Wolves are patient creatures, but annoy them enough they will bite.

Chapter 34

"We were all gathered in the Mesh Hall. Over the many battles together, both my pact, the second, and third pact would eat close together around the same tables.

"That First Love Juice thing, have you tried it yet? I took it out on my mission the other day to try it out when I needed a drink, but then... It felt like the Aragami came closer to me." Kanon said, striking up a conversation. "... Was it just my imagination?"

"You're close with old man Sakaki, aren't you? Make sure he never makes anything like that again." Soma cut in, almost as if he was trying to change the subject.

"But I like that stuff. In fact, I was going to bring some back to my brothers so they could try it." I pouted at him.

He was probably going to call me out on my idiocy, but Alisa came running to our table in excitement.

"The newbies have finally come! What should I do? I'm getting nervous. They are really cute, aren't they? In contrast, when I was a newbie... When I think about it, my face burns with shame." Wait, aren't they older than her?

"But you're a different person now." I say to comfort Alisa. "They'll be looking up to you now since you are a Rose of the battlefield." She blushed at this.

"Gah, since when did the Far East Branch become a daycare." Karel said in exasperation. "Did you see them? Those little New-Types. They're just kids! How would they be of any help?"

"You said the same thing about me and Kota, and look at us now." That silenced him.

"But, finally, my God Arc is done upgrading. Now, all I need to do is learn its attack patterns." Brendan said, keeping the conversation going.

"You mean the Hannibal? If you want I can give you a few pointers."

"I'd appreciate that."

"Hey, have you guys noticed? Tsubaki seemed so happy these past few days." Sakuya chimed in. "Maybe it's because the God Arc upgrades are complete." Or maybe it's because of Lindow...

"Excuse me, my friends. But I have a meeting with Saki, so I'd best be going now."

"It better not be about a new Juice." Soma said slanting his eyes at me.

"It's not, bye." Leaving my friends at the Mesh Hall I headed to the Lab Floor, where I once again bumped into the new recruits.

"Hello again, I'm Federico Caruso. I'm still new to this so I might cause trouble, but please bear with me. I hope someday to be helpful to you."

"That mind set is a good start." I said giving him a smile.

"My name is Annette Koenig! I've heard about your skills and talents. I'm honored to be able to fight with you. The best to us both!" Why was she yelling at me?

"Very good. I look forward to fighting alongside you both, until next time." Leaving them. I headed into Saki's Lab to see if he dug up anything.

"Based on your testimony, I had an investigation done at the temple ruins. And I actually found a Raven Feather. I didn't know about this, but apparently these feathers are being sold for quite a piece these days. So I tried comparing this Raven Feather against Lindow's data again, and... It wasn't enough evidence to prove anything yet. The data was half rotten and destroyed. So here's where you come in, I want you to go find more of these. Let's see, about 3 more should be enough. Raven Feathers, okay? I'm counting on you."

"Hmm. Actually I've encountered them on missions before and I may have some in my storage. But not enough, I will out to find you more right away."

"Good, God speed Okami." Saki said as I exited to get the Raven Feathers I had in my room. Exiting the elevator I saw Ren by the Soda Machine.

"The First Love Juice is really tasty. I've been sipping at it slowly so that I won't waste a single drop!"

"I'm glad you like it."

"Yes, it's delicious! Thank you so much! Ahh... I wish I could just sip on this forever..." Ren said taking the last sip of his can.

"Should I buy you a new one?" I say, already purchasing it.

"Really? I'd really appreciate that!" I handed him the new can. Opening it he took a big sip. "Ahh... that hits the spot."

"Perhaps later we can enjoy a can together."

"Yes, I'd like that."

"But, I have to run now. See you later Ren."

****** Early the next morning ******

"Hey Soma. I need your help taking the new Recruits out."

"Why do I have to do it?"

"Because you're the best for the job and I know you'll have my back."

"..."

"What?"

"Nothing. I was just expecting you to say 'cause you're the Leader and you say so.'"

"I'd like to avoid using my authority as much as possible." I answered him honestly. "You're strong Soma, I know you'll help look out for them if things go wrong. So please."

"Jeez, fine. But they better not be a pain."

"Excellent, don't worry you're just acting as a security blanket." I say tapping his shoulder. "Now let's go burn some fresh meat!"

****** Wailing Plains ******

"We're not going to make it!" Annette said in pure fear as the Tezcatilpoca came into the plains along with a Fallen Chi-You. "Did you know the Tezcatilipoca would be here?"

"Yes, I did."

"Why would you start us off with such a hard Aragami! There's no way we can beat that!" This Newbie was already starting to infuriate me.

