run with wolves | open post.

[thelittleone]

Characters

Asil, The Moor
A very, very old wolf and a member of the Marrok's pack.

Jang Eun
Previously of Carmel Valley, sent to Aspen Creek by her former Alpha.

Jesse Hauptman
Daughter of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack

Joshua Brennan
Burden-bound. A Sin-Eater paired with the ghost of a long-dead soldier.

PREMISE

All the stories are true. Years ago, the Fae came out because technology was making it harder and harder for them to hide, and it's been a couple of years since the werewolves did the same. The world is changing day by day. Humans and the paranormal live side by side, but it's not easy nor is it simple. While the Marrok has taken great lengths and care to preserve the werewolves' PR front, everyone - wolf, fae, vampire and other - know that it's only a matter of time before the humans start thinking that perhaps the other stories meant to warn of the dark are true.

This is an open post set in the universe of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. The books are amazing and you should definitely check them out. More information via this Wiki link. The rules are simple: Drop a prompt, leave a tag, and let's play!

THREAD TRACKING

© tessisamess

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[lastcall]

[She's sharp enough to notice his sidestep for what it is. For a moment, she almost considers calling him out on it, pushing him for an answer to her question. But he's answered many of her questions and his is nothing she can't answer. If Asil won't answer it, perhaps she'll ask Bran himself.]

That he leads all of the North American werewolves. That the pack leaders and their packs answer to him--except for the Columbia Basin pack. [And isn't that an interesting tangle.] I've heard that...he knows everything about almost everyone. Even outside the states. I know that he has sons, and a mate...

[She pauses a beat then, expression twisting as she debates whether or not to say the last part. It sounds so silly to say it aloud but...]

I've heard he can get into our minds. Talk to us that way? It sounds ridiculous but it came from the pack leader's second...he can't actually read our thoughts can he?

[nosco]

[ And because it benefits them - benefits all werewolves really, if Bran's legend is as frightening as is necessary. He gives her a cryptic smile which she can take as his answer to that. He likes you, querida. You have spunk and you have been very considerate given his earlier misstep. But Bran's secrets are not his to share. ]

I can only tell you that I have heard him in my head. [ She is welcome to the easy truth in his words and body language. ] And I think you will see for yourself that he arms himself with information on all that venture into his territory.

[ A beat, then: ] Many of the old wolves know each other.

If not by reputation, then because we have crossed paths at one time or another. Most of the Marrok's pack do not engage with the outside world. We are too unstable, [ he glances her way briefly. ] Yes, querida, even me.

[ He leads them both up a slope that will cut their travel time by a good half hour. He is at ease in these woods, familiar as he is with the lay of the land. ]

Bran is a fair king. But do not forget that he is a brutal one as necessity dictates. We are trying to ensure that the humans do not wake up tomorrow and decide that we are all better off dead.

[ It has been a trying four years for werewolfkind. Not too long ago, Adam Hauptman and the members of the Columbia Basin pack had been kidnapped by rouge Cantrip agents. ]

He has sons. [ Asil continues, offering her a hand when the climb becomes too steep. She is perfectly capable of seeing to her own footing, however he is old and gallantry is ingrained in his bones. ] Samuel is no longer with the pack, having moved to be with his Fae mate. I believe they are currently in Africa on a medical mission since Samuel is a doctor.

And Charles-- [ he snorts softly in amusement, no sense frightening Eun prematurely ] --Charles and his Anna will likely be present at Bran's to receive you.

[lastcall]

[Having never been around unstable wolves before, she wonders if perhaps his wolf's reaction to the mention of her attack was not just a reaction but a struggle. A show of his instability. He doesn't seem it, and seeming to sense that he confirms that yes, even he is among those who do not engage outside of Aspen Creek.

Surely Bran would not send Asil if he could not be trusted around her, however, would he? It seems like it would be a monumentally stupid thing to do if Asil could not be trusted that far, and Eun does not think Bran would be as old as he apparently is, ruling for as long as he has, without being intelligent. Without knowing his pack well enough to be able to gauge them and their limits.

