Without warning, Cillium rushed me. His paws tore up the snow and his eyes were keen – he might've even frightened me if it weren't for that damn tongue he kept losing track of.
"Good! Uhh- " I floundered. "Good aggression! Now, attack."
Cil didn't need to be told twice before he leaped at me. We stood among the trees a small distance from our cave, making use of the brightness of day and the frost-bitten air for our own comfort: it had quickly become apparent that too many Shifters in one enclosed space – even one so large and surprisingly well-ventilated as ours – warmed up the room rather quickly. Especially when some of those wolves were putting in exercise.
Cillium had already been told twice not to hold back too m
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The lights were out. Night had fallen.Across the snowy-covered plain in which a great many small abodes rested, snoring could be heard coming frequently from within by anybody close enough passing by. Or not even that in some cases; these sounds could be quite loud.Several of these tents still lay in ruins. But, most of them had been tidied up to again create livable spaces. Nearly all of those who slept within were men – men in various stages of Shifting, some human, some animal. They tossed around occasionally whenever the cold night air fluttered through some opening or another, or when a sound from out in the night startled them awake. But mostly this Pack rested... gorged on the sp
~ Rufias ~You see, Veera had always been a woman of hardship: she had hard soles of her feet, hard-to-braid hair... she even had a truly menacing bite! But she also had hard taste in men. I think that many things about her – both the hardness that became her, and the gentleness which she nurtured – came as a result of the influences she'd allowed into her life. No fault of her own.Veera was a member of this Pack before me. When I first joined, it was after leaving a Pack further down south – one that had a better Alpha, in my opinion, but which had managed to fall apart during my tenure. It wasn't completely gone by then, but its members had become so distant an
~ Rufias cont. ~ It was probably for the best that we played it safe for a while, until some of Elemin's moodiness had passed and he obviously began seeking another mate to fill that space. I remember even getting used to just being a familiar acquaintance to Veera, as she was just so pleasant to be around and so talented at the things she did, that I couldn't help but feel grateful to just be among those she spent her time with. I even began thinking that I'd be happy if she found herself another mate – so long as that mate was better than me in every way, because Veera certainly deserved no less. And she certainly had no shortage of interested parties; though I'm sure all of them were also equally wary of their Alpha's potential wrath, even after the fact. Some of them were even un-mated th
Sometimes, when the world pulls its rug out from under you, you just have to embrace it. "Fuck him" I said viciously. "He deserved it. I do not blame you, Rufias, for committing an act that may well have been a mercy." My beloved friend's eyes told of an entire journey as he quietly accepted my words. He nodded once, but his lips moved in a way that spoke of volumes more to come. "Thank you, Rayla" he said. "Part of me already knew you would be on my side in this. I honestly can't blame you; I think I did right by us, too. I know that I certainly did right by Veera."
~ Cillium ~Sometime during the night I was awakened by an odd sound coming from deep-down below me. That didn't make too much sense: for one thing, I was sleeping on the floor of the cave. Only my blankets were beneath me. Sounds didn't usually come from further down than that. Secondly, it sounded like a woman speaking.I recognized that voice, though. I was sure I'd know it anywhere now that I'd heard it again, because before I wasn't sure, but now... now I had some context. And I thought it sounded female.However, it still wasn't a voice I had heard anywhere else b
Today heralded the final month of winter as we knew it. Everyone could feel the anticipation in the air as nature held its breath. Pretty soon, we would begin seeing signs of new growth peaking up from beneath the snow, and the water would start to thaw seeing the return of fish to hunt. I stood just outside our cave admiring my Pack's recent handiwork. This included a fenced-in area to be used for sparring, and a small, covered plot of earth suitable for planting as soon as that became viable. I thought I'd probably jumped the gun in ordering that part. Definitely, in fact. As always the voices of our children gave me heart whenever they went rambling by, probably off on another adventure. They had quickly become the pride and joy to all of us. In fact, it could even be said that the five of them were growing into a 'pack' of their own, in miniature, w
Courtning was pacing back and forth and muttering to herself as I approached. She startled a bit when I said "you seem to be having a hard time today. What's the problem?" "Alpha..." She ceased her frantic movements, and gestured around helplessly. "I just... I just can't get it right!" I raised an eyebrow. "Get what right?" "Well, this whole thing about Placis... I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me. I'm trying, really I am!" She took a deep breath, placing her hands behind her head and gripping her hair tightly. "Now it seems that everything I do is enough to piss her off!!"
"Rayla, we need a plan." I sat beside the fire, joined by Rufias, Surry, and Cil, as per usual. The three of them had formed such a massive part of the Pack as I saw it that before I knew it, I had begun taking it as a given that I would always be surrounded by at least two of them. I was grateful into eternity for the rock-solid core they provided me, as was I for their friendship; but very often they told me things I didn't want to hear. Even if they were right. I sighed, letting my head fall down into my hands. "I know. I know, Uncle Ruff, okay? I'm doing a bad job right now. I've never faced such a tough decision. Please don't be mad with me." Surry's hand fell upon my shoulder. "No one is mad at you." "Besides" Rufias said with a huff, "it isn't very like