5

The seasons passed five times since the wolves made a deal with the foxes. The two siblings had stuck to the agreement with the wolves and the wolves stuck to theirs. The prey was thriving and the two siblings were enjoying a well-earned day near the waterfall where a neutral boundary with the wolves was shared.

"Life is odd with them here isn't it sister?" Oli asked as he cleaned his fur. "Hmm..., yes it's odd with the wolves here now but it'll make our lives a bit more interesting." Kate said as she stretched herself out in the sunlight. "I wonder how they are getting on." Oli said before joining his sister in the sunlight. The two siblings enjoyed the afternoon sun unaware of the eyes of a wolf watching them.

"They truly are fascinating to you, aren't they Alex?" Weaver asked watching as the large greyish-brown wolf turned to look at him. "Of course, they're a species of rarity and to meet two that are close to one another, who aren't exactly fearful of us is nice." Alex said and Weaver shook his head with a smile. "Only you could marvel at a pair of foxes." Weaver said turning away with Alex right on his heels. "Well, they are quite marvelous but anyway enough about them how is everyone settling?" Alex asked.

"Everyone's settling fine. We've got cabins for everyone set up. Now, all we need is a gathering hall and we'll be all set." Weaver said as he pushed past a thorny bush. "That's good. We'll be set for the winters once we get a gathering hall built." Alex said following his beta paw steps before the two of them reached a tree stump. "Yeah, it'll be nice to have a place to eat with everyone in our human form." Weaver replied as his bones gave out a sharp snap and crack as his form grew upright and stood on two legs rather than four. Alex followed suit and the two grabbed for their respective leather satchels that held a cloth shirt along with a pair of trousers.

Once dressed the two men walked into a clearing where cabins had been constructed and where a large new building was being built, the gathering hall, the final piece that the pack needed to truly be called a pack. A place where meetings would take place, where marriages or just casual dinners could be held. A place where all would gather.

"After the Hall is finished, we can finally announce that we are officially a pack. Our numbers are high enough and we have our own territory as well." Weaver said with a smile on his face, a smile that faltered when he saw his alphas face. It was not smiling but rather serious. "What's wrong?" Weaver asked and Alex said, "We'll have to host a Gathering. As you know that means all major packs, along with minor packs in our vicinity, will be here." He said in a serious tone. "Yeah but I don't see a problem with that." Weaver said and watched as his alpha looked towards the border and understanding dawned upon him. "The foxes will need to be warned. Unfortunately, wolves from other packs do not have to abide by the same rules we do." Alex said with a sigh and Weaver nodded. "Should I send Alina to send a message to them? Saying that we wish to meet them on neutral ground." Weaver asked and Alex nodded without saying anything. Weaver nodded back and went to find Alina, a bird shifter that had joined their pack on the third season that they had settled here. Many other shifters, mostly wolves but a few that were another species, had also joined as the seasons passed.

Alex watched as Weaver ran off and he sighed hoping that the fox siblings would understand that they meant well but others of their species might cause them harm if they were to be spotted, especially to the blind one. "You seem bothered Alex." The voice of an elderly woman startled Alex from his thoughts. He turned to look behind him and saw a woman with graying hair, who had a hunch and walked with a carved cane. "Elder Nora, it's nice to see you out and about." He said brushing off his startlement from earlier. Nora nodded before saying, "You seem bothered by something as of late." Alex sighed and nodded before explaining the situation to his elder. "It would seem that I should go and talk to these two young foxes. I haven't met with those of my species for a very long time." Nora said and Alex was taken aback by her words. Nora took note of his surprise and said, "Yes I am a fox shifter. I know how to hide my scent better than anyone here. I shift when I am alone." She gave no further information and Alex did not inquire for more. "Only if you are comfortable leaving. I'll still be sending Alina." Alex said and Nora smiled, nodded her head, and walked into the woods. Alex watched as her figure merged with the shadows and looked away when she had completely disappeared. "Elder Nora sure is odd." A voice said and Alex nodded recognizing it as Alina. "Alina, did Weaver tell you what to do?" Alex asked as he turned to face the sparrow. She nodded with excitement before saying, "Yes, but I'd thought I'd see you before I left." Alex nodded and gave her a smile. "Thank you and could you keep an eye on Elder Nora? I'm sure she can take care of herself but she's still an elder." He asked Alina, who nodded and took off running in the same direction as Elder Nora.

"The little sparrow sure is energetic," Weaver said as he walked up to Alex. "The trip will do her good then." Alex said and Weaver nodded. The two looked in the direction that Elder Nora and Alina had headed in before turning their attention back to the camp.

