Changing Lines

4. Alliances

For the last two years he had been working on convincing his father to open up their borders. Lachlan knew that their future lay in moving forward; they had no choice. Less and less wolves had found their mates in the pack and the ones of age were related; their numbers were dwindling. They needed this.

Eventually his father had agreed, even with being so stuck in his ways; he knew this was the only hope for their pack to survive. They needed alliances and meeting other wolves. They were the best fighters; he knew that. So he’d sent the word out that they were open for alliances and trading.

They could train other packs, since there had recently been an increase in wendigo sightings and attacks around them; the problem was no longer only theirs in the darkest part of the mountainous woods. They also made the best pelts, paintbrushes and wooden beads and animals. They needed a fresh look into the world, and he was the alpha that was going to take them there.

He was already mostly running the pack, since his father was ill and had not been as nimble after his last wendigo battle three years ago. They lived mostly off the land aside from some clothes that they would trade for to fit in if they needed to appear in public.

When the Midnight pack had sent a messenger with word that they were open for alliance negotiations, he was relieved. From the traders gossip; they were one of the strongest packs and had many alliances, including with Hunters. They needed that if they wanted to get anything done. So, with his father’s blessing, he had sent the messenger with a time to meet.

Then they had sent the omegas in to clean and prepare the previously unused pack house. They did repairs and cleaned it properly, then started on rooms in case the visitors would sleep over. They’d dressed the rooms with knitted and woven bedding, the artists had repaired the artwork or made new where needed.

Their pack had never been so intent on getting the place looking proper again. There was a new air of excitement amongst their pack for the first time in years, after his mother had died. He had assisted with repairing the roof himself and they had sent the younger generation out to find firewood with an adult.

They had been schooled out in the open for years and learning from old books they had found in the near dilapidated library that his mother had always kept up. When she had died, a lot had gone into a downward spiral. His father had been stern and reserved before, as per their traditions, but after she died it was like he had all but shut down.

This was their reason to hope. They could trade, maybe find some mates. And perhaps they would have a chance in the future. He had led their people in the repairs and the cleanup; making sure that the road would be clear and cleaned for the visitors. He’d seen the vehicle the messenger had driven here and he was sure the road needed some work.

Finally, Thursday morning came and the scent of cooking venison and other foods made their mouths water while they waited. Lachlan made last rounds early that morning to make sure all was as it should be. He’d already planned out what they would request from the alliances. It was a lot, but they needed so much and he would settle for even just a few things if it meant that they would be able to move forward.

He stood beside his father to meet the guests when the patrols mindlinked them that the guests were on their way. Two cars came driving down the dirt road and he took a deep breath to curb his excitement.

The first man to step out of the car was the infamous Rip, the alpha who had sent fear through his every enemy for his ruthlessness and then he had added to his infamy by finding a sprite. They’d all thought there were no more sprites left in this world. But he found one and they were mated.

The next man to step out was clearly his son and the future alpha, built like a house; he would be a worthy opponent to spar with. They would need to be on good terms for the alliance to continue, but he could already see that the younger man seemed to be there against his will.

The next man out of the car was undoubtedly human, but his infamy preceded him, too. He was Hunter Jenkins, the most renowned human when it came to facing Supernaturals and the leader of the Hunters; he also carried a wolf mate mark without scruples. His eyes were constantly moving around, keeping watch and collecting information; this man was a worthy opponent and ally, too.

The last guy looked almost like a string bean by werewolf standards. But he did not smell like a werewolf; he wasn’t sure what he was with the breeze blowing away from them, but he had this calm air about him that would almost call to him. It was the oddest sensation. The second car seemed to be just four guards as backup.

“Good morning, welcome to our humble pack, travelers.” His father greeted them with his gruff voice. “I am Clyde Boone, the alpha of this pack, and this is my son, Lachlan.”

“Morning, Alpha Clyde Boone. I am Alpha Ripley Gage, this is Hunter Jenkins and these are my sons, and future Alpha and Beta, Aaron and Camden.” The man he had thought was called Rip greeted in return.

“Come join us to break our fast before we discuss business.” His father answered, after nodding to the men in greeting. The atmosphere was stiff and uncomfortable with no one truly trusting the other. It was almost painful and he hoped that this would end well; they needed this to survive as a pack.

Breakfast was mostly quiet, aside from the Camden guy asking about their foods; he seemed truly intrigued by their naturally harvested foods. It was an oddity, but at least it seemed to slowly work to thaw everyone out. Lachlan was convinced that he might be a sprite, too. The natural woodsy scent he carried, with his clear interest in all things nature and woods were a good indicator that he took after his mother, the wood sprite and Luna of Midnight pack.

Eventually they moved to the library, where they had space for everyone. They had not hosted anyone in years and he was relieved that they had cleaned this room up as well. It needed a lot of attention and a host of new books, but it was still a spectacular room in their log cabin pack house.

