Looking To Belong (A Runt's Story)

Chapter 7

I lay down in the basket as I watched the forest around me. Andy was carrying the basket in his jaws at the moment, although they all took turns carrying the basket with me in it. They made much more distance in a day than I could on foot in a week.

It was a silent run, at least for me. They were probably mindlinking one another and their pack, but I wouldn't be part of the pack link until the Alpha bound me to the pack in an acceptance ceremony. At night, they had me sleep in the basket while they curled up around it. It made me uneasy to sleep while so exposed, but I trusted them to keep any predators at bay. Most wildlife wouldn't tangle with a full-grown werewolf.

I was somewhat amazed that they never picked up the occasional scents of rogues who covered their scent with foliage odor, and we had crossed several such scent trails already. I was used to picking up the slightly out-of-place scents and detected them with the ease of practice.

Bruce had been surprised when I had mentioned the rogues' scents. Then again, none of this group could even pick out my scent from among the scents of surrounding forest despite several attempts. Perhaps I had been a rogue for too long. Perhaps they needed their noses checked.

       I learned more about the four of them over the week when we stopped in the evening and shifted to our human shape. They were actually on their way back from a meeting with a pack much further east than where they had found me. They had been stopping at most packs to see if one of the pack members happened to be their mates, although they hadn't had any success.

They were a pretty laid-back and easy-going bunch. They were also endlessly curious about life as a rogue, although they didn't seem to understand most of my explanations. They just couldn't wrap their heads around such a different lifestyle.

I lifted my head and scented the wind, even from here I could pick up the Nightwind pack's boundary. It wouldn't be long until we arrived.

About ten minutes later, we crossed the boundary. And not long afterward, I picked up the scent of several sentries and patrols that had passed through as they protected the border from trespassers and ferals.

I looked up into a tree that was off to the side and saw a human sitting in a game blind amongst the branches. The sentry was watching us and seemed surprised that I spotted him so easily. I heard Andy chuckling above me and saw the other three glancing at me with somewhat impressed looks. I assumed that the sentry had mindlinked them when he noticed I had spotted him.

I am not sure why it surprised the sentry. His game blind didn't blend in that well, and his scent was entrenched in the area. A rogue lived in the forest and we were used to the forest's natural rhythms. Anything even slightly different or amiss caught our attention like a neon sign at midnight in the middle of the desert. I didn't even need my Omega senses to tell me that he was there and watching me.

I had been using my Omega senses a lot more over the last few days as I tried to get back into the habit of relying on them. It had been years since they had been of any assistance, so I hadn't used them. If I was going to be joining a pack, then they would be helpful once more.

We kept moving, and although I didn't see any other sentries or patrols, I could still sense the occasional one if we passed nearby. About an hour later, the trees finally thinned and we came to what looked like a village. There were about forty or fifty various shops and buildings lining several central streets. I could see small cottages on the far side with dozens of trees providing a more natural ambiance.

No tree could help hide the huge pack house that stood among the oak trees like an earthy jewel on display. Its brown brick walls were softened by dozens of vines that climbed up all five stories. The sprawling building looked like it had been expanded a few times with various wings branching off to the sides. I had no idea how far back it went into the forest, but it could probably house the entire pack if needed.

The scent of the manicured trees in the town and the wilder forest around it were similar, but different enough that I knew that my scent would always stand out a bit regardless of which plants I found. I gave myself a mental shake; once I was accepted into the pack, my scent would start to reflect the pack I had joined. There would be little point in covering it up then. The thought had been a rogue's automatic thought, not something that a pack member would likely even think about.

Andy stopped and put the basket down before shifting so he could speak to me. He looked down at my wolf form and said, "We figured that you might want to enter the town on your own feet."

I jumped out of the basket and swiftly shifted. The other three had shifted seconds after Andy did, so they were human by the time I shifted. They walked with me along the edge of the forest as we skirted the town. I could see that the main section of the town was fairly busy with people coming and going.

I inquired, "How many members are in this pack?"

Bruce shrugged. "About three hundred."

That was about average for most packs, and most of the members would be scattered about on various tasks. Some were fighters and scouts; while others would be cooks, storekeepers, or any other job that was required.

It looked like we were heading for the pack house, which made sense since that was likely where the Luna and Alpha were. I glanced at Bruce and asked, "Who are we going to see?"

"The Alpha is visiting another pack at the moment, so we are going to see the Luna," he said. "She is in the pack house at the moment, and she is looking forward to meeting you."

I nodded, although I was still surprised that they would accept a runt so willingly. I had been turned down by well over a hundred packs over the years. I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that they had brought forward the offer.

Even among rogues with excellent fighting skills, it was extremely rare for packs to approach them directly with an offer to join their pack; for a runt, it was unheard of. Although it was extraordinarily rare to find a runt living as a rogue, so it was hard to say for certain.

I saw a few children playing in a playground off to the side as we walked past several pack members who were also on the path. Quite a few glanced at me in curiosity, although they probably knew that I was the new member who happened to be a runt since the gossip vines in a pack spread any information like wildfire in dry grass.

It had been years since I had used my Omega senses in a pack situation like this. I was pleased to discover that the abilities had not weakened from lack of use. I was also relieved that I could sense no hostility from anyone, just curiosity.

We got closer to the huge building, and I extended my Omega senses with some difficulty. I could sense a bright soft aura in the pack house which would be the Luna. The pack house was pretty empty since it was mid-afternoon, but I could sense about twenty sparks in the same large room that the Luna was in. The shimmer would be the Beta female. Two were Omegas.

I had no idea what the one was though - it was like a red-hot coal from the heart of a fire. It had an odd sense to it, like it was slumbering until something fanned it to life. The rest of the sparks were normal pack members, although I suspected that there was an Enforcer in the room from the ringing quality. He wasn't using his abilities, so I wouldn't be able to pinpoint which spark was his until he used them, or I saw him up close while using my own sensing abilities.

We walked slowly down the street as I admired the gardens on either side of the main walkway. It was like the forest had pulled back to form a clearing just for the pack house. The place was clean and well kept, and I couldn't spot anything on or around the pack house that looked like it needed fixing or maintenance.

Nothing super fancy, but it tied together with earthy tones that fit in beautifully with the forest around it. The whole town had a similar look; well-kept and tidy with plenty of ties to the surrounding forest.