Diana

Trevor was rarely around anymore. He spent all his time with the Ironwood pack and his new friends. But he seemed content with it, and I didn't complain. Not to him at least, but the house had become the empty shell it was without him there. Not like before, when our parents lived. 

Our house had been full of life, people visiting, friends coming over for dinner, but evidently, when people die from rogue attacks, the taint of that unworthy death lingers in the house, and no one can ever visit there again. No matter how young the surviving children are. Only Henry had ever set foot in this house again after the incident. But he did so faithfully, almost every day, and always on Sundays for dinner. I didn't think it was by duty though, he loved Trevor as much as I did. They had been inseparable since birth, it felt like.

Now though, it was a different story. As far as I understood, from late evening conversations with my baby brother, Henry never joined Trevor when he went to the Ironwoods. Something about his girlfriend and the girl, B.

"Trev," I cautiously said one night when he actually was around, wanting to, but also not wanting to push. "Can you not invite your friends here? So I can meet them?"

"You want me to invite Ironwood Pack members into our territory?"

Ok. Our Alpha would probably not like that.

"Ok, fair enough. Can we have breakfast together at Patty's or something? I would like to meet the people you hang with so much. Unless you think it is too parent-like or something?"

He did. I could tell. But he was always such a darling about everything and nodded in agreement.

A couple of days later, I thus found myself walking with him, early morning, towards Patty's for breakfast.

"Can you try not to be so warrior-ish or Silver Moon Pack-ish and more Diana?" he pleaded before we entered the building. "They rarely interact with other werewolves, and you are.. a warrior nonetheless."

"I am always.. ok, I will," his faith in me was ever there. Like I would ever be able to convey a Silver Moon attitude to strangers. I had difficulty even talking to people I knew, so this breakfast was a long stretch out of my comfort zone. But I hoped that two teenagers wouldn't be that hard to talk to.

I opened the door and was met with a heavenly scent. It sure was a long time since I had been here or had freshly baked buns for breakfast. But Patty's looked the same as always, jampacked with people.

Our entrance was met with the usual glance, and then everyone waiting in line or sitting by the tables turned back to their breakfast, with one or two exceptions. One table in the corner with a couple of blonde men and.. something dark turned their heads towards us, and in the other corner, two blonde teenagers stood up straitening their clothes. 

They looked like older versions of Hansel and Gretel, blonde, blue-eyed, proud faces. And a bouquet that the guy shyly handed over when we approached them.

"Did you seriously comb your hair, Vile?" Trevor was incredulous as we turned to sit down.

"He took forever to choose clothes too," the girl grinned and extended her hand to me. "Hi, my friends call me B. And this is Vile."

"Hi, I... I'm Diana," just say your name. It really isn't that hard.

I liked both of them immediately. They were easy-going; both were doting on Trevor, who laughed and joked with a familiarity he only otherwise bestowed on Henry and me. We had just ordered when a beautiful blonde woman hurried over to our table.

"Hi, everyone. Sorry, I am late. You must be Diana, so good to meet you. My name is Hild," her glance trailed off towards the table in the other corner, and her smile turned into a scoff. "Oh, I see the guys are here too."

She waved to them.

"Couldn't they at least try to be a little less obvious? But I guess it is hard to hide a group of tall, blonde men just like that," she gave me an apologetic smile. "You must forgive them; they are all so curious about you. They, we, all love Trevor so much."

"Oh, no.. problem," I wasn't used to getting attention like this, only spending time with warriors and with a history laced with pain and sorrow; no one had ever expressed any curiosity towards me before.

The dark man got up from the other table and walked over to us, grinning as he sat down next to B opposite me.

"Hi, I am Jack. So good to meet you, Diana. We all love Trevor so much; he is such a.. ouch," he glared at Hild. "What was that for?"

"Jack, we talked about this. How we were all going to act normal and not scare her off," Hild gritted between her teeth.

The doorbell jingled, and another blonde man entered but walked over to the other table. B sighed.

"Everyone is here today?"