Listening still, she doesn't balk at taking Asil's hand as they continue to make their way to the Marrok. The ground is uneven, and while she may be a werewolf, she is in human form and a city girl at heart. Her wolf would know how to traverse this land on four paws, but Eun will need a little time to learn the way the land slopes and rolls up to her feet.]

You've given me a lot to think about. Thank you for answering my questions.

[It's all she can think to say. The other wolves didn't tell her all of this, they didn't educate her in the same way. She's learned even more in the last five minutes than the last twenty with Asil, and certainly the last several months in California. She almost asks why Bran would go out of his way to bother with her. Her opinion of herself is high but she's not so in her own head to not be aware of her relative position. Hadn't all of the other wolves treated her as the bottom of their pack because she was new and female? Bran is the king of the werewolves. Have they taken any of their cues from the Marrok? She hadn't thought so, not with Asil's initial responses to her, but it's hard not to wonder.

For a time, Eun walks in silence, mulling over Asil's answers. She has hundreds of questions but none that she thinks she can ask him now. None that might not be answered eventually as she settles into Aspen Creek. Eventually, she glances back over at her walking companion, hand still warm from the brief touch of his own.]

Do you have any questions for me?

[nosco]

[ He won't deny that it gives him and his wolf pleasure to have her accept his open hand. More so that she is allowing herself to be in his care. ] Careful, there is a root by your left foot. The trees here can trip you and a fall would be unpleasant.

[ He thinks he will tuck your hand under his arm for now. This area is full of dips and rocks that have frosted over given the weather.

Asil makes a soft sound, musing on her question. ]

Tell me about your old pack's experience with the human population. [ And then, because it's occurred to him. ] Perhaps you can also provide me with the broad strokes of how your pack worked and what their impressions are of the changes our kind have had to cope with of late.

[ He cannot outright ask about the Columbia Pack. He will not subvert Bran's authority. ]

[lastcall]

[If she'd known she would be taking an impromptu hike, she might have worn some shoes with more tread to them. In another set of circumstances, with someone else, she also wouldn't have allowed them to tuck her hand anywhere without asking first. He's steady, however. He isn't like the others, trying to win her over or just outright win her. It's a pleasant change of pace, and her wolf seems quite pleased by his attentiveness.]

Carmel Valley is just beside Carmel-by-the-Sea. Most people don't go there unless they're local, or at least local to the Bay Area. It's a lot of open fields and grasslands in the valley, tree-topped hills surrounding it. Wineries, golf courses, and some farms. Stables. The people that live there either have held the land for years in their family, in modest homes that creak when you walk through them, or they're people who in one way or another have money to have built or bought some estate. Carmel-by-the-Sea is the usual draw for visitors. A tiny seaside tourist town. The curbs are cobblestone, there aren't any stop lights, only occasional stop signs. The houses there have names instead of numbers and you walk to the post office to get your mail. There's a place called Point Lobos where people go to hike and artists flock to paint pictures of the ocean from the cliff sides.

[And yes, she smiles a little at the name of the park. Point Lobos indeed.]

Monterey and Pebble Beach are in the same area. More populated. More developed. There are military schools around there too, I think. It's a small enough area that people tend to know their neighbors, but tourists are there often enough that new arrivals to a pack don't really stand out. [She shrugs lightly.] Most of the people in the pack grew up around there, or like me grew up further North up the coast. Bay Area and the like. Some of them have money. Most of them are set in their ways and aren't out. There aren't any regular wolves left in California so we'd stand out more in our other forms if people saw us, so I'm pretty sure most people don't even realize there's a pack there. The alpha has a long-standing arrangement with the sisters at the Carmelite Monastery, however. They let us park at the monastery during full moons so that we can run through Point Lobos or into Carmel Valley at night. It's about the only interactions between pack and humans I noticed. At least, with everyone knowing who--what everyone was.

