Henry

We arrived just after lunch, and I grabbed both mine and Annie's bags from the trunk while Tate, Skylar, and Trevor jumped out from the backseat to get their bags too. We walked through the marketplace and promptly found our area and the two cottages that were there just for us. After unpacking and settling in, we went outside to check the place out. Our camp was between the Prospect Pack and the arena and undoubtedly in the middle of it all. Cool.

We sat down by some tables just inside the low fence separating our area from the main street. Here we would have an excellent view over everyone passing to and from the arena and over who did what in the other pack's areas and not the least the Prospect Packs area. It was kind of cool to see some of the more famous warriors so close up.

Suddenly Trevor jumped off his seat and stood up.

"Vile! Over here!"

I turned around and saw Vile standing by our fence, hesitating to come in. As Trevor called him, he smiled and carefully walked over to us. Trevor patted him on the back and then turned to us.

"So, everyone.. this is Vile. And Vile, this is Tate, Annie, Skylar, and Henry you have met."

"Hey everyone," he smiled towards us, even though I thought I could see it falter as he looked at Annie. I let it pass. Fair enough.

He was ripped, and Tate was stoked to hear that he was going to fight tomorrow.

"Really? Wow. I want to do that too."

"What?! To be a warrior?" Annie snickered, obviously not impressed with the rank.

Vile could have been offended but just shrugged and smiled towards Trevor, who grinned back.

"I think it's cool, too," I couldn't help myself. I thought it was cool.

"Well.." Annie seemed taken aback. It was not my intention to argue with her, but I also wanted to fight for my pack. I, on the other, would probably not do it in the form of a warrior; my pedigree would put me in the alpha fights instead.

"..it is obviously different if you are the alpha."

Warriors had high ranks, but it seemed only alpha had the status that counted for Annie. I didn't know how to feel about that. I didn't have time to ponder over it either as Skylar suddenly burst out:

"What is she doing here?!"

We all turned to follow her gaze and saw a blonde girl, the blonde girl, standing by the entrance.

"She," Trevor started. "is here to pick us up. We are going to the training ground since she also will be fighting tomorrow."

Tate now wholly forgot everything about anything and jumped off his chair.

"I'm coming with you, guys," he looked hesitantly at Vile. "If I-"

Vile just shrugged and smirked.

"The more, the merrier."

I wanted to go too, of course, I did. Watching all the warriors train would be fun, even if it would be mostly the lower-ranked pack's warriors there now. But still, it was more fun than to hang out with.. well. However, how to navigate this delicate situation was beyond me. I was saved by the appearance of Beta Zac, lifting the girl in the air.

I brushed off my jeans and stood up.

"I should go say Hi to Prospect Beta Zac."

"We will all go," Annie said pointedly, and the three of us walked up to the group.

They had now been joined by the other blonde guy, Vidar if I remembered correctly, and as we approached, he glanced towards us, making Beta Zac put the girl down and turn around. The girl stayed behind his back, and I almost felt how Vidar put his hand on her shoulder.

"Beta Zac," I nodded and tried to sound official and alphaish. I don't think I fared so well, though. "It is good to see you again."

He gave me a friendly smile and shook my hand.

"Henry, I hope all is well."

"Thank you, Beta Zac. All is well; we are all really excited about the Gathering and the fights."

Annie nudged me from behind.

"Henry.. are you not going to introduce us?"

I hadn't planned on it, but it was the polite thing to do. Wasn't it?

"Oh, of course. Beta Zac, these are members of our pack. This is Trevor, Tate, Skylar, and Annie," I indicated them, and he nodded to them except for Trevor, who got a smile.

"Trevor! Good to meet you again!"

We all glanced sideways at Trevor, who beamed with pride. Once again, I felt a pang of discomfort about Trevor spending so much time with Vile and his friends. This time though, I identified the feeling as jealousy. It was disturbing. Trevor was my oldest friend, and I should be happy for him, but still, when B and Vidar treated him in a brotherly manner and giving me the cold shoulder, I felt it. I was used to being the center of attention and I didn't necessarily like it, but I felt left out. And now here he was, friends with Beta Zac.

Beta Zac moved to the side, addressing Annie, Skylar, and Tate.

"And you all know my friends, I assume? This is Vile, Vidar, and my niece B."

His what now?

I could see how Annie's face fell.

