THE NEW TABLE DISTRACTED US

21 FEBRUARY, SUNDAY, 2:15PM

I led River, Keanu, and Wilhelm to the packhouse conference room. Unfortunately, they had to be transported like rogues, cuffed and chained together, and then walked by big burly warriors.

And everyone we passed had to stop and stare, from the warrior who opened the front door of the pack house for us, to the wolves waiting in the first floor lobby, to the admin staff rushing by us on the second floor.

I tried to elude the feeling that everything was just fine.

{It really is, you know.}

Yes, I knew it was fine. And you knew it was fine Boo, but it wasn't everyday that three humans in chains were being marched into our packhouse.

But eventually we got up to the conference room. Ben opened the door for me and Ki switched on the lights. Harvey got down to setting up his laptop - plugging it into the charger. Maybe my good beta was so overworked that even his laptop was running out of juice.

We did just return from Henry's Inauguration and none of the extra publicity that we struck up were helping in anyway IMAO.

I was starting to see why Dad often called these things a waste of time and drain on our pack resources. BUT I had to admit, getting to go the the Gold Packlands and everything that happened was also kinda cool. I learned a lot just seeing how a different pack did things and how a different world worked.

I did feel sorry for my betas though, I was quite sure at least one of them had missed a "downtime" to rest.

But this was an emergency. We needed to figure out what to do about River's stone and the potential warlock visit.

Ben left instructions with the guards to wait outside and stuff, then he came in with the three humans and uncuffed them so they could take a seat.

River rubbed his wrist and looked around, "Nice table."

Oh right... We got a new table. This one was made of some kind of polished stone slab that rested on top two more rectangular slabs at either end. I think either Dad or Beta Lucas was trying to get something that wasn't going to break.

I shrugged, I didn't like the way the stone felt cold to touch and the edges felt sharper than a normal table would.

I didn't think the table would last either, tbh.

"Granite" Keanu identified, running the tips of his fingers along the edges where he sat, "With good care and proper maintenance, granite tables have amazing longevity. Like this one, it still looks brand new."

That's because it was brand new.

"Hmmm... Do you think they make round ones?" River asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I'm going to set up a round table for when I become king." River explained, "I got that idea from a story about a king and his Knights of the Round Table."

I blinked, "Was it a human king?"

Because wolves did not have kings or knights. We had elite warriors... And warriors did not sit around tables of any shape.

"King Arthur." Keanu nodded, "He was from a human legend from another continent."

"He drew out a sword from a stone." River informed me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, it was stuck, but he was the only one who managed to get it out." River said, "So they made him King."

Oh. I supposed that was somewhat impressive, "He must have been really strong."

River shook his head, "Not really, he was more like a boy then, kind of clumsy too. I always imagined he was sort of like me."

I looked at River with misgiving - he couldn't even unstuck his own locker at school. I doubt he would be able to unstuck a sword wedged in stone.

"But later, King Arther became king and established the round table." River's eyes shone with pure admiration, "And he became one of the greatest kings in his continent."

You know what was more shady than ancient lycan legends? Human legends... And human legends that began with "Once upon and time in a land faraway" were the worst types to base real life on, much less your very real future kingdom restructuring plans.

I shook my head, "I don't know, River."

"You'll see. One day, when my kingdom is established, you'll come and visit and I will show you all the wonders. The fruit trees that grows along the roads so no one would ever go hungry, the white stone walls, the colorful markets and shops, the schools and parks. But most of all, the wolves and humans who would live together in perfect harmony." River told me.

Oooohhhh... Fruit trees. That sounded a little like somewhere in the Colored Mountains.

"There would be no fruit in winter. Actually, there would only be fruit in season - and then they will fall and rot on your streets. So everyone who passes by would have the stench and juice of rotten fruit and maggots on the soles of their shoes and their car tires." Ben said, because Ben enjoyed crushing dreams like that.

"Don't listen to him." I tried to brush Ben's negativity off, "I'm sure everyone would love free fruit."

"White stone walls won't stay white. Even if you manage to ban the graffiti, it easily shows off dirt, and mold, and algae. The only thing it wouldn't show is bird droppings." Ben continued, "Unless the birds ate colorful fruit from your fruit trees."

"Anything else to rain on a perfectly good daydream?" I asked.

"Yes. Humans can't even live with themselves in perfect harmony, what makes you think they can do it with wolves?" Ben chose to ignore my sarcasm.

"Okay, Ben, okay!" I exclaimed at Ben, "Geesh! Don't knock it until you try it! It could work!"

"In his dreams." Ben said.

Sigh, Ben.

"Exactly! But Everything starts with a dream!" I said, "You can't start anything with a reality."

"Actually, you can. And technically, you should." Ben said, "Reality would definitely make a better foundation to build on."

"Oh, well, I suppose... If you're going to build a boring kingdom." I wasn't going to let Ben win this argument.

"Yeah whatever." Ben shrugged, and backed down suddenly, "It's none of my business. He's not my Alpha."

