Chapter 5: First Day Part 1 (written from July 6th to July 31st, 2017)
The next morning...
"ATTENTION!" shouted somebody at the top of their lungs, waking up everyone who was asleep in the sleeping quarters. It was Loretta. Outside, it was still pretty dark. We were scared by her shout but still tired and ready to head back to sleep at a moment's notice. Unfortunately, she did not let that happen. "Awake, Betas!"
"Why so early?" said a wolf, rubbing his eyes.
"An Alpha must be very vigilant," she replied. "An ambush or any surprise attack of any magnitude would be hard to impede if, say a tired Alpha, decided that now was the point to start emitting some extra Z's." Hutch and I exchanged glances.
"What?" we said in unison. This she-wolf sounded insane.
"Remember: every action has a reaction. Everything you do has a consequence whether good or bad. If it rains, things become wet. If I press my paw on the ground, I'll create a pawprint. If I bite another wolf, they'll bleed, and they may return the favor. What I'm trying to say is, be mindful of your choices. In a pack, specifically this pack, your individual choices will shape our future. Every single one of you has choices, so read the terrain, scout ahead, and make our beloved pack proud. This is the first day of winter and, thus, the first day of Alpha School for you. You will exit the end of winter as an adult ranked as Alpha, and you may not be the same wolf as you are now. Some of you may even be so drastically different that your friends may not recognize you when it's all over. That is because, here, we teach truth, and truth is a funny thing. You may not like it, but what is true is true. Nothing can change the past. In a way, our sole purpose is for you to accept that. If you are in a battle and your friend dies on your watch, accept the reality! Your friend is dead! Even if he fought as the bravest wolf he could be, you do not cry about him! Your pack is worth more! You both fight for the pack! You must leave behind your puppyish behavior of sentimentality! It will get you killed. It could endanger the pack. You must know: your complete loyalty will be to your pack and nothing else. Is that clear, Betas?"
"Yes, ma'am," we replied, shaking with fear. She sighed.
"I know, Betas. It seems hard, but all of you will learn in time. All Alphas in this pack were exactly where you were at some point in their lives. They were like you both physically and mentally. Many responsibilities will pile on your shoulders, but we aren't doing this to punish you or anything like that. No, this is all necessary. You will work and work to push your limits. The only thing we will punish you for is disrupting others' ability to learn. Is that clear, Betas?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. It seems we will have a good winter. Now go to the fields outside. The director, Mr. Winston, will give you your daily schedule. The first class will start soon, so I suggest you hurry. Dismissed!"
The others and I ran past Loretta and went to the large fields beside the Learning Center. Dad was there waiting for us next to a bunch of small bones on the ground. He called our names one by one. When my name was called, I came up to him, and he gave me my daily schedule. It was a bone that had a list inscribed on it. From top to bottom, it went from mathematics to health to lunch to Wolfish to history and, lastly, to physical education. I went over to Hutch to see what his schedule was, but a howl from Loretta signaled that it was time to go to the first class, so I headed there promptly.
In the mathematics den at the Learning Center, there was the mathematics instructor. She was a light brown she-wolf who was fairly built and had a darker patch of fur on her right cheek. As I sat down by my new classmates with the schedule bone still in my mouth, she introduced herself.
"Hi, Betas. Welcome to Alpha School. I'm Spade, but, of course, you'll address me as Ms. Spade. This is the mathematics den, and I am the math instructor. This is where you will learn how to properly count, correctly judge distance, and use mathematical reasoning in your everyday lives as Alphas. I know all of this sounds gibberish but, trust me, I will explain it to all of you in a very easy manner, so you can understand." While sitting down next to the back wall of the den, which was made of stone, she grabbed a small rock with her right front paw.
"What is that for, Ms. Spade?" someone in the class asked.
"Well, I'm glad you asked. This is called a writing tool. There are two ways we wolves can write: gnawing on a bone or like this." She pushed the writing tool against the stone wall, creating a white line. "This stone wall is called a board." She then made other different shapes. "This is a line. This is a circle. This is a triangle. This is a square. All of these are shapes. There are three types of shapes: one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional. The circle, triangle, and square are two-dimensional shapes. A line, no matter how long it is, is a one-dimensional shape and the only one there is. One-dimensional shapes only have a length so there will only be a line. We live in a three-dimensional world. Everything you see has a length, width, and height so, technically, one-dimensional and two-dimensional shapes don't exist, but we use the idea of them to describe our world, so they're important. For example, if I say the caribou are lined up, that means that the caribou are right next to each other, one by one. That's called a single file line. There are many other ways math is used and, by the end, you will use it all the time until it becomes second nature like breathing. Any questions? Just raise your paw." I raised mine.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Is that a birthmark on your face?"