23. Canada
2273 Words
Grant
We flew from Itaituba, Brazil to Armstrong, Ontario in Canada on one flight that stopped just to refuel. The flight lasted twelve hours, which was better than some of the other flights we had been on. Since we didn’t have a pack to go to here, I had rented a house in Armstrong for the month we would be here. It was just outside of town on a farm.
I rented a Toyota Rav 4 for our time here and it got us from the airport to the house we were staying in. The weather here was nice at the moment. It wasn’t hot and it wasn’t cold, it was perfect. We all got our things out of the vehicle and placed them in the rooms that we would call ours for now.
We then got back in the vehicle and went to find a grocery store. We shopped together before heading back to the house and unloading the groceries. We would all be taking turns cooking throughout the week. Sharing the responsibility of feeding each other.
While we put groceries away, I was asked by Mona, “what are we doing here in Canada?”
“There used to be a pack close by. Years ago, my uncle killed the Alpha and took most of the pack members with him. I’m here to see if there are any left that want to join us.”
She nodded her head then asked, “do you know why your uncle killed the Alpha?”
“He was an abusive tyrant that made his people stay in wolf form. I was told he was abusive and wouldn't let pack members leave if they found their mates elsewhere.”
The look of horror on her face told me everything I needed to know. I grimaced at the thought of anyone being like that Alpha. We dropped the conversations and went about the end of the day activities.
Otto made us dinner tonight. He grilled some lamb and made homemade bread along with grilling corn on the cob. It was yummy and I told him that he would make his she-wolf happy one day. Otto laughed and smiled at me.
We all cleaned the kitchen before finding our own spaces for the night. I texted everyone to let them know what we were up to and what my plans were here. Uncle Sean told me where to find the old pack grounds and we would travel there in the morning to see if there was still anyone out there.
Madison updated me on things going on back at Hunter’s Moon. She also complained about training and some classes she wasn't enjoying. It was good to talk with her even if she was irritated at everyone and everything else.
~
The next morning, I was the first one up, so I made breakfast for everyone. We ate eggs, bacon and biscuits, then got ready to leave the house. We left the house in Armstrong and drove to the Wabakimi park where the village was located deep in the park. I looked at the coordinates and knew we would have to park the vehicle and hike most of the way.
I parked the vehicle at a trail head. There were a ton of trees out here along with water. There were small lakes everywhere that varied in size. We walked through the park and around the lakes to get closer to the spot my uncle Sean was sending us to.
Suddenly, through the trees and thick vegetation, I saw what looked like an old abandoned town. I held up my hand and everyone stopped moving. We stood there quietly, listening, watching and sniffing for any signs of anyone. There didn’t seem to be anyone here so we pushed forward to enter the pack ghost town.
We looked at every building and there were no signs of life or anyone living here. The buildings were falling apart and l saw that nature was starting to reclaim the area along with the wildlife. It was beautiful in an eerie kind of way.
I was happy that no pack members stayed here in a place where they had been abused. Since there was no one here, we would need to look in the other nearby towns to see if there were any rogues that wanted a life with a pack instead of with humans.
We explored the ghost town for a little while and I messaged Sean to tell him about our findings. We left the abandoned buildings and headed back to the house we were staying in.
When we got back, I sat down and looked at the map to see what towns we should explore close by. I picked out Collins, Savant Lake, Gull Bay and Auden. I decided we would visit each place in the next couple of days and search for any signs of rogues.
As the day came to a close, I went outside to watch the sunset. Hunter’s Moon was an hour ahead of me this time, so it was already dark in Texas. I got my phone out and looked at the sky as the stars started to come out.
I texted Madison asking, “What are you up to tonight?”
“Headed out to our spot. There’s a meteor shower tonight that I want to catch.”
“Good call. I forgot all about that.”
“Are you outside?”
“Yep, I’m already looking up.”
She didn’t text me back after that but called me instead.
“Hey,” I answered the phone.
“Hey. How's the sky there?”
“Beautiful and clear. What about there?”
“Clear and bright.”
There was a pause on the phone while I sighed heavily in happiness.
I then said, “Too bad I didn’t get here a month earlier. I’m not in the Aurora borealis season. I was hoping to catch it for you.”
“That’s ok. I would rather see it in person, so maybe one day we can catch it together.”
“That would be awesome… wait, is this you taking back you not wanting to be in my pack?”
She laughed and said, “Yeah. It’s miserable here without you.”
“I’m happy that you reconsidered.”
“I am too. We will figure things out once one of us finds our mate, but being without my best friend has been horrible.”
“I feel you.”
“Whatever. You have Otto.”
“True, but he’s not nearly as nice to look at as you are.”
