Faust

The training grounds are a vast network of obstacle courses meant to challenge the body of both human and wolf forms. There are even swimming courses in the nearby lake as well as three different running courses. Flat ground, forest, and mountainside. These are run seasonal as running through a lush forest is completely different from running up the side of a snowy mountain in the winter.

I was raised on courses like this. Trained in hand to hand combat as well as animal. I could take down a full grown mountain lion by the time I was thirteen. None of the youngsters brought in would survive an encounter as they are now. The Grotto Falls wolves would have a chance if they have numbers on their side, but the whole point of this training is to make sure they can handle themselves alone. If they can do that, then protecting their packmates shouldn't be a problem. Then the team building exercises start.

I'm here looking for two wolves in specific. Markus Lavernus and Kalista Shail. Two of those I'd last seen Wynter with before I'd left. Near opposite sides of the spectrum; Markus is his Pack's up-in-coming Alpha while Kalista is Grotto Falls' Omega's daughter. I've met Markus before, he was with his father when I'd spoken with him about moving out here.

I didn't think too much about him until I watched him stand in front of Wynter that day. Moving his body in front of hers as if shielding her. From me. While amusing at the time, I've had the time to think of the 'why' he would have done it. Watching how they interacted at the school, I know she's fond of him as a friend, but I've caught how his eyes linger on her.

While it shouldn't have bothered me at all, I'd found it did, so I kept his father busy which in turn kept him out of the way. I thought it'd work in Wynter's favor for a time as well, since jealous females who wanted Markus were always going after her due to his showing favor towards her, but I'm not sure it worked completely. He also had to have heard of all the rumors going around about her, then me showing up before I was to leave... I suppose that could be slightly threatening, but did he really think he could protect her from me?

My pondering gets interrupted by the sound of footsteps. I'm inside one of the outlying buildings near the barracks, more or less a gathering hall for when there's downtime. Three sets, they're all heading my way while others further away are milling around. Leaning my rump on the desk behind me, I cross my arms and wait for the trainer and the others. It doesn't take long.

The trainer is a member of Midnight Fang, a male of one of the royal families brought in specifically to train youngsters in survival. Giving him a nod, he dips his head in return before heading back the way he came, leaving the two he brought with him at the door. Markus comes in first, his expression going deadpan as soon as he sees me, while Kalista's nervous glancing around abruptly falls as soon as she lays eyes on me.

"You can relax, I'm not going to harm you."

It would be amusing if it weren't for the reason I'm here in the first place. I need answers, and while sure, there are multiple ways of going about it, I'm not known to be overly cruel. The look on the boy's face though would nearly say otherwise. His eyes have yet to drop and the anger coiling in their depths is palpable.

"Why did you call for us?"

Kalista sucks in her breath sharply at him upon hearing his tone and it causes him to grimace, but he stands his ground. She, meanwhile, darts her eyes up while her hands fidget in front of her. It's uncommon to see a female werewolf with half their head shaved like she has hers, but she wears it well. A long, dark brown braid is held over her shoulder while the shaved side of her head is adorned with a simple design, which helps draw the eye to her pale green eyes.

"Are you here about Wynter?"

Her hopeful tone is matched by her expectant and eager gaze. The urge to smile is there but I quell it so it doesn't send the wrong message. At her question, Markus stiffens beside her, his six foot four stature dwarfing her five foot six. Just from watching their interactions from afar, I know they treat each other much like siblings would, which amazes me considering I just came from a family who could barely tolerate one of their own.

"I am, yes. I wanted to ask you both some questions."

Kalista nods, her eyes brightening while emotions flash over her face in rapid succession.

"She's not feral, sir. I don't care what the others or her family say. Markus and I both knew her well. It was Mythine that started that shit after Wynter stood up to her. ...oops..."

Kalista slaps her hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide. My brows rise while Markus rubs at the space between his eyes, then speaks up himself.

"You know very well she wasn't feral. You saw her before you left. She went missing the next day, though her family won't admit what happened to her. At first they tried saying she was home sick, but no one was buying it. After Leilan and I came here, that's when it got spread around that she ran."

Markus' honey brown eyes glint in repressed emotion, though the muscles in his body flex as he works at calming himself. Kalista nods next to him, her lips pinched shut before she fairly bursts with her own explanations.

"When I got here with my family I talked to him about everything and we'd talked about going to Alpha Messina who'd talked to Wynter before, but things got so hectic that we haven't gotten the chance. We've been kept so busy with everything that by the time we're done with training we're so exhausted we pass out."

She looks so guilty that the male next to her pats her shoulder before speaking up again himself, directing his eyes to me.

"There was a split in Mythine's ranks. A group of hers split off before we even moved here. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with what happened. Everytime I get close to any of those males they either take off or give me the cold shoulder. Considering they were practically eating out of Myth's hand a week before Wynter went missing probably means something."

Kalista keeps wringing her hands and looking nervous, and when seeing I'm watching her, her eyes drop immediately.

"Kalista? If you know anything, please tell me. I want to find her but I need to know everything if we're to do this properly."

Her hopeful eyes shoot up to mine as soon as I mention finding her, but it only lasts a second before she becomes nervous again. Even Markus is looking at her with furrowed brows.

"Kal? Do you know something?"

She looks at him and I can see the moisture fill her eyes before she blinks it away.

"I-I don't know. A few days after Wynter went missing... I think it was the day just before we left, I'd noticed that Marie didn't seem as worried about Wynter as she had been before..."

"Marie? That's the human girl you were all friends with, correct?"

She nods and I berate myself silently. Since I don't have too many personal dealings with humans, I have a habit of discounting them. The home she was at on her birthday belonged to the human girl's parents. The store she worked at was with the grandmother.

"Yes, Marie Donalds. The couple days before I'd left she didn't say much but then I finally came out and asked her if she knew anything. She wouldn't answer at first, then before I left she told me that Wynter was safe. At first I was happy, but then I found it weird that she worded it that way. Not that she was 'fine' or 'okay' but used the word 'safe'."

The girl bites her lip and looks at me, her eyes near luminous with unshed tears. My lips press together as I think of the implications that could mean. Markus as well doesn't look thrilled at all as the muscles in his jaw dance to the tune of his clenching teeth.

"Why didn't you tell me this, Kal?"

She looks over to him, her face falling with guilt but the hard core of steel can be seen shining in her gaze.

"Marie made me promise not to tell anyone. If it was dependent on keeping Wynter safe, by her family not finding out, then I couldn't."

Looking over to me, her features become determined.

"Her family, her whole Pack, treats her like dirt. She doesn't blame them - she accepts her place. She wouldn't turn feral, but she was defending herself. Mythine hated that she started sticking up for herself. Wynter gave her family everything yet Myth was never happy. She wanted you."

I just blink at the girl. I know what Myth wanted. Hell, even a blind person could tell what Myth wanted. Nodding anyway to make her happy, especially since she seems to be waiting for some kind of acknowledgment, I shift my weight on my perch.

"Just who are the people in this splinter group?"

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✰ \(‾▿‾\) 𝔇𝔬𝔫'𝔱 𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔤𝔢𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔳𝔬𝔱𝔢 (/‾▿‾)/ ✰