I felt relaxed around the wolves that were here. Cherokee came to sit across from me at the long folding banquet table as I finished my breakfast.
"I think this is the first time my people have felt free to shift how they want, when they want," he said. "I never thought I'd have someone else to talk to about leading my pack." He shared looks with a few others who had joined us. "I'm never going to get used to saying pack." He shook his head, bemused at applying the wolf concept to his family.
Businessman agreed. "We use the term pack, but I know what you mean. It's... a... relief? to have people to talk to who understand what we have to deal with, being werewolves. I'm just grateful that if something happens, my daughter has someplace safe to go to, around people that won't..." he couldn't bring himself to finish.
Cherokee gave an agreeing growl. We sat in comfortable silence for awhile. Derrick came over, coffee in hand.
"How you doing?"
"You doing ok?"
We laughed at how we spoke at the same time.
"I'm good," I said.
"Minor concussion, good set on the arm, other shoulder bruised. Anna went at me after Doc was done. Bruise is fading fast."
"Yeah, I've often had my bruises treated." I couldn't bring myself to actually mention Auntie.
"Sister is going to be convinced I'm a fast-healing werewolf now," he laughed.
"She knows better, I hope. Unless you want to be a werewolf?"
He shook his head. "I'm good as I am."
I grinned at him. "You sure? We had a heck of a den there for awhile."
He gave me an up and down insinuating look, not trying to hide his humor. "No dude, you told me it's claimed." He hid his wide smile and choked back laughter in his coffee cup.
I laughed out loud. "Too true!"
We both grinned at each other. Dad spoke up from off to the side.
"Hard to believe you found someplace safe enough to consider a den down in those caves."
That led to us telling the whole story to the others who hadn't heard about our den. Mac came over towel drying his short buzz hair. He turned a chair around and sat down to join us. Pretty soon we had everyone gathered around to hear our tale. Derrick and I got some details from the other side as well.
"Sister hounded me until I answered her," Mac said. "That kid wouldn't give up. She said you hadn't called and wouldn't stand her up. I called John. Asshole said you'd probably just partied away down where your training was and we probably wouldn't hear from you for a few weeks. I knew then something was up with that traitorous son."
Mac shook his head and his eyes got hard as he contemplated his old friend.
"I called your dad, he called some wolves, I got them to where they needed to be." Mac made it sound like there was nothing to what he did. "We set up a search grid, humans with vehicles carrying supplies spread out among the wolves. Kid from my bro's pack suggested the wolves howl, then listen. He said it's what you were doing in their dream, so that's what they did. Damn wolves would howl, then listen, howl, then listen. Then we'd move on to the next sector. Then more wolves showed up."
Mac shook his head, unable to explain how the other wolves got there.
"Mac, you are not a storyteller my friend."
"We heard you call," said Cherokee. "I couldn't sleep. Every time I dozed off I dreamt of your howls. We were almost here when Black Wolf called. The others heard you as well. We came. Of course we came."
He looked thoughtfully at me. "Spirit Wolf lives within you."
"He is not mine alone."
"Did you howl?"
"All frigging night long!" exclaimed Derrick.
I threw him a look.
"What? You did! For hours!"
I had to nod. "I did."
"You went far into the wolf you said," he added.
I smiled slightly. "I'm always into the wolf, now more than ever."
"About you being an Alpha King..." Lobo's friend asked as he bounced his daughter on his knee.
"I don't claim any kind of kingship. Wolf packs have an alpha, not a king. I do claim to be alpha of our pack when we run as full wolves. Though if I were a king, you heard the only laws I'd have; no killing, no biting if they don't want bitten, and obviously no kidnapping people or forcing women.
"Lone Wolf played up the whole royal thing a bit because of what my," I kept myself from saying Sheep, wanting him to have some dignity, "young friend's alpha had taught him. If I have to play up being an Alpha King to keep those wolves from hurting their own pack members or other people, I will. I don't expect anyone who knows better to actually believe I'm insisting on being king to all wolves or some such nonsense. "
"Good to know you don't expect me to hail you as my king. Yet you do claim to be alpha of a pack of alphas. Who is in your pack?"
"First you have to remember what an alpha is among real wolves. It's the breeding pair. As humans, that's really every adult. Your pack is your family. As a human, I have no right to rule over your family.
"When we get together as a pack of wolves, wolf nature needs us to have an established hierarchy. Wolf nature would have us killing each other for dominance unless the weaker wolves run away or submit. Being wolf and man, I can give respect to each member of my pack as both the wolf and the man they are.
