Seven mates for seven brothers

7- About gifts and changes

After all the feasting had been and no one was able to have another bite, the gift giving started.  The families stepped up, one at a time, and gifted both Cassy and Alex.  Most of the time it was a cash gift, which had Alex feeling very awkward at first.  Did these people honestly think he was unable to support his mate?  But then he remembered the stack of goods she had already loaded into the van, and he deducted that they simply did not know what else to give.  His suspicion was confirmed when one of the elderly ladies came up alone to wish them well.

“Cassy dear,” she sang in a voice that sounded a lot younger that she looked; “You have been collecting for far too long for me to think of a good gift for you to remember me by.  So I want you and your mate to take this money and buy the first thing that the both of you agree on with it, that way you will never be able to forget me.”

Cassy hugged her, and she had Alex promise her before she finally was satisfied.  After the individual families gave their gifts, the pack split into three groups; the men, women and kids.  The men presented their gift first, or at least a picture of it.  It was a carved wooden bedroom set, complete with dresser and all; it even had two cribs included.  The bed had a leave and branch motif with the figures of two wolves on either side hid cleverly within the pattern of leaves; and the cribs had wolf cubs hidden in their design.

“And don’t worry about rearranging the van to fit these in, we already had them loaded after you finished.”  One of the men assured Cassy.

“But two cribs?”  Cassy protested.

One or two of the men actually laughed at her comment.  “Haven’t you noticed that a lot of families here have twin births?  It’s a werewolf thing you know, if we had more time, we would have liked to add a third crib …”

And then they all burst out laughing at both Cassy and Alex’s expressions, and laughing, they made way for the women.

They presented Cassy with some papers.  Before Cassy could try to make out what it was, one of the ladies stepped forward.

“It is a receipt and warranty for a bains-marie set, something that every alpha female needs to cater for their packs at meetings and such.  Once you are settled, you only have to phone the number I have highlighted for you, to arrange for delivery.  Just make sure that it is within a months time from the purchase date, which was three days ago, dear.”

They murmured their goodbyes and made way as the kids stepped up.  Alex recognized Wes and Connie as they stepped in front of the group.  They came closer, Connie holding a piece of cloth in her hands.

“I need to blindfold you for this gift Cassy; if you don’t mind.”

Alex could see from the expectant looks on the adult’s faces that they knew what the gift was going to be.  Cassy seemed unsure, but agreed to be blindfolded.  As Connie moved behind Cassy, Wes started explaining.

“The kids wanted to give you something that you would be able to remember them from, vividly remember them for as long as possible, so they decided to give you scent quilts.  Each kid had their piece of the quilt on them during the day and slept with it at night so that their scent would stick in it.  This morning some of the mothers finished putting them together.”

The first group of twelve kids came up to them and handed Cassy the quilt.  Cassy took it and threw it open.  She started at one end, lifting it to her face.

“Jerry.”  She said, and Alex could see the name ‘Jerry’ embroidered on that piece of the quilt.  Jerry stepped up to give Cassy a hug; he moved on and shook hands with Alex.  Deeply moved she swallowed loudly.  Cassy moved the quilt to the next square, and the next; naming each child and matching it perfectly with the scents and names embroidered onto them.  By the time all the kids from first quilt had been identified and named, Cassy was blinking back tears; and by the time she had named the kids from the last quilt, she was sobbing.  And so were all the kids, even some of the adults were unashamedly wiping away their tears or blowing their noses.