One of Runts

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen:  Feelings

        My head is bent down and my ears are flushed pink as we come out of sight of one of this pack's training fields. My lips are wrinkled in a snarl that wants to escape. Beside me, I can feel Azrael holding in his own snarl, though he isn't as successful as me.

        I pin my ears back as he looks towards me and crouch down in embarrassment. I suppose I am not as angry about the whole event as Azrael, but I can't see why he's so furious.

        A male wolf just wanted to get lucky, and I don't blame him. Not only is it mating season, but most females are currently in heat. Though, most wolves try to find mates before mating with another.

        Despite the fact that most wolves aren't assigned mates as the more higher ranking wolves are, most wolves find mates a sacred thing. It is frowned upon to mate with one female while pursuing another, especially with the intent to connect a bond.

        All wolves have some sort of bond with another, the higher ranking wolves' bonds are just much more easy to find.

        I've heard from my studies that some wolves believe that all wolves have a mating bond with another, but just have to find it. That you don't have one single wolf to bond with but have many. Some reason that it's the reason some mated couples connect a bond quicker and seem to click, while others aren't as close.

        Though, a destined mate or not, the bond one shares is one of the most important things in the wolf society. And to disrespect it, especially as the wolf, Kace, did. Is considered highly disrespectful to our Gods and Goddesses, especially the Moon Goddess. Our creator and the one who makes mates possible.

        I can now understand why Azrael is so furious. "You must value mating and courtship seriously," I tell Azrael, not bothering to word it as a question. I know he must value mates highly. I wonder if he has a mate at home?

        The thought fleas my head as swiftly as it came. If he were mated, he wouldn't have reacted to my heat with interest, nor would he have played close to me as he did in the clearing. No. He's not mated.

        Azrael looks down at me at my silent words. He doesn't say anything, though he does share his emotions. I can sense his fury, which riles me up more, his seriousness of mating and courtship, his truth of my statement, and a soft emotion.

        Longing.

        He and I walk beside one another in silence as I contemplate his emotions. Is he looking for a mate? Has he not been able to find a suitable mate at the Full Moon Festival?

        The castle looms in front of me as we walk closer to it. Azrael brushes against me, knocking against my bag in the process. The castle is surrounded with a large field, though there's a large stone-brick-pathway in the center of it circling around a large fountain in front of the front doors.

        The large doors are a light brown, a striking contrast against the dark gray stone. There's a lot of ivy vines covering the castle, white and indigo-purple flowers covering the side of the castle.

        I take notice that they're the colors of the kingdom. Dark green, white, and indigo. There's a lot of wolves walking around the field outside the castle. Pups, teens, adults.

        I smile slightly as I see a few pups run around. They're in their animal skin and are play fighting with each other. My tail swishes as I watch one of the smaller pups, no doubt a female runt, pounces onto a pup half her size.

        "Were you like that?" I flick an ear at Azrael, taking a glance at him. He's looking at the pups, specifically the small black runt. If I had seen her in a picture, I would've thought she was me, aside from the happy playing part.

        Azrael looks at me. "Did you play like that, I mean. When you were younger?" he asks, clarifying his earlier question.

        I look down shamefully. "When I was younger, I had a different Alpha. He wasn't Alpha Quill. He would force everyone to show the uttermost respect, even the pups. And if you didn't..." My mental voice trails off as I remember the numerous times that someone else or I was beaten by the Alpha.

        I let him feel my motions on the subject, making sure to give him a sense of the past. Azrael shares his own emotions with me. I feel his fury at my old Alpha, his relief that his other uncle took over my pack and sadness. Sadness that's so strong that it nearly makes me whimper.

        Azrael presses against me and rests his large head over my shoulders. A hug. He licks my ear before standing and walking towards the doors of the castle.

        "C'mon," he says. "My uncle knows you're with me. He told me to show you to your room and tell you to meet him in the dining room. Everyone else has been shown their rooms and are waiting for the King, he's going to explain what's going on."

         I trot in the castle behind him, my nerves about being chosen returning.

Author's Note:

This isn't as much as I would've like to write for this chapter, but we gotta deal with it.