Snippet #1787541

“What the hell were you thinking going after Crys, Donovan?” Sean hissed at his brother as the boy looked up at him from his seat with a guilty look in his eyes. “You almost got yourself killed! Not to mention that you endangered the entire clan by leading them to us!”
“What was I thinking? I was thinking that someone has to stand up to her! Someone has to stop her and if you won’t, fine: I’ll do it, because, guess what: I’m not afraid of her!” Doni shouted out in anger.
“Did you? Did you stop her? No! You got yourself humiliated in front of the entire clan, and guess what: Ears don’t grow back, you moron!” Sean yelled back.
Donovan stood up, now glaring at his brother. “Someone needs to stand up to her, Sean. And if you’re too afraid to face her, how do you expect the clan to follow you? I hear what’s being whispered around camp… They think you’re weak! Honestly, I’m starting to agree with them!”

That was one step too far, and Doni knew it even before Sean’s fist struck his face. The punch was forceful enough to push the boy onto the round wooden table; that miraculously remained intact even after suffering the impact of Doni’s body colliding with it, causing a loud and painful sound. Donovan slid onto the floor, momentarily stunned by the pain and the shock, tears beginning to fill his eyes, even though he would never allow them to drop.

Sean waited a couple of moments, calming himself down and allowing Donovan to slowly recover from the blow, before he crouched down and muttered to his brother. “You’re not a child anymore, Don. It’s about time you start taking the consequences for the things you say and do. This time I tolerated Crystal’s presence here on your behalf, I obeyed the demands of those traitors to spare your life. However it was the last time I allowed anyone to give me orders in this camp. So you better think twice before acting this way again, because if you do, you’ll be on your own.” He warned. “I won’t endanger this clan again on account of your stupidity. Do you understand me?”

Donovan answered with a low growl, instead of words. His ribs were aching badly from falling against the table and he was so angry that he feared any more words would make Sean jump at his throat. Finally Sean repeated the question and he managed to mumble: “Yes, Alpha.”

“Good.” Sean stated. “If you want to be respected, Don, if you want to be seen as a man… Own up to the choices you make, and accept the consequences. Don’t hide behind the fact that you’re my brother, because you know what? You may always be my brother, but I might not always be Alpha.” Then he sighed heavily and offered the boy a hand to help him up.

Donovan ignored Sean’s offered hand and slowly got on his feet by himself. “Can I go?” He mumbled, looking at his feet.

“Yes. Go get some rest.” Sean answered, moving to his chair as his brother left the Cabin without another word. He sighed heavily running a hand over his eyes, feeling as tired as he had ever felt in his life. Things didn’t get any better when a group of Wolves entered the Cabin seconds after Doni walked out. The Instructors, most experienced Actives, as well as Franklin and Adria had entered the office and stood around him, closing the door of the Cabin without a word to their Alpha.

Sean stood from his seat and gave the men and woman a nod as if indicating they were free to speak their minds, it was Adria who spoke as Sean sat in his chair once more.

“Alpha, two days have passed and no sign of Dante anywhere. We have no choice but to consider him a traitor to this clan.” The woman stated. “Being so, it is required that you choose another Second as soon as possible. If, Twins forbid, something happens to you there will be no one in charge of the clan. We cannot allow that.” The woman stated. “There is also the matter of the new recruit…”
As Adria said that, Franklin interrupted. “The girl has been here for half a day, we cannot possibly expect her to know who the traitors to this clan are.”
“What are you talking about?” Sean asked, speaking for the first time since they entered.
“She engaged in conversation with Allison Blake, as she held Donovan hostage.” Adria stated, shooting her brother a glare for interrupting. “She also fled the encampment soon after.”
Franklin took the word back from Adria. “The Instructors also need to know who will be taking charge of her training.” He stated, giving Sean a look that expressed he was extremely displeased with the idea of any of those men alone with the kid.
Sean picked up the thought behind the man’s glare and opened a small grin. “You’re all fighting over who gets the kid already? Why am I not surprised?” He asked, running his stare through the line of Instructors one by one, making one or two of them shift uncomfortably. “I thought it was clear enough that I’ll be taking charge of her training myself, must I spell everything out for you people?” He shook his head slightly. “As for her transgressions… I’ll see to it personally. Be sure they won’t go unpunished.”

