CHPT 268: Fiercely Arrogant, And Fiercely Ambitious...

Half an hour passed after the events that took place earlier.

Despite the previous wild encounter, everyone had food. It seems they just couldn't turn down a chase. Samuel knew the feeling all too well.

He now sat in his usual spot. Beside Jack, while the man dug into his human meal and verbally poked and prodded at the rest of the Hitmen before being muzzled by Dolion. His aggravated voice made Samuel sick, he knew the Lupine Alpha was only inches away from throwing a fit.

So, he ate silently, working to avoid meeting Aiko's eyes or disrespecting Dolion in front of Dier while they all spoke and ate.

He usually ignored it all until recently.

"So boss..." Jack said, a snide grin forming on his leathery lips.

"--Hurry up and finish speaking, your breath makes me want to kill you." Dollion snapped while Dier nodded in agreement.

"When are we returning to the compound? All this travel is making me sick and we got what we came for."

Dolion's eyes flickered and his skin steamed faintly, "We got one third of what we came for!...and I'm not letting the others see him until he's presentable.....they can't know about the return of Romulus' kind yet..."

Jack looked from Dolion to him, "True. But, I don't know boss, Blondy has a great shifted form. What do you think, Ai--"

"That's not what I meant..." Dolion growled, "You know exactly what I meant. My name holds a certain weight...our name holds a certain weight. Everyone of my family needs nothing short of perfection. I can't let them see any cracks or holes in my numbers. I can't let her see it."

In response to him simply saying, "her" everyone straightened for a moment as if a giant Leopard was stalking behind them.

Samuel suddenly felt completely out of his depth right when he was just beginning to understand things.

To make matters worse, Jack leaned over to him, "Hey kiddo, why don't you go make some friends."

Human words rumbled from his jaws in an uneven mess, "What?"

"Go....socialize. You used to be popular, huh? Pretty boy in the expensive armor...HAHA! It'll be easy for you. Now go. Grown folks are talking, hehe." He said before giving Samuel a shove.

With that, he was left to his own thoughts as he walked down the field, eyeing the small groups of Monsters. In a way it was like he was back in the MessHall of the University of the Phoenix...only more gruesome and violent and he wasn't top dog.

Every swell of Lupines he passed cast him the same looks he'd send towards weak puppy eyed students that tried to sit at his table. A look that spoke a simple sentence, "Hell no." only now it was accompanied by snarls and the promise of being challenged for his food.

He simply snarled in return with the human remains held tightly in his jaws before going on to the next group. They must've forgotten he was special.

After a few more minutes, he found himself at the end of the field.

Four Lupines sat together tearing into a buck and parts of a human. They looked up at him and the human remains with eyes glowing with hunger.

Samuel snarled, causing them to cast their eyes to the floor and return the monstrous sound. Something about them told him they weren't adults like the rest.

"Great....I'm with the newly changed runts.." He growled before sitting amongst them and finishing his meal.

The four Lupines finished their buck in seconds. Not nearly enough. After, they were reduced to watching him eat. The sight gave him an idea....

He rose to his full height, stomping his paws over the human remains while he stared them down until they stopped staring. Once they were looking away, he quickly ripped the arms of his meal free.

The surrounding Lupines watched silently as he bit into them before tossing the limbs in their direction.

They descended on the food like piranhas while he watched with a full stomach and working mind. The famous saying suddenly fit the scenario like a puzzle piece, "Give a dog a bone....."

He slowly became very aware of the pack structure. If Dolion and his Hitmen were the top, then he had just been designated to sitting with the bottom feeders.

"From king of the first years.....to peasant of the Lupines..." He thought as he watched them continue to dig in.

Despite this realization he was also hopeful of something.

The Lupines looked at Remus as their god. But he wasn't their only power. There were higher ups beyond Dolion and the other packs he'd seen at NoxIce Keep-- they had locations and sites. And the positions switched, groups and individuals rose to power with obvious benefits and riches in the name of Remus and preserving his race.

He wanted that. He deserved that. He may not be considered a noble amongst the Lupines, but he knew how to conduct himself accordingly-- he'd learn and he'd rise. He knew politics from watching his father mingle with other nobles and influential forces as a boy. He'd definitely learn and grow. Part of that came from acting out what Dolion and Jack had planned for him. It also came from rising to the top within his own pack structure. He was currently at the bottom. The thought disgusted him but he could only go one direction and stay going that way until it brought him the position he deserved and the throat of the person he desired.

If his family had forgotten about him and Claude had made his life a living hell. He'd make the best of his dark underworld and return the harshness in kind.

First, he just had to get stronger.

As if on que.....

Dolion rose, "Everyone finish your food! We begin training in an hour, all newly changed go first. Today you'll be learning the Shifter's Dance. And if you lack the skill required, what do you think will happen?"

The surrounding Lupines responded in a chant filled with snarls and howls, "Our brothers and sisters will have us for dinner."