The Normal Life
By Didi
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters that are recognizable and I certainly don't own the show. Don't sue me cause all you're going to get is lent, and not much of that either.
Summery: Kanin's flipped and gone to the wild side. Creed is having his day in the sun. Donner has to contend with two oppositions to his status. And Ruby is about to make her stand. This is history in the making. And we're seeing it through Sherman and Ruby's point of view.
Rating: R for restricted under 17.
~~~~~~~~~~
-Sherman's POV-
History has always been the key to every future. Without knowing where we came from, how did anyone expect us to know where we are going? But one must always keep in mind that history is also written by man, what they record is what we get to see and learn from. And let's face it; facts can be easily twisted to created fascination, excitement and awe. But in this case, no amount of distortion is going to create the effects of that the truth would. Hell, not even I can make up something so... unusual.
I have to give it to my ancestors, they managed to create this almost mystic aura around the Keepers that it really is hard for the rest of the pack to understand that what we do isn't something magical, isn't even hard; it was a matter of seeing what is and what is expected and making it what we want them to be. The mind is a powerful tool, and we Keepers have learned over generations to use them well to suit what is best for the clans.
Take our current leader here: Matthew Donner could easily be the most powerful wolf of this generation. He has all the characteristics of an Alpha: strong, intelligent, logical, intuitive, reasonable, judicious and not bad looking in denim or fur either. He has this twisted idea, from probably since when he was a boy that I have some sort of magical powers that allows me to be what I am. In reality, he, like those before him, choose not to see what's right in front of their noses. They choose not to see with their minds but with their hearts. But because it suits my purpose, not to mention that it amuses the hell out of me, I let him and rest of them believe what they choose to.
*You're not coming?* Vivian's voice, like silk against jagged rocks, rips through my musings. Her near golden eyes were watching the rapidly disappearing tails of our newest member and his extraordinary mate as they leave the safety of the cabin.
"No," shaking my head, eyes still on Kanin as he lopped easily through the woods, as if he had been born to run. "I think I'll watch it from a distance."
*A distance?* her voice, heavy with wariness, made me want to smile. Cannot very well give all my secrets away now, can I?
"Go, if you want to catch up to them in time," I reminded her.
The look she gave me... Oh if looks could kill, she'd get her wish.
Waiting for a few heartbeats, as I felt the presence of our brothers and sisters disappear from around me, I took a deep breath. Centuries of knowledge, locked within and I still cannot figure a way to make the Alphas and their mates understand that it wasn't the Keepers job to tell them everything. It was their job to know everything.
Tonight, history is in the making.
It's a three-way race tonight for leadership tonight, most just don't know it: Donner, Kanin and Creed.
Contrary to what Vivian and some of the others may believe, Tyler Creed is no weakling. He has more than enough potential to become the next Alpha; if the fates had been kind to him. But like most creatures with defects, his being the one of a dark heart, nature has a way of keeping them down. Had he been born into any other pack, had he been born of another generation, had he been born to face anyone but Donner or Kanin, Creed could very well be the next Alpha. And for my money, I'd say Creed would be the first to go tonight. He has neither the discipline of Kanin, nor the wisdom of Donner, nor does he have the patience of goodness.
So the little guttersnipe was about to get his throat ripped out.
And I think I'll go get a front roll seat to take it all in.
Willard once mentioned to me that he's never seen me in wolf shape. I think I made some sort of comment about being shy. He laughed but let it drop. Thank goodness for some things. Had it been Matt that asked, I'm pretty sure that the nosy sheriff would have nagged me until I revealed something; which by tradition I'm not allowed to do. So, I'm glad it was Willard.
Ever read Harry Potter? Those books just simply tickle me pink with amusement. Imagine, a world of wizards living, coexisting, with our own. Talk about art imitating life. Anyways, you know how in book 3 - the one with the prisoner of something or other - there were a certain class of wizards called... hum ... what were they called again? They were the ones that can change into animals at will. More specifically, one particular kind of animal.
Well, the wolf packs aren't performing magic; that is just plain fiction. They merely live in a world where they can be in two kinds of state. Much like myself... Only, not quite.
The basic reason that no one has seen me in wolf forms is.... Well, I don't think I've ever been one. We are what we are, and we're watchers. We don't get to choose this vocation, its simply ordained at birth. We watch and we record what we see. But to do so, we must be removed from the pack, to see it from a bird eyes' view.
