Big Brother Chief

At the center of the village was a large communal structure that looked very much like a very early great hall brought to life. More care had been given to this structure's beautification, with tribal carvings etched into both the stone and the wooden beams that once had been vibrantly painted…or perhaps it had been dyed? From what I could tell, paint wasn't very common in the village, at least not enough even to be used infrequently.

My group paused a moment at the door, which was flanked by two guards, I took a moment to marvel at everything. While the woodwork was rather shoddy, I couldn't complain. It was at least constructed solidly and the decorations were done almost as an afterthought. Either way, it made this particular building stand out as much more impressive than the others.

Leigh, meanwhile, waved at the guards, a cheeky grin on his face.

"I brought someone to meet the chief!" he said and before the guards could respond, he slipped free from my arm and darted through the door. "I'll be right back!" He called back to me as the guards turned their attention to the rest of our party.

"Uh. O…kay?" I wasn't terribly sure what he was needing to do, but maybe he was warming him up or something. I looked back at the others and they looked rather bored about what was possibly just routine. The other one from earlier – I never got his name, unfortunately – simply sighed and scratched the back of his neck before glancing at me and counting off on his fingers. 3…2…1…

"You IDIOT!!!" came a roaring, masculine voice from within as the door was flung open and Leigh came tumbling out of the building. "Don't make her stand out in the sun!!!" Leigh yelped again as a wooden bowl collided with his face and planted him firmly on his back again.

Though startled, I blinked down at Leigh and gently removed the dinnerware, which seemed glued to his forehead, and passed it off to the nearest wolf.

"You…okay?" I asked him, despite the large red print that it had left behind. He whined a little and then sat up, tears in his eyes. He stuck out his chin and forced his lips into a thin line to contain the hurt.

"Fine. Just fine," he said with a warble before sniffling. "Let's go inside…"

Leigh got to his feet and brushed himself off, still sticking his chin out ridiculously before he lead the way into the hall.

The space inside felt massive, though the high windows letting in a scant amount of light didn't help that much. A few torches flickered on the walls, adding slightly more light to an already very dim room. It took a moment for my eyes to readjust to the dark space, though I still followed Leigh as he led me up a center aisle toward a set of stone stairs that led up to a sitting area that faced the dining hall.

As soon as my eyes adjusted, I could see the heavenly creature that occupied the simple wooden throne. At first, all I noticed was white – white hair, white fur-clad garb, white ears, and tail – before I began picking out and tracing the various lines on his form. His face, alone, was devilishly handsome, with a strong jawline, noble nose, and sharp, moon-yellow eyes that distracted me from his soft lips. He currently leaned his chin against his fist, with his elbows planted on the arms of his chair as he stared in boredom at the procession that had entered with me. Even the forearm supporting his head had a deep cut of muscle. His white leather jacket, which was fur-lined-and-trimmed, sat open, revealing his broad chest and the etchings of his abdominal muscles. To top it all off, a fluttering cape of the purest, whitest, softest hair I'd ever laid eyes on sprouted from the crown of his head and extended down to frame his shoulders. As straight as it was, there was a little wave toward the ends, though the bangs that framed his eyes and forehead were straight as the rest. The only thing I noticed that marred his otherwise godly perfection, was a scar on his forehead that reached down and parted his left brow. There were also a wide variety of scars all over his body, even on his chest.

I'm pretty sure I caught myself drooling there for a moment…But I am a proud, upstanding citizen of the United States. It was beneath me to act so poorly. Instead, I lifted my chin and tried desperately to pretend he wasn't the snack to end all snacks. The hunkiest white chocolate chip in the bakery. The tastiest morsel that…well, you get it.

I don't know how long I stood there staring at him, waiting for him to make a move, before he rolled his eyes and exhaled a deep sigh.

"Well?" he asked in vicious boredom, his voice booming in the large space. The rasp of his growl made my hair stand on end and goosebumps scatter over my skin.

Leigh coughed and scrambled a little before he stepped aside and motioned toward me.

"This is-" he began but was cut short.

"I believe the female can introduce herself. Can't she? Or has she swallowed her tongue?" The Chief/Big Brother was derisive with his comments. Clearly, he didn't like women much. But something in the back of my head told me to win him over. I cleared my throat and squared my shoulders.

"My name is Zion Ordaz, and I-"

"Congratulations." He sighed again. "What are you doing in my village?"

Okay, first off, you luscious hunk of joy…Ghirardelli called and they want their angry, bitter asshole back.

I took a deep breath to keep myself from jumping down his throat. After all, he was a rather important person and this was the first bastion of what could be considered civilization in this world. He noticed this and I watched his scarred eyebrow twitch upwards before a small smile spread across his features. Was…I amusing him or something…?

"With all due respect, Chief, sir…-"

"Gharret," he said, the amusement now ringing in his voice.

"Chief Gharret. I'm not from around here. Anywhere near here, actually. I don't even know where this is, much less that there was a village here, or that it belonged to you. I-"

Once again, I found myself cut off…but this time from Leigh.

"She's an Otherworlder!" he squealed, apparently not having been able to contain himself any further. The brother picked up a goblet – still full of what looked like wine – and threatened to chuck it in Leigh's direction, which caused him to flinch and throw his arms up so wildly that he lost his balance and fell over. Seemingly satisfied, he set the goblet back down before returning his hard gaze to mine. Once more, a chill crawled up and down my spine before settling somewhere I'd best not mention.

"Or she's a Hawk female, possibly a spy, who fell off her mate, landed in our forest, and is attempting to collect information about the Wolf Nation's outlying villages," he said with a sigh before he sat up straight.

"I'm…I'm sorry…'mate'? I don't-"

"Strip her naked." He motioned at me, cutting me off once more.

It took a moment for his command to sink in before I started glancing around at the approaching males, clawed hands raised and spread, as though to catch me if I ran. Instinctively, my arms pressed over my chest as I clung to my tattered outfit. I eyed the nearest man-wolf and summoned the deepest, most demonic voice I had in my arsenal.

"Touch me and I will kill you."