Howl Your Appellations

Deliberation

Reese Lanterman

The pack shouldn’t be in such an uproar for such an unprecedented incident. The Train roars with sounds of people, you can almost hear it rumble as of it was in the tracks going somewhere far away. Boen sits in the middle of the dining room while she’s being persecuted. She doesn’t say anything and feels somewhat guilty of being to carefree of her hobbies, ‘Old habits die hard.’ she thinks to herself, as voices scatter around the room and eventually her already wounded conscience.

“We told you not to just fly up there! Now look what happened!” Nikki points at Boen while Mei holds her back.

Reese snaps and faces Nikki, “You don’t know what Matti wanted from her! Maybe it was a good thing that they met! She even had Boen’s Genai, didn’t she?”

‘Genai?’ Boen thinks to herself. “What’s a Genai?” She meekly asks raising a finger.

Sana, who’s right beside her, holding the head of her chair, looks at her and whispers, “Genais are familiars. They’re normally animals like cats that can go anywhere they want, whenever they want. No wonder we couldn’t find her in the first place. We thought you just had a regular cat but nothing seems to be regular about you.”

This is the first time Boen has talked to Sana for a while, they’re still a bit shy towards one another since the day they went to the city but this abrupt pack meeting, and their conversation are strictly family business. The do not expect any romance and yet, even just talking to each other seems romantic to them somehow.

Sana slowly moves away and watches the other Weres bicker among each other. Nikki, Miller, Anda, and the Boar Weres all agree that Boen should stop doing anything risky and she should just stay inside The Train during the Cycle, while the others are undecided on whether or not restricting her is the right thing to do. The days to come are just too important for the pack, and they don’t want another incident happening during the Cycle and the upcoming tournament. It only happens once a year, they only have one shot every year.

“Boen has to stop moving around too much. The tournament’s in two weeks, we can’t afford any distractions.” Nikki’s voice resonates around the room.

“I think so too.” Miller responds, “I’m not saying she should stay here all the time. Her cabin’s about to be finished so she can stay there while the tournament’s happening.”

“I’m okay with that.” Boen replies. “If that’s what you guys want, I’ll stay in my cabin while you guys are in the tournament.”

Boen thinks that this will settle them down. She’s almost proud of herself that she won’t receive a harsher punishment for her actions.

“That’s not enough! You have to promise that you won’t use that new skill of yours, especially at night!” Anda interjects, she seems really worried about the situation, “Don’t you think it’s a bit dangerous for Boen to be floating around where no one can reach her? Imus, Sana, don’t you think so?”

Imus, also situated next to Boen had his arms crossed the whole time. He’s been silent since the meeting started but now a member wants him to speak. With arms still crossed he opens his mouth,

“It’s true, we haven’t experienced anything like Boen before. But we’re used to picking up outcasts and Weres that aren’t even our kind. I don’t think Boen intends for these incidents to occur but what’s dangerous about her is how these incidents are attracted to her and how she can’t control it, or prevent it from happening. Do you understand what I’m saying? ”

Imus looks at everyone and then to Sana. Sana hasn’t shared her opinion on the matter, but it is expected that she’ll side with whatever Boen decides. Of course, that’s not how the Alpha of the October pack should think. Despite their difference in opinions, they have only one goal in mind and that is:

“To avenge Nike.”

Lissana removes her hand from Boen’s chair. “Boen won’t cause anymore trouble, if she does, we’ll have to ban her from the pack.”

Boen’s heart falls down to his stomach, it just dawned on her that the tournament is something much more important to the pack than she thought.

“I…” Boen starts to speak, thinking twice this time, “I swear to not be a bother to you guys during these important days leading to the tournament and on the days of the tournament. I know I can’t control the things that are happening around be but I’m aware that part of why it happens is because of my carelessness. ”

Boen clutches her hands as if she’s trying to swallow a large pill, “You guys…are closer to what I imagine a family to be like, I’ll learn to consider everyone’s feelings and promise to be transparent will all of you so…please, give me a chance.”

Boen feels that it’s to early for her to call the pack her family out loud. They haven’t officially made her a member of the pack, or if that was even necessary. She believes that she still needs to do a lot more to deserve a family.

Sana pats her shoulder, “You heard her. She’ll be transparent. No floating?”

“No, floating.”

“No disappearing?”

“No disappearing.”

“You’ll tell us what we need to know, yeah? If you think you’re in danger, call us or drive out of the forest. Do not try to put yourself in danger. You shouldn’t die now if you’ll die in the future anyway. Am I RIGHT?!”

Sana hypes up the group with a quote that their old Alpha used to declare,

“YEAH!!!” the cheer shakes the walls and the few halls of The Train. The pack has come to a peaceful conclusion and dispersed slowly to their respective work.

The younger ones, and Boen, stayed in the Dining area to partake on refreshments, discussing the already concluded meeting among themselves.

“Cain, you were awfully quiet during the meeting. What happened to that headstrong mouth of yours?” Reese jabs at Cain, sipping her orange juice.

