didn’t automatically continue I prompted her with an
impatient wave of my hand. “It’s Jase. I think if he wanted, he
could take over the Pack.”
“ Delusional Talley says
what?”
With the chaos my life was becoming, it was
somehow comforting to hear Talley sigh at me in that exasperated
way of hers. “You can’t see it because you’re too close.”
“ Don’t see what?” From
where I was standing all I could see was the brother who couldn’t
remember to put the toilet seat down and had lost three different
sets of keys in the past year. “Doesn’t leading a Pack require a
responsibility prerequisite?”
“ Responsibility can be
learned, but what Jase has…” A couple of the younger Shifters
wandered close to where we were talking. Talley stepped closer,
linked her arm with mine, and rested her head on my shoulder. It
was a familiar pose, one we assumed many times after some jerk
trampled all over Talley’s feelings. This time, though, she wasn’t
seeking comfort so much as way to get close enough we could lower
our voices. “Haven’t you ever noticed the way other people react to
him? The way people can’t help but be aware of him when he’s in a
room? The way people always seem so eager to try to please him, to
do something to make him proud?”
As she talked, it was almost as if I could
see him through Talley’s eyes. Jase standing in the middle of a
crowd, everyone focused on him; walking down a crowded hall, the
masses shifting so so he had an easy passage to wherever he was
going.
“ And he’s a strong
Shifter. Even as a newbie he could Change more quickly than Toby,
and he takes lead on any hunt he goes on.”
“ But it’s
Jase…”
“ He’s going to be our next
Pack Leader.”
“ If you say
so…”
“ I do.” Her blue eyes
twinkled in the firelight. “And you know how often I’m
wrong.”
“ Rarely.” I jumped at the
sound of Toby’s voice. Sneaking up on a Shifter was not easy.
“Which is rather unfortunate,” I thought I heard him quietly
complain. Surely he hand’t overheard us. Talley spoke so softly I
barely heard her, and my ear was approximately four inches from her
mouth. “Scout, we’re ready to start. Would you mind accompanying me
up front?”
“ No problem, Boss Man. You
lead, and I’ll follow.” I gave a salute, not realizing I was
copying Jase’s earlier action until it was too late.
“ And they wonder why I
think she’s going to be a problem,” Toby said to no one in
particular.
Toby sat me on one of the front benches, and
then went to sit on the edge of the stone wall surrounding the fire
pit. Embers popped out of the fire and danced around him, but he
seemed unconcerned, even when one burned a hole in the arm of his
shirt.
“ I’m not going to waste
everyone’s time and talk about why we’re here. Everyone knows what
happened last night and has already offered their opinion on what
we should do. Someone was even considerate enough to make up little
ballots so that everyone could have a vote as to what the wolf’s
fate should be.
“ Guess what? This isn’t a
democracy.” Toby stood up and the mood of the entire group shifted.
This wasn’t a family conversation around the fire, this was a Pack
Leader addressing his Pack. “This is my decision and mine alone.
Anyone who has a problem with it is more than welcome to challenge
me.” Despite being a coyote, Toby managed a wicked wolfish grin. “I
look forward to it actually.”
I had sparred with Toby enough times to know
it was going to take more than strength, ambition, and anger to
take him down. Like Talley, I was certain no one here was up to the
challenge just yet.
“ You’ve come to a
decision?” Mrs. Matthews stood to the right of the fire pit. In the
Pack social structure she was ranked just below Toby.
“ I wouldn’t have ask you
all to come out here if I hadn’t.” He moved into a pool of light
created by the nearly full moon like an actor stepping into
impatient wave of my hand. “It’s Jase. I think if he wanted, he
could take over the Pack.”
“ Delusional Talley says
what?”
With the chaos my life was becoming, it was
somehow comforting to hear Talley sigh at me in that exasperated
way of hers. “You can’t see it because you’re too close.”
“ Don’t see what?” From
where I was standing all I could see was the brother who couldn’t
remember to put the toilet seat down and had lost three different
sets of keys in the past year. “Doesn’t leading a Pack require a
responsibility prerequisite?”
“ Responsibility can be
learned, but what Jase has…” A couple of the younger Shifters
wandered close to where we were talking. Talley stepped closer,
linked her arm with mine, and rested her head on my shoulder. It
was a familiar pose, one we assumed many times after some jerk
trampled all over Talley’s feelings. This time, though, she wasn’t
seeking comfort so much as way to get close enough we could lower
our voices. “Haven’t you ever noticed the way other people react to
him? The way people can’t help but be aware of him when he’s in a
room? The way people always seem so eager to try to please him, to
do something to make him proud?”
As she talked, it was almost as if I could
see him through Talley’s eyes. Jase standing in the middle of a
crowd, everyone focused on him; walking down a crowded hall, the
masses shifting so so he had an easy passage to wherever he was
going.
“ And he’s a strong
Shifter. Even as a newbie he could Change more quickly than Toby,
and he takes lead on any hunt he goes on.”
“ But it’s
Jase…”
“ He’s going to be our next
Pack Leader.”
“ If you say
so…”
“ I do.” Her blue eyes
twinkled in the firelight. “And you know how often I’m
wrong.”
“ Rarely.” I jumped at the
sound of Toby’s voice. Sneaking up on a Shifter was not easy.
“Which is rather unfortunate,” I thought I heard him quietly
complain. Surely he hand’t overheard us. Talley spoke so softly I
barely heard her, and my ear was approximately four inches from her
mouth. “Scout, we’re ready to start. Would you mind accompanying me
up front?”
“ No problem, Boss Man. You
lead, and I’ll follow.” I gave a salute, not realizing I was
copying Jase’s earlier action until it was too late.
“ And they wonder why I
think she’s going to be a problem,” Toby said to no one in
particular.
Toby sat me on one of the front benches, and
then went to sit on the edge of the stone wall surrounding the fire
pit. Embers popped out of the fire and danced around him, but he
seemed unconcerned, even when one burned a hole in the arm of his
shirt.
“ I’m not going to waste
everyone’s time and talk about why we’re here. Everyone knows what
happened last night and has already offered their opinion on what
we should do. Someone was even considerate enough to make up little
ballots so that everyone could have a vote as to what the wolf’s
fate should be.
“ Guess what? This isn’t a
democracy.” Toby stood up and the mood of the entire group shifted.
This wasn’t a family conversation around the fire, this was a Pack
Leader addressing his Pack. “This is my decision and mine alone.
Anyone who has a problem with it is more than welcome to challenge
me.” Despite being a coyote, Toby managed a wicked wolfish grin. “I
look forward to it actually.”
I had sparred with Toby enough times to know
it was going to take more than strength, ambition, and anger to
take him down. Like Talley, I was certain no one here was up to the
challenge just yet.
“ You’ve come to a
decision?” Mrs. Matthews stood to the right of the fire pit. In the
Pack social structure she was ranked just below Toby.
“ I wouldn’t have ask you
all to come out here if I hadn’t.” He moved into a pool of light
created by the nearly full moon like an actor stepping into
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