Mark Bates's Story

Robin giggled excitedly as she held her twin's wallet in front of his face. "You want it? Huh? Do ya?" she questioned jokingly, using her absolutely best puppy-dog voice.

Carter looked surprised for a moment that she had his wallet and stuck his hand in his pocket just to make sure. He wasn't a bit surprised that she had taken it and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Just give me my wallet, Rob."

Robin gave him a look that seemed to say, 'Is that a joke?' and turned on her heels, beginning to walk away from him. "Look, Cart, you and I both know that that isn't going to happen."

Carter sighed, acting defeated and then suddenly, as fast as he could, Carter made a grab for Robin's arm. However, Robin was too quick and she easily slid out of his grasp. Carter made another grab for her, but she was already at a tree and had begun to climb it. She made it to a nook in the tree and sat down in it, looking down at Carter.

Carter looked up at her and sighed in annoyance. However, he couldn't help the tiny smile that made its way to his face. It made him happy seeing how Robin was like their mother in so many ways. Carter shook his head, wiping the smile off his face. What didn't make him happy was the fact that he never seemed to actually have his wallet when he was around Robin. He looked back up at Robin with a defeated sigh. "Fine, what do you want?"

One second, Robin was in the tree, and the next she had hopped down and landed softly in front of him. Robin sighed and held up the wallet which Carter snatched from in between her two fingers. "You're no fun anymore." She pouted, turned away and began walking toward the pack house again. Carter stuck his wallet back in his pocket and jogged a bit to catch up to her.

They walked for a while until they finally made it back to the pack house and walked in the large door. "...So I took it from him. I mean, it's not like he keeps it very well guarded," Carter said finally ending his long story about something or other as he closed the door behind Robin.

Robin put on a fake thoughtful face and looked over at him. "So it's kind of like you and your wallet?" She asked before reaching into her back pocket and producing Carter's wallet. Carter gave a small growl and grabbed for the wallet. Robin smiled and stepped back, out of his reach. "So predictable, Cart." She tsked loudly and tossed the wallet to him.

Carter caught the wallet and rolled his eyes. "You do know that I could break both your legs in two seconds, right?"

Robin smiled up at him as the he made his way over to the kitchen two get a snack with Robin following closely beside him. "Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try." They began to argue, as they often did, in such a way that it started to sound like they were speaking a different language. They were still in their quarrel when they walked into the kitchen and came upon Mark, Isaac, Tai, and Nancy who seemed to be making dinner. The twins momentarily stopped their argument and said in synchronicity, "What's for dinner?"

Erin’s desk was awash with open textbooks, crumpled up pieces of paper, and half finished essays. None of it was homework, she’d already finished that. For the most part it had been pretty boring; though as always she enjoyed her speech and debate assignment. But seriously, couldn’t teachers think of something to give them that weren’t just memorization and repetition of facts? It was like they just expected everyone to take facts in and then spit them out like a machine! Erin had even gotten in trouble the other day for questioning a teacher!

It was absolutely preposterous, if her biology teacher could give her no viable proof that dragons didn’t exist then there was no reason why she couldn’t speculate on them in her term paper! For peat’s sake they were werewolves! But nooooo, apparently it was wrong to choose a “mythical” creature, and then lecture your teacher on the probability of its’ existence!

Of course, that wasn’t what was on her desk either. Erin’s desk was awash with college brochures, Sat prep books, were-wolf history books, and half written speeches. All of her speeches were half written because Erin simply couldn’t think of what to say. She was enjoying a bout of writers block, and it was exhilarating. She just begun to start yet another speech paper when she heard the sounds of dinner preparations coming from below her.

Erin bolted up immediately, shoving her books and papers into a pile and cleverly concealing them with a blanket. This was just what she needed, a distraction. She could take a break for dinner and grill Tai one more time about male succession laws in the pack.

Erin went down the stares taking them three at a time and galumphing into the kitchen. She was just in time to here Mark talk about food being women’s work and then apologize because it was his wolf who made him say it.

Strolling up to him she put his arm over his shoulder in an overly friendly gesture and said, “Mark, mark, mark. You should let you’re wolf know that this is is the twenty first century. The idea of women being bound to the home is an ancient thing of the past. Righttttt?”She flashed him a smile, ready to launch into a lengthy speech that the majority of the household had heard at least four times over.

It was a source of limitless mirth how a little noise in the kitchen was the like orchestra leader striking up the band in a broadway music, triggering the entrace (in various degrees of gracefulness) of the familiar cast. Nancy was the first in, and some precursory exclamations from upstairs suggested that she had been accelerated on her way by some form of antics. Tai looked up at her and smiled, rolling a couple of onions towards Nancy along the counter.

