Brother Wolf

Ch 5 News

I appreciated the night breeze as I took a step off the back porch with four paws, leaving the turmoil behind me to settle down.

Barry had immediately volunteered to be a guard, setting off a round of arguments. His desperation to make things good with his brother was almost making him a liability. Simeon didn't want to work with werewolves at all, although he did like the idea of taking some down. Barry had insisted that werewolves who had been bitten had a right to stop the ones who had stolen their lives, even more than full humans. Thomas backed his brother, siting his own near-execution.

Mac, thankfully, took over as the voice of reason. He seriously questioned what guidelines would be needed, throwing some ideas out the window, while taking others into consideration. Nothing would be settled tonight, even though most of the humans here were already doing what I had offered.

Cherokee had shaken his head at the discussion in the living room we'd commandeered from my omega. He'd gone out the back door, slamming it. Arctic had made his way more subtly, not creating a scene, waiting outside near the house for me. I understood their silent message. I might rule as a king over willing humans and bitten werewolves, but those like Cherokee and Arctic had neither need nor desire for me to interfere with their natural born, werewolf families.

It was with smooth strides that I took off across the manicured yard, staying low to the ground; gliding, or ghosting as my late mother called it.

Eyes in the forest might catch a glimpse of you, she would often say, but that glimpse should be as brief and unsure as them seeing a ghost. Melt into your surroundings, become one with the shadows, gliding over the land. You should be steadily moving so you are out of view before those eyes that glimpsed you can even register what they saw.

It was a skill I had perfected at her side, learning to look for a path through the forest and mountain terrain of my home that allowed my dark fur to work to my advantage. Her lighter gray fur would skim the shadows' edges, blending with the moonlit grasses and leaves. Together we would slide in and out of shadows, paws learning to traverse the land without sound, our gait constant and steady. My heart still ached with sorrow from losing her.

I snorted as the trail continued through a stand of trees. Cherokee was working off some of his frustration, putting distance between himself and the reason I needed to be an alpha king. Arctic followed behind me, skillfully keeping his off-white fur from standing out. I appreciated his skill as a wolf, reminding myself that Arctic's wolf-song held notes of survival in harsh environments. Could any environment be harsher than the one we were leaving behind in that crowded living room? Dealing with that mess required a different kind of strength, a strength I wasn't sure I possessed.

The long pouch my mother had crafted for me bounced gently against the underneath edge of my side. My thoughts went back to the many times I'd witness her calming people down when things got out of control. Her occupation as a veterinarian put her in a position where she had to deal with people who were panicked over their animals. The people she served often asked her for help with other issues they had. Her peaceful demeanor could never hide the strength of her convictions when she faced either authorities or troublemakers.

Thinking of her strengths made me realize why she could do what she so often did. River Woman had a way about her that would get you caught in her current. She didn't argue. She merely stated what made sense, then acted upon it.

People found themselves going along with my mom because she didn't give them time to decide otherwise, yet she wasn't overbearing or snotty. Few balked when she tugged them into her flow; my father definitely hadn't. Even my grandfather hadn't been able to fight against her current. My mother never hesitated or second-guessed herself. She ruled, in her way, and I would have to do like-wise.