot today," said Autumn.
"Oh?"
"I hope you feel better, Brooke. Do you want to talk about it? No one's gonna judge," said Hannah.
"No... Just ignore me please," she quietly wept.
"Hannah? Kris? What about you two?" said Henry.
"We're good! I'm happy to announce that Omega School has officially been established and will be operational by the next winter. I've been accepted by the other Omegas to be eligible for the deanship!" Her family applauded and gave their congratulations.
"Yep! I'm so proud of my mate!" said Kris. They then nuzzled. Henry moved on.
"Cindi?"
"I'm good! Thank you. Like most Southerners, I emigrated from the East. It's the most populated part of the Valley, and the land is spacious." Arthur leaned closer to Cindi to carefully listen. "I came here wanting to get away from all the noise, to breathe fresher air. I wanted to redefine myself. The Southern Alliance is a young pack. The territory is relatively small and there's much to explore beyond. All of you guys are not much older than me. I've never had such friends nor known Alphas of your prominence to possess such exemplary character. Thank you, really!"
"Don't thank us," said Henry. "Thank my father." The others nodded in agreement. "He started all of this."
"I will gladly thank him," Cindi replied. "I also should say that, before I came here, I hadn't known Omegas to be this great either." She turned to Arthur and nudged his shoulder, causing him to blush.
"Martini?"
"Yes, Henry. I've been alright. Of course, Andrew makes life so much more fulfilling."
"Aw, thanks babe," said Andrew, taking the first bite out of the deer.
"No problem. I do miss Dad though even if it hasn't been that long since he left. I miss him a lot."
"Cheers to Mom and Dad," said Henry.
"Cheers!" his siblings replied.
For the next half-hour, the wolves would devour the food. Most of them got a lot of their fur stained in blood. Andrew and Autumn strictly stuck with the caribou, while Cindi, Arthur, and Martini were getting experimental with the elk. Henry and Kris tried all the different meats but mostly enjoyed muskox. Only the Omegas were interested in the fruits and vegetables. Hannah, in particular, was delighted by the berries. Autumn, though, accidentally ate some. The black she-wolf bit into a caribou's stomach that was remarkably filled with fermented berries. It wasn't until those berries entered her own stomach that she realized what was going on. Right away, she began to get tipsy, and Henry had to make sure she was sitting upright. Brooke throughout the whole period ate nothing.
"Hey, Kris, how's Stephen?" Henry asked.
"Oh, I visited him a week ago. He's doing fine with Kyra," he answered. "They've been thinking about pups."
"I met Kyra at the conference. She's a wolf who knows herself well and means business." Henry remembered Kyra shouting for security to arrest Hutch.
"Better hurry," said Autumn. "Mating season... is... is almost over," she said drunkenly.
"There's still a ways to go," Hannah replied.
"Yeah, but their den will already be full of pups. I'm pretty sure Rhys is due soon," Kris added before sighing. He reminisced. "I'm sure they can cope with it though. If there's anything that was good about Stone's Pack, it was Stephen. While Chance always left me in the dust, that gold wolf was always there for me. He taught me how to live like a wolf with two eyes. Despite all the bad my Mom caused, I can't hate her. She's the reason Stephen is Stephen."
"It might have to do with the fact that Rhys spent a lot of time with our mom," said Henry.
"Is that so? My mom rarely mentioned Terra," said Kris.
"They hated each other. Even Justin, when we first met him, understood that."
"Oh. Can you remind who Justin is again? I never really talked to him."
"He's Terra's father, Kris."
"Oh. I wonder who Rhys's father was."
"I don't know... who Rhys is," said Autumn, "but I'm pretty sure... Justin was her father as well." She finished her sentence with a hiccup.
"Can't be true," said Martini. "No way a wolf like Rhys could be related to our mom. Henry, I think you may need to take her to your den. She's acting kind of loopy."
"No! I'm serious," Autumn assured. "I remember... when Justin was passing that he said, 'Terra. You and Rhys are the best daughters any father could have.' I know... I was there." Suddenly Hannah threw up her lunch.
"He didn't say that," Martini rebuked.
"Autumn, we would have noticed," said Henry.
"Well, your ears must have not been working that day 'cause I know what I heard."
"I don't believe it either," said Arthur.
"No..." Hannah stood up, shaking nervously.
"What?" Martini responded.
"It's true... He did say that," said Hannah.
"He was dying. He could've said anything," replied Martini.
"Mom and Dad trusted him enough. They're journeying with his directions. It's true, sis!"
"But... that would mean..."
"Yes, I know, Henry," said Hannah. She turned to her mate who seemed confused.
"I don't get it. What's the problem?"
"Kris... I... I... think we're cousins..."
"WHAT?! How can you say that?"
"Honey, let's be honest... We were dumb pups. We didn't realize we were related!"
"Hannah, we don't know for sure this is true. Let's check this out."
"With who? My mom and dad are gone, and Justin is dead!"