You get the picture?
Good.
Oh, and there they are. Three would be Alphas and the night of all possibilities.
Ruby and Sophia were the most difficult to pick out, must be all this damn fog. But there was no mistaken Ruby's voice. *With your permission, Alpha. My husband would like to settle a score with Mr. Creed.*
Wonders upon wonders, looks like there isn't going to be a three way fight after all. Well, that is if Matt is sensible and ...
*Permission granted.*
Ha! I always knew Matthew Donner was a smart man.
And Tyler was not. *You want to play with the big boys, Kanin?* What is this? Third grade schoolyard taunt?
*Shut up and fight,* came the most distinctive response.
Oh, this is going to be good.
~~~~~~~~~~
-Ruby's POV-
My husband.
I like that. It was... appropriate. Gave me this funny fluttering feeling in my breast when I think of him that way. My husband. I'm almost giddy with delight just thinking about it. Maybe it was a delayed reaction to everything else that has happened to us so far.
I watch him, that gleaming black coat over tight, powerful muscles as he circled around Tyler. Did I ever think that Tyler Creed would make me a good mate? Did I ever think that the man would be good enough for me? Was I really ever that naïve to fall for a pretty face with a set of nice teeth? Yeah, I must have been.
My father once said that you'll know when the right one comes along, cause your heart will tell you. He also said not to confuse love with lust; that the two emotions were quite different and easy to distinguish once you've experienced both. My father was right.
Lust: that was what Tyler and I had. A good roll around earth and sweat. Nothing more than bodies and hormones being answered. A surface kind of emotions that were easily forgotten when the deed is done.
Love: that's what John and I share. Eternal love. Perfect love. The kind of love that you feel deep in your heart, where you've buried the most intimate part of yourself and only reveal once in a lifetime to one other soul.
My husband.
I will never be tired to saying those words in my head, or in my heart.... Or at the top of my lungs.
*You want to play with the big boys, Kanin?* The sounds of Creed's voice grates against my nerves. Had I really fallen for that in my absentminded youth? Shame on me.
*Shut up and fight,* always to the point, my John.
They circle each other slowly, my body tensing as the two bared teeth and claws at one another. John was big, bigger than I had ever expected him to be given his medium build in human form. He was powerful and had a natural grace and agility in his four-legged form that usually takes a teen the first couple of months to learn. But Creed was no blip on a map either. He was fast, powerful and more to the point, he had years of practice in his skin. They were more than a match for one another, and too equal for me to feel comfortable.
And as much as I would love to step in and help my love, this was a challenge and John was the challenger. He was standing as our new Alpha's champion now, taking the fight of the leadership into his own hands. Plus there was that little incident back in the cabin.
*You shouldn't have come, Kanin. You've got no idea what you're dealing with here. You should have just stood still and died in the woods like you were suppose to,* Creed called out, eyes steady on his opponent.
*Are you always this annoying? Or do you save this charming side of your personality just for me?* John replied without a hint of humor, eyes never leaving his opponent's gaze. It literally was like watching a gunfight from the old west. Whoever twitches first would probably be the first to die.
Were the rest of us holding our breaths while we await the first move? You bet your aunt Fanny's panties. Huh? Where the heck did that come from? Oh man, I knew my dad's stupid sayings were going to come back to haunt me one of these days.
*You really think your big bad self is going to take me?*
*Is this how you usually take down your opponents? You bore them to death with your yammering?*
That's two for my John and zero for the creep with the bad hair.
*GET ON WITH IT ALREADY, THIS WAITING IS MAKING A NERVOUS WRECK OUT OF ME!* I turned to glare at someone... I'm not sure whom but someone.
But they were right; the suspense was getting to me and I'm not sure if...
The breath caught in my throat.
You really have to give credit where credit was due. Creed was incredibly fast, frighteningly so. But his aim could use a lot more work. The scratch across John's hind leg was superficial at best; the return bit he gave Creed could hardly be called that. Was it possible that John was trying to gnaw off that leg his teeth had clamped onto?
The howls and growls were vicious, filled with every emotion imaginable. Anger, frustration, despair, pain, disbelief, elation, wretchedness, desperation... It was all there; so intermingled that I couldn't tell where one emotion ended and another began, or who each emotion was from. It was frightening to see so much and yet... understand so very little. You think you know your own world, understood where you stand and where you are going, but you don't know anything until you've experienced something that was like nothing you can imagine.
