One left to go. The four of them stumbled back towards the lodge, steaming tongues lolling from their mouths. His remained the only one not dripping blood from it. It was hard not to lash out, but there wasn't anything to be done. If Sanjay was willing to run afoul of Angela in order to make Chris look bad he was getting desperate. It was past dusk, moving into full darkness so the watching mentors must not have seen that Sanjay had waited until Chris had fallen in step while they ran and just so subtly jumped into his path. The older wolf was more solid and it sent Chris reeling, leaving the buck an opening. Since Sanjay knew this would happen it was easier enough to bring it back to center and let Angela take her shot to bring it down. He looked like the hero.

She'd managed but Angela was a precision hunter- a precision everything actually- and even as they moved he could see her tail remained bristled with tension. It had been too close. The door of the lodge was blazing with golden heat promising relief. As required they paused before the entrance and he sucked in a breath as Sheira made the announcement he'd listened to twice already. The candidates had returned victorious again. Angela's bren was rapid enough that it shined more brightly than the light spilling from the open door. The following vent burned the tip of his nose. Impressive especially after all the running they'd done. A human appearing Angela shook herself and accepted her cape as Sheira explained the deer skin would be tanned and added to lengthen it. Just as it had been for Matt and Sanjay. The deer itself was carried off to be frozen until tomorrow when all four would be prepared. Dependent on him catching his of course.

Chris felt weak standing in the entrance as he accepted his own much-less impressive cape again and looked urgently at Mariah to give him back the sweatpants he'd left at the door. Despite her sneer she handed them over. "I still think you should jump into first for your hunt."

"I'm not doing that. I've only done it a few times!"

"You just need to try harder. You did it when you attacked us the first time- and me last time. It was crazy fast. That will leave an impression on everyone. It would be awesome."

He stared at his mentor. It might be easy for her but switching forms in seconds took skill he didn't possess. He'd blacked out both times but couldn't admit to that level of malbren without repercussions. He remembered Henry's expression from the night Gabby arrived. "I got lucky. I could die if I tried."

"Worth it."

Chris glared at her. If this last hunt taught him anything it was to play it safe. He didn't need to be flashy at his hunt. He just needed to get the job done and try and avoid whatever plan Sanjay inevitably had to sabotage him. Mariah pressed a hand to his forehead and turned to leave. The crowd was dispersing to their own work, a few at least pausing to congratulate Angela until it was just a handful left.

"Well done! Angela, I don't think I've seen a better first clip location in years! Perfect for quick kill." Sheira was beaming at her appearing all the brighter with Scott behind, loaming like a shadow. Although even he had a small smile for Angela. She offered thanks and they reviewed the slight differences for tomorrow.

"Although there will be two dozen more of us here, only those that can complete a bren and run along side will be coming to watch. Since some of the other dens have the newest apprentices not all will be able to keep up. So don't get too nervous!" Right. Because having only having thirty instead of thirty-five will make a difference in anxiety. "And although I know its technically your turn Chris, if there is any mistake..." she cleared her throat glancing at him as if to say 'a second mistake' "whoever is able can take the deer. As long as it is successful."

He nodded blandly. She seemed to be under the impression giving him the last spot would give him more time to practice. Instead, it just sapped the little strength he'd regained. Even Matt was looking haggard. The group was dismissed and Angela turned on heel, expression furious. Did she think he'd actually tried to ruin her hunt? Apparently she did think he was that much of a tail that he'd do it on purpose. He had to explain. He needed to-

"What the hell was that, Chris?" Matt's bright eyes were narrowed. "You almost let it get back in the woods."

"That's not what happened at all."

"He tripped. This must all be too much for him."

"Tripped? Are you kidding? You nearly knocked me to the ground!"

"You fell into me! Lucky you're skinny or I would have fallen and not been able to take over for you." Sanjay laughed coldly. "Stop making up excuses! Matt- you better get your roommate a bar he looks like he is going to pass out."

