Chapter 13: Chapter 13
“Seriously guys it’s only been an hour and you’re all out of breath. Ten kilometres should be a warm up for Trackers.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the scene before me as I casually lean against the sturdy maple tree behind me. An hour ago, Dominic had called all of the Trackers and Tracker-in-training to the training field and introduced me to all of them as the Head Tracker candidate. At first some questioned his decision to bring a rogue into the territory but when he mentioned my name and the fact I owned Fire Heart Bakery and Gift Shop they soon quieted down and gave me the respect of an Elite wolf.
Some wolves groan and fall to the ground as they try their hardest to catch their breath while other begin to puke whatever they had eaten for breakfast this morning. All I could say is how sad this sorry bunch of wolves looked with just a simple run that should have been a walk in the park for them. Clearly this answered my question as why a top pack couldn’t catch me when looting their territory in the past.
"How is training going?" A deep voice catches my attention and I turn to face Dominic, an easy-going grin on his face that I glare back at him. I call a water break for the trackers, rolling my eyes as they cheer for a rest and start planning how to bring their stamina up. Before I start advance training these so called “Trackers” needed to up their stamina in human form then wolf form.
"They all suck. I normally do a loop around the forest in Neutral Territory that lasts about ten kilometres and honestly some are still showing up after falling way behind. I am scared to see the shape of your Hunters with how bad your Trackers are.” I watch as Dominic’s face falls with my answer, his eyes scanning his Trackers that guzzle water like it is the last thing they would ever drink as some continue to lay on the ground their breath finally evening out. I knew my words worry him with how furrowed his brow is and his gaze filled with thoughts swirling in them, but it is the truth and as an Alpha Dominic needed to hear it even if the truth is hard to handle. I leave him to his silence and turn to gaze at the group of wolves I agreed to train. It is clear that they needed a true Head Tracker that can bring out their potential.
"Well how about training the Hunters as well?" My eyes widen in surprise as I turn to look at Dominic. A proud grin is spread across his face as his eyes sparkle with more hope. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at him as I turn back to the Trackers that were slowly ready to get back to training. His idea seemed logical though. For missions sometimes Trackers and Hunters were paired up. Even during times of war between packs the Hunters rely on Trackers to scout the area ahead and bring back a report to form a plan for victory. Maybe the Head Hunter and I could formulate a training schedule where all the wolves could learn from each other to improve the pack and their defences.
"First things first, same rule applies. One month, then I let you know if I am staying." I catch Dominic jumping from my sudden words. I knew that agreeing to this would make my weekends even busier, but something felt right to agree to this.
"Of course I understand" Dominic agrees easily, a relieved expression on his face.
"And I make them focus on stamina first before anything else. This also includes you Dominic DeValorse. The pack is only as strong as its weakest member and you’re the Alpha. You need to be the strongest." I add. Dominic’s smile falls as he eyes me for a moment seeing if what I said was a joke. But I guess he soon realize that he too would be at the mercy of my training if he wants me to stick around. His eyes gloss over as Dominic looks into the distance, a look of seriousness crossing his face. I couldn’t help but enjoy ogling at him for the moment when I realize he is linking someone. Soon a group of wolves appear in the far end of the Training field as they make their way towards our group. A wolf I remember all too well splits from the new arrivals and make his way to where Dominic and I stood.
"What’s up Dom? All we were told in the link is to be here.” Christian the Beta asks as he turns to look at me for a brief moment.
“This is Amberle, the wolf I told you about. She agreed to train our Trackers for a month and possibly become our new Head Tracker. We were just discussing the shape of our Hunters and decided she would help train them as well. This also includes you and I Christian.” Dominic answers, filling his Beta in on the arrangements. I catch Christian eyeing me for a moment as he takes in my appearance and a slight frown appears.
“How long have you been a tracker?” He asks, crossing his arms over his chest. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at his antics before answering. I explain to him that I shifted young and began training with my mother, the previous Head Tracker of my old pack, as well as my training throughout the years I was left in Blue’s care. This answer seems to be what he is looking for as Christian just nods and welcomes me whole heartedly. It was weird to know that the wolf who I am used to cursing at me when in wolf form is giving me respect. Maybe no one knows I am Fire Foot yet.
“Have you found a Head Hunter yet since Rick retired?” Christian asks Dominic. I am surprised that this pack had no Head Hunter but decided it isn’t my place to say anything as I begin to stretch for the next part of my training.
“Not yet Christian. Amberle think you could help us out and decide who out of the Hunters has a potential to be a Head Hunter for the pack?” Dominic turns to me as he asks the last part. I was glad he is giving me a chance to choose considering the Head Hunter and I would have to be working together for this month to train all of the wolves and it made it easier for me if the Head-hunter is someone I could get along with.
“Sure. It will make training easier for us if I get to choose someone. I’ll keep an eye on the hunters during practice and so should both of you. We can talk about the options of who we think are the best candidates during lunch.” I answer with a smile. Shortly after Dominic calls for the hunters and Trackers to gather round as Christian and I take a spot on either side of Dominic.
“Thank you all for coming here today. I know normally we do not train Hunters and Trackers together, but it’s come to my attention that we are thoroughly out of shape. So, I have asked Amberle Crest here to train you all as our Prospective Head Tracker. By the end of the training we will also be discussing who we decide to be our Head Hunter that will be working alongside Amberle to help train every Hunter and Tracker here both full and in-training wolves.” The crowd gives a big ‘Yes Alpha’ after Dominic’s instructions as my eyes scan the new wolves in the group. All the Hunters have a similar build – muscular and an unmoving personality. Even the she-wolves that are Hunters were built differently from the she-wolves that are Trackers.
