Journey Home

Chapter 10 - The Lesson

All cities have bad neighborhoods, places where poverty rubs elbows with affluence and Vancouver was no different. A pedestrian could travel 10 blocks and see the entire range of society from the bizarrely rich to the depressed poor.

If someone were savvy enough, they could tell when they were in a bad neighborhood, there are always clues. Public transportation all but disappears, liquor stores and check-cashing shops replace personal gyms and Starbucks. Fast food replaces restaurants and people walk either with their eyes down, or their eyes fixed fiercely ahead, challenging anyone they pass.

Dirty gutters and old cars, tenements, abandoned shopping carts, and whomever that culture or country deems as their lowest castes of people will be present in abundance.

Noticing these changes I did not understand their significance, but my wolf did. Hierarchies, social structures, dominance, and submission were fundamental parts of how a pack was organized.

This was the viewpoint I used when I assessed our situation and realized we were at the bottom, of this social structure. Two children, with no adults and no one powerful to defend us? It would be best if we kept our eyes down and gave way to anyone we met. I was hyper-aware that we were walking among humans and humans were violent and unpredictable. We were in trouble.

The irony of what happened next was not lost on me.

When we saw the coyote shifters, I felt a sense of relief like being reunited with a long-lost friend. At the coffee house, I had known to be wary, but in a place like this even your enemy can look like a friend and so I threw down my guard and approached the group of shifters with an openness they did not deserve.

"Are you lost?", the eldest girl asked.

"Yeah.", Tee said.

"Where are you supposed to be?", asked the eldest shifter.

"Train station.", Tee said.

The older girl's gaze left our faces and looked off into the distance and then as if deciding something her affect changed and she smiled at us.

Strangely, I felt the amulet the verdant witch gave us heat up. Tee must have felt it to because he touched below his throat where it hung under his clothes.

"We need to get away from them.". I thought.

"My amulet is burning.", Tee said.

"Mine too.", I said.

"Let's keep going.", Tee said.

Our plan was for Tee to give our excuses and keep walking, but the coyote shifter spoke first.

"Let's get off the street. It's not very safe here. Then we can figure out what to do. Okay?", asked the eldest shifter.

"You know what, we are okay, I am going to call my dad and have him pick us up. See you around.", Tee said.

But when we tried to keep going, the throng of coyote shifters caught us up in their momentum and we couldn't break free of their current. Wolves may be stronger than coyotes, but two against so many?

It was weird. If we did not have our medicine bag warning, I would have thought the coyotes were going to help us. They must have known we were on to them because we resisted, and blows were exchanged. But the leader of the juvenile delinquents kept up the facade that we were on friendly terms talking cheerfully and smiling back at us.

The coyote shifter that was leading this pack of kids looked to be about sixteen or seventeen. She was lean with light brown hair and sharp features. She stepped lightly amongst the trash at her feet not making a sound.