In it's own way, the fight was beautiful, like a choreographed dance that was being preformed by the best. The twisting of bodies always fighting for control of positions. Limps that moved with precision, a kick here, a punch there, a jab that was meant to disorientate. The flashing of eyes... watching... waiting... seeing all too much and not quite enough. The sounds of teeth ripping flesh from bone, howling for victory.
I died and was reborn a hundred times as I watch blood spill, emotions played out, and my husband express himself in the most primitive of rituals: a fight to the death.
Somewhere between Tyler's jaw affixed upon John's hindquarters and John's leg catching Tyler in the right eye, it occurred to me that this wasn't about revenge anymore. It wasn't about Creed's goons coming after John with shotguns and four legs. It wasn't about John managing to marry me before Tyler even knew what was happening. It wasn't even about wounded prides and male egos.
No, it had gone beyond that without my even knowing it.
This fight was about two potential Alphas vying for dominance.
And it couldn't have come at a worse time.
There was no contest. I knew who was going to win this fight. I knew it in my heart even if legends and prophecies hadn't told me already.
John was special. I knew that before I saw the star on his face. So very special; and destined by a simple mark on his forehead to rip this pack apart. I knew it even if he does not.
I turned to watch Matthew Donner, the man that had offered his assistance to me without asking for anything in return. The man that had never asked for any loyalty from anyone but had managed to unit more than half the pack behind him with his code of honor. The man that I had just pledged my loyalty to hours ago. Our new Alpha.
He was watching the fight with... I'm not sure what's in his eyes right now. There was... curiosity... resignation... fear? No. No, there was no fear there. There was... dread. Maybe not for himself but for what could happen to this clan, no matter who wins this fight.
Again; no contest. The way Donner watched John, he already knew. Donner may have appeared to have turned his back on his wild side for almost two decades, but he knew his history better than anyone else around. He knew what was going to happen. And he dreaded it.
I turned back just in time to see John shake Tyler off and managed to lever himself off a tree and come down hard on Creed's back, jaws locking on the back of Tyler's neck.
And I hold my breath.
~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
By Didi
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters that are recognizable and I certainly don't own the show. Don't sue me cause all you're going to get is lent, and not much of that either.
Summery: Kanin's flipped and gone to the wild side. Creed is having his day in the sun. Donner has to contend with two oppositions to his status. And Ruby is about to make her stand. This is history in the making. And we're seeing it through Sherman and Ruby's point of view.
Rating: R for restricted under 17.
~~~~~~~~~~
-Sherman's POV-
History has always been the key to every future. Without knowing where we came from, how did anyone expect us to know where we are going? But one must always keep in mind that history is also written by man, what they record is what we get to see and learn from. And let's face it; facts can be easily twisted to created fascination, excitement and awe. But in this case, no amount of distortion is going to create the effects of that the truth would. Hell, not even I can make up something so... unusual.
I have to give it to my ancestors, they managed to create this almost mystic aura around the Keepers that it really is hard for the rest of the pack to understand that what we do isn't something magical, isn't even hard; it was a matter of seeing what is and what is expected and making it what we want them to be. The mind is a powerful tool, and we Keepers have learned over generations to use them well to suit what is best for the clans.
Take our current leader here: Matthew Donner could easily be the most powerful wolf of this generation. He has all the characteristics of an Alpha: strong, intelligent, logical, intuitive, reasonable, judicious and not bad looking in denim or fur either. He has this twisted idea, from probably since when he was a boy that I have some sort of magical powers that allows me to be what I am. In reality, he, like those before him, choose not to see what's right in front of their noses. They choose not to see with their minds but with their hearts. But because it suits my purpose, not to mention that it amuses the hell out of me, I let him and rest of them believe what they choose to.
*You're not coming?* Vivian's voice, like silk against jagged rocks, rips through my musings. Her near golden eyes were watching the rapidly disappearing tails of our newest member and his extraordinary mate as they leave the safety of the cabin.
"No," shaking my head, eyes still on Kanin as he lopped easily through the woods, as if he had been born to run. "I think I'll watch it from a distance."
*A distance?* her voice, heavy with wariness, made me want to smile. Cannot very well give all my secrets away now, can I?
"Go, if you want to catch up to them in time," I reminded her.
