Redeeming the Lost (A Comforter's Tale)

Chapter 7

I lounged on the fluffy cat bed on the windowsill and reached out with a paw to awkwardly flip the page of the book in front of me. My reading skills weren't the best, but this book had lots of pictures of wildlife.

The six people in the Alpha's office remained focused on each other. Well, Sorrin was studiously ignoring me, while being somewhat surprised that I could read. Merric and our Beta sat in chairs by the door, listening intently to the discussion between Alpha Nix, Alpha Raymond, and Raymond's Beta.

It was a trade talk, and a much more productive one than the numerous ones Alpha Nix had spent weeks finalizing with the other pack. I was glad we didn't have to worry about that Alpha for a while. It gave us time to catch up on the rest of the agreements and discussions.

"I'd like to extend my pack border to the Bowden river," Alpha Raymond said, "if that doesn't bother you."

"That will still leave plenty of space between our borders. I have no objections. I believe there is a camp of rogues somewhere around the river, so you might want to see which side they are on."

"Thanks. I wasn't aware that a group was living in that area. I've already contacted the three I know of and offered them incentives to either move or join my pack."

His precautions were wise since his pack wasn't much larger than ours; if word got out that he was kicking rogues out of their homes in no man's land, there was a good chance a number of them would band together and start attacking the border patrols.

The discussion moved onto what types of bugs were causing problems this year and which crops might not do well. This was an average meeting, and as such, it was a struggle to not yawn. I was here since it was easier for me to keep a low profile in the office than it was for people to try to sneak me inside if things started going downhill.

I flipped to another page, this one holding a beautifully detailed painting of an eagle. The pictures and details drew me in, until the dull skidding of chairs sliding back caught my attention.

The Alphas were shaking hands, so the meeting was over. Alpha Nix escorted the entire group out, and soon, I was the only one left.

I waited a few minutes before jumping down onto the footstool, then onto the floor. Both ears perked up at the door before I trotted over to Nix's desk and went under it. It took me just a few moments to swap the order of his slippers, so when he tried to put them on, he would have the wrong slipper on the wrong foot.

For some reason, people found wearing shoes on the wrong feet weird, although I wasn't in human form long enough to know from experience.

With my task done, I trotted into the middle of the office floor and gazed at the closed door. My ear itched, so I sat down and lazily scratched it with my back foot.

To my surprise, the door began to open. Sorrin entered and paused when he saw me.

My tail started wagging as I got to my feet, greeting him as I would any of the other pack members. "Hi, Sorrin."

He took a step along the wall, partially away from me. The aversion flooding his mind made me stop in my tracks as my tail slowed.

"Is something wrong?"

"Father sent me up to grab a folder, so I need to hurry." He quickly went to the desk and grabbed a folder.

My rump plopped on the floor as I tilted my head, trying to make sense of his emotions. "Why are you avoiding me?" Come to think of it, he had been avoiding me the entire two weeks he had been here.

He grimaced. "Everyone acts weird when they come into direct contact with you. I have no idea what your aura does to them, but I don't want you to touch me."