"Why do you think Soma's here?! He's our backup in case things go wrong. There are no easier missions for you right now so you'll just have to make due. And besides, I wouldn't send you on a mission I didn't think you couldn't handle!"

The Rookies were silenced in awe of my high hopes for them.

"Go," Soma said urging them on into the hunt.

"Yes, let's begin."

"Let's start the mission!" Annette replied.

"Let's go." Ah, finally. Frederico started to talk.

We jumped out from our hiding space behind the remains of a building -which wasn't much of a hiding spot since Annette decided to shout -to confront the Aragami. A Zygote tried to take us on but she went down quick. The Rookies held their own pretty good, their skill was raw but it could be molded into something more.

The Chi-You was soon to fall after the Zygote. But it was the Tezcatilipoca that wouldn't go down without a fight. Frederico stuck to Soma, learning to mimic his style and when to pull out his shield. He was a little slow at changing styles but he got the job done. Were Annette on the other hand, never pulled out her shield at all. It's almost like she didn't believe in defense.

Her actions kept eating away at her health until a missile from the Tezcatilipoca took her down.

"Is this the end?!" She cried out as she fell to her feet.

"It's not over." I said to her, Link-aiding with her. "Can you get up?"

"Thank you very much!" She said in relief.

"Use your shield more, you have it for a reason."

As the fight went on I shot them all team-bullets, and recovery bullets when need be. As me and Soma were about to strike to break his front armor, Annette let off a fire from behind that blew us back. As I got up I turned to her.

"Never fire a shot unless the shot is clear!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Why was she only looking at Soma when she apologized?!

"Don't space out now Okami!" Soma said drawing me back to the battle. "Get them!"

At last we broke his armor, making the fight come to an end quicker. The Tezcatilipoca tried to run but we chased him down and took him out.

"Yes, mission clear!" Frederico said in victory as the Tezcatilipoca came tumbling down.

"We did it! Mission cleared right?!" Annette said looking up at Soma.

"Yes, mission cleared." They learned how to devour from me during the fight. But we and Soma showed them step-by-step as we all devoured the Aragami's core. "Let's head over to the next mission."

"The Far East Branch is a brutal war zone." Frederico said in the final realization at what he was getting himself into.

"Only if you make it out to be that way."

"This really is a battlefield." Annette said in a voice filled with fear, trying to take advantage of the situation by attempting to latch on to Soma's arm. But he looked at her strangely, pulling his arm out of her grip and walked away toward the exit.

"Let's go. Don't let your guard down." Soma said calling back to us. Ignoring the longing eyes of Annette following him.

So she favored him and is looking upon him as a potential mate. I will respect her feelings but this isn't for the place for this right now. The rain was letting up, and unlike this early morning it will stop by the time we reach our next mission this afternoon in the Sunken Grid.

****** Sunken Grid ******

Man, what a drag. The new Rookie seems to have latched on to me in the last few hours we made our first encounter. She sticks to me like a shadow and goes out of her way to get my attention.

The most likely reason for these behaviors is that she's taken a liking to me. Probably for some reason superficial as my looks. God knows that if she found out what I really was she'd run off screaming with her hands in the air.

Aside from that, her actions are a hazard to the team. Why isn't Okami doing anything about this? Does she not care about how Annette is acting around me? Is she not concerned I might take interest (no way in hell though)? Why does her indifference make me mad. So what if she doesn't care if I have romantic feelings for others like I don't care about hers, it's suppose to be that way. So why am I so pissed off?!

"There's the Fire Borg Camlann. Let's begin." Okami said coolly, charging in on it.

"Let's start the mission!" Annette said right beside me.

The mission was hell. I could hardly move around with Annette nearly attached to my side were ever I move. It was so bad that when Okami would try to shoot me a recovery bullet it would hit Annette... Now that's saying something, Okami had one hell of an accuracy, for her to miss was saying something. It got to the point I had to dash away from her for Okami to get a good shot.

But she did nothing about it, just giving us recovery bullets when needed and team-bullets equally. To further raise my anger, it seemed that Okami and that Rookie, Frederico, were in sync with each other. He'd shoot her some extra team-bullets and she'd look out for his back, stopping the Aragami's attack as he charged in.

Things got worse when the Vajra joined in the fray. At last she unlatched herself to me. But only to try and impress me with her moves, which were raw and unrefined. She didn't block much and just got in everyone's way, even pushed them out of her way as she rushed passed them into the fray. She went too far when she fired a shot she deemed good at the Borg Camlann while Frederico was trying to take a bite out of it. The shot blasted Frederico off his feet and on the floor just when the Vajra decided to pounce on him.

Due to her quick reaction and her burst strength from one of Frederico's team-bullets, Okami slashed down on the Vajra. Pushing it back and breaking its leg armor in the process. Damaged, the Vajra ran off to recover.