The look she gave me... Oh if looks could kill, she'd get her wish.
Waiting for a few heartbeats, as I felt the presence of our brothers and sisters disappear from around me, I took a deep breath. Centuries of knowledge, locked within and I still cannot figure a way to make the Alphas and their mates understand that it wasn't the Keepers job to tell them everything. It was their job to know everything.
Tonight, history is in the making.
It's a three-way race tonight for leadership tonight, most just don't know it: Donner, Kanin and Creed.
Contrary to what Vivian and some of the others may believe, Tyler Creed is no weakling. He has more than enough potential to become the next Alpha; if the fates had been kind to him. But like most creatures with defects, his being the one of a dark heart, nature has a way of keeping them down. Had he been born into any other pack, had he been born of another generation, had he been born to face anyone but Donner or Kanin, Creed could very well be the next Alpha. And for my money, I'd say Creed would be the first to go tonight. He has neither the discipline of Kanin, nor the wisdom of Donner, nor does he have the patience of goodness.
So the little guttersnipe was about to get his throat ripped out.
And I think I'll go get a front roll seat to take it all in.
Willard once mentioned to me that he's never seen me in wolf shape. I think I made some sort of comment about being shy. He laughed but let it drop. Thank goodness for some things. Had it been Matt that asked, I'm pretty sure that the nosy sheriff would have nagged me until I revealed something; which by tradition I'm not allowed to do. So, I'm glad it was Willard.
Ever read Harry Potter? Those books just simply tickle me pink with amusement. Imagine, a world of wizards living, coexisting, with our own. Talk about art imitating life. Anyways, you know how in book 3 - the one with the prisoner of something or other - there were a certain class of wizards called... hum ... what were they called again? They were the ones that can change into animals at will. More specifically, one particular kind of animal.
Well, the wolf packs aren't performing magic; that is just plain fiction. They merely live in a world where they can be in two kinds of state. Much like myself... Only, not quite.
The basic reason that no one has seen me in wolf forms is.... Well, I don't think I've ever been one. We are what we are, and we're watchers. We don't get to choose this vocation, its simply ordained at birth. We watch and we record what we see. But to do so, we must be removed from the pack, to see it from a bird eyes' view.
You get the picture?
Good.
Oh, and there they are. Three would be Alphas and the night of all possibilities.
Ruby and Sophia were the most difficult to pick out, must be all this damn fog. But there was no mistaken Ruby's voice. *With your permission, Alpha. My husband would like to settle a score with Mr. Creed.*
Wonders upon wonders, looks like there isn't going to be a three way fight after all. Well, that is if Matt is sensible and ...
*Permission granted.*
Ha! I always knew Matthew Donner was a smart man.
And Tyler was not. *You want to play with the big boys, Kanin?* What is this? Third grade schoolyard taunt?
*Shut up and fight,* came the most distinctive response.
Oh, this is going to be good.
~~~~~~~~~~
-Ruby's POV-
My husband.
I like that. It was... appropriate. Gave me this funny fluttering feeling in my breast when I think of him that way. My husband. I'm almost giddy with delight just thinking about it. Maybe it was a delayed reaction to everything else that has happened to us so far.
I watch him, that gleaming black coat over tight, powerful muscles as he circled around Tyler. Did I ever think that Tyler Creed would make me a good mate? Did I ever think that the man would be good enough for me? Was I really ever that naïve to fall for a pretty face with a set of nice teeth? Yeah, I must have been.
My father once said that you'll know when the right one comes along, cause your heart will tell you. He also said not to confuse love with lust; that the two emotions were quite different and easy to distinguish once you've experienced both. My father was right.
Lust: that was what Tyler and I had. A good roll around earth and sweat. Nothing more than bodies and hormones being answered. A surface kind of emotions that were easily forgotten when the deed is done.
Love: that's what John and I share. Eternal love. Perfect love. The kind of love that you feel deep in your heart, where you've buried the most intimate part of yourself and only reveal once in a lifetime to one other soul.
My husband.
I will never be tired to saying those words in my head, or in my heart.... Or at the top of my lungs.
*You want to play with the big boys, Kanin?* The sounds of Creed's voice grates against my nerves. Had I really fallen for that in my absentminded youth? Shame on me.
*Shut up and fight,* always to the point, my John.
