Helping Terra

December brought with it more snow storms than Morgana liked. Each morning she would grumble about the cold and would blast the heat in the shuttle so she could work. Yurik and Tearnyn did not mind it as they walked about the village to work. But what turned Morgana on to the depressing season was the party the village held each year during the Winter Solstice. The village buzzed with excitement during the week leading up to the celebration. Adults and children alike walked around giddily as stores put up decorations and the streets became ornate with the pack’s crest. Even Morgana could not stay in low spirits as she held off working on the shuttle to help with decorations.
When the day arrived the village was in full swing of celebration starting at sunrise. By the time the three Scouts woke up, they could hear children and adults laughing and music playing. Tearnyn looked out the window and smiled as her two companions started dressing in the traditional garments. Morgana’s medieval style dress was silver and purple to account for her unit and family colors with long bell sleeves and a long silver braided belt. Her hair was wavier than normal and two braids kept it from getting in her face. Yurik wore a long wine colored shirt with a silver vest and wine pants. He helped clasped a choker around Morgana’s neck; replacing her dog tags this once. Tearnyn finally pushed off the window and slipped on a double layer medieval dress that had a hood attached to it. The under garment was a patterned ice blue while the coat that laced from her navel to under her breasts was silver. She had sleeves that also belled out but not to the extent Morgana’s did. After a moment’s decision, she slipped off her dog tags and replaced them with a simple silver leaf chain. After Morgana fussed over all three of them, she deemed them worthy to step outside.
Although it was cold out, Morgana did not complain as she moved happily through the streets and celebrated with everyone else. The food was free and when they were not eating, they danced; Morgana more than the other two. Tearnyn danced with both Yurik and Morgana at least once and a few of the men and women from the village. It was not until the sun was closing in on the horizon that the real festivities began.
An hour before the great feast would begin a small party entered the village. Crowds huddled together in the streets to see the honored guests. Morgana and Yurik were among those who gathered while Tearnyn had wandered off for a little while. She loved people, but she did not like feeling like she could not escape. Once she was content with her isolation she walked back to the village to see that crowds still gathered in clumps instead of one large one. A familiar smell hit her nose and she followed it. She walked past her friends and saw familiar brown hair and hazel eyes.
“Lowell?” She asked in surprise.
One of the newcomers turned to his name and then gave her a toothy smile. “Tearnyn!” He detached from the party and walked over to her. “I almost did not recognize you. You look beautiful tonight.” He took her hand and kissed it with a wink.
“Only knew it was you because of your scent.” She smiled back.
“My scent?” He asked curiously and then addressed her friends. “Nice to see you again Scout Yurik, Scout Morgana.” He kissed Morgana’s hand but without the wink.
“Hello Lowell.” Yurik and Morgana greeted.
“Books.” Tearnyn replied after the pleasantries.
Lowell blinked a few times before asking, “Book?”
“Your scent. It heavily smells like books.”
“I am a librarian.”
“I am aware.” She grinned cheekily.
He grinned seductively as he commented, “Good times in the book stacks.” The crowd around them hummed at the insinuation.
“Ah yes, you talking to me while I was trying to find books. Mmm wonderful times.”
“I helped.”
Before the conversation could continue a taller muscular man walked over and placed a hand on Lowell’s shoulder, “Son, who is this beautiful young lady?”
“Father, this is Scout Tearnyn Aldwin and her pack mates Scouts Yurik Canton and Morgana Terran. Tearnyn, Yurik, Morgana, my father Alpha Aurik Raid.” The three Scouts looked at Lowell with wide eyes before readdressing the Alpha.
“It is a pleasure to meet you Alpha Raid.” Yurik like the others, bore his neck and nodded.
“Hello Alpha Raid.” Morgana spoke at the same time.
“Nice to meet you.” Tearnyn followed up.
“Very nice to meet all of you.” The Alpha smiled kindly at the three Scouts.
Tearnyn looked at Lowell with an arched brow and asked, “I thought you were a librarian?”
“Librarian by day, Alpha in-training by night.” Lowell shrugged and gave a smirk.
“Glad that’s cleared up.” She replied wryly. Alpha Raid laughed at the banter. Tearnyn turned to the Alpha and asked, “May I ask why you are here? I mean this is Alpha Roik’s territory and from what I have gathered, Alpha’s rarely leave their territory even if they are allies.”
“You don’t know?”
“No, we’re new around here.”
“The three Alpha’s of the area always come together on the Winter Solstice to celebrate another peaceful year. Even Elder Elrry comes to celebrate.”
“Will both Alphas of the Silver Back Pack come then? And does that mean they too will have an entourage?”
“It depends, usually they both come and usually it is them and another.” Tearnyn nodded as she thought to whom the ‘other’ could be. “Scout Aldwin.” She looked up and was startled back by the man’s face proximity. He placed a single finger under her chin and looked into her eyes. “You have strange eyes, eyes I have never seen before.”
“Like I have wolf eyes?”
“Like you have Tunglþræll blood eyes.”
“Or that.”
“Why do you have their eyes?”
His tone took on a defensive tone that Tearnyn was not fond of. “Because their blood runs through my veins?” The crowd around them fell into silence at the declaration.
Finally Lowell broke it with a cough and, “It makes sense. She was the one who translated Alpha Genevieve’s journal. And she was obsessed with learning about our founding family.”
“I was not obsessed.”
“You read five three hundred page books in two days. I believe that is being a bit obsessed.”
“I just like to read.”
“Tearnyn, you were obsessed.” Yurik gave her a look that clearly meant ‘stop lying to everyone.’
