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Family Tails

A Story of a Mixed Family in the Genetic Age

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Names of actual businesses, their products, etc, are the property of their respective owners.

Story and characters © 2013 Ronald J. Lebeck

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Chapter 35

"Doggie wanna bone?"

Sierra looked rather icily at the face that uttered the taunt.

"Jeremy Chalmers, you little toad...!" she thought sarcastically to herself. "I oughta rip you a new one!"

It was a Friday night, and since mom and dad were working late on a project, Sierra met some of her friends and they went out to eat before catching a movie the wanted to see. Cormac had dropped them off at the door so that they could get a table while he parked his mom's SUV. On the way to being seated, Sierra saw one of their classmates, or more appropriately, she scented him first and then saw him. The human boy, Jeremy Chalmers, was a major pain in the tail. He was sitting by himself, though he was there with his dad, who was likely off either to the bar or the restroom. It didn't take but a second for Sierra to get a rather twisted idea.

Quickly snatching the steak bone from Jeremy's hand, Sierra eyed it--noting that the meat had been cut off, and not chewed off--and said, "I bet you didn't know that a wolf's jaws can exert over71,814 Pascals[1]. Just imagine this bone being your stupid neck...," and to the amazement of her friends, Sierra bit the bone--in half. Keeping the meatiest portion and tossing the other piece on the boy's plate, Sierra leaned closer and added, "Just remember that, oh mighty slayer of chamber pots, the next time you wanna get stupid and taunt a hungry wolf. Hmm, nice flavor--not rare enough for me, though. I think I'll get two, maybe three, for a light snack. Oh, by the way, I think I'll mention this to my brother when he comes in--he's out parking the truck, so he'll be in in a moment. Have a nice day...toad boy."

Sierra walked over to the table with her friends, adding just a little more swish to her tail.

In middle school and junior high, Sierra, Chrys Ann, and Violet started to take an interest in boys. Cormac didn't begin to take a serious interest in girls until high school. There were a handful of boys who secretly had an attraction to Sierra because she was outgoing, smart, humorous, and she had her mother's looks. Cormac began filling out himself, getting taller than his twin sister and broader in the shoulders. He began to take an interest in track and field, particularly in cross-country running, though he found the javelin throw intriguing. When the coach had him try the long jump and high jump, he was impressed--thanks to his wolf heritage, Cormac could jump farther and higher than the human boys could. However, Cormac was easily the best distance runner on the school's track team, so that's what he concentrated on. The football coach also took a notice in Cormac during Phys-Ed class, when the boys played flag football. One evening, while his father was playing a game of 3D chess with Sierra after supper, Cormac decided to ask him about it.

"Hey Dad, do you know much about football?"

"Which kind, soccer, American, or Australian Rules?" his father asked.

"Um...American football," Cormac replied.

Ron completed the move he was making--black queen knight from BQ3, third level to black QB4, first level, and thereby becoming a threat to her white queen rook at her QB2, second level. Before Sierra had a chance to figure out the possibilities of _that_move, her dad already had the next seven possible moves calculated.

"Not a lot," Ron said in reply to his son's question. "The only sports I've been interested in are cycling, competition shooting, swimming, and hurling. Your move, baby doll."

"EW! Who wants to see anyone hurl? That's gross!" Sierra exclaimed in disgust.

"Not that kind of hurling, dear. The sport of hurling[2][3] is a traditional Irish game played with sticks, a hard ball, and goal posts. It's a fast moving game played on a grass field, sort of like a hockey field. The next time it's on the satellite TV, we can watch it. So, what's the interest in football, bud?"

"Um...the coach at school thinks I might be good at it," Cormac replied.

"Hmm, kinda late for them to try recruiting you for the football team. Most of those guys get a start at it in middle school, or at least by junior high. You're a junior in high school already, and taking college classes to boot. You sure you want to do this? It's going to take up part of your summer, and lots of practice with no guarantee that you'll even get to play, and they may not be able to get a uniform to fit you--especially a helmet," Ron pointed out to his son.

"'Mac, don't tell me that my brother wants to be a dumb jock...I'll tie your nose hairs in a knot before I let ya bash your brains to mush!" Sierra ragged on her brother.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, sis," Cormac shot back with a little sarcasm.

"I hate to say it, but your sister does have a point--by the way baby doll, my queen just took your king's bishop on the vertical diagonal from Q4 first level to KB6 third level. Waaa."

"Dad! Ooo!"

