Howls Eve

Chapter 1

The worst part of the day was the morning. In the Night Pack the men would go to train and be briefed on daily patrols or head to work if they have another job. But the women would have to clean everything and prep for meals through out the day. While it is not often that the whole pack eats together lots of the high ranking wolves eat together. Which means all the women in the high-ranking families have to work together to clean the Grand Dining Hall where all the men eat and prep for the meals of the day. 

Angelica hated being around the other women in these families. They always gossiped about her and her mother Jasmine, the luna of the pack. Even though her mother is the only one with a rank the other women like to call her a disgrace because she 'allowed' Angelica to be born a few minutes before her twin brother Thomas. Angelica was also in their gossip but they look down on her mother more than her. Angelica found this unsettling that they would shun someone for something she couldn't control in the least bit.

Those women would chatter and chatter while Angelica and the other daughters did most of the work. To the women it was a right of passage to make the younger girls do all the work. Some of the women would hide the utensils or throw away an ingredient and make fun of the younger girls who are now panicked that they will get in trouble because something is missing. It was a sick joke and today Angelica was the blunt of it. 

Today for dinner they were making a creme mushroom soup with a side of bread and rice. Today the onions needed for the soup were found in the trash. Angelica was panicking because she was responsible for chopping all the onions. The other young girls gave her sympathetic looks but they wouldn't help her because they could get in trouble. The older women snickered and left the room. 

Angelica racked her brain to find a solution. The best option was to get more onions but then it would take her all day to harvest them, wash them, and then chop them. She felt her shoulders sag, she can kiss any free time she thought she had today goodbye.

Angelic evidently went out to the garden to harvest more, if she was fast enough she might be able to have some time to herself today. 

After harvesting the onions and washing them it was already three o'clock and it would take at least thirty minutes to chop all of the onions. Even if she manages to finish by three thirty Angelica knows she would have little time to do anything because she and the other women have to start getting dinner ready at four o'clock. 

She felt drained, another day was ruined by other people who have no care for anyone but themselves. She started chopping the onions but had to take a break because they were making her cry too much.

Without her know another women came into the room, she looked similar to Angelic. "Do you need a tissue?" Her voice was very soft and sweet, it was hard to imagine that this women was married to such a terrible man.

Angelic looked up to see her mother standing a few feet away with a handkerchief in her out reached hand. Angelic grabbed it and used it to wipe away the tears that the onions caused. "Those women played another joke today" Angelicas voice wasn't as soft as her mothers, but more so rough and taught, she was tired of their jokes.

"I know, I wish I could have come sooner to help you." Angelicas mother picked a knife off of the knife rack. "But I'm here now and I want to help you finish these mean onions."

Angelica smiled softly a her mothers words. Her mother is the most caring person she knows.

Both of them worked hard and got the onions done in twenty minutes, it wasn't a big victory but Angelic was happy that they finished sooner than she expected. In the middle of Angelicas victory celebration in her head her mother spoke, "Angelica, I want to warn you of something." Angelica looked to her mother. Her mother wasn't looking at Angelica, instead her mother seemed to be focusing on getting all the onion dices in a container. "I believe your father will have you and Thomas talk to the elders tonight. Pay close attention to their words," Her mother glanced up to the corner of the kitchen where a small camera was mounted. "understand the orders they may give you tonight, understand how they will effect your future."