VEUX

Forty Six

March 24 

Morning dew licked at Saoirse's paws welcomely. Though, she had been there for hours. 

Last night, after Saoirse woke up alone in Odeya's bedroom, she decided she would sleep outside. After all, she didn't really feel like she belonged in the pack house anymore, and in the long run she was going to be spending a lot of nights outside in the future. 

Her ears had adjusted slightly, only flickering back when she could hear the patrols run by, or the first wolves out for an early run nearby. Saoirse didn't sleep a wink the entire night she spent outside. Every pace of Obsidian's inside of the house manipulated its way into her heart, and slow blinking at the moon was all that engulfed her. Every blink of her eyes felt like a heavy closing of her casket just to reopen them again. Time stretched on and on, slowly enough. 

It was a determined set of footsteps headed straight in a beeline for her that made Saoirse raise her snout from her paws. 

"The verdict is in," Tall and mighty Novak stormed through the underbrush of the forest, a crumpled ball of fabric was strained in his grip of white knuckles. His voice became eminently more clear the closer that he approached. "I'm going to make myself clear, once and only once. Don't you ever rope Odeya into any of your antics, she doesn't need any of the trouble that you bring with you." 

Saoirse's wolf stood on all four paws now, head ducked down with brown eyes peering up as he so boldly approached her. When he finally stood across from her, he chucked the fabric from his arms to her feet. Saoirse spared no glance to it, her eyes trained with impeccable stillness to penetrate into the Beta's.

Dismissively, Novak spun so that his muscled, bare back stared at Saoirse. "Change. Your training starts today." 

The bareness of such porcelain, white skin snapped Saoirse from her predatory gaze. She fell to skin easily, snatching the black cotton from the forest floor while wiping unshed tears. Although her night may have been full of empty thoughts, it was not forgetful of feelings and how few there were. Quickly lifting the fabric over her head, Saoirse pulled the t-shirt down to cover her mid thigh. The material was rather thick than thin, scratchy than soft. She realized it was just a darker version of the shifting shirt she had been supplied at Oracle's. You know, like the one she wore during her training with Oak? When she was forced to shift from skin to fur so fast it felt like she was tearing apart? 

"What's-" Saoirse voice was raspy, parched of water having just shifted. She cleared her throat, attempting again. "What's the verdict?"

Novak turned back, dark brown gaze with lids so lowered he looked at her with all the intensity of a raven. "Did you hear what I said?" 

The Odeya part. Saoirse could've rolled her eyes if it weren't going to drive the Beta into further madness. Saoirse felt no remorse for Novak, not for what she asked of Odeya. She knew it was too early to make assumptions, after all look how fast Novak turned sour (you do realize you killed one of their lifelong friends and family members?) but she also wasn't going to assume things were just great and simple either. Otherwise if they were, Odeya would have been smitten with Novak by now. 

Saoirse bit her tongue, as always. "I don't control what Odeya decides, Beta Novak -- and neither do you. But if you really want to get a she-wolf to listen to you, I think you have to go through her Alpha first."

"That girl is a blessing and an angel. And she's too damn kind for her own good, and she'll get into any trouble you tell her to even if she doesn't know." Oh my, Saoirse wondered. She hadn't thought of it before, but could Odeya have mentioned their last conversation to him? He seemed very intrigued by Saoirse and Odeya's relationship suddenly. "Just stay away from her."