"Anyway, yeah, kids get hurt playing football--concussions, broken bones, torn ligaments, blown knees, and there's always those few who end up in a comma...or worse," Ron continued.

"So...you think I'd be better off sticking to cross-country, eh?"

"Well, you enjoy running, and you're good at it, and you've got a shot at going to state, plus you've got a pretty good academic load...why toss a good thing for something questionable?" his dad reasoned.

While he was thinking that over, Cormac watched his sister put her hand on one of her pieces.

"I wouldn't do that...," he cautioned mentally.

Sierra scowled, and sent back, "I know what I'm doing!"

"Your tail. He's gonna hose you, I'm telling you."

"Oh, hush!" she shot back.

Ron sat there grinning slightly, with his fingers steepled in front of his face. Sierra was just ablout to fall into his trap. Quickly moving her hand to another piece, she moved her pawn from KN5 second level up to KB6 on the third level, taking her father's queen's rook. Sierra was just starting to gloat when her dad deftly moved his queen's knight into attack position.

"Checkmate, kiddo."

"WHAT?!"

"You don't have anything that can take my knight, and you can't move your king," her dad said with a smirk.

"I told you," Cormac sent to his sister.

Sierra slapped her hand over her eyes, sighed, and lowered her ears.

"Only fourteen moves!" she said with a groan.

"Heh, you're getting better, hun. It takes time getting used to this game," Ron said, reaching across the table and rubbing his daughter's head between her ears.

"Um, dad? What about...the military?" Cormac asked with a little hesitation.

Ron gave his son a sideways glance as he was collecting his chess pieces. Sierra, on the other hand, dropped her jaw.

"WHAT?! Since when have you started thinking about that?" Sierra asked with astonishment.

"Well, Cormac, that will be a really big decision, if you want to go that route. I'm not sure if they're taking G.E.L.F.s yet--it takes the military a while to get around to making changes, besides uniforms, there's protective gear like helmets, gas masks, and so forth that they'll have to come up with. There's the noise to consider, and you will have to learn how to handle weapons--and be expected to use deadly force if necessary. It's a hard life, I know--I spent twenty-eight years in it. If you really want to consider it as an option, we'll have to do some checking into it. Don't listen too much to recruiters, because they'll tell you a lot of b.s. just to get you to sign up--IF they can take you. At any rate, you need to be at least seventeen before you can join with parental consent, eighteen without," Ron explained carefully.

"But if I could, and if I wanted to, would you let me?" Cormac asked.

"It's a choice you would have to make for yourself. I can tell you what it's like, and I won't sugar coat it. Military life isn't for everyone--endless training, being away from home for long periods, it's rough on relationships, you're not free to do what you want when you want, and it can be extremely dangerous. I don't expect you to do it just because of me--it has to be what you really want. If you don't want to, that's fine, though if you _do_want to, I want you to know what you're getting into. Once you sign the enlistment contract and take the oath, the government owns you for at least one enlistment, and your rights get thrown out the window for the duration. Now, I'll support your decision either way, whether you do or don't. If you want to talk more about it later, we can, but right now it's time for bed guys--school night."

Cormac and Sierra both heard the clock on the fireplace mantle softly chime, "ding-ding, ding-ding," four bells, twenty-two hundred hours, 10:00 PM. Ron smiled and said, "Taps, taps, all lights out. All hands in their racks, maintain silence about the decks, now taps."

Sierra and Cormac exchanged confused glances, so their father said, "That means turn out the lights and go to bed."

They would much rather stay up, though both Sierra and Cormac knew their father was right--it was a school night, and they needed to get up early for the long drive to their high school. They said their goodnights, hugged, nuzzled, and wolf-kissed before heading off to bed. Ron woke Chrysie up who had fallen asleep in one of the recliners and sent her off to bed. Violet was already in bed, so he popped in and said his goodnights to her and her sister, and then went to check on Aurora and Fionn. They were already in bed and asleep, so he gently nuzzled them both, touching their minds with an "I'm here."

"You're always so good with the kids, all of them."

Ron looked up at Lupina, who was standing near the door, leaning against the wall. He smiled, gave Kapik's children one more soft touch, and got up to come over to her. Ron put his arms around Lupina's waist and pulled her close.

"I try to do my best with them, and hope they'll do the same with their kids when they have them," he replied mentally.

"I know you do, and sometimes I don't know how you do it."

"Yeah, and at sixty-nine years of age, I'm not a young pup anymore," he sent back.

Casting a quick glance towards Sierra and Cormac's room, Lupina said with a little sigh, "Hard to believe we've been together seventeen years now."

