I glanced back in amusement as I ran under a jungle gym without ducking while Will had to detour around it. I wasn't entirely sure he could wiggle his way into the middle of this piece of playground equipment in his wolf form if he tried. He was simply too large for something designed for kids. I may have been running at a good clip, but he was only doing a fast trot to keep up. I slowed down as we neared the trees, and Will took the lead.

I followed him up and down various trails as I studied the forest around us. He was doing a fast walk while I trotted along beside him. We entered a small meadow, and I perked my ears at a bush on the other side, although I wasn't worried since I could both scent and sense the approaching sentry. With a rustle, a grey dappled wolf emerged. Will wasn't surprised to see him and went forward to greet him.

I was unable to hear what they were saying since they were in wolf form. Neither of them were paying attention to me, probably discussing something important from their intense gazes as they looked at each other. After a couple of minutes, I felt kind of awkward and decided to get a drink from a small creek off to the side. The water was clear, cool, and refreshing. I started to walk back to Will and the sentry. Out of habit, I rubbed my side along a shrub growing along the bank.

I could sense another pack member approaching. It was likely a sentry who had just gotten off shift and was also coming to speak with these two. I paused to face the direction he was coming from. A brown wolf came out of the bushes and paused as he caught sight of me. His ears pinned back as he snarled at me. I froze, stunned at his unexpected reaction. He hadn't been quiet in his approach, surely he knew that all three of us had heard him coming? It wasn't as if I had been trying to hide.

Neither of us had time to do anything before a thundering snarl sounded off to the side and a charcoal grey wolf charged forward to slide into a protective stance in front of me. It was the sentry's turn to freeze in fright.

My previously laid back and cuddly mate had just turned into an enraged beast that was crouched as if to pounce. His back legs were just in front of me, and his loud snarls practically made the air vibrate in their intensity. His hackles were standing straight up, making him look twice as big.

As an Enforcer, he was normally a force to be reckoned with. The fact that he was protecting his mate only added to his power. Considering that he was focused on a member of the pack, this was a bad situation. I took a few careful steps forward, until my fur brushed against his back leg. I leaned against his leg, hoping that the contact could calm him down, or at the very least, make him reluctant to pull away in order to attack the brown wolf.

Will’s stance shifted slightly into a more defensive position instead of an offensive one. I could sense he was reluctant to charge forward and leave me exposed in the middle of the clearing, although I could feel anger and protective feelings rolling off of him.

The brown wolf saw the change and bolted back the way he came. I leaned harder against Will's leg; if he left, I would end up rolling in the dirt. I sighed in relief when Will didn't take off after him. The first sentry also slightly relaxed as the tension eased, although he didn't move from where he had been standing previously.

I studied Will's tense form; I didn't think he would leave me here to go chasing after a wolf in the forest, but I really needed to distract him better. I leaned over to gently nip the top of his one toe. Will turned his head to look at me incredulously, as if he couldn't believe that I had actually dared to chew on an Enforcer's toes.

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His hackles were slowly flattening now that the immediate danger was over. I yipped lightly at him as I trotted forward and stretched my neck up. He lowered his head, and we gently bumped noses. Having sparks originate from my nose was a bizarre sensation, and I sneezed as a reaction before plopping my rear end on the ground. I perked my ears and tilted my head innocently, gazing up at him with a puppy-like expression.

Will heaved a huge sigh as he relaxed more, his control no longer strained. His tense stance faded as he turned so he could more easily face me. I was somewhat surprised when he shifted. He scooped me up and buried his face in my fur. I slowly felt the last of the tension leave him as he used my scent to calm himself down.

I reached up to give his neck and the side of his chin a few small licks as reassurance. He lifted his head so he could look at me. "Sorry about that, I kind of lost it when he snarled at you. To think I once thought that other males overreacted when it came to their mate’s safety... I wasn't aware that the drive to protect one's mate was so intense, it is much stronger than anything I have ever felt, even as an Enforcer."

I looked up at him and perked my ears attentively, I kind of wished we could mindlink each other, but that wasn't possible at this moment. I would either have to be part of his pack to access the pack link or be fully mated to him to use the mate bond.

He gazed at my face, as if committing it to memory. "I did apologize to him via the mindlink so he knows that he can stop running. He says he is sorry for snarling at you."

I wagged my tail, although the way I was held, it beat rapidly between his arm and his chest. He chuckled at me. "If you are trying to be cute and distracting, it is working."

I wolf-grinned in triumph, that hadn't been quite what I was aiming for, but if it worked, who was I to complain? The sentry off to the side spoke up, having shifted to human at some point, "The Luna made a formal announcement that a grey runt will be joining our pack, so we shouldn't have any more misunderstandings. She didn't mention that Will happens to be your newfound mate because she is hoping that you two can enjoy some time alone before being inundated with well-wishers."

I yipped a thank you at him, and he nodded in response. Will looked down at me. "How about we finish our run and do a quick tour of the town?"

I nodded happily, and he set me down before shifting. He took the lead once more as he guided me down more trails. I tried to commit them to memory. A wolf pack often had more trails close to their pack house than any rabbit warren. I was pretty sure that I would have the ones close to the pack house memorized within the week.

~

I sniffed the air a bit more deeply and slowed. Will noticed my change of speed and also slowed, alternating between looking at me and the surrounding forest. I sniffed a few more times and followed my nose as I tracked the familiar scent. I circled and sniffed the ground carefully as Will watched me in confusion. It took me a few moments to locate it, then I started digging at the base of a tree. As I got deeper, the smell got stronger, and I went more carefully. Will padded closer to watch what I was doing, still confused and perplexed.

Less than a minute later, I had dug a ring down with a black jewel in the middle. I carefully undermined the valuable object until it gently rolled off of its pedestal. I shifted and was kneeling in human form. I carefully picked up the baseball-sized object and turned with a grin to show Will, who was still watching in his massive wolf shape.

I explained, "Black truffle. If the pack has a chef around, he or she will be absolutely thrilled. Whenever I brought one in to trade with a pack, the pack members practically broke into fights over who got it."

Will looked at the lumpy black object dubiously. I grinned at his expression and dug around in my backpack for a collapsible box I carried just for delicate treasures like these. I quickly put the box together and put the truffle inside before returning the box to my backpack.

I shifted back to my wolf form. My backpack and all of its contents disappeared and could not be harmed or bounced until I shifted back to my human form.

Will shook his head in disbelief as we continued down the trail.