Skylor sighed and scowled at the werewolves standing before her with another grievance. Ever since Garmadon informed her of Chen's banishment and she took over the pack, everything she did seemed to set the pack off. First, it was because she wasn't as cruel or manipulative as her father before she went to Ninjago and joined Lloyd's pack. Then she told the pack that they had to take special lessons on reading and writing. After that, she said that they had to learn how to repair their clothes.
During winter, a few brave werewolves from their pack would travel to a quick human village and steal some weather-appropriate clothes.
Unfortunately, they could only take a few and during those cold months a few unlucky werewolves would get sick and they could lose someone before Spring. Skylor had decided that this was no longer an option and they had to mend the clothes they had. Skylor knew she would struggle as the new Alpha as she attempted to change the old ways of the pack. Thankfully she did have some support in Garmadon, but unfortunately, he wasn't here to help her now.
Many werewolves had ambushed her today, complaining about the pack's water supply and demanding she did something about it.
Skylor just groaned internally. It was always the same people who couldn't stop whining about the new changes in their pack now she was in charge instead of Chen. Acronix and his brother Krux never missed an opportunity to complain and challenge their new alpha. They were almost always joined by Ash, Bolobo, Camille, Gravis, Griffin Turner, Jacob Pevsner, Karlof, Paleman, Neuro, Shade, and Tox.
Ash had gray hair set in a similar, spiky fashion to Ray's. He had thick black eyebrows and lines on either side of his mouth. His sleeves were gray and he wore black gloves. He had a padded square pattern leather on his body brown, gray shoulder pads, and a large belt. His legs and waistline had silver chainmail on them.
Bolobo was the pack's main healer. He had very thick brown eyebrows, long, shaggy brown hair, and a beard to match. He wore a dark green raggedy sleeveless shirt hidden by multiple belts with a feather necklace, along with pale green pants. He was always barefoot, except in winter.
Camille had dark purple hair and cold brown eyes. What was once a violet shirt was now a dirty, flimsy piece of fabric, held together by a handful of fibers hanging from her shoulders like a discarded old towel. Insects or rodents had chewed small holes in it, leaving much of her exposure to the elements. She was wearing an old red and gold vest over her shirt. It was almost the right size, but dirty, smelly, and torn, but at least it helped her stay warm, even if only for a little. Her midnight purple pants were just as bad. Rips and tears had turned these pants into a dirt-stained mess of shreds. But at least she had a pair of black sneakers to protect her feet. Although they were worn out, a size too small, and there were holes in the right side of the left shoe. She wore a black scarf around her neck and had it wrapped around her face to just below the eyes. It was old and worn, but otherwise in good condition.
Gravis had black facial hair, including a mustache goatee. His clothing was somewhat Indian. He wore a large maroon turban with a rusty golden stud on the front of it, a maroon sleeveless robe, and dark brown pants. He accentuated his outfit with brown scarves and gray armor. He had a symbol on his turban and torso which resembled an eight-pointed throwing star.
Griffin Turner and Jacob Pevsner had joined their pack recently.
The pair had lived in the human world for most of their lives, but several unfortunate events forced them from their lives. They had no choice but to become wild. They had hopped from pack to pack all over the country for the past few years until Skylor found them on her territory and welcomed them with open arms. The rest of the pack was unsure about inviting these lone wolves in, especially after what happened with Garmadon and later Morro. But luckily they had enough sense not to question their leader at the time.
Griffin Turner was a fast-talking, fun-loving guy who was known to pull a fast one or two. He thought fast and acted even faster, but not always in that order. His clothes were as ragged and dirty as some of the pack's. What was once a white and red shirt is now a nasty mess of holes, muck, and dirt stains, that hung from one of his shoulders. Insects or rodents had chewed hundreds of small holes in it, leaving much of him exposed to the elements. He was wearing an old light grey fleece over his shirt. It was a little big on him and dirty, smelly, and torn, but at least it helped him stay protected, even if only for a little. His pants weren't what they used to be either. The right leg had been torn at the knee and the left leg was full of holes. His red sneakers were ragged, and a little too big, and the left toebox had come loose from the sole.