"A lot's happened since that day," Ron agreed.

"Yeah...let's see now, laws passed, three mates, six children, four weddings, a lot more G.E.L.F.s..."

"...And absent friends...," Ron added.

Lupina saw the tear run down his cheek in the dim light. The day they buried Atka and Sesi was the only time she had ever seen her mate weep. They were buried next to their friend Lola, laid together in a loving embrace with a pair of red roses. The most touching part of the funeral ceremony was when Kapik brought her old t-shirt and tried to cover her parents with it. To "Keep them warm" she had said at the time.

"I miss them, too," Lupina sent with a tear forming in her own eye.

"GAAAH! Three cents off! Three cents! Where the heck am I messing up at?" Rosie wondered in frustration--it was the fifth time she had gone through all of her receipts, deposit slips, and invoices of items ordered, and she still couldn't find where she was off by three cents at while trying to balance her checkbook with her bank statement. When she happened to look up at the clock and saw that is was well after eleven o'clock, she shoved the papers away and muttered, "Ah, screw it...I'll work on it tomorrow. I guess I'd better get my tail to bed so I can help get the kids up and going in the morning."

Rosie yawned, got up from the table, and proceeded to get the coffee maker ready for the morning rush. She cleared her papers from the t able--no sense in taking a chance somebody might accidentally spill something all over them. When the kitchen was ready, Rosie turned the lights out, grabbed her water bottle, and made her way back towards the bedroom. On the way, she met Kapik coming up from the basement.

"Rosie go to bed now?"

"Yeah, I'm going to check on my girls first, though. How about you?"

"Kapik get drink, then go bed."

"Okay, I'll see you in there," Rosie sent back, giving Kapik a quick rub on her back, before making sure that both Chrys Ann and Violet were in bed and asleep.

Kapik liked the drinking fountain that Ron had made for her. It consists of a large, food grade plastic bucket with a lid, a water level sensor, an aerated pet fountain with a filter, and a water line. When the water level in the bucket got below a certain level, a valve opens and allows the bucket to refill to a preset level, before shutting off. The fountain part has a stainless steel drinking bowl, a pump that draws water up through a filter from the bucket, aerates it as it flows into the bowl, and the flow rate is such that the water will stay in the bowl long enough so that Kapik can get a drink of fresh water. The whole affair has an infrared sensor and a timer so that when Kapik wants a drink, the pump turns on when she puts her head over the bowl, and remains on for a certain period of time. The bowl has an overflow that diverts excess water back into the bucket. The bucket itself is equipped with an overflow tube that will sent excess water to the drain under the kitchen sink in case the water valve should fail to shut off when the bucket is full.

When Kapik finished getting her drink, she looked out the large floor-to-ceiline windows in the dining area for a time. Her brother Amaguq was watching over their younger siblings, Iluq and Mumik, during the night while she was inside with her mate and two children. Kapik gave a little sigh as she remembered their parents, and she missed them greatly. In the morning, after the kids left for school, Kapik first went to the glade, and then to the old den. She stayed with her siblings during the day and hunted, played, or whatever else they felt like doing. Amaguq had been trying to gain the affection of a wild female wolf they had seen near the edge of their territory to the northeast, though he wasn't being very successful. Aurora offered to see if she could communicate with the wild she-wolf and try to gain her trust, and if she could do that, maybe she could convince the wild she-wolf that her uncle would be a good choice for a mate. Kapik smiled inwardly at that thought--she hoped that her brother would find a good female, whether it be the she-wolf, one of the "tall furry people" like Lupina, or..._maybe_even a human, though from what she had learned from Ron, that wasn't much of a possibility. Even if it could work, humans just have too many hang-ups when it comes to relationships with any sentient life that doesn't look human. Still, Kapik wished all of her siblings would one day find mates of their own, whether they be two or four-footed.

The next morning brought the usual controlled chaos of a school day--nine people had to take turns at using the bathrooms, breakfast had to be made and eaten, lunches made, e-mail checked, fur and teeth brushed, clothing put on, backpacks loaded, and vehicles started. The kids left first, usually Cormac drove on the way to school, and the girls would take turns driving back, except for Aurora and Fionn, who weren't old enough yet to drive. Riding with Violet behind the wheel could be either an adventure or "white-knuckle therapy", depending on whom you asked. Cormac dropped Aurora and Fionn off at the junior high school first, which was next to the high school, and then found a parking place in the student parking lot at the high school. After making sure the engine heater was plugged in and going--a necessity during the cold months, the four of them headed quickly inside to their lockers.

