4
"I know, you all want to get on with it, and though I tried to convince the Alpha to skip this part, he is, as usual, too pigheaded to get the point." Loud gasps, mostly from the foreign guest wolves.
"On to the point – This group of wolves..." he says indicating the group of graduates with an encompassing move of his open hand,
"...performed adequately..." Smiles on the faces of the older wolves, probably remembering the Master at Arms' speech from their own graduations.
"... or they would not be graduates, would they now?" A few laughs can be heard, while everyone is smiling.
"What I would like to mention..." Silence and intrigue showing on the faces of most,
"... is a she-wolf qualifying as a warrior brawler, as the bruises on her peers can attest... " Murmurs of approval from the graduation group, yet disproval showing on the faces of most of the elders.
Jena is feeling uncomfortable, and starts blushing.
"... and I can say even though a mere female, her performance as a warrior brawler was adequate... " some smiles from the crowd,
Jena is furious, her skin the color of angry red.
"...and sometimes, above-average." Silence and perplexed expressions on the faces of many of the older wolves. A slight smile of satisfaction on the face of the Alpha.
Jena is fuming, her face is dark, and a small circle has been formed around her, as the other graduates, both give her space and keep her away from curious on-lookers.
"Now the Beta will continue with the positions." The entire crowd claps politely.
A few wolves closer to the podium hear Conall growl something in the line of "I hate these speeches!" and smile sympathetically at him.
"Oh, bugger off!" he snaps and they jump out of his way, but keep on smiling.
The Beta starts reciting the names, roles and corresponding positions from one of the scrolls he has with him.
"Irvine – Pack Warrior – assigned Roaming Patrol"
"Gragas – Scout – assigned Sentry"
"Felicia – Scout – assigned Roaming Patrol"
...
"Hannah – Pack Support – assigned Field Medic"
...
"Joel – Pack Warrior – assigned Home Guard"
...
"Alastair – Pack Brawler – assigned Personal Guard"
...
"Jena – assigned Pack Diplomat"
Jena storms out of the graduate group, in search of the Master at Arms. Most of the elders showing disproval and some satisfaction.
...
"Vanessa – Pack Support – assigned Sentry. These are all our graduates."
"Alpha!" Lindator faces the Alpha and bows submissively.
"Thank you Beta Lindator. I would also like to thank our Master at Arms, where ever he may be, since he never gets to see the end of a graduation meeting..." Knowing smiles and laughter from the older wolves.
"... and let you all know there will be another celebration tonight!" Howls of approval.
"Could we have done this assigning of positions last week along with the graduation? Of course we could have. But there isn't any reason for a pack celebration a good reason?" Louder howls and shouts of approval.
"See you all tonight! Dismissed!"
"Conall!" she yells after him.
He knew this might happen so he is hurrying away from the crowd with long, purposeful strides.
"Conall, stop!" Jena yells again. She has been running to catch up to him.
They are now a good distance away from the living area and definitely out of ear shot.
She finally catches up to him.
"I have questions and you are going to answer them," she says, but it comes out more like a growl because of her anger.
She grabs his shoulder, intent on forcing him to face her.
Conall places his opposing hand on his grabbed shoulder to hold her in place, than raises his free elbow, and spins towards Jena, trapping her and forcing her to the ground, placing one knee between her shoulder blades.
"Is that so young lady? And how are you going to do that while hugging the sand? You are so angry, you are making rookie mistakes. How many times have I told you children about acting when emotionally compromised?"
"I just..."
"You just what? Acted like a spoiled little girl? How about the fact that you should repect your elders, your betters, your pack members? Though I look forward to the day I shall call you my Alpha, that day is not yet here. So you should and will respect me and everyone else for that matter. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Master at Arms, perfectly."
"Good. Get up now!" he says removing himself from his crouched position.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to..."
"Didn't you say you have questions?"
"Yes, but I thought... "
"Then go ahead and ask your damned questions! If you think you've calmed down enough."
She squints her eyes for a moment, trying to smell or hear if he is honest.
"What the hell was that?"
"That meaning..." Conall says.
"During the Ceremony, you singled me out."
"And your point is?"
"Why? And then you called me a mere female!"
"I had something to say. And I'm pretty sure you are a female."
"That's not what I... Arghhh never mind. But then you said – and she air quoted – 'her performance as a warrior brawler was adequate' what the fcuk?!? I was the best brawler in the group and you know it. Hell everybody knows it!"
"Mhmm. I did say that. I also distinctly remember saying you were above average. So if everyone was average and you were occasionally above average – I really see no difference in what you are saying."
"You are so, so... " she says, growling again, looking for the proper word.
"Either you calm down and act like the adult you supposedly are, or this conversation is over," he says, raising his eyebrows expectantly.
Jena takes a few deep breaths. She is not happy, and neither is her wolf, though Lana is a lot more reserved with her opinions about the Master at Arms. In her respect for the much older wolf, she almost wishes he was their mate. Or at least their mate was a lot like him.