Four days later, Ada barely contained the urge to knock down the other passengers and sprint out of the plane as runway procedures were completed and the airplane doors released. She was jittery from the nervous pacing of her wolf - being trapped in a flying tube hurtling through the sky would freak out any wolf - and the angsty exhaustion of jet lag. She loved to visit other countries, but not the actual process of getting there. That was pretty normal - and one of the major reasons most werewolf populations remained where they had originally settled, though short term travel wasn't unusual. Packs like her own, in such far flung countries, were not common, though modern technology had certainly made it much easier for those keen to establish their own territory in more isolated areas. That was not the case for her pack- though isolated, they had been established when the British had first colonised New Zealand in the early 1800s. A small number of wolves who were in possession of strong wills and little-to-no sense had made the long trip across the world confined to a ship, where they had quickly infiltrated local iwi (tribes) and the other Europeans who made the trip. And they had not been challenged until commercial air travel became common in the 1960s. Consequently, the New Zealand pack was large, wealthy, and very close knit. Ada knew that the return of their alpha's only daughter was an event of significant note.
The arrival lounge looked normal, but it certainly felt oppressive when Ada steeled herself and stepped through the doors. She always knew it would be like this; the humans, subconsciously aware of the threat around them, but still confused as to why they felt the urge to avoid the large males standing preternaturally still and yet somehow watching everything at once. The wolves, both on edge and at ease. And her?Resigned. Terrified. Maybe a little heartbroken. But excited; whilst she didn't want to be here, Ada did truly love her home and family, and it had been many years since she'd seen both.
Ada spotted her father almost immediately upon stepping into the room - after all, she'd spoken to him just two weeks ago over video call. He'd not changed since then, nor since the day she left for University. He was still tall, and to most, rather foreboding. To her, though, the wide shoulders and discerning brown eyes were so familiar as to be comforting. His dark, dark hair, light brown skin, and sharp cheek bones were the same Ada saw each time she cared to look in a mirror. And the grin on his lips was the same as every man in her family - wide, showing his teeth, and revealed a singular dimple on the left cheek. The tā moko, traditional Māori tattoo, that bloomed over his chin and cheeks was the singular difference from those other males - it was only awarded to the most respected, and each tattoo was individual, telling its own story.
"Adelaide Marama," he boomed, using both her first and middle name, as he strode forward to meet her. A wolf silently glided in from the side and divested Ada of her carry case as three more headed to the baggage claim.
"My Moon Pup!" Matiu Wuruhi grinned as he enfolded his only daughter in a hug, the first in ten years. "Finally you are home."
"You demanded, dad," Ada replied, dry sarcasm lacing her voice. Nevertheless she returned the hug with similar ferocity, relishing the comfort and familiarity she found in the simple act.
Shortly after, with bags and wolves gathered, Ada and her father settled into the back of a late model, but modest, black SUV, and headed out to the pack land. Her parents home was on those lands, a rambling building that had grown over the decades in an almost organic manner to meet the needs of the alpha family and the pack. The surrounding pack-owned land was dotted with other homes; those owner by other wolves of the pack who wished to live on pack claimed land. They were all given a subsidy to help do so, we those homes could later be sold or rented to pack members as numbers grew.
Clicking her belt into place, Ada turned to regard her father. Brushing the strands of her over-long fringe out of the way, she asked "So dad, why am I here?"
The range of emotions that swept over Matiu's face were vast. Terror, regret, hope, and lastly, resolve. "You're getting married, Moon Pup."