Bonfire
Oddly, I slept better than I had since coming here. Most likely the exhaustion, I thought, yawning as I silenced my shrill alarm. I popped downstairs to find my kids well rested and happily fed, which... felt startlingly good. I didn't have to do basically anything, for once.
The boys were sitting on their phones, scrolling away, and Lucy, hair sticking out in every direction, was blinking blearily as she shoveled the remainder of her mac and cheese in her mouth.
"She just got up," Rudy chuckled, glancing up as I walked in. "Slept on the couch for a bit. Scared me half to death, though."
"She did the Frankenstein's monster thing," Dylan explained from the couch.
"Sat bolt upright and asked for food like a zombie," Collin added.
"Well, I'm glad we're all up and ready to go," I said, clapping my hands together nervously. I looked to Rudy. "I've been told we're dragging you with us, old man."
Rudy made a face. "You don't want me around. I'm a Fed; half the wolves here will get all antsy if I show up."
"Alpha's orders," I said, holding up my hands. "He said to bring you."
Rudy rolled his eyes, pushing up. "You don't seem like the type to just fold, but... if you insist."
Good, I thought, feeling a little relieved. If he's going to public functions, maybe I'm overreacting about him.
"We're still going?" Collin looked up, eyes wide. His face was still that half-way mix between human and canine, and I could see the fear and uncertainty reflected back at me.
"Yeah," I said, my own nerves probably betraying me. "It's good to go. Better to get it over with, than prolong the inevitable."
"Jeeze, Mom," Dylan complained, "try not to get too pumped about it."
"I'm ready," Lucy intoned, staring into space and blinking, one eye at a time.
"Let me brush your hair, and then we'll head out. New jackets, please," I added, pointing at each of them. "And the gloves. These things tend to go a little late, and it's going to start getting chilly. You, too," I said, pointing at Rudy, who just laughed.
----
It didn't take as long as I'd hoped it would. The prophesied time was fast approaching; we all piled into my old, beat up jalopy, and then I started driving.
It felt strange to actually know where we were going, but the cobwebs at the back of my mind brushed away a little too easily this time, and I easily found the twisting turns that led deeper into the woods.
"Where the heck are we going?" Dylan asked nervously.
"Pack territory," I commented.
The roads were well-traveled, but there were no buildings out this way. Just houses, all far apart, which was something we weren't used to seeing.
"Out here," I said, glancing in the side view mirror, "there's still quite a bit of land. Houses go for a while through these woods, all spaced apart pretty sporadically. Most of these plots belong to the Pack."
"Whoa," Lucy said, nose smushed up against the window. "It's so pretty."
On either side, it was long, deep woodlands that stretched away into the mountains; some trees here had long begun their journey into the gorgeous colors of fall. They dotted the landscape like fiery torches.
The kids sighed with relief as I pulled into a parking lot, attached to what looked like a large park. Trees filled the area, and there were low buildings here and there, mostly for events, with a large, wood cabin set up toward the far back like a beacon; lights flooded the place, and, as was indicated by the name, there was a massive bonfire already roaring at the heart of it all.
"It's already packed," Dylan said, eyes wide as I searched for a spot.
"The Bonfire is a big deal out here," I explained. "On top of that, the Black Lake Pack is the biggest pack in the area. Anyone with ties to the pack have always been welcome to attend, so you get this nice mix of humans and werewolves in attendance."
"What about the other packs?" Collin asked.
"I don't know much about them," I admitted. "We went to school on Black Lake territory, and to keep the peace, the three territories are divided up."
"The town's not even that big," Dylan said, surprised. "How does that work?"
"Invisible property lines," Rudy offered. He waited as we all clambered out of the car before continuing. "There are three schools, though admittedly, attendance isn't very high across them all. It's better this way, though."
"How can there be multiple packs, if that's such a big problem?" Collin asked, frowning in frustration.
"Ideally, you wouldn't," Rudy admitted. "It's not a perfect setup. Pack territories should each encompass their own town, their own charter, and their own allotted people. Unfortunately, the political situation being what it is right now, werewolves wind up getting herded all together into one place, regardless of pack status."
