Floor rug

Relaxation, or stress relief, many gets it in many ways, but Tala found it in the work she does with wood.

She slowly placed the carving knife down sideways, then allowed it to glide over the now smooth whitened and barkless stump, at each end she had the tips sharpened, one to stick into the ground, the other to point up into the air, in Vietnam they called them Pungi, a cluster of these sharpened poles in a hole, and if one steps in there it's serious injury for sure, sometimes death.

Tala placed the knife down and blew away the wood shavings but the pain in her mouth made her wince, her fangs not completely healed yet.

There was a knock on the door and she stood up from her work bench, brushed more shavings off her lap and removed her apron.

Tala opened the door to find Mike standing there, she folded her arms.

"I hear you started a brawl with Sabrina?"

Tala turned and headed to her work bench again, leaving the door open naturally so Mike can enter.

"And?"

"So? I got the short end of that straw as usual" She said sitting and lifting her latest sharpened pole.

"Still making booby traps?"

"It worked so far didn't it?" 

"What do you call this then?" He asked picking a sharpened pole up from her pile.

"Pungi stick, the Vietnamese used it in the war that side" 

He dropped the stick and sighed "Why did you attack Sabrina? I heard you went wolf ear and all?"

"She mocked me! As usual!"

"That's no reason to outward attack her"

"Save it, this lecture you bring is one I cannot turn to justify my actions, I don't want to talk about it..." She looked at him "Just see it as two bitches blowing off some steam that's all"

He saw his fingerprints on her cheek and leaned his hand to her face but she pulled away "Don't fucking touch me!"

He stepped away and wordlessly walked to the door

"Tell that bitch Sabrina her days are numbered"

"Don't make unnecessary threats Tala!"

She said nothing further, maybe she had to start admitting to herself she keeps on biting off more than she could chew, and it's best to stop eating all together.

"With our alpha's meeting over the omega meeting will start later today, I expect you to be there" Mike said and shut the door behind him.

Tala sat looking at her workbench and bit her lip, she wanted him to touch her... Why did she pull her face away? Why did he want to touch her in the first place!?

Frustrated she stood up and walked to her kitchen, as the coolroom door opened she shut it again, then turned and held her mouth, was it because she wasn't hungry? Or was it because her canines are still healing... Tears ran down her face, where to now really? She felt lost.

Later that day