Chapter 3: The Order of Things

Arion POV

It wasn’t really a farm per-say, but that’s what they referred to it out of habit from when the villagers had asked. There were a few cabins and then the main house that held council meetings and their meals. The pack was together the majority of the time, besides during the later evenings when they would venture to their own dwellings.

Phinn had drug their meal back to the lodge while Micah and his brother Caleb, who was the fifth wolf out with them that day, had been assigned to skin and tan the hide. According to Dorin, they were in desperate need of practice.

Reni and Arion were cutting chunks off of the elk for the pack’s evening feast when Stasha, Arion’s younger sister, came squealing in with excitement to help them in any way she could.

Arion smiled and instructed her to take the chunks and give them all a quick sear on the outside, just enough for a sizzle to burn the remaining hair off.

Stasha looked very similar to her elder sister. Both had red in their hair, but Arion’s was more of a deep copper whereas Stasha’s was lighter with a blondish tint. The girls’ eyes were deep green with visible gold flecks. This was due to the long-standing Alpha-gene from their father and older blood-lines.

Stasha looked up to her sister and Reni. Five years below them and training with her own age group, she always saw those two young women as aspirations of what could be. It made her believe that no one could ever hurt them, Alpha or not. This created pride in Stasha and she wanted to learn from the best, so any chance she got, she was with Reni and Arion.

Most would be annoyed by the consistent presence of a younger sibling, but it never bothered Arion or Reni, who was every bit their sister, besides in blood.

Where Arion and Stasha were undeniably related, Reni was their stark contrast. Equally as beautiful and athletic as the Alpha’s daughters, Reni was much more reserved and obedient than Arion. She also had dark raven hair with milky brown eyes and a paler complexion. She was as loyal as Stasha was to Arion and if Arion ever led the pack, Reni was no doubt her beta, just like her father had been to her and Stasha’s grandfather.

Arion smiled sadly at the distant memory. That was before Reni’s father, Arelius, as well as his wife Maria, Reni’s mother, had been killed protecting the three girls from a rogue wolf long ago. From that day, Malaki treated Reni as his own, and to her, that made him more than just her Alpha and leader. He was her father figure.

“Come, gather around pups and listen to these lessons. There may be in-the-field decisions to make based on these!” Dorin shouted as he walked into the lodge, triggering moans for the older ones and excitement from the young pups. He headed to the long dining table followed by Arion’s father, Malaki, and his beta, Rodrick, who was Phinn’s father.

The younger pups gathered around the table along with all the other pack members who were wandering in.

No one sat until Malaki took his seat at the head with Rodrick to his right and Dorin to his left. Once the three were seated, the others sat on the long benches as Rodrick’s wife passed out the meat before returning the platter to the center of the table.

They all bowed their heads, held hands and began a prayer to the Moon Goddess. It was Caleb’s turn to lead.

“Mother Moon, thank you for this meal you have provided for us by keeping our paws swift, our sight keen, and our sense of smell acute. Help keep us hidden in the shadows from all who intend harm and stealthy as well as strong in the heat of battle. Grant us the power to protect ourselves, your moon children, against all evil and allow us to blend in order to survive the Time of Great Discoveries. Let us never betray ourselves, our pack or you, Oh Moon Goddess. Continue to guide us as we continue to serve you.”

“Well done Caleb,” Malaki nodded at the shy boy who quickly muttered a “Thank you, sir.”

All sat in silence as the Alpha and his beta took the first bite. Then the elders, the pups, and finally the crew that had hunted took their turn to eat.

Once everyone had officially started, Dorin decided to redirect the murmurs from the table to the promise he had made earlier.

“Eh-hem.” He cleared his throat only once to effectively silence any others talking. He now had young and olds’ attention.

“Now we will keep it simple tonight, as things ran later than usual and it was a very productive day, thanks to our young hunters.” With that, he paused allowing a congratulatory response from the others. He nodded and raised his cup towards the mentioned, who all sat across from each other towards the end. Arion nodded back in thanks to Dorin.

Again, the room quieted, waiting for him to continue.

“Long ago, who was the creator of the first of our kind?”

“The Moon Goddess!” one of the littler pups almost bounced out of her seat in sheer excitement from knowing the answer.

“Good. Now, why were we created?”

Longer silence than before.

“To protect the land She cannot touch but only watch,” Phinn offered.

“To be warriors for Her.”

Dorin turned to Arion with her response.

“And why would She need warriors?”

Arion now had the room’s eyes on her and her teacher. He was testing her specifically because she used the word warrior.

To Arion, that’s what they were, that’s what she was supposed to be and sometimes hunting didn’t cut it. Some days she could feel the chaos rolling inside of her, feeling as if peace was too boring.

Dorin knew that. He had to call her on it many times, warning her that her eagerness for battle would come but it could also be her downfall. That’s why he wanted her answer now, to explain it for all to understand. Or maybe he was wondering if she could. Challenge accepted.

“Our Mother needs protectors, yes. For She cannot touch the land that She watches over, being forever cast in the sky.” Arion could feel her father’s gaze more than any of the others. “But in order to protect the vulnerable land and its inhabitants from all forms of evil looking to destroy, the protectors needed to be warriors. Warriors that could fight with more strength than the bears, faster than the deer, and slyer than the fox. We were created to be those things for the Moon Goddess. For our homes and to secure a future for all who were put here.” Arion had risen while giving her speech, letting her own passion lead her few words.

No one said anything.

Arion was about to sit back down when her father, followed by the other elders of the pack, stood and raised their mugs. The younger members mimicked the elders.

It was Malaki who spoke.

“She is right. We are the warriors of the Moon. For years it has been peaceful and we have been able to slowly grow back numbers from long-ago wars for things that no longer matter. And our most recent battle that we still fight today is with the humans roaming into deep new territory. We know it as the Time of Great Discoveries. There have been many of our own we have lost when the travels began.”

All holding their mugs now raised them even higher.

“But we will not fall like so many others continue to. We have learned to not strike in fear or aggression at the humans. To not show our true forms. To blend. And the one thing that has saved our lives time and time again since the settlement outside our lands,” He looked over at the growing pack of young adults and pups. They needed to know more than the rest in this moment of their lives. “We do not mingle with the humans in any way besides necessary to blend. The occasional play-mates as kids, then acquaintances as we age but never romantically.”

Arion caught her father’s stare, as did Stasha and they quickly looked back down, unable to control the urge to grow hot in the face as if being accused, though knowing it was just a fierce reminder, especially for them.

Malaki continued, “To expose ourselves to a human in form, in words, or to simply pursue romantic relations, especially since the travels began, is an utmost betrayal to this pack and our kind. We all know the story of Ezekiel. It puts us all at risk. The humans fear us and fear causes all to do terrible things in the name of survival. What one calls protection, another may call devastation. Remember that, always.”

With that, they motioned as if all cheering their cups and took a drink before sitting back down.

Right as everyone was about to continue with the evening, Malaki spoke once more, changing the mood into almost a celebration.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Speaking of mingling, I met the baker on the road today doing a run and he asked if we would be in town tomorrow for the trade market and celebration.”

Arion and Reni were gripping hands in hope. Their fellow pack mates from the afternoon stopped breathing in anticipation. The older they got, the less they were able to go to town.

“Please…” whispered Arion.

“We have more than enough hides to trade and meat to bring in as well as it’s been a while since most of us could go in together. And since we were just discussing blending and not raising cause for suspicion, this would be considered, as Dorin puts it, in-the-field practice. I told him we would be there.”

An excited murmur arose as the clearing of the table ensued.

As she carried plates to the wash area, Arion wondered if they would run into the butcher’s boy and his friend.