Running with Wolves Ch. 17

"So... can you, like, still understand me?" Jarod poked at Dominic's tail, jumping back when it moved. Dominic huffed at him and stretched, trying not to knock over another piece of furniture. It was hard, being that he was so big in his new wolf body. "Man, that's cool."

Garrett laughed, sitting cross legged in his chair with Penny in his lap. Flint, who had just come back from acting as the sort of ambassador between Sol and Dominic's group also chuckled from his seat, though it sounded a bit tense. When he had come back to their rooms, he had had a look of concern on his face and quietly asked Misty to join him out into the hall to talk. Dominic hadn't been able to hear much of their conversation, but when Misty came back into the room, she had made a bee-line for the bathroom to go speak with Augustine. The siblings had been discreet about their actions, so the others hadn't noticed something was up yet. Once Dominic was back to being human he would bring it up.

There was more to Flint being tense though. Dominic could tell, by the way he and Garrett sat as far from each other as possible but still couldn't seem to keep their eyes to themselves, that something had happened between them. He would have to ask about it later, but for now he would just keep his eye on it.

In the other bedroom, Dominic could hear Samantha was getting out of her shower. When Dominic had scented Lark and shifted, the twins had heard and sensed him in the Den. When they had told Samantha to stay back while they investigated, she ignored them and rushed over to see what was going on. When she flung the door open and stepped inside, pulling her second arm through the hole of her borrowed shirt and using the other to pull the bottom down, she was greeted by the giant black wolf that was Dominic.

She hadn't screamed, but the twins had been quick to pull her back and positioned themselves between her and the newly turned wolf. That had sparked another rise in Dominic's wolf and a snarl in their direction, but Misty had been quick to snap at them. She got everyone to calm down and had a very confused Pearl retrieve Doc Rivers to come take a look at Augustine.

Once the whole debacle was under control and Ben had gone to clean up Augustine at Misty's suggestion, Samantha had blushed and said she needed to go clean up too. Taking a look at her damp skin and scenting the strong aroma of the twins on her, Dominic guessed she had only been able to clean up with maybe a wet hand towel. Thunder had been insistent that she only use water to clean her body, and after a heated discussion she had begrudgingly agreed as long as she could wash her hair.

To be fair to the twins, covering her in their scent had worked. Even if he had never seen Samantha as a sexual or love interest, Dominic's instincts urged him to keep a good distance between them so as not to give that impression. He knew on a base level those two were stronger than he was, and any upset to them could lead to trouble.

As of now, both twins were now settled on either side of the bedroom door, standing as unneeded guards while the girl they cared for cleaned up. Dominic's rational mind thought they were going way overboard and bordering on creepy. On the other hand, his instincts told him what they were doing made complete sense. It was confusing and frustrating to have a part of himself understand a situation, but not comprehend how he knew it made sense.

When Samantha came out of the bedroom, her wet hair clung to her tank while her loose pajama pants hung low on her hips. There was a grumble of approval from the twins, which she ignored in favor of going to pick up her baby. She talked sweetly to her daughter as usual, but every so often her eyes would flint over toward Dominic then away just as quickly.

Everyone was still a bit nervous around him since he shifted without meaning to. When Ben had called out for help and Dominic had entered the room, the scent of Lark had set off his wolf, pushing it to the surface and forcing his body to begin shifting. Misty had kept him under control, shoving him into the sitting room so that he could shift without hurting anyone. By the time his body was completely that of a wolf he was back to being under control, though his wolf was telling him he needed to go and get rid of whatever it was that smelt of Lark.

Focusing on the smells of the room, Samantha smelt funny to him. She wasn't scared, per se: It was something more subtle than the sharp sour scent of fear he had learned from hunting animals in the woods. Maybe she was nervous? Or confused? Either way, he didn't like it. He was still Dominic; the man who was her friend and had taken her in almost a year ago.

"I didn't think you would this... big." Samantha had moved the other side of the room by Garrett, her eyes locked on Dominic and arms clutching the baby. Holding as still as possible, Dominic waited for Samantha to become more comfortable with his new shape.

