Chasing Luna

Origins - Part 2

“Charlie stood over the three bodies for a moment. We all waited in profound silence. Finally, he shifted back into a man and looked at me, “Kai, will you help me?” I nodded in surprise and walked toward him. Together we hauled each body out to the barn, then I picked out two sturdy shovels and we began digging. We buried all three of them together, a good 8 or 9 feet deep. The summer sun was just cresting the horizon when we finished, and as I looked at Charlie all I could think to say was, “You’re an i***t. You know I could have talked you out of fighting the Sentinels.”

“Charlie laughed, “I know, but I had to prove it to the whole pack. I’m too young to just kill the weakest wolf in the pack and think I could call myself Alpha. I would be no better than Zed, who was just smart and manipulative and had his two loyal henchmen do all the physical work. They could do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted with no consequences and no responsibility. Zed was a terrible leader, I want to do better. I want the pups under my care to know respect, not hunger. To feel responsibility and be proud, not burdened. You will help me, won’t you Kai?”

“I said, “Of course, I will….Alpha,” and I saluted him. With no one to witness or force me to, I accepted my best friend as my Alpha. We had been through a lot in this pack so far, and we had learned to look out for each other as pups, and then for the pups under us when there wasn’t enough to go around. We and a few others came up with the plan to escape the property regularly enough to hunt small game to feed us all. I knew they would all be more than happy to accept Charlie as their leader and be proud of him for doing what no one else had courage enough to try. We hugged as brothers and went back into the Alpha’s house.

“The dozen or so wolves of our pack watched us carefully as we crossed the banquet hall and they questioned Charlie with their eyes when he stopped in the middle of the hall, surrounded by them, surprised that he didn’t ascend the dais and take the old Alpha’s place above them. Charlie drew in a deep slow breath, preparing himself to address them formally as their Alpha.

“He looked around and stated, “Good Morning Pack. I hope that all of you are willing to accept me as your Alpha. I name Kai,” he motioned to me, “as my Beta. Firstly, I would like to grant amnesty to Zed’s family, they will be accepted into my pack and placed where their strengths dictate should they choose to stay, and will not be hunted as rogues should they choose to leave. I grant the same amnesty to any wolf who does not wish to be in my pack. Any of you wishing to become lone, rogue, or Alphas of your own may do so. I will recognize you as such and give you freedom to leave.”

“He waited for several breaths and slowly turned, looking at each member of our small congregation. When all he met were smiling eyes and still feet he cracked a grin himself and said, “Welcome to my Pack, I hope to change our lives for the better. Kai,” he motioned for me to stand next to him, “shall we start with our pack line up?” I nodded my agreement and looked around, I made my suggestions for the lineup, picking out who I thought would be best in a fight, who would make good scouts for reconnaissance, who the best hunters were, who the caretakers of the pups should be when the others were out, and so on. I named every adult present, none were left to fill the optional omega spot. Everyone was smiling when I finished my assessment, most had received some level of promotion. I looked back at Charlie when I named the last. He nodded in agreement, “I agree, mostly,” a few faces fell in disappointment, “you forgot yourself for one.” He said cheekily with a grin, “You are my Beta, and just as important to the well-being of this pack as anyone else. However, I will not take you with me on Hunts or during any anticipated battles, someone should always be with the pack when the Alpha isn’t present. To help protect the others, and lead them should the Alpha fall or be otherwise unable to lead. What say, all of you, to this idea?” and he looked around at his pack, some nodded their heads in fervor, others contemplated for a moment before agreeing, one older wolf raised his hand. Charlie spotted him, “Speak your mind Elder, wisdom is not mine alone.”

“Wise you are though, we have lost pups in the past because no adult was ever left to protect them when Zed would fight for territory. And we so often lost those battles that it seemed a hopeless situation to have a loss in both battle and at home with our already small pack.” Charlie and I both nodded gravely in agreement with this assessment, Charlie had lost his father in a battle for more territory against a pack so large they conducted a raid on us while Zed was hunting their Alpha. I lost my sister in that raid, and almost my own life trying to protect her. They took all the infants from us, and we never knew if they survived or were killed. Zed refused to mount a rescue mission, having lost half his hunting crew and moved the whole pack within a week. “I would like to suggest that we leave more than just the Beta, Caretakers, and Pups behind. We should always leave a few Warriors to run our inner perimeters to keep the pack protected in full.” A few of the younger mothers looked at him in appreciation, but most of the seasoned Warriors wanted to argue.