"Chop chop." she said, reaching for the baking foil and checking to see if the oven was up to temperature yet.

Next in was Mark, once again harangued and gainsayed by his own wolf. It was uncanny, Tai had never met a youngester with such a vocal wolf. She imagined that Mark's first shift must have either been a walk in the part or the most stressful thing imagineable! And then for the poor guy to have Erin's voice added into the mix on the subject...she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Ohh Erin," she said, "you remind me of a female who grew up here the same time as me, called Lux. I think the equality cause is laudible, but you have to remember that as wolves some things are written into our beings and trying to fight them can do more than just injure our pride. But..."

She smirked and glanced over at Mark, stopping short of mentioning some of the things Adrian was often heard to say back in the day, frequently to Lux's ire. Yes it was true, her mate had been considerably less...'progressive' than some of this new generation of wolves. Nevertheless, having only a daughter to succeed him had certainly challenged the paradigm somewhat...

...speaking of which, where was Raena? Tai couldn't remember having seen her all day.

"...if you're really keen to help, why doesn't one of you head out to the patio and pick some rosemary for the lamb?"

Erin was eagerly awaiting Marks response and hoping it was a wolf fueled rant against Erin’s progressiveness. Instead she got, "I agree with you whole heartidly on that. Women are playing bigger and bigger roles in society. We have women in goverment and in positions of power and they tend to run things smoother then men at times to." Erin Stuck her tongue out at Mark, knowing full well he was attempting to dodge the bullet that was her rants.

"Although he dosn't agree on that" he added, "sometimes I think he just trys to be my exact opposite some time."
Eric was about to attempt to reason with Marks wolf when Tai entered the conversation, "Ohh Erin," she said, "you remind me of a female who grew up here the same time as me, called Lux. I think the equality cause is laudible, but you have to remember that as wolves some things are written into our beings and trying to fight them can do more than just injure our pride. But..."

Tai trailed off, no doubt lost in memory about the crazy days of her youth. Erin had no doubt that they were indeed crazy days, she’d read enough history books and gotten enough lectures from teachers to know all about the rouges who’d attacked. She couldn’t quite place the name Lux though…

Erin smiled at Tai, releasing her grip on Marks shoulder to Sit up on the counter, “You should tell me more about this Lux sometime. She sounds like a downright awesome person.”

"You know, Erin, I think women play a very big role in society,” Carter said. Erin paused a moment, trying to decide whether this was an insult to her, or a comment on Marks prior statement. As she decided she watched the antics of Robin and tried hard to conceal her giggles. Erin smiled, the two of them were fun to watch. There constant banter was a never-ending source of amusement.

Erin nodded thoughtfully, as if concentrating very hard, and said in an analytical tone, “You are right carter, women do play a big role in society. The fact that mark,” Erin swung her head towards her pack mate and flashed him an evil grin, “didn’t say that they currently play a big part in society begs the question; does mark hold anti-feminist feelings which cause him to believe that while the role of women has improved, it is still not important? Or, does he simply not feel that the role of women has improved to an important, but he still supports the cause...?”

She paused a second, letting mark suffer through the idea that he was about to get a lengthy talking to. Finally she jumped off the counter and said to the group, “ But, alas, we will never know, for now at least. As I am off to get Tai some Rosemary.” With an deep over exaggerated bow, and a friendly wave to Raena as she entered the kitchen, Erin turned and sauntered out of the room.

Tai paused for a thoughtful moment when Erin solicited to know more about Lux some time. It could have been a way of politely ending that train of conversation, but it sounded genuine enough. How easily Lux's name had fallen from mind and speech over the past eighteen years...despite the remarkable fact of her being the only female in living memory to survive her first shift without her mate. And now, who knew where she was...

"Thanks hon." she said to Erin as she passed through the back door leading from the kitchen to the patio. The kitchen was fairly large but was already starting to feel crowded. Perhaps, she thought with a smirk, it had been designed only to fit the female contingent of the house pack, based on the old ideals Erin and Mark were so vehemently opposing.

Tai's heightened senses caught Raena's scent before her daughter was even in the room. She looked over and laughed under her breath. A rose in the hair this time...it was stuff like that which Tai found so endearing, but knew at the same time confounded Adrian as to how Raena could possibly be his successor as alpha one day.

