*WINNER of Best Cliche Breaker for Undiscovered Werewolves*
"Underneath her skin was a wolf; all bite and snarl and nothing else."
The day Saoirse de Rais made her Alpha submit is the day she decided to run.
Traveling from city to city--state to sta...
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She forgot about the bonfires.
As the day came to a close, bonfires were set--a way for the families to come together, despite being together all day long. They fed each other, helped each other--regaled stories, laughing and smiling and singing to each other. It was what she had missed the most, and seeing the bonfires lit and set, the sound of crackling flames and the smell of wood burning hitting her senses drove her back to all those times where she listened to her mother and father.
She sat on the steps of Bo's trailer, watching as the closest one was set up. Bo helped move logs, laughing as Ellis told him some story about the kids dropping a stink bomb in his trailer while he was away. She was right to stay away. When she offered to help, for old times sake, Ellis threw her a cold stare that gave her enough hint to keep her distance.
He would look at her from time to time, his gaze sweeping toward a group of kids not that far off from her. She understood his concern--with her condition, she'd be wary to allow people around her as well. But there was something about watching a bonfire burn that set her at ease. The heat no longer bothered her. Her mind felt settled, calm. Saoirse watched Bo plop down on a log, his face covered in shadows and flickering light. He seemed at ease now, too, and he stared in her direction for a moment.
"Didn't have this in the city, did you?" He teased.
"No," she muttered. "Not exactly."
Ellis sat down beside Bo. "Pretty sure city ordinances didn't allow fires to be set."
"No, people did." She stood from the steps, moving closer. Not too close, though--she saw how he tensed. Soon, she figured, she'd learn what made him do that. Other than the obvious. "They'd set bonfires in their backyards and drink until the late hours. It looked nice."
"It's no pack bonfire, though."
"They're not different." She shrugged. "Only difference is their stories don't involve people turning into wolves."
Bo snorted. Flicking a twig into the fire he leaned back. He ran a hand through his hair, shaking out the dirty blond ends with a sigh. It really wasn't any different. A few moments later Bo had a beer in his hand, tipping it to Ellis in silence and began to drink. Ellis continued to tell his story, and in those minutes Saoirse was forgotten.
Behind her she heard a small noise, like children laughing. She looked over her shoulder, and saw a few young boys toss a ball in her direction--well, perhaps more at her than in her direction. It hit the backs of her legs, and she smirked softly to herself. Surely, she thought. Wouldn't hurt to throw it back. As she lifted it they moved, like lightening, far away from the trailer. Too far for her to throw it she rolled her eyes and went after them, looking 'round till she found them near some old underbrush.
One of the boys, older, nodded in her direction. "My dad says you're in charge."
With an incline of her head she checked to see if the others were listening. But there wasn't much to worry about--for her, she understood that people would talk. She understood that at the end of the day there would be people that spoke about her title, and she was certain that they would be saying the same thing she was saying. She didn't deserve it. She wasn't suited for it.
