Althena

25. Pack Party

I don't know what to wear to a pack party. I think I should make a good impression though. I'll be here for a whole month. I pick out a safiri dress with some heels. Then I do my makeup and pull my hair back. I grab my best sunglasses and leave with Granny.

Turns out, they do have a park. And the food smells amazing. They roast stuff on open fires and everyone brings a side dish. I wish I had known that. I take a few pictures and send them to Mike.

People are very basic here. No makeup. Plain dresses and shoes. No heels. It is a lot like woodland. I'm over dressed. But everyone smiles at me anyway. A few people point out my marks. But they're nice. I find a picnic table in the shade and have a seat. Granny is running around with Phira. They are like 2 kids.

"You're definitely new." A boy sits beside me.

"I'm visiting my grandma for a month. I was invited to your party."

He smiles. "Nobody would care if you weren't. We'd feed you more. Are you a magician?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He smirks. "A month?"

"Yes. It's a long visit."

"I guess that's why my grandpa marked you."

"I don't think they wanted me to get lost."

"Where are you from?"

"Crystal Falls."

He laughs. "I figured you would say another district. You look like you could be from central."

"I didn't know what to expect. I wanted to make a good impression. I failed at that."

"No. You look fine. People here don't know how to dress. They wear cloaks for the most part. When they do try to dress regularly, it ends up a disaster. Did you see what my grandparents were wearing earlier?"

I look away and try not to laugh.

"Yea. And it's even worse now. If you see them, look away. I swear they're dressed like flags."

"Flags?" I crack and laugh.

He smiles. "How old are you?"

"17. You?"

"22."

"What's your rank in the pack?"

"Lead warrior. My dad is the delta. I'll take over delta when he takes alpha."

"Things are different here."

"How?"

"Alpha's step-down around 40 in Crystal Falls. Delta's take over in their early 20s. You would more than likely be the alpha within the year. And the lead warrior rank doesn't exist."

"Why so young? All of them?"

"Yes. Strength. 20 to 40 men are the strongest. It's not always exact, but around that."

"Physical strength, yea. I can understand that. Knowledge comes with age, though."

"That's true too."

"Magicians are a bit different as well. The older you are, the more spells you know."

"That does make sense. Are you a magician?"

"Yea. It takes a long time to study magic though."

"I bet."

"HELLO EVERYONE."

I nearly jump in his lap. "Sorry. Sorry. That was really loud."

"That was loud. TURN IT DOWN. We're going to be deaf."

A man side eyes him. "Better?"

"Yes."

"Thank you all for coming to the 2-moon festival. We have plenty of food and games. We'll have a night run, if you want to join us as a wolf."

He leans towards me. "You going to do that?"

I remember what Millie said about not showing my wolf. "I better not. I was on a flight all night. I'll fall asleep somewhere weird."

The man that was talking comes over. "I'm Delta Robert. This is my son Montego. We would like to welcome you to the packland Miss May-Eve Sage."

"Thank you."

"Is there anything you need assistance with?"

"I'm perfect. Thank you for asking."

"And you have the mark?"

"Yes." I hold out my arm. "I met Alpha and Luna Masteria earlier. They told me what to do if I get lost here."

"Good. Please let us know if you need anything."

"Thank you, sir."

"Also, training is in the mornings from 8 to 10. You are welcome to attend."

"Dad, she's not going to be a warrior."

"Physical strength helps everyone, Monte. Not just the warriors. And warrior training is something different. You would have to pass the other training tests to be a warrior. Anyone can do the morning training."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

"Here sweetie, I got you some food. Do you need anything else?"

"I'm perfect, Granny. Thank you."

They both roam off.

"Are you royalty or something?"

"The last time I checked, I owned a coffee shop."

He cracks up laughing. "You're just new then. He was right about the morning training. Anyone can join in, and it won't hurt you."

"Is it full of boys trying to be warriors?"

"No. It's about half-and-half. They hike and other physical activities."

"I may join to have something to do. I'll spy on them from a distance tomorrow and see if it looks too hard."

He smiles. "Wear shorts and a t-shirt. Pull your hair back. Do you have other shoes?"

"Yea, I have some tennis shoes."

"You'll be set. That's all you need. It'll start right here at 8."

"Thank you. I've never felt so welcomed anywhere. Do you have gardens?"

"Yea. I'll stop by and show you where they are tomorrow. You like gardening?"

"I love gardening and cooking. I used to do it all the time with my mom."

"She didn't come with you?"

"She died a few years ago."

"I'm sorry."

I nod. "Thank you."

A girl comes running over all giggly and sits super close to Monte. She tried to dress up but she failed. She has no idea how to do makeup. The dress and shoes don't match. The dress is like 3 sizes too big. She is definitely trying to say her and Monte are a couple, while being as formal as she can. "I'm Clover. It's nice to meet you." She holds out her hand.

I shake it lightly. "It's lovely to meet you as well, Miss Clover. This is a beautiful packland you have."

"Thank you. We love it here." She tries to scoot even closer to him. "So, why do you have so many pack marks?"

"That's a very long story for another time, perhaps."

"Oh please tell us about one."

I laugh. She can't pull formal off at all. I point at the full moon's mark. "Full Moon Pack. It's on the beach. Alpha Frank got tired of dealing with me at 7 am every morning. He's not a morning person and I like to swim."

She laughs a little too loudly. Monte rubs his hair back. I can tell she's embarrassing him. She's trying though.

"It was an honor to meet you both, but I need to turn in. The flight was so long."

They smile. "Good night."

I stand up and spin in a circle. "Is the night run going by where I live?"

A man is standing beside me instantly. "Do you need assistance, May-Eve?"

"Which direction is my grandmother's house?"

"I'll escort you." He holds out his arm.

"GET! YOU MANGY THING..." Granny chases him away.

"That did not help my situation."

Clover busts out laughing. "I know where she lives. It is right down that path through the woods."

"Well, I definitely chose the wrong shoes. Thank you, Clover."

"My pleasure."

I carry my shoes and make it to her house in about 5 minutes. I guess it was super close. It took us 10 minutes to drive it.

I send my pictures to Mike and he calls me.

"Food looks good. Was it fun?"

"Met some interesting people. The food was good. Did you make it home?"

"Yea. My mother is a wreck."

"Why?"

"I corrupted you. You are sweet, innocent, and perfect."

"What?"

"I smell like you woman."

"I forgot about that. Oh, that's embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? I got a knot on my head."

"Well, you shouldn't have corrupted me."

"You're the one who let your dress fall, baby. I had no chance after that. You were getting anything you wanted."

I giggle and throw myself in bed. "I'm going to do it again too."

"I can't wait, babygirl. What are you doing now?"

"Laying down. I didn't sleep well on the plane. They have a training thing in the morning. It's for everyone. I'm thinking about going. It's 2 hours."

"That would be good for you. If anything else, you could meet some people."

"I might check it out. I don't know how hard the training is. It's not warrior training though. It's hiking and stuff."

"I bet you'll like it. Give it a chance."

"I'm falling asleep. I love you."

"I love you too, babygirl. Sleep well and I'll talk to you tomorrow."