Jacob Pevsner was born blind, but thanks to his werewolf genes, his blindness enhanced his other senses and made him an excellent tracker. Jacob had a black mustache and goatee with a large black afro hairstyle. His dirty and damaged clothing was very 60's or 70's era. He wore a teal jacket with gold accents while his shirt was orange with a gold collar. He also wore teal pants and on the back of his jacket was a golden barbell insignia.
Karlof was by far the strongest werewolf in the pack and was around the same age as her father. He had a thick yet short black beard and shaggy black hair, and he also had a pair of strong grey eyes sat within his aged face. He wore a black, long-sleeved shirt that was now nothing more than a crummy old piece of fabric full of holes and stained with dirt. There were different holes all over it. Big, small, and anything in between, leaving much of him exposed to the elements. He was wearing a tattered dark grey fleece over his shirt. It was a size too large, dirty, and torn, but at least it helped him stay protected from the elements, even if only for a little. His pants had seen better times as well. There was a big tear on the left side which ran from the top to almost the bottom. But at least he had black boots to protect his feet.
Although they were stained, a little too big, and had a hole in the sole of the right shoe that would let in water and dirt. His head was covered by a light grey beanie, which may be old and worn out, but it was still in a relatively good and clean condition.
Shy and hardly noticeable, Paleman had made a habit of being almost invisible around the pack. He had short blond hair, unnaturally pale skin, and amber eyes. Paleman also wore a maroon jacket and torn maroon pants. He was also wearing a dirty lime green shirt under his jacket which was decorated with dollar bills. Along with that he wore an old, tan fedora and damaged black boots.
Neuro had white and black hair that was thinning. He also had a goatee and black eyebrows. Neuro wore a gray and tan robe-like attire with a leather collar and belt. He was one of the pack's elders and was a master of Jikan.
Acronix and Krux were masters of this ability as well, but their skills were pretty pathetic compared to Neuro's. Jikan was an ability that allowed werewolves to connect with nature and its past. It was like Jōhō, but much stronger. This culminated in werewolves being able to divine the history of a place or object. Skylor once recalled Garmadon calling it the werewolf version of being psychic.
Despite being born into the wild pack, Shade was very much a lone wolf who did not trust anyone. He had a gray completion with black hair and cold silver eyes. He wore black gloves a sleeveless black vest with silver shoulder braces, and a silver wolf symbol with red eyes. His legs were protected with gray pants and black boots.
With wild green hair, almost neon green eyes, and a wicked grin, Tox was someone you didn't wanna mess with. She wore a lime green dress that was now a foul collection of raggedy pieces of fabric, dirt, and holes, barely able to hang from her shoulders. There were many holes in the fabric that left her exposed to the cold weather. She was wearing a black, worn-out jacket over her dress. Her dark grey pants are just as bad. There was a big tear on the left side which ran from the top to almost the bottom. But at least she had dark green shoes to protect her feet. Although they were tattered, and a little too big, the outer fabric was tattered, worn, and missing in some places. She wore a green scarf around her neck and had it wrapped around her face in a way that covered the chin.
It was ragged and stained, but at least it was not smelly.
Her head was covered by a black bandana that was as old and ragged as the rest of her clothes but was otherwise in a good and relatively clean condition. Like Bolobo, Tox was a pack healer and their best alchemist.
A few other werewolves had heard the commotion and had gathered around to see what their alpha would do about these challenges.
"The water's gone bad!" Acronix shouted as he held up a large bowl filled with water they had just taken from the lake.
"There's nothing wrong with it!" Skylor defended, getting sick and tired of this argument.
"We must do as your father once did; steal good water from the place under the mountains where humans put it in bottles." Ash insisted and almost all the werewolves gathered around all growled and shouted in agreement.
