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The sound of crunching snow and chatting voices woke Jackson from his sleep.
He lifted his head, his eyeballs stinging as they adjusted to the morning light. Where he expected to see wolves moving around, he instead saw people. Most of the pack were no longer wolves. and those that were sat in the far distance watching the treeline.
Jackson's eyes wandered down to see his paws were hands again. His body was no longer furred, and as he had been the morning after turning into a wolf for the first time, he was utterly naked.
With an embarrassed frown, he quickly sat up, crossed his legs, and rested his hands in his lap to hide his crotch. He glanced around to see if anyone had seen, and he didn't find a single pair of eyes on him...until he located Damon. He tensed up when his sights met those of the Alpha, who sat with his family over by a fire in only a pair of shorts. His two sons—who looked a lot like Damon—bickered over what appeared to be a cooked rabbit.
His sons seemed like teenagers, which made Jackson wonder...how old was Damon? If he had teenage sons, then he had to be at least thirty, right?
What did it matter? He was doing it again, letting himself become ensnared in the thought that Damon meant something. He didn't. He was just the wolf that had saved him.
Jackson sighed and took his eyes off Damon. When he looked behind him though, he saw a pair of trousers sitting atop the tree stump beside him. Obviously, they were meant for him, so he hastily snatched them and pulled them on.
"You sleep all right?" came Tokala's voice.
Buttoning the trousers, Jackson watched the orange-haired man as he made his way over with a charred lump of meat in his hand.
"Uh...yeah," Jackson answered with a nod. It appeared Tokala was back on guard duty.
The man handed him the meat. "Breakfast."
He took it and then stared down at it. Unable to make out what it was, he stared over at Tokala, who sat on the tree stump. "What is it?"
"Either rat or rabbit. Kappas found a bunch of them down by the lake."
"Kappas?"
"Pack hunters."
"Oh." He thought that was someone's name.
With a conflicted frown, he took his gaze off Tokala and stared down at the meat. He was fine with eating a rabbit, but a rat? Did he really want to take a bite and risk it being a rodent?
"They don't taste much different," Tokala told him. "Rat's just a little chewier."
Jackson wanted to tell him he wasn't hungry...but his gut rumbled, urging him to shove the whole thing into his mouth. He wasn't going to do that, though—he wasn't a pig. So, he slowly moved the food closer to his mouth and took a reasonable bite. It was tough but tasty, so he didn't bother wondering which of the two it was.
While he ate, his eyes wandered over to one of the wolves sitting by the tree line.
"She's an Eta," Tokala said. "They usually keep watch at night, but we've got them alternating out between day and night since the cadejo started moving in much faster than usual."
"How long have you been moving like this? To get away from the zombies?" he asked, glancing over at Tokala.
Scratching the side of his face, he pondered. "Huh...a lot longer than I'd like to admit. The cadejo were usually pretty scarce—we'd see one or two a week, but lately, we've been seeing them every day."
"Do they hunt wolf walkers?"
"They seek us out to kill us, yes. We don't know why, nor do we know where they came from. They just appeared and increased rapidly. It only takes a bite and about thirty seconds to turn a wolf walker into one of them, so it's not surprising how fast they multiplied. We thought they just wanted to turn us, but they kill more than they turn. Just like us, they have to eat, and the only thing that seems to sate them is wolf walkers."
A cold shiver raced down Jackson's spine. Cadejo ate wolf walkers. Then...why hadn't that cadejo tried eating him last night? Why had it just stared at him? Should he ask Tokala that, or would it draw more attention to him? He didn't want to risk prompting another debate over his life.
He sighed, pinching his food between his fingers. "Is that why Damon had to kill that wolf last night?"
"It was a mercy. Cadejo are mindless creatures. Their bite kills everything a wolf walker is—their mind, their memories, their will. Killing them before they turn is the kindest thing we can do for anyone who gets bitten."
That only horrified Jackson more. He didn't want to think about it. He knew all he needed to know. One bite, and that was it.
So why hadn't he turned?
He frowned, staring down at his food.
"There were a lot more of us before. About three times as many as we are now. Our packhouse was up in Greykin Hills, but that was where we had our first encounter with the cadejo."
Why was Tokala telling him all of this? He appreciated the information, but this guy was just spilling all over him...yet it was near impossible to get even a sentence out of Damon.
