Escaping Death and Finding Mate

The three men took a little step back and averted their gazes from me. Except for the one guy who pinned me to his chest. He was gaping at me, clearly surprised. "You're… You’re a girl!”

The guy beside him coughed while I blinked slowly at his sudden realization. They probably assumed that I was a male like most rogues in no man’s land. He looked away in embarrassment when he realized that his surprised expression was too obvious and his statement sounded a lot more frantic than shocked. He looked to be in his early twenties and was a bit slimmer than the other three guys.

He rubbed the back of his hair as he mumbled, "Uh, sorry about that... Didn’t know you are a girl."

I nodded slowly in acceptance of his apology; my senses told me that it had been sincere – my Omega senses are still open, just in case they are planning something dubious. The fourth guy stepped forward, and I shifted my weight uneasily to turn and face him. He is the one with Beta blood.

He cleared his throat before he spoke, "Please accept our apologies for what happened. We thought that you were an orphaned pup, lost in this forest. None of us has seen a runt before and the possibility didn't cross our minds. We truly did not intend to harm you."

All of my senses told me that he was telling me the truth. I relaxed a bit and nodded again. I was curious though and asked, "Why would you think a young pup in the middle of no man's land would have to be an orphan?"

He looked and gestured to the east. "Last night, we heard a bunch of howling and arrived just in time to help the eastern pack fight off a dozen feral wolves.”

Dozen? The thought of dozen feral wolves roaming close to where I hide sends shivers to the back of my hair. Dozen feral wolves have been waiting to ambush the eastern pack, that’s quite a great number… after all, feral wolves are wild and would do anything to kill everyone that stands in their way.

Then he continued, “We caught a whiff of smoke from the west and came out to ensure that no one else had been injured. We came across a camp, although we didn't see anyone around. We checked the area, but it was empty. On the way back, we caught a glimpse of you and thought that you were a pup. We waited to see if you were calling your parents or group in with your companions. When no one showed up after so long, we thought that they may have been caught by the feral wolves which would have left them as an orphan. We decided to catch you and make sure that you got adopted into a pack."

The guy who had pinned me shrugged as he added his own explanation. "It didn't seem right in our minds to leave a pup all alone in no man's land. We just didn't realize that you weren't a… uh… a pup. Sorry about pinning you like that, by the way. But I have to say, in my defense, that you have extremely sharp claws and teeth..."

He looked amused, and I grinned slightly in response as I regarded the dozens of minor lacerations on his wrist and forearm. They weren't serious and would heal by this evening, but it did look like he had grabbed a wild barn cat by the tail. I did sharpen my claws so I could climb tree branches easier and hunt small animals.

I commented idly, "You could have tried talking to me while you waited or saying your intentions much earlier before you started digging the burrow. It would have saved you a lot of trouble.” It would have been much easier for me as well. They obviously were not used to dealing with rogues.

He made a wry face and then smirked. "I will keep that in mind next time."

His friends had walked over to stand by him so they were no longer half-surrounding me. I appreciated it, as a runt and rogue, I was more cautious than most. Being surrounded made me uneasy, even if they claimed to mean me no harm.

One of the others inquired, "What are you doing all the way out here anyway?"

I was pretty sure the speaker was the black wolf. I shrugged as I said, "Most packs will not adopt a runt because it makes them look weak."

His brows raised and he was taken aback by my statement. "I never thought of that. How do you manage to survive out here?"

I scanned the surroundings and replied, "Mostly hunting small animals and gathering edible plants for my food. And occasionally trading for things I can't make on my own."

The one with Beta blood looked intrigued as he inquired, "What do you trade?"

"Usually, whatever I can find that they want. Berries, mushrooms, occasionally precious stones, and some other things I deemed to be valuable."

"Hmmm..." He got a faraway look in his eyes that meant he was having an intense discussion with someone via his pack's mindlink. Considering the other three didn't have that look, he was probably speaking with someone else in his pack. His eyes refocused on me. "I just spoke with the Luna. She is quite surprised that you have done so well out here and wishes to invite you to join the pack. She also has a soft spot for mushrooms."

