Child of the Moon

Main 'Official' Pack House
City of Azorat
Two days preceding the full moon


Evelina Moffett walked beside her father, easily keeping up with the man's shortened strides. Golden brown eyes widened as they took in the structure they were approaching. It was huge. At least, it was huge when compared to their cottage. As they neared the front door the girl suddenly turned to the man, clasping his hand anxiously.

"Daddy! I don't want to be 'ere!" she exclaimed. "I want to go home!"

Nick Moffett crouched down to gently caress his daughter's cheek. "Hey. We're only checkin' to be sure, alrigh'? Nathin' to be worried about, sweetheart."

"But I'm normal," Ev whimpered, "like you an' mom."

"You 'ave alwus been special. An' you are very loved, no matter what." The man wrapped his arms around the girl as she threw her arms around his neck.

Evelina allowed herself to be soothed, her father's soft reassurances and his scent calming her. That is, until she heard footsteps approaching the door from within the house. The girl tensed.

Then, the door opened.

He still didn’t see what Zino was trying to accomplish by rehashing the fact that he was the Alpha. He knew his responsibilities to his pack - he had chosen them, fought for them, he did not need the reminder - and he knew that this encompassed giving the new cubs a tour of the ‘Official’ Pack House. He was aware of all of this.

Zino could have easily done it as well, but the man had insisted that the Alpha take this particular case, and had taken over the search for Kallie and the others for the time being. It would only be a few hours at most, anyway, and he would be able to excuse himself should any new information come up. He was the Alpha, after all. He did not follow anyone’s orders but his own.

...and Zino’s, on occasion. As Beta, it was his job to second everything Brock did, and challenge, and debate. He did more of the latter two than appropriate, the man believed, but he wasn’t going to complain. That was just who Zino was.

He was dressed to impress today, jeans and a polo shirt, pressed and only slightly wrinkled. He almost looked too good, in his opinion, which is why he ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up a bit. He was a wolf, not a prized poodle.

This house was so much bigger than he was used to. He felt like he should be wearing a suit and greeting them with a bow as classical music played in the background. Gods above, he hated dressing up.

But he still plastered a warm charismatic grin on his face and pulled open the front door, nodding to the man before smiling down at the child. It was odd, really, the way her scent made his wolf react, already calling her one of their own. He supposed it must have come with the long time gap since he had last done something for his pack, and the last time he had met a cub had been at the boy’s induction ceremony. Perhaps it was simply a trick of the wind. There was no reason for the child to smell familiar. Perhaps he knew her mother.

“Welcome.” He said, stepping aside to reveal the slightly conservative entrance hall. “Come in, come in. I am Brock, the Alpha of this Pack. It is nice to finally speak in person.” He grinned boyishly as he stuck out his hand for the man to shake, and then offered it to the girl. Perhaps she’d like a handshake too. “We can start your tour immediately; unless you have any questions first?” He looked from one to the other, a small smile gracing his features.

Her father had to ease her arms from around his neck. As he stood, Ev turned and leaned back against him. The girl gazed uncertainly at the stranger. He... smelled different, like how she smelled different from her parents, and other people. Like... like a...

Evelina bit her lips, gaze fixing on the bottom corner of the door frame.

"Indeed, yes," Nick returned genially, shaking Brock's hand. "Nick Moffett My wife couldn't make it today. This is our daughter, Evelina." He gave the girl a gentle nudge.

"Hello," Ev murmured quietly.

Her father laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You'll 'ave to forgive 'er. She's a bit... overwhelmed by th' idea, I'm afraid. She is lycanborn, then? We weren't certain."

The girl's eyes went back to the man, the alpha. Already, she knew what his response would be. Hesitating slightly, Ev reached out to shake the man's hand as well.

Shaking the young girl's hand, Brock offered a smile and nodded. "Yes. She is a lycanborn. And a strong one, if her scent is anything to go by. Must be in the blood." Briefly, he speculated on her linage, but figured there would be plenty of time to figure that out once everything was sorted.

"If you would follow me..." Brock gestured into the entrance hall. The place was homey, with the obvious feminine touches that led one to believe a woman had been there to freshen up once or twice (in reality Zino and Vera had fought over each and every one of them, but it was all well and good, in the end) the wooden floor was completely clear of claw marks, and there wasn't a lick of fur anywhere. For all intents and purposes, it was as if a slightly upscale family - of twenty five - lived here. The walls were littered with paintings and moving pictures of pack wolves doing fun things in both their human and wolf forms - the only disconsent of orderliness - and hand crafted things that were from the talent scale of 5 to 17 year olds.

"Where would you like to go first, the schooling area, or the training area?" He asked polietly, looking between Evalina and her father for an answer.