Sean sighed, leaning back in his seat and staring at the ceiling at the Cabin for a moment or two. “As for choosing another Second…” He started, still looking up. “I’ll have to think about it for a bit. We’ve been through enough Seconds as is, apparently when Evin can’t make them go away, Crys does the job. So I suppose I’ll have to find someone who can survive them both.” He stated, in a slightly bitter tone. “…If such a person actually exists.”

One of the Actives suddenly took a step forward and stammered a question: “W-what… What did she want after all?”

Sean looked at the man for a little while then answered. “She wanted to know if we have plans to attack the healers; which we don’t.” Sean stated.

“It was a rather long conversation…” One other Active started, but silenced as Sean’s eye locked on him.

“We have a personal history, Crys and I, many things were said, but they do not concern you in the least.” He replied, a bit coldly, ending the subject. Still he asked: “Any more questions?”

The Wolves nodded, quietly, at Sean’s offer to ask more questions and Adria opened the door to leave. Franklin made sure to stay behind as if he guessed what Sean’s words would be and he wanted to be the one to hear them.

“Bring me the kid.”

Ari slowly stood as the hand moved away from her shoulder, turning to face her intruder. He was taller than she was, older, maybe in his early twenties. He was pressingly close, too close for her comfort and she blinked up at him, tossing her hair out of her eyes.
“I’m sorry m’lady,” he said stepping back respectfully. His green-gold eyes shone with laughter though his face remained a complete mask, as he bowed towards her. His eyes didn’t leave hers and his auburn hair fell over one eye, giving him a wild secretive look. She shrugged her shoulders, feeling her breath catch and walked past him, back to where she had left her quiver lying. He followed her back, his eyes running over her body as she turned, raised her bow and loosed another arrow. Ari smiled as her eyes slightly glowed, using her enlightenment for just a moment to listen closer. She heard the air scream as the arrow cut through it followed quickly by the whomp of her arrow as it embedded its head into the target, right in the centre again. She slowly lowered her bow, turning to look at the Wolf that was busy starring at the target.
“What is your name,” she asked, watching as he blinked, but didn’t take his eyes off of the target.
“Alex,” he smiled, still not taking his eyes off the arrow, striding forward and retrieving it for her, “You really are an excellent shot,” he paused, waiting for her to give her name.
“Ari,” she smirked taking the arrow from his outstretched hand and watching as his eyes darkened.
“The girl who spoke to the traitor,” he asked carefully stepping back as she strung her bow yet again. Ari released the arrow and it flew wide, implanting its self into a tree. She ran forward and grabbed it, swearing as it broke before slowly wandering back to Alex.
“Yes I admit, I spoke to her. Funny thing too, I ran into Crys,” she smirked as he glared at her, “I will not apologize for probably saving Donavan’s life. I did what I saw necessary and then happened to go out,” she examined the broken shaft, “I ran into her. She is really frightening and I must say she scares me.”
“You know if this reaches Sean you will die,” he said taking the arrow shaft from her and studying it himself, “You can salvage it.”
Ari smiled at him and he smiled back carefully. She nodded and took it back, placing it carefully into her quiver shrugging slightly, “I do not fear death.”
Alex shook his head, laughing lightly at how calm this girl was. His eyes travelled up the hill to a lone Wolf who was slowly making his way down toward them. He glanced nervously at Ari as she shot again, this time quicker but her accuracy off by a tiny bit. She didn’t seem to notice the other wolf prowling forward and Alex ran up the hill to meet him.
Ari watched mildly amused as Stranger and Alex met face to face, Alex seemed to be talking swiftly to him. Shaking his head as Stranger responded and stepped past him. The red hair flashed and he motioned for her to run. Ari saw Stranger reaching for his sword, Alex for the dagger at his hip. She fled; bolting into the trees and grabbing her bow and quiver. Ari had no idea where she was going and she ran around trees and slapped branches out of her face, their rough bark slicing open her cheeks and neck as she ran. She paused in a clearing, her heart racing and her chest heaving. He would hunt her down, but he wouldn’t know where to start. She collapsed into the centre of the clearing, taking a moment to cry and curl close into the trunk of the tallest tree. She found some peace, knowing that he wasn’t Enlightened and Sean would not be able to find her out here. What she feared were the other wolves. She shook her head, wiping away the tears and the powder along with it, revealing the whorish marks on her face. She cursed lightly and sighed. She needed to do something and so she did, weaving a target out of fallen branches and then shooting arrow after arrow into it, tears blurring her vision. She felt safe.