I turned to Trevor, but he was too engrossed in a conversation with Vile and had the happiest smile on his face. It sure was a crazy bunch of people he had found, but they all seemed friendly and genuine, and most of all, they seemed to like Trevor, and that was all that mattered.

"So, Diana, I hear you are a warrior? Will we be seeing you at the Gathering?" Jack tried for some normal conversation.

"I... I am afraid not," I said and Trevor's eyes snapped up to me. I gave him a sad smile. "Our Alpha informed me yesterday that I didn't make the cut. So, I will be home guarding the territory. But I will come for at least one weekend. I think," I looked at Trev when I spoke. It made speaking easier, but when I finished, I turned to Jack and smiled. It was a trick I had learned, to look at someone I felt comfortable talking to, and then turn to the one I didn't feel comfortable talking to and smile. That way people didn't immediately label me a freak.

"Please come visit us when you do; we can have a barbecue or something," Jack smiled.

I nodded and smiled. So far, so good.

"I can't believe you didn't make the cut," B whispered. "What kind of monsters do they have in your pack? You look very, very strong," she bit her lip, and I remembered what Trevor had said about her fighting in the tournament.

"Speed is also important," I tried, tongue not caught in my mouth anymore.

She gave me a thoughtful look and chewed her lip again.

"Why do you want to be a warrior?"

Because I saw my parents get butchered by a bunch of rogues, and now I need to be able to defend myself and my baby brother. I don't want to feel helpless ever again.

"I want to.. be able to defend myself, I guess. To know that I can do anything. That I can protect myself and.." I glanced at Trevor. "..my family."

Trev gave me a melancholic smile.

"Family? Do you have a mate?" Hild formulated the question as if the concept was entirely new for her, and from what Trevor had told me, it was.

"Oh, no, I haven't found or had time to think about that yet. I have been so focused on my training. I am not sure I want the distraction," I said defiantly, knowing that it was an odd point of view for a female werewolf, woman, anyone female. We were supposed to long for pups.

"See, B. It's not all about finding a boyfriend or a mate," Hild said triumphantly and unexpectedly. "You need to be your own person first."

"I am my own pers-," B started but stopped as a black SUV parked outside, and yet another blonde man jumped out and walked towards the entrance. "Oh, Jack, your ride is here."

Jack got up and excused himself; a trip to the post office was in his future, and the rest of us continued the breakfast. I survived.

Hild

"They are here!" Jack jumped out of the car with a big box in hand, and the three amigos immediately stopped their training and gathered around him. The rest, I included, were not that intrigued by the clothes Jack had ordered for us for the Gathering. He had said sweatpants, T-shirts, and hoodies but also threatened with loincloths. I sincerely hoped the last part was a joke.

It wasn't.

I could see B lift up something leathery from one of the boxes they had carried off the car and look at it with a confused face.

"How do I even... get in this thing?"

The suit was not as bad as I imagined. It would cover the upper part of her body, with shoulder pads and attached arm wrists that would offer at least some protection. Her legs would be bare, but it could have been worse. Had Vidar's design been chosen, it would have been much less. I still thought the idea of fighting in just loincloths was stupid and even more stupid, but the guys would have it no other way. It was tradition and how they always did it.

I expected the other packs to have more suitable clothes, but, at least, nothing would hinder our team's mobility. Vile, who was the only one without a loincloth since before, immediately put his on the Scottish way, rendering a red face on B, who didn't turn away fast enough. Vile laughed, and Trevor chuckled at her face.

He looked good, though. If nothing else, my team would probably rank the highest among the female audience.

Jack proceeded to hand out hoodies, pants, sweatshirts, T-shirts, and tank tops to everyone. Grey with a small round shape at the front and a big round shape at the back. If I remembered correctly, it was the same design as their necklaces, but instead of the respective wolf's first letter, it said "IW" in the corner. Is there a corner in a circle? Not really.

"Now, if you train in them, don't forget to wash them before we leave." Jack was still adamant about cloaking in public, but we didn't do it within pack territory. Heh, I must admit my own trajectory towards being a werewolf had taken a turn upward since I now was thinking about things like pack territories.