"Anyone who comes to run as wolves gets ranked same way real wolves do. Those who have no idea what a wolf pack is start learning. Once you learn which of your reactions come from the wolf nature within, you can be conscious of what actions as a man are actually coming from the wolf. You learn balance."
He looked at me thoughtfully, questioning my assertion. "But you're talking about being feral."
"No, what dad and I understand as being feral... we refer to it as being lost in the wolf. I've gotten lost a time or two. Dad has. Family helps ground you, family and good friends. What you call being feral we just refer to as being wolf."
"And you've been...wolf?"
I shifted, wolf looking out at him from my human face. My nose wrinkled, and something like a snort came out of me. I saw the looks I got from around the table and I shifted back. I felt tired still and didn't want to overdue things.
"Tell me," I asked, "what's the difference between being wolf in a man or being man in a wolf?"
"One thinks and the other doesn't."
"I think as both, just differently for each," I said.
"You were wolf in the fire," said Cherokee. "And you were feral?"
I nodded slowly. "I was. It was very overwhelming, merging with Spirit Wolf that night. I went through shifts faster than I ever had, alternating between different mid-shifts as needed. I was having visions that led us out. It became hard to focus. By the time we were out, I was running on instinct. Yet when my way was blocked, I recognized everyone there as her family. I spoke to her. Does a feral wolf do that?"
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean by merging with a spirit wolf," said Lobo's friend. "Tell me what happened that night."
I looked at Lobo's friend. "First, what should I call you?"
"I could ask the same."
I smiled. "My new name is before me, within reach even." My vision shifted slightly and I saw Sister by a fire and knew what I needed to do. "Soon." I shook myself. "For now you can call me Little Wolf."
He looked amused. "Little Wolf?"
I pointed to dad. "My dad, the big 'ol Black Wolf." I pointed back to me, "so...Little Wolf."
He looked back and forth between us. Apparently Lobo hadn't told him everything.
"My birth certificate lists another name, but my mother's people are Native American, so yes, Little Wolf. Plus, not sure I really want to give out real names to some of those wolves.
A smile played on his lips. "That's why you call him Lobo?"
I nodded.
"You can call me Gypsy King then. Hope it won't cause any confusion."
I laughed. "Not as far as I'm concerned."
"How fast can you shift?"
"You show me yours and I'll show you mine," I laughed.
He pushed back his chair. His bright blue eyes challenging.
"Damn, Where's Lone Wolf when I want to make a bet?" asked Mac, sounding seriously grieved.
"I'll bet on my son," said Dad.
"Nah, me too, so no good," replied Mac.
"I will bet on the Gypsy King," said Lobo.
"What stakes?"
"You don't chase me away next time," Lobo said intently.
Mac just stared for a minute. "Sure." Then he turned to me. "You better be your damn fastest kid."
I had to laugh. "What if it's so close we need a photo finish?"
Mac just growled.
The two of us paired off in the open space of the warehouse, gypsy king against alpha king.
"To full wolf?"
Gypsy King nodded.
"Now!" Mac yelled out.
By the time he looked up from his stop watch my four feet were on the ground. Gypsy King stared at me as he finished shifting.
I huffed out a slight laugh. "I think I got faster dad."
"You think?" Dad turned to Gypsy King. "You want to go against me? Maybe from four feet to two?"
"Hang on," said Mac as he fiddled with his watch.
Dad shifted to wolf. With my beta competing with another wolf, I felt myself go alpha. Dad turned his neck to look at me. I shrugged, unable to help myself from becoming who I was as a wolf.
Gypsy King growled slightly, backing up. This was the first time he was face to face with me as an alpha. Since he was wolf, he was feeling the effects of my presence. I could smell my musk, clear as a bell to a wolf. I tried to pull it in.
Amused, I focused on Mac with his watch.
"All right then, everyone ready? Go!"
I rose, shifting as I lifted up, stretching, a yawn coming out. I watched the other two finish.
Gypsy was almost as fast as dad. The main difference being Gypsy got on his back paws before shifting, dad starting shifting to rise up.
I had to laugh at the looks people gave me over my speed at shifting.
"You said something about practicing when we were in the caves," Derrick said. "What kind of practicing?"
"Show them your favorite," Dad said. "It took me months to master it, and I can't do it as fast as he can. I'd never thought of doing half the stuff he does."
