Scent

Scent.6

      Vincent prepared a medical kit to take with him before we instantaneously phased back to my house in Alaska.
      “Before we can give B the DYSTAR she has to be unconscious.” Vincent advised, as he loaded up on more drugs to take with him.
      “How come you didn’t say that before?” Dad accused as he watched him suspiciously.
      “Why didn’t you tell me that the Lokoti Werewolf gene was in every Lokoti, even if it were only the males who were usually activated?” Vincent retorted.
      Dad rolled his eyes before he turned back to Mum, however Mum had to quickly look away to hide her laughter.  She had always thought it was funny, the constant fighting between her Lokoti Werewolf husband and her Calculator. 
      When we were all transported back to Mum and Dad’s house in Alaska, Vincent was holding onto Mum’s arm too. 
      The sight of the futuristic Medical Lab disappeared and reformed into the semblance of my living room.  Medical beds and the sterilized smell of the Lab were replaced with the vision of couches, the dining table and the smells of recent cooking from our kitchen.
      Our house was decorated almost the same as Gran and Grandfathers; Nana and Grandpa’s or even Uncle Julian and Aunt Danika’s was… country style with a pine dining table set and second-hand couches in the living room.  Our house was simplistic, spartan and yet homey as it was kept warm with life, food and company.  Plenty of family photos adorned shelf space or sat over the mantle piece.
      Everyone released their hold on Mum and Gran as Vincent immediately set to work by opening up his medical kit on our dining table.  I watched hesitantly as he prepared two futuristic syringes that would spray the drugs at high pressure into the applicant’s skin.  One syringe was filled with a knock-out drug and the other with DYSTAR.
      “Um, do we need to do this right now?” I asked nervously as I watched.
      “It’s best to, especially since you need to be asleep for the procedure.” Vincent replied as he filled the futuristic syringe/ sprays with the drugs.
      I subconsciously took a step backwards away from the scary-looking blue liquid… when I accidentally walked into Dad who was standing behind.
      “It’s only temporary B,” Dad squeezed my shoulder, “as it’s only for two more nights of the full moon.”
      “Uh huh.” I tried to swallow but my throat felt constricted.
      Just then I jumped when we heard; KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
      It was pretty loud, so loud that our front door shook from the impact.  Uncle Julian moved first as he went to answer it.  He didn’t say a word as he simply stood to the side and held the door open.
      My eyes widened when I next saw the ten other members of the Lokoti Werewolf pack led by Uncle Harry, walk into my living room. Oh and Declan was here too.
      Declan walked in last as the honorary member of the pack.  He threw me a quick glare before he went and stood behind Uncle Fin to avoid eye-contact with me.  That bastard!  He’s the one who kissed me and HE’S the one who’s acting like it’s the other way around!
      “B.” Uncle Harry greeted with a nod.
      “Uncle Harry.” I gave a polite nod back.
      “You are the first female Lokoti Werewolf.” Uncle Harry said.
      “Yeah, so I heard.” I almost rolled my eyes but Dad nudged me to mind my manners.
      Uncle Harry smirked, “and you’re the last Circulator born in human history.”
      “Um yeah, I heard that too.” I muttered and this time it was Grandfather who gave a warning look.
      “You are the fifteenth member of the pack.” Uncle Harry continued, unperturbed by my petulance.
      I looked from him to the other members, but I purposefully skipped over Declan.  To be honest I felt a little self-conscious standing there with in my jeans and the papery-hospital smock.  Especially now as I would be the only female in a male dominated pack.
      “So.” I forced myself to sound cheerful. “Do I get a membership pack or something? How about a name tag that says ‘Hi I’m Bianca the First Female Lokoti Werewolf?”
      “Yeah, it’s in the post.” Uncle Ian snickered and then so did several other members of the pack. 
      Considering that postal deliveries were sketchy at best since the War?  It made me smirk at the, ‘don’t hold your breath’ quality of the answer.  I pressed my lips together while I quietened.
      “The Lokoti Werewolves have a long history as well as a noble one.” Uncle Harry said seriously.  “We uphold the tradition of protecting the Lokoti Tribe. We were created to protect all that a Lokoti Wolf holds important, his mate, his young and his territory.”  Uncle Harry’s chest expanded in pride.  “As Circulators have the responsibility to protect the timeline, you Little Wolf are now apart of history by becoming one who fights as apart of the pack.”
      “OK…?” I tried to swallow again but my throat was too dry.
