Pack Gems by Kuro Kusai, WhiteWolf Aura (year 2 reading books .txt) 📕

'Too easy,' Kaden thought, about to rush one.

Axel stepped into front of her, stopping her. The same for Taylor and Mason. If not for spooking the deer, they would have snarled.

As it seemed, the lower ranks were supposed to take the deer. At least this time. They were to be decoys to make the deer go in the wrong direction, into the claws of the pack. Ambush wasn't Taylor's thing. They both chased their game down, no tricks. If the deer outran them, it was their fault; they'd do better next time. Work harder. Taylor and Kaden had a few fast-food nights because something had managed to slip through their grasp.

But this? Kaden voiced her opinion with a sharp bark.

The deer ran before the pack was in position and darted.

Axel and Mason sprung into action as only Alpha's in their position would do. With savage barks of annoyance that would later be translated into chastising words they dove after the doe. As a pair they worked to bring a deer down each.

Kaden and Taylor trotted up to the dead deer happily. The pack fanning out around them. Taylor had a feeling if they could talk, they'd be muttering obscenities at them costing one deer.

Eh, so Bambi's mother lived another day. To the humans, this would have been a saintly act-- er...sort of.

Taylor watched Mason rip a leg off Doe #1 while Axel still had his maw around Doe #2's neck. As both of them inched closer to the kill, both Alpha's growled. Those S.O.B'S! They actually expected them to wait to eat after them. Sure, it was their kill. And they HAD made it harder than intended... But that wasn't what bugged them.

The Alpha's got to eat first, then so on. So, there probably wouldn't even one good piece on either deer when it was their turn.

Kaden gave a snort and pushed her way out of the circle awaiting their turn. Taylor followed in suit, stomping her paws in protest. What was the point of coming again? After a few good minutes Mason came sauntering up to Taylor, lying down on the dirt. He licked the blood that hardly showed up on his already red muzzle.

With a low annoyed growl that Taylor didn't even raise her head for, Mason went back into the circle of the pack. When he came back, he was carrying a leg. Not the ideal piece, skinny, tough dark meat. But even this was better than what she would've gotten had pack dynamics gone into play.

Kaden nudged Taylor's shoulder with hers to show Axel playing tug-of-war with his carcass. It looked like he was trying to share too. Audrey just wasn't willing to.

Taylor rose to her feet and tried not to give him too much praise. 'Yeah, yeah, thanks.' She gave a nod as he dropped the leg and nudged it toward her with his nose. Fine. She'd eat it. But she didn't have to enjoy it. She gave Mason one last wary look before sinking her canines into the limb.

Axel must have gotten everything under control because the heavy plop of the carcass sounded close to Taylor. She looked next to her. Kaden was dining on part of the middle. Lucky girl. She knew Kaden would share, but she wasn't about to get Audrey on her ass for eating Axel's kill too. She had enough to worry about.

After both Taylor and Kaden were sated they started at a trott back into the woods for some light exercise but as usual Mason didn't approve.

They simultaneously gave each other a look, and after a few seconds of silent agreement, both She-Wolves bolted. Same direction, same speed. Being in Wolf form they could afford to run for a while without having their injuries hamper them too much. Not at their usual prime, their stamina was still low, but they could still outrun a pack for a mile or two. And both could hear the Alphas and wolves alike; scrambling to go after them, the 'captives', but nothing could match their speed. Nothing.

After a few minutes of playing tag, the pack on the losing side of course, Kaden and Taylor headed back for the cabin. Nudging the door open with their muzzle they headed straight to Taylor's room to Change.

After a few short minutes they were both human, naked and laughing their asses off. "Oh…my…d-did you see them?" Taylor cracked up, "Trying to keep up!"

"I-I almost slowed down b…b-because I felt sorry for them!" Kaden wheezed inbetween laughs.

After they had sobered enough to breathe, Kaden took notice of the stuff in Taylor's room. There was clothing, shoes, brushes, deodorants and everything needed to take care of one's basic needs. "Hey look, human stuff." Kaden picked up a toothpaste tube and twirled the unsuspecting 'Crest: Clean Mint' container.

"Yeah, and enough for both of us." Taylor noted picking over the clothing and selecting an outfit.

After each took a shower, Kaden wound up with black jeans, a plain white tank top, and a pair of chucks while Taylor sported a black tank top with camouflage green cargo pants and short leather boots one size too big.

They headed up the stairs, their minds set on the kitchen, but as they turned the corner they came face to face with Mason. He was still naked from his run in the woods. "We need to talk." He stated, out of breath, probably fresh from the Change.

Kaden gave him an irritated look. "No, you need to get dressed." She replied, trying to step around him.

"No, we have things to discuss." The now, angry-looking leader responded, stepping into Kaden's path.

