*Two days after the events of the previous chapter*

*5/18/90*

Half of the group was yawning as they walked to meet Coraline and Ellora. Garrett was dragging his feet, leaning on Jade for support.

"Ugh," Rose groaned. "We've barely slept in days. Why'd we have to get up early for this? They won't even be there till noon."

"Because it's not fair that we keep using prey that Ellora's hunted down," Hunter explained. "If we leave early, we can catch some stuff of our own."

"Very considerate," Brianna said as she walked over. "Though, I hope people don't get too suspicious of how long we're staying out. The amount of food we bring back doesn't exactly measure up with how long we're gone."

"As long as they chalk it up to bad hunting on our part," Garrett murmured. "I doubt anyone will guess the truth.”

Mason sniffed the air, turning toward Rose. "Something smells good! Did you make us snacks?"

“Smells like cookies,” Jade said, eying the bag alongside Mason.

"No, these are for Coraline," Rose said, putting a protective hand over her bag. It crinkled a little with the paper wrappings surrounding the cookies she and Brianna baked the previous night.

"I made pancakes last night, Jade. Haven't you had enough sweets?" Garrett asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Nope!" Jade chirped, popping the p at the end. "Never."

“Well, what is Mason’s excuse?” Rose questioned.

“He’s a bottomless pit,” Brianna said with a small smirk when looking at the ginger boy’s shameless face.

“Yup. Sounds about accurate,” Mason agreed.

The group left quickly. Garrett noted the rabbit and deer trails. For the next few hours, the only focus was on hunting. As a result, they were quite tired and sweaty by the time they got to the wastelands, which had become their new meeting place due to Scar's three refugees taking up residence there. When they arrived, they saw that the werewolves had already created makeshift shelters.

"Hey, guys,” Hunter hesitated before reaching into his game bag, unsure if offering food to these werewolves would be seen as an insult. After a moment's deliberation, he decided to take the risk. "We have some extra rabbits from hunting this morning. Want any?"

Flint and Summer perked up, and Steven practically started drooling. Hunter immediately tossed two freshly killed rabbits to them. He kept his eyes politely averted so that he wouldn't be looking directly at their naked forms.

Steven stared hungrily at the rabbits as Flint and Summer ate. When Hunter started to take out another, he shook his head. "It's fine. They're betas, so they get to eat first. I’ll get my share when they're done."

"We'll leave enough, don't worry," Summer added before taking another bite. Blood dripped from her sharp teeth and down her front.

Rose was very pointedly looking away, trying not to grimace too. “That is disgusting! Is this how Coraline eats now? I hope she has the sense to cook hers first.” Since she was looking toward the woods, she was the first to spot Ellora and Coraline. The latter broke into a run, eagerly jumping into her arms.

"Hi, sis! I'm so sorry I wasn't here last time. Ember wanted to show me a bunch of stuff because I'm an alpha, and it's so annoying,” she sniffed. "Why do I smell cookies?"

"What, no hello for me?" Hunter asked, putting a hand on his armored chest. "I'm hurt. My feelings are wounded."

"Oh, stop it,” Coraline zipped over to her brother, hugging him tightly. "Hi, Hunter!"

Hunter waved to Ellora. "Hey, Ellora."

Ellora smiled brightly. "Hello, Hunter. It's nice to see you again."

Brianna jumped between Hunter and Ellora, eyeing the emerald-eyed werewolf with journal in hand. “I’m Brianna. We never got a real chance to speak to each other. Mind if I ask you a few questions?”

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“Um… okay?”

“Is it true that on moonless nights, werewolves can’t transform?” What is your favorite kind of meat? Do werewolves age the same as humans? Can chocolate hurt werewolves like dogs?”

“Ah, no, we can’t transform on moonless nights, I prefer venison, werewolves age slower than humans, and what is this chocolate? How many questions do you ha-”

“What do werewolves do for fun? Do you have an election system? Have you learned how to make fire yet? Do you even cook your meat? What happens if a werewolf is albino?”

“Ahh…” Ellora glanced over at Hunter with a pleading look.

Hunter turned toward Mason. “Mason, can you help, please?”

Brianna let out a surprised squeak when Mason picked her up and carried her away. “N-No! I have so many more questions! Release me at once!”

Once the greetings were over, everyone got settled. Flint, Summer, and Steven quickly consulted Ellora before going into the woods to clean themselves in the steam.

"We checked to make sure that none of Ember's wolves will be patrolling that area," Ellora explained, her eyes troubled. "I hate keeping so many secrets from her.”

Rose unfolded her map. "Well, hopefully, this will make it easier for them to leave, so you have one less thing to worry about,” she spread it out on the ground. "I talked to William, and he marked up the map with the safest areas for humans, as well as those with large werewolf populations.” She reached into her bag and pulled out the paper-wrapped cookies. "Oh, and these are for you, Coraline."

Coraline's eyes lit up as she opened the package. "Oh, my - Rose, you- Eeeep! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squealed, hugging Rose tightly before eagerly munching the cookies.