[nosco]

Point Lobos. [ Don't mind him. ] That sounds beautiful. Perhaps I shall look it up just to see pictures.

[ He lifts his head and narrows his eyes. There is a car coming up. It appears they sent the cavalry after all. ]

Do not fret. It is just Tag.

[lastcall]

You might ask to see mine--

[She pauses, hearing the sound of a car. There is no fear, but a little tension in her stillness. She's not alone, but in an unfamiliar place. Her wolf is naturally on alert in case the car is not expected.

It's only when Asil assures her the car belongs to someone he knows that she relaxes somewhat.]

Have we taken too long on our walk to the Marrok?

[nosco]

[ He pulls away just enough so that he can hop up onto the road and offer her a hand up. He keeps her hand in his as much as he can and uses the other to wave down their ride. ]

Possibly, but Tag drives around town, so he might just be passing through.

[ It is likely that he took too long. That was his error. He should have called Bran once she'd arrived... but well. He regrets nothing.

When the vehicle slows, Eun will glimpse a giant of a man in the front seat. He looks a little wild, but he nods to Asil and tips an invisible hat your way. "Bran was wondering where you were. Hop in the back." ]

Your carriage, my lady.

[ Asil will end up taking the passenger seat, but you'll notice that he and Tag do not talk for the duration of the short enough drive to Bran's large home. ]

[lastcall]

[For all that Asil is being casual about holding her hand even well after he helps her up to the road, it hasn't gone unnoticed by Eun. It hasn't gone unnoticed that she doesn't mind either. She couldn't trust casual touch from those of the pack she left, but Asil...

Somehow even with the instability he mentioned, the fact that he is not always safe to be around, she trusts him already. Trusts that he would let her hand go if she asked, trusts that he would not find deeper meaning in her allowing him to do so, trusts that...that if by some wildly unlikely chance he were to try to take her hand because he were interested, he would respect any decisions she made.

These thoughts flit in and out of her mind quickly as the truck approaches. She takes in Tag's appearance as the second person she'll meet from Aspen Creek, and lifts her hand in greeting before allowing herself to be ushered into the car. She takes the seat behind Asil, content not to be at their backs than to have anyone at hers, and watches as the woods around them pass by as they drive. She realizes after a moment that Asil is entirely silent as they drive and, lacking any immediate ideas for continuing their conversation, leans forward to blow at the back of his neck just to bother him.

Playing.

Just as easily, she leans back away from him with an amused smirk on her face, and practically hops out of the vehicle once they arrive at Bran's home.]

I was wondering how close we were before we got picked up. Thanks for the lift, by the way. [The last is directed to Tag with another little wave, friendlier than when he'd first arrived. Her attention returns to Asil immediately after.] Do we head in?

[nosco]

[ He does not dare move, even when he feels and smells Eun's breath at his nape (he is going to have to talk to her about that... later). Because he knows Tag is observing and paying close attention.

Werewolves are the worst gossips.

They arrive soon enough and he pats the hood of the car with a nod of thanks to the berserker. ] Yes, right this way.

[ They are in the common room - Bran, Charles and Anna. Leah is conspicuously absent, which is a small blessing he happily thanks Allah for. ]

Jang Eun, [ he starts, formally ] this is Bran Cornick, Alpha of the Aspen Creek Pack known also as the Marrok. This is Charles, his second and Anna Cornick, Charles mate.

[ He deliberately avoids Anna's eyes, content to bask in the peace that she brings his wolf. If they must talk, it will keep until later when Eun is properly settled in.