Vidar nodded perhaps a micromillimeter to Annie and Skylar but offered Tate a smirk. B first looked down, and then after a movement of Vidar's hand on her shoulder, she raised her gaze and faced us. She offered the faintest smile towards Tate and Skylar, but nothing to Annie. She didn't even look at me.

Beta Zac smiled towards us all, explaining that he had other things to do, turned to B, told her he would come over later, and then left. An uncomfortable silence threatened to take over, but Tate, high on not only attending the Gathering but also meeting Beta Zac who he for all he knew perhaps would never talk to again, was completely oblivious to the thick air and motioned for us all to leave towards the training grounds.

"Come on, guys! What are we waiting for?"

He turned and started to walk with Vile and Trevor in tow, leaving the decision to the rest of us who would follow first. Vidar motioned to B to follow, leaving me, Skylar, and a mortified Annie in the back.

I don't know why he would, but it felt like Vidar's hand movement from B's shoulder to her back was intended to mock me. At least the first emotion that came to my head when he did it was annoyance. Frowning, I contemplated the unfairness of my thoughts; Vidar had absolutely no reason at all to believe that his actions would mock me. I wasn't... there wasn't... I was breezing. With my girlfriend. I took her hand.

"I can't believe she is his niece. She is no one," she whispered to me.

That, too, annoyed me. Firstly because even though Annie was whispering, it was nothing that B wouldn't be able to hear, and secondly, because of just that, it put me, again, in a fucking annoying situation. I wasn't involved in her beef.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't spill stuff in people's hair then. Then this wouldn't feel so awkward," I let go of Annie's hand and hastened my steps to catch up with Tate and Trevor.

The training grounds were filled with warriors training and people watching them do it, leaning towards the fence surrounding the area. My annoyance had calmed down, but I was immediately agitated again as Vidar took his sweater off. He was easily the most fit of all the warriors in the training ground, and I could almost hear the collective gasp from all the females in the audience. Even I had to admit he looked magnificent. And the arrogant prick knew exactly his effect on the she-wolves. I was happy to see that B seemed utterly unfazed by it. Or, I wasn't happy about it. I just noticed that she was unfazed by it.

My agitation reached a new level when Vile and Trevor did the same with their shirts and circled Vidar together with B. She did not take her top off, but the tank top showed parts of her toned body, the shorts helping to showcase her long legs.

"Oh, come on now, amigos! You can do better than this," Vidar was standing in the center of a circle fending them off easily. He had hardly broken a sweat, and neither of the other ones either, even though they had been thrown off Vidar a couple of times already, and B even sported a cracked lip. Again. A bit annoying.

Amigos was apparently a collective name for Vile, Trevor, and B - annoying.

The way they split up, making Vile and Vidar face each other and Trevor and B face each other - annoying.

When Trevor motioned for Tate to come help sparring with B, he not only did that but also took his shirt off - annoying.

How Annie grabbed my hand when I abruptly stood up from the rise in my agitation level - really annoying.

How our abrupt movements seemed to distract B, who so far had done a pretty impressive job of fending off her opponents, making it possible for Trevor to grab hold of her - annoying.

How many seconds that passed with him holding her close to his undressed torso before a well-directed elbow made him let her go - insufferable.

Everything annoyed me.

I brushed Annie's hand off me and heard her say "Baby" with an equal amount of question and accusation in her tone, and that tipped me over the edge. I left. First, by walking, then by walking faster, then by jogging, and when I reached the edge of the forest, I started to run.

I didn't run alone, though. Rune was with me every step of the way. I could feel him as a sensation in my veins, burning under my skin and more and more present in my head. I knew that I would either have to let him go or take a deep plunge in cold water. I was at that moment out of control and running seemed like the only way to find out how to stop doing it.

I hadn't paid too much attention to the talks about how and why and when you shifted for the first time, but I had never heard it being described like this. The annoyance was unexpected, and I felt almost out of tune with my wolf as I contributed the agitation I felt to him. I had no reason to feel agitated, so it must have been Rune craving attention. Was it possible to not get along with one's wolf?

I didn't hear a yes in my head, but I felt it. Rune was, for some reason, unhappy with my actions, and I could only figure it was because I wasn't letting him out. I gave in. Let him take over, which he swiftly did. It wasn't even painful, even if it was the first time. It wasn't even a full moon. Midstep I just jumped, and suddenly four paws were carrying me, increasing the speed. Black fur sprouted, arms and legs longer and.. life. Vibrating around me. Thousands of scents, thousands of senses surrounded me. Heartbeats, breaths, and movements. The feeling was overwhelming, and exhausting and I still needed the cold plunge.