"I'm fine."

"Sure. Better rest up for tomorrow then, if you tripped then well..." Sanjay smirked as he headed for the stairs.

"That's not- Matt you were behind you had to see-"

"It didn't look like he knocked you over, Chris." Matt was frowning. "Can you just admit when you mess up, for once? If you were feeling that tired you should have mentioned before and we could have changed spots."

"I-" he was suddenly unsure. Had he tripped and run into Sanjay? His head felt foggy from the second bren. "I was fine. He ran into me on purpose."

Matt rolled his eyes now. "Everyone isn't always out to get you, dude. He was right about one thing, you do look like you are going to pass out. You might want to sleep instead of playing games tonight."

That did sound nice. He did want to just sleep but also... "Santiago put a lot of work into this. I wouldn't want to miss it."

"Sure. It's him you are worried about."

He didn't respond to that. He was too out of breath trying to climb the stairs.

----

Chris probably would have made friends faster if he went in this room more often when he first arrived. 'The Pack House' so named by Santi reminded him of Connor's brother. They both had their separate gaming area and while Connor's was mostly video games and a few hold over toys from middle school he'd yet to toss, Blake was more into board games and cards and wands. Chris never really got it honestly. Santi apparently was similar despite his boasting about being a park ranger and a solid soccer star, as a human he must have been a bit of a geek. The majority of the younger apprentices had always hung out there. Even Angela seemed to enjoy poker. Or maybe she just liked taking away whatever Santi was betting. Chris couldn't quite bring himself to enter until a few months ago after Annie arrived. Santiago had different games he was trying out that might entertain both canineborne and sapienborne.

Santi had generously agreed to pick up all their 'to-go' meals Steph had been leaving out recently. Without Chris' usual level of help she'd been a little more touchy about how and when people were allowed in the kitchen. Even him. Maybe especially him since it was in part his fault she was so swamped. He still felt shaky after his shower as he and Matt joined the rest of the group. Thankfully Sanjay had decided again to opt out, something he'd done more often since Chris had started to join. Angela stopped talking with Annie when he walked in and shot him a dark look made little more sinister by the fact she was holding a large half-rib bone in her hand.

He was contemplating what to say to her when he noticed Gabby and Santi sharing one of the double couches. For some reason he couldn't fathom her legs were draped across his lap. Chris found himself feeling considerably more awake.

"Gabrielle, I take it you and Santiago are getting along well now?"

Gabby looked up at him, she had a finger in the other boy's face and seemed just to notice there was anyone else in the room. "Chris! Hey! How'd it go you look- err.... Want some of my quail?"

"I'm fine."

"Angie says you almost did a faceplant." Santi laughed. "I wish I could have seen it!"

"It's not funny and I didn't almost faceplant Sanjay..." he paused. Pushed me. He was shoulder to shoulder and leaned, he wasn't trying to go in front was he? "Got in my way."

Angela snorted.

"I would have told you if I wasn't feeling up to running." Chris argued. "I wouldn't ruin things for you on purpose."

"Not even to make yourself look better?"

He turned to face her. Annie put both her hands up and put them between the two. "Knock if off- I'm sure this is super duper stressful but its done now and it sounds like an accident and I want to play Santi's game he's been building it up ALL WEEK!"

It wasn't like Annie to raise her voice. Angela and Chris continued to frown but didn't make another move.

"Gees Annie, I'm so happy to find yet another nerd here!"

"I'm not a nerd, Gab." Santi huffed. "Even us masculine types can have more domestic hobbies. Shouldn't you be afraid of offending me? I should be scary to a human." He patted her foot.

Chris stared at them. Gab?

"You were thinking that I would be afraid of you for being a betern, forgetting that I've seen the real monsters face to face? You're not scary."

"Spies are hard to intimidate I guess."

"Explain the game." Matt had somehow managed to find a seat, his plate, and finish half of it.