Collin's expression darkened. "That doesn't seem fair."
"No," I said. "So, we make do. The other two packs have their own school districts, and there are pretty obvious territory markers. As far as I understand, you'll know when you come across someone who isn't in your pack. Once you, you know... get a pack."
"Does Collin get his own pack?" Lucy asked, eyes widening.
"Collin can choose a pack to join," I explained. "If he wants to."
"So I don't have to?" Collin seemed to brighten at that, but I quickly popped that bubble.
"It's far better to join a pack," I warned. "Without pack protection, you're alone. Lone wolves don't do so well in this world."
Collin deflated.
"I'm going to give you guys a heads up," I added, getting their attention. "This is a full moon Bonfire. When the moon hits its zenith- that's basically the highest point directly above us- most of the folks in the field are going to shift."
Lucy squealed, stamping her feet, eyes widening. "Seriously? We're going to see people actually turn into wolves?"
"Werewolves," I corrected, smiling slightly. "Not everyone, but the compulsion to shift will be pretty strong, so I hear."
Collin swallowed. "For me, too?"
I hesitated, and then looked at Rudy, who shook his head, also looking uncertain.
"I don't know," he said. "I haven't had a chance to ask many teenaged werewolves what they feel on a full moon."
"Great," Collin muttered, looking anxious.
"Hey! What are you guys doing, just hanging around your car?!"
I looked up to see Ivy jogging toward us, a big grin on her face. She'd left behind the Sheriff's getup, and her hair had been stylishly fluffed out; she wore a thick, furry jacket, a pair of jeans, and her best boots. She had a full face of makeup, too, reminding me that I hadn't had a chance to replace mine since Lucy had flushed it all down the toilet last summer.
"Hey, Sheriff," Rudy said, nodding to her as she approached. "Everything looks pretty good around here."
She waved him off. "The day Aegis gets married is the day I'll be able to properly celebrate. I'm getting sick of Jade roping me into setup and cleanup," she added, making a face.
"There are a lot of people here," I said, looking toward the field nervously. "I feel like I don't recognize anyone, though."
"You'll see," Ivy said, excitedly taking my arm. "Come on, all of you. There's food, there's all sorts of soda, the bonfire is roaring, and there's music!"
"Great," Collin muttered.
"Awesome!" Lucy squealed, grabbing my hand and swinging it.
We stepped out onto the field, and I tried hard not to feel like people were starting to look in my direction. Don't be ridiculous, I chastised myself, feeling like the trees were closing in around me. The world doesn't revolve around you, Sylvia. Get over yourself.
"Oh, look!" Dylan pointed to one end of the field, and I followed his finger to see that he was pointing toward a large collection of kids, mostly teens and preteens.
"Oh, that's... so great," Collin said weakly.
"You can go, if you want," I said, trying to encourage them.
Collin looked like he was going to immediately decline, but Dylan- always eager to make friends- took off, dragging his brother behind him. Collin shot me a terrified look, but he also didn't stop Dylan, so I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do.
"Give them a chance," Rudy said, as if reading my mind. "Let them try on their own, and if we're needed, we can step in."
"Exactly," Ivy said, nodding.
"Is there anything you want to see, Lu?" I asked, glancing down at her to try to hide my nerves.
"The fire," she said, hopping from foot to foot. "I wanna see how big it is! It looks huuuuuge!"
"It is," Ivy said. "Just wait till you get closer."
"I might grab a quick bite to eat," Rudy said, pointing to a series of long tables all set up and filled to bursting. "You want something, Sylvia?"
"I'm all right for now, thanks," I said. My stomach was in knots; I didn't have the heart to eat right then.
Thankfully, Rudy didn't fight me on my answer, and he turned and slipped into the crowds...
Which left me with Ivy. Lucy was there, too, of course, but now it was just Ivy and I, walking across the field toward a bonfire that suddenly felt too far away.
"So," Ivy said, sounding a little stiff after several seconds passed. "Is, uh... Werewolf Hollow how you remember it?"
