The Direwolf Amongst the Werewolves

Chapter 3

As we pulled out of the schoolyard and out of our pack land, heading off, staff, students, and parents waved and shouted well wishes to us as we left. Dad's words repeated in my head: hope for the best but prepare for the worst. It was about a three-hour drive to LFHS across the mountain roads with our caravan of cars and a bus full of students.

The prep school was massive compared to our homely one-building schoolhouse. Lilac Falls High School was carved out of Rose Quartz. The two carved wolves that sat outside the school gates even had black onyx stones for eyes, their eyes played a mind trick on you, like the statue eyes were following you. Large lavender and silver ribbons hung everywhere, the colors of Lilac Falls Pack.

Lilac Falls Pack was much larger with many more pack members and land. In the middle of the werewolf territory. It sat in a heavily wooded, mountainous terrain, and large waterfalls in the mountains allowed hydro dams for power to the pack. Between the lumber and ore trade, they also have vast farmland and are the second largest in the beef industry. They share borders with Harmony Meadows, Magnolia Forest, and the Wasteland.

There are several neighborhoods on the outskirts leading to the packhouse. Omega’s will be the houses furthest from the packhouse which sits in the middle of the territory. Then you have Middle Rank and Warriors in the middle ring, the ring closest to the packhouse are the upper class and ranked wolves. The Upper class and ranked wolves have the best private school to attend while the Middle Class and the Omega share a different schooling system. Unfortunately, most Omega’s schooling ends around 10th or 11th grade. By that time, they will be considered adults and work in either the upper classesanks homes, gardens, farms, the packhouse, or laborers.

As we pulled up I could see several other buses that had arrived before us unloading their charges. Kids in all sorts of pack colors emerged from their buses to the check-in tables for the track and field games. Green and bronze belonged to the Swamp Dog Pack; tanned-skinned he+she/wolves with dirty blonde/brown hair. They are a fairly new pack in the region. Torquise and silver for Eagle Father Pack; dark-tanned he+she/wolves with gorgeous black hair, and well-defined muscles. Black and silver uniforms for the striking Dark Whispers Pack; ghostly white skin with striking green eyes and black or blonde hair. Then of course you have my team's colors from Cypress Bay Pack; Aqua and white.

I however stood out the most in my knee-high white socks, aqua blue shorts, and tank top, with my flaming hot pepper red hair. 'At least you will be easier to spot on the field. heh heh heh, there is no losing sight of you.' SolSkin giggled in my head more like a hyena than a wolf. "Alright, listen up!" shouted Coach Daniels. "Let's all get registered and begin team stretches. Pair up and let's go!"

"Freya? Let's team up." A sweet soft voice called to me. I turned to see Julie smiling and waving me over to her. Julie is a she-wolf who often trains in the kitchens. Her dream is to become a pastry chef and open her own bakery someday. Her older sister Jocelyn (18) was a grade above me and her younger sisters who are twins, June (14) and Jade (14) were in 9th grade. All three of her sisters were here as they also ran track. Her mother Regan was here too as a "chaperone" but, I'm pretty sure she wants to see her kiddos race.

Julie looked so nervous, she was mumbling to herself as we headed for a patch of grass to begin our stretches. "Hey, don't worry about keeping up. If I score high in my personal heat, I can hang back with you during the team race." I tried to reassure her that it wouldn't matter to me. I am running out of space for all my trophies. Her eyes lit up and a bright smile spread across her face. "Really!! You wouldn't mind?" "Yeah, it's just another piece of plastic. I'll let someone else take the team to victory." I smiled and sat down in the grass reaching for my toes.

As we were stretching I kept wondering about the words my dad told me about the rouges around Lilac Falls. Nothing seemed out of the norm for a track meet. There weren't any extra guards or patrols. SolSkin didn't sense them as we drove into Lilac Falls pack lands. The pack members here didn't look too stressed out. I was wondering if Dad had a mind-linked Coach about the issue or at least made our allies aware. 'Good Luck' popped up on my Apple watch. It was my Beta and the rest of the football team all wishing us the best of luck, while they were being tortured in practice. As Julie and I stood together, we took a moment to pose for a photograph intended for our well-wishers. Just then, I heard the distinct sound of his wolf before I even caught sight of him approaching. "Hello, Freya. Long time no see," he greeted me as he drew nearer.