"If you insist- 'scuse me there..." Santi lifted Gabby's legs and spun her so he could sit forward. She didn't seem the least bit concerned by it. Chris found his plate and lowered himself into the empty chair watching them, food untouched. It had only been a week. How-?

"So! Initially I was going to have us stay in the kitchen for this but Chef Steph notified me that if I asked her one more question I'd be unable to have any pups of my own SO I brought the supplies down here to the House. Have you ever played Chameleon before? It's a human game but I'm putting a spin on it since as we know, we hate humans. No offensive Gabby."

"None taken."

"The game goes like this, one of us will be a chameleon and the rest will need to guess who it is. Now I used to play this where the chameleon needed to try and lie their way out, but instead we are going to rely on our noses," he tapped his, "the forest critters will love that- we aren't going to try and focus on the lying just have a discussion about who it could be. At the end you all will be able to guess. You all should know what anxiety smells like, yes?"

The bored chorus of 'yes' was punctured by Gabby's chipper 'nope!'.

"You can use that and what they say to figure out who it is. So you really need to control your emotions to win."

"That's... actually pretty clever Santiago. I think our guests will like it." Angela's head was tilted. "Nice work."

"I uh... I- mean of course it is. I'm always clever, my dear."

"I'm not your dear."

"Then can I be your dear?"

Angela's expression cooled. "You did see what I did to a deer earlier, didn't you?"

"Sooooo-" Annie coughed although she looked on the verge of giggling as Angela crossed her arms. "How do we start?"

"How is Gabby going to play." Matt pointed at her. His plate was completely clean including bones. "Her nose is useless."

"Huh. Well..."

Gabby sat up straighter. "I didn't know I was allowed to play." She twirled her bracelet. "Can I borrow a proxy sniffer for that part?"

"Sure. You'll have to trust them." Santi winked. "But since I'm in charge of picking the chameleon it can't be me."

She gave him a thorough once over and sighed, then hopped up from her seat and pretended to examine each of them. To Chris' surprise even Angela gave her a quick smile when she walked past. In fact he was pretty sure he was the only one glaring when she approached.

"This one. He's grumpy. I need to cheer him up."

"Good choice." Santi agreed with a sigh. "But now I feel so alone."

"Fine." To everyone's surprise, but mostly Santi's, Angela joined him on the couch. She did not, of course, lay on him the way Gabby had.

Annie patted the seat beside her. "You can sit here"

"If you're playing together you need to sit next to each other."

Gabby glanced at Chris who gave her a cautious look. "I can sit on your lap."

He frowned and looked down at his plate and back up at her. "No."

"Great! It's settled!" Santiago whistled and had Matt and Chris swap seats with a wave. When he put his arm down, it was over the cushions behind Angela. She didn't try and break it.

"I think this was called 'detective' not chameleon." Matt pointed out.

Santi gave him a shocked look. "Incorrect. You're thinking of another game."

Chris was not surprised when this turned into an argument about what everyone was used to calling the game as humans. What was surprising was how comfortable they all suddenly were reliving caged memories. Even Angela didn't bother calling anyone out. Gabby had her chin on her knees, eyes watching the arguing players like a tennis match.

"Good to see you and Santiago are getting along well. I guess he was a good choice for a guard despite him being... him."

"He's great! I mean I don't believe half the stuff that comes out if his mouth but still I think I got lucky. I was a little worried Mariah is too busy and can't always be around to watch out for wannabe murders." Her smile wilted, a flicker of fear tightened her mouth but then she was back to smiling. "Everyone seems to like him so I think it's helping the others warm up to me. I think he likes me too."

How could she be friends with everybody when it had taken him so long to get them to tolerate him. Was she like this with everyone? He'd never imagined he'd feel so jealous of seeing just her legs on another person. But then again, she was like that, wasn't she? She'd described how she acted with her friends. They'd sit six to a three person couch. She'd told him how she'd give her best friend head rubs. He swallowed, not wanting to think about how good her fingers had felt when she'd done that for him. He was just jealous she got along with everyone so fast. That was all.

