The Wolf of the Wilds

The Quill

"We don't really have many options. Cruor or you sitting up in that tower for a month. Plus, Oskar was quite insistent on the meeting. It would be impolite to decline now," Hermine said, glancing up from a stack of paperwork. Her fingers drummed against her desk, frustration present along the hard lines of her rigid poise.

Once again, Helena and Adrian found themselves in the alphas' office, annoyed and entirely dissatisfied with the situation. Adrian was pacing, while Helena had found a purchase on the windowsill, watching the town square below with a line set between her brows. Only one alpha was present that morning.

"We don't want to go because it's dangerous and the risk is far too high. Neither of us like the idea of sitting idle, but Arv has some connections that could be deemed immoral by many," Helena said, glancing over.

"Do you have any proof of these connections?" The alpha sat back in her chair. "We can't cancel an official pack meeting because of accusations backed up by works of fiction. The Arv have been one of the most influential packs worldwide since the signing of the Pariter treaty. A snub against them or disrespecting their alpha family could make us some enemies that we would really rather not have."

Helena almost spoke up but paused. Like a cup stood too close to an edge, she was on the brink of letting everything spill. Instead, she met Adrian's gaze and they shared uncertain grimaces. "We can't talk about our sources. Not here. There are things going on in world that shouldn't be discussed in polite society. I don't want the Montis to choose a side, or get in any way involved for that matter."

Hermine shifted, carefully placing down her quill with a click. "Helena. I sometimes forget that you're a rogue. An illegal being that is held to none of the laws of the Pariter. I had few grievances allowing you to live here, but if you put my people in any kind of danger, then I won't hesitate to have you removed." Helena turned around to find Hermine's rock-hard stare on her. Her next words were spoken with a tone that was barely above a growl. "I suggest you tell me everything."

Slipping from her perch, shoulders back, she looked don her nose at the alpha. Uncertainty lay as nails on the floor as she took the strides closer. "Ignorance is a blessing."

To her side, Adrian leant against the wall. He didn't speak. He just watched as vigil.

The Montis' female alpha had always been easy to overlook. While possessing quite a stubborn streak, she also had an uncanny ability to slip into the background. Alone though, she was a force to be reckoned with.

"Ignorance kills. Helena. Just tell me what's going on. I can't do anything if I don't understand what's going on!" It was almost a plea.

Running her hand over the polished surface, Helena leant over. Closing some of the distance. "Fine. I'll tell it straight. There are a group of alphas that seek to reinstate the Angor. They want to use their money and those assassins to undermine the treaty and control their rivals. I have evidence that links Arv to funding this plight and neither of us want to have a meeting with someone who clearly has no qualms with using paid killers." Despite trying to rein in the bitterness in her voice, some of it slipped through.

Hermine released a slow breath and closed her eyes. "Centaur testicles," she swore, pressing the palm of her hand to her forehead. She opened one of her eyes again. "You're certain he's involved? I remember the mess in Semul, but I didn't realise it went deeper."

Adrian spoke this time. "Helena witnessed a private discussion. There's little defence against that." Helena was surprised to hear his voice. The evening before he'd grown reticent in preparation for the moon's coming and another night of stubbornly sleeping on the floor side by side had done little for their moods.

Hermine turned her head, looking to both of them. "You realise this just complicates matters further? If he has no issues using violence, then surely that just gives us more reason to stay in their good books? I know it's risky, but don't you think establishing a relationship between our packs is a far safer bet? For the Montis' sake."

Of course, bearing in mind how the Montis were currently treating her, Helena didn't really care much about their inter-pack affairs, but a slight glance towards Adrian was enough to show her that he was already having an internal debate.

"Regardless of the positives, you're still putting us both in danger!" Helena finally snapped. "For all we know, you could be sending us to our deaths. What if we were to accidentally upset him? What if he has ulterior motives?"

Hermine clenched her jaw, steeled like metals the forges churned out day by day. "I'm alpha and my priority will always be my people. We can try to make things safer, but I'm not going to cancel the meeting."

The two women glared at each other for what was a very tense ten seconds, until Helena whipped her head away, teeth bared. "Fine. But you have to do everything we ask. We need guards. Trusted guards that we can coordinate with. I need a messenger to get a missive to Semul as soon as possible and we need as many antidotes and antitoxins as we can get hold of. Cruor isn't a safe city at the best of times." The full moon's influence made her rather more aggressive than usual and it would only get worse as the evening approached.

Hermine released a huffed and picked up her quill again, tugging over a sheet of paper. In a tiny, cramped scrawl, she made notes. "Have the letter ready in the next hour and I can get it sent off. As for the rest of your demands, I'll see what I can do, but there's only so much we can do in so little time."

"Thank you, Hermine. Do what you can, it'll have to be enough," Adrian murmured, rubbing his chin.

The rest of the day was spent in an odd haze of irritation and mad rushing. They prepared, wrote out plans, all while trying to avoid the heightened ire of the pack members. As the sky dimmed, Helena walked Adrian down to the door of her home, standing on the bottom step.

A cool wind, fluttering and soothing, brushed up against her tightly coiled body. "Stay safe tonight," she said, voice whispering and soft much like the wisps of cloud above.

Adrian's lips tugged into a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You to. I'll see you tomorrow?"

She inclined her head slightly in agreement and they spent a moment to brush lips. The last respite before the figurative storm. All to soon the moment passed though and Helena looked after Adrian's disappearing figure, a heaviness to her gaze, shoulders slumped.

The front door of her home thundered as it struck against its frame. Each lock clicking and grinding as bolts slid into place. The last hour was spent in a frenzy, locking away her foods into reinforced boxes, padlocking each trap door to the next floor, and carefully arranging healing poultices and ointments near the cage. Taking one last look out of the window, she noted that the fires of the territory borders had been extinguished, the posts left abandoned.

She idly wondered whether any pack had been attacked during the full moon in the past, but then she dismissed the thought. "As if attacking a town filled with blood thirsty beasts could ever be considered a good idea," she muttered. Drawing in a deep breath, smelling the ashiness of night, she finally headed back down. 

A/N- 

I know this is a shorter update, but the next scene didn't seem flow well after this. I've also been pretty sick this week, so that might be a factor. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless, and hopefully I'll be back next week with a more interesting update!

-H