I ran for hours.

Finally, I turned towards the lake, finding myself on the opposite side of the Gathering. I saw a cliff protruding over the lake a bit ahead of me and went for it. Long leaps up the ridge and two, three jumps before elegantly jumping over the edge. That was the plan.

The plan was interrupted by a blonde wolf sitting on the edge of the cliff, unnoticed by me until it was too late to stop. I frantically tried to, but instead of graciously jumping over the cliff into the water, I ungraciously fell over the edge, staring into the eyes of a very surprised wolf as I fell towards the surface.

The cold water covered me, and even though it didn't go the way I planned, it still felt good. I surfaced and, with four paws, swam towards the beach. I got out, got the water out, and then slowly, both wanting to and not wanting to, looked over my shoulder toward the cliff. A wolf peeked over the edge, prickling its ears. She, I was pretty sure it was a female, tilted her head and shook it as if she was giggling. I chuckled, it coming out like a huff.

I walked to the base of the cliff, and she turned to face me from above. As I stopped, she stepped to the side, indicating that there was room for me too. I walked up, and we sat there for a couple of seconds, side by side, staring out over the lake and at the Gathering on the other side of it. She started to laugh, or that is how I interpreted her shaking at least, and I chuckled, but thinking of how stupid I must have looked, I couldn't stop a tiny whine from coming out.

She turned to look at me. Then she got up, ran to the base of the cliff, and then back up at full speed, pretending to notice me, and then, as ungraciously as me, fell over the cliff into the water. I got up, felt a slight tug in my heart for her gesture, and looked over the edge to see her surface again. She got up the cliff again and made a considerable effort to shake off the water just next to me. I feigned annoyance. She made the laughing sound again and then laid down, head on her front paws facing the Gathering. I did the same.

I don't know how long we stayed there, but my bad mood was gone. She got up first, giving me a last look and a short giggle before she ran along the left side of the lake towards the Gathering. I did the same but on the right side of the lake, sneaking up on the back of our area with a bit of a nudity problem. Werewolves were generally not shy, but for some reason, I wanted to keep Rune a secret for a bit longer. And for some reason, he agreed. Our shower area was at the back, though, and a forgotten towel gave me the perfect alibi. I even got a shower to get the sand out.

There was no need for worry, though, as the camp was quiet. Our warriors and families had not arrived yet, so in effect, it was only my friends I had to worry about, and they seemed to be somewhere else. I opened the door to our cabin and flipped on the light.

"Where have you been?" Annie was sitting by the table, looking both worried and annoyed.

"I am sorry.. babe," I knew the last would soothe her. "I just can't stand that Vidar." Not even a lie.

I could sense Rune pacing in my mind, not happy about Annie's presence. Well, he would just have to get used to her, wasn't he?

Beonnie

I got back just after dinner.

The run had been what I needed, the clumsy big black wolf a welcome distraction from thinking about the next day. It only took a glance at the leather suit in my room for the gnawing feeling in my stomach to come back, though. I put on some clothes and went over to the table, the surrounding lounge chairs, and my pack. They were busy telling "rövar-historier" as my father would call it, stories that were more and definitely less true about shenanigans they had done in the past, and only nodded in my direction.

I found the one I was looking for in a lounge chair. Vidar was leaning back, staring into the log fire next to the table. He acknowledged my presence with a slight smirk turning into a worried frown as I climbed up into his lap and leaned against his chest. He put his arms around me and cradled me gently.

"You alright there, baby girl?" he murmured into my hair with a softness making it unbelievable how anyone could think him arrogant.

"No," I put my palm on his chest and felt his amulet under his T-shirt. I traced the shape through the fabric until he took my hand and made me stop.

"Tell me."

"What if it hurts?"

"It won't hurt," he held me tighter and then leaned back and put his finger under my chin, forcing my head up towards his. "You will have the berserk."

"But what if I can't summon it?"

He smirked.

"Just think of something you hate."

I leaned back towards his chest, contemplating his words.

"I don't really hate anything."

He chuckled.

"Think about Henry Johnson."

I didn't really hate Henry Johnson, though.

"I don't hate him."

He gave me a smug face.

"Think about his girlfriend then."

Hmm.