Raised By The Wolves

***Hera's POV*** Running through the forest in the midst of the morning dew, in my human form with the wind blowing through my dark brown hair, is the kind of freedom others wished they'd had. This is something me and Calliope, my best friend, did all the time. Running in our human form to keep our wolf form in check. We aren't normal pack wolves but being rogue hasn't stopped us from forming our own little collective after growing up in this forest. Calliope has been around for as long as I can remember. Which has been about 13 years. We kind of ran into each other near the human town one day. The woman who took care of us all, Granny Margie, was bringing me into town for weekly lessons. We didn't have a physical address to enroll me in school. So granny just found someone to teach me twice a week. Said "A young she wolf such as you needs an education. " Calliope was laying on the ground in nothing but rags next to a dead wolf. Granny walked up on them first and told me to stay back but I couldn't. I felt an urge even at 5 years old to help her. I pulled Calli away from that scene, which was probably her mother or father, and told her she could be my best friend and we could be like sisters and that I would always protect her. That's what we did, always protecting each other. We look nothing alike though. I have dark brown hair that goes in waves down my back to about three fourths of the way to my butt. I have dark grey sorta blue eyes. I always thought they made me look weird but Calli and Granny said they were mystical. I'm about 5"3' in height. I think I have an alright build. Nice hips, decent boobs and butt. But Calli is a show stopper. My best friend is 5'6" and her legs take most of her height which is one of her greatest physical assets. She has smaller boobs and butt than me but they are proportioned correctly with her body so she looks amazing. Blonde straight hair that goes to the middle of her back. And dark blue eyes. They are actually pretty cool. I have never seen eyes so deeply blue. We might have our physical differences, but we are somewhat the same in a lot of ways. I'm definitely stronger and a better hunter and leader. She's the better strategist and critical thinker. She calls me the leader all the time and she always says 'I will follow you wherever you go Hera.' I say to myself mocking her voice thinking of all our past times. But growing up as a rogue wolf isn't as bad as everyone would think it is. We don't have to fight for our food. We run in our own packs and we basically built our own compound in the woods! We steer clear of packs, only because we are killed on site for being rogue. Which in my opinion, I feel like we should at least be investigated before being torn to pieces. Most of us are born rogues, and the ones that aren't either left their pack willingly or their stories of why they were kicked out are usually because of other jealous and treacherous wolves. A lot of us were just raised this way. That's not something we can help. We have definitely died down in numbers in our small little clan. It's down to about 5 of us now. Everyone looks to me for answers and the what's next. I don't mind. I care for these wolves. They aren't my biological family but the family I have created. And I'd never lead them into destruction or hurt them. I always look out for them and I think that's why I'm the "turn to". We have stepped in a few times though with some injustices that have happened in the woods. Like crazed pack members trying to rape unwilling parties, vampires trying to sneak through the woods at night trying to get into certain packs unseen for goddess only knows what reason. Even other Alpha's sending warriors to try and infiltrate the packs on the borders of our forest. The packs might not like us but we don't want any innocent wolves, humans, even all the other supernaturals getting hurt. It's not in us to wish that on anyone. On our run now, Calli and I have come across the borders of a dying pack. You can tell it is dying from the outside which is not a good thing. Where their border ended, the trees were bare, the ground wasn't covered in grass. We can see the patrols look sickly. Skin and bones, like they haven't eaten in days. I think one is about to pass out. I caught the conversation of that set of patrols. -"C'mon man, don't pass out now. You know what the Alpha will do. He will kill us both. We can't take a break, we just need to push through and get this shift over, okay?" The first man said to the guy next to him as he held him up a bit. "I know, I'm just so weak. He restricted our meals again, barely one a day. And it's catching up to me. Plus he has my Yennifer locked up in the packhouse and won't let her leave.. I'm afraid of what he has planned for her." The man basically started sobbing. - That's just horrible to do to the people you are sworn to lead and protect. I can't let this continue. My whole body won't let me. Even my wolf Elaina says hell no. I got back to our little community knowing this couldn't go on. What kind of tyrant doesn't feed his people? What kind of tyrant wolf doesn't make sure his lands are lush and full of life for his pack members to run through and live on? What kind of person locks anyone up in the packhouse and doesn't allow them to leave for goddess knows what reason? "Calli...." She looked at me with a smirk. "I know Hera, I already told the others what we saw and heard. They are waiting til you address them to voice their opinions." I nodded. She is always by my side, no matter what. My best friend till the end. She knows me better than anyone else. We walk into the middle of the clearing overlooking a cliff. We have our compound set up here, it's