Rose explained the different areas when Flint, Summer, and Steven returned. "If you circle around Castell Henllys and go to the southeast, there's a larger stretch of forest. I don’t know if the werewolves there would take you in, but it's worth trying. A few other wooded areas could also be potential options."

Flint nodded as he eyed the map. "Joining a larger pack is our best chance. It would probably be good to leave whenever Castell Henllys is mostly empty of Huntsmen, so we can sneak around the edge."

"That would be the full moon hunt," Hunter interjected. "All of the Huntsmen go out on the night of a full moon."

"Ruining what should be a fun night for our kind," Summer muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry. We didn't make the tradition," Mason said briskly. "Our group will not be making any kills unless we’re attacked.”

Steven cleared his throat. "Not that I'm complaining about this new bond of understanding, but won't the townsfolk start to get suspicious of you? You're gone most of the day and don't bring much food back. You haven't killed any werewolves and don't plan to. Someone's going to start asking questions."

"We'll just have to work extra hard during the next Shadow hunt," Rose reasoned. "There should be one in a few days. We'll make sure other Huntsmen see us killing them.”

Throughout the meeting, the group split off. Mason stayed with Flint, Summer, and Steven, teaching them how to read the map. Brianna was asking the werewolves dozens of questions. Rose and Coraline sat a short distance away, getting caught up. Coraline routinely went back and forth between the two groups, munching on cookies.

"Don't eat so fast," Rose scolded gently. "You'll get sick."

"Well, I can't take them back with me! Ember will want to know where they came from," Coraline reasoned. "And I can't hide them. They'd get stale, and that would be a waste!”

Meanwhile, Ellora joined Hunter, Garrett, and Jade and told the latter two about her recurring fantasy concerning the humans and werewolves.

"It was only a fantasy for so long," Ellora mused. "But, look at this gathering. If this can happen, doesn't it make sense that it can occur on a larger scale?"

"Yeah!" Jade said eagerly. "It would be perfect! We wouldn't have to sneak around anymore. You could come to our house for breakfast. Garrett would make you pancakes, right Garrett?"

Garrett chuckled. "Of course, I would. Would you be able to resist eating them all, though?"

"Sure!" Jade pouted when she saw Garrett's doubtful look. "What? I would!”

Garrett ruffled her hair. "Okay, Jade."

Ellora watched the two, her head tilted. "I hope I'm not prying too much by asking, but what is the relationship between you two? You seem so close, but I can't tell if it’s the closeness of siblings or mates."

Jade's face turned red. "Well, we aren’t really a thing. We’re just really close friends.”

Garrett nodded in agreement. “We were like brother and sister growing up. Shadows killed our parents when we were little, so we didn’t have a permanent home. We just had each other. That was until Hunter took us in. It didn’t take very long for us to earn our brands. Still, Jade was the only thing in my life at any given time,” Garrett smiled fondly at her. "I doubt she’ll ever let me go."

“You’re damn right!” Jade declared.

Hunter rolled his eyes before whispering in Ellora’s ear. "The rest of us have bets on when they'll finally tell each other their true feelings, who would tell first, and why."

"Wait, what?!" Jade's blush deepened, reading Hunter’s lips.

"Uh, nothing!" Hunter grinned before glancing back at Ellora. “The bet is still going on if you want to join in?”

"Ugh…" Jade groaned, letting herself fall onto her back in the dry grass. "I hate you."

"No, you don't." Hunter nudged her with his foot.

Ellora watched the exchange with a smile. "You humans have funny quirks. Among werewolves, when two individuals are close to each other, they become mates during spring and stay together. There's no fuss or gossip involved."

Jade covered her ever-reddening face. “We’re not like that.”

"That sounds nice. Think you could inject some of that simplicity into Rose and Coraline?" Hunter asked, glancing over his shoulder toward the two.

Ellora nodded. "I wondered if something was wrong. Coraline speaks so highly of Rose, and Rose seems to care deeply for Coraline. She’s been telling me how her sister is acting cautiously around her. "I feel that Coraline's status as a werewolf may threaten their sisterly bond further down the line. Rose seems to be having the hardest time getting used to things."

"Well, Rose is the most religious out of all of us. When the booze can’t dull the pain, she’ll normally pray until it's gone. Or at least pretends it is," Garrett said, shrugging a shoulder. "It makes sense."

"If only there was a way to get Rose used to werewolves faster," Hunter muttered thoughtfully.

After a moment's deliberation, Ellora's eyes lit up. "I think there might be. Would one of you escort Rose into the woods tomorrow night?"

"I can," Hunter said. "But why?"

"There's no hunt on that night," Ellora explained. "So, I should be able to get Coraline away. We'll leave them alone so they can talk, and Coraline will transform for Rose and remain with her in her wolf form for a few hours,” she smiled in satisfaction. "Our second forms are the most jarring aspect for humans. If Rose gets used to that, the rest will come easily. I'll talk to Coraline about it, and you talk to Rose. We can meet up at the other meeting place.”

"That sounds like a good idea." Hunter smiled. "If we're lucky, they'll have their relationship back to normal by the end of spring."

"Do you have a betting pool for that too?" Jade asked. "Because, if you do, I want in!”