Tearnyn crossed her arms over her arms, “Excuse me for being curious about my family. It’s a little disheartening when everyone seems to know more about my family than I do.”
“Everyone knows about the founding family.” Lowell commented.
“Yeah, everyone but my family. The fáviti in my family, hell the government all but made them a myth.” Yurik and Morgana nodded sadly as everyone else looked baffled. “But enough of that. I’m not that special.”
“I don’t know about that, you are special.” Yurik grinned as he slung an arm around her shoulders. “So special that you managed to get lost even though the area you were in was only the size of two houses put together.”
“That was one time! And I had a high fever.” She pouted. “It was nice meeting you Alpha Raid, but I’m going before I’m made fun of anymore.” She bowed her head and waded through the crowd. Her friends laughed after her while Lowell followed them. The four of them ended up walking the village until it was spread that the last of the guests arrived. By the time the small group, who was stopped a few times so people could talk to Lowell, found the Silver Back Pack, most werewolves had dispersed. Unlike the Raid pack who was welcomed with open arms, The Silver Back Pack was looked at with uncomfortable curiosity.
The group waited off to the side as the Alphas finished greeting each other and offering peace gifts. Lowell informed them about the formalities they were performing and graciously provided information on the Silver Back Pack. Tearnyn did not react while Morgana merely grinned because popular to Lowell’s belief they knew about the pack.
Tearnyn watched as Leaf Blend’s ears perked and she started scenting the air. Her nose worked overtime until it pointed in the correct direction and she spotted Tearnyn. Her front paws pranced in place and she let out soft whine. Swift Strike looked in Tearnyn’s direction and gave the older pup permission to leave the small group. With the okay, Leaf Blend ran over and let out an excited whine. Tearnyn bent down and embraced the ecstatic Hunter who licked her chin.
“Hello to you too.” Tearnyn smiled and let out a soothing sound. When the wolf had calmed down, Tearnyn rubbed her cheek against Leaf Blend’s.
“You know the Silver Back Pack?” Lowell looked at her with his mouth slightly opened.
“Yep, I’m a floater. A bit like Elder Elrry, but not quite to his level.” Leaf blend sniffed near Morgana and Yurik and sneezed. She looked up to Tearnyn who rubbed a confirmation. The wolf was going to further investigate the similarities in scents when she was called by her Alphas. She rubbed up against Tearnyn’s side before trotting off to her pack. Tearnyn turned to see the Alphas walking over to her small group.
Swift Strike and Silver Back walked ahead of the others to greet Tearnyn and her friends. Tearnyn exposed her neck and received a lick and then a rub to the cheek. Tearnyn greeted back with a smile. “Hello Alpha Swift Strike, Alpha Silver Back.” The two Alphas yipped at her happily and then moved on to the other three. Tearnyn stood and smiled at Sin. “Hello Sin.”
“Hello Tearnyn.” He nodded at her.
“Are we to the point in our relationship where I can hug you or are we still nods only?”
He could hear the smirk in her voice and replied, “If must…”
“Then I’m going to hug you, stop me if you get uncomfortable.”
He looked at her pointedly, “After conversations had, I b-will be fine.” Tearnyn laughed as she stepped forward, touched his shoulder and gave him a hug. It did not last long, just enough for him to awkwardly touch her back.
“See that didn’t kill you.”
“Says you. Werewolf customs.” He shook his head causing Tearnyn to roll her eyes.
“It’s almost equivalent to scenting wolves do. If it makes you more comfortable I can rub cheeks with you. I could even bend at the waist so nothing else touches you!” Sin glared at her. “Also, hugging is more of a human thing than werewolf. Unless werewolves really know each other, it’s usually very formal in greeting. They don’t want to cause a fight for hugging someone’s mate or anything.”
“Makes sense.”
“Caused my mother some problems when she first became my father’s pack doctor.” Tearnyn turned to watch as Sin’s Alphas met her two pack mates and Lowell. “She’s very much a human and has always greeted or said farewell with hugs. Maybe not with people she first meets but when she knew them she would hug them. More often than not there were a few tense wolves while she hugged someone. It took her a while to refrain from it until it was cleared by both sides.”
“You like her then?”
“Sometimes. As content as I am with being alone sometimes, when it comes to people I am close with I like touch. I am wolf and human after all; both are usually all about family.”
“I guess. I do not humans.”
“Says you.” She chuckled.
“How do you know the Silver Back Pack, Scout Aldwin?” Tearnyn and Sin turned to look at Alpha Raid.
“I was drugged and the pack saved me.” She replied simply, Morgana and Yurik emitting a low growl. Leaf Blend whined and licked Tearnyn’s fingers as she wiggled her way between Sin and Tearnyn. “I’ve been friendly with them since then.”
Alpha Silver Back barked gaining everyone’s attentions. Sin translated, “Tearnyn, save Soft Whimper from she-wolf. Alpha Silver Back and Swift Strike… grateful.”
“Very impressive.” The Alpha approved. “Your English is also getting better, Caretaker Sin.” Sin did not reply and looked down. Leaf Blend nuzzled his hand in comfort and sat loyally by his side. “Still not much of a talker I see. You should speak more, Sin. You are the translator for you Alphas after all.” Alpha Swift Strike barked her disapproval of Alpha Raid’s tone.
“Alpha Aurik, Alphas Swift Strike and Silver Back, let us go to the table. Shall we?” Alpha Roik smiled firmly at Alpha Raid before turning and walking towards the large table in the middle of the village. Tearnyn touched Sin’s hand as he went to follow after his Alphas. He nodded at her before slipping away behind the party.