Sean thought he couldn't possibly be more frustrated, but as it turns out... He was wrong. After what was soon to be a fight was split up and brought to his attention. He sent Alex off, promising he'd deal with the man later. Probably he'd just give him a suspension, there was no need to go further than that. After Alex left he stood with Franklin as the man frowned deeply behind the other man's back. "Let it go, old man." Sean told him, knowing well that Franklin didn't take kindly to people getting in his way. "Which way did she go, did you see?"

Franklin pointed Sean in one direction, but he said he wasn't completely sure. Fine. He'd hunt her down if she wanted it that way. He'd much rather do this away from camp either way. "Can't believe I'm back to tracking down recruits, what am I a damn babysitter?" He muttered under his breath, pulling one of the two axes he carried at his waist to cut through the thick of woods and make his path shorter. It wasn't as hard to find the girl as he thought it would be. Not for a trained assassin. She didn't seem to be trying to hide her tracks. Footprints and blood were left behind on the wet earth and tree branches; apparently she ran, but Sean wasn't in a hurry, his eyes scanning his surroundings for more traces at every step he took.

She didn't look where she was going as she ran, it seemed, but Sean recognized the path. He knew those woods back and forth, every stash ever hidden by a traveler, every rock, every tree. Reaching a clearing he could hear the sound of arrows hitting wood. He stopped, putting the axe away at his belt, before walking closer. As he entered the clearing he spotted the girl, amusement crossing his face as he noticed she had sliced her hair short. Walking a bit closer and leaning against a tree he let his voice break through the silence. "So... Covering your tracks: There's something else we need to work on." He stated, a slightly severe tone in his voice. "You are aware that fleeing can be viewed as admission of guilt, right?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow.

Ari wasn’t surprised that he had found her; probably one of his pet magicians had told him where to find her. She snorted in laughter, quiet enough so that he wouldn’t be able to hear it. She tossed her hair so that it fell over the markings and her eyes burned silver. She could tell he was just slightly annoyed and she carefully thought about her options.
“So you decided to show up,” she said not bothering to turn and face Sean as she loosed another arrow, hitting her makeshift target in the centre, splicing another arrow in half. She walked forward and retrieved her arrows sharply, “If I was running for my life I need not cover my tracks, only out run my opponent. As for fleeing, I prefer to think of it as an escape from you.”
Ari passed him leaning against the tree, standing as far away from the target as possible without a tree in her way. She raised her bow again, prepared to shoot, her eyes narrowing before sighing and unstringing it, deciding she couldn’t and wouldn’t dare ignore or irritate Sean more than necessary. Better to be humble and beg for forgiveness.
“And why is the Alpha,” she growled lightly, “Out in the woods chasing down a recruit like me? Has some news reached your ears about how Ari Lupir dared to speak to Allison? Well I have, I admit.”
Ari dipped her head slightly, not daring to mention Crys and how she stumbled into her. If he knew about that then he would bring it up; but the lack of knowledge as of this point, Ari figured, was bettering her chance of survival. She kept her eyes on the ground, taking a submissive stance and waiting patiently for his punishment.

"What's the point of running fast if you leave a trail? Unless you can run forever, kid, it's useless. Besides, you never know who'll find your tracks. Sometimes the person you're running from is actually the least of your problems." He said absently. "And why would you need to escape me? Do you not love me anymore?" He asked, although in a sarcastic tone, as she walked past him. He waited for her to shoot, but she didn't, which caused him to raise an eyebrow slightly, wondering why she hesitated. As she asked if he'd heard of her talk with Allison and if that was the reason he was there, his expression shut. Of course it was, but for some reason he felt the urge to put off that conversation and be an Instructor first, now that she had brought it up though, he'd have to talk about it.

He sighed looking at her as she stared at the ground. "Yes, I've heard." He answered, walking up to her and pulling her chin up in the same way he had done when she first arrived, his eyes scanning her face he noticed markings he hadn't noticed before, mostly covered by hair, but slightly visible; he'd seen markings like those before, but aside from a momentary frown, he ignored them completely and went on speaking. "What did I tell you, kid? Wolves only bow in respect, and even so, we don't keep our heads down for long. Now..." He paused slightly before reaching the question he wanted to ask, sincerely dreading what the answer might be. "If you have any news I haven't heard yet, now is the time to tell me. Because, trust me, I will hear them eventually." He stated, lowering his hand which, he had just realized, was still touching her face. His eyes, however, kept locked on hers, serious and cold as he asked. "Is there anything else I should know?"