"We'll go to Rhys. She'll know. Even if it turns out we are cousins, is that such a bad thing?"
"If we're cousins, we can't have pups, Kris! Inbreeding will mess them up!"
"Okay, you have a point. But I don't believe we're related. You heard one sentence from a dying wolf, and you and Henry's girlfriend are the only ones who supposedly remember."
"I get that you're in denial, but don't suggest that I'm a liar!"
"Come on, Hannah, this is so absurd. Sure, our relationship was kept a secret, but we were smart back then. We would've known. We had been to each other's packs many times before we married. I can't imagine you actually believe this crap. I'll give you this: I don't why you would lie."
"Guys, don't do this here," said Henry, wanting to ease the growing tension. Hannah ignored him.
"Oh, YOU'RE CALLING ME A LIAR?! Kris, need I remind you that you lied to me about David?! I knew I was crazy to love you after you killed him!"
"David?! What in the world?! What are you guys talking about?!" Martini questioned.
"Hannah!" Kris exclaimed. His tone changed from anger to panic. "Look where you are!" Hannah's heart dropped.
"Did I just hear what I thought I heard?!" said Arthur.
"Oh, so now you guys listen?!" an annoyed Hannah yelled.
"Who's David?" asked Cindi.
"David was our oldest brother. He was killed in the Battle on The Strip. His whole neck was slashed open," Arthur informed.
"That's enough!" said Henry. "I'd rather not remember how David looked. Kris... Did you kill David?" Henry nearly choked on the last sentence.
"Um, technically yes... but... you don't understand! Stone ordered me to!"
"And yet you have the audacity to marry my sister?!" Henry then stood up.
"Henry, please, not now!" Hannah begged.
"And you!" The black wolf turned to his sister. "You kept this a secret?"
"No! I mean yes! I did! I admit it! I couldn't tell Mom or Dad otherwise I wouldn't get their blessings for our marriage!"
"You were right, sis!" Henry yelled. "You did rush! Both of you were dumb pups! Dumb cousins! Dumb Omegas!"
"Hey, there's no need for low blows," said the Omega, Arthur, feeling that his brother just insulted him.
"I can't believe how selfish you two are!" Henry added.
"You know how many times we cried after David's death?!" said Martini. "You've basically harbored a murderer!"
"I was crying too!" said Hannah. "But it wasn't Kris! It was Stone! Think about what he did to Rhys. He did that for most of Kris's life! Stone probably would have killed him!"
"He killed my sister, Jane," said Kris.
"Exactly! Like I said, he had no choice! He could've died!"
"SO BE IT, Hannah!" Henry snapped. Hannah gasped. "I want you to take him out of the territory! Now!"
"You don't have that authority! You're just the acting pack leader!"
"He actually does have the authority," said Martini. "Also, sis, don't act like Dad wouldn't do the same if he were here. Henry's actually being merciful!"
"Okay, then I'm going with him!"
"Fine!" said Henry.
All of a sudden a blur went over the pile of bones. To everyone's surprise, Brooke had pounced on Henry! The black wolf was on his back, shocked as ever. Brooke was above him, fanatically licking all over his face. The whole scene didn't concern Autumn. She had gotten too drunk to care.
"I can't hold it in much longer! I love you, Henry!" she cheered. Everyone was beyond words. They simply watched in astonishment until Henry could manage the situation himself.
"Brooke! Stop! What the heck?!" He pushed her away. Brooke stayed put, but she maintained a racy grin that screamed of hunger for romance.
"Now I've seen everything," said Arthur. "I'm going to go to my den."
"Um, I'll escort you," said Cindi, looking for an excuse to get away from the ordeal.
"C'mon, Andrew. Sorry you have had to see this," said Martini. "Let's go to the lake beach where the sunsets are the nicest." Hannah and Kris left sorrowfully together after Martini and Andrew left. Autumn had passed out and was lying on a bed of grass beside Henry. After a minute, he had calmed down from his argument with Hannah. He stared at the bones in front of him until he heard movement nearby. He noticed Brooke was walking away. She carried drunk Autumn on her back. Henry presumed she was taking his girlfriend to the pack leader's den to lay her down. Henry watched as the dark grey wolf took one last look at him before she climbed up the hill. She was crying. The black wolf placed one of his paws on his cheek where Brooke's fresh saliva was still there. He felt its soft consistency.
Henry remained next to the bones of the feast passed nightfall. He was busy contemplating everything from the Hannah and Kris episode to Brooke announcing her true feelings to the conference and his duties as acting pack leader. The last of the three would soon gain more of his attention as the messenger wolf from the Grand Pack, Mike, came to him to his bewilderment. The red wolf was clearly out of breath and tired.
"Henry, sir."
"Yes, Mike?"
"A message from the Pack Leaders' Club. An emergency meeting has been called. They hope you will come to Stinky's den by dawn tomorrow morning."
Next - Chapter 17: Familiar Faces