Prologue
Brook moved her staff at half her usual speed but was still able to block the staff of her opponent.Her return strike was at her controlled half-speed, with little of her strength, and they barely blocked… this time.The pup she was training was covered in bruises which would be gone before morning from the moves they hadn’t blocked, the pain would remind him he needed to block them.The pup was missing basic moves now but had let him stop with a successful block.
Grounding her staff, “You need to get your high blocks up faster, Jake, if you want to be good enough to do patrols.”
Jake couldn’t speak, he was so out of breath.He nodded he heard, as he went to get a drink of water from his water bottle beside his seat on the bench at the side of the workout-circle.It was the same size as a challenge circle, but rather than just bare ground packed hard, it was padded well to absorb hits and the young pups appreciated it.
Brook nodded at the next pup, and repeated the exercise, while the rest watched.Her group of five pups were the ones who the instructors thought had potential, even though they were just beginning their second decade of life.If they survived the decade, they would be trained and have the skills to enter the Enforcers and be able to help defend and protect the pack.
She was a little surprised there was three she-pups this year who had been offered and decided to take the class, as usually the majority interested were he-pups, but she treated them the same, as it didn’t matter the gender to her, she taught them all equally.If the girls—or boys—needed extra help to succeed, they would ask or drop out.Most who were offered the training took it, as it usually meant a senior wolf thought they could get a high rank in the pack.Likely to be a Patrol leader before they were a century old, and they might even reach Beta rank.All were wearing matching close-fitted shorts and tank top, which were now sweat-soaked from their hard morning with her.
The few who dropped out either found it to not be for them or were not willing to put in the effort needed to succeed.The pack knew it wasn’t for everyone, as it was one of the hardest positions in the pack, thus it was also one of the most respected.Even these pups who were mostly just starting their training would be role models for the younger, so knew they had higher standards they had to meet; if they broke a rule, they would be punished as an example too.
“Showers!” Brook eventually called out, dismissing the pups for the morning.In the afternoon, the Elders worked with them on their class learning skills.They had to meet the human provincial learning skills, but with even only having half the time of the humans, they were able to generally meet the average grades.Some didn’t bother with anything past high school, but for those who had the marks to make them in, the pack paid for them to go to their choice, provided they continued to pass.If they failed, they–or their parents–had to pay for them to retake the class.All were expected to at least graduate high school unless they had an exception from the Alpha.There were a few of those, who the Alpha had permitted, but had discussed it with the human education board, and they had agreed with it.Often it was exceptions for classes, so they could still graduate.
She headed up to her room on the second floor, so she could wash up without anyone bothering her.She did share the bathroom with her friends Evan and Kuri, who had the bedroom on the opposite side of the bathroom, but they were out on patrol, and wouldn’t be back until late afternoon at the earliest.Stripping off her bike shorts and thong underwear, along with her sport bra, all of which were soaked from her training, as she had tossed her tank aside mid-morning, dumping them into the laundry hamper, she hopped into the shower.
After pulling on some fresh clothes of a soft capris and matching tank top in blue, over a clean sports bra and panties, Brook headed down to lunch as her stomach complained about the delay to shower.The pack generally did a buffet line of food, and each picked out what they wanted and served themselves.It made it easy for the pack chef and their helpers, as they had only to bring out to one place and could easily refill the trays.Making her choices, she headed for her usual spot.
Dropping in her seat with her plate of food in the dining hall, Aurora and Nikki smiled a greeting, “Tiring morning?”They could see Brook drooping a little.Aurora and Nikki were the ones who dealt with the little tech the pack had and helped with the building maintenance.Most of their work was finding ways for them to acquire technology without the humans being aware, and was getting hard, as most expected high-speed internet, which they still hadn’t found a way to get it out to the packhouse, without having a human come out to hook it up, and the Alpha refused to let them do that.Brook helped where she could, as she had learned how to blend in fairly well with humans.