He looked up at him. "I don't...mean to be rude or anything, but why are you telling me all of this? I'm a rogue, aren't I? Doesn't that exclude me from knowing stuff about you?"
"I'm Alpha Damon's Beta, therefore, a teacher. I get all the wolves ready for whatever, whenever. Alpha Damon wants to keep you around, so it's my job to make sure you don't get yourself killed because you don't know a thing about Greykin or wolf walkers."
That made sense. "Oh...thank you, I guess. I've tried asking Damon stuff, but he just tells me to shut up."
"Yeah, he's a bit of a recluse. He does his best, but he's seen a lot of shit—it's left its mark."
"Like what?"
"Can't tell you that, kid. What I can tell you is that you should make sure to be totally honest with him. If he asks you a question, tell him the truth. He's stuck his neck out for you, so don't throw that back in his face. Rogues would usually be chased off, but not you."
"Why?"
"I don't know. You got bitten by a cadejo, and not only did you live, but you also didn't turn. I think he wants to see what happens."
"Nothing's happening," he mumbled.
"Yet."
Jackson glanced up at him. "So he thinks something is going to happen?"
"He does...and I do, too."
"What?"
"We don't know. But we're waiting to find out."
Taking his eyes off Tokala, Jackson looked down at the snow. So, Damon was just keeping him around to see if he turned into one of those undead things? He wasn't sure how to feel about that. One thing he was pretty sure of now though, was that Damon was probably going to be reluctant to let him leave until he was sure nothing was happening to him. Did that make him a prisoner?
"So...what? I'm a prisoner?"
"Hmm...I suppose that's one way of looking at it. Alpha Damon's not going to let you leave, that's for sure. But you haven't tried running yet, have you? Why?"
"I don't know; maybe it has something to do with those zombie wolves running around out there," he uttered, glaring down at his food.
"You sure that's all?"
"What more could there be?"
"You want to find your missing people, don't you? What's stopping you from wandering away to do that?"
"Well, for starters, Damon's got you and whoever else watching me. And did I mention the zombies?"
Tokala smirked, an amused look on his once vacant face. "You're smart enough to know you wouldn't last long out there, so you're probably also smart enough to know that your best bet would be to stick around until you know how to shift at will, and then you'd take your chances."
Was this guy reading his mind? He frowned strangely and looked away. "I came out here to find people, not...this," he uttered, gesturing out to the pack.
"What is your plan exactly? Learn to control your wolf, find out what happened to your people, and then return to Dawywod?"
"Dawnward."
"Right."
He sighed and shrugged. "Well...yeah."
"People waiting for you back there?"
"Not really, but I've lived there for twenty-three years—my whole life's there."
"Your whole old life. Becoming one of us changes everything. It wouldn't be safe for you to live in a city now."
"So, what? Am I fated to wander the tundra hunting animals and sleeping on logs for the rest of my life?"
Tokala scoffed slightly. "You weren't born into this, so you don't understand. Our way of life is sacred—beautiful. The cadejo have made it a lot harder, but we haven't given up."
Jackson was sure he'd offended him. "I'm sorry," he said with a sigh. "I didn't mean to disrespect you or anything. I'm just frustrated. All of this...I didn't think I'd get wrapped up in it. Before I came out here, wolf walkers were just a story I'd been told as a kid, and I wanted to believe it."
"A story."
He glanced at Tokala to see a sullen stare on his face. Had he upset him again?
"Wolf walkers used to live everywhere, not just out here. Alpha Damon's family has always lived in Greykin, but some of our ancestors were a huge part of society a few hundred years ago. But the hunters grew stronger, wolf walker numbers dwindled, and they were forced to move to places too inhospitable for humans to colonize. We were safe for a while."
"Until the cadejo," Jackson said.
Tokala nodded. "But we survived until now, and we'll keep surviving. We Grey Bloods are resilient. Mostly because of Alpha Damon. He keeps us all going."
Jackson pondered. Maybe he was thinking about all of this wrong. Damon was reluctant and standoffish because he was just trying to protect his pack—that was why he was skeptical too, right? Maybe he suspected Jackson was there to purposely do harm. What if Damon thought he was a hunter that got turned and was waiting for the right moment to leave the pack to tell the other hunters where to find them?
He looked at Tokala again. "Does...Damon think I'm some sort of like...informant?"
"No—well...not that he's told me, and he tells me a lot. Why? Are you?"
"No. I really did come from Dawnward."