My wolf was ever silent, but at least I had had no more withdrawal symptoms than the ones on the first day. The power surge had also lessened, but I still counted myself as stronger than before.

I had trained with the guys for about two weeks, and as B, I could fend off and block fine but had a hard time seeing myself knocking anyone out. I had, to be fair, a hard time seeing myself knocking anyone at all. I wouldn't fight, though; it would be too dangerous since I was not connected to my wolf. Also, I didn't know when I would be able to be at the Gathering either. My boss had allowed me some days off, but I couldn't be there for the three weeks the tournament lasted. I would have to suffice with some day here and there.

"So everything is set for the Gathering? " Jack gave me an inquisitive look.

"Yeees," I said impatiently. "As I have said, many times before, there is a schedule in all your phones, a map over the camp, a kitchen duty schedule, a social schedule and what not, in the folder I gave you. And, Vile's stuff is packed too."

"What would we do without you, Hild?" Jack smiled and hugged me tightly.

"Well, you would be starved, without clothes, and completely lost - but still the best ones at the Gathering," I smiled and mused over everything that was my family.

Jack glanced at the paper in his hand.

"Ok, let's see here. Mhm, the first week is the pack tournament, then the beta tournament - oh, right remind me to tell Vidar that he really shouldn't - and then the Alpha tournament the third week. Got it!" he turned to me again and grinned.

"To think we go through all this trouble for that small sliver of land over there."

"It may be fun too, and good for you guys to come out a little," I said and smiled.

I felt a chill and promptly put my hoodie on. I could wash it before I went to the Gathering on Saturday to wash away my scents. We were now all walking down to the lake for some pep talk and for B to shift and stretch her legs. I had noticed that neither Jack nor the guys shifted a lot. Never actually, since I knew them, but B loved it.

Toke started a bonfire, and B in her wolf form started howling at the still and empty lake. No one hushed her, as I think they would have if it wasn't so close to the Gathering already. All eventual quarrels regarding wolves howling too close to other pack's territories could be solved there. For now, we just enjoyed the peace before the storm. How much peace one could consider it when someone was howling right next to you. I still had to get used to the wolf too.

Henry

It was the evening before the day before the Gathering started. We would leave for the Prospect tomorrow morning and get settled before the festivities began on Saturday. The festivities began already tomorrow evening, but the official opening dinner would be on Saturday.

Our warriors were fit for fight, having trained all summer. Tate and I had been training with them even if we were not participating in the battles. It was good preparation, and as Tate said, "the women would like it". We were now more ripped than ever, and seeing how many parties and possible mates we would meet at the Gathering, Tate was more excited than ever. I had Annie, of course, and was really happy about it.

I wasn't happy about it. I made do with it.

She was pretty and nice and could be pretty funny, but she could also be kind of snobbish and cruel. I sometimes wondered if she actually liked me or just hung with me for the same reasons I did. Because it was what was expected from us.

I had just left her house and was on my way home when I decided to take the scenic route. It wasn't even an alternative way home; it was in the opposite direction from home, but it was a new moon tonight, and I just felt I had to clear my thoughts for a bit. I knew that the Gathering would consume me when I was there, and right now, I just needed some sort of guidance.

I went down towards the lake. It was now night and dark outside, and the new moon was just a sliver on the sky but accompanied by thousands of stars. I sat down on the sandy beach and stared out at the lake's mirror-like surface, doubling the number of stars visible. It was a peaceful night, and I almost didn't want to disturb it with ponders over my current affairs.

My father was happy and, in his own way, excited about the Gathering; we indeed were ready to gain ranks in the Prospect. There were not many ranks to achieve; we were number three after the Dark Mountain Pack and the Prospect Pack, of course. There was a realistic probability that we could take the Dark Mountain Pack, but I didn't think we stood a chance against the Prospect Pack. But my father did, and I couldn't help but think that his confidence came from a place that was a little to ascertain for my taste. Like he had already counted the win. It was unsettling.

My loyalty was, of course, with my father and my pack, but I wanted everything to be done the right way. This kind of power should not be taken lightly; in fact, it should be taken hard through struggle and endurance. By fight. But I wasn't entirely convinced that this was the way my father saw it, and it worried me.

