Isabelle
I brushed my black frizzy hair, and looked at my outfit. It was ready for the hardest decision I ever had to make. I had 2 pairs of military black leather boots, one laced to the backpack on the bed, and the other on my feet, going up to my knees. I had on a long sleaved black shirt with black jeans, which I felt complimented my amber-yellow eyes. I tied my hair into a braid that went to the lower middle of my back, and grabbed the little, dirty white unicorn plushy. I should be ashamed, but Daisy would come with me.
I packed the last of my things. “This was it.” I whispered. I was going to leave the territory I knew all my life. I was the first born, but I held no place here. Caleb, my younger brother, would be the next Alpha…. He was stronger than me by a mile. So was Jason, my cousin… and my other cousin, Michelle. They were to be the first, second and third to the nearby Crimson territory when they got older. People always looked up to them. People liked me, and for the most part respected me... but I wanted more.
Here, if I stayed, I would never be a true leader. I am ranked last. I am to be fourth. There is no place here for me, but I do love them. When I find my mate, I was thinking of maybe having my own pack nearby.
I was happy…. But lonely. Everyone had their mates, everyone was happy to share all the fun with me, and I had a good time during the day… but I went to bed alone. I prayed to the goddess, but no mate came, but every night I dreamt of leaving. He was alive and out there, I just had to find him. He’s probably out there looking for me too.
I folded the last pair of jeans in my backpack. I would do this the traditional way, on foot and in the wilds of the country. There was no guarantee he had a car, or was in a pack right now. My father didn’t approve, but understood. He waited 200 years for his mate, and I swore if I didn’t find anyone, I would come back.
I put the backpack over my shoulders. It was at least 50 pounds of stuff, but it didn’t weigh anything to me. I had a tent, fire starters, pots, some seasonings for meat, clothes, sleeping bag, and a blanket. It was late fall, so it would get cold, but I didn’t care. I was on a mission that demanded that I woman up.
I walked down the stairs, head high and everyone clapped. My dad looked sad but proud. Mom ran to me and engulfed me into a hug as tight as she could, I was only an inch taller than her, so when dad and my brother came in, they towered over us at 6’7 each.
“Okay guys, all of you are going to crush me before I even leave out the door.” I joke. I had a phone too, and a solar powered charger battery, so it wasn’t ‘goodbye’. It was ‘see you later.’
“Make sure you call every day.” Said my mom sweetly, she was on the verge of tears, but held them in like the Luna she was.
“Mom you know I will, and the first three days I’m not even going to shift, so you guys technically can still see me.” I say smiling.
“Remember what I told you Izzy.” Said dad, putting a firm pat on my shoulder nearly making me fall over. I nodded and my phone alarm went off, meaning it was time for me to go. It was noon, and I could walk for five hours, then rest.
I walked out the door, and decided I would have Caleb and dad ride with me on ATV’s to the territory edge. There was no point in keeping one, since I didn’t have a guarantee of a regular gas supply. I took a deep breath. This was it.
I crossed the invisible border, and looked at my mom, dad, brother, and the rest of my family and pack that wanted to follow. I waved them goodbye, and some howled. I turned to run, so no one could see the tears form in my eyes. Dad let out a loud roar, and it was followed by everyone else. They all howled, and I did back until slowly, I didn’t really hear them anymore. He did that to protect me; Rouge wolves, up to no good, would steer clear of this area for a long time hearing not only an Alpha, but nearly every ranked wolf in the territory. I smiled at that thought.
My sadness slowly turned into excitement. I had the chance to be more than just Alpha’s daughter out here. Out here I was Alpha. I was more than strong enough, with the blood of the wolf king laying dormant in my veins. I couldn’t use all of it because I wasn’t old enough yet, but I was powerful as a male… even though I was so short. I sighed. With the sun going down I would make camp.
In the crappy light I could barely put it up, and I chose not to make a fire, because it wasn’t that cold. I was a werewolf; I could always shift first. I still had a pretty good signal, but I stopped playing games on my phone when it got to 25% in case of an emergency.
I tried to sleep, but it was hard, until I pulled out Daisy. It still smelled like mom, dad and my brother. It still smelled like home. A part of me wanted to go back. Do not dare. We must find our mate. Growled Glitter.
Chill, I was just thinking, now go to sleep. I tell her firmly, rolling my eyes. She may be my other half, but that didn’t mean I had to listen to her demands. I pulled myself under the covers and woke up at dawn.
The sound of woodpeckers woke me up before my alarm, and the falling of the leaves in the dim morning light peaked my excitement. I changed into some hiking clothes, and struggled to undo my tent. I read the instructions, but it took me 30 minutes to undo the thing. I grunted in frustration, remembering that I left stuff inside it, and I needed to get it out and pack it back. I had bags for dirty clothes, and I sorted everything, but by the time I was done, it was 10am.
I had lost so much time unpacking that I had lost good daylight messing with how to unpack, and made my way north. I didn’t have a particular place in mind, but in all my dreams I would see the forest, and a large brown wolf running in the trees.