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11- Reap

Snow

"What are you up to?" Frozen eyes darted at Snow as Celeste peered from her shoulder.

The five Grimlake she wolves now stood beside each other. Margaux was busy hiding the grin on her face and all Snow could do was chuckle. Lais and Willow look as equally thrilled except for Celeste.

Snow glanced away and found something interesting as she looked up. The flag above them was a dark forest green where an oak emblem embroidered above it in threads of glimmering gold. A humble clan such as Grimlake finally had this honor. Snow bit her lip as it made her cheeks red. And, it wasn't just the sun.

Despite the overwhelming feeling of being acknowledged, Snow felt uneasy. She was used to Celeste's glaring stare but found herself a humble prey among the eyes of the amount of people before her. She wondered what was wrong with her.

Was it her hair? The green pigment on her arms? Or the vast amount of leather she had skin tight on her body?

From where she stood at the clearing, hungry eyes did not spare her.

There was a crowd gathered around them forming a circular border against the woods. There was a see of eyes in all colors and all expressions. She was near spilling the contents of her stomach when she saw Clara from a distance her belly a mound before her body. The sun made her skin look washed out, her eyes deeper and tired.

The pregnancy has taken a toll on her. If only they had enough elders in their clan Clara would have been taken care of. But the elders back home seem to be the ones who needed caring the most. Juggling her life as the house head while father is gone, Clara has put upon herself the responsibility of being a mother to them all.

Then out of nowhere, the sound of drums pulled Snow from her thoughts.

The crowd sprung to life in wild exalts as each clan raised flags of house emblems in the air. Drums and horns thudded against Snow's chest as the energy of the crowd made the hair on her arms stand up. The beat of the drum paced a slow taunting rhythm as it made the edges of her lips curl.

As Snow basked in the various wolves before her, she almost forgot who she was.

From the olive-skinned wolves of Sato to the stern armory and steal work of Everett, each nation stood out. The Satos where in their traditional armor and garments showing their bronzed skin against dark long straight hair and swallow-tailed eyes. The Wolframs where in their uniform as the court of wolves lined their side of the clearing. The maroon plated tunics stood against the gold studded leather baldrics against their chests.

The drums stopped.

"Welcome, to the Reaping," The Burnwood elder said. Howls and screams filled the air once again. Margaux grabbed her shoulder and pointed to crowd of dancing people from a corner. From where Snow stood she could see clearly the astonishment on her sister's faces.

"This year's Reaping is all about accepting our diversity," The elder spoke, "Thus, to win the Reaping we, nation elders, have taken a spin on the traditional ritual. Before we begin, may I call on among our contenders, to present before us the youngest hunter of their group."

Drums banged against Snow's temples as, Lais gave her a nudge. Her legs paced towards the fire near the group of elders who had antlers on their heads and pearls around their necks.

Each elder has deer weights on their arms. Deer weights are a Reaping staple. It was a leathered belt attached with chains where weights of various heaviness strung. It was used to keep deer or any foul in a certain field not allowing them to run too far off. This ensured that participants stay in their own respective territories.