The Rabbit and the Wolf

Colette stared in utter boredom at her workbook. Once she became old enough to start reading, her father had been adamant about teaching her how to read, write and do simple math. Or at least he called it simple, but as the six-year-old stared at the math problems and they slowly began to mesh together, she could not fathom how this was simple to anyone. It wouldn't be so bad if she did not have to spend the next few hours after this, training. She hated fighting more than she did studying.

The radio picked up a song that instantly stole her attention. She tried to keep her focus on the math problems, but when she heard the familiar sounds of the violin she was quickly transfixed. She pictured herself playing the instrument to the song, even though she had never held one. She hadn't even known what one looked like till Vincent finally showed her a picture of one after she pestered him about it endlessly.

"Letty," her father said her name in a warning tone. She quickly sat up straight and began working on her problems with more enthusiasm. He let out an exhausted sigh and looked out the window, it was such a beautiful day. It was a shame it would have to go to waste. He sat there as his old clock ticked by each second painfully slow. He hated to admit but he was feeling a bit restless that day as well.

"Perhaps..." he mused slowly. "We could take a short break today and go to town."

Colette jumped to her feet, her eyes were lit with new life at the thought of going to market. Her father hardly ever let her go with him, but now that she had proved she could put in her contacts to cover her peculiar pink eyes and keep her white hair hidden under a wig, he started to take her on more trips.

"OOH, that sounds like a great idea!"

"Fine go get ready, but when we get back you aren't allowed to go to sleep till you finish your problems and you run ten laps around the house." The old man put on his coat and his old leather hat, as he waited for Colette to fix her contacts and wig. Once the odd pair was ready he lead her to his old truck and buckled her into the passenger seat.

"You remember the rules?" he asked with a stern look in his eye.

"Stay close to daddy. Don't talk to strangers." She recited. It was a long drive to town, the truck was so very old it could not go much faster than sixty miles an hour. But Vincent was not the kind of man to spend his money on a new car when his truck could still do the job.

Vincent parked in his usual spot, beside the road. It was just out of the way of everyone so he could walk down the street and get his shopping done. He unhooked Colette's seat belt and helped her out. The little girl held the hermit's hand in her own as her curious eyes lit up in wonder. She had been to town before but she still loved seeing the people going about their day, and seeing all the new displays in the windows. She could never get anything, but she still enjoyed it.

"Hey Mr. Lapin!" a young boy called out. Colette hid behind her father's legs as the boy came running up to him. He had curly blond hair and appeared to be much older than her, yet younger than her father. But then again a lot of people were younger than her father. He seemed to be friendly, but he was a stranger, and strangers were not to be trusted. The wind blew past the boy and tussled his hair over his eyes. Colette's eyes widened as she recognized the smell of a wolf.

She quickly tugged on Vincent's pant leg, "Daddy, that's a wolf!" she whispered loudly.

"Yes, he is," was all he said to the girl before directing his attention to the boy.

"Curtis, it's good to see you again. This is my daughter I told your father about."

"Oh wow! Hello there!" Curtis said bending down to be at eye level. Colette hid further behind Vincent, letting only one eye peek out.

"Daddy says we stay away from other wolves," she said trying to sound braver than she felt.

"Well, I'm a nice wolf. Your father already vetted me and my family. And we do business with his old pack so you're going to see a lot more of us around here too."

"The Lavine's have bought out the town, this is now Grey Wolf territory," Vincent informed. "Remember I told you about my trip to go talk to the Alpha last month?"

"Oh...yeah. Does that make us part of their pack too?"

"I wish, but your old man is a hard person to persuade. But having someone keeping an eye on the outskirts isn't so bad." Curtis joked. "So what brings you to town? Anything I can help with?"

"Don't worry yourself about us young one. We are just doing some shopping to get out of the house."

"OK. If you need anything I'll be around," the boy then looked to Colette one more time and produced a small sucker from his pocket. "If you see a little brat named Oliver, don't let him know I gave this to you. I stole this from his stash." He said giving her a conspiratorial wink.

"Isn't stealing bad?" Colette asked.

"It's alright when it's your younger brother," he whispered. She giggled and took the sucker and began snacking on it. It was rare she got candy.