She cracked up on the phone before we both started seeing meteors pass through the atmosphere. We both went quiet as we watched them glide by us. This was always amazing to watch and we loved sharing this with one another. It almost felt like being right beside her, but I couldn't hold her hand.
~
We went to Collins, Savant Lake, Gull Bay and Auden and we hadn’t found any signs of possible rogues. They had all left the area, possibly the country, to find better places to live out their lives. Finding nothing here showed me that my time in Canada might be wasted, so I needed to start looking for places for the pack to build and settle.
As I looked through my phone at properties for sale, I got a phone call from a number I didn’t know. I considered sending the call to voicemail because I didn't know it, but then reconsidered and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Alpha Grant. This is Nikolay from Roma, well Russia.”
I realized that I was talking to the oldest siblings of the five rogues we had met in Rome.
“Oh! Hey. How are you and your siblings doing?”
“We are doing ok. We are in England now but we still have the Vatican following us.”
“That’s not good. Do y’all need my help in any way or do y’all want to join my pack?”
“If you will have us, we would like to join you. We know that packs protect each other and we would like to help you if you can help us. We want a home.”
“I’ll be glad to have you,” I told him with a smile on my face.
“Where should we meet you?” Nikolay asked.
“We are currently in Canada. I can help with plane tickets if you need them.”
“I have the money for tickets. Just tell me where we are going and I will let you know when we will be seeing you.”
“We are in Armstrong, Ontario. I’ll make sure to pick y’all up from the airport.”
“Sounds good, Alpha Grant. I’ll let you know when we will be there.”
“Alright. Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
I hung up the phone with a crooked grin on my face. This makes the pack ten people, which doesn’t include me. Sure, I have heard horror stories about Russian rogues, but I would give this group the benefit of the doubt. Not all rogues were evil.
~
I met Nikolay, Pavel, Kira, Alina and Sasha at the airport and loaded their things in the back of the vehicle. I would need to rent a second vehicle when it was time to leave or get a damn bus so we could all leave together. We went to the house and we unloaded their things. So far so good. I told Krew about the Vatican issue when it came to the group and he set up security to help protect us.
As the day started to come to a close and after conversations with my parents and uncle Sean about the rogue group, I started getting phone calls from other parts of the world.
My first call was from Angus in Scotland.
“Hello?” I asked as I answered.
“Hey lad. I was wondering where abouts ye might be?” Angus asked.
“I’m in Canada getting ready to head to the US to settle.”
“Could you use a warrior?”
“Always.”
“Grand. A warrior named Clyde wanted to join ye but felt he was no ready yet. He is now.”
“I’ll be glad to have him along.”
“Perfect, we will get everything setup then.”
“Sounds good to me.”
"Mar sin leat," (goodbye) Angus said.
"Mar sin leat," I said in return and hung up the phone.
I got a phone call an hour later from Alpha Alton in Mongolia. He was sending me a couple that we could use and that wanted to start a new life in the US. The male was a warrior and the female was a cook. We could use her skills to help feed members.
About thirty minutes later, Alpha Feng called me from China and asked if we could use a doctor and a teacher. I was thrilled and ready to move forward. Things were coming together and I couldn't wait to get my pack going.
I told Madison all about it that night and she was really excited for me. I loved how things were falling into place.
~
I had all fifteen of my pack members crammed into the four-bedroom house we were staying in and it was tight. I was up early looking at properties in two different states in the US. I found a property in coastal Georgia that was four hundred acres with no buildings on it. I found another one in northern Georgia that was three hundred and fifty acres with a lake and no buildings.
In South Carolina I found a four hundred acre property with timber and a small creek. It was used for hunting and was called Brushy Fox Creek. The other property I found in South Carolina was a five hundred acre hunting area that had no water but some barns on it.
I saved each listing, then called Eric, mom and dad.
“Hey, dude. What’s up?” Eric asked.
“I’m headed back to the US and I need a place to call home.”
“I’m so happy to hear you say that. Do you have any idea where you want to be?” he asked.
“Yeah. I'll send y’all some listings so you can look into them and make some offers,” I said.
“How many pack members do you have now?” Dad asked.
“Fifteen,” I told him happily.
“That’s a great start,” mom told me.
“Yeah, it is. Now I just need a place for all of us,” I commented.
“Ok. Send us over the property info so we can look at it and handle it for you. I’ll send you the information once we are good,” Eric told me.
“Perfect. Thank y’all and I love y’all,” I said.
“Love you,” all three of them said before I hung up.
I sent them the four listings and sat back to wait. This was all I could do. Now, it was a waiting game to see what I would end up with. I knew about the money that mom and dad put away for Jaxson and me to start packs with. I just hope not too much is spent on the land because we will need buildings and lots of them.
- Writer