She flinched, not ready for the soft tone in his voice and her green eyes caught his brown ones. That and his words stung her.
Do you not love me anymore?
Ari hoped that he didn’t know what she felt for him and she blushed faintly. Nevertheless, she kept her chin high, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Swear to me that you will not judge me on what I am about to tell you,” her eyes grew pained and she continued after he nodded, “I ran into Crys.” She stepped back away from him and shook her head sadly, already seeing the mistrust growing in his eyes. “We talked for but a moment, I swear I didn’t know who she was until she told me. And I am willing to swear on anything that I did not give her my loyalties or anything. Sean, “she pleaded, “My loyalties lie with you and the Pack. What I did with Allison was to help keep Donovan safe, I couldn’t stand to see him hurt and then when I realized what I had done I fled into the forest and ran into Crys. I didn’t know who she was until she told me and then I grew curious, and when she mentioned you well I guess you could say I grew defensive.”
She backed away from him, stepping back quickly as he felt his anger gathering like a storm around him. Her eyes were moist and threatened to form tears but she held them back, only fearing his response. Her memories kicked in, and she quickly shook her head, wanting to stay focused but she couldn’t help as she whispered, “I fear neither death nor pain.”

Sean was angry as hell. He was angry for every reason one could possibly imagine, and even a few others he couldn't quite understand completely. The fact that he was so angry in itself was what stopped him from immediately lashing out at this girl, for nothing other than speaking to someone she randomly ran into in the woods. That considering she was telling the truth, however, Sean would like to believe that she could make up a better lie. Finally, he sat down under the shade of a tree and decided that best way to go around his feelings was to avoid the subject of Crys for just a little bit more. "I didn't fully explain our laws to you when you arrived." He stated, after a long silence. "It was late, I was rather tired and I foolishly assumed they were simple enough that you wouldn't break them before I got around to it." He scratched his head absently and continued. "There are four basic laws in this clan. Not even my orders should ever go above these laws, and they are in fact pretty simple: Never leave a companion behind; never harm or kill another member of the clan, unless in case of self-defense; Never kill another person unless when ordered by the leader, or in case of self-defense; Never reveal information concerning the any member of the clan, yourself included, or the clan's laws and traditions." Sean listed, counting on his fingers the fours laws of the clan. "Breaking any of the laws may result in an accusation of Treason. Treason may be punished by death, at the leader's discretion." He sighed. "Execution is our more severed punishment, but first comes suspension, second comes expulsion, only in cases when a member knowingly endangers the safety of the clan or openly turns against the Pack, do we execute. Do you see that when you revealed information on yourself to Allison you broke one of those four rules? Do you realize that any information, no matter how insignificant, can and will give them advantage over us? It is a serious infraction." He told her, with a frown. "As for Donovan... He'll have to answer for his actions too. He made us vulnerable by going after Crys and getting himself captured."

Once he was finished with the explanation, he moved on. "You are in this clan as a recruit, still. You have no say in absolutely anything that is decided here and, as far as hierarchy goes, you are less than nothing. It is important that you understand this because, as I said in our first conversation, your Instructor is the one who decides when and if you'll ever be more than that and since you have no say... Your Instructor is also the person whose job is to protect you and speak in your behalf when you do something as stupid as converse with a traitor in the middle of camp. That makes the decision of training you personally a huge hassle for me, reason why the Alpha shouldn't take recruits. Anything you do wrong makes me look bad, because or they'll say I'm punishing you too harshly, which makes me a bad guy, or they say I'm punishing you too lightly, which means I'm playing favorites." He pulled a knife, from seemingly out of nowhere, and began swirling it around between his fingers, obviously trying to decide which path he'd rather take. After a moment or two he asked. "So... What did you make of her? Crys." He asked, his voice filled with contempt as he spoke the woman's name, but still curious for the answer.

Ari was completely speechless. She stood there her eyes flicking nervously to her quiver and then back to his face. For a moment she watched the knife, deciding that he’d toss it faster then she could change or defend and her shoulders fell.
“She is beautiful, and has a good mind,” she paused for a moment, thinking, “I don’t trust her.”
She shrugged leaving it at that and tossed her hair out of her face. She couldn’t help as she thought of her friend who knew everything about a person just by looking at them and how silly the rule was to not reveal anything about yourself. If they wanted to use her against the clan they would be out of luck. She was a nobody and had no say so why on earth would they even consider it. Her eyes darkened as she thought about the shifting thing, but she hadn’t told them much and that would be fine. Her eyes flickered from his face to the knife he was playing with and then back to her quiver. She held her tongue and kept quiet, not wanting to push him over the edge.