"Alright, let's go before more people give you candy. It was good running into you Curtis, good luck on your Alpha training."

Vincent then led Colette away to start his errands. Colette remembered how a month ago, her father was worked up and was saying they may have to leave their home. Fortunately, he got along with the pack that took over the town. She was sure he was still going to make them leave even after meeting the new Alpha, but a mysterious phone call seemed to change his mind. It was fine with her though, she didn't want to leave their little cottage in the woods, it was almost like a fairy tale.

Vincent only got what he needed each time he came to town, their trip would most likely be a short one. So Colette soaked in as much as she could as he went into a little grocery store to pick out what they needed for the month. He already had a list of all the items they were running low on. Colette kept a hand on his pant leg, refusing to break a single rule. But something caught her attention. Every time they turned their backs or moved to a different part of the store, Colette was sure she could see someone in the corner of her eye.

"Daddy!' She whispered, trying to sound as serious as possible.

He raised an eyebrow as he inspected the peaches, "What is it?"

"I think we are being followed!"

"So you finally noticed him? Your senses are getting better, but we still need to work on them it seems."

She puffed her cheeks and glared, "This is a serious matter!"

"Oh, is it now? Then you watch my back while I weigh these peaches."

She nodded and turned around, her narrowed eyes scanned the store just waiting for their stalker to mess up. She sucked on her sucker, in her head she felt she looked tough with the stem sticking out of her mouth. It made her think of her father when he used to smoke. He had stopped when she had gotten older and was asking questions about the habit.

After another second ticked by, she pretended to let down her defenses and slowly turn around again. At the last second, she turned around and pointed at the boy who was trying to sneak closer. "Hah! I caught you!"

The little blond-headed boy stopped in his tracks. He didn't look much older than Colette but he had a stubborn look in his eye as he pointed back at her. "NO, I caught you! You thief!" He shouted.

"I am not a thief!" She responded, matching his volume.

"That's my sucker! I can see my initials on the stem!"

She looked at the boy perplexed but then took the sucker out and inspected the stem, "You initial your candy?!"

"I put my initials on everything that's mine!" he boasted as if this was something to be proud of.

"You're weird. And I didn't steal this. It was given to me."

"By who? Was it Curtis?! And I am not weird! You're the one wearing a wig, what are you bald?!

"I am not bald, not that it's any of your business! And I can't say who gave it to me. I was told to keep it a secret," she then held her head proudly in the air and turned her back on the boy. Her hand never let go of her father's leg.

"I demand a duel!" the boy shouted.

"Dad, what's a duel?" Colette asked looking up at Vincent.

"It's where two wolves fight over some foreseen injustice, or for training." He answered as he bagged up the peaches, showing very little interest in the little squabble.

"I hate training," she turned to look at the boy and placed the sucker back in her mouth, seeming very unimpressed. "No thanks."

"You...you can't just say no! I am the -"

"Oliver!" Curtis shouted as he came running to his brother's side. "I told you to stay at home. Mom is going to be furious with both of us."

"I came looking for the thief that stole my candy! And I found her!! I ordered a duel and she refused! We must put her in jail!!"

Curtis sighed, "You little brat she didn't steal from you. I gave that to her."

"I knew it!" he said sounding very much betrayed.

"Oh please, it's been sitting there for weeks, you never touch it, you just put your initials on it like a psycho. I'll get you another sucker to replace it OK?"

Oliver crosses his arms and narrowed his eyes as she pondered over his options, "Fine, but I get to pick it out."

Vincent then finished inspecting all the fruit and began walking once again, never once paying more attention than needed to the spectacle. Colette was safe by his side, and that was all he cared about. He left the brothers to go pay for his groceries.

While Vincent bartered with the shopkeeper Colette's attention began to wander to other places. She looked out the window to see a little shop that displayed different knick-knacks each time she saw it. This time there was something that truly caught her eye. It was a Violin made of Maple wood. It looked old but her dad and everything he owned was old too, so that did not mean it was a bad thing in her book. Her eyes grew wide with need, she just had to touch it. Hold it in her little hands, maybe she could make that same magical sound that she heard playing on the radio. She roughly pulled on her father's pant leg, "Daddy can we go there next please?!" She pleaded as she pointed to the little shop.