“Alright, as per our messenger, we need help in training our warriors to fight the wendigo. We don’t know their ways and we don’t want to lose humans or wolves to them. We know vampires somewhat, but the wendigo have come much too close for us to feel safe.” Ripley started the conversation.

“We’d be willing to sign an alliance and assist with training of your pack and Hunters. But we have a few needs of our own.” Lachlan spoke up, knowing his father would not get involved unless he thought that he needed it; he was already the Alpha for all intents and purposes.

“What are your demands?” Ripley asked with a raised eyebrow.

“We are willing to send two warriors to train your wolves and Hunters, but we will need two warriors to replace them, as our men will be sorely missed. This would be temporary, but they must not be mated; we do not want to keep families apart.”

“I can agree to that.” Ripley nodded, seeming surprised by his demand that they are unmated. He didn’t know why he was so surprised; families were important to them as a pack.

“Then we would like our teenagers, including myself to be allowed into the school near the town. We have not met our mates and we hope that the school would both offer us the chance to find them and give our future leaders a chance to learn about the world outside of the pack. We want to be able to move into the future and learn about what is out there.”

Hunter Jenkins spoke up at this. “I would need your agreement to not harm any humans or give away your true identity. There are humans in the school and anonymity saves on a lot of trouble. Some of the humans are aware of Supernaturals, but some are not and keeping identities a secret protects everyone.”

“We can agree to those terms if we can sign the treaty that allows us the same freedom in the laws as your other wolf allies enjoy. We want to be protected as well. We don’t have many children, so those we have are valuable, as our mates will also be.”

“You will be given the same contract and laws.” Hunter Jenkins agreed with a confident nod.

“We also request some assistance with modern technology and updated information in trade; we will assist with any natural training and information you might need. All your people that assist us will be protected like one of our own.” Lachlan spoke up. “I have reason to believe that the old ways are all but lost and we’d agree to train anyone who is interested in learning spinning, plant knowledge, weaving, basketry and wine making. Even our preservation methods and foods would be a subject to learn on.”

At this offer, Camden seemed to almost light up with interest. He noticed their eyes glazing in a private conversation. Aaron seemed suspicious of it all, but he knew there wasn’t anything he could do until they had had time to prove themselves.

He was well aware that they were considered savages by the outside world. Perhaps they were not wrong, but they wanted to be more than just savages. They also wanted their pack to survive and for that they needed fresh blood and new training. They had valuable training and information to trade; they did not expect anything for nothing.

Hunter Jenkins was watching them with a shrewd expression. “Alright, I brought the contract for your signature. If you kill a human for anything other than self-defense, the contract will be considered void. Humans are also not allowed to attack you, but it will be handled by us in most cases. Keep me informed via…well, a messenger, I guess.” He smiled as he handed over the thick contract with terms.

“I will expect the signed agreement back by the time your children will attend school. You will see I have brought two, one for you to keep and one to return.”

Lachlan nodded agreement as he watched him set it down on the table between them. “You are welcome within our borders, as well, Hunter Jenkins.” He answered him.

“Just Henry is fine. I look forward to it; I would love to see how you do things here.”

Lachlan was surprised; he seemed genuinely curious. He’d expected him to be straight laced and uninterested, but he seemed truly willing to learn about them and that was novel to him. Most traders looked down on them, thinking they lacked intelligence, but this man seemed intrigued.

“If you have time, we could take you on a tour of our nearby workings.”

“Perhaps that would be a good thing.” Ripley answered, they seemed to be still unsure about the terms of their alliance, but he hoped that seeing something of their area, they’d agree to it.

“Of course, please follow me.” He answered with a smile, coming to his feet and resting his hand on his father’s shoulder. “Do you want assistance, father?” He asked, looking to his elder.

“I shall wait here for your return.” His father answered, obviously trusting him with this venture into their new future.

He nodded agreement and then led the way outside. He showed them their training grounds, the elders weaving bedding and curtains, and the middle aged, spinning collected fur and fibers into yarns. Then he led them to the area where the mothers were busy processing the acorns to be ground into flour. The children playing outside ran along for a while and then headed off when one of the teenagers called them to come for their lessons.

They passed the soap making and candle making women, just as some of the hunters returned with their next batch of meat, tendon, fat and hides. He showed them the methods of tanning and working the hides into soft furs and then the herb and vegetable gardens. They did not have livestock, the wendigo and other beasts had killed the few they had had, since the animals were unable to fend for themselves.

Camden seemed entirely absorbed into their methods and Aaron seemed to thaw a little on his complete distrust, when he saw the children. It was as if the man had expected this meeting to be a trap. He supposed it was a fair assumption as this was the first time they had agreed to an alliance in decades.

By the end of the day, they had agreed to an alliance, setting it into action the next Monday. He had a lot of work to do before then and he was giddy with excitement when they finally left after lunch.

The meeting had been a success!