"Annette!" At last a reaction from Okami, but just anger?

"I-I'm sorry." Annette shriveled, never before encountering Okami's storm-like fury before.

But Okami said nothing, she just shot Frederico a recovery bullet and went after the Borg Camlann. Taking out its hind armor and its needle, she showed no mercy as she fumed he anger on it. Eventually she joined me at its front to take out its shield. Within a few seconds it was defeated, the battle quickly ended by Okami's silent raging slashes. Just as we got done devouring it as the Vajra came back for another round.

Okami didn't even give it a chance, slashing at its face until it broke. The Rookies tried to keep their distance from her and her wrath by staying at the Vajra's hind legs and attacking there. The Vajra went down faster than the Borg Camlann.

"We did it. Mission cleared, right?" Annette said toward Okami, finally addressing her. Pity she started showing respect for Okami only out of fear.

Okami said nothing but looked at her. Her face was stern and her eyes were scrunching from anger. She then turned her God Arc into gun form pointing it at Annette.

Annette screamed and ran behind me, clinging to my back. I moved out of the way. "What are you doing?!"

I said to Annette as Okami fired two recovery bullets at her noticing that she was the only one injured at the moment among us. The idea that Annette thought Okami was going to shoot her was insulting that in itself.

But Okami remained silent, changing back into blade-form she turned on her head set. "Okami reporting in, mission cleared. Requesting Chopper, now." And that's all she said, not taking her eyes off of Annette.

Not saying anymore, she approached Annette- who was shivering in fear- and grabbed her arm. Dragging her back to the check point.

"W-what do you think you're doing?! Let go!" Annette protested, throwing punches at Okami to make her let go. Such actions made my blood boil with each fist that came down on Okami's skin. But Okami said nothing, her punches must have been weak in her eyes since her grip never loosened, as she looked ahead toward the area where the Chopper was to pick us up.

Even in the Chopper she didn't let go. After a long time of begging and pleading, to the point I wanted to rip my ears off, Annette's fear started to turn into anger and hate. She lashed out at Okami as we entered the Den.

"Why won't you let me go, what's your problem?!" But Okami said nothing, dragging her into the elevator along with us, clicking the Entrance button with her free hand. "Oh I get it now... you're jealous of me!" What?

Okami showed no reaction but Annette continued on. "You're jealous of the fact that I'm hanging around Soma. At the fact that he might possibly like someone other than you! Your anger issues and your possessiveness is just pathetic! Not like you had a chance with him with that raggedy get-up your sporting!"

Where the hell does she think this is?! High school?! I was about to say something when the ding of the door sounded that the elevator doors were opening. Okami dragged her out of the elevator and threw her on the Entrance's couches as me and Frederico watched from a safe distance, finally letting go of her.

"If you really think Soma would judge someone for something like their clothes then you know nothing about him." Her voice was livid.

"How dare you!" Annette said getting up from the couch, not fully understanding the extent of Okami's anger.

"Sit. Down." Was all Okami said as she pushed Annette back on the couch.

"D-don'-"

"Shut. Up." With that she cornered Annette with her arms on each side of Annette, cutting off any escape route for her. Annette was silenced as fear started to sink in again from Okami's never breaking eye contact.

"As your pact mate, your temporary alpha, and a fellow woman I tried to understand and respect your feelings with the possibility that they might be real." She never raised her voice, never looking away.

"How-" Annette was trying to be brave by cutting in.

"However! Since they were your own I did not interfere and did nothing about your actions. If you wish to challenge Soma for the right of being his mate, taking into account if you could beat him or if he accepted you, I would not stop you."

"That's barbaric! You sa-"

"As long as it didn't interfere with the pact or the hunt I would not interfere. But! Not only did you get in the way of the hunt, you endangered a fellow member just to try and impress Soma with immature attempts like a baby crying for attention!" With each word Okami's voice began to rise.

"It was an accident, he would have been fine!"

"He would have been dead! If I didn't react fast enough your foolish negligence would have cost him his life!" She practically yelled, pointing at Frederico for a quick second then slaming that fist back in place.

"How would you know?! You act as if you know everything from only fighting for a few months!"

"A few months. A few months! I've been fighting since the day I was born! I grew up outside the Anti-Aragami Wall, I've been fighting for my life longer than the measly few days you picked up your God Arc!"

Normally Okami was a cool and collected individual but when provoked she was a force not to be reckoned with.

"You've endangered your fellow members for shallow affections for someone of attractive physical physic!" We all blushed at this, all except Okami... She just admitted that I was attractive in her eyes.

"How dare you! My feelings are pure and true. They are not SHALLOW!"

"Do you love him?" The lack of volume made the question even heavier.