"I noticed that." He paused. "Does your leg still hurt?"

"Nope! Feels good as new."

"So he wasn't checking it or anything just now-"

She looked up at him, nose wrinkled in confusion when Santi whistled again that the game had started he instructed everyone to close their eyes. Santi made an enormous racket with every lap he did.

"Ok!"

Chris opened his eyes knowing he hadn't been picked and looked around suspiciously at everyone else. He caught Gabby's eye. She was squinting at him just as suspiciously. She pretended to stroke a beard thoughtfully making it progressively longer each time and raised her eyebrows. He failed not to smile.

Most of the accusations were amusing. Matt was surprisingly good at continuing his bored appearance, Annie giggled no matter what anyone asked her and Angela seemed flustered by any accusation but not out of guilt more of surprise. Gabby and Santi were impossible to figure out, both of them trying to out ridiculous each other when they answered questions.

Chris was fairly certain it was Santiago, not that he wasn't a good liar but even he seemed to be having trouble getting comfortable. Once it was time for the indelicately named 'sniff test' he was fairly certain he was the one. Everyone was instructed to shut their eyes again as each member was silently instructed by Santi to go around and check. The bren was easy. Now that he'd been back and forth multiple times a day, a little change was nothing on a full stomach. He could feel the vent from a packmate as they stood and circled. At one point he felt Gabby jump and then lean into him. He wondered if his other packmates could tell the difference between anxiety and plain fear yet. She was putting on a brave face but it wouldn't help now to try and hide it. He squeezed her arm in what he hoped was a reassuring way and was gratified a few seconds later when she relaxed her head against his shoulder.

Chris' turn. On Matt he smelled almost nothing, Santi as he guessed was very anxious but to his surprise so was Angela. Annie however seemed in a perfectly good mood. He didn't really need to check Gabby. Since she'd been leaning against him that was closer than he even got to anyone else. Still, Santiago was staring at him so he leaned in for a perfunctory check. He realized he must have leaned too close because she giggled.

"I know its you." She whispered. "So do you like how I smell?" her voice sounded like smoke. He knew she was teasing, playing a character, but her breath was hot against his neck. Suddenly he wasn't paying attention to what he was pretending to be checking for. Yes. I really do. He'd leaned closer without thinking. She blew in his ear. An electric shock went down the back of his spine and he staggered backward, heart kicking up. He straightened as much as he could, mortified to see Santi raising his eyebrows in amusement. Chris glared at him and returned to sitting next to her, trying to carefully avoid contact. The second he was back she pressed into him again and his toes curled into the carpet. Why. Why was this happening now.

Everyone but he and Gabby guessed Chris. They were of course, wrong. It was Angela after all.

The second and third round went well although Annie toward the end leaned over to ask him if he was worried about the hunt. He decided to answer yes. If Gabby continued to be enthusiastic about the game as ever, joking with Santi and Annie, even drawing Angela into a more serious discussion about just what the different kinds of stress scents could smell like.

"Chris." Her hand was on his leg.

"What?"

"Don't be grumpy." She frowned but the expression softened. "You seem exhausted."

"Tired already?" Santiago asked only to yawn a second later. "Yo-oo suck. Ah. Well maybe it is late."

Annie clapped her hands, back in her element. "Clean up, clean up time lets do it!"

They helped gather the plates and cups and return the furniture to its previous locations.

"That really was a good game." Matt noted. "I think the scenting part will be easy for the CB pack but the facial expression part will throw them."

Santi bowed in response and brushed his mouth. "Thank you, thank you. Mean's a lot coming from a Candidate."

"I agree with him. Thanks for the fun." Angela paused next to him. To his, and everyone's shock, she leaned over an gave Santiago a quick lick on the cheek. Her eyebrows raised and touched her tongue. "You need to shave."