That was news to me considering Dad had me practicing the half-shift until I mastered it. Of course my parents had often let me lead the follow-the-leader game of shifting when I was a kid. It was my turn to look at Dad thoughtfully as I remembered the words Spirit Wolf had spoken to the Cherokee girl. The little wolf will lead them...
With a slight smile I held both arms out from my sides, level with my shoulders. I shifted one hand to claw, bringing fur rippling across my shoulders and across my other arm making that hand clawed as well. Then I shifted the one shoulder, which brought my arm out in front of me. My arm went from human-ish arm to wolf forearm past the still human elbow. My clawed hand became wolf paw. Then I did the other side.
Once I had two wolf paws, I gave it a second before reversing the order, until I had two human hands and no fur again.
Gypsy's daughter clapped. She was the only one. Derrick's eyes were wide but he had a slight grin. Mac had stopped looking, finding something of interest in the far corner. The wolves smelled slightly of fear.
"You just did the frigging wave!" exclaimed Derrick.
"Pretty cool, and not near as off-putting as that shoulder thing," added Running Elk.
"Yeah. That's how I got out of the ties they bound us with. Little bit more room to wiggle out of them with wolf paws, if not much. It was enough. About the shoulder thing..."
I gave my cousin a sheepish look. He gave me this wry little smile and an understanding nod. I nodded back.
"Would you believe the backpacks Anna ordered for me are hunter's orange instead of camouflage? I gotta send them back or dye them. Speaking of Anna, where is she?" I asked.
"Said she had some business to take care of. Lone Wolf is with her. He wanted to check on them boys anyway. Had me a nice talk with that son," said Mac.
"Mac..."
"Don't worry," he grinned, "we got us an understanding. He don't bite and I don't kill. Simple."
I shook my head at him even if I understood the look in his eyes. He wanted vengeance over what was done to his friend. He'd settle for dealing out the justice should Sheep break my law.
"That's a situation I still need to see to personally. I think he's ready for me to come visit."
"The boy who called you Alpha King?" asked Gypsy.
"The way he was raised muddled the line between man and wolf. He has no balance with what he is. He's learning, needs to learn."
"I do not mean to be disrespectful," Gypsy King said hesitantly, "but I will admit to some confusion as to how he acts toward you. He is..." there was silence as he debated what to say.
"Deferential?" I supplied when he had trouble finding the right word.
At Gypsy's slow nod I grimaced slightly.
"Yeah, you have to understand how he was raised. I hated having to get on him like I did, the first time we met. The alpha who raised him treats his people badly and my young friend picked up some very bad habits. I haven't broken all of those habits yet. I frigging hate the kneeling thing. Please don't think I ever want anyone to act that way. To submit when we are wolves is one thing. How he acts as a human, well, he was trained to respond to things very wolffish instead of human."
I didn't miss the look the Gypsy King gave me when I mentioned submitting as a wolf.
"I've been wondering if the alpha that raised him isn't at least partially what you would call feral," I continued. "Lone wolf said he's less stable. I don't think he was very stable in the first place. My young friend had never been outside his territory until recently. He's been locked away from the world. Everyday things to us are completely new to him. He's had little formal education, was barely able to read and write. He has no idea what the real world is like."
Gypsy King looked like he couldn't decide on one of a dozen questions. It was hard to explain how Sheep behaved when I haven't actually interacted with the rest of his pack. I could only think of one way to answer Gypsy King's many unasked questions.
"Gypsy King, will you honor me by joining me at the pointe? Run with me as wolves?"
"Will we hunt again?" asked Lobo. "It is hard to bring down something big by yourself. It is harder to find a wolfpack willing to let you in to hunt with them."
"I'd love to hunt with you brother! I felt almost cheated last time, only joining in at the end!"
"I would like to join you again as well," said Businessman. "My daughter has been wanting to hunt as a wolf for the longest time. I never felt safe taking her out to try."
I leaned back, exuding my comfort. I knew myself to be an alpha surveying his territory. Unlike real wolves, my territory wasn't necessary physical, it was the mind-set of these alphas. They were men who accepted our connection with each other. We were wolves who could be friends, and who could look to each other for support. We were a pack.
I looked across at Gypsy King, and gave him a slight smile, watching him squirm. He was unsure of becoming what he considered feral. I knew he didn't want to submit to me. He was curious about what I could reveal that would help his daughter's future. For her security, knowing now what was out there, he needed these wolves.
He lowered his head slightly, accepting my offer. He could not find a way out of becoming part of my pack.