"How can you ask-"

"Do. You. Love. Him."

"W-well I-" But she couldn't do it, she couldn't say it. "..."

In realization that her inability to answer Okami's accusations as a lie made Okami's words true. She lowered her head in shame.

"Your affection was only skin deep and immature. You never tried to see what lyes beyond the skin, never saw Soma for Soma." That said her anger started to fade away.

"I don't know where you think this is, but this is no lace for such behavior. If you keep this behavior up you'll wind up getting someone killed or yourself. You have disgraced yourself, Soma, the Den, and me with your childish antics. And embarrassed yourself and me for the fact I had to lecture you about this back at the Den, thus disturbing Hibari and everyone else. God Eaters and women have been shamed by this moment."

By the time Okami was done, Annette was on the verge of tears. Okami leaned back up straight, removing her arms from blocking Annette's escape route. But Annette didn't move and Okami didn't look away.

"I'm going to give you one last chance to redeem yourself." Annette looked back up to Okami at this. "If you should fail, I will have no choice but to report your behavior to the Director and have you sent back to the Germany Branch. We cannot afford to have hazardous ends in the Den with our line of work, I will cut off that end before someone dies from it. I don't want to do that, don't make me do that... You've got 30 minutes to pull yourself together before our next mission, don't let me down."

Finally taking her eyes off of Annette she turned away to walk toward us. She tapped Frederico on the shoulder. "Refill your supplies and get ready to head out again. Good work today, let's keep this up for our next mission."

"Thank you ma'am. It was a pleasure fighting along side you... and be saved by you."

"Anytime pup, anytime." She nodded to him and then turned to me.

"I'm sorry about this... If I'd known she's act like this, I would have put my foot down sooner."

"It's better now than never." Best break her of this high school crush habit before it got someone killed.

"Do you think you can deal with one more mission"

"Don't underestimate me, I'll go where you go."

"Thanks Soma... I'll make it up to you, I promise."

****** City of Mercy ******

The sun was a Twilight on the City of Mercy. We were to take out a Sariel and a Dyaus Pita. The Rookies were scared but on their best game, Annette made a wonderful recovery from our incident at the Den. She stayed focus and kept a respectable distance between herself and Soma. She lagged behind but that was to be expected with her heavy choice of weapon.

The first thing we encountered was the Sariel. All was well before the Dyaus Pita came to play. Everything was alright since it focused mostly on me. Eventually we broke off the Sariel's leg armor and skirt causing her to run so we could focus mainly on the Dyaus Pita.

The Rookies had come a long way from their first shirt today. Their attacks and movement were smoother, fewer blunders. In record time we defeated the Dyaus Pita and split up to search for the Sariel. Annette was hesitant at first but eventually she dispersed into the search.

I went into the church, and found nothing.

"Hey Leader, did you find anything yet?" Said Frederico, coming from the west of the church.

"Nothing, keep looking."

"Roger," he said going in the church as I came out of. I was heading into the building with the stopped-n-time clock as Soma was heading the same way from the west corner of the church.

At last finding the Sariel, we struck. While it was charging up an attack I sent off a flare to gather the Rookies. Frederico, being the closest, came first. Annette came in 20 seconds later. But with our combined force we took her down. I dropped a Recovery Wall for my pact members after it was over.

"Annette."

"Yes ma'am!" She said with worry lightly sugaring her voice.

"... Congratulations, you passed."

"Really?!" She cried in joy, I nodded to her then looked at them both.

"You both did very well. For the past day you have been under our wings, I've seen you grow, adapt, and rise to your potentials. And you guys can still rise higher, but alas, you will continue to grow inside your own unit pacts."

"You mean you're not going to do anymore missions with us?" Said Frederico with worry and a hint of sadness.

"Don't get me wrong, I'll still do the occasional missions with you guys. But you passed my training and will be rejoined into your respected unit act. Where you will continue to grow and become strong. But..." I smiled and gentled my voice, "I'll always be there for your questions or if you need me. You both have done well, let's go back to the Den."

The Rookie may not have admitted it, but they were tired. But how could they not be, we worked them to the bone. As they walked to the Starting Point ahead of us I turned to Soma.

"Soma... thank you. You truly are too good to me."

"Don't forget you owe me."

"Hehe, right. What did you have in mind?"

"I haven't decided yet. I'll think about it and let you know."

"Alright, whenever you're ready."

"So..." He had a grin on his face which was still pretty rare for him.

"What?"

"You think I'm attractive?"

"Of course. Anyone who isn't blind could see that you're the embodiment of what a man should be." Why would he ask such an obvious question? Well it doesn't matter to me right now. I'm far too tired to dig too deeply. But why was his face turning red.