"That's true." Sean mumbled in response, a half smile breaking through the anger. "She is beautiful." He stated, watching the girl's eyes as they moved from the knife he was playing with to her quiver, to his face, and then back... He chuckled then, it was inevitable. "Are you wondering if I can throw this knife before you have a chance to defend yourself?" He grinned. "Suppose you concluded that I can, but then, do you think I would?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow. "Can you trust me just enough to believe I won't immediately kill you, not even for this?" He said, putting the knife away, not showing where he had hidden it in his person. "My Second in command is missing. Crys came down here, while I was absent and the clan was under his command, spoke to the man for about five minutes and he vanished into thin air. Which is too bad, because now he's considered a traitor and if he is ever found and captured, I'll be forced to kill him. I honestly hope they don't find him.” He said absently. “That woman can know everything that goes on inside a person in a matter of seconds, did you know? Not inside your mind, kid, but far deeper than that, more private than that. And that’s how dangerous she can be and that's why you should worry." He explained. "Don't ever, ever, stand in her way if you can avoid it." His tone was slightly concerned for a second, but he quickly changed the subject and amusement took its place. "And what the hell did you to your hair?" He asked.

She smiled, her cheeks reddening. “I don’t know what to think about you,” she said walking away and grabbing her quiver, “As for Crys, I’m not worried. Before you call me a fool, I am sure that she has no reason to harm me.”
She turned toward him, standing tall and proud in front of him, demanding some respect. Her eyes were bright and lively, shinning with some hidden emotion.
“Not yet anyways,” she laughed and ran her fingers through her short hair, “As for this I decided it was better to not have long hair when training with the Alpha. Apparently he is willing to take advantage of anything that will help him win the fight. And according to her it’s a great opportunity to be picked by you to train with you. ”
She bowed mockingly, a smile spreading across her face, “It is an honour.”
Ari shook her head, her stomach twisting as she lied, but keeping her face straight. She restrung her bow again taking aim at the target. The arrow make a cracking noise as it sank deep into the wood and she smiled at him gently.
“You always are right,” she laughed lightly jogging forward to snatch up the black arrow, “So how are you going to test my skills at running? Shall I make a run for it and see how long it takes the great Alpha to find me? I am guessing from the look on your face when you first found me, that you think it will be no problem to do it again.”

"Well, that makes two of us, kid."He replied, as she said she didn't know what to think of him. Nodding, as she said Crys had no reason to harm her, he gave a light shrug. "You're probably right. At least for now, but you never know who will have a reason to hurt you in the future." He said, jumping to his feet in a heartbeat when she stood in front of him, making sure to stand taller, and chuckled. "Are you suggesting I cheat, Miss I'm-not-afraid-to-fight-dirty? Don't think it'd be any different with any other Instructor, if anything I took it easy on you. Had anyone else been in that training field you would have been stomped for not getting up immediately." He wasn't kidding, but he couldn't get rid of the amusement in his tone. "And I don't know what words Crys used exactly, but I'm pretty sure that's not what she meant by them." He stated simply.

He leaned back against the tree casually watching her string the bow and shoot. "If you run around aimlessly and leave the same amount of tracks behind, yes, absolutely." Sean replied. "I do think that you can do a better job of it, if you want though. Or at least, I hope so. If it's easy it isn't fun, now is it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Although I guarantee that I'd eventually find you, even if you can outrun me by miles. The great Alpha is an assassin after all, and he has spent most of his life hunting people down." He tilted his head to one side and grinned. "Do you want to bet I can find you again?"

“I’ll bet you anything that you won’t be able to,” she snickered, her eyes brightening at the challenge. She took a step forward, resting her hand on his chest gently and smiled up at him. “Let the games begin.”
With that she left her bow on the ground, sprinting off into the trees, not caring how much noise she made at the moment. When she was sure she had gotten a head start she circled back, making sure to step lightly yet quickly, avoiding the trees and shifting playfully into a small sparrow. She chirped and flew up into a tree, perching on a branch and waiting for Sean to show his face.