      Uncle Harry next stepped up so he could place a heavy hand on my shoulder.  “You will always be remembered in stories of the pack, just as you will be remembered as one of the tribe’s Light People. You are both the Last Circulator born to the human race as you are the first female Lokoti Werewolf to the tribe.  You are legacy, Little Wolf.”
      My breath caught in my throat as my eyes widened, before I looked from Uncle Harry, to Ian, to Grant, to Fin, Quinn and all of the Lokoti Werewolves until my gaze ended with Grandfather, Uncle Jules, Grandpa and Dad.  With the Werewolves differing ages, some in their twenties to others in their hundreds, I truly did see Lokoti history in my very own living room.
      “I am First.” Uncle Harry proclaimed. “Your Grandfather is Second to the Lokoti Werewolf pack.”
      I nervously licked my lips, “OK…?” But I was completely clueless what all of this meant?
      Uncle Ian recognized the lost look in my eyes, “it means B that when Harry gives an order, we follow it.”
      “Oh.” I said puzzled. “But I always thought that you lot were empathic and operated on a group consensus or something.”
      “All organizations need a leader, do they not?” Uncle Harry smiled in amusement.
      Next I looked at Grandfather, “so what does Second do?”
      “I make sure the will of the First is adhered to.” Grandfather said simply.
      Oh…then for some reason I next found my eyes sneaking towards Declan to see how he reacted to all of this. I couldn’t imagine him obeying just one person.  I always thought it took the entire will of the pack to keep him in line.  To my surprise, I found Declan looking on Grandfather with great respect which was almost reminiscent of a son looking on his father in admiration.
      “So um,” I tried to keep my voice from wavering as I felt dwarfed being the only female in a pack full of males, “does this mean that I’m going to start patrolling the borders of Lokoti land too?”
      Suddenly the reaction from not only Uncle Harry, but all of the Lokoti Werewolves took me off-guard.  They all growled loudly by the very idea!
      “No.” Uncle Harry proclaimed as if his word was law.
      “No?” I echoed.
      “You are the pack’s one and only female Lokoti Werewolf. You may be faster than us also being a Circulator, but we are stronger than you. As a female, you will not patrol.” Uncle Harry declared.
      As uneasy I was feeling being the only female Werewolf in this room full of male Werewolves?  I was also curious…so like a beginner I put up my hand to ask my questions.
      “But why?” I queried. “Mum helped the tribe fight off the marauders just before I was born.  Gran helped ready the tribe for the Third World War and she was the one who took down the European Werewolf that turned Declan.  So why can’t I patrol?”
      “Because you are female.” Grant spoke.
      “Because not only are female Werewolves rare in this world, let alone this tribe…” Uncle Quinn added.
      “…healthy human females are fought over thanks to radiation sickness.” Uncle Fin ended.
      “You will not be seen by outsiders or strangers.” Uncle Harry said firmly.
      “No outside human or non-Lokoti may know of your existence.” Grandpa agreed.
      “Just as the identity of the Lokoti Werewolves are protected by the tribe…” Dad spoke up.
      “…as are the identities of the tribe’s Circulators are hidden from outsiders,” Grandfather finished, “the tribe’s Last Circulator and first female Lokoti Werewolf must never be known to the rest of the world.”
      Then all of the male Werewolves in the room including Declan, gave a firm nod in agreement of this.
      In the pack, I saw uniformity as well as a hierarchy which served as a support structure.  The male Werewolves in the room shared a comradeship from years of fighting together in their roles as the tribe’s protectors.  To be honest, right then I didn’t want to make waves especially since I was the first and only female Lokoti Werewolf, which really threw a spanner in the works.  So I too gave a nod to show that I would obey the will of the First.
      Grandfather, Grandpa and Dad came to stand behind me as they placed their hands on my back.  Then Uncle Harry gave me a pat on the head, as well as a wink before he turned and departed from my house.  The ten other members with Declan as the eleventh, all followed him out as they decided as a group that they would all leave.
      Declan was the last one out as he closed our front door behind himself.  He passed me one last look, before he gave Grandfather a nod of respect.  Then he too disappeared.
      “Oh well then.” Mum looked to Gran.  “That was nice wasn’t it? By welcoming B like that?”
      “If that was a ‘Welcome’ party remind me never to become a female Werewolf in this tribe.” Vincent sneered.
      “Trust me Vincent.”  Dad said dryly.  “If you ever turned into a female Werewolf? We wouldn’t greet you like that… in fact we would actually turn and run the other way.”