Only Time Could Tell (Even If We Are Different)

2

The latter furrowed her gaze as she looked at the mischievous look on her friend's face. She flared her eyes in anger and stretched out her hands in false anger to swipe at her.

Louisa avoided the incoming swipe and this infuriated Cheryl the more.
“What's wrong? Why are you distant?” Louisa asked as she looked concernedly at Cheryl.

“Oh! It's nothing. I'm just being my usual self. I'm a warrior, remember?” She asked as she shot her friend a nasty look that was meant to scare someone with little or no guts.

All Louisa did was to snicker at her friend.
“You know you would have to do more than that to scare me since I'm no less a warrior myself.” She told Cheryl and stuck her tongue out at her.

“ Then you should know a warrior isn't supposed to be seen playing at all times. Warriors should always be alert and watch out for their surroundings, since danger doesn't come unannounced." Cheryl reported in a robotic manner.

“Wow…Looks like someone is gradually moving up the ranks of warriors. That's great and fantastic. I should talk to Jordan. He should award you a plague.

You deserve it for being the most observant, loyal and obedient warrior in our pack. Even when Jordan isn't here, you still keep your tutor's words dear to your heart. I'm impressed.”

Louisa replied to her in a sarcastic manner that made both of them break into a smile. Cheryl did so against her judgment. That was what Louisa always did to her.

No matter how hard her resolve was to do something, her friend would find a way of making her crack her ribs in laughter. She stopped smiling when she noticed that the children were heading back their way.

Louisa, who had noticed the change on her friend's face, glanced behind her to see what had happened. It took her a second to register what was going on, and when she did, she burst into a raucous laughter.

“Come off your high horse, Cheryl. They're just kids. You've played with them in your wolf form, remember? You really deserve that award I spoke about.” She told her while still smiling amusingly.

“Whatever…” Cheryl huffed and moved away from her to the beginning of the path they were supposed to take home.

The children chose this moment to return, and they all formed a straight line behind Cheryl as she headed towards the path that led through the jungle to the pack.

Cheryl, being a warrior, was at the front of the queue. The children were in a single file between them and Louisa brought up the line. They had done this in order not to be caught unawares by any rogue planning to attack them.

Louisa broke into a moon song and all the children happily picked it up and sang along with her. Cheryl, amused at her friend's able to find humor in everything, only shook her head.

Louisa, unaware of what was going on in her friend's head also had her thoughts to battle with. She had clocked her twenty-second birthday this year, and she had yet to find her mate.

She had attended all the balls and parties held in the state and even a few from neighboring states, yet she hadn't come within an inch of him.

Most of her age mates were done bearing pups, and she was yet to find her mate, the one destined for her by the moon goddess.

Her elder brother, Jordan, had met his mate at a conference about three years ago when he was also twenty-two years old, and they were now expecting their first pup.

Except for she and Cheryl, who had rejected getting their own mate. Every other person who was her age in the pack had mates, either destined or arranged. Even some who were a few years younger than her already had their mates.