"I will be testing you all for a month and will tolerate nothing but respect. Dominic asked me to come here to train you and ultimately it is my decision to stay or leave after the month is over. Remember to follow my instruction well.” I begin, seeing some males who roll their eyes at me and instantly recognize them as the ones who fall into the traps they set to capture me in. I couldn’t help the grin that spreads as I think of a way to make training harder for these Hunters.
"Most of you have dealt with me already this past year and I will be brutally honest - you all suck on team work and stamina." I state, not sparing any feelings. Some wolves growl at my harsh words only to be met with an even louder growl from Christian and Dominic, the two putting those dissatisfied in their place. Once everyone settles down I continue talking, making sure that everyone understands my words carefully.
"So for today’s training I will be focusing on team work between the Hunters and the Trackers. Your Alpha and Beta will be joining in on this training as all of you are the back bone to this pack. Your sole goal is working as a team and improving your stamina. None of you are to shift at all. If you shift we return here and start from the beginning. At the same time if any of you quit or slack off we will return here and star from the beginning. We will continue restarting if we have to until everyone starts to collapse from exhaustion. If you think I won’t know I have the former Head Tracker sitting by looking at a tablet that is receiving video feed from the hidden cameras I’ve hidden throughout the forest. She has already been told to tell Dominic when someone quits or shifts, and he will call for a restart. Any questions?” The clearing goes silent as all the wolves including Christian stares at me in disbelief. They finally realized that I am not going easy on them and that training with me will be a challenge. No one raises their hand to ask anything as looks of fear and admiration are directed at me. I couldn’t help the feeling of pride swelling inside as the feeling of being a leader rush over me.
"Who are you?" I hear Christian asks after the silence continues, turning to look at the wolf with a smirk playing on my lips.
"You will know soon enough. Now, as a pack you need to trust each other and work as one. The game is simple, take the scarf off of me using whatever means possible as long as I don't get severely hurt or killed. Scrapes and bruises are fine, but I have a feeling that today’s session will end with me winning." I continue the instructions, taking out a neon pink scarf from the bag I had brought for everyone to take a look at. I catch a few wolves breathing in my scent and smile as a Hunter with a green Mohawk stare at me. His eyes scan my appearance and scarf as he breathes in deeply. It is clear he is taking this seriously and I take a note of him to tell Dominic about later.
“As mentioned earlier all of you will be in your human form. No shifting what so ever. I on the other hand will be in my wolf form because in a large green forest you’ll all be able to spot me easily.” The group chuckles at the end and I have a feeling they were underestimating me. But soon they will learn exactly who their Alpha asked to train them.
“I advise you all to take Amberle’s words to heart. You have all met her in the past and you’ll soon know why. She is a formidable Tracker and you’ll be able to become stronger and faster with her training.” I smile at Dominic’s words as he gives a knowing smile to his wolves. He knew my secret of who I am from when I saved him nine months ago. With a nod Dominic gives me the go ahead to go shift into wolf form and I take this moment to slip behind some trees that hides me from view of his wolves. I remove my clothes and place them in a hollow in one of the trees then tie the scarf to my ankle loosely enough so that when I shifted the scarf would be snugly on my left hind paw. Once set I take a deep breath and shift quickly. I let a moment pass before slowly padding out from the cover of the foliage and take a spot just in front of everyone, my tail wagging gently.
Growls and gasps fill the training field as some wolves that instantly recognize me begin to lunge at me, their intent to capture me as my flame like fur give away my identity as Fire Foot. I simple dodge each wolf, finding amusement in their antics while they struggle to even lay just one finger on me. A loud angry snarl floats over the group and my pursuers stop suddenly, a look of fear filling their eyes while they scramble to return to the group. I roll my eyes and glare at Dominic for ruining my fun then trot to stand beside him. I knew better than to continue to piss off an already angry Alpha.
“Amberle is the she-wolf I chose to bring here in the sole purpose of training every last one of you with the intent to make her the Head Tracker of this pack. I have watched her personally kill eleven Soulless that are the strongest I have ever fought against and saving my life in the process. I trust her even if she did loot our pack in the past, but she never caused any harm to us. None of you know what being a rogue is like so we can’t blame her Instead we should be thanking her for agreeing to train us all to be stronger considering none of you have ever caught her nor can any of you match up to her.” Dominic’s voice is loud as he directs his speech to the crowd. A look of shame crosses the group’s faces as their Alpha berates them. Power and anger radiate from Dominic and waves as disappointment fills his eyes.
"Alpha Dominic is right. None of us, not even I could capture Amberle in the past. We need her to strengthen us and be able to keep our position as the number one Pack in Ontario.” I felt touched at Christian’s words, smiling a wolfish grin when he places a hand on Dominic’s shoulder visibly calming down his Alpha. I can see why Christian is Dominic’s Beta. They complimented each other and Christian knew what he needed to do to keep Dominic calm. It reminded me of how Blue and my Father were in the past.
“So, when do we start Miss Amberle?” Christian asks after a period of silence has filled the crowd. I send a wink his way before darting off into the trees without warning, my paws digging into the soft earth while I dodge trees and shrubbery.