To Eun he offers a gentle look, ready to excuse himself--

--but Bran waves a hand, flippantly slipping in an order: "Stay, Asil. Your roses will keep a little longer. I have already sent someone to bring your car around and you can escort Eun to her lodgings once we are done." ]

[lastcall]

[Eun follows Asil into the residence, but as much as her attention had been on him during their walk and the drive, her focus shifts to the power she feels inside the residence. The Marrok has a presence, one she did not realize she would be able to feel so strongly as she does before even seeing the man. With her wolf she senses it for what it is. He isn't a king in title, but in Power. For as young as he looks, she sees the weight of years behind his eyes.

There's no part of her that wants to make quips in front of this werewolf, or do anything that might make it seem as though she doesn't respect his authority. His son is intimidating as well, but in a different way, and only offset by the way he regards his own mate. Anna, Eun likes very well, and her wolf seems less restless, more at ease in the presence of the Omega. She's glad to see another woman at Aspen Creek, one who apparently is so close to her own age as well. If nothing else, there will be one person there who may begin to understand her...

Someone besides the wolf who escorted her in, who seemed ready to leave with his duty completed. It's only because Bran tells him to stay that Eun doesn't find herself with the regret of not thanking him for his guidance, both to the Marrok and during the course of their conversation. It seems that they'll have more time to converse. Once she's through with this first meeting.

It goes well enough, at least by Eun's standards and her optimistic hopes. Bran is everything that Asil claimed, and then some. He seems if not friendly, then at least more on the amiable side as he welcomes her to Aspen Creek. When she is asked questions, she answers, with some safe humor when possible. When he speaks--when any of them speak--she listens.

And all at once, she can tell how very different her experience will be here in Aspen Creek. It's not a city the way that she's grown up in or loves, but it is a pack the likes of which she should have been in to begin with. She wonders if they can feel her gratitude already, if they can hear it in her voice as she thanks the Marrok for inviting her there.

The meeting is over in a short amount of time. It feels like a blur, Eun starting with her cautious greetings and answers to responses that are more conversational and relaxed. Smooth and seamless. Before she knows it, she finds herself walking out of Bran's home with Asil and Anna, the latter promising to meet her for breakfast in the morning. When Anna leaves as well, having left Charles to speak with Bran, Eun turns once more to Asil, expression far more quiet and contemplative than it had been before.]

That was... [She's not certain she has the words.] That went well, I think?

[nosco]

It did. [ He feels more settled - at least, relaxed enough after Anna's power had washed over him like a balm. While his wolf is no longer asleep, it is less... agitated than earlier and he is all the more grateful for it.

He tilts his head. ] He likes you. And it is always good when Bran has a use for you.

[lastcall]

[Eun glances back at the house where Bran and Charles are, and begins putting some distance between the house and herself. At least until she realizes she doesn't know which car is Asil's.]

The first I'm glad of, but why do I have a feeling I may come to regret the second?

[The question is more hypothetical than anything, because Eun lifts a hand to scrub her face a moment before looking back at him.]

Maybe we should get me to the rental car so I can drive it wherever I'm supposed to unload my things?

[nosco]

Everyone learns to live with the second. It is better than Bran deciding that he has no use for you at all. [ He's already walking to a Mercedes, his hand fishing into the back pocket of his pants for his keys. ]

No doubt someone has already been sent to fetch your vehicle. It should be parked in the cabin that's been prepared for you.

[ Of all the packs in North America, theirs in Aspen Creek would never have to worry about money. But he will leave that for Eun to discover soon enough. No doubt Charles and Anna would drop by to visit, check how she was settling in, before briefing her on invesments and the like. ]

[lastcall]

[Eun has to wonder how anyone fetched her vehicle when she still has the keys, but werewolves have proven to be uncannily resourceful so she decides not to question it.

She will, however, remember it. That and the silver lining that apparently it is better to be of some use to the Marrok than not. He takes others into his pack but apparently he might do so more easily if they can prove to be chess pieces?

Following along to the Mercedes along with Asil, she makes her way to the passenger side.]

The cabin for me? Just me? I'm not crashing in someone's spare room or something?

[Or a hotel room? She'd picked up a paper in the nearest town on her way in, figuring she'd be finding herself an apartment somewhere, once she also found a job.]

