Shifter Exile

Chapter 11

Picking up yet another bone, Jiora grunts under her breath. They could have at least discarded the bones themselves. Some animals in the forest can use them for whatever purpose, but they will not come out of the forest with so many predators residing on the sand. Her hands full, she throws the bones between the many trees, tossing them as far as she can.

"That's nice of you." She almost falls over as the voice sounds from behind her, causing her to make a jump and turn at the same time. A smiling familiar male face greets her, the sun behind him, making his black hair illumined like a halo. His shirt stretches around the big muscles on his arms. It's a bit too much for Jiora's taste, why does he need such big muscles? "I didn't mean to scare you." The smile on his face tells her he doesn't mind it all that much.

"That's okay," Jiora says when her heart has found its regular pace again. The abundance of sand makes it difficult to tell when someone is sneaking up on her. She still doesn't know whether he is the alpha or not. He has an air of self-importance around him, or as the wolves may call it: dominance.

"Jiora is it, right?" He cocks his head slightly to the side as he shuffles a bit closer. Jiora resists the urge to take a step back herself. His eyes do not leave her face, and he squints at her even though she is looking into the sun.

"Yes." Again, she is unsure of what to say. Should she ask his name or wait for him to offer that information voluntarily?

Fortunately, she doesn't have to wait long. "I'm Raco." Something in the trees catches his attention briefly before his eyes are focused on her again. "I'm the alpha of the Brown Pack." He points a finger over his shoulder to the messy arrangement of tents on the beach full of sleeping wolves.

Jiora simply nods and smiles in response. Her eyes scan the beach, searching for more bones to discard so she has something to do other than to stand here not finding appropriate words to say. At the same time, if she has any hopes of becoming more acquainted with the wolves she shares this island with for who knows how long, she should make an effort to get to know their customs and ways of life.

"To be honest with you, I wonder why the mages sent you with us."

"I...," What is she to say to that? She explained many times before why she is here. Do they not believe her? They have no reason not to trust her. "They felt threatened by me." It might seem unlikely that the mages are threatened by a meek human, but that is what happened. Why else would they send her here? "Why do you think I'm here?"

His face as readable as a stone, he answers, "Maybe you're here to keep an eye on us to report back to the mages." His eyes seem to bore through her as he stares her down, not blinking once to miss her reaction.

A snort. That's all he receives. It's too crazy to even think about. If he had any rational brain cells, he would realize that the likelihood of mages being threatened by her is much higher than her being able to fool tons of wolves and then discretely be a double spy to mages. Perhaps it is a compliment for him to think her so capable.

He cracks a small smile, as if he did not just accuse her of being a liar and dishonest to the people here. Perhaps she is taking it too seriously, but why would he say it like that? They have been keeping tabs on her ever since she arrived, always people around her, questioning why she is here. Is that why Zav has been hanging out with her as well? Her heart makes a painful squeeze. The only person that seemed honest to her, could it all be an act?

Shaking her head, she rids herself of the negative thoughts. It doesn't matter, she'll just be herself, that will be proof enough that her intentions are honest and clear.

"Do you want some leftovers from last night?" Rako asks before turning and leaving already, having answered the question for himself.

"That would be nice." Jiora scurries after him, her mouth watering at the prospect of food. This way of life has never been her cup of tea completely, taking care of one's own food, she has become too accustomed to the habits of the modern world. She can simply buy her food at the market, not having to put any effort into it. But she can appreciate this life nonetheless, having seen how much her parents enjoyed it. It's good for her to be thrust back into reality of what it takes to make her life so comfortable.