Evergreen

two.

Once Akari had left the house, Sage found it time for her to be on her way to work.

Before she went to work though, she had an appointment with her doctor.

The way wolves served their packs when they were connected within the community was to offer their job skills and services at a discounted to rate to the other wolves in the territory or to simply pay a monthly territory tax.

Big packs that had multiple cities encompassed in them favored the tax way of collecting funds, while ones located in small towns used the discount method. The goal always was just to be in service to one another. 

Since Black Maw's land had been encroached on heavily and new boundaries were redrawn after the war, there were now no doctors in their territory. Sage would have to cross into another territory to be seen by a physician. Just as humans had to keep their bodies healthy, so did wolves. The kicker was that they had to keep their wolf body healthy as well.

In order to have full function of shifting, having a healthy wolf is key. Those who did not, often suffered from problems as small as canine arthritis or ran the risk of contracting flu viruses that turned to deadly canine distemper. The worse case scenario of not checking up on your wolf's health was a full on "split".

A "split" was just how it may sound. A werewolf being split from the wolf that lived within them. It was a violent process that only occurred when someone's wolf is on the brink of death or dying. Health problems were the main cause of this, but on occasion violent mental or physical trauma could induce the process.

As she put on her coziest cream fleece jacket, Sage made sure she grabbed her purse and dropped her phone in the bag too. Locking up the house then making her way to the car next. 

"C'mon Trina, time to start our day." Sage spoke to the car, giving it a loving tap on the dashboard before starting it up.

Very softly in her mind, Sage could hear the anguished cries of her father as his own wolf died.

Most splits were fatal. You would want your split to be fatal.

Losing your ability to shift often caused a person to slip into psychosis. A part of your soul permanently sealed off from you. Memory loss. Severe personality disorders.

Sage's father, Cain, split from his wolf after the casualties of war and the loss of their mother. It was an embarrassment to the pack and set them back years of progress.

Human doctors were not licensed to take werewolf patients. Without an "in-pack" doctor, wolves were forced travel far and wide for appointments. 

Sage was wolves.

However, Dr. Cristo had been seeing Sage since she was a small wolf pup. She was her family's doctor for years and although the boundaries had been redrawn and separated them, Dr. Cristo was luckily still only 5 miles away.

It was time for Sage to renew her mating contract with the Elder Council and that called for her check up. Mating contracts were simply a she-wolf's way of saying "I am single and not looking". 

Forcefully pursuing any female with an active mating contract had the same weight as the harshest sexual assault charge. 

A she-wolf can officially become "in-season" or put her mating contract in action when she turns 18. Any mate-bond before then is not officially recognized by the pack, the same way human marriages must have two of age parties and a license.

Usually, when a woman dissolves her contract, she has found her mate or she is looking for one. This is when a she-wolf is considered in season.

Perks of being in season were things like being put on the pack's roster of those seeking mates. Special galas were held by the Alpha and his family to help those looking to find love meet. Being in season was supposed to be fun, a sign of youth and fertility.