~Weeks later
It's hard for me to be in this office.
Memories of my father haunt me when I sit at his, no, my desk.
I look around at the images he hung on the walls. The files he always kept in order.
The books he collected from his travels.
He loved dark wood furniture. "Crafted right here, by our hands," he used to say.
He was extremely proud of his pack and his family. He truly lived to serve his pack. Everything he did, the knowledge he collected, was used to guide them to achieve greatness. We could sustain ourselves. We produced food, products and anything we needed to survive on our land.
We were also famous for throwing grand parties and celebrating life.
Thanks to my father, we live in safety with humans and other wolf packs.
My father was a proud man, and rightly so.
His office has a giant window that one can see from across the whole town. I swivel in my chair to get a better view. I put my feet up on the windowsill and look out.
Under my shoe I see the wood is a little worn, a little darker right where I've chosen to place my feet. All these years, this is exactly how he must have sat. The wood shows it.
It's been a few weeks since my father passed and I don't think Ill ever get used to it.
There's a knock on my door. "Come in," I say it without moving a muscle. Im still sitting there, staring out the window. "We're ready for you, Alpha." "Oof- it's strange hearing you say that!" I say as I swivel back to look at Derek. "Yeah, well, it's strange for me too," he says with a wink.
We have a little laugh. Laughing through sadness with a friend is sometimes the only remedy. "Okay, so what's this one about, then?"I ask.
"We've got a strategy session with the border patrol and they're discussing methods we can use to improve security needed to protect our border. To avoid more attacks," Derek says. "Finally, something of value for me to do today. I struggled to stay awake at all the trade meetings with the grains department this morning. Those guys are so boring.
And those moms from the school board, they had me pulling out tufts of my fur!" I say.
Derek laughs at me. He has stood by me with all the additional responsibilities. He has to sit in on every meeting. He knows my pain. "Come on boss, you can't be late."
He's right. Jokes aside, I need to show this community that I am the rightful leader of this pack. Besides, this is the meeting I have been waiting for all day. It's the one thing I really do care about.
Grains and social organizing aside. If you can't protect your pack, you're not worth much in our world.
And as long as there's an Alpha, the rogues will always have a reason to attack. We need to be prepared for the unexpected.
We can't afford to lose any more good wolves to those mangy, flea-ridden dogs.
Derek leads me to our training fields. We're meeting with the best warriors we have in the pack. Normally we host these meetings inside, but I feel that being on our ground, in touch with nature is so important. If we need access to the forest, it's there, we can see our borders and survey our land together.
Sometimes the strength of your instincts and senses cannot be denied. Our ability to smell changes in the air can tell us more than a map ever could.
It's midafternoon and I can smell the sea as the breeze comes off the ocean. All I can think about is my desire to have a long cool swim once this day is done. It's the only way I can get some peace of mind, even if the moment is fleeting. My days are much, much lornger now. I have to be up at dawn and alert to decide on any agenda that may arise. Sometimes I take an evening walk just to clear my head from all the stress of the day. "Alpha!" A chorus of my pack members greets me. They are standing at attention, ready to discuss strategies.
"Welcome everyone, thank you for coming today," I greet back.
The meeting begins. Our top commanders discuss the best techniques to protect our borders. And we decide to increase the patrols and train up younger wolves. "It's vital that we have clear communication, whether you're a pup or our best warrior. If you see anything suspicious, you must notify your next in command. We have to be alert and report everything," I say to them.
I agree with the Alpha. I would like to add that an increased number of weekly trainings are needed," one commander adds. "of coursel" I responded. Setting up an increased training and fitness regime would be vital. We can't have warriors arriving late to fight. Again.
The meeting is going great. I feel a sense of safety and understanding amongst these dominant wolves.
Iwant to propose something," Derek pipes up. He is still a little shy.
Everyone turns in acknowledgment. I realized that he's also had a promotion, so to speak up and address the pack is still new to him. He needs to get used to his new position in the pack and find his footing.
I think we should attack first-" "What. That's ridiculous." "Endanger ourselves again. Are you mad?" "Let your Beta finish his thought,"I immediately barked with such aggression that the interrupters quivered where they stood. I nod at Derek to complete his thoughts. "They won't expect it. If we track them and treat them with the same level of aggression, we could end this chaos now.
We know these lands better than anyone else. They are on our turf. We have the upper-hand."
I agree," I confirm.
It is our best tactic.
The meeting continues. We finalize our strategy and who will do what and when.
There's coordination and planning. By the end, Im exhausted.
The meeting ends, and I head to the shore.
I watch the ocean as it gently laps onto the sand.
I think about everything that has happened.
I hope our plan works.