secluded and far from the other packs. And the view of the river and the valley is exquisite. We live in the woods but we've built sort of a tiny little village here. Nothing big, just enough for 5 of us. Power, running water, minimal technologies. We go to the human town nearby and eat most days. Some of us choose to work over there too. We are paid secretly by Alpha's of packs that neighbor our dark forest to keep their pack borders safe. That's another reason we are almost killed on site, because the Alpha's are too scared to tell their packs that there is a group of rogues they pay monthly to keep the borders within this forest safe. But that's not my business to tell them, we just do the job we are paid for. Those Alpha's might be secretive in some dealings but from what I've seen they are good leaders. Not the Alpha of whatever pack this is. "Hey guys, I got a favor to ask?" "Oh gosh, not another rescue mission." We all chuckle. I can't help it, I like helping people. "Only when it's to rescue you Jeremiah! " We all giggled again and he blushed. Jeremiah is a good looking guy but not for me. He's definitely the play boy type and because there's only three girls in our group, with one spoken for, he knows he has to go to the human town to get dates. He's about 6 foot tall, a good 200 lbs of muscle. Tan, with black hair, nice little scruff on his jaw and pretty green eyes. Definitely good looking, just not for me. Juan, the other male in our group, is Bethany's mate. He's the same height and build as Jeremiah. Except Juan is hispanic. Dark Brown hair, dark brown eyes with a hint of gold. Also, very good looking. But he matches Bethany so damn well. She's the same height as Calli. She has dark auburn hair, cute freckles across her button nose and the prettiest hazel eyes. We are all pretty tan now that I'm thinking about it. Probably from running around in the sun all the time. Those two met one day in the human town. Juan actually left his pack because he didn't think his Alpha would accept his mate into the pack since she was a rogue. But he didn't care, he says, "The Moon Goddess chose this to be my path. I will not throw away a gift from the Moon Goddess just because some big headed Alpha can't look past what you were born as." It always warmed my heart how much they were in love. Me and Calli haven't found our mates yet. We aren't really looking like most she wolves would. We are content without having a mate. "The pack farthest south, the one we rarely ever go by. It's almost dead. The Alpha is an uncaring man with no regard for his pack members. We heard a few patrols talking about their loved ones being locked in the packhouse and not knowing what was happening to them. The patrols, and I can only assume the rest of the pack as well, are not being fed adequately. I can't stand that. Starving your wolves, holding their loved ones against their will. I am only asking if any of you want to help, to come with me. If you don't wish to, you can stay here, no hard feelings." I really wouldn't hold any hard feelings, I let them choose what they involve themselves in. "You should already know we are all in." Jeremiah said with a smirk as we looked around at the few of us left and they nodded. "We'd follow you anywhere Hera." says Calli, that made me smile big. Always her favorite saying. "Okay, first thing in the morning we will head to their pack. The rest of the day we will scout. I will not lie, this might end in an Alpha challenge, which I will take. If that happens, I am to fight the Alpha alone. If I win, you know what that means. We will be in an actual pack... Leading. We've never done something this formal or out in the open. How do you all feel about that?" They were silent for a second. Thinking it over. Bethany, one of the toughest females I've ever seen, spoke up. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind it. The forest has been good to us. But I'd like a chance at a normal pack life. With a few more faces to look at everyday." She chuckled. Everyone else did too. "Yeah it wouldn't be so bad. We can still keep this spot for backup and to still patrol the forest just in case. But let's get through tomorrow before we make any final decisions, yeah?" Calliope says. She's always been more of a strategist anyway. "I agree. Let's deal with this incompetent Alpha. And help these innocent wolves." They nodded in agreement and we all went to our rooms to get ready to scout the pack. We needed to change so we could be discreet. Tomorrow could be the start of something good, my only hope it's the end of all the bad. I just hope we can help these poor wolves before something extremely horrifying happens to them. If there ends up being an Alpha fight, I'm pretty confident in my ability to take this pathetic excuse of an Alpha. Plus I'm the leader of this group. Although they are also all capable of handling things, for whatever reason, it's in my blood to do these things. it just runs through me. To be the protector of the ones I care for and I care a whole lot about others. Even if I am invisible to them or they don't know I exist. I care. I don't let anyone push me around or walk all over me either. Jeremiah tried that sh*t when he first came to us about 8 years ago. Thought he was going to be the boss of us, push me and Calli around because we were young teenage girls and he was bigger and older. Ha. Even then I handed his a*s to him. And ever since then he's been like a brother to us. No one will push anyone around or have them under their thumb, not while I'm around. That's not the way anyone should live. And these pack members seem like they have had all they can take from that kind of ruling. I just hope we have arrived in enough time to help.