Beauty of the Beast

#1

"Alright I want everyone to stick to their rank, do not break formation. There will be no movement without my approval, understood?"

"Yes Alpha." The crowd chorused.

"Good." A short, cursory nod later he swiveled about to face the woods at the opposing end of the clearing.

Even from her position at the very back of the pack, she could clearly see how the strength and power radiated from his frame, and enveloped the pack within a sense of safety as he stood protectively in front of the members of his pack.

Men, women and children all lined up in various groups, sorted by ranking within the pack hierarchy. Stronger shifters in the front, providing a cover for the weaker shifters and humans placed at the very end. Although, this wolf pack was among one of the weaker ones in the general area, it was better than nothing. There were twenty wolf packs in the plains, each ruled by an Alpha, who answered to no one but themselves. Down in the plains, packs and prides were separated by kind, and interaction only took place in situations of necessity. However, depending on personal preference and inclination, an Alpha or leader may allow humans to become members of the pack, pride etc.

Although none of the elders had confirmed, there was rumour of packs high up in the mountains. Savage beasts led by even more savage leaders. Unlike their counterparts in the plains, they led an exceptionally harsh and hostile lifestyle, astonishingly strong leaders referred to as Chieftains ruled packs with an iron fist. There was no official confirmation of their existence and numbers. Recently, word had travelled around regarding a massive unrest among the mountain packs. Rumour has it, that the mountains now belonged to one Chieftain, Balthazar. However, unlike most packs scattered across the world, each pack consisted only of all the shifter breeds known; bears, cats, canines. It wasn't easy to put up with the animalistic instincts of each breed and type, but there was no choice. Either you lived in a pack, or were brutally killed by it. Humans, being the more delicate species were hesitant to live amongst the harsher climate of the mountains.

A wave of whispers washed over the crowd as a lone figure broke away from the shadows of the tree line, making his way to the Alpha.

"Ten clicks from here. Approaching fast. Fifty strong." He wheezed, bent over his knees.

Pulling his phone out, the Alpha dialed a number and pressed it to his ear, no doubt informing the nearby wolf packs, bear towns and various cat prides of this new development.

"Sadie?" A voice whispered, yanking her from her reverie.

Her head snapped to the left, where a man about her age wiggled his eyebrows at her. At Sadie's confused expression he spoke.

"Perhaps we can offer you as a sacrifice?"

A gasp of incredulity escaped Sadie's lips, the nerve of this shifter, putting her down like that. She may not be a shifter herself, but that was no reason for him to consider himself above her. Being a human is no fault.

"Silence." The Alpha commanded. The man pestering Sadie immediately silenced himself and turned to face ahead.

Personally, she was deathly afraid of the Alpha. The sheer power radiating from him always sent Sadie scurrying in the opposite direction. Being one of the few humans in this pack meant that she was always at a disadvantage compared to the shifters. Who were in possession of sharper senses, more resilient, stronger and larger body frames. The larger the size of their animal form the larger the size of their human form. It all went in proportion.

Currently they were all assembled in order to welcome one of the mountainous tribes. If rumour was true, the tribe which now rules over the entire mountainous shifter population. The tribe headed by Chieftain Balthazar, a beast of a man. Capable of great brutality according to hearsay. A few weeks prior to today, the Alpha had been contacted and requested for an audience by the Chieftain. What brought that unexpected turn of events, no one knows.