Liberation: Oscar's Story

Chapter 21: Pt. 4

"Are you okay?" The older woman put the ball aside and put her arms forward. "Come here, let me see your face. You didn't hit your head on anything, did you? Did you get bruised?"

The girl blinked. "You're not mad?"

"Mad?" Ananya regarded the garland with a careless shrug. "No. It's just flowers. We can always make another garland."

"B-But those flowers are hard to find...and there's not a lot of them..." the girl's body was slowly calming.

"That's okay. I don't think Oscar would mind if we use different flowers."

"But the Moon Goddess will." A callous voice spoke from the crowd. A man with a stout build and yellow tinge to his skin stepped forward. "Using different flowers would be defying tradition. That would be a crime." He sneered. "I can't blame you for being ignorant, though. You're a human after all. Aren't you as dumb as you look?"

"My looks have nothing to do with my intelligence." Ananya retorted firmly. "And so what if we use different flowers? Are rituals really more important to you than the safety of others? If she had hit her head on the table next to me, something worse than a bruise would have happened. Then what? Would you still be worrying about some petty flowers?" Anger rose like bile in her throat.

"Yeah, she has a point..." the wolves murmured amongst themselves. While there was still a cautionary flicker in their eyes when they'd meet Ananya's gaze, the spark would diminish and harden with hostility when looking at the wolf who'd spoken.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Ananya asked the girl again, smiling down at her.

"Yes, I'm okay. Thank you, Miss." The girl's pink lips turned and she shyly nodded. Taking the ball from Ananya, she rushed back to her friends, all of whom stayed for a minute more before rushing into the field.

Samiya reached over the table and squeezed Ananya's arm. "See? I think they're starting to like you," she said. "Once the pups accept you, virtually everyone follows."

"Really?" Ananya's eyes brightened, and a vibration buzzed along her thigh. "I'm glad! I can't wait to tell Oscar!" She bounced on her chair and shook her leg excitedly.

"He'll be happy." Samiya's smile slipped briefly. "I wonder where Karsten was, though. He should have handled that heckler. Oh, well. He's been in and out of the pack for days."

"I guess he's busy?" Ananya picked the garland up again. "It's not so bad. I think I can fix it and still have enough for the second garland. If not, I'll just use some different flowers."

"That should be fine. It'll be nice to see a color apart from blue during the festival." Samiya laughed. "Just let the Alpha know."

"I will." Ananya hesitated. "If you don't mind me prying, I noticed that you tend to stiffen up around Oscar, or when someone mentions him. Can I ask why?"

Samiya stopped separating the fruits. She licked her lips. Her gaze shifted anxiously around the tent. "It's not that I don't like him...he's a good Alpha. He...His father killed my father. Banastre...he broke into my parent's home and killed my dad for some trivial matter. I saw it happen from my bedroom. I...I can't help but see a part of Banastre in Alpha Yuen. I know they're not alike, and Oscar's much kinder than the previous Alpha, but when he gets angry or frustrated...all I see is that man..." She shook her head and sighed. "I keep trying to separate them, but it's hard when they look so alike when they're mad..."

"I'm sorry." Ananya placed a gentle hand on her arm. "I know...I understand that it must be difficult. I feel like...I feel like a lot of people see that man in Oscar. I feel sorry for them, but I also feel sorry for him."

"Him? Oscar?"

She nodded. "I understand all too well what it's like to be compared to someone who grew up terrorizing you." She shivered. "I understand him on that level, and I see him trying to change. I know it won't happen in one day, though."

Samiya was quiet. "He's a good man, Ananya," she said softly. "He's a good Alpha. One day...one day, I think I'll see that."

"I hope you do." She beamed.

The two girls worked for a while longer under the tent, and after a few hours passed, Samiya felt a cramp and suggested that they take a walk through the pack. Ananya agreed, taking the opportunity to learn more about the layout over the pack. They walked through the main area, watching the wolves decorate the pillars around the pavilion. Every now and then, Ananya would stop to hand them items. Each time she did so, the objects were taken with more willingness.

"Thank you." An older woman smiled at her after receiving the banner she was attempting to reach. Her ladder wobbled, as did the pillar in front of her. "How's the garland coming along, Luna?"

"Just fine! I think I'll have enough flowers, but I was thinking of adding some purple if I don't," Ananya responded with equal enthusiasm.

"You should put some yellow too!" The girl from before bounced in front of her. "And maybe some green."

"No way! Put pink!" Another girl butted in.

"No! Put orange!" A boy said.

"Pups, pups! You're shaking the ladder!" The woman scolded.

"Put white!" A smaller boy popped out from God-knows-where. "Oh, or put-oops." His foot hit the ladder, and while for an average boy, it wouldn't have done much, the pup was still in his wolf form, adding more power to his kick. The ladder jerked forward and the woman yelped. She jumped to the ground just as the ladder fell into the wobbling pillar.

"Look out!" Ananya reacted on reflex, not thinking of the consequences. She lunged, covering the children as the pillar fell. A child screamed in her ear just as the large wooden tower crumbled over Ananya's flat body.

Great. She managed to think through the pounding that shook her skull. The force of her fall rattled her bones and she felt an ache grow in her knees and back. Now I've done it. I'll die being crushed to death. 

--()--()--()--

It seems Ananya's kindness has gotten the better of her 😅What will happen now? Oscar's in bed and the pack already doesn't like humans...