He looked to where she pointed and shook his head, "We don't need anything from a pawn shop. There aren't any toys in there that you would want."

"I don't want a toy. I just want to see the Violin. Please?! It may be my only chance to see one! I will be extra good all week and won't complain when we have to train."

He sighed in defeat, after all, that could be the harm in just looking. "Fine, but you keep your hands to yourself. Got it?"

She nodded her head, "Yes sir."

The pair made their way to the pawnshop. Vincent went to the desk to ask if they could see the violin. The clerk went to the window and pulled the instrument from the display, "Would you like me to tune it?" he asked. Vincent gave a little shrug and let the clerk do what he needed. Colette moved as close as she could to the clerk, without moving her hand from her father's pant leg. Her eyes were boring into the instrument as she watched him pluck and adjust the strings. She was jealous of this boy she had never met before, she wanted to hold the violin and know how to tune it too. Once satisfied he handed the violin to her father. Vincent held the item carefully and fixed Colette with a stern look, "I am going to let you hold this, but you have to promise to be careful. This is a delicate instrument and is very expensive."

She nodded her head silently and she wiped the sweat off the palm of her hands. He gingerly placed the Violin in her hands. She slowly dared to pluck one of the strings and almost burst with joy when she heard the sound it emitted. It was the most beautiful sound she ever heard, and she made it happen.

"Would you like to use the bow?" The clerk asked.

She gasped and looked up at the clerk, her eyes sparkling with pure joy, "yes!"

He laughed and handed her the bow. The clerk then gently showed her the position she needed to hold the violin. He tucked it under her chin and placed her fingers on the strings. He then showed her how she needed to hold the bow. "It's a little awkward at first, but once you get used to it, it becomes second nature."

As she held the violin she felt a strange sensation overcome her. Her eyes began to glaze over as her surroundings seemed to dissolve. Before she knew it, she was somewhere else entirely. She was in an outside garden, sitting on a chair holding a violin while another woman sat by her side.

"Ok Diana, play the cords I taught you," The older woman ordered. She wore a smart green hat that was tied around her head with a ribbon. She wore a green high neck dress, that was way out of date.

Colette's body moved against her will, it was clear she was just a spectator seeing through the eyes of the girl that was called Diana. She struggled to remember the cords but she managed to clumsily move her fingers to each note. The older woman would stop her from time to time to fix her finger positions and have her restart each time, till she finally got the pattern down.

The vision did not last long, and soon Colette felt herself return to her own body in the pawnshop.

"Colette!" Her father's voice was full of worry as he gently shook her. She blinked in confusion as she finally remembered what she was doing.

"That was ... weird," her voice sounded airy and soft in her ears.

"We need to leave," Vincent ordered as he tried to pry the Violin out of her hands.

"Wait no, please! I'm fine! I just want to try and play it!" She begged. It was the first time she ever put up a fight with her father and it did throw him a little. She moved away and placed her fingers in the position she saw in her vision and played each one as she was taught.

"Where did you learn to do that?" her father demanded.

"I saw it in the dream," was the only answer she could give. Her heart was so overjoyed to be able to produce the notes on the first try. She never got anything on the first attempt. But as she held the instrument in her hand, producing what little sound she could, she felt complete. She knew she would be asking a lot, but she had to try, she could not bear to separate from the Violin. "Daddy?" She asked, looking up at him with wanting eyes.

"No." He said simply. "It's not a toy and is very old."

"So are you but I don't mind!" She exclaimed, causing the clerk to choke back a laugh.

"No," Her father said again, after glaring at the clerk for a quick moment.

"Please! I will be so good and I won't ask for anything ever again!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep," He ordered. "Violins are a lot of money and are a lot of responsibility. I am not paying for you to pick up a hobby that you will put down once you are bored."

"I won't give up on it! I give you my word!"

"How do you plan on learning how to play? I don't know the first thing about music.""I can help with that," the clerk said. It appeared Colette had worked her charms on the boy and he was happy to help a spunky little kid who may form a love for music. "I'll throw in a beginners book and a tape. I think she has a natural talent for it anyways."

Vincent took a deep breath and took a moment to think. "If I get this for you, you are not allowed to give up on it for two years. You will practice every day between lessons and training. You will not play it in the house or when I am sleeping."