Sean withheld a small wince as the kid laid a hand on his chest, absently wondering why the hell she kept touching him all the time. He promptly pushed the thought aside however when she quickly ran off into the woods.
Sean immediately left after the girl not bothering to try and match her speed, rather following her footprints and the sounds of her running. As the sounds stopped, so did he. Moving slowly, following the marks of footsteps on the ground until they disappeared as well. The only trace left was a pile of clothing, left where he imagined she had used her ability. No paw prints visible, Sean opened a little smirk. "Who's cheating now?" He mumbled, although he didn't seem upset in the slightest, simply amused. Scanning the ground, his eyes caught a small feather that was way too clean to have been there long and he crouched to pick it up. Examining it, he quickly identified it as being that of a sparrow. "Humph." He mumbled to himself, standing up and scanning the trees around him, thinking that it would be nearly impossible to find the girl that way. "Flying is just not fair you know." He stated aloud, hoping she'd make a sound so he'd know in which direction to look at least

Ari had nearly died when she had seen him see her clothes and she had quickly shifted from a bird to a panther in a matter of moments. With a small growl she pounced form her spot in the tree, landing onto Sean’s back and knocking him to the ground. She barked in cat laughter, keeping her claws in so she didn’t hurt him. Before he could react though, she snatched up her clothes in her cat jaws, springing away yet again, her body growing slowly freezing into that form for all eternally. When she was sure he was out of sight she shifted, screaming at the horrible pain before gingerly pulling back on her clothes and leaning against a tree, her body shaking horribly. She was frightened, and her eyes stared wide at the trees in front of her, pressing her body as close as she could to the other tree. She forgot about Sean, her eyes and thoughts fixed straight ahead.

Sean didn't even see it coming. Next thing he knew he had been knocked down by what felt like a very big cat. Aside from his pride, he was unscathed. A mix of annoyance and amusement could be seen in his features as he caught a glimpse of the large feline running off with the clothes he had found. He snorted softly, thinking that he should have picked them up when he had the chance.

He was standing and brushing himself off, not in any hurry to run off after the recruit, when he heard the girl scream. That got him in a hurry and he ran, stopping to a full halt the moment he spotted her, leaned back against a tree, shaking from head to toe, eyes wide as if in a panic. Heaving a small sigh he walked up to her and placed in her line of sight, staring into her eyes as if he hoped that'd would give him an answer without him having to ask. As it didn't, he went ahead and asked the question."Hey... Are you alright?" He didn't have to be enlightened and he didn't have to be a genius to know that shape-shifting was a painful thing, but that didn't quite explain why she suddenly seemed so afraid.

Ari trembled, a long red line scathing up her arm from where she had touched the tree that had caused her to shift back so violently. Her heart broke at what she saw, sickness gathering in her stomach. She flinched back as Sean passed in front of her and she couldn’t help the tears that fell from her cheeks. She needed to show him, words wouldn’t, couldn't, explain this and she feared that if she opened her mouth, only the sobs she was holding back would escape.
The silver vanished from her eyes and she grabbed his hand leading him forward into the horror she had seen. The second she hit the clearing she stumbled back, leaning against him gently as her eyes took in all the dead animals hanging from the trees, their innards hanging from the branches. She turned into him, hiding against his chest, hit hard by what she saw. Deer, wolf, lynx, bear, birds; any animal that she had crossed in the woods was there in mass hanging in the killing field. The main tree was decorated richly with blood and intestines, spiraling up with the head of a wolf mounted at the very top. She shook her head sadly stepping back from Sean feeling him tense, she couldn’t tell if it was because she was so close or because of what was behind her.
“Who,” she choked out, her eyes angry and pained, her blood burned and she was dying to sink her teeth into whoever could have done this.

Sean let the girl lead him by the hand, at first not understanding what was going on. Soon though, he froze where he stood as his eyes caught the sight. Not once before had ever seen anything like that, not even coming from the most psychotic of hunters that ever crossed those woods. "... The hell?" He muttered, his eyes still lost in the mess of blood and intestines; wandering through the clearing until they locked on the wolf head. His fists clenched at the sight of it and he felt a wave of anger go through him immediately. He didn't care for animals personally to the point of going around threatening hunters for setting traps, as a few Alphas before him had done, but the wolves in that forest were believed to have been brought to Valcrest by Heart herself to protect her children once she let for the Afterlife, they were sacred as far as the Pack was concerned and hunting them was never permitted as long as the clan existed. It was one of many unspoken laws of the forest. This amount of unnecessary killing was something he couldn't get past all on its own, but he wolves... The wolf head was a direct offense to him, to his clan and to their Goddess of worship. He would and couldn't let it go unpunished.

