Law of the Pack, Part II
#7 of The Law of the Pack
A sharp snap woke Jim, who had eventually fallen asleep under a large oak tree. Fortunately, the great oak sheltered most of his body from the rain. Unfortunately, it didn't shelter the whole thing, so no matter how he lay, either his front or his back was getting soaked. With a whimper, the young wolf rose, and shook the cold and the wet from his fur. The rain had stopped, although it left behind a musty air that clogged Jim's nose. The snap had emitted from a small twig, which a squirrel had ran across. Jim shook his head, and growled, thinking to himself, "is this what it has come to? The squirrels don't even fear me anymore?" He stretched out his muscles, which were still sore from running so much the previous night, and sat down on his haunches to plan his next move.
"You have to go back," a voice in the back of his head told him. He knew he would, but that didn't make it any better. He didn't have to go back, but he knew he couldn't stand to leave his family. He knew that his mind was just making him think it was worse then it really was. He made up his mind, and stood; he would go back, though first he was stopping to see his friends.
Jim ran, and didn't stop once, the whole way back, and almost ran over a wolf on his way to the omega den.
"Whoa, Jim, where are you going in such a hurry?" the wolf asked him.
"Oh, hey Ryan. Do you have a minute?" Jim asked.
"Sure, man, what's the problem?" Ryan asked.
"Oh, not much, just that my dad wants me to be head Alpha, and I'm freaking out, because I have no idea what to do, and I am going to fail epically," Jim replied.
"That is serious," Ryan said. "You had better come with me. I'm heading down to the river. Matt, other Matt, and Mark should be there. We'll sort you out."
"Alright," Jim replied, "but I have to get back before too late." With that, Jim about-faced, and padded his way down to the local hang-out that was the rock outcropping that lay beside the river. The duo received the usual howls and greetings from those omegas already there, relaxing with nothing to do. Jim took up his usual rock, and lay down, idly swishing his tail back and forth.
"Hey guys," Ryan said. "Jim's got a problem."
"What's up, my furry friend?" Mark asked, lifting his head.
"Oh, just the usual," Jim said. "My dad wants me to be head Alpha, and I have no idea what to do." Mark, a beta, laughed.
"Better you then me, man; I'm sure you'll do fine," he replied. He was just as unwilling to take up the mantle of Alpha as Mark, which is why they both spent as much time with the omegas as they did. The younger of the two Matt's nose twitched, and he lifted his head,to speak.
"Woof, woof, female alert!" he said, his nose picking up the scent a moment before the rest. He began cleaning his fur. "Quick, make yourselves look hot!" The other wolves all moved themselves to various positions to impress the incoming females, who came into sight long after they came into smelling and hearing range. As the females walked down to the river, the younger of the two Matts whistled at them, and made a comment. The older Matt, who was sitting close by, nipped at the former's ear, putting him back in his place. The females laughed at this display, before bending down to take a drink. When they were done, one of the females stood, and climbed over the rocks to ask a question.
"Where's Jim?" she asked. Jim lifted his head, and acknowledged his identity to the girl.
"Hey. You're supposed to come back to the den, as soon as possible. William sent me down here to see if I'd find you. He says come home, and that he is sorry."
"Alright," Jim said, standing, and saying a temporary goodbye to his friends. "I'll be home shortly."
"I'm supposed to go back with you," the girl said, eliciting oohs and aahs from the omegas. Mark growled at them to be quiet, and the noise died back down.
"Alright, then let's go," Jim replied, hopping down off his rock, and heading for the path back to the den. "It can't be that bad, right?"