River was frowning though, "I guess I never really thought about the fruit trees like that. It always sounded so cool in the Colored Mountains."

Legends have it that in the colored mountains the fruit trees were always in four seasons at the same time. The healers were so powerful that they could cast a magic so that the tree would forever be flowering, or forever bearing fruit - as long as there was enough magic, it would keep flowering or bearing fruit - sometimes both, even through the coldest winters.

But in those legends, magic trees were precious and only the top alpha family were allowed to pluck from it. Fruit and flowers from these trees were precious gifts from royalty. There were peaches so magical, that instead of a stone pit, they had a bright and colorful magical gem embedded inside.

"But this isn't the Colored Mountains, River." I told him, "Things don't work that way."

Ben was right. It was expectation Vs reality. But even though my mind understood Ben's logic, my heart understood River's desire. To build a magical world, just like the Colored Mountains, right here in the plains! Well, of course, River wanted to combine two magical worlds - the wolves' and the humans'. That was pretty ambitious.

All I've thought of was the Princess Town.

But no matter what Ben says, I was going to make the Princess Town work.

"The Princess Town will have fruit trees too!" I decided.

"Oh no." Ben groaned, "Here we go..."

"Why not?" I reasoned, "We don't have to line all the roads with fruit trees, just plant them in public groves and have free fruit picking events."

This isn't the Colored Mountains, but we can go with what we have, and it could still be a really nice place to stay.

"Perhaps a couple of smaller parks on the outskirts of the town, goddess?" Ki had pulled out his tablet and a stylus (was that new?) to note it. He showed me a planning map on his screen. He had used green to color two small splotches on either end of the map to show where the fruit trees could be located.

I noticed one of them was near a school, "Let's put a playground and picnic benches in too. Then when its not in season, at least kids could play there."

"Playgrounds, goddess?" Ki frowned at the planning map.

"There are no playgrounds?" I was shocked. How could you have a town without playgrounds?

"Apologies, goddess." Ki nodded a bow, "There will be playgrounds."

"Oh great." Ben muttered, "Fruit trees and playgrounds. Anything else, Sam?"

I thought about it and knew in two seconds exactly what else, "A theater or something for live entertainment"

"What? Like what kind of live entertainment would fight dogs want to watch?" Ben said.

"Fight shows." I shot back, barely thinking, but my mind was suddenly alit with the things I saw at Gold City, "And restaurants and specialty shops, near where Henry Park would be. And an amusement park with a Ferris Wheel and fireworks at night, and boat rides down the river!"

"Wait, wait, wait, stop! What the hell are we building here Sam?" Ben asked.

"A new home for ex-lycan slaves." I answered.

"And they need all these for what purpose?" Ben asked sounding very much like he was trying to reason with a small pup. But I refused to let him rain on my dream, "For jobs. For fun. For falling in love, starting families, AND OPENING A NEW TOURISM TOWN."

Ki lit up, "Goddess is truly a genius beyond compare! The Princess Town is the most naturally suitable location to establish a tourism industry in the Green Packlands."

At least somebody understood me! I beamed and nodded, "Yes! And a hotel. Harvey, are you interested in building the Langston 3.0?"

"The what, Alpha?" Harvey looked confused.

"Another kind of Langston." I said, and then I frowned and worried, "Maybe not such a big or business-like one though."

That would seem out of place in what I imagined Princess Town to be.

"A boutique hotel." Ki interpreted.

"And we'd hang fairy lights next to the river. It'll be like the most romantic place to walk!" I said.

"Come visit the Princess Town." Ki summarized, "A Second Chance home for former lycan slaves to start anew in the safety and tranquility of nature. Here, you can explore local specialty shops, visit the fruit groves, explore Henry Park, or spend an afternoon at the amusement park, and then ride a gondola down river. Dine along the river street, and then take romantic walk. Or attend live fight shows where ex-fightdogs demonstrate their skills and daring."

Yes! Yes! Yes! That is the kind of Princess Town I wanted.

"I see." Said Harvey, "Let me draw up the proposals for that. Thank you for the opportunity, Alpha."

"Wow." Breathed River, "Sam, you're really amazing. I understand now."

Eh? What? Oh... I forgot our guests were still here.

"I can't just copy and paste ideas from books." River said, "I need to dream in a way that would make Snow Moon Pack grow into somewhere my people want to be part of."

River stood up suddenly and made a bow, "Thank you for your guidance."

I shook my head quickly, I wasn't guiding him! Don't take guidance from me!

"The round table and fruit trees and whatever was fine!" I quickly said in case River took some kind of weird guidance from me and ruin everything for his new kingdom, "You don't have to throw them out!"

"I know." River said, suddenly confident, "But I also know better how make it work now. I'll be looking forward to see your Princess Town so you better look forward to coming to see Snow Moon Kingdom too!"

Was that a challenge? I nodded then. Okay!

River and I, we were the same this way. We were both dreamers of a world that could be.