The Hunter's Pack

The Explanation

I cleared my throat and sent them off. They should return in three days - they'll run out of potion on the third. A witch coven I knew as "Tarragon" (an herb, I know) supplied us with potions that mask our scent, and more importantly, silver bullets. Of course, we had to pay for both, but that was taken out of the pay-off. Every once in a while, a small note appears on my machine gun, with a name of a wolf pack, a rogue, or a werewolf in a pack. There were even names of hunters, vampires, and witches themselves rather regularly. I questioned nothing, but when I was enlisted for this job, I was told that the pack/individual we were assigned to kill was deemed "dangerous."

Tarragon was a rather famous witch coven, known for keeping the peace behind the scenes (although if they were known for it, were they really behind the scenes anymore?). The Council was the main "protector" of the supernatural world, consisting of the leaders of each supernatural (hunters were not included, considering they were the ones killing off all kinds of supernatural beings.) Most of the time, supernaturals didn't really intrude on each other's life. Vampires lead their own lives, ruled only by their royals, just like werewolves, who only bowed to their king and queen. Witches were a bit different, with the leaders of the most influential coven sitting at the top. Unlike royals, their leaders could change any time, and the position did not have to be passed on by bloodline. I'm sure Tarragon is currently at the top, but I should recheck, just in case. I have met the main women once (it is more of a matriarchal system, considering all witches are female), and she is...not at all what one would expect of the leader that currently sits at the top of the witch food chain. I immediately took a liking to the playful blonde woman. She acted like a careless seductress, but there was a certain glint in her eye that showed a glimpse of the knowledge she held. I have heard that she got herself a husband, Jerry. I'll have to look into that.

"A penny for your thoughts, Miss?" The familiar voice of a rather sly beta woke me from my reverie.

"Ah, just who I wanted to talk to. Elliot, please look into Tarragon's second head, Jerry. I would like to know more about the man that wooed Hazel's heart."

He chuckled a bit. "Miss, you act so cold but your actions just show how much you care. You really took a liking to Miss Hazel, didn't you?" He smiled and fixed his glasses, the lenses glinting a bit.

"Who knows? Either way, it would be beneficial to know what kind of person he is." I avoided answering his question and mindlessly played with the throwing knife I took out of my boot. I expected him to leave then, but he lingered, seemingly pondering something. "Did you want to ask me something?" I stopped playing with the knife and watched him intently. El hesitating to speak always meant that the topic was serious; important to him.

"Alex...How long can we stay like this?" He leaned against a tree, arms crossed and staring at me. I sighed and looked up at the stars above me. Some were already twinkling out of sight, with the sky turning a lighter color towards the east.

"What do you mean?" I knew exactly what he meant, but simply wanted to prolong the last moments of peace between us. While Elliot was my beta, we hadn't always met eye to eye on things. Ironically, between the both of us, he was the more humane one.

"You know exactly what I mean. How long can we stay as a nomad pack? Sure, we can usually get more members, but the lack of a place to call home is jarring for many wolves. This lifestyle as well," he pushed off the tree and gestured around us with his hands. "Nobody but you, me, and Annie are truly used to living like this. Out in the forest, we are more wolf than human. We sleep as wolves to keep us warmer, we hunt as wolves when there is no money, we travel as wolves to cover more ground. The pack members don't like that, even the older ones are starting to yearn to call something theirs. It's driving people away. Hell, we had 17 leave already, and you know the minute he smells a safe pack, Everett's going to run towards it."
He paused, waiting for a response. 

"So? What do you want to do El?" I asked leaning back, watching as the sky turned a lighter shade of blue. There were hints of orange reflected on the clouds, indicating the sun's waking. He sighed and sat himself down next to me, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

"You know what I want...no, what we need. If we want the Cross pack to survive, we need land."
I understood his point. I knew that we needed a home desperately, but there were still some problems surrounding that. 

"We need money." I replied monotonously. This isn't the first time he's brought up land. Elliot groaned, rubbing his temples.

"Alex, you always say that-"

"Because it's always an issue."

"-and I'm not even saying anything about Tarragon and the violent missions they give us. But you and I both know that we don't exactly...need money for land. " I turned to him, an eyebrow raised. I underestimated him; had he changed without me noticing? Seemingly understanding the mildly surprised look on my face, his expression changed to that of a pained one. 

"You know I wouldn't be saying this unless it was an urgent necessity."
Ah, perhaps he hadn't changed after all. I stood up and ruffled his hair, making him move away and swat my hand with a scowl. 

"I understand. We'll take this pack's, then. Also, you know about the contract with Tarragon. If I decide to back out, there will be lengthy procedures, and possibly even undesirable consequences." I turned around to walk out of the clearing, throwing back a few last words. "Don't change, kiddo." 

"I'm not a kid anymore!"

A small smile flitted across my lips as I climbed up a tree to my hammock.