Brook nodded and started to eat, *It takes a lot out of me to not use my strength.The pups are advancing.Can we not talk about work?* She told them silently over their shared pack bonds since her mouth was full of food.
*Well, you are an excellent trainer.Most of those who don’t drop out of your class go on to good positions.* Was the response from Aurora.Almost half of the pups who went to Brook didn’t finish the first year of training.*Did you hear about…* she said as she told them about a new tech which had just hit market.It was another item she would only drool over—figuratively—as it needed high speed internet to work.
The others nodded, and they started to talk about the latest tech they knew was out, and some thoughts on getting the Alphas to give permission to bring it here.*Mostly, Alpha Gareth’s resistance is he can’t really see enough of a need for it, which counteracts the risks of our discovery.* and they knew for such a change, they would need the Elder’s consent as well, as the Alpha listened to the Elders on most ideas, even if there were times he overruled their objections.Unlike some Alphas, he never used ‘because I say so’ but had a reason for it.
After finishing her second helping, “Well, I need a good run.I should be back for supper.” Brook told the others, as she picked up her used dishes and took them to the tubs which were beside the door to the kitchen.Some of the pack just left the used dishes on the table for the Thetas to deal with but had found if she took the little work to help them, they generally were friendly about her requests for assistance of any sort.She knew the Thetas just had to drop off the clothes to her bed, for her to fold and put away, but since she helped them with putting her dishes away, and with whatever task they asked of her, usually lifting and carrying something heavy, her clothes were always just found folded in her drawers or hung up.Even if it was like this morning’s top, dumped in the common hamper in the training area with the used towels, which they only had to put in the clean hamper out there for her to collect.
Brook generally had only a morning or afternoon to work, but at times, she did one-on-one training in her off time, if she found someone who needed the assistance or deserved punishment, or those she felt would excel better from some one-on-one attention.Or if they asked for it.Right now, she didn’t have anyone, so the time was her own.
*****
Brook was a half hour into her run, enjoying the wind going through her fur as she used the long run trail, which wrapped around several mountains and went through a couple passes, which was designed to take a few hours to run.Usually, it took her two to three hours, depending on the trail conditions, and she wasn’t pushing it today, as it was a nice day, so would be to the three-hour side.She was thinking if she wanted a hot soak or to run another trail when she finished this run, letting her wolf to be forward and mostly in control to set their paws so they didn’t make a misstep and she could think on what to do.
A delicious smell crossed her nose which nearly made her trip.**Mate!** her wolf said, yanking control from the human half, and heading into the wind trying to track it down.It seemed to fade, then come back even stronger.There was a scent of human mixed in, but her wolf still had control and ignored that part of the scent.She didn’t care if their mate was human; she just wanted her mate.He could be Turned once they were mated.
They bounded across a valley, heedless of the possibility there could be humans around to see her, it being in the part with less cover; Wolf-Brook was firmly in control and wasn’t going to let their mate get away!He was their other half, and both halves of Brook had waited since she came of age and learned his scent to meet him.She didn’t want to wait for even another day!
The elders told of a story where a wolf was lazy and when they smelled their mate, just waited for them to be found, instead of going to them.Lazy Jack smelled them for a week every summer, then nothing until the next year.This went on for several decades, with a different story for each year for the excuse why they never went to their mate, just expected them to come to fine him, but then they stopped smelling them.They lived on waiting for their mate for the rest of their lazy life, never having their mate find them… They were not going to be such a wolf; they were going to find their mate!
Reaching a scree-filled slope, she started bounding on the rocks, Wolf-Brook heedless of her safety and refused to give control back to the human mind; their mate was close!Jumping on a log about halfway up, it dislodged, levering a boulder up and starting a rockslide. Scampering, she tried to evade the tumbling rocks. It seemed the boulder was supporting much of the slop above it, and when it was released much more moved above!
She nearly made it out, dodging the boulders bouncing around her, turning trees into kindling, but then a rock bounced off her head and knocked her out…
