Her Unforeseen Destiny

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Emmeline and Moira dug into their heaped plates of food, ravenous after a strenuous training session. 

"Alright, bawbag?" A joking voice came from behind Emmeline and she turned to see Hamish grinning at her. 

"Do you really want your other shoulder dislocated, Mish?" Emmeline smirked up at him, noticing he was holding his tray of food in only one hand. Hamish chuckled, sliding into the seat next to her. 

"Not really, Em." He speared a sausage with his fork and ate half of it in one bite, not even bothering to cut it. 

"Mish, can't you use a knife?" Moira rolled her eyes at him. Emmeline had learned that they were cousins, Hamish being the son of Moira's dad's younger sister. Their family had been rocked to the core when Moira's parents were banished but after her mother's sister had taken Moira in, everyone had apparently rallied around Moira to make sure she was okay. Hamish and Moira acted almost like brother and sister and Moira often mentioned childhood events, usually in order to embarrass Hamish in front of Emmeline. 

Moira had commented to Emmeline once that she was pretty certain that Hamish had a crush on her, although Emmeline had told her it was absolutely rubbish. 

"Ew, Moy, don't be ridiculous! We're just pals. Also... just no. Gross!"

Hamish was a year younger than Emmeline at 17 but had already gained his wolf. Emmeline had learnt that when pups were brought up in a pack, they could 'gain their wolf', as it was referred to, as early as 15, although that wasn't commonplace. Most people tended to shift for the first time when they were 16 or 17, with some late bloomers not shifting until after they turned 18. Lyall had assured her that she wasn't an anomaly, it was simply due to her not having been brought up in a pack that she only ended up shifting on the full moon after she turned 18. 

He had explained to her that everyone shifted by that time unless there was an underlying problem, which wasn't very common. After their first shift, which was always on the night of a full moon, they would be able to shift at any point. It was simply a matter of learning to control it. 

Emmeline had started to really get the hang of shifting and she now barely registered the pain of shifting. She had come to love the 15-mile run they did in wolf form at Sgurr na Stri, one of Skye's peaks. They always took a breather at the peak and she felt like she would never get bored of the spectacular panorama of the Cuillin Ridge. 

She usually ended up running with Moira in the middle of the pack - Hamish was one of the fastest runners and always made fun of them for being slower. Emmeline would usually respond by nipping at Hamish's heels and tackling him. Playing around in wolf form was freeing for her and she was sure she would never get bored of that either.

Emmeline, have you finished lunch yet? Lyall's voice in her mind surprised her and she almost dropped her fork. That was one thing she still hadn't quite become accustomed to, yet - mind linking. She had read up on it in the library and found the concept absolutely intriguing, although it still came as a surprise when she was mind linked and didn't expect it. It was a bit like a wholly unexpected phone call, except it was straight into your head. 

Almost. Do you need me? She linked back, wondering if he had found something of interest. 

Once you're done, come to the library. I have an idea about how we can find out more about your parents.

Emmeline's interest was piqued and, with a quick apology to Hamish and Moira for abandoning them, she left her food and hot-footed it to the library.

"Did you find anything?!" Emmeline gasped to catch her breath after she ran the entire way from the communal dining hall to the library, which was on the complete opposite side of the compound. 

The Misty Isle pack lands were pretty different from Black Down's. There wasn't a huge packhouse like at Black Down but, instead, small cottages were dotted around the territory. The pack library was located in the same building as all the offices, which looked more like a big old cottage than any kind of packhouse. The biggest building was the pack school, where pups aged 4-11 went. According to Moira, they had to go senior school in Portree - the biggest town on the island - after that.

"Did you run here?" Lyall looked up from the desk he was sat at. He was reading a book about tracing werewolf genealogy. 

"Maybe," Emmeline answered him with a grin. "I got excited."

"I haven't found anything yet." Lyall noticed her crestfallen face and continued. "BUT I may have a lead for us. Are you up for a wee adventure?"

"What kind of adventure?" Emmeline pulled up a chair to the desk and sat down. She eyed Lyall with intrigue and wondered what idea he had come up with. 

"I have an old pal who works in werewolf genealogy. He's done a lot of work with helping rogue-born wolves trace their ancestry and get back into a pack if they want to. He actually wrote this." Lyall gestured to the book he was reading. "I gave him a call and he thinks he might be able to help you."

"I'm in!" Emmeline grinned at him. "Can we go now?"

Lyall chuckled at her enthusiasm and she watched as his eyes clouded over slightly, clearing mind linking someone about it. 

"We can go on Friday morning. It's going to be a long drive so make sure you have snacks."

"Where are we going?" Emmeline asked with curiosity. She had assumed that his friend was local or somewhere in the Highlands. 

"Edinburgh."