Chasing Luna

Organized Chaos

:Charlie:

Kai and I had only been gone ten minutes, but already the majority of the wolves had been separated into four groups. I watched Kai lead Jacob North toward the packhouse and waited until they were through the trees and out of sight to join the Elders. 

“How have you organized them?” I asked.

“By necessity. The first group will need to be dealt with immediately, they come from abusive or neglectful Packs. They left without permission and won’t be welcomed back. Some of them left children behind, they are at the front of the group. The second is lone and rogue wolves, a few mated pairs. They have been surviving on their own after being dismissed or banned from their packs. They are sure to have interesting stories but will need to be evaluated for safety. The third group comprises of scouts, sent when their Alphas heard about the Challenge today. They will be able to tell us what form the message took when they received word. They will be essential to the investigation. This group is those who doubt the strength of their leader but are loyal, they are hopeful about your promise to help. The fourth group is the curious ones, much like you were when you first became Alpha. They come from small packs that are trying to find their way. About half of them are Alpha’s as well, the rest higher ranks within their packs. They are all willing to wait around and let you handle the more pressing groups first.” His report was succinct and the organizing was better than I could have done.

“Thank you, Xander,” I nodded my head to him in respect and he left me to it.

I went to the first group and motioned to 3 of my subordinates that were standing by, their organizing complete.

“How many with children?” I asked them. 

“Five Alpha,” spoke a young woman with black curly hair. 

“Run to my house, tell Freida to prepare the top floor to receive five families. Help her with whatever she needs to do so. Then prepare the ballroom to accommodate as many as possible, this group will be staying awhile and I want them more protected than what this open field provides. Go,” and she raced off to do as I asked.

I motioned for the other two to follow me. I met with the first family, a young couple with twins on their hips. They all looked ravenous and the male was barely concealing bruises underneath his threadbare once-white tee. 

“Where is your Alpha’s Territory, and what is his name?”

“Alpha Vorik, in the swamps of Florida,” the male said in a deep throaty voice that didn’t match his appearance, he sounded like a giant, maybe he’d grow if he had enough food.

“Could you lead us to him if we asked?” I could see the fear in his eyes at my question and his mate looked at me sharply but stayed respectfully silent. 

“Yes,” was his short reply after a moment's thought. 

“Good, it may be necessary when the time comes. Go to the North edge of the clearing and wait for the other families to join you. You will be staying in my house for now, and Frieda will ensure everyone is fed. It will seem scant, but Freida knows how to get you full without you getting sick.”

He nodded with only a hint of question in his eyes, I’m sure to him anything more than air was a feast. Carrying children from that distance in less than a week likely left little time for true hunting, and I’m sure the children were fed well before the parents thought of eating. They walked toward the northern edge of the clearing as I had directed and I moved on to the next family. 

The next three were mates with one or two children from similar situations, and the fifth family was nothing but children, an older brother having escorted his three younger sisters here from the edge of Texas. He said that he had fled with them several days before they heard the message about the challenge. He had heard rumors before about the Unmated Alpha and had been working his way here anyway. The chance to see me in action first was simply a boon, I took his name and his sisters and made a note to check in on them first when things settled down. I explained that they would all be sleeping in one room tonight but that I would have better accommodations made for them soon. They were more than happy with that, the youngest nearly cried with relief at the promise of a warm bed. I sent them to the North edge with one of my shadows. I instructed the boy to take the families gathered there to my house and to Frieda. I knew she would take good care of them all until I came home.

The rest of the first group was composed of mates and single wolves, many from the same Alpha’s. That would make my job easier later on. With each small pack now missing 3-5 wolves, they’d be easy to deal with. Only the vilest Alpha’s would try to fight me and in those situations, a Challenge wasn’t so common as a simple battle. My trusted fighters of 12-15 against a pack of 5-9 would be a sad and bloody comparison. With a little luck, many of the abusive Alpha’s would die before the pack members and we could save a few more. I shook my head at the thought of how much larger my pack was about to become. That would be an issue for another day though.

When I had all the information written down from the first group, I sent them away with my last shadow and they also went to Frieda. These were the abused and neglected, the wolves from a life I knew too well myself. I wanted them under my direct protection, in case some crazed Alpha thought to come and take them back. I also ensured the few who had to leave children behind that they would be reunited within the week. I set that particular list aside to be dealt with as soon as possible. 

I moved on to the second group, rogues and lone wolves were often hard to pin down. Some had been banned for good reason, others had fled their packs long ago and simply never found another. It was now my job to listen to each of their stories and decide if they could be trusted within the Pack territory moving forward, or if I would need to ban them as well. I had high hopes, after my display of strength against one of my own this morning, that those still here wanted to be part of a pack again and were willing to take on that level of responsibility in exchange for a place to call home. It took several hours to get through them all, but in the end, I dismissed none of them. Those who seemed uncomfortable around this many other wolves I gave sanctuary in the outposts. I wrote letters to the outposts and sent each group with 2 of my own as escorts and messengers. These rogues and loners would serve as extra protection for the territory for the time being, and they each agreed to follow the orders of my scout leaders who ran the outposts in 2-week shifts. The shift changed again in 10 days, which would give me time to deliberate on the next step for them. 