"There's no need to steal." Skylor glared, but this had little effect. Camille's scowl deepened and she suddenly dragged a cub from out of the crowd. The cub turned out to be Katuru, Akita's brother. Katuru had black hair, brown eyes, and a few small scars on his right cheek. He wore a tattered red and white shirt with a dirty brown fleece and dark brown boots. He was also wearing a brown fur hat.
"Even the cubs can smell something wrong!" She snapped and all but forced Katuru's face into the bowl of water. The young boy just froze, not sure what to say or do. If he confirmed Chamille's words, he risked angering his alpha. If he denied them, however, he was afraid Chamille might hurt him or his sister. Sensing the cub's unease, Tox stepped forward and ripped him from Chamille's hands, allowing him to return to the crowd. Camille growled lowly at this but otherwise did nothing.
"It's a sign!" Bolobo suddenly cried out in paranoia.
"What happens when you forget the old ways and stay in one place too long?" Krux mockingly asked with a smirk.
"It's past time to find new territory, we all say so! Every instinct is telling us to go!" Shade exclaimed through clenched teeth and there were many murmurs of angry agreement spreading through the crowd.
"We don't do things just on instinct anymore," Skylor said for what felt like a hundred times. With that, she took the bowl of water from them and took a big gulp, making sure they all saw her swallowing it. "The water's good, so we stay." She snarled before handing back the water and walking away. The pack all huffed and puffed in disagreement, confusion, and anger, but still dispersed and returned to their duties...
Back in her private tent, Skylor nervously sniffed at a cup of water she had sneaked from the lake earlier. When she was at school, she learned about health and how toxic and dangerous living wild could be. Make no mistake, Skylor had been living here her entire life so she was well taught the dangers and different poisons in the forest. That didn't mean that she wasn't more cautious of what she and her pack ate and drank. If their water was going bad then they would have to move.
She couldn't taste anything wrong but that was why was she smelling the water, trying to catch a bad smell or something to warn her of diseases.
In some cases, the water could smell or taste different. However, many contaminants had no taste or odor. This left no indication of contamination. Contaminated water could transmit diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio. It can also cause things like gastrointestinal problems, nausea, intestinal or stomach cramping, and dehydration In some extreme situations, it could even cause many deaths. Contaminated drinking water was estimated to cause 485000 diarrhoeal deaths each year.
By 2025, half of the world's population will be living in water-stressed areas.
She thought about boiling the water to help make it safe, but she quickly dismissed that idea. Boiling the water would kill most types of parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Additionally, it increased concentrations of other contaminants due to the evaporation of water. Plus there was no way to boil the water without fire and for werewolves, making a fire was impossible. As she continued to sniff, she suddenly caught a familiar scent and Garmadon entered her tent.
"The water did not make you ill, right?" He asked in concern, scared that something was wrong when she headed straight for her tent after drinking the water. He visibly relaxed and sighed in relief when she shook her head.
"It's so obvious what the others are trying to do." She growled as she put the cup of water to one side.
"Then don't let them!" Garmadon exclaimed as he took a seat across from her.
"And what if I'm wrong?" She asked, fear in her eyes. "What if I make them stay and everyone gets sick?" She panicked at the thought of her entire pack falling ill and dying because she was too stubborn to listen to them.
"I can't tell you what to do." He replied.
"Then how am I supposed to know what to do?!" She shouted, all the frustration and anger briefly escaping her for a split second.
"NO ONE KNOWS! EVER! That is what a leader is for! Someone to choose when no one else will." Garmadon suddenly roared in her face, but thankfully she didn't flinch. That would show weakness and if the pack caught one whisper of that she could kiss her alpha status goodbye. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, glaring at each other until Garmadon took a deep breath and broke eye contact first.
"What am I supposed to do?" She asked defeatedly, absent-mindedly turning the ring on her finger, and Garmadon thought about it. He couldn't tell her what to do because she had to learn to be a true alpha, but if he just left her to it her paranoia would take over and she would crumble as a leader. Each scenario could only spell disaster for the pack. All he could do was look her in the eye and give her the best advice he could at that moment.
