The Unfortunates | COMPLETED

Part 22

"The best trackers are people who can move quietly and use their senses for a long period of time without tiring. Endurance is key for this profession, as is patience," Avery nods, and Roman nods with her.

"Trackers are essential. They're often seen as softer than the warriors, and they are, but they have to be able to fight. They can fight for longer than most warriors can, which is a huge advantage to them when they're hunting someone," Roman continues, looking to Avery to continue.

"A rogue expects brute force and doesn't expect weapons from trackers. We equip ours with handguns - easy to use, and easy to hide. I don't know what you guys here do," Avery glances at Roman, and he holds eye contact with her for a moment.

"We usually carry knives, and a lot of them at that. Handguns is a good idea, but the noise can attract more unwanted attention," Roman shrugs.

"A bigger reach is a bigger advantage," Avery responds quickly, and there's a pregnant pause before anyone speaks.

"Warriors are the strongest. They don't have to be the biggest, but they have to be the sharpest in battle. It takes more than big muscles to win a fight," Roman moves on, and a girl giggles.

"Yeah, Marcus learned that yesterday," she grins, and the crowd snickers.

"Yes, he did. I hope you all learned to never underestimate the person across from you. You never know what tricks they have," Avery smiles, nodding to the girl in the crowd in appreciation.

"Any questions?" Avery asks, her eyes roving over the crowd,

"How many years does it take to train as a warrior?" One boy asks, and Avery looks to Roman for his answer.

"It varies from pack to pack. Here, generally three years. In those three years, you may take part in pack exchanges, or diplomatic missions," he rumbles, and some people in the crowd perk up.

"How about trackers, for your pack, Alpha Wilcott?" One girl chirps up, leaning forward to hear the answer.

Avery doesn't correct the girl on using the wrong title. Instead, she takes a minute to think.

"We say four to five years, which is almost double most of the packs' times. We believe it takes time to perfect your craft, and you can't rush perfection," she winks, and she gets some laughs from some of the teenage girls.

"What if you don't want to be a warrior or a tracker?" One boy asks, looking a little disgruntled.

"There are administrative roles that need to be filled everywhere. We have a lot of jacks-of-all-trades, master of none, in a lot of commanding roles, so don't worry if you don't hear about anything that suits you perfectly," Roman nods.

"Exactly, as your Alpha said, you don't have to fit one of the roles we spoke about today. You might decide to go to university in the human world, as I did, before pursuing any pack role," she declares, and that raises some eyebrows.

"What did you study?" A girl asks eagerly, and all of the crowd is now intently listening.

"Economics, politics, and law," Avery shrugs, and Roman raises his eyebrows a little.

"Why are you not an Alpha?" One boy asks curiously, and Avery clenches her jaw.

"Because I'm not. Next question," Avery responds in a slightly snappy tone, and Roman leans his back against a tree near him.

"How did you become a Deputy Alpha?" One girl asks, furrowing her brows.

"Training," Avery replies shortly, gazing around the clearing, red crawling up her neck slowly.