Cora, A Sidelines Story from Clayton

Not Our Ways

The Characters of Clayton, Rya, Kennedy, Dallas, and the Valentines belong to Rachelle. The character of Cora is expanded on with Permission from Rachelle, and is written for the pleasure of the International Wildflower Pack, the WhiskeyQueenn fandom. #WildflowersUnited #iwp 

::: Inspired by the amazing narrative CLAYTON by Rachelle Whiskeyqueenn  ::

Not Our Ways

I am really glad I took the summer off. Jamison had dropped out of culinary school in the spring, once I had agreed to date him. He was still grumpy that I lived in the 17th street area but grudgingly accepted my choice. Actually, I think his mother informed him I would be allowed to stay where I wanted and do what I wanted with my time and my money. I had learned that his father got the Alphaship because of her family's money. She came from an old established urban pack back east, pretty much any electronic anyone owned, her family controlled the rare metals used in them and also owned a very large shipping empire, imports and exports. And she saw me as 'her' pack's best option for future Luna and actively was seeking a way to keep me from returning to Adams. 

Lately, Luna Elizabeth had been battling with wealthier but unproductive wolves in their pack about my work with the unpacked wolves. She wanted changes too, and appreciated duty to lesser wolves. She wanted them to be valued pack members. She wanted Urban to be more like traditional packs, where wolves were wolves, not wolves in human clothing. She and I spent many a lunch talking about changing the dynamic of the Urban Pack and the packless. She helped get better paying jobs for the unpacked wolves with the wealthier families, but Alpha Jefferson would not let any who were worth less than a million join the pack. 

Poorer wolves could work for the pack, but were not part of the pack. It was just another form of elitist prejudice, based on money instead of genes. It was a frustration she and I shared. Her family had worked as miners and prospectors, sea captains and sailors. They made themselves wealthy through work, not by inheritance, not by manipulating the stock market, bond numbers, and bank papers. Her wolf and mine ran together when we could get away from the city. I think we actually like her more than Jamison... No, wait that sounds weird. Or does it?

~

"Setting timer... and shift!" I yell at the group of eleven young wolves.

Liu and Lau watch closely, they are visiting from Tsang-Lao pack and staying with me. Jamison is not happy. Tonight there is a formal gala to welcome the international gathering of young Alphas and Betas. I will be there as a representative of both Noble pack and Adams pack. The Adams Alphas aren't coming, I hope. Luna Elizabeth hadn't received the RSVP as of yesterday.

"30 seconds!" 

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the twin Betas conferring. Only two make the two minute time limit for the shift. We wait for them all to finish before I put the pups on the treadmills. I can see the cringe in both the Betas' eyes as these city wolves roughhouse while waiting their turn to run on machines.

"Please tell me this is not the extent of their training and exercise," Liu begs.

"It is better than the nothing they had before," I answer sadly.

"Do they even know how to hunt?" Lau asks.

"I take them out to a local farm once a month to hunt wild rabbits, but never anything bigger," I explain. "I have made friends with a wolf who is a national park ranger a few hours away, he will let us come hunt deer if I have chaperons, but these Urban wolves don't hunt, so I can't take them." I am hopeful to my friends to volunteer themselves.