The Howling Rite

Meeting Of Brothers

***BORIS***

It was the middle of June before I finally heard from my brother. I don't know exactly what Henry had been up to, but he looked like hell. He agreed to meet me at the bar one morning. Naturally, I arrived first, but Henry pulled open the door just a minute after I got settled into a booth. He slid in opposite of me and ordered two cups of strong coffee then drank them both before even saying hello.

"Alright there, Brother?" He shook his head and ordered another cup.

"I did something stupid." He said. I rolled my eyes. Of course he did.

"Well, you and 'stupid' do have quite the torrid past. What was stupid enough to have you drinking all the coffee in Nephi?" I laughed.

"Ugh." Was all he said.

"Holy Hell, Henry. Want to share with the class?" I asked. I knew something had been going on. I knew he'd been obsessing over

Fenrir and Kora, but had it really gotten so bad? If what ever he'd gotten into was bad enough there was a possibility of his leadership being thrown into question over a vote of no confidence.

"I just, you know... had my head up my ass for a while. Put Kora under a lot of stress and I'm making up for it. Dearly."

"Really? That just doesn't seem like you." I said sarcastically while rolling my eyes. "What happened?"

Henry groaned and laid his cheek on the cold table between us. "I got a little self-involved. Mom and Dad had to step in."

"Oh, no." I said. It was never a good day when Via Bach had to get involved. "I assume there was a punishment then?"

Henry nodded. "She said her piece, then at the very end she did the worst thing."

"You don't mean...”

"Yes." He interrupted. "I had to come up with my own punishment. I'd have done it anyway, actually but to have my own mother-. I

am an adult, right?" He asked lifting his head from the sticky table surface.

"Yes, last I checked." I couldn't help laughing. It was just so pitiful.

"Are you sure, because this tiny little old lady just treated me like an adolescent and now I'm starting to feel like one! She’s been yelling at me for two weeks!"

"So what did you come up with?" I asked, trying and failing to contain my laughter.

He sighed. "For every day and night that I left Kora to take care of things on her own, I must do the same. And Kora is not to be home unless she needs something, or she is sleeping. Mom added that part in."

"Well that's fair. How many days was it?"

"Let me see... Lena was born on May Day so...” He squinted like he was counting. "About thirty days." He glared at me. I laughed so hard I nearly pissed myself.

"Henry, my brother, how in Fenrir's name did you ever become Alpha?"

"I had the great misfortune of being born first." He grumbled. "It's okay though! Dad stepped in before she got really out of hand. He said that since Kora came to Mom for help and Mom was so stubborn about it, she has to stay with me and teach me how to be a proper 'mother'."

I sputtered my own coffee all over myself. "Dad actually punished Mom?"

Henry laughed for the first time since coming in. "Yes."

"I bet she loved that." I mumbled as I dabbed coffee out of my mustache.

"She was so shocked she couldn't speak! Dad looked at her and said, 'don’t bother arguing, Vi, my foot is down!' then he turned his back to her!"

"How exactly did you manage to get away, then?" I asked.

"Well naturally she had to have the last word so she left Dad in charge of Lena and said she and I get one full day of rest before the punishment starts. I'm supposed to be sleeping."

I shook my head. "You look like you should be sleeping. Maybe I'll just get Kora to help with planning Oktoberfest then." I grinned.

Henry's expression was almost worth the month of no contact. He loves Oktoberfest and being able to plan it together as brothers is his favorite part of the year. I will admit that even in all of my resentment, planning the town's party is the one thing we do well together.

“No! Kora doesn’t even like Oktoberfest. Besides, it’s still months away!” He whined. Typical Henry.

“No, sorry, if you’d been around the last few weeks, you’d know that the vendors want the full setup planned early this year. They want everything done by the end of the month, and since they aren’t Runners, you can’t use your Alpha powers to change their minds.”

"This is just the worst!" He groaned.

"Guess you learned your lesson, then?" I asked.

"Yes, well I suppose I better had! Ugh!" He knocked his head against the table several times. It was a habbit he'd picked up out of frustration when we were teenagers. Too bad it didn't knock some reason into him.

"You are such a man child."

"You are to sneak in whenever you can and at the very least go over the beer selection with me!"

"Is that an order, Alpha?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yes!"

"And what about Mom? Not much of a punishment for you if you're still doing what you love, is it?"

Henry shook his head. "She's old, she must take naps or something. I'll call you when it's safe for you to come over."

I rolled my eyes. "Right, I'm off. Better not leave Inga with Alec too long, before Mom comes down on me as well."

"Ha-ha."

"She and the baby are doing very well, by the way." I rolled my eyes again. "Not that you asked."

Henry put his hand on my shoulder as we both stood to leave and I threw down enough money to cover the coffe, and a generous tip for having to clean up the sputtered coffee mess. "I'm sorry I haven't been available for you either. When I'm off 'restriction'" He said the word bitterly, "We'll get together and I'll tell you what happened, and you can tell me all about your family. I really do want to know how you've all been doing in my absence, and I'll find a proper way to thank you for taking care of the pack in my absence."

"I can think of a good 'thank you' gift." I said, hinting at a broken deal he was no longer willing to discuss.

The corner of his mouth turned up in a humoring smirk and he gave me a half hug before we went our seperate ways. Whatever had him so occupied, and I'm sure I know what it was, is clearly over now. At least I have his promise of a future discussion and if nothing else, Fenrir willing, I'll get my chance to really talk to him at Oktoberfest, when he's good and drunk and is a little more willing to listen. Not that getting him drunk had ever worked before.