[nosco]

We have spare lodgings for guests, and typically, those who come our way are not safe enough to put up in a hotel. [ He explains kindly as he settles down and turns the engine on. They make use of the hotel in October, when people come from all around to petition for the Change. ]

Since you will be with us for the next few months, no doubt Bran thought it prudent to make arrangements that will allow you privacy.

[ He drives easy and confident, cruising along the snow covered paths just slow enough so she can familiarize herself with the roads. ]

[lastcall]

[The prospect of living in a hotel didn't appeal to her, but she hadn't expected to have housing provided for her. It feels a little like she's inconveniencing them, taking spare housing that might need to go to another. Still, she doubts that Bran would appreciate her shoving his hospitality in his face, especially on the first night. So she nods, at least grateful for the privacy. Tomorrow she'll find work, some steady source of income, and see if it's enough to allow her to rent her own place.]

That was thoughtful of him.

[Eun looks out the window as they drive, appreciative of the slow pace to get a look at the place that will be home for the next few months.]

You'll be getting back to your roses once you drop me off? Bran mentioned something about flowers when we arrived, didn't he?

[nosco]

Yes, [ he has to work to hide the pleasure from showing in his voice and on his face - and he does not put very much effort into it. ] My son sent me a shipment of new blooms to experiment with from Spain. And I have been minding them since Montana's weather is harsh for roses.

[ He slows on the turn, since this part of the road has a steep drop. And while they would most definitely survive a fall, there is no need to be reckless. ]

Perhaps once you are more settled, you can come visit. The youngest of our pack helps me tend to my garden. [ Here's a wry smile. ] And she will no doubt pepper me with questions about you.

[lastcall]

[She'll never get used to the fact that werewolves can look as though they're just out of college, and yet be old enough to have family, have offspring old enough to live on their own. To send them things from across an ocean and a country.

His mention of his son makes her wonder after her family. They don't know what she is yet. They think she's just been living her own life out of town, too busy to come visit like she normally did. Would it be possible to tell them now what she is? Have them come see her here? She might have contemplated it more, but the mention of a younger werewolf, and female besides that, catches her attention. Looking away from the windows, her gaze settles on Asil once more.]

She? How young is she?

[Eun herself is in her early twenties. She can't imagine handling the shift from human to werewolf at a younger age.]

[nosco]

Fifteen just this year. [ He sits comfortably under her gaze, pleased at his assumption that she might be curious about the other women in the pack. He'd been watching her with Anna. ]

Kara was turned when she was only a child. [ His grip tightens slightly on the wheel. Kara was theirs, his and his wolf's, even as she was Bran's. Their child. Their privilege to protect and care for. ] Her parents are in town, visiting.

They sometimes drop by because his work as a reporter affords him the freedom to travel and her mother is considering moving here so they can be close.

[lastcall]

[Fifteen is too young. Far too young. Fifteen seems a child to Eun. How much younger was Kara to be called a child compared to her fifteen years of age now? She must be extraordinary to have survived it, but Eun thinks that like her, perhaps it was not a choice. Considering Asil's reaction to her mention of an attack, the fact that already his grip on the wheel tightens, Eun decides not to state what must be deliberately remaining unspoken.]

How lucky for her, to be able to see her family still even while living here. I'm sure she'll be busy with her parents since they're visiting, but she's welcome to come visit me whenever she pleases. I suppose I can't take up all your time, asking you to show me around.

[There's a bit of a lilt to her tone, a lightness to hide her previous thoughts. Her words are truthful, however. A fifteen year old girl might not be an ideal friend, but Eun likes to surround herself with other women, given the choice, and no doubt Kara will appreciate another person closer to her own age to talk to. Anna seems friendly and approachable, and Eun looks forward to getting to know her as well, but she's also a married woman, one mated to the pack's second. She may not have the time she may like to spend with Kara.]