Santiago seemed too stunned to respond as everyone filtered out of the room around him. Chris had never seen him at a loss for words.

"Since my escort has turned into a statue, would you mind walking me back towards my room?"

"Well the plates..."

"I can take more!" Annie offered. "It's better she's safe and I've been working on my muscle!" she flexed and the snatched them before he could argue. "Plus you look dead on your feet."

He gave her a grateful look. He really was. A detour to Mariah's room was much faster than finishing dishes but Gabby...

"She is soooo sweet." Gabby took his arm and sighed. "It's so weird she could kill me if she wanted."

He frowned, remembering himself and felt a new guilt immediately. She was still scared. "I doubt anyone in this group is considering killing you. I said it would take you months to win them over, it took you days. At this rate you'll be leaving me in a few weeks."

"Pfff these are just all your friends though." She frowned. "Not like that Louise."

He'd been wondering when she was finally going to say it. The fight that had occurred had left Sanjay's mentor in chains for two days. It only made since Gabby felt so anxious to get on everyone's good side. "She doesn't like any of us though. If you stick around Mariah or me she'd hate you even if you weren't human. You probably shouldn't hang out with us."

She squeezed his arm. "Well that isn't happening. Right?" As he looked over to agree her hand came up to mess his hair again. He dodged and pulled away from her completely. She slowly lowered her arm. "Are... are you not planning on sticking with me then?"

He immediately wished he hadn't done it. She looked so terrified and pale. "No- no not that. I just... can you not do that with my hair?"

Her colored returned slightly and she swallowed. "Pfff I'm not ruining your hairdo!"

"I don't like it. It makes me feel like I'm a kid. You know I'm not a little kid, right Gabby?" Shut up. This doesn't matter right now.

She looked him up and down. "You're taller than me."

"That's not what I mean, Gabrielle." She looked confused. He was confused. He didn't like that he was having trouble controlling where his eyes were going. Since she arrived here nothing seemed real. He'd been in awe of her existence. When they'd first met two years ago he'd been aware she was funny and pretty but he'd been so sick it hadn't really even been an issue he'd considered. He'd thought she was gone for so long last week he'd felt like he needed to pay attention to every piece of her to make sure she didn't fade but he hadn't expected to feel so overwhelmed by wanting to be closer to her. Now though... now though he was still not human. He looked down at the bracelet on her left hand and immediately wished he hadn't when he remembered where she'd been sitting when she threatened him with it. But that was the proof. Defense against things like him. So why did he even care if she ruffled his hair like one of her little brother's friends or put her legs on Santiago?

"Ok. Ok I won't touch your hair anymore."

"No!" He blurted and she stared.

"No?"

"I just don't like the... you know..." he shook his hand to convey the motion. "Makes me feel like a dog."

"Oh. Oooooh. So it's like an insult." She put her hand over her mouth and batted her eyelashes. "Oops."

He felt like he was tipping towards her and dug his fingers nails into the banister. He shouldn't be thinking about the way her breath felt against his ear or how soft her hair looked falling in her face. What was wrong with him. He felt the wood tearing and realized his nails were probably becoming closer to claws.

"Chris, I'm serious are you ok? Your eyes are doing some kinda lightening thing right now which is super cool to watch but does it meant you are going to pass out or something I'm a little worried that-"

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Just got a little lightheaded." He was far from fine but back in control at least. She made him promise six more times before agreeing to let him walk her the rest of the way. At her door she started to thank him, paused and then ran her fingers over his cheek. She grinned. "I remembered! Yus I'm freaking killing this. Good night I hope you feel better."

He stared at the door, silently thankful she hadn't messed up this time. If she touched his lips at this moment he wasn't sure he'd have gotten control back so easily.

**************

Apology is this is incoherent I'll try and edit it a bit more after the story is done but miss 'rona finally got me and my head is fluff and slugs.

If there is anything confusing enough it ruins the chapter let me know!

Thanks for reading

-Andi