"Mostly," I said, equally stiff. Try harder, I thought to myself. "You and Jade seem a lot closer these days."
Ivy paused. "After you, uh... left," she said, delicately choosing her words, "I didn't have a whole lot of... you know."
Friends, I thought, my heart sinking. "Yeah."
"Jade left for college, and things got really rough around here for a bit. A lot of people left... but everyone has a way of coming back, eventually." She looked off toward the fire. "You, included."
"Yeah, I... guess so."
"Anyway, Jade dropped out, came back home, and she helped me pick up the pieces. She was like a big sister, swooping in to clean up all my messes," Ivy added, snorting. "It was weird, considering how mousy she used to be."
"I bet," I said. "I'm... sorry I wasn't there."
"Only you know what you were going through," Ivy said quietly. "I can't judge you for that."
"Hey!"
We looked up, and I was equal parts relieved and terrified to see that we'd reached the bonfire. This was the very heart of the entire event, and as such, there were a ton of people.
Jade was the one who had seen us, smiling widely as she waved us over. Lucy let go of my hand to run over to her, and Jade laughed, ruffling her hair.
"Hey," I said, when we'd gotten closer. "Did you seriously set all of this up yourself?"
"I had some help," Jade said, smiling. "I do my best."
"She's being modest." This was Aegis; he'd appeared out of thin air to stand beside Jade, grinning at us. He gave me a surprisingly warm grin, for him. "I'm glad you're here."
"Can't miss when everyone's given such sound advice," I said dryly.
"Good. Also, I like that." He reached over and rubbed the corner of my new jacket between his fingers, which brought his hand close to my cheek. I felt my neck immediately flush hot, which was mortifying. His amber eyes locked with mine. "It looks good on you."
"Ah," I said, my brain stuttering to a stop. "You- thanks."
He dropped his hand. "Where are the twins?"
"They're over there," I said, pointing toward the group of teens all milling around and chatting, relieved that Aegis hadn't seemed to notice my internal panic. From where we were, we could see Dylan talking animatedly to someone, with Collin standing just behind him.
"Well, they're trying," Ivy offered, hopeful.
"Used to be that Collin was just as outgoing as his brother," I said, chewing the inside of my cheek. "I'm not used to seeing him act like this."
"He'll be all right," Aegis said. "This is a scary thing he's going through- but he can't rely on you to fight his battles forever."
"Says you," I muttered, and he snorted.
"Is that Sylvia Lake?!"
I looked up, half terrified, but the feeling died down immediately. If a werewolf could specifically shift into the were-version of a golden retriever, this man would be the werewolf to do it, and I recognized him instantly.
A solid wall of muscle barreled toward us, grinning so wide his face nearly split in two. He had olive skin, and was even more thickly built than Aegis, standing a foot taller than his Alpha.
This was Aegis's Beta, and there was no mistaking it: Paul Mendez.
Before I could greet him, however, he scooped me up in a massive hug, nearly crushed me in half, and lifted me full off the ground like I was a twig.
"Look at you!" He laughed, filled with pure energy. "Man, it's good to see you!"
"Put- me- down," I wheezed, and he laughed brightly, dropping me with surprising gentleness. Ivy caught me as I staggered slightly, and Lucy stepped forward, bristling like a tiny cat.
"You can't squeeze my mom like that," she scolded, wagging a finger at Paul, who was practically thirty times his size. "You could break her!"
Paul was delighted. "You gotta be one of the kids!" He knelt down, trying (and failing) to get on her level. If he'd had a tail, it'd have been wagging a mile a minute. "Wow, you look just like your mom! And you got her spirit! Did she ever talk about us?"
"Not you," Lucy sniffed, obviously still not forgiving him for nearly crushing me. "She's said some stuff about him, though."
I watched her point at Aegis, who was watching us quietly. His eyebrows shot up, and I felt my entire stomach drop through the ground.
"Wait-" I wheezed, foreboding flooding my gut.
"What'd she say?" Paul asked, as clueless as eve.
"She called him 'drop dead gorgeous'," Lucy said promptly. "But I dunno what that means."