Surprisingly, Thunder came to Dominic's defense. "He is large, but we are larger. You had no fear of Storm while he was in his wolf skin, there is no reason to be uneasy with your Alpha. His wolf is young, and thus he will have a difficult time controlling his instinctual reactions, but his shifting is not something to fear."

Dominic whined quietly as he lifted his head. Samantha bit her lip, one of her more prominent nervous quirks, before slowly moving closer to Dominic. She kept a good few feet between them as she sat in her spot on the couch they usually shared.

Very slowly, so as not to scare her or set off the brothers in some way, Dominic rolled to his feet and took a step forward. He was as tall as her while she was sitting. He could hear Samantha holding her breath as he walked forward, her hands tightening on Penny. Doing his best to not look scary, he got right in front of his friend and sat down, then opened his bottom jaw so his tongue could flop out. For a moment they sat completely still, waiting for someone else to make the first move, when a tiny giggle made them all glance down.

Sitting in her mommy's lap, Penny reached forward and swatted at the dangling tongue before her. She thought it was great fun.

Finding her curiosity amusing, Dominic stuck his tongue right in front of her tiny face and licked her reaching hands. Penny squealed in delight before grasping his lips and holding on. Her curiosity even went as far as tasting his nose and biting down with her rubbery gums. Samantha laughed as her daughter continued to play with Dominic's wolf face. "You are such a silly girl."

While Dominic had tiny fingers pushing under his lips and pulling his nose, the door to Ben and Jarod's bedroom opened, revealing Misty. She froze when she saw Dominic at the mercy of the three month old, his lips contorted and tongue hanging out. Everyone watched to see how she would react.

"Well, I certainly did get an ill-mannered mate. Don't you think, brother?" She came into the room and sat next to Flint, curling her feet underneath her.

Flint laughed. "Maybe you should send him to the nursery? Let him learn some social skills."

Not liking the idea at all, Dominic pulled away from Penny so he could growl at the siblings. He hadn't meant to; it just came out. The moment Penny whined, however, he was back facing her so she could continue playing with his floppy lips.

Everyone watched the two play until Ben came out of the bath with Augustine. By that time Penny was ready to have her evening meal and lost interest in her new game. While Samantha tended to that, Misty helped Dominic begin his shift back onto two legs.

"I know this can be hard, but it is easier to transition your entire body in one smooth motion. Don't focus so much on shifting one section at a time; imagine it all happening at once in one smooth motion."

Dominic tried to do as she said, but it was hard to focus on retracting his muzzle while also making sure to his legs and arms turned back into his human ones at an even rate. When he thought about getting rid of his tail, he lost focus and his balance was thrown off. He ended up falling over again, which was amusing to all of his friends. They were all watching him try and turn back into a human. He was glad none of them had looks of disgust on their faces, though Ben and Jarod looked a bit uneasy. Of all the ways his family could have taken him becoming a werewolf, this was more than he could have hoped for. Once he finally got everything back to where it should be, he went to the bedroom to grab some clothes before joining everyone.

Now able to talk, Dominic asked Misty what it was Flint had told her in the hall. As he suspected, it had something to do with Lark so he had her tell everyone while they were gathered.

"Lark has been a problem for the Five Rivers Pack since he started shifting. He is aggressive and dominant in the way of him desiring control over those below him. He would have been dealt with a long time ago, but he is smart, all things considered. He was always just on this side of being legitimate or had made sure no one would come forward." The entire time Misty spoke, there was a slight undertone of disgust for the man. Dominic held no love for Lark either, but obviously her dislike for him was far greater. "With the attack on Augustine, a higher ranking member and the best of her year mates, there was finally enough proof of for mother to punish him."

"So, what now? Does he go on trial or something?" Jarod asked.

Misty nodded. "I suppose it would be something like your human legal system, albeit more straightforward and concise. I once watched one of your "legal dramas" and found the entire thing tedious."

"You have no idea." Dominic grumbled. He remembered his parent's own trial, and the months of talk and bouncing around waiting for a verdict. "What can we expect from this?"

