Fang

LongFang grins but turns so serious the good feelings of the night recede and I almost allow a wine to escape my throat. “There is not much time left to this night but one last important thing needs to be discussed. Come follow me.” He leads and I follow him to the stream a little distance from our den.

When we reach the stream terror penetrates my mind as I realize I can no longer hear any of the pack members. Had I done something so horridly wrong during the ceremony that LongFang has decided to kick me from the pack?

“Calm yourself PaleFang.” His words are thunderous in the sudden silence and I yelp startled. “I have need to discuss this with you in private that is why the others are not able to hear us now.” He explains patient as always.

Private the word seems silly what need is there to hide any knowledge from the pack. I had this disagreement with Perseus as well. On some level though LongFang agrees with my thought.

“Most of the elders know what I need to talk to you about and in this way I aim to spare some of the young ones unnecessary stress and pain.” LongFang explains.

His words are not comforting and I wish to be anywhere but here now with him. A feeling of dread has taken a hold of my heart.

“You have always been a pup in my pack and will always be welcomed here as the adult you have turned into. When Ian and the others come they will more than likely want you to go with them. I cannot take you to the Tribunal to be judged and cleared but they can. You were born here with us and accepted but you were born a member of their pack as much as you are a member of my pack. Your place among them is your birth right as the son of your mother the daughter of Ian’s Alpha.” He stays motionless waiting for the words to sink in.

Member of another pack.“I have family other than my mother and my pack?” The concept is not strange our pack is a family with mothers and mates and pups. The whole pack raised me but I had always secretly thought of DenMother and LongFang as my parents the same as my milk brother was their son. Of course I had never considered that my mother’s pack must have been her family and that they must have missed her as much as I do. The idea of going to meet them wasn’t so bad we visited other packs all the time during the summer months.

“It would not be the same.” LongFang says dashing my hopes. “Knowing how I would feel if I found a lost member of my own pack their Alpha would probably insist on you staying with them for a time at least. It is time for you to learn more than we can teach you PaleFang. I have known this day would come since the first time I laid eyes on you. This wolf form you are and have been for a long time dominates you now but is only a part of who you can be. No one can go through life knowing only a small part of themselves.”

“Please LongFang don’t send me away.” I plead wining. “I can learn more from all those that live in our country. Pursues was trying to teach me about the world I’m sure he won’t mind coming to live with us as a teacher.” My mind is racing trying to change his mind.

“PaleFang, if let’s say for instance a Harpy took WindChaser from us as a pup and raised him as one of them knowing only the basics of being a wolf and you found him after years what would you do?” He asks.

This question is easy. “I would take my brother from them with force if need be.”

“You saw how much bigger Jenny was in her Werewolf form than any of us.” For emphasis he replays an image of her. “If her pack…your pack came and decided to take you with force if need be what do you think would happen.”

This question was not one I wished to answer. “Pack members would get hurt.” I reluctantly reply.

“And if instead you go willingly and learn from them their ways and more of your own strengths and weaknesses and then return to us?” He awaits my answer patiently.

“I would gain, all knowledge gained is worth sacrifice and I would prevent war between our packs and I could come back to my pack here in time.” The answer is what he wants I can feel it. It is also final if they come and want to take me with them I would have no choice but to go.

“They are also the only ones that can safely take you to be judged and I am certain they will be able to protect you no matter the Tribunals decision.” Try as I might I can find no excuse around this point and I reluctantly concede.

“There is something I need to give you to take with on your hunt.” LongFang disappears back into the den and joins me again with a strange looking thing. “This was your mothers.”

It takes a few tries for us to open the strange thing and then some odd looking items fall out of it. Many shiny things blink at me in the moonlight along with some items that could have been fur of a weird creature and more things that baffle me completely.

LongFang shows me memories of when my mother had been in human form using some of the items. He had not deemed these memories important to share with me before and I would not have understood this strange white creature if he had. One of the items she would pull through her hair, one of them that made a soft light like moonlight she would push on in a specific way and it would make some weird noises and then she would make the light go away. She also spend a lot of time making sounds with her mouth while holding her belly.

She did not stay in this form for very long since she was getting sicker. She changed into a Werewolf dying not long after. In the images I could not help comparing her to the other wolfs of our pack. She was quite a lot bigger with a white and brown coat and looked as if she could have been stronger too. A question I had forgotten about popped into my head.

“LongFang, how was the Jenny human able to force herself into our pack mind.” LongFang growls deep in his chest. “When it comes to our cousins the Werewolf’s PaleFang we must submit like a Beta to an Alpha. It is not normally enforced but some like her do not know the meaning of patience.”I growl too to show my displeasure with his.

When the images of my mother comes to an end and I can hear her say in the pack mind. “Jessie, I want him to be called Jessie someday.” I wince. The word is a name obviously and as strange as Jenny and Ian to my mind but that is not what bothers me. Seeing her laying her head down and knowing she never opened her eyes again is hard to witness.

The rest is easier to watch. I see DenMother come over and clean me up then help me to start nursing, and I watched as I immediately changed into what I look like now, white, but a small version of it. Long Fang indulges me and continues to show me growing up. My favourite time definitely began with WindChaser my milk brother’sbirth and our time together. He also shows me how Ideveloped faster and grew bigger, but stayed pure white. When he shows me my change into vampire form I pay close attention for ones. I still had the same eyes and even looked like my mother in the face just with fangs.

“You are different but still one of my own PaleFang.” He reassures me one last time as the image of the vampire fades. “This will always be your den.”

Istayed awake wondering about the long night and all that had happened during it before I finally went to sleep tightly curled up between WindChaser and DenMother.