The offer was sudden, I was stunned by it and was suspicious, to say the least. People usually did not just approach rogues, in their case, chase a rogue because they assumed I was a pup, and throw an invitation card to offer me a place in their pack, especially to a runt like me. I mean… that’s not how it works. I had been turned away by dozens of packs that I had approached. I carefully assessed his expression and said, "There is something that you are not telling me."

He blinked in surprise before sighing in defeat. "Our Luna... She is unable to have kids. When we originally thought we had spotted an orphan pup, she had asked us to double-check if it was an orphan and to bring it back if it was. Even though she knows that you are not a pup, your small wolf form is still kicking her Luna instincts into action. The Alpha has no problems with it either. If you are good at foraging and

harvesting, you could be an asset to the pack."

I listened carefully, relying on my Omega abilities that would allow me to detect a lie. It was a complete truth though. Their invitation also made sense now; Lunas had a tendency to protect any in their pack, as well as any child. Even though I was an adult, my tiny wolf form made disturbed her Luna instincts.

It wasn’t unusual for most wolves to treat runts somewhat like pups if the runt was part of the pack. I often used a few puppy-like behaviors when in wolf form around other wolves since it made them more laid back and tolerant. Even when I had visited other packs, it was just a small number of prejudiced or biased individuals who caused difficulties. The average individual was tolerant enough.

There was another wolf rank that had the small size of a pup, called a Comforter, but they never lost their puppy features. They were only found in about a third of the wolf packs, so they were almost as uncommon as runts. They were usually kept away from outsiders, although I had spoken with one once. She had told me that she considered her rank as the most important task in her pack, and that is comforting others. Her tiny size and puppy features made the pack members want to cuddle with her. My small size gave me some leeway, but I looked like an adult, just in miniature. I also lacked the calming abilities that the Comforters had, so I needed a different approach.

I had been trying to get into a pack for years with no success and I did kind of miss being part of a pack, although I wasn't sure how well I could fit into a pack after so many years as an independent rogue. I glanced at the others as they waited for me to decide.

I asked, "I think I would like to try. Which pack is this?"

"Starblood pack."

That was not one I had heard of or had encountered before. I tilted my head as I said, "I have never heard of it, so there is a good chance that it is not anywhere nearby. And If it’s too far, I am not exactly a fast runner and won’t be able to keep up with other wolves easily..." I trailed off, waiting to see how they would respond.

The Beta looked deep in thought. "It is about a week's journey to the west. Hmmm... If we can get a picnic basket, would you allow yourself to be carried in it?"

At least he didn't suggest that one of them carry me by the scruff of my neck like a pup for that kind of distance. It was equally obvious that I would be unable to keep up on foot. I didn't see any problem with the solution he was offering.

I nodded in acceptance. "I have no problem with that, although I would like to let the pack to the east know that I am leaving."

"Well, that is easily accomplished. Another member of our pack will be stopping by there in a few days." His eyes got a faraway look for a few moments before he refocused on me and said, "Done. He will relay the message. Now, all we have to do is find a basket."

Considering we were in the middle of no man's land, that task was easier said than done. I glanced around; my wild run hadn't covered too much distance, so I knew exactly where I was. I did a quick inventory of where I had hidden various baskets and bags.

"If someone is willing to run back to where you found me," I said, "there was a big basket in the raspberry patch beside the smoker."

One guy said, "I'm on it." He promptly turned around and started to run back. He jumped over a log and shifted into his tan wolf mid-leap. I blinked as he disappeared from sight and glanced at the one with Beta blood.

He shrugged. "Crazy Luigi will always be crazy Luigi." He held out his hand to me, saying, "In case you didn't catch it, I'm Liam."

I shook his hand and gave him a flat smile. "I'm Etheral."

He nodded and gestured to the others. "The one to the left is Mel, and the other one is Yap."

I shook their hands, still a bit uneasy and unsure in the presence of these strangers, but doing my best to hide it. My senses finally allowed me to tag a name onto the wolves that had previously chased me. Mel would be the black wolf, and Yap was the dark brown one.

We waited for Luigi to return with the basket. I was a bit nervous about accompanying these strangers, but the chance of getting accepted into a pack was too tempting to pass up.