"Well, well...if it isn't Little Miss Wonder Fluff."

"Don't you ever stop being an idiot...even just for a few minutes a day?" Chrys Ann asked with heavy sarcasm, as she hung her coat in her locker.

"Aw, c'mon, Chrysie, everybody wonders how a skunk girl ended up with a dog boy for a brother. Did yer momma have...ERK!"

"Chalmers...," a low voice said with a hint of a growl.

Jeremy Chalmers found himself suddenly hoisted up into the air and facing a not too happy Cormac.

"Why do you insist on messing with my sisters, you little scumbag? I'm getting mighty tired of that stupid mouth of yours."

"Put me down, dog boy, or I'll have my ol' man..."

"Your dad is a drunk, and everybody knows it, Chalmers, but that's no excuse for you to be messing with my sisters. Next year, if you're still here, my little brother and sister will be freshmen, and you definitely don't want to mess with them. They'll get into that excuse of a brain you have and make you see just what kind of an idiot you are. Until then, there will always be gym class...," Cormac said with a snarl.

He dropped Jeremy onto the floor and stood there until he left.

"Thanks,'Mackie," Chrys Ann sent to her half-brother.

"Anytime, Chrysie. See you in Homeroom," Cormac sent back, giving Chrys Ann a quick hug before heading off.

"'Kay. Be there in a bit."

On her way to Homeroom, a girl that Chrys Ann knew caught up to her in the hallway.

"Hey, Chrysie."

"Hey, Annie."

"What was that back there with your brother?"

"Oh, Chalmers was being an idiot again, and 'Mackie persuaded him to be an idiot somewhere else," Chrysie explained.

"Ew, that guy gets on my nerves!" Annie said with disgust. "I bet Cormac could be plenty scary if somebody pissed him off."

"Yeah, I s'pose--he kinda takes after dad in some ways, though it takes a lot to get him mad."

"Does...your dad get mad a lot?"

"Nah, I've never seen dad get really mad about anything. Auntie Lu told me once that dad busted up some guy from a hate group that tried to attack her just because she's a G.E.L.F., but dad's pretty cool."

"Hey, do you know if your brother's got a date for Homecoming yet?"

Chrysie stopped and looked at Annie questioningly.

"Which one, high school of college?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, didn't you know 'Mackie's a freshman in college?"

"Wait, you mean he's dual enrolled?" Annie asked in amazement.

"Yeah, we all are...well, Aurora and Fionn aren't, but that's because they're still in junior high."

"Wow. Um...I guess our Homecoming."

"He hasn't said anything about it, but I haven't asked. Why, do you wanna go out with him?" Chrysie asked.

"What? No! Um...a-a friend, yeah, a friend of mine wanted to know."

"Annie..."

"Yeah?"

"Uh, you do know that we G.E.L.F.s can pick up on the emotions of others, don't you?" Chrysie asked quietly.

"You...you_can_?" Annie asked, blushing in embarrassment.

"Yeah, so c'mon Annie, no b.s.--you want me to ask 'Mackie or not?"

Quickly looking around nervously, Annie said almost in a whisper, "Yeah."

"I'll find out if he's got anyone in mind yet or not, and I'll let you know," Chrysie offered. "But if you wanna go out with Mackie, just ask him. I know he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, trust me--Sierra would find out, and then the whole family would know about it."

*R-i-n-g!*

"First bell, gotta go. See ya later, Annie!"

"Okay Chrysie, see ya in History class."

After the second bell rang, and the teacher finished the roll call, Chrys Ann communicated silently with her brother while the students sat quietly and worked on assignments or read.

"Hey, Mackie...Annie Snyder asked me out in the hall if you had anyone in mind for the Homecoming dance."

"Annie Snyder...you mean, "Steampunk Annie?"

"Yeah."

"Why does she want to know?"

"She's got as crush on you."

"Say what?!"

"Yeah, she wants to go out with you, and no, I'm not yankin' your tail. She's kinda shy about it."

"Really."

"Yeah. Annie's a nice person, ya just have to get past the odd way she dresses. So, do ya have anyone in mind for the dance yet?"

"Um...well, I hadn't thought about it, actually."

"Why not?"

"I wasn't planning on going."

"Oh. Why not?"

"Geez, Chrysie, what's with the twenty questions routine? You know the classes I'm taking and the amount of homework I gotta do."

"Yeah..., but do ya wanna go out with her?"

"Chrysie!"