She nodded her head, "Ok."

"You know if you give your word you have to see it through. I don't tolerate people who break promises."

She nodded her head again, "I swear I won't give up on it, I'll take care of it, and I won't disturb you when you are sleeping. I'll also pay close attention to my studies and in training."

His tired eyes studied her for a moment, before finally turning to the clerk, "Ok wrap it up."

She nearly jumped and screamed with joy, but her father gave her a warning look and she cleared her throat and straightened her back. "Thank you, Daddy."

"Yeah yeah," He gruffled in his usually grumpy tone. But there was a small smile that peeked at the corners of his lips, he secretly did enjoy spoiling the girl every now and again.

Once the Violin was placed in its case, the Clerk began instructing her how to care for it and for the bow. He gave her a beginners book and a tape that would teach her basic notes and how to read music. "If you are ever in town and have any questions, I can help." He said presenting her a card with his name on it.

she squinted as she tried to read the script, "Xander Woods?" She asked.

"Hey, good job! Yep, my family has owned this shop for generations. But I used to play music in college. The Violin is a personal favorite of mine."

She smiled wide, "Thank you, Mr. Woods."

"Thank you for your help," Vincent added. "Now we must be going, come on Colette." Colette held the case close to her heart as they loaded back into the truck. Once they were on the road again, Vincent took the time to steal glances at Colette. She seemed so happy, but what had happened at the Shop was still plaguing his mind.

"What happened back there?" He asked after a moment. "When you froze and I couldn't wake you. You said you had a dream?"

"I did!" She then explained what she saw and why she knew the simple four notes.

The old wolf took a moment to think to himself. "Don't tell anyone about this. That is a direct order," his words washed over her with heavy authority. He only used this tone for something important. "If you have another one of these dreams, you are to tell me immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir...am I in trouble?"

"No. I am just looking after you. That's my job after all."

She smiled, "One day when you are too old to look after me, I'll look after you."

"I can't wait," He said with a low chuckle as he continued the rest of the drive home in silence.

Vincent did not go easy on his daughter during training that night. She was going to make good on her promise to train hard that afternoon. After two hours of running and going over drills, he was finally satisfied and let her leave to clean up before dinner. He sniffed the air and could smell a storm coming on. This made him sigh internally, Colette did not do well in storms. The sooner he got her to bed, the better.

"Remember, no messing with that Violin, you will have time tomorrow to practice outside," he reminded her before she could get any cheeky idea's to try and mess with her new treasure. "Go wash up for dinner."

"Yes sir!" She agreed. She hated that she could not practice in the house but she made a promise that she would keep her word. After washing up they sat down for a silent meal. Vincent was not much of a talker, especially during a meal, so Colette learned to eat in silence most nights. She was beginning to fantasize about playing her violin when the abrupt thunderclap boomed loudly in the distance. The little girl froze in fear but tried her best to look brave.

Once her dad was done eating he put his towel down. The rain was now pelting against the window mercilessly. It was going to be a bad night.

"How about a story before bed?" Vincent offered. Usually, a story was what she needed to help her sleep, on nights like these.

She gratefully nodded her head and ran upstairs to her room to get into her pajamas and brush her teeth. Once she was done Her father made his way up the stairs and headed to her bookshelf. "What shall I read tonight?" he pondered as he thumbed through the list.

"Can you tell me the story about the Rabbit and the Wolf?" She asked.

"You want to hear that one?" He asked in surprise. He had only told her that story a handful of times when she was younger. He had made it up on the spot when he found he had nothing suitable to read for a young child.

Colette nodded her head as she curled up under the covers. He took a deep breath and agreed, "Ok if that is what you want." He scooted next to her and began to recall the beginning of the story.

'Once Upon a Time. In a faraway forest, there was a grumpy old Wolf. He had never had any cubs of his own and he was content to live on his own. But one day when he was going for a walk, a little baby bunny bounced up to him. If the bunny had been a full-grown Rabbit he would have eaten it. But it was so little, that it seemed a waste.