All that rage building at the young Alpha's chest, however, didn't show in his face or in his tone as he spoke. "I don't know who, but I intend to find out." He said, calmly, putting one arm around her shoulders and pulling her away from the clearing, if not for any other reason, because he couldn't stand to look at it anymore. "We should go back, I'll have someone build a pyre." he stated, a frown crossing his expression. If the person, or people, who did that had stuck around there would be nothing left of them by now. The clan wouldn't take this kindly either, he just knew it; the Pack would be doing some serious hunting today.

Ari let him lead her away, happy to get out the sharp smell of blood and death haunting her. She nimbly avoided the trees that were ashen coloured with small spines. She didn’t know their name but she knew their effect on her enlightenment. She wouldn’t be able to shift anywhere near them and it had deeply shaken her to see all the dead animals around, everything she could become inside a grove of the trees in which she couldn’t shift. It was a personal attack on her, but who? She shook her head and sharply turned to face Sean.
“Whatever you plan on doing, I am coming to help,” she said sharply, anger slashing through her voice. She was glad that it did so Sean couldn’t hear the fear and the tone she always got when she was hiding something. Her face might have betrayed the fact that she was hiding something. She turned and began to head back to the clearing where she had left her bow before turning and ripping a long stretch of cloth from her shirt. Ingoing the curious look from Sean she tried it to one of the spiny trees, kissing the cloth gently. Ari sniffled and glanced at Sean.
“About how far are we from the camp,” she asked, itching to shift and run back to grab her bow and then back into the camp, still as an animal. If it would take a long time she would offer to shift into a horse or something and carry him into the camp after picking up her bow. If it wasn’t far she would stay here, lament for her fallen kin and then go hunting by herself, no one would escape her claws. She cocked her head, shaking slightly as her eyes burned brilliant silver, her hand reaching out to steady herself. Sean was close enough that if she shifted now he could get hurt, and she didn't want that; the thought of him hurt because of her kept her in control, but very very loose control.

Sean was silent for a very long time of walking and what, if anything, was said and done didn't really sink in completely, although it was heard and seen. He was going over what had just happened and as he reached a conclusion he heaved a sigh and mumbled. "We're not far." In response to her question, he had stopped walking however. "Ari..." He called, a very serious tone in his voice. "Don't think I'm stupid enough to assume this is a coincidence." Sean stated absently, looking at her sideways, and hiding his hands in his pockets. "While what was done back there is very personal to the Pack, it's obviously far more personal to you. And while I know for a fact you're hiding something, I'm not going to ask you any questions. I'm just repeating what I already told you, to make sure you understand: You are part of a family now, and that means that if you're missing we'll find you, if you have a problem we'll help and if you get yourself killed we'll avenge you... Whether you like it or not; it's not negotiable." He sighed and continued to walk. "Just try to remember that should you get in trouble."

A few steps up the trail he added. "I won, by the way."

She kept quiet and her heart hammered in her chest. Family. That was something she never thought she’d ever hear again and coming from him it felt like someone had just tucked her in and kissed her good night, something she’d never had. She couldn’t tell if his last words were offering her to tell her secrete or if he just felt like he needed to say it because he did care. The thought made her breath catch in her throat and she smiled slightly.
“Did not,” she laughed lightly, glad that their conversation was turning to try and be lighter, “If I remember I got distracted. But if you want to say you win then so be it,” she gently nudged him, causing Sean to take a step to balance himself. “So then, what is it that I owe you?”
The silver in her eyes hadn’t settled and she was still trying to stay in control. For a moment her mind flickered to some great injustice and she looked up at him nervously, he still had yet to punish her for her foolish behavior. She smiled, wondering if he even remembered.

Sean chuckled as she nudged him. "Well... That's too bad, but I did find you. If I had bet that you couldn't pounce on me from behind, then you would have won. Although, next time you leave clothes behind trying to escape me I will have to set them on fire." He informed, opening a slight grin. "You said you'd bet anything, right? I'll let you know when I think of something then."

They were considerably close to camp when all of a sudden Franklin was walking over in their direction. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked, looking at Sean with a slightly severe expression. "You can't be away from camp for so long when you don't have a Second!" He scolded.

Sean scratched his head absently and sighed, heavily annoyed. "Yes, I know... A Second." He paused for a moment and patted the older man on the arm playfully. "Congratulations, then, Frank. You're my new Second."

"You can't be serious." Franklin frowned as Sean walked past him.

