Jumping up, I whirled around, fists raised.
"Woah there, Melody. Just me," Raymond laughed, "Remember me? No?"
I smiled back. Turns out I did know one person. It was Raymond, Adrian's older brother, who'd called a jackal a couple of years ago.
He gestured for me to come to meet some of his friends. An odd bunch of Lupine was gathered there under a nearby tree.
The arctic fox shifted into a lanky boy about my age, with long white hair curling around his neck. He watched me with emerald green eyes peering out from under this messy strands in his face. Looking away quickly, I made a mental note to steer clear of him. First impressions weren't necessarily accurate, but I wasn't willing to take the chance.
A brown and black grey wolf waved to me and offered the spot next to her. Unlike the fox, she radiated happiness that was infectious from her boots to the twinkling in her hazel eyes.
I sat beside her, the coyote on the other side of me moving to give me some room.
The coyote was in the middle of telling a joke, and everyone laughed. I found myself enjoying being with them. Even the cold white fox uttered a small chuckle.
Raymond introduced me to his three friends.
"Everybody, this is Melody, a friend of my younger brother's. Melody, that's Dakota over there. Don't worry, he doesn't bite," Ray said, and Dakota nodded with a flash of his canines, "Much. The wolf is Brooke, our ray of sunshine. And finally, our clown, Jeremy. Just call him Jerry. Brooke and Jerry are from my year, year 19. Dakota's from the year before yours. Now that that's done with, I think it's time to get going."
Ray was right, our break was over. We stood and stretched before shifting into our second forms.
I saw Dakota stare as I shifted and felt self-conscious. Did he have to? Making sure to place Brooke between us, we started traveling again.
According to Jerry, who was an endless stream of jokes, it would take about a week to get to the mountains.
A week of staying with Dakota, I thought, and involuntarily shivered. I didn't exactly fear him, but something about his gaze made my blood run cold. I didn't normally judge people based on first impressions, but my instincts weren't usually wrong.
Brooke mentioned me to one side and confided in me, "Could you look out for Dakota?"
Just the person I wanted to stay away from.
Why does fate seem to love entertaining me so?
I gave her a questioning glance and she continued, "He came to us last year, out of the blue, asking if he could stay with us. He didn't say anything else, but there were bruises and cuts all over his face. We all knew he had been hurt, and not just on the outside. Dakota's been through some rough times, and we were hoping you could help him. You're the first Lupine around his age to willingly be around him. So could you please try to get along or something?"
She saw my skeptic look and begged with me. "I know he might seem unfriendly at first, but he's a good guy, trust me. You just have to get to know him, that's all."
I hesitated, then looked into Brooke's pleading eyes. Everything about her was sincere, and I couldn't say no. I had seen how mistrustful Dakota was, and the bags under his eyes were noticeable.
"Alright," I promised against my will, "I'll try."
Brooke let out a relieved breath, and I got the feeling she'd tried this before. She smiled warmly and me, and I felt as though she were the sister I'd never had, and never knew I wanted.
Not a day into being a Lupine and someone had already accepted me into their pack. Maybe my luck wasn't as bad as I'd thought it was. Maybe.
She loped ahead, leaving me right next to a certain white fox. I'd said I would try, but I wasn't expecting to do so that soon. Nevertheless, I made up my mind to attempt to make casual conversation.
Which I was so capable in.
Tentatively moving a little closer so he could hear me, I asked, "So what's the pack's camp like?"
Dakota glanced at me, then resumed the fast pace we were traveling at. Well, that wasn't so great. I'd opened my mouth to ask again when he replied in a tense voice.
"You'll find out soon enough."
I waited for him to answer, but he stayed silent. Alright, then I see how it's going to be.
Asking a different question, I tried not to sound too impatient. "What do we do at the camp? Where do we sleep?"
Dakota remained quiet, his face becoming more and more strained, until he snapped, "Go away! Why can't you leave me alone?"
Taken aback, I replied, annoyed, "Fine then, sorry for trying to be nice. I guess it isn't appreciated in this tribe."
I saw his ears prick up, but I was too irritated to make anything of it, much less care. Why had I promised Brooke I would try?
Dakota called after me, so softly I almost couldn't hear him. "Wait."
I turned and saw him cover it up quickly, but he couldn't hide it. He was desperate for company. I came back warily, and Brooke nodded winking, before turning back to Jerry.
Dakota started hesitantly, "Well, the camp is...it's better than my old one, at least. We sleep in the caves around the mountain's plateaus. The caves naturally form, so it makes it easier for our carpenters to build shelters in and around them. Since it's your first year, you'll be put into training. The hunters from the year before train you, so you have the same mentor for a while. I don't know how to explain the rest though," he gave me a cautious, crooked grin, and added, "or I'm not allowed to tell you."
At least I got him to talk a bit. I didn't say anything for a while, catching my breath and saving energy so I could keep moving. The wolf stamina was great and all, but I couldn't go on forever.
Others were tired as well, plus the sky was getting dark. I would've happily kept going if I weren't nearly collapsing with exhaustion. Just cause I was a Lupine now didn't mean I knew the ins and outs of everything. It was my first time having a second form. Cut me some slack.
I heard Alpha Micha bark out, "Hunters get to your positions! Night Watch you're up! Everyone else set the base up! Break!"
The pack broke apart, everybody doing his or her job.
Dakota shifted to his human form. "I have to go hunt, sorry. See you soon I guess." He grabbed a quiver of arrows and a bow and sprinted off.
Brooke strolled over, and I shifted so I was back on two legs instead of four.
"You know," she mused, "I've never seen anyone get Dakota talking so quickly. Nice job Melody, you must have something good inside you that he picked up on. Now if you excuse me, I'm on cooking duty. I'll save you and the others something special."
She walked off, leaving me confused. Something good inside me? Brooke must be seeing things.
I and some other first years stood around, not knowing what to do until various jobs were called out, and we came to help.
I started setting up some tents with a couple of Lupine teens older than me. After the first tent, I went on a roll, unpacking the rest as fast as was possible. The others lay blankets out just as quickly. By the time we finished, the Hunters were back.
Spotting Dakota in their midst, I gaped at the size of the buck he'd brought down. Shot only once through the neck too.
The older man nearby was clapping him on the back. "There's our legendary hunter! He could outshoot any of the other tribes!"
Dakota gave him a faint grin and set off for the cooks' tent. He seemed a bit unsure what to do with all the attention. Just as I was nervous with crowds.
Separate fires burned all over the camp, each group of Lupine with its own cluster of tents. Tending the fire, I waited for Brooke to bring our dinner and the others to get back. Yawning, I tried to stay awake by looking around the temporary camp.
As hungry as I was, I couldn't prevent my eyes from growing heavy and leaning toward the fire.
Closer...closer...it was so warm, and my tired eyes drooped.
My head snapped up, but I was so drowsy it dropped back down again.
I closed my weary eyes, slumping forward, into the fire.
(Side Note: Melody is 16, Dakota is 17, Ray, Jeremy, and Brooke are all 19.)