* Media pic is of the meeting place.
Beta Lucas could sense a subtle change in the rogue and he looked her way. She was just taking off her back pack and setting it on the ground. Then her eyes swept over the children briefly and he thought he detected the slightest touch of sadness in her expression.
It suddenly occurred to him that she was preparing to leave and he had mixed feelings about it. Naturally, rogues were not welcome in packs, but she was definitely no ordinary rogue and these were no ordinary circumstances. He felt he should invite her to stay a while with them - at least until the children were settled. It was the very least he could offer her after she had saved his niece and nephew, and all these pups, from a brutal death at the sharp teeth and claws of Alpha Codax.
Though he hadn't talked this over with his Alpha, he was sure Troy would agree.
Looking down at his niece, he noticed she was anxiously watching the rogue. She could sense it too, that Penn was preparing to leave. He gave Cassidy's shoulder a gentle squeeze and flashed her a bright smile before turning away from her and walking over to the lone she-wolf.
When he reached Penn, he bent and picked up her pack, which he slung over his shoulder. As he straightened up he smiled and said, "Will you come and stay with us until the children are settled? I think they'd like that." With his head he gave the smallest of flicks to indicate Cassidy who was watching them both with fretful eyes.
Penn wasn't sure she'd heard Lucas right. She narrowly searched his face for something to tell her this was a joke or a trap. Only, he appeared sincere and that took her by surprise. She hadn't expected to be on the receiving end of a friendly invite to stay longer in the territory. In fact, she was half expecting an escort right to the edge of Orthos territory at any minute.
Despite her astonishment, which she hid behind her usual stoic expression, she replied, "I would be happy to."
But, even as she said it, she was expecting someone to pipe up and say there was no way they'd take a filthy rogue into the heart of their pack. She held her breath and waited for the growling and insulting comments to come from the small group that had arrived with Beta Lucas. Though they were not part of the conversation, they were all close enough to overhear it. And Penn was sure their curiosity, if nothing else, ensured every new arrival was all ears at that moment.
But, no protest came. Instead, Penn watched Beta Lucas smile and give her a quick nod of his head suggesting it was all settled.
Penn doubted it could be so simple. Past experience told her to prepare herself for the possibility that she might find herself in some very hot water once they reached the pack village. This small team might be prepared to make allowances for her presence right then and there but a whole village of pack wolves certainly wouldn't.
A fight was coming. It was all just a matter of when. However, truthfully, Penn felt she would risk any number of hostile wolves just to see the pups settled.
Cassidy, who'd been standing very near them trying to look inconspicuous as she listened intently to their brief conversation, suddenly sprang at Penn and wrapped her arms around her neck. She hugged Penn tightly and thanked her uncle for inviting Penn to stay with them. Penn hugged Cassidy back and leaned back after a brief moment to give the teen a little smile. Well, it was more of a mischievous grin - as if to say, 'You and I both know they don't know what they are asking for.'
Cassidy laughed and for the first time since that horrible day six weeks ago she actually felt hopeful. Codax had killed everyone she knew and loved, taken her very mother from her, and destroyed the pack, but Penn had saved them - saved Griffin's legacy.
The Griffin pack would now always live on in Cassidy, her brother, and the other 16 pups Penn had rescued. It was a miracle and Cassidy owed it all to Penn - they all did. She squeezed the older woman more tightly and had to wipe a few tears from her eyes.
Cassidy was relieved that this was not the end of their journey with Penn. Part of her never wanted to let the older woman go. In a way, Penn had become as close to her and the other pups as the families they could only cherish in memories now. The thought of being parted from her was too awful to even think about.
Jackson suddenly appeared at their side and quietly removed Cassidy from Penn. Penn gave him a grateful smile. She was still unaccustomed to Cassidy's penchant for long, enthusiastic and often tearful hugs. Cassidy blushed the moment she realized she might have over did it, but Jackson squeezed her hand in a comforting way and gave her a warm smile to ease her mind. Penn smiled too. Cassidy's demonstrative hugs were quickly becoming her trademark and Penn thought it was very endearing.
Their attention was drawn back to Beta Lucas as he announced that the children would all need to be registered before they moved on. He explained that if the children were put into the system now, the administrative staff back at the pack office could get a head start on making permanent housing arrangements for the pups. He then related to all the pups that it would still be a few weeks before they could be placed in their new families. Therefore, the sooner they got started on the paperwork the better.
Beta Lucas instructed the pups to come forward and line up according to rank and age. The children looked to Penn and she gave a little nod. They immediately fell into order. Beta Lucas did not miss that little interaction. Until they were officially accepted into the pack, it seemed the rogue would continue to be their Alpha. He was not offended. It was sort of cute.
For the next hour they were occupied with giving basic information to the clerical wolf Austin and his assistant Gregor. Afterwards, each pup submitted to a brief physical examination by the pack doctor, Reagan, and her assistant Rowan.
Penn watched closely. She was a little amazed by the technology. Things had changed considerably since she'd been exiled to the wilds. Cell phones were used now to collect all kinds of data and to send data as well. These simple devices were like mini computers and Penn was startled to see what the admin and health teams could accomplish with the little touch-screens.
It turned out that Austin could even determine if some of the pups present had distant relatives in the pack right on his phone. Austin assured them that the pack would do their best to settle the pups with the appropriate guardians and hopefully introduce them to some of these distant relatives if everything went well.
There was no promise that the pups would live with their respective relatives. Their living arrangements would ultimately be determined by their rank, age and gender, which was not foreign to them or unwelcome. They understood, all except the littlest ones, how wolf-society worked. It had been droned into them since early childhood that every wolf had her place in the pack and that a well ordered pack was a healthy and vibrant pack. So, they were only too pleased to oblige the administrative staff.