"You're a werewolf; if you can't be right, then be cunning." He told her with a small smile before he got up and left Skylor's tent. Once he was gone, the red-haired teen let out a sigh and curled up on her floor of furs and blankets, trying to plan a way around this water mess...
The next morning, the entire pack was gathered around the feeding circle, enjoying their breakfast that the adults had hunted at dawn for the pack. Some of the animals the wild werewolves had hunted and were eating included deer, moose, and caribou as well as small animals such as beavers, hares, and other small rodents found in the forest. There were also a few berries, herbs, birds, and fish they had caught. Just then, everyone suddenly froze when Skylor approached the feeding circle.
No one had seen her since she was confronted about the water the other day.
As their alpha, she was supposed to direct the morning hunt, but she had been absent. No one could find her anywhere. Not at their lake, not at the river, not in her tent, or even out solo hunting. Skylor was holding a cup of water and she walked over to Katuru and Akita.
"One of you needs to drink this." She ordered them as she held up the cup for one of them to take and drink. "If it tastes wrong, if it makes you feel wrong, fine, we'll leave." She promised them. As the twins thought about who would take the risk, Karlof suddenly stood up and stood toe-to-toe with his alpha. He respected and cared about Skylor, he had watched her grow up, but he wasn't about to let her endanger the cubs.
"A true leader would do it herself." The large man growled. Before anyone could say anything, however, Krux suddenly stepped forward and snatched the cup from Skylor's grip. The red-haired teen said nothing and just watched him. Krux smiled at his alpha and raised the cup as if he were about to make a toast before he took a gulp. As soon as the water was in his mouth, the old man suddenly spat the liquid out, coughing and gagging as he did.
The entire pack all murmured amongst themselves and Garmadon glanced a worried look at Skylor.
He was confused, however, when he thought he saw a smirk flash across Skylor's face.
"You would have to be a human to not taste it." Krux spat venomously through his smirk and the rest of the pack all shouted in agreement, but Skylor kept a blank face. Garmadon nervously looked back and forth between his alpha and the rest of the pack, hoping she had a trick up her sleeve. If she didn't then Garmadon was worried that she was one step closer to losing the loyalty of the pack and losing her title. Skylor suddenly pulled something out of her pocket and lifted it for the entire pack to see.
They saw it was a small empty bottle of water you could buy in any store.
"Hmm, from the place underneath the mountain; good water." Skylor hummed as she lowered her arm and presented it to Krux.
"What of it?" The old werewolf scowled at her, wondering what that human possession had to do with this. If he could, he would smack that plastic abomination out of her hand and then teach that little human-loving brat a lesson. One of the worst decisions Chen ever made, in Krux's opinion, was sending Skylor into Ninjago City. The experience with humans had corrupted her and in Krux's mind, she was an unfit alpha. He wasn't the only one who thought that.
He was the only one who had the guts to challenge and argue with her.
"That's what you just drank, so I can't imagine what's leaving the bad taste," Skylor replied as her blank expression turned into a scowl. The crowd all started laughing as Krux's expression morphed into a mixture of horror, anger, and shame. Seeing that Krux wasn't going to say anything, Skylor turned to the pack. "I will not let this pack tear itself apart! The only thing we have to fear is our fear!" She shouted at the cowering crowd.
"Yes, Alpha Skylor." They all said and Skylor nodded before she turned back to address Krux's actions.
"For challenging your leader you'll go three days and nights with no meat." She told him and Krux scowled as she began to walk away. Just as she was about to leave, however, Skylor suddenly turned back to the old werewolf again. "You can fill up on water." She smirked and headed off to find a place to dispose of the water bottle. As soon as she was gone, Krux's eyes suddenly turned yellow and he threw the cup at a tree, watching it shatter before he stormed off.
Garmadon just chuckled and headed off to complete his duties for the day.
If Skylor kept this up, then she could become a great alpha...