They circle each other slowly, my body tensing as the two bared teeth and claws at one another. John was big, bigger than I had ever expected him to be given his medium build in human form. He was powerful and had a natural grace and agility in his four-legged form that usually takes a teen the first couple of months to learn. But Creed was no blip on a map either. He was fast, powerful and more to the point, he had years of practice in his skin. They were more than a match for one another, and too equal for me to feel comfortable.
And as much as I would love to step in and help my love, this was a challenge and John was the challenger. He was standing as our new Alpha's champion now, taking the fight of the leadership into his own hands. Plus there was that little incident back in the cabin.
*You shouldn't have come, Kanin. You've got no idea what you're dealing with here. You should have just stood still and died in the woods like you were suppose to,* Creed called out, eyes steady on his opponent.
*Are you always this annoying? Or do you save this charming side of your personality just for me?* John replied without a hint of humor, eyes never leaving his opponent's gaze. It literally was like watching a gunfight from the old west. Whoever twitches first would probably be the first to die.
Were the rest of us holding our breaths while we await the first move? You bet your aunt Fanny's panties. Huh? Where the heck did that come from? Oh man, I knew my dad's stupid sayings were going to come back to haunt me one of these days.
*You really think your big bad self is going to take me?*
*Is this how you usually take down your opponents? You bore them to death with your yammering?*
That's two for my John and zero for the creep with the bad hair.
*GET ON WITH IT ALREADY, THIS WAITING IS MAKING A NERVOUS WRECK OUT OF ME!* I turned to glare at someone... I'm not sure whom but someone.
But they were right; the suspense was getting to me and I'm not sure if...
The breath caught in my throat.
You really have to give credit where credit was due. Creed was incredibly fast, frighteningly so. But his aim could use a lot more work. The scratch across John's hind leg was superficial at best; the return bit he gave Creed could hardly be called that. Was it possible that John was trying to gnaw off that leg his teeth had clamped onto?
The howls and growls were vicious, filled with every emotion imaginable. Anger, frustration, despair, pain, disbelief, elation, wretchedness, desperation... It was all there; so intermingled that I couldn't tell where one emotion ended and another began, or who each emotion was from. It was frightening to see so much and yet... understand so very little. You think you know your own world, understood where you stand and where you are going, but you don't know anything until you've experienced something that was like nothing you can imagine.
In it's own way, the fight was beautiful, like a choreographed dance that was being preformed by the best. The twisting of bodies always fighting for control of positions. Limps that moved with precision, a kick here, a punch there, a jab that was meant to disorientate. The flashing of eyes... watching... waiting... seeing all too much and not quite enough. The sounds of teeth ripping flesh from bone, howling for victory.
I died and was reborn a hundred times as I watch blood spill, emotions played out, and my husband express himself in the most primitive of rituals: a fight to the death.
Somewhere between Tyler's jaw affixed upon John's hindquarters and John's leg catching Tyler in the right eye, it occurred to me that this wasn't about revenge anymore. It wasn't about Creed's goons coming after John with shotguns and four legs. It wasn't about John managing to marry me before Tyler even knew what was happening. It wasn't even about wounded prides and male egos.
No, it had gone beyond that without my even knowing it.
This fight was about two potential Alphas vying for dominance.
And it couldn't have come at a worse time.
There was no contest. I knew who was going to win this fight. I knew it in my heart even if legends and prophecies hadn't told me already.
John was special. I knew that before I saw the star on his face. So very special; and destined by a simple mark on his forehead to rip this pack apart. I knew it even if he does not.
I turned to watch Matthew Donner, the man that had offered his assistance to me without asking for anything in return. The man that had never asked for any loyalty from anyone but had managed to unit more than half the pack behind him with his code of honor. The man that I had just pledged my loyalty to hours ago. Our new Alpha.
He was watching the fight with... I'm not sure what's in his eyes right now. There was... curiosity... resignation... fear? No. No, there was no fear there. There was... dread. Maybe not for himself but for what could happen to this clan, no matter who wins this fight.
Again; no contest. The way Donner watched John, he already knew. Donner may have appeared to have turned his back on his wild side for almost two decades, but he knew his history better than anyone else around. He knew what was going to happen. And he dreaded it.
I turned back just in time to see John shake Tyler off and managed to lever himself off a tree and come down hard on Creed's back, jaws locking on the back of Tyler's neck.
And I hold my breath.
~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