My second problem was Trevor. My best friend had abandoned me this summer, and I couldn't figure out why. It was great that he had found some new friends and all, but why I suddenly couldn't make the cut was beyond me. We met and talked, but most of his talk was about Vile and training; even the girl was sometimes mentioned. Their pack was going to fight in the Tournament, and according to Trevor, it would be super cool. Even his sister Diana seemed to like them. They were a strange bunch of people, but they seemed to have taken him to heart. I, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel abandoned by him.

I heard a wolf howl somewhere in the distance and prickled my ears. It wasn't a wolf howl, it was a werewolf howl, and it was filled with joy and laughter. Like the werewolf couldn't help but giggle every now and then. Excitement and a touch of longing too. Perhaps about the Gathering starting tomorrow. I could locate the howl from the other side of the lake and wondered who of all the blonde guys was responsible for such a.. happy howl. It was contagious, actually, and I couldn't help but chuckle as I sat.

Something stirred in me. I suddenly felt a presence.

"Rune."

I almost fell backward. I knew that strong werewolves could connect to their wolf at a younger age than 18, but I had half a year to go before turning 18 in January and had not expected my wolf this soon. I could feel his presence gnawing in my mind, but not quite ready for a full connection. So far, I sensed his emotions and presence rather than his actual thoughts, but it was good enough. I was excited. And so was he. The howl from the other side of the lake was heard again, and I could feel his desire to come out and howl back. But not yet, my friend. Not yet. I laid back and stared at the sky. Good things. Good things.

Ben

I sat with Zac as we always did, in the armchairs by the windows looking out towards the lake, and this time of the day, late evening that is, it was for once still and calm. The calm before the storm. Everything was ready for the Gathering. Tents were erected, merchants had filled the market with things to sell, the halls were pampered and decorated, the musicians were already in place, and the food was prepared in every detail. The arena was ready, all the packs had prepared their respective area, and now we were just waiting for it to start.

Most would arrive on Saturday when the Gathering officially started. Still, the fighters would probably already turn up tomorrow to get settled as the first fights were already on Saturday afternoon. It was between the lower packs, and no one was really excited about it, but it still was an honor to participate. Twelve packs had registered and had been divided into three groups depending on their current rank. In each group, everyone met everyone, and then the two best after that could choose to meet the two worst in the group ranked higher. If they won those, they could decide to continue to meet the two best teams in the group ranked higher and so on. This meant two fights already on Saturday, four on Sunday, and then four per day after that until everyone had lost against higher-ranked or decided to stop pursuing a higher rank.

The Ironwood Pack, the newcomers, had been placed in the lowest group and would thus fight their first fight on Saturday.

"So, wanna place some bets before the excitement starts?" I grinned. It was a tradition of sorts.

He didn't answer. I glanced towards him and saw that he was deep in thought, staring out the window.

"You alright there, pal? Nervous about your rank?" I teased.

He turned his gaze towards me and smiled dryly.

"I know we will win. I am not worried about that. I am more worried about Ironwood. I mean, they look impressive, but B will fight, and she is so.. little compared to the others."

He sighed.

"They are only twelve, though, so there is no way around it."

"Does that mean that your sister is fighting too?" I must have sounded alarmed because his eyes snapped up at me. "I mean, last time, she wasn't feeling so well," I offered as a way of explanation.

He nodded in understanding.

"No, she hasn't, that is, she is not werewolfing yet and would not be able to heal properly so, I think she is keeping her distance. B did volunteer, though, so no one is forcing her."

"Yeah, well, it will be tough on her, that's for sure. I don't think any of the packs are entering with only twelve warriors. They are manning up as much as they can. And she can always yield if it gets too much.." it wasn't a consolation. Yielding meant that your team lost. But there wasn't much we could do.

"So, what about yourself? You looked ripped, man," he smirked. "Have you been doing some secret training sessions that I don't know of?"

He punched me in the shoulder.

"I mean, you look like you could possibly even beat me."

"Bah!"