. . . 

As the sparrow flew high and the old fox ran low, the two fox siblings had finished relaxing by the falls and decided to return to their part of the territory. They were in the midst of a hunt when Oli heard the flap of wings beating above him. Kate had heard it too and looked up to see a sparrow flying in circles above them. "What in the world is wrong with that bird." Kate said, looking more and more confused as the bird continued to circle above. "What's happening?" Oli asked as he sat down, his bushy tail curling around him as his ears twitched. "There's a bird circling above us." Kate replied and continued to watch the bird in curiosity, unaware of the paw steps that were approaching them.

Oli's ears twitched and his whiskers quivered before he stood up, his fur standing on end. "So you are the two foxes that Alex and Weaver keep talking about." An elderly voice said, startling Kate as she quickly stood in front of her brother but wavered as she watched the face of an elderly fox emerge from the shadows. The sparrow landed next to the fox whose fur was a light red with its muzzle covered in gray and white.

Kate said nothing as she stood her ground. "I am sorry for startling you two, I come from the wolf pack, but I wished to see if the rumor of the two young foxes were true. It's been quite a while since I've seen one of the same species as I." The elderly fox said as she sat on the ground, sweeping her tail around herself. "If you come from the wolf pack why are you here?" Kate asked. Narrowing her eyes at the fox. "Like I said I came to see if the rumors were true and to deliver a message from the alpha." The fox replied and Kate perked her ears. "Alina, would you like to tell them?" The elder asked the sparrow next to her, at this Kate was taken by surprise not expecting the sparrow to be a shifter like she and the unknown fox.

Alina, the sparrow, nodded and said, "The Alpha would like to speak to the two of you tomorrow, near the falls at noon. He didn't say what he'd like to meet about but he said that it was of the utmost important." She finished and bowed her head. Kate thought for a minute before responding, "Fine we'll meet him." The sparrow nodded and took off once Kate replied.

Kate watched the sparrow fly into the words before returning her eyes to the elderly fox. "You must be wondering why I'm still here." The elderly fox said and Kate nodded. "Well as I said before I came to see if the rumors about two foxes living past the falls were true, which they are, and I wished to see those of my species. Fox shifters are quite rare and I haven't seen another since my mate died." The fox said her voice drifting off at the mention of her mate. Kate looked curiously at the older fox before finally letting down her guard. Oli sensing his sister had calmed down, laud his fur flat and sat down when his sister did. Their tail wrapping around each other, comfort in silence.

The elder fox watched as the two siblings finally eased and she relaxed as well. "My name is Nora Merth." Nora said, finally introducing herself. "I'm Kate North and this is my brother Oli North." Kate said in reply and her brother nodded in greeting but didn't say a word. "I am pleased to meet you both and if you don't mind me asking how did you two get here?" Nora dipped her head and asked. "I have no quarrels with you asking. We've been here since we were young. My parents wished to abandon my brother since he can't see, I joined him in abandonment and we've been together since. Surviving through thick and thin." Kate replied watching as her brother pinned his ears close to his head at the mention of their parents. "That is unthinkable but you two seem stronger together." Nora said and Kate nodded in thanks at the compliment.

The two continued to converse over trivial things for an hour or two before Nora asked the question that she had wanted to ask since she met the two foxes, "Is this the first time you two are encountering another of your species?" Kate thought about it and shook her head, "No, I've met another. She was around my age and had silver fur. That was years ago though. She said she'd return but she never did." Kate said and Nora nodded and let out a sigh. "Are our species really that rare?" Kate asked and Nora sighed and nodded. "You two have never learned the history of our species but I would be happy to teach it to the two of you if you'd let me." Nora offered and at this Oli perked his ears and lifted his head. Kate looked at him and watched as her sibling's tail wagged slightly. She smiled and returned her gaze to Nora. "We would appreciate that but let us do it another time." Kate replied and Nira smiled and nodded. "I look forward to it but alas I must return to the pack and I thank you for welcoming me." Nora said with a smile and Kate smiled and nodded, watching the elder fox walk away and into the shadows.

"Should we trust her?" Oli asked, his ears perking in anticipation of his sister's answer. "We shouldn't trust her completely but I believe that we should hear the stories of our ancestors, after all, it would be great to at least know that knowledge." Kate said, watching as her brother nodded in agreement. "What about the message from that sparrow?" Oli asked once more and Kate sighed, "We should go, if they say it's urgent then we need to hear it." Oli nodded once more and the two foxes, returned home, wandering what news the wolves had to share.