The Elder Pact

Chapter One

    Rasha lay splayed across the branches of a large hawthorn tree, watching the young Betas as they trained through her narrowed eyes. There were so many ways in which she envied them, but their occupation itself was not one of them. Sure battle was exciting and glorious and all, but she had better things to do. And true skirmishes weren't even that frequent these days. Most of the Beta's daily duties consisted of border patrols and wrestling each other in the dirt, bragging about who was the best fighter. No thanks.

    Still, she had little choice but to observe, at least until she had trained enough with her mother to join them. Despite her efforts to try and convince her parents otherwise, they still thought they could turn her into a proper Beta. She knew though, that between her diminutive stature and her lack of interest, she'd never really be one of them, no matter how much she trained.

    She smiled to herself as Oorau stepped from the edge of the circle to challenge her older brother, Ufftrin. Oorau may have had the slight advantage of size, but Ufftrin's technique and reflexes were far superior. This she knew, and she reveled in the thought of the arrogant brute getting his ass handed to him, especially by her own brother.

    The fight went as expected and before long the ring had broken up into small gaggles of chattering adolescents. A familiar figure scanned the treeline with her gaze before spotting Rasha and breaking into a grin. She trotted over, her messy blond hair catching the muggy summer breeze.

    "Did you see Mr. Highbrush get squashed by your bro again?" she said once she was below Rasha's tree. "Entertaining as always," Rasha replied cheerfully. "You seem in good spirits for doing what you're told for once. Are the practices growing on you?" the other girl inquired, tilting her head. "Not really. I just woke up in a good mood today. What about you, Arnik? You seem more confident out there." The blond were-wolf nodded. "You betcha. My graduation isn't far away, I can almost taste it!" Arnik studied her friend's face. "You're still not sure about any of this, are you?" Rasha sighed. Anyone with eyes could see her hesitance, and her best friend was no exception.

    "I just wish my parents could understand that I'm not like them, or Ufftrin. I feel bad though, Mom's spent all this time training with me one on one so I could eventually join the group. She says size and strength doesn't matter in the long run, and that may be the case for her, but I'm just not a soldier." Arnik gave her friend a sympathetic look. "I wish there was something I could do to help. You'd let me know if there was, right?" Rasha nodded emphatically. "Of course I would."

    She scrambled nimbly down from her tree, its rough, lichen covered bark scrapping her calloused palms. At least now she had most of the day to herself. Arnik smirked. "I know that look. You're going to the trail, huh?" Rasha winked. "You know me well." "What is it with you and humans?" Arnik asked. Rasha shrugged and replied, "They're interesting. Its like they live in a whole different world. Doesn't that intrigue you?" "Maybe a little. I don't fancy getting shot at or caged and experimented on though." Rasha rolled her eyes. "You sound like my father." "He just wants you to be safe, you know," Arnik pointed out. "He doesn't think I can do anything," Rasha muttered bitterly. "You'll prove him wrong. I know you will," said Arnik. Rasha smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

    "Welp, I guess I'll see you later," she said after a pause. "Be careful out there, you little devil," said Arnik, giving her a playful shove. "Who, me? Careful is my specialty!" said Rasha, her hands on her hips.  "Uh-huh. Tell that to ten year old you and the skunk who's den you invaded." "I thought it was a badger hole!" Rasha protested. "Seriously, though, be careful. I'd hate to face your family's wrath if something happened to you under my watch," said Arnik, her tone a bit more somber. "I will, relax. Sometimes I wonder if you're my friend or my third parent." "Someone's gotta look after you," Arnik ruffled her hair affectionately. "Whatever. See you around sunset," said Rasha, ducking out of reach and tidying her tousled locks. "See you then," her friend affirmed.