"Well?"

"I've got a box of raisins in my locker..."

"Ooo!"

"...I'll give 'em to you at lunch if you stop pestering me about Annie."

"Cormac! That's not fair!"

"I'll give you two if you promise not to tell Sierra about it, either."

When Chrys Ann looked over at Cormac, he could tell by the expression on her face that she was beginning to cave.

"Two boxes of sweet...plump...California raisins...mmm!"

When she saw her brother licking his lips that was too much for Chrys Ann to take.

"Alright, alright! You win! I promise!"

"Deal?"

"Deal."

Later that day, after Cormac kept his word and gave Chrysie the two snack-size boxes of raisins, she promptly told Violet about Annie Snyder, who in turn told Sierra about it. By the time Cormac got home from his night classes, the whole family knew about the human girl who was interested in him. Sierra, Chrysie, Violet, Rosie, and Lupina were all talking about it around the dinner table while Cormac was trying to eat his supper. He hadn't eaten much before he suddenly stood up in frustration and embarrassment, grabbed his coat, and went outside.

As soon as the door shut, Ron slowly stood up with a displeased look on his face.

"'Tis a shameful thing ye did, Chrys Ann Daugherty, violatin' the spirit of the deal struck between ye an' yer brother. Aye now, Cormac had no business stooping to bribery to get ye t' hold yer tongue, but he knows ye well enough that ye just couldn't resist to blather to the first person ye could. An' you, Sierra, his own twin--a fine way to be keepin' the trust between the two of ye. Don't be thinkin' yer off the hook yerself, little Miss Violet, spreadin' gossip hurts at least three people--the subject of it, yourself, an' the person ye tell it to. I expect better from me family--we ha' t' support one another. Fun's fun, but ye went too far wi' it tonight, an' I'll stand no more of it. The only thing I'll be hearin' before bed this night are apologies to Cormac, an' promises tha' i' won' happen again--an' i' best be from th' heart, an' so i' tis."

Ron spoke quietly, but firmly, his Irish accent coming to the fore...a clear sign that he was irritated. Everyone seated at the table drooped their ears and tucked their tails between their legs as he gazed upon each of them in turn. With a quiet snort, Ron turned from the table and followed his son outside, grabbing his coat on the way. They sat there for a while looking very much like pups and kits who had received a scolding.

"I guess we did kinda tease Cormac a bit much," Rosie said at last.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'd better go talk with him...maybe I can get Cormac to eat the rest of his supper," Lupina said quietly.

"I'll put it in the warmer," Rosie added.

Ron found his son sitting on the woodpile, idly poking at the ground with a stick. He quietly sat down next to Cormac, and neither spoke for several seconds. At length Cormac heaved a deep sigh, dropped the stick, and stared off in the direction of the little cave.

"Sometimes I wish they were more like Iluq...at least _she_doesn't say stuff like that."

Ron smiled a little and said, "Well now, Iluq _can_be a wee bit annoying at times, though I suppose you're right in that she wouldn't tease in that fashion."

"Why do there have to make such a big deal about it? I don't really know the girl, and she's kinda strange anyway."

"In what way?" Ron asked quietly.

"She's into all that steampunk stuff."

"Ah, I've seen a few pictures, and things in a catalog about that. It's not so bad, I suppose, at least it seems creative in a fun way. 'Tis better than the whole wannabe gangsta attitude," his father said.

"I guess."

They sat there for several seconds before Ron spoke again.

"I let your sisters know that I wasn't happy about them getting on your case about that girl, and that I expected better of them."

Cormac looked over at his father--he could imagine the kind of scolding he gave his siblings. Very seldom did he ever raise his voice, usually just enough to get your attention, but when he had to get onto you about something you did wrong, there was something about that Irish accent that could shame a person in such a way that he or she would never forget.

"While ye shouldn't have stooped to bribery, this whole incident could have been avoided if Chrysie had minded her tongue."

Cormac winced at his father's comment concerning the raisins--he was right, on both counts, though.

"Sorry, Dad, it was the only way I could think of at the time to keep Chrysie from blabbing about it. The way she kept bugging about it...I just wanted her to stop. But then she had to tell Vi, and then _she_had to tell Sierra..."

"And Sierra, being your twin sister, definitely should have known better," Ron interjected.

"Yeah."

Ron looked towards the door of the house and said, "Your mother's coming out. Ye should talk with her for a bit, and then come back inside and finish your supper...unless ye feel like shackin' up with Iluq tonight."

"Dad!"