“Charlie spoke in his Alpha tone, that same one he used to Challenge Zed. The tone that seems to resonate in your very bones. “I like the idea, but we are too small a pack to split as such. I propose instead that we refrain from any territorial disputes. I also propose a new rank, one where those with experience and knowledge advise the Alpha. I appoint you, Xander, as our first Elder and ask that you nominate two others.” Charlie waited for the nominations then asked the pack, “What say you all?”

“They were getting used to the idea of being included in the decisions being made that would govern their lives from now on. As Charlie looked at each one they gave their assent in solid voices of, “Yes Alpha” and “Agreed Alpha”. Charlie brought the pack table away from the wall then and poured himself a drink of water from the night's feast, then motioned everyone to sit down and rest while he paced the room in thought. We spent much of that first day in deliberations, agreements, arguments, and decisions. When it was finished we were a cohesive pack, bound in honest understanding and full agreement. Every point of contention was met with logic and realism provided by the Elders, Charlie, and myself. We made a good team, often pointing out each other's lapses and fallacies.

“In the early evening, we all retired to the barn, feeling more at home there than in the house. We slept soundly with full bellies, content for the first time in most of our lives. The next morning Charlie sent out a hunting party for food, the 3 Elders to town to look for a legitimate place of work and life for our pack, and the children all to school with full lunches for the first time ever. Those of us left continued to discuss the future of the pack, not knowing how the larger more successful packs managed in a world dominated by humans. We knew so little about them, that we decided we would have to meet some of them. So we hunted them down, approached them in human form in their homes and communities. We asked them questions, learned how they got on, how they lived peaceably with humans, what sacrifices they made, what boons they gained, we learned everything we could from every pack we could find. It took months, but in the end, our small pack was happy and settled in. In our travels, we came across several rogue wolves that had been forced from or secretly left packs that were similar to what Zed led. We took them in, added them to our numbers, and so we doubled in size in just a few months.

“When we were comfortable and settled, we started marking our territory. Making a large ring around our hometown and setting up a perimeter that a Warrior and Scout pair could run constantly. Always a pair was trotting the perimeter in wolf form, remarking the area we had claimed, scenting out any wolves or humans crossing the line. A few weeks of that and other packs steered well clear, and even human hunters began to avoid the woods near home, preferring to drive many more miles away to hunt without interference from the large wolves that occasionally popped up to steal their kills. Not that they could confirm it was wolves, we left no prints and took only those prey who ran far from their original hunter. It was the easiest way to teach our youngest Hunters how to hunt cleanly and also how to avoid being seen at all. The humans only knew that too often their deer spooked when shot and ran for a mile or two before succumbing to death only to never be found and no blood trail leading to the thief. Bird season was even worse for hunters as their retrievers came running back with tails tucked and no wish to venture back out. A wolf pack made sense, but no one suspected it was shifters.

“All of us over 18 secured some job or other within our territory, saving every penny we made over the course of the next months to buy that abandoned farm and house, it didn’t take much. The bank that owned the land out of default was more than delighted to part with it at last and be free of the taxes. Charlie and I left the jobs we had and put ourselves to work dismantling the old buildings, scrapping what materials we could, and then crafting the rest from the surrounding woods and land. We built a new packhouse with fresh materials, large, open, and simple. With 3 stories and a basement to house everyone in our pack. We figured it was best to stick close together for now, and we were comfortable that way. Over time we knew the pack would need to branch out, but for now, just having a single place to call home was good enough for us.

“Our pack helped in their off-hours, and we all contributed to the new home we were building. We were thrilled to learn the land actually extended much closer to town than we thought, with a smaller dwelling near the main road. We renovated that and made it our Business Headquarters. We needed a safe place to become a part of the human community and give our wolves a place to work and earn money for themselves while working for the pack. We never expected what happened next. Our small community hands business exploded, we were doing everything from messenger services to rescue aid, we even had to add an emergency hotline because the local humans quickly passed around that our response time was much more immediate than the county EMS and Sheriff. We could very easily subdue domestic disputes, and most medical emergencies were just a matter of stablizing a patient until professionals arrived. Though most of our knowledge was crude or ancient, it was effective.