Tokala stared at him for a moment. Jackson waited for him to reply, but it didn't seem as though that was what he was going to do. When it started to feel a little too awkward, Jackson looked away and ate the rest of his meat.
"Give it some time," Tokala suddenly said. "Answer Alpha Damon's questions, don't piss anyone off and stay away from Elias. He thinks you're here to kill us all."
"And you don't?"
"I trust Alpha Damon's judgement."
With a nod, Jackson searched the crowd for Elias, and when he set his eyes on the barrel-chested man, he frowned uncomfortably.
"Elias is our Gamma and Beta. Third in command and advisor. He also commands the Epsilons and Enforcers—they're the pack fighters."
Looking up at Tokala, Jackson frowned curiously. "How many ranks are there?"
"There's a lot to learn, and you'll become familiar with it all eventually. But a word of advice: don't refer to any of us using our ranks. You're not a member of the pack, so you should only use our names—if you know them. If not...well, some of us might not react well to your approach, anyway. If you need anything, come to me."
"Actually, I was wondering one thing...."
Tokala waited.
"How do I like...communicate as a wolf?"
"You don't—well, not here. You're not a member of our pack, and only wolves of the same pack can communicate."
That didn't make sense. How had he understood Damon, then? "Are there any exceptions?"
"Only three. Alpha and Zeta wolf walkers can communicate with all other wolf walkers, and then a wolf walker can communicate with their mate, same pack or not, and from any distance."
"Mate?"
"Life partner—like Alpha Damon and Aysel. She's his Luna."
"So...they're married?"
"I suppose that's how humans say it, sure."
That hurt—it cut through Jackson's heart like a knife. He looked down at the snow, but his expanded knowledge kept him from sinking too deep into sadness. After all, he'd decided that Damon didn't matter.
With a quiet huff, he looked over at Tokala again. "Do you know where uh..." he paused for a moment, trying to recall what Damon had told him, "...Greykin Valley is?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Is that where you think your missing people are?"
He shrugged. "Possibly."
Tokala laughed quietly and shook his head. "Planning your escape?"
"No, I just...I need to find those people."
With a conflicted frown, Tokala looked at Damon. "I don't know how long he plans to keep you around, but when he's done with you, I'll see what I—"
"We're getting ready to leave," Damon suddenly interjected.
Startled, Jackson flinched and looked up at the shirtless man, whose shadow crept over him.
"All right," Tokala said, standing up. "I'll make sure everyone's ready."
As Tokala left, Jackson climbed to his feet. It seemed a little too convenient that Damon had interrupted whatever Tokala was about to say, which Jackson suspected was something that might help him on his hunt for Wilson and the others. He glared into Damon's eyes, preparing to tell him that he wasn't his prisoner and that he couldn't keep him here, but as Damon glowered back at him, he was very quickly intimidated. He backed down, shifting his gaze to the ground beneath his feet.
"What were you talking to Tokala about?"
Jackson frowned nervously. "Nothing."
Damon growled impatiently.
"H-he was just telling me about some of the wolf walker ranks."
"And?"
"And about the cadejo."
Damon stared at him, looking him up and down. But then, he turned around—
"What was last night about?" Jackson blurted.
Damon stopped mid-turn. A hostile aura seemed to seethe off his skin, and as he looked over his shoulder at him, Jackson shuddered anxiously. "I don't know what you're talking about." Then, he stormed off, leaving Jackson on his own again.
Was that it? Was Damon just going to walk away and act like nothing had happened? That aggravated Jackson so much that he stepped forward, ready to yell, but he held his tongue when he watched Aysel and two men join Damon on his way back over to where his sons were eating.
He scowled irritably but slumped down onto the tree stump Tokala had been sitting on. Why was this bothering him so much? Why did he care? Why did he feel so annoyed and jealous and anxious and so many things?! He gripped the sides of his face, gritting his teeth as he tried his best to calm down—but he was so frustrated. Damon annoyed him in literally every way he felt someone could annoy another. He made him feel things, he treated him coldly, he acted like last night hadn't happened, and he was basically keeping him prisoner. And there wasn't anything Jackson could do about it.
With a quiet sigh, he rested his arms in his lap and stared out at the pack as they prepared to leave. For now, he'd have to keep following them, and hopefully soon, he'd learn to control his wolf, and then he could start planning his next move.
And he was already pretty sure of what that was.
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