So the wolf opted to ignore the bunny and go on his way. But the bunny kept following the wolf. "What a foolish thing you are," He growled at the bunny. "Don't you know I eat rabbits like you?! Where are your mother and father? Go back to them." But the bunny was too young to answer the wolf. He smelt the air and could sense no other rabbits nearby. "Go," he ordered as continued to walk.

The day was almost spent and the bunny was still following the wolf, hiding between his paws for protection. The wolf tried to scare it away but the brave little bunny was determined to stay with the wolf. Finally, the wolf had enough and he ran off, far too fast for the baby to follow him. He had made a good distance when he heard a howl in the night. There were other wolves nearby.'

Colette's eyes widened in fear as she hugged her legs close. "Then what happened?" she asked even though she knew the end of the story.

'The wolf went the opposite way of the other wolves. He had his fill of the forest and was ready to go home. But the further he got the more he thought about the little bunny.

How was a baby going to protect itself from other wolves that will not think twice before eating it? He wondered. He knew he should not care, it was nature. But as he reached his home, he could hear snarls and barks close to where he left the baby rabbit.

The wolf could not ignore the nagging feeling in his heart and he ran back to find the bunny. He found it just in time as a pack of three wolves circled the frightened little thing. He jumped in the center and took all three wolves on his own! It was a gruesome fight but the old wolf had experience on his side and he defeated the invading pack.'

Colette smiled and laid down on her pillows. She held a stuffed bunny, that had a red ribbon around it, close to her chest. She yawned as the story was reaching its end.

'The wolf took the bunny back to his home and swore he would look after it for one night. After that, it would have to go its own way. But the next day as the wolf was going to leave the bunny by itself once again, a snake tried to sing the bunny to sleep so it could swallow it whole! The wolf narrowly saved the bunny once again. So he decided to take care of the bunny for one more night.'

Vincent stopped his story as Colette's eyes were closed, and her breathing had become steady. He was about to leave when her little arm gently grasped his hand. "Then what happened?" She asked, her voice hardly over a whisper.

'The wolf promised this would be the last night he took care of the bunny. But each day a new danger posed, and the wolf could not bring himself to leave the bunny on its own. So he took the bunny in and treated it as his own pup. In time the bunny became his daughter. He taught her the dangers of the forest, and how to avoid predators. He promised that no matter where she was, all she had to do was yell for him and he would come to her rescue. The Wolf and the rabbit were an odd pair, and it made many critters in the forest gossip. But no matter what anyone said, the little bunny knew, the wolf would always be her father.'

With his story done, Colette had fallen fast asleep. He quietly got off her bed and tucked her in. He kissed her softly on the forehead and left, turning off the light. "Sweet dreams, little rabbit," he whispered before heading to his own bed.

True to her word Colette kept to her studies and found that they weren't as laborious now that she had something to look forward to. As she got older things became easier and she was able to read and write not only in English but also in French. She studied history, science, and math. Vincent refused to let his child grow up simple, no matter if she was an Omega or not. Along with these studies, he trained her in how to defend herself. But her body would not gain the endurance she needed as quickly as he had hoped. He saw she did not have the talent in his fighting style but she was fast. So he focused on her strength and with this, her training became easier.

And when she was not training or studying she played the violin. That was when she was at her best. She was never bored of the instrument, in fact, the more she played, the more her hunger for learning music grew. After seeing how passionate she was for music, vincent uncovered his old dusty, grand piano and taught her what little notes he knew. But after playing it and testing out the keys, she found it was easy to take some of what she knew from the Violin and translate it into the Piano. When she was out of material for her music she would go to the library and find what she could to help further her knowledge. Eventually, she learned how to start writing her own music.

In addition to all her studies, she slowly got to know the pack that had taken over the town a little bit more. Every time she went to town she and Oliver always found something to squabble about. But he was the closest kid her age, so he was the first person she ever called a friend, even if they only saw each other on occasion. She wished she could explain why she couldn't attend any of his birthday parties but she always made sure to get him a gift each year. Oliver never seemed to mind too much, as he got older he understood that the hermit that lived in the woods was very protective of his only daughter. As time passed the two fought less and got along a lot easier.

Vincent was not sure if this should worry him or not, already the Omega was attracting others to her. And, her 'Dream' was also raising alarms. But as three years passed she did not have another episode and Vincent slowly began to forget the incident.