Everything was moving along quickly and efficiently. Penn admired the way these adult wolves interacted with the children. Their care and respectful behaviour was very promising she thought.
But, just as things were wrapping up, Penn heard Mia squealing with distress. She whipped around to see what the matter was. She was ready, in an instant, to tackle and take-down whomever was harassing the poor little pup. A growl began to rumble in her chest and she knew her teeth were already elongating.
Still, she kept it all in check as she searched for Cassidy who had been looking after Mia during registration period. Cassidy was standing near the doctor, half bent over, and trying to shush Mia. Mia was sitting on the pack doctor's lap and totally ignoring Cassidy's pleas for her to settle down and let the doctor do her work.
Penn reigned in her fighting instincts. She had a good feeling about the gentle and soft spoken doctor from almost the moment she'd first laid eyes on the slightly older woman. Penn was certain that Mia was in very good hands and did not need rescuing. The pup probably needed a good nap though.
As soon as Mia caught sight of Penn she let out a mournful wail that sounded a great deal like her very first howl. Everyone and everything came to a standstill and both adults and children alike stared wide-eyed at the little tyke who wasn't even three yet. Howling this early in her development was a bit unusual and it caught everyone off guard.
Penn wanted to laugh but she could see that Mia was not going to be consoled by anyone but her. The little pup had her arms stretched out toward Penn as she let out another wail.
Cassidy tried to hush the pup again but the more she did the worse the wailing became. Penn walked over and stood before Mia, crossed her arms over her chest, gave Mia a cold, hard stare and said, "Stop that."
Immediately the pup became still and the doctor gave Penn a grateful smile. All the children who were free came and stood around Penn. They made silly faces to try and cheer Mia up but as soon as the exam was done she would have nothing and no one but Penn. She didn't cry or wail again. She simply put her hands up for Penn and grunted repeatedly at her until Penn took the hint and picked her up from the doctor's lap.
The moment she was in Penn's arms Mia settled right down and her eyes began to droop as she laid her head on Penn's shoulder. Penn felt her heart muscle contract almost painfully. It was going to be so hard to let Mia go. Penn certainly wasn't the motherly type but she did have a real soft spot for Mia.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say a deep well of love and affection for the littlest of the Griffin pups. Penn hardly knew where the love came from. She hadn't experienced too much of it in her life - not even during her pack days - but it seemed to come rather naturally to her here and now with these pups.
She let out a little sigh feeling totally confused about what to do with all these raw feelings that were surfacing more and more often now. These complex feelings were still so foreign to her. Penn worried that if she didn't get a handle on them quickly, she was going to be a total wreck when the time came to really say her final farewells to the pups. Feelings were frustrating and a nuisance.
A gentle tap on her free shoulder was a welcome intrusion on Penn's current thoughts. She turned to see which of the pups wanted her attention. But, it was the pack doctor who was staring up at her.
The doctor smiled warmly at her before introducing herself. "I'm Doctor Reagan," she offered in her gentle voice.
Penn gave the woman a little nod and replied, "I'm Penn." Her voice was soft too, but only so that she did not disturb the slumbering Mia on her shoulder.
With the introductions out of the way, Reagan then asked, "Would you like me to have a look at you as well? I understand from Anex's report that you've been on your own for some time now." She paused a moment as if to assess Penn's face and her general condition via a cursory glance.
Then, when Penn said nothing she continued on saying, "Do you have any complaints? Things that bother you or needs you think should be addressed? If not here, I can always have a thorough look at you back at the pack," she suggested.
Penn smiled a little at the woman. It was a generous and thoughtful offer. Penn appreciated the kind gesture. Especially, when all she expected to receive from these people was cool indifference at best. However, she was in fine shape. She didn't need doctoring.
"No I'm good, " she told Reagan with assurance. "But thank you all the same," she added to let the woman know the offer of help was well received.
Reagan, not one to give up easily said, "One of the children mentioned you had an altercation with a bear. Were you injured?" She asked with some concern.
Penn looked over at the children for a moment and then back to the doctor with some surprise. She'd almost forgotten about the bear.
Reagan grinned at the younger woman and revealed, "They all talked quite a bit about you during their examinations. You'd be surprised what I know about you." She looked over at the pups with a soft affectionate smile and then added with a tender touch in her voice, "They love you very much."
Penn was so surprised by the kindly spoken confession that she felt tears stinging at the back of her eyes again. She blinked repeatedly and thought that what she really needed wasn't a physical exam but a good night's sleep. She was sure she was feeling overly emotional because she was tired, hungry and on edge. No matter how accommodating Anex, the Beta, and now the good doctor had been, she couldn't let her guard down. She was still at risk. The pack could turn on her at any moment. She had to be ready.
"All I need is a good sleep," Penn finally said to the woman after a long pause. Sleep and belly full of food had always been the remedy for most of Penn's ills since the day she was exiled from her pack. Surely it would be the answer now.
Reagan didn't press Penn any further and just ended the short conversation by saying, "If you change your mind, you are always welcome to come and see me at my office. You can ask anyone around the village for directions."
With that said Reagan gave Penn a little pat on her shoulder before turning back to her assistant, Rowan, and helping him pack up their mini portable medical office. It was time to head out again and the children were positively buzzing with excitement as they gathered around Penn and talked excitedly, but quietly, among themselves in an effort not to disturb Mia who was now sound asleep on Penn's shoulder.
Penn shifted Mia to her other shoulder to give her right arm a break. While she appreciated the pups' excitement, she wasn't too sure about her own welcome at the pack village. Penn was convinced it was too much to hope that everything would go as smoothly as this meeting just had. She knew she simply wasn't that lucky.
Penn steeled herself for a fight.