"Sure I am. I thought Avius would be the one to take care of Bana, but... Crys got to him somehow. You won't have that problem, I know that much. I think it's important to up the challenge, Evin will get bored otherwise." He said playfully. When he noticed Franklin's severe look, however, Sean laughed. "Oh, come on... You know me since forever, I trust you. And I know Adria wants the spot, but I sure as hell ain't going to let her have it."

Franklin sighed heavily. "Until you find someone else. Got it? I ain't going to be stuck running this pack of fools while you're out in the woods..."

Sean gave the man a frown. "We were training." He stated, his smile shut as he glared at the man. At this point Franklin's eyes sparkled blue as Sean stared onto them, when they stopped glowing Franklin shot a glance to Ari and muttered. "I'll see what I can do." With that said the man wandered off in the direction the two of them had come from.

As he continued to walk, Sean rubbed his temples with a groan, he absolutely hated telepathy. "Franklin will be leading a search group in a couple of hours. I convinced him to let you tag along with them, if you want. Until then, they will be lighting a pyre in that clearing and... Taking care of the remains..." He said, trying to be careful in his words. "Meanwhile, I have to go be the Alpha. You can go anywhere you like, Ari, but... Keep your head down while in camp, and if anyone asks you're suspended. Got it?" He asked, with a half-smile. Not like Crys had never let one of her recruits off the hook once or twice.

“Like I said, and you can probably see that I don’t have much to offer. As for the clothing,” she smirked, “burn it all you want. Do you have to go?” she asked gently, her face falling slightly, finding that she wanted to spend time with him. As he looked her over carefully she blushed. She nodded and smiled slipping in a gentle touch on his arm before running off after Franklin.
“Franklin! You must be extremely careful out there. Whoever did this is after me,” she whispered gently, quietly so Sean couldn’t hear.

Sean didn’t answer the question as to whether he really had to go; he just went on walking until he reached the Leader’s Cabin. He barely walked in when someone walked in behind him.

“You punched Doni in the face?!” Katelyn angered voice sounded in the room. “What the hell is your problem?!”
Sean didn’t answer at first; he was unlocking the door to his bedroom. Once the room was open he kicked off his boots and went inside barefoot, looking for another pair under the bed. “He got off easy, Kate.” He stated simply, slipping on the boots and tying them as tightly as possible. “He could have himself, and other, killed because of what he did. Don’t expect me to apologize for that.”
“Why is there blood on your boots?” She asked him, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you killed your recruit and buried her in the woods…”
“Shut up.” Sean muttered. “Do you actually think I’d do that?” He asked, looking up at her.
“Of course not… I was joking. Seriously though: Whose blood is it?”
“It’s better if you just don’t know, alright?” He told her, standing up and grabbing the dirty boots before walking past her and out of the Cabin.

Katie followed him all the way to the lake and stood watching with a concerned look as her brother pulled a piece of cloth and dipped it in the cold water in an attempt to wipe the blood off the boots. “You should throw them out, they’re getting old anyway.”
“It’s my favorite pair.” Sean muttered. “Lionel gave them to me.”
“That’s why you should throw them out.” She replied. “He’s gone, you can’t take that back, and if you want Doni to forget, if you don’t want him to turn out like you… Then you have to help him.”
Sean sighed, sitting down on the ground and giving up on the blood stains. “What do you mean with ‘like me’, exactly?” He asked her.
“I mean exactly how he acted today. That’s what I mean.” She said, crouching in front of him to get in his line of sight. “You told me yesterday that it was too late for you, but it’s not late for him. Not yet. So you better apologize to him before this gets out of hand.”

“I’ll think about it.” He replied, not really wanting to admit defeat. “He started it though.”
Katie chuckled. “Well you’re going to finish it, or I’ll push you in the lake.”
“You mean you’ll try to push me in the lake.” He corrected. “And I’ll put it on my ‘to-do’ list.” He told her, with a playful grin.

“Oh, while adding things to the list…” Katie said, standing up. “Amalia knows what you did, and she’s not happy.”

“Oh, bother…” Sean muttered. “Who the hell told her?”
“I told her. What if they actually ask you to produce your witness?”
“They won’t want to draw attention to the fact that the information came from us.” Sean replied. “Suppose I’ll have to deal with that now too.”
“She promised he would never tell anyone, and she trusted the information to be safe with us.” Katie stated. “I would be upset if I was her.”
“I would have kept my mouth shut in the first place if I was her.” Sean stated. “It’s not my fault if she was stupid enough to trust Dani in the first place.”