“We spent the next year solidifying how the pack should be run. We expanded the council of Elders to include the oldest five wolves in our pack, giving them each a portion of our growing community to monitor and be voices for. Xander led the other four Elders who each had a quadrant of our territory. And all five advised Charlie on every point of Pack Life. We continue to provide every wolf with the choice of the position we present to them. Though no one has ever refused, we all appreciate that freedom of choice. Because of this system, we’ve had very few omegas over the years. Few of us shifters are born with such weak wolves that shifting is near impossible, and the few we have had have been more essential than we could have predicted. They are the natural solution to life with humans, being so human themselves they fit in at the human schools. They even find their mates among the humans, which was so odd at first, but became such a boon later. We have human allies here, in our hometown. Something no other pack has, and it’s all because of our Omegas. One of them, Audrey, is training to be a human doctor so she can teach us and teach our healers to be more effective.

“For 8 years we have worked together, offered choices, amnesty, and placement among allied packs for dissenting wolves. We worked out treaties with larger packs, allowing for wolves to cross territories and find their mates sooner, and allowing the couple to choose which pack they would belong to. When smaller packs would lose a strong member in this way it often infuriated their Alpha, and that always came with a challenge. These Alphas would hear that Charlie was descended from warriors not Alphas, to rub salt in the wound they all knew Charlie was still unmated. They would issue their Challenge and come at Charlie half-c****d and arrogant. He would defeat them easily, and could sometimes force them to submit before dying. Those that survived took their beating and observed silence ever after. Those that died in Challenge left their packs vulnerable, so we would take them in.

“Our pack grew tremendously, last Moon we were 100 fighters strongs, with 50 more in docile mates, healers, and humans. Over two dozen pups in school, and another dozen infants. With nearly 200 souls to care for and protect Charlie has the largest pack on the continent, 3rd in the known world. Our territory, as many of you know, covers the entire Appalachia mountain range. With various outposts and markers along the length. We even renamed our pack the Appalachian Pack two years ago, publishing our territory on maps so our allies could better communicate with us.

“Though our territory is large, two wolves can circle it’s entirety in about a day at a comfortable pace. With our outposts along the length, though, our rounds are done in much smaller pieces. Each outpost is equipped to house the sentinels, squads, and their mates so that they can take full week rotations. Their pups stay in the main compound for everyone’s safety and peace of mind. Any mated pair with a pup under 1 year is not required to serve outpost duty. Though Charlie’s mate continues to elude him, he his very protective of our pups. My mate Sasha, takes on many of the Luna’s traditional roles.

“Most of us here have roots in corrupt, abusive, and neglected packs. We all trust Charlie to lead us as we believe an Alpha should lead. His rule is not absolute, it is guided by the Pack. Charlie ends the perils we face in small packs. He knows from experience what not to do, how not to lead. It is never his intention to claim another’s pack, he only absorbs those who have no one else to fight for them, to lead them. And sometimes even the smallest packs have someone, but that wolf has no idea how to lead so Charlie teaches him. Gives them the tools they need to lead their packs as successfully as we have done. Charlie has set up trade stations and pup schools, and given money for land purchases, and advice on how to merge with the human communities. In the last few years, humans have come to accept us. They know we are different, not quite the same, but still civilized, still governed and controlled as they are.

“Overall, I don’t believe it’s a question of trusting Charlie to be a good Alpha, it’s about trusting your whole pack to be your family, to provide and care for you just as you care and provide for them. We only trust Charlie to make decisions that affect the whole pack, and we trust him to keep the whole pack in mind when he does.”

I finished my long tale and looked around at all these strangers I was truly ready to welcome into my family without question. All because of how true my words were to me, I trusted Charlie to look at each of these wolves and decide if helping them was the best decision. And how that help would affect my family, our pack, and I trusted him to make the best decision. He hadn’t failed us yet, and I don’t believe he ever will. I know he isn’t perfect, he makes mistakes and bad judgments from time to time, but he never lets the past rule his future. He fixes what he breaks, and he learns from it. I looked at him, with that same trust and admiration I felt almost 9 years ago when he became my Alpha, and saluted him again.

He acknowledged me, and stepped to the center of the group again as I took my place behind and to the right of him.