"That depends. Usually, the Alpha Pair, along with a group of chosen Elders and Betas, will listen to those bringing forth a claim and deliberate amongst themselves of how to proceed. However, things have gone sour and more issues than just Augustine's attack have surfaced.

"There have been rumors for a few years now about higher ranking wolves imposing their dominance of Omega females and laying claims on them. My Mother has been trying to get someone to come forward but since they were Omegas, it was easy for the Betas and Thetas to scare them into keeping quiet. When the pack found out there was going to be a trial against Lark because of what had done to Augustine, those females began coming forward and sharing their own grievances against Lark and some other wolves. They feel empowered knowing that someone much stronger than them is going up against the male they fear."

"With something this big, my parents have decided the pack deserves a say in it as well, which will result in a public trial tonight. We will all hear who is being accused of what and by whom, then once the pack's piece has been heard my mother and father will give their final decision."

"Something like this hasn't happened since Mother and Father decided they were going to begin peace talks." Flint interjected. "I still get told stories about that night. It was a huge decision and the Alphas wanted to give their pack a say. This is a really big deal."

"We have an idea of what will happen tonight at the trial, but it will depend on how belligerent certain members of the pack will become." Misty said. "Lark's father, Gray, may dispute the charges and cause a stir. I'm not worried about it going too far, but there may be a fight or two."

Dominic didn't like the sound of that. "Do we have to go? It doesn't really have anything to do with us."

Misty glanced at Augustine. She was currently curled up in Ben's lap, wearing one of his sweat shirts and a borrowed pair of underwear from Samantha. "Augustine is Ben's mate. By proxy, it does have something to do with you, unless Ben does not go. In that case none of you... I mean us, would have to go." Pretending she wasn't stung by her word slip, she leaned over and grabbed the last of her pancake and bit into it. "These really are good, Ben. I like how you mush the banana into the batter before cooking it with the macadamia nuts. You should give Rose the recipe."

Ben blushed and grumbled a "Whatever." under his breath. Dominic smirked at his friend, who just glared darkly over Augustine's head. Ben hated it when people talked about his cooking. Most of the time it was like pulling teeth to get him to make anything. Whenever they had cooked while living on the street, he always delegated himself to boiling the noodles or opening the cans. He could have been great at cooking, but having a hyper-masculine father will put a damper on having any sort of "feminine" interest. Dominic was happy there were now others who would appreciate his talent.

For the next hour, they sat around and talked, sharing some easy stories and resting after the exciting afternoon. Augustine didn't contribute much and neither did Ben, but that wasn't strange. Newcomers made him feel uneasy. Jarod was also unusually quiet. He kept glancing at Samantha, frowning whenever the twins got closer to her or touched her in any way. Dominic couldn't place the scent coming off of his friend, but it was setting off Storm and Thunder. They were giving their own looks, clearly not pleased with the other male's interest.

Dinner offered a good distraction, but as soon as it was finished the tension ramped up again. Misty and the twins seemed to be vibrating with it. Something big was coming, and he wasn't quite sure his human family was very prepared for it.

"Augustine?" Misty had walked over to where Ben was still holding the woman. Augustine glanced up at her, but otherwise didn't move. "It is almost time. Have you decided?"

Looking back up to Ben, Augustine thought a moment longer before nodding and rising from his lap. "I'll go. I need to help end this."

Misty hugged her tightly before planting a kiss on her cheek. Augustine looked ready to cry by held it in as she said her good-byes to Ben. Thunder and Storm looked to be doing the same thing; they each kissed Samantha on the forehead, patted Penny's head as she slept, and as they escorted Augustine from the room gave one last glare to Jarod, who flinched away from their stares and huddled deeper into his chair. They ignored the warning growl that escaped from Dominic as they finally left the sitting room.

*

The walk to the field holding the cage was a strange one compared to past experiences. Instead of being on their own, Dominic and his family found themselves surrounded by the Five Rivers Pack. Most were somber as they walked, talking quietly and debating over what was going to happen at the trial. Dominic was able to pick on lots of little snippets of conversation, but he couldn't understand most of it. Most of the werewolves were using terminology he wasn't familiar with. What was clear to him was that there were two very distinct groups; the first wanted to see Lark have his ass handed to him, the other thought he should be given mercy.

