Instinct of the Wild

indignation

I took the stairs slowly, listening to hushed voices of people in the house and the scratching of canine claws against the hardwood. Some of the wolves had apparently refused to transform into their skins.

Once I reached the landing, I hesitantly began my walk down the hall. My foot hit a creaky board and I heard the faint scratching of many paws on against the wood. Suddenly seven wolves twisted around the corner and came running in my direction.

I tensed up and took a few steps back, a warning growl rumbling through my human chest.

They came skidding forth, noses pressing into my legs, some of them leaping up to my face. I pushed them away, getting on their level so I could grab a few by their scruffs and growl in their face.

A few got the message with just that; some needed further warnings with the aid of a few well-placed elbows and palms to the nose. The rest fell in place, their bushy tails wagging as they waited for me to inspect them myself. It was harder to truly inspect them being in my skin, as my senses were dulled and muted; yet, I smelled each of them as best as I could, storing their scents for later categorization. I nudged my nose against a few heads and let them smell my teeth.

"Enough." A gruff voice spat. I looked up and saw a man with dark hair standing in the doorway. He was large in size, his long hair tied up at the nape of his neck.

The wolves around me skidded away at his command and dispersed dismally down the hall behind him. Although I was relieved to not be surrounded by the mongrels anymore, yet I was disappointed that with their dispersal, I felt slightly lonely. The empty void I'd been feeling since I'd left my pack reared back and began gnawing in my chest again.

"You don't have to allow them to do that, you know." The grizzly-looking man spoke up again.

I scowled at him, "I need to take in their scent now or they won't leave me alone in the future."

"At least you're not as meek as I'd thought-- showing them their place was the correct thing to do." He said, and I glared in his direction at the insult.

"What do you man by 'as you'd thought'?" I spat, rising up and placing my hands on my hips as I began walking in direction, "D'you expect me to be some submissive she-wolf who'd yield to the Alpha's every word and let a horde of wolves walk all over me?"

He smirked and met my gaze as I invaded his space, "Yes, I assumed that a country bumpkin such as yourself, would be capitulating, squirming little she-wolf, writhing for the Alpha to take you."

I recoiled, startled at his crude choice of words. "Where you're from doesn't define who you are and how you act! How dare you talk to me you spineless little--"

"Filat, what're you doing inside." A cold voice demanded.

My blood instantly ran cold and I turned around to see Conri standing opposite me, down the hall. His hands were crossed over his chest, and a general expression of annoyance and displeasure was written clearly on his face.

I glared at him and curled my lip up, showing my distaste.

"Only making sure the mutts do not terrorize your female," Filat bowed his head and turned, feeling the unheard dismissal through Conri's body language. I frowned at Filat's choice of words: 'your female'. I was no one's female until I chose to be.

Conri cleared his throat and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"We are to be heading back to my pack soon." he stated, his golden eyes locking with mine.

I swallowed, dread welling up within me, "How?" I asked.

"In our furs," he looked at my attire, "you'll have no need for clothes-- in my land we have one pair. They are useful; good at keeping us warm. They are made from animal skins and furs." He sees my grimace and adds, "We do not spend much of our time in our skins; most of our time is spent in our furs-- how real wolves live."

I shivered at the mention of real wolves; reliving my encounter with the pack in the woods.

"How... barbaric." I said, slightly sour. In my head I thought, 'And Valentin calls me a country Bumpkin..."

I looked up at Conri and noticed he was frowning. "My pack follows ancient law, long forgotten by your kind. You enact some of the traditions, yet truly don't know why you partake in them."

"Well, my kind are more often in their skins, so becoming lax in our traditions is normal." I snapped, my eyes narrowing as he suddenly began to approach.

He approached until he was a breadth away from me and his face looked furious, "Your kind shed their fur like cowards-- it is no excuse for their laziness in upholding ancient traditions. Your kind are soft: weak without order and easily corrupted." he spat, his words stinging me like the bite of a snake.

It was true: my people were weak. They so readily shed their nature and forgot that they had two sides to their being. Many cast away or tried to tame their instincts of their fur, and it was shameful in some instances if instinct shone through. But I wouldn't let this dictating alpha talk so condescendingly about my people.

I inched closer and shoved a finger into his chest.

"No." He looked taken aback at my outburst. "No, you do not get to talk about my people that way--- not if I'm to become your alpha female."

A sardonic smile invaded his face and his nostrils flared in a mixture of amusement and contempt.

"Alright, 'Alpha Female', let's see how well you do in my realm." I gulped at his words, anxiety festering like a wound in my gut.