"Hey munchkin," she said, deliberately using the less-than-well-recieved childhood nickname for her daughter that she found it fun to bring up from time to time, "how about you live a little yourself and come over here, join the party and peel those potatoes."

---

Adrian nodded and chuckled...though there was a slight awkwardness to his response. Spending most time in the woods and helping out the family...yeah, he could see Duncan being like that when he was young. But it was difficult to forget of himself that Adrian had spent most of his youth playing video games and winding up the females in the pack house. But for now it was best to agree with Duncan...hopefully his past wouldn't come up to embarass him too much, though if it did it would probably come from Tai, or possibly one of the others who was with him back in those days.

"Yeah, tell me about it." he said, "Although perhaps we should give the current bunch some credit. They seem to be learning that the best way to avoid work is to be out and abou..."

He caught a movement in the foliage some way up ahead to the left. As if someone approached, and then quickly darted away. He raised his head and peered forwards. What concerned him the most was that whoever it was made their retreat towards the pack house.

"You see that?" he said curtly to Duncan, "Best check it out. You go after them, I'll circle the tree line and catch them if they try to come out the other side..."

He didn't wait for a response, but broke into a sprint further down the path until the meadow opened up to the left, and followed the forest edge, knowing that if the figure in the woods was heading for the pack house they would come out somewhere around here...

Erin stood outside on the patio with her hands on her hips as she considered her options. In truth, she probably ought to have asked what rosemary looked or smelled like… So far she’d eliminated several patches of possible green things.

She knew which ones were mints, because the smell gave it away pretty quickly. She knew which ones were chives, because she used chives to make her self guacamole. Thirdly she knew which one was Basil, because she thought it smelled the best. The problem was there was there were still two patches of green, which could be rosemary…. Erin shrugged and grabbed what was nearest to her.

Clenching the leaves in her fist she flounced back into the kitchen, throwing the door open with a little more force than rosemary.

Bobbing over to Tai she spoke as she did so, “You may all rejoice as I, your savior, have returned with rosemary in hand!”

As an afterthought she added, “So you can all start whistling and pretend you weren’t just talking about how deeply you detest my debates and speeches.”

With a smile she turned to Tai and and opened her hand to reveal what she desperately hoped was Rosemary leaves, “Here you go.” Erin hoped she’d gotten the right ones; if not she would just have to play it off as the distraction of an occupied mind.

Nancy winced at the sudden bustle in the kitchen whilst chopping at the onions but pretended it was merely the onions. Despite the task of chopping a vegetable being a fairly simple one Nancy had her tongue fixed firmly in between her two front teeth as she concentrated on each individual slice. It was made harder by the fact the counters were fairly high.

She did her best to block out the boring, flirtatious drone around her from the rest of the guys but agreed with Quinn’s comment about Harry. She smiled at Raena when she came beside her to chop some potatoes. Typical of Tai to put the midgets to work!

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Harry had laughed off Quinn’s comment up stairs after Nancy had fled the room but his second comment that he heard as he wondered down the stairs needed a retort.

“Hahahaaaa…if that were true Quinn wouldn’t I be after you when you’ve got your little pink cooking mittens on” he sneered hinting at the fact the blonde was terribly girly for his baking obsession.

He squirmed his way into the middle of group to grab a drink from the fridge before he turned back and winked at Robin.

Harry snorted at the both of them. "Whatever pussy's" he muttered between taking gulps of orange juice.

"Whatever you just said went straight over my head. None of these foxes are gonna be my mate I'm like what forteen I'm still waiting for my generation to grow up and move in. As far as I'm concerned I'm just chasing tail...tail that probably belongs to you guys. Tough luck homies" he added before vacated the crowded space to veg out on the sofa.

Sometimes he wondered if he was the only guy around with a couple of nutts and a snake. What happened to chasing chicks and having fun. Obviously those two had already surrendered themselves to a mate that didn't even exist yet. Talk about a bunch of rupunzal's waiting upon prince charming to come and retrieve them from their towers.

Quinn watched everyone do there thing Raena slice her finger, then Mark jumping to her 'Rescue'. He only had a Erin picking Coriander instead of Rosemary, then well he wasn't sure what to what she did next?

Chapter to go to finishing his book as Erin asked about game night, "I'll play with we do Monopoly..." he then flipped the page as he looked up at Erin, "But. Only if I get the race car." he said smiling only time he'd play is if he got the race car or the battleship. Anything else that was a no no.

He then glanced over at Tai seeing he should see if he could maybe help, "Is there anything I can do or are we covered?" He asked his eyes moving back and forth from his book to her as he tried to finish it.