The two sides became even more distinct as they made their way into the fire-lit clearing. Gray was standing off to the right side of the cage, his mate and son huddled behind him as he spoke with a group of men. On the other side of the cage, a much larger group of individuals were gather together, all of them either glaring at either the opposite group or Lark, who was still inside the cage. However, this time he was not alone.

Inside the silver enclosure were two other werewolves. Like Lark, the three wolves were massive beasts, snarling as they lunged at the walls of their prison. They were all covered in fresh burn marks as well as bite marks. Watching the three in the enclosure, it was clear they had given them to each other out of aggression and excess adrenalin.

Pearl had stayed behind in the Den to watch over Penny, as this was neither the time nor the place to bring a baby, so it was Misty who guided them to a farther corner of the clearing where there were a few fallen trees and cut up logs turned on end for make shift seats. The air was chilly around them, but lucky for the human in the group they had one of the fire pits that surrounded the clearing close to them for warmth. As they got situated, she began glancing around until she spotted her siblings gathered together farther off near the cage. "Dominic, I'll be right back. Stay here until I come back for you, okay?" Once Misty had his agreement, she motioned to Flint and they both ran off to catch up with their three other siblings.

As they waited off in their own area for the public trial to start, each individual of Dominic's family began taking in the setting. They all spoke quietly as they shared what they noticed, so as not to draw attention.

"This is nuts." Ben was standing close to Dominic, watching the creatures in the cage carefully, as well as Gray's group. "I don't like this. Everyone is gearing up for something and it's not just a deliberation. There's too much hostility and anticipation."

"Ben is right. I don't like this either, Dominic." Jarod agreed. His eyes were scanning the surrounding trees, spotting the flashes of light reflecting off of the fur of wolves. Dominic could actually make out their silhouettes as they trotted past if he concentrated.

Dominic agreed with both of them. His wolf was agitated for some reason watching the three wolves in the cages. Something was off about them. It felt as if they had no reason in them at all, only base instinct. He tried to shake off the nervous feeling but couldn't. "What do you think, Samantha?"

Samantha was sitting on one of the logs, sizing up everyone and everything in the clearing. "Whatever is about to go down isn't going to be good, I can tell you that, and it has become much bigger than just Lark. See the two guys over there?" She pointed off to the left side. Sure enough there were two more men sitting up against a tree, one with dark brown hair and freckles covering his nose and another with dirty blond hair and pale complexion. They both seemed young, considering their height, which probably meant they were newly turned. They looked beyond terrified as they sat crouched together and kept shifting around as if itching to run.

"They're being guarded." Jarod whispered. Dominic took a closer look at the men who stood around the tree and it became clear to him that the five or so men placed around them were in fact guards.

Samantha discreetly pointed to the cage. "And they are terrified of the brown wolf in the cage. Every time he makes a move they flinch."

"The brown wolf is Lark." Dominic interjected. "I don't know who the other two are though."

Rising from her seat, Samantha nudged her head to indicate for the others to come closer. Her voice was just loud enough for them to hear, though Dominic had an easier time because of his recent change. "Whatever it is, it's big and there are definite sides. The entire pack is pretty much against Lark and the others, except for that group over there." She motioned to Gray. "Those guys seem pretty pissed too, but not at Lark and the others. From what I could hear on the way here, they apparently don't think this trial should be happening at all.

"On the other hand, in the big group I can see what looks to be seven... make that eight family groups that look pretty enraged. If someone's going to pop off its going to either be one of them, or the leader over there who is against this whole thing."

Dominic nodded in agreement. "You're talking about Lark's father, Gray. He believes his son is in no position to be charged with anything since he cannot defend himself. Listen, I don't want anyone wandering off. Stay close and stay safe. We have no idea what could actually go to go down tonight." Dominic was under no illusions. Misty, Flint, and the Twins had all given them some information on what could happen tonight, but when you think of something as normal you don't always remember all the nuances of what could go wrong or right. There could be a million different ways this situation could go and Dominic and his friends were in no position to do anything other than stand by and hope nothing went too wrong.