"Right, discuss away as we eat." Taylor's dismissal was quickly followed by a growl on Mason's behalf.

"They're right." Lucas said coming around a corner and towards them, naked as well.

Werewolves were used to being naked, the older the wolf, the less they seemed to care about modesty.

Mason looked back at him and Lucas immediately dropped his eyes submissively. The lower wolf scrambled to explain himself, "They'll cooperate better with food in their stomachs; I learned that the hard way." He said looking at Kaden.

"We were just hunting." Mason stated.

"So?" Said Taylor, now past Mason and in the kitchen, closely followed by Kaden, "Its not like I got the lions share...or in this case, the alpha's."

Mason through his hands into the air in annoyance and left the two to their own 'hunt' for food.

Finding an unopened pack of Oreo's they set to work. Spearing the Oreo creme with forks and dipping them into milk. Something Taylor had a habit to do to avoid her fingers dipping into her milk as well as the cookie.

Before either could attempt to eat an oreo, Mason returned with Axel and Calvin… Apparently he required backup, but at least they were all fully dressed.

"You're different." Calvin started.

"Well, no shit. We're only two female rogue Werewolves that work together with no pack hierarchy." Taylor shot back through a mouthful of Oreos.

"He means…you guys go through The Change a lot faster." Axel said, looking at them as if he expected them to internally combust

"I mean, hell we're barely finished Changing and you guys are showered, dressed and headed for the kitchen?"

"…I like food." Kaden calmly replied like that explained it all.

"Enough. Either you girls tell us what's going on, or we lock you up again," Mason looked over at Kaden "With muzzles."

"Damn! I bite someone one friggin' time."

"…Wait. Haven't you bitten someone more than once?" Taylor interjected

"Not helping." Kaden looked over at Taylor and mutually agreed to fess up on their secret.

"Fine, but we can leave to hunt and eat whenever or whatever we want." Taylor replied, poker face in place. "And we get a Wii." Kaden added, smirking at their expressions.

"With…Super Smash Bros Brawl." Taylor inputted.

Calvin and Axel looked over at them with approval in their eyes, Mason just looked annoyed.

"Fine, whatever. Talk."

"Okkkkay, well you see, my friend here she's Indian." Kaden started. "Not dot Indian, feather Indian."

Taylor didn't bother to correct her by saying Native American-- Sioux, to be exact.

"Right." Kaden rolled on, "Anyways, her tribe was, like magical and stuff. They can do spells and all that good stuff, this—"

"So Taylor's a witch?" Calvin asked.

"I don't really know what I am, I'm not a direct decendant. Point is, whatever I have may it be magic or luck, I can change faster and painlessly. I was a wolf before puberty, but when I hit, these…er- powers came into effect."

"That doesn't explain Kaden though. It's not apparent at first, but she's Hispanic." Axel said, crossing his arms as if he caught her in a lie. Kaden gifted him with a droll stare while Taylor responded, "Yeah, well, we theorized about that. We came to the conclusion that since Kaden and I are technically in a pack, I can share with her if I choose. If I was alone I'd be able to change in less than a minute."

Axel gave a long whistle while Lucas and Calvin just looked at Taylor like she'd grown wings.

Mason however, nodded, "Yes. I knew something was different. I went into the diner and spotted her right away, she dove under the tablecloth for a few minutes and bam, out comes a pouncing wolf."

No one had bothered to comment on her diving and transforming under the tablecloth in their local diner. She guessed they were more interested in her change 'ability' than her risking her race's discovery.

Oh well, she'd take a distraction where she could get it...maybe she could use it in the future too. Maybe she could get them into believing something truly ridiculous like she could control plants or walk on the surface of still water.

Taylor couldn't help but snort silently at her imagination.

"Is that even possible?" Lucas snapped her out of her amusement, coming in from the living room.

Privacy was basically nonexistent with Weres.

"She's like our leader's child?" Calvin asked thinking of Varen's own Native American son.

There weren't many cases of Weres being able to do what Taylor nonchalantly claimed to be able to do, so most wolves knew of these few 'famed' wolves. But no one, at least in their company currently, heard of their ability to share this power with others. Cal's question went unanswered as Mason's eyes suddenly lit up, "So you can share that gift with us?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, now buddy. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Kaden is the one and only one in our two-wolf pack. I'm not sharing with anyone else. There won't be enough magic to go around anyways, I'd be left with nothing! The only gift you'll get from me is the gift of our presence."

Both Alpha's had the audacity to laugh.

"Share and share alike." It was Luke this time.

Taylor was beginning to see why the few wolves who had this power kept the specifics to themselves. This was going to be an annoying...unless she could convince them of the water or plant thing... Hmm.

~Taylor's POV~

Before Taylor could get her hands on the rest of her neatly stacked oreos, Mason grabbed her by the arm and led her out of the kitchen.

She didn't