Hammers in the Shadows

Part One: Shadows And Ice - Chapter Two

           

The next big thing that I remember was when I decided to talk to the Pack Second about our common heritage as Rogue turned. We both shared that in common and I could see that our experiences, though different probably, did have some similarities.

I knocked on the doorframe of his office several days after I'd gotten Altair and hoped that he was available for a quiet talk.

The young wolf looked up from what he was working and waved a hand in a gesture that I read as a come hither sign, "Close the door if you want.  Adam indicated you might want to talk.  He didn't say about what but I've been waiting you to come in.  If you want something to drink I have coffee, tea, flavored waters, and if something stronger a nice bottle of whiskey." 

I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me, Altair walking right on my heel as I did so before I began taking a look at what Zane had stocked his credenza with.

Zane picked his coffee cup up and walked over and refreshed it while he waited for me to make my choice.

It took me several minutes to figure out what I wanted before I sat down and sighed. We'd not had a chance to really meet until today, partially because I figured that he was relatively new to his rank as Pack Second, and partially because I was going to be attending the Academy for the next couple of years.

"I'm not sure how to go about this, so perhaps I should introduce myself first, I'm Mark McEwan and I am Assistant Guardian of the Blackwater Pride." I said, "Which is in a way similar to your own position as Pack Second, though I still have much to learn in that regards, after all I wouldn't be here if I didn't have so much to learn." I continued sipping on my coffee to which I'd added a splash of whiskey, though I had to make do with American Bourbon instead of my own personal preference of Rye or Scotch.

He tilted his head and I could tell that something in my choice of words had been not quite correct, possibly because he'd already kept abreast of my information, though I'd probably been an Assistant Guardian longer than he'd really had much rank. "I have been keeping up with the other pack's and prides.  This is especially true with changes in the upper management.  I have read some of the files Adam has on you.  Obviously not everything but enough to keep up to date on your status."  I could tell the he wasn't totally sure why I was there to talk but I knew that he was a smart wolf and he'd probably figured it out.

"The first time I came through here, eight years ago, Adam mentioned another Rogue Turn, like me, but he didn't say much beyond that since he said that the Were was more than a little jumpy about the situation. When I asked this time he said that you were that same person. I hoped that we could compare notes so to speak, but if talking about it does bring up bad memories we can leave off this meeting." I said, as smoothly as I could, sometimes talking about my own circumstances made me more than a little upset, though I had learned to suppress those feelings over the years.

I could tell that he had been wondering if that was why I was here. He sipped on his coffee for some time considering what he was going to say, before he finally responded, "Some I will talk about, some only my team, direct family, and former Alpha and Luna know about.  Not sure what you want to talk about but if it gets close to anything I won't talk about I will say so."  He told me, and I could see that he meant it when he said that. At least he didn't make any threats about it because he was aware that I wasn't anybody's fool, "Is there anything in particular you wanted to ask about?"

I paused to figure out how to frame my response, since from what my senses were telling me, the topic was still a sensitive one for the young wolf. "I am guessing that some of our experiences were rather different because of the age difference, but we both woke up afterwards trying to figure out way through a world that we'd been told since childhood didn't exist. Am I correct on that one?"