Cormac saw the grin on his father's face.

"Just pullin' your tail a little, son," Ron said with a chuckle. "Seriously, though, who you want to date, or eventually end up with as your mate someday, that's up to you. It doesn't matter if it's with a G.E.L.F., human...or even Iluq, for that matter," he added, giving his son a fatherly pat on the shoulder.

Ron got up and headed towards the house, just as Lupina was on her way out the door.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"No problem, buddy."

Later that night when Cormac went to bed, he lay with his back towards Sierra, not saying a word--mentally or verbally.

"Mackie?"

*Silence*

"Mackie?"

*Silence*

"Cormac?"

*Silence*

"Look, I'm sorry about tonight, okay? I shouldn't have opened my big mouth, and I shouldn't have razzed ya about that human girl. You know, I hadn't thought about going to that stupid dance either--I doubt anyone would want to ask me out anyway."

*Silence*

"Mackie...c'mon, I said I'm sorry, and I mean it."

There was a long pause before Cormac said anything.

"It's going to be a long time before I trust my sisters again...with anything."

The words and feeling of mistrust her brother sent bit deep.

"Mackie! Please don't say that! Tell me you didn't mean it!" she pleaded, even though she knew that there is no way to lie when using the telepathic ability.

Sierra put her hand on her brother's shoulder, but he shrugged her off, and didn't say anything else. She lay there, looking at the back of her brother's head, with tears streaming down her face. Sierra felt her twin brother withdraw from her, and it pained her. Once she thought he was asleep, she quietly slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen. Sierra made herself a cup of a herbal tea mixture that would help a person sleep.

Sierra took a few sips of her tea, and then with a heavy sigh, laid her head on her arms on the table. The expression on her face was full of sadness and remorse.

"Why long face?"

Sierra looked up to see Kapik walk into the dining area.

"I tried to tell Cormac that I was sorry, but he pushed me away. The only thing he said was that it would be a long time before he could trust me, Chrysie, and Vi again, and...he meant it! He won't talk to me or even let me touch him!"

Kapik could sense the pain Sierra felt, so she gave Sierra a wolf hug.

"Want me talk to him?"

*Sniff* "Would you? Please?"

"Kapik do, but get drink first."

After she got her drink of water, Kapik padded quietly to Sierra and Cormac's room. The door was still open a little, so she pushed her way in. Upon seeing which side of the bed Cormac was on, Kapik easily hopped up on the other side.

"Cormac awake?"

"Wha...?"

"Kapik talk to you, you listen. Sierra try to make nice, you push away. No way to treat sister, even if she do stupid thing. Kapik know! You feel hurt, you hurt back, now sister hurt. No good for pack!"

"But Kapik, I didn't want Chrysie to blab about that girl to Sierra, because I knew Sierra would make a big deal out of it. Chrysie told Violet, an Violet told Sierra, and then they all got to messing with me about it! Even Mom and Aunt Rosie!"

"Kapik know, was in big room, heard all."

"How can I trust Chrysie, Vi, and Sierra again?"

"Cormac listen! This stupid thing, not important! Kapik know! Pack must trust, must work together, or all hurt!"

Cormac started to roll away from Kapik, but she wasn't about to tolerate what she felt was insubordination. Kapik put one of her front feet on Cormac's chest, pushing him down with her weight, and then with ears erect and forward, she bared her teeth next to his face.

"Cormac do what Kapik say, or Kapik get father! Cormac make nice with Sierra and other sisters, then but in past. Stupid thing no break trust--stupid thought does! Sisters only do stupid thing, not important! Cormac do!"

Cormac dropped his ears and curled his tail between his legs in submission. Kapik was right--there was no reason to break trust with your other pack members over a stupid thing like this. Sure, his sisters took their joking about the human girl a bit too far and it hurt his feelings, and after their father got onto them about it, they did say they were sorry--and meant it. Cormac, however, was now in the wrong for thinking that a stupid little thing like this meant that he could no longer trust his sisters at all. If anything, this should just be chalked up as a learning experience, deal with it, and let it go. As Kapik said, this wasn't a serious enough issue.

Kapik went about getting the whole family together in the master bedroom. With the help of Aurora and Fionn's special abilities, everyone shared their thoughts and feelings, and by the time they all fell asleep in a big pile, everything had been worked out enough to avoid a more serious issue from getting a toe hold--the erosion of trust.

[1]Pascal - a unit of force in the SI system of measurements

[2]http://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/our-games/hurling/

[3]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmzivRetelE&safe=active