Is Kara a special case, or does Bran not object to visits from family outside Aspen Creek?

[nosco]

[ He fights to relax, a mantra in his mind that Kara is safe, happy and well. That John and Liza are good people who love their child, and who are generous to adjust their idea of family to encompass wolves who had frightened them before. ]

Ah, niña, it would bring me pleasure if you decide to take it upon yourself to bother with an old lobo such as myself.

Do not take offense, [ a smile ] I had thought to provide you options since I can get absorbed with my gardening and I have been told that my lack of attention to guests can get tedious.

[ To her question, however: ] Bran does not concern himself very much with humans. He has his hands too full with his wolves.

But if you are asking because you are considering inviting your parents into our territory - he does not object. You will need to let him know, so that we may arrange for their safety, and they will need to be briefed on where they can and cannot wander.

But no, while Kara is a special case thanks to the circumstances of her Change and her age, the Marrok cannot play favorites or he will risk outright defiance.

[lastcall]

[Eun hasn't seen her parents since the attack. There simply wasn't time. After it happened, everything changed so quickly. She needed time to learn how to work with her wolf, how to not lose control of it and get used to how her life changed in the aftermath. After that, she found herself navigating pack dynamics, trying to rebuff her unwanted suitors. It simply wasn't a situation she wanted to bring them into. She came up with excuses. Sickness. Work shifts. Emergencies with friends. Anything to keep from traveling up the coast to see them.

If all goes well here, however, perhaps she could bring them to Aspen Creek. She could finally explain to them what's happened to her, hold them close and reassure them that she's alright. It would be a huge shock to them, and she knows they would need time to adjust, but she doesn't have any fears that they would reject her.

It's too private a consideration to voice aloud to Asil now. She puts it aside to think about tonight, and the days after as she settles into this place. If it feels right here as she hopes it will, she may talk to Asil or Bran about this again.]

I plan to meet everyone that I'm able to, and I'm happy to prioritize Kara when she's available, but I'm afraid that you'll likely be stuck with my company quite often regardless. [She feels more herself now, here with him, than she has in the last year. It's no understatement that she is extremely grateful for his conversation.] I happen to love flowers, and can respect what it's like to get absorbed in one's work. I won't expect constant entertainment if you don't object to me bringing a book to keep myself occupied on occasion.

[nosco]

[ He can picture her in his greenhouse, he realizes. He can see her curled up on the wicker loveseat he'd installed especially for Kara. Or sitting with him for tea at the wrought iron breakfast set that Anna had strongarmed him to include at the far end. He'd decided to renovate in the last year, connecting his greenhouse to his home so that he could walk from his kitchen to his garden without needing to worry about the cold or snow.

It is not that he is lonely. But wolves seek out their own, and too many of the pack dare not risk causing offense by entering his sanctum. Devon had been a frequent visitor, but with Devon gone...

Yes. Eun would be welcome. If it worries him that he has known her barely a day and is already growing attached. Well. ]

I am... not... opposed to this.

[ It has not escaped his notice that she is comfortable in his company. He is a vain, old thing, but not too old that he does not appreciate the game of flirtation. ]

[lastcall]

[Eun's smile is immediate and broad. It's not a city for her to paint red, but it's no doubt warm and fragrant and peaceful. A sanctuary she could escape to if her own cabin feels too lonely. Privacy is good and she appreciates it, but there is something to be said for the presence of another person.]

You'll be less opposed when I come bearing baked goods.

[Her tone is low and amused as she looks away as they continue to drive. Her father is the baker in the family, and while she's not an expert, she knows how to make cookies, cakes, and scones. She can follow a recipe fairly well.

She hadn't wanted to bake for her old pack. It had been a thing she'd done with her father, too special to offer to the people who never made her feel at home. But Aspen Creek is already so different, and as Asil is the first to greet her and make her feel at ease, he can be the first to enjoy whatever she makes first in the cabin's kitchen.]

Am I wrong?