I Saw Mami Biting Santa Claws (gxg)

Chapter 2

There aren't many wolves in Florida. Other than an attempt to introduce a breeding pair up in the panhandle, in fact, you were unlikely to find any wild ones in the state. That made life difficult for the local werewolf population, which was also very small. Most werewolves liked to live in the same territory as their wild brethren and were slowly losing ground to the encroachment of housing developments and urban sprawl, just like all other creatures. Many had already found places near national parks and state forests that would hopefully be protected for years or had emigrated to more wild places like Canada.

               But not the little South Glades Pack that huddled in an old rundown motor inn on the edge of the Everglades. The buildings consisted of about a dozen little cottages plus an office that had been bought years ago when it had gone bankrupt and had a permanent No Vacancy sign on it so none of the humans thought that they could stay there. If they ever ran out of space in the buildings, there was ample space for tents, though at present they didn't need it.

The pack was partially transient, with a bit over a dozen core wolves that had been there for years, and then another few dozen that stayed part time. The little pack was overseen by an Alpha by the name of Wesley, who tried to be as fair as he could to everyone and believed in second chances. Considering that that pack was in Florida, that was a big necessity, as the state was a bit of a mess. For instance, not every pack would have allowed Karano to bring in a vampire for a mate, and the pair knew how lucky they were. Karano was the pack's Beta, though they never stood much on formalities with such a small group.

               The little motel was based around an Everglades airboat tour company, along with the related support businesses like souvenir shops, a diner, a few Uber drivers, and a maintenance shop. They weren't wealthy, but the pack had all their needs met and really felt like more of a family than a pack. But while they had their needs met, it was still a huge event when Karano and Hazel appeared with the remains of the python. That meat would provide a good addition to a meal for sure. While it wasn't the same as the big forests up north, the Everglades at least let the little population get a chance to let their wolves out to play and run free.

               The little pack had grown a bit over the last few days, as a single mom named Maria and her two kids had joined us from a pack up in Wyoming. Evidently her mate had died in a duel after he'd been injured fighting rogues, and the winning wolf had tried to make her his. She didn't want anything to do with that, and had fled, not even realizing that there was a pack in Florida but just trying to get as far away from him as possible. She'd stumbled across us thanks to the scent of one of our pack members, Paul, who happened to be her Uber driver for the day. She'd quickly settled in as a waitress at the diner, and her kids were thrilled with the local wildlife as we had several peacocks in the area along with the hundreds of lizards and frogs that were always all over the place.

               "What is that?" asked Eliza, the oldest daughter of Maria who was all of seven years old looked on in curiosity with her headful of tousled brown hair and wide hazel eyes. Her little brother Jack tagged along behind her, peering shyly from behind her. He was not quite three, and still adjusting to all the strangers. Eliza seemed fearless though.

               "This is dinner!" Karano told her. "Do you two want to help us get it ready?"

               "Yes!" screamed Eliza. "Please, please, please!"

               Karano couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm, and Hazel reached out a hand and ruffled her hair. "Come with us and we'll show you how. Maybe we'll even do something exciting with the skin!" Indeed, the hide could be made into some boots for the souvenir shop, but any leftovers could be made into a few cool bracelets that the kids could have.