"I have wanted to see you for a long time now, President Frederick. Would it be possible to speak to just yourself and the Vice-President? You see, the contents of this meeting are very sensitive. And while I have no intention to belittle or show any distrust in the Council, it would be best if very few people heard what I have to say."
The members of the Council frowned at Mane's words. They felt they were being looked down upon. While they did not look down on the Silver Wolves team, a rumor was still just that- a rumor. While they believed that Mane had beaten down Frederick's brother (after all the poor boy was bedridden in the infirmary), they did not believe it was done with a simple flick. To them, even Selina would be incapable of such a feat, much less a ten year old.
Thankfully, Frederick was unlike them- he was no idiot. He had heard the tale from the mouths of his brother's close friends. From their expressions as they recounted the story, he knew they weren't lying. Besides, they might be arrogant brats, but they weren't liars. So for him, all Mane's words did were cause a crease in his brows. What could the kid possibly want to say that was so sensitive?
"If I may be so rude as to interject. I don't think you realise you are in the Student Council Building. This isn't your backyard kid."
Before Frederick could even reply, the Head of Finance beat him to the punch- with words that caused him to turn slightly pale. He wasn't the only one. Selina's face lost her smile when she heard his words. Her frown deepened when she saw the huge smile on Mane's face remained unchanged. She was experienced enough to recognise the fact that the little blondie was smiling, didn't mean he wasn't offended. She cast her eyes to the Head of Finance. The Financial Secretary was your typical strict executive. He was a stout follower of procedure and did not bend the rules for anyone. He was obviously offended that a boy younger than him by quite a number, was acting 'rudely'. She could only hope that Mane did not take the fool's words to heart. But it wasn't Mane who reacted to his words- Jake did.
Over the years, the four boys had grown very close. Jake and John may be twins, but they felt as though Mane and Abelard were family. Quadruplets if I may be so bold as to describe their relationship. Since they were not as bright as Mane and Abe, they looked up to the two as their 'older' brothers, with Mane the higher placed in their hearts. Any form of disrespect towards their brother was not going to go unpunished.
"You better take back your words if you do not want to be pummeled to the ground."
Jake's tone was cold, very much unlike his fiery aura that gradually filled the room. Even Frederick found it difficult to breathe under the pressure. Selina was just as gob smacked. How was this the pressure of an E-grade wielder! She was a B-grade wielder, and was infinitely close to the A-grade. Yet even she found it difficult to breath under Jake's strong aura. It wasn't an aura of nobility (since Jake is the son of a Grand Duke). The aura of nobility wasn't able to push her to this stage. The boy was clearly stronger than her.
"Stop it Jake. He didn't mean any harm."
Mane, with a bemused expression on his face, put his hand on Jake's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. The silver wolf was his spirit animal. It was a creature that hunted in a pack. He may be strong but he knew he could never do it all alone. He needed a team, so he built one. The Silver Wolves team wasn't built for a measly Academic achievement. It was built for life. It was his team, and he was the alpha!
NAME: Jake
AGE: 10
RACE: Zandorian (100%)
LEVEL: Above-Mortal Stage 2 (Level 32.45)
SPECIALTY: Strength and Vitality
NAME: John
AGE: 10
RACE: Zandorian (100%)
LEVEL: Above-Mortal Stage 2 (Level 32.51)
SPECIALTY: Strength and Vitality
NAME: Abe
AGE: 10
RACE: Zandorian (100%)
LEVEL: Above-Mortal Stage 3 (Level 33.45)
SPECIALTY: Strength, Intelligence, and Vitality
"I'm sorry for my teammate's behavior. He can be a bit overzealous sometimes."
Mane stood up and bowed slightly in apology, an act that seem to finally calm the nerves of the Council members, though a bit of their unease still remained.
"No, I should be the one to apologize. My Council member's words were a bit impolite."
Frederick also stood and bowed in apology, finally causing the frown on Jake's face to disappear.
"Could you excuse us please?"
This time Frederick's words were obeyed by the Council members without any complaints. There were no voices of displeasure, their eagerness to leave clearly displayed. Even the Financial Secretary kept mute.
"Before I say anything else I would like to apologize for severely injuring your brother. I really didn't mean to."
Mane remained standing as he apologized once more when the last person exited the room, his teammates joining him in his polite gesture. Frederick accepted his apology with much enthusiasm, seeing the genuine look of remorse on the younger boy's face. Of course, there was no way he was going to mention that his mom was going to kill him when she found out that all it took to conclude the case was an apology. He was certain that if he told his father about the strength of the assailant, he would keep his mother in check. Besides, his little brother may very well learn his lesson from this incident. Hopefully, he would learn to be modest after this.
"It is water under the bridge, Captain Mane."
"Please call me Mane."
"In that case, you can refer to me as Fred."
"Selina"
"Abelard"
"John"
"Jake"
Everyone sat down after the brief introductions, prompting Frederick to finally speak. "So, what is it you wanted to say, Cap…sorry…Mane?"
Mane smiled at the little blunder, doing nothing to hide his amusement.
"Well, it concerns the Hidden Cloak."
Frederick and Selina faces wore serious expressions when they heard the words, 'hidden cloak'. It was obvious that they knew what it was- or rather, who it was.
"He needs your help. You see, he's scouting for talents and he wants you to join him."
Mane continued as though he did not see their expressions.
"And how would you know that?" Selina asked with uncertainty.
Mane's smile widened at her words, his eyes shining especially brightly.
"Because I am he. I am Hidden Cloak."