It was late in the afternoon when I finished up with the second group, and thankfully reinforcements had arrived bringing food and blankets. I snagged a bottle of water and a cold-cut sandwich and took a break from the endless questions and stories and worries. I went to a nearby tree, circled around it, and sat with my back against the trunk facing into the woods. I blocked out the noise behind me and forced my conscious mind to be silent. I needed a minute to just be. I ate my sandwich slowly, trying to relish every morsel as though it were my last meal. It was gone all too soon, and as I finished my water I stood up, stretched, and made my way back to the throng of people waiting for me to hear them out. 

The 3rd group was thankfully small and paired up. These scouts had all come in twos to be able to report back with accuracy. I took down their names, Alphas, and territories, and made promises to send them each with a generalized treaty. I would allow them to go over it with their Alphas and then we would schedule a time to meet for negotiations. Most of them were pleased enough with this idea and all agreed to wait 24 hours for me to write out that generalized treaty. Thankfully I had such a thing on my computer already. A few tweaks and an hour to print should be all I needed to send them on their way. The intriguing part about this group was the distance many of them had traveled. Three pairs had flown in from overseas, those would be harder to help, but I promised to do what I could regardless. 

The fourth group was the most interesting, and also the largest. I decided that this group could be handled like a press conference, so I stood before them and made an impromptu speech. 

“As I understand it, you are all here because you have questions. Or you come from a background I am familiar with and are looking to do better by your Pack. I will answer 1 question from each of you, so ask well, and pay attention. Afterward, you are all welcome to camp here and be fed by my own, but I will ask that you not stay past tomorrow morning. I have many more pressing issues that need to be dealt with in a timely manner. I will give you all 20 minutes to formulate your question, I also ask that you stand in formation to make this easier to accomplish.”

I left them to figure it out from there and returned in 20 minutes with a couple of secretaries and a recorder. I wanted to document this occurrence for future use and to give each of these wolves a page of notes to ponder over. I also brought 3 of the Elders with me to answer questions more fully. 

“Once you have asked your question please sit down or leave if you so choose. My two secretaries here will be taking notes of these proceedings and I will make copies to be distributed tomorrow to those who wish to have them. The Elders will help me answer your questions and if someone asks your question you may sit down or quickly come up with another. Once you sit, you may not stand again. Are we in agreement?” 

I watched as every head bobbed up and down.

“Very well,” I looked directly at the first in line, “State your Name and Rank in your pack, then ask your question.”

And so it began, it was rather tedious at first, but as the questions continued they evolved and became complex and in-depth. I was glad I brought the Elders with me, it would have been impossible to fully answer all of their questions otherwise. When we had finally finished the Elders were all sitting behind me and I was pacing in front of my audience, answering questions slowly after giving them due thought. We had garnered the attention of the wolves left in the clearing and many of my own pack who had been notified and came to volunteer their help. As I looked around I noticed little things like a few cooking fires and several bedrolls made out around each one. It would get a bit chilly tonight and not everyone was comfortable sleeping outside in wolf form.

As I finished answering the last question I looked around at my audience, studiously listening to us and trying to absorb as much as they could. They now knew my own backstory and the relevance of the main crowd's reaction to the Challenge statement. Most of them didn’t have such traditions or mannerisms, and I admitted that My Pack didn’t have them in the beginning either. We communed with the Goddess and with other Packs to determine the appropriate way to challenge, to lead, and what traditions to preserve, toss out, or start anew. I felt like I was teaching a master class in Werewolf Etiquette over the course of several hours. How I got through it all without passing out from exhaustion was a miracle in itself.

But once complete, I nodded once to the sitting formation, “Thank you for listening. I will have copies of the notes available tomorrow.”

I headed straight for home, too exhausted to think of anything else. I left Xander and the other Elders to coordinate the final sleeping arrangements in the Clearing. I made my way home feeling good about the day's work and progress, especially considering how it all started out. As I walked through my front door I was accosted by a severe-looking Frieda.

“Just can’t help but rescue the whole friggin’ world eh? You’ll be pleased to know that every child and parent has been adequately fed, thoroughly washed, and tucked in tight to bed. I suspect most of the adults, yourself included, will sleep well past breakfast tomorrow. I’ll run through in the morning to gather the little ones and feed them, let the elder of you rest for a while longer. I’ll wake the house at 11:30 for lunch, now, eat this on your way up. And do stand under a bit of water before you hit the sheets, yes?”

“Yes Frieda, Thank you,” I responded to her speech and took the massive sandwich she offered.

I took a bite as she eyeballed me on my way up the stairs to my floor. It took all three flights to finish it, and I did as she asked and showered before collapsing naked and damp on my bed for the night. It was late and I was beyond exhausted. I barely had the presence of mind to set an alarm for myself to get up at 8 the next morning. I had a lot of things left to do, promises to fulfill. At least tonight I would be too exhausted to dream, or so I hoped.