Cain, with her beautiful lace white night gown and cap glares at her, “I was thinking things through, if I just kept talking and talking without thinking, I’ll never be in the right now, will I? ” She shuts her down.

“Sorry you had to go through this Boen. You must feel bad, right? You didn’t mean for Prince’s Mourning to happen. You even saved him! I think everyone’s just thinking of you too harshly. You wouldn’t have known Matti would walk this way too. If it were me I would’ve gone blind just seeing her eyes!!! Boen how are you okay?!!?!”

S.B. finally lets out his feelings on the matter. He’s aware of why they’re being so strict on Beon but it still bothers him that no one considers what she feels in the moment. Boen is traumatized, she’s not unaffected by her encounters and S.B.’s irritated that they aren’t make her feel safe more, even if the Tournament is coming up.

Boen, drinking something with a pinch of alcohol, smiles. She already feels so much better just having a talk with the younger members of the group. Miller gives her a little pat.

“Yeah well,yeah. I mean. This is fine, dude. It’s not the end of the world if I can’t wander and float around. I’ve been to free to begin with. Talking about it with you guys, already makes me feel better. ” She takes a sip.

“Though I think, I don’t regret seeing Matti that night. She showed me that Soft is still out there, I don’t know when she’ll come back to me but I know she will someday.”

Koto looks at Boen and leaves her chair. I wanted to be closer to her while she spoke.

“You’ve met a Mare Were and yet you can still see. Maybe the Mares for the Wolves are different for the Boars, but if you’ve met our Mare, you would not be able to open you eyes, even when you’re dead.”

Kaya and Koto were adamant that Boen should stay still to not cause any more trouble for the pack. They regard the Mares extremely highly. Boen gulps her drink but it has numbed her to process the gravity of what Koto said.

“Koto, how you regard your Mares and how we regard our Mares are different. And Boen doesn’t know any better, she’s still an outsider after all. She’s neither Were nor Human anymore, no rules has been set for her yet.”

Reese promptly states, and to this, Koto thinks and nods, then goes back to her chair next to her sister. Kaya remains sipping on her juice as if none of this is her problem.

“Yaahhhh, now all of you guys are saying it. Kaz was really annoying about that before, hasn’t been these days though… ” Boen proclaims.

“How is your relationship with Kaz? He seems insufferable. Also, sorry about yelling at you earlier. I was…agitated to say the least… ” Anda says.

“We all know why you felt that way!” S.B. exclaims.

“Yeah, everyone. Everyone but Boen.” Anda’s words seem to signal the rest of the members to look at her. Boen doesn’t mind this, but the fact that she’s unaware of something she’s unaware of, bothers her slightly.

She puts her drink down, “What do you guys mean?”

They all look at one another, deliberating among themselves in silent gazes. It’s nothing that’s supposed to be hidden, and it’s not taboo either, just something hard to talk about. Sana eavesdropping somewhere, is also a possibility.

Breaking the silence, Reese raises her glass, “To Boen and Nike!!!” she screams and they all raised their glass in agreement.

Boen finally understands how much the tournament means for every single member of the pack. She simply can not compete. For the old beloved Alpha, they’ll do anything.

“To Nike!” She says, and they let the night drown in laughter. Concealed in the halls, Sana also says his dead brothers name.

‘It’s about time we tell her more about him.’ Sana decides.

She leaves from her spot and walks towards her room, silently and thoughtlessly, she walked as if her shoes were made of stone. It’s almost so near, almost the day they have to face again and realize that, Nike’s never coming back. Lissana reaches the door of Nike’s room.

‘No one’s inside.’ She tells herself as she can’t bring herself to open the door. Grief consumes her entirely.

She continues to walk, looking back once, then proceeds to her room.

“Long night?” Imus catches her. “If I knew you any better, you would have gone running to your shack again.”

“I feel like going to the sea again, so you’re only half right.” She looks at the floor.

“I want us to tell Boen about him. It’s his death that made her doubt me in the beginning after all.” She says, “She deserves to hear what happened from me but I don’t want her to think about just his death.”

“I know.” Imus waits for Lissana to finish thinking.

“I want to guys to take Boen to the Inner Market tomorrow. We need new supplies and I know Reese promised to show her the market ages ago. They can talk about Nike on the way, while shopping. Casual, you know?”

Imus waits again but gives her the ‘yes, I know’ look.

“The he can help Mei move stuff and help Nikki with the Laundry. They can talk about him while they work. They wouldn’t mind. And uh…”

Lissana getting flustered is Imus’ cue to take over, “And I can talk to her about how great your brother is at dinner.”

“Y-yeah, and I’ll, I’ll talk to her about how much I miss him, how much he meant to me and how much I want to see him again.” Sana adds with tears pouring down her eyes.

Imus hugs his lover’s little sister. They’re the last of their original pack, and the only people in the world who understands each others pain.

Sana breaks free from his hug and asks, “Can I sleep in your bed tonight?”

Surprised, and a bit embarrassed, Imus accepts. Comfortably in their wolf forms, the two Weres slept peacefully for once.