The Reality

Two The Way We Are

I knew exactly where the alpha was going to be.
Lea's skill might be hunting, but mine is deceit and cunning. I know right where he's going.
The muddy slopes by the Clearing are pockmarked with wolf paws, where I saw him disappear into the trees. Sheep bleat in the distance as I follow the fresh prints.
There are no boot tracks next to them like the ones I'm making, so Lea must be totally off track, probably on the other side of the field.
I find him by the river. He's standing at the water and drinking. I climb a tree stealthily, watching his ears, his tail, his feet.
My boot suddenly fumbles and I knock loose a piece of mossy bark. It goes tumbling down into the brambles and he looks up at me.
There is still as his yellow eyes meet my gray ones. His ears twist and turn and I can tell he's picking up every last sound I make.
My hand goes for the bow but stops short as I realize it is not a "he" as Nick and I had thought. This is a she-wolf and in the bushes close by I can hear the whimpers and yaps of a den full of wolf cubs.
Natural Scout instinct means shooting her dead right now and killing every last pup in the shallow burrow. But as she stares at me, not growling, not running, I take a few seconds to wonder why I kill these animals every day without a thought.
So I do something stupid.
I edge around to the other side of the tree, drop to the ground and run. Back to the Clearing where I cover up my tracks, and where I find Lea still muttering profanity as she sweeps the field from top to bottom for signs.
"To late, Lea." She looks up at me. "I killed him. He was way over by the blackberry patch." I lie.
"Where's the body?" She asks, unblinking.
"I turned in already, but didn't want to leave you searching for something that not there, squirrel-eater." She makes a not-so-friendly gesture at me, but clomps back to camp with me at her side.
Already guilt is twisting inside of me. What I have done goes against everything is Scouts stand for, not to mention my community.
I'm just glad no one's found out yet. They may not send people into the Open anymore, but they do lock them up for life in the Wolf House.
The Wolf House is where the wolves we keep alive go. They're mainly there for schoolchildren who don't yet know about their menace to see some from a safe distance.
Anyway, they lock you in a kennel just like you're another wolf. Regular offenders of the law just go to jail. Wolf-kissers, as they're referred to, get special treatment.
The realization I could end up in a kennel with wolves on either side of me terrifies me beyond belief. I must fight to act natural until I can really be natural again.
"Did you find the alpha?" Nick asks. He's still sitting at the picnic table, relaxing in the summer heat.
"Yep. Turned him in a few minutes ago." Lea glares at me and stalks away.
She lives in the Birch House. It's a prestigious building reserved for the best of Scouts. She shares it with one other Scout. Her name is Claire ShadowWalker. She carries a bag of black dust that can explode and expand and make an entire area dark. That's how she hunts. She makes the powder herself.
Unlike Claire, Lea has no unique twist. She's not exemplary at tracking like Nick (his last name is Tracker), or cunning and smart like me. Yes, she has those talents, but she's more of an all-around good hunter. She's just good.
"Poor, poor Lea." Nick mocks as she walks away. "I can hear you." She snarls. "That's the point!" He calls after her.
I shake my head with a little smile. "You two would look adorable together." I say. "Ew. The LeMonster and me?" Nick yelps. I laugh and sit down next to him.
See? Life is fine just the way it is. I forget all about the wolf that I saved in that moment, close my eyes and relax.