Chapter 5: Under Their Shadows (written on January 15th, 2022)
At noon, Claudette returned to the training fields. She thought she could sneak in some practice before the next event. When she neared the fields, she could hear panting and loud grunts. She found Fleet running strenuously. It was as if he was running to manage anger rather than to practice for the Games.
"Fleet, how long you been out here?"
"What's it to you, Claudette?" he replied with a snarky tone. Claudette felt bad. She did not want to make enemies as a player. The Games were only supposed to be for fun.
She watched him attempt to do her spin-out move. "Whoa-oh-oh! Oof!" He slid into a bush.
"You have to lean your weight."
"Mind your own race!" he snapped.
"I'm just trying to—"
"My dad says you're good... but not as good as your mom was." He stepped closer to her and gestured to the field. "All yours."
"Thanks," Claudette said softly. She wanted to say she was sorry, but she kept it in.
As the Northerner left, Claudette suddenly experienced a flashback. She was running on the same field back in the middle of summer. Alongside her was her mother. Kate then ran past her and performed the spin-out.
"Okay. Your turn, Claudette."
"Here I go!"
"Okay, chasing the caribou... gaining on them... Then... changing directions! Now! Plant your front!" Claudette leaped and stamped her forepaw, but she gripped too tight which caused her to spin in a wild arc.
"Whoa!"
"Okay. Let's try it again! You're getting good."
"Mom... I wish I could be as—"
"Oh, honey, we're going to try again, okay?" Kate and her daughter locked eyes. It transported Claudette back to reality. She realized how much of Kate's legacy hovered over the Games. The Games were for fun, right? That was what Claudette's mother often told her, yet it was because of her mother's glorious win that created so much bitterness between her and Fleet and his coach, Nars. She was not sure how long she could take the bitterness. Claudette loved competition. It was why she pushed to have the Western team compete. But she did not love this. She did not love seeing the straightforward disdain being sent towards her as Fleet purposely kept his face from being seen. His back was all he wanted her to see. On a hunch, she decided to secretly follow the Northern pup.
Later...
That night, she continued to follow him. As she thought, something suspicious was going on. Fleet walked alone to the border between her pack and the Northern Pack. From a great distance, she saw him stop in a small clearing. Another wolf appeared. It was a big muscular Alpha. Fleet and the stranger engaged in a conversation, but only the stranger was whispering. Claudette washed in a nearby puddle to disguise her scent before getting within twenty-five yards of the two Northerners. She was now close enough to hear every word they were saying. The stranger was the Northern team coach!
"Dad, I know!" Nars was Fleet's father! It started to make sense for Claudette why Fleet was acting the way he was.
"You have to play a little rougher tomorrow," Nars muttered.
"Why?! They have the bear and then a porcupine... I mean, come on!"
"Just do it. You know what I mean." His father then walked away. Fleet gave a long sigh before entering the North's territory. Claudette wanted to hug him. What Nars was doing was not right, but at least she was able to know that something was coming for the next event. She planned to tell her teammates, not just about Nars's potential scheme but about what Fleet was going through. She knew, underneath, he was not like other Northerners. It seemed his capacity to be himself was constantly being muted, whether by his father or the brand of the Northern Pack. She cared about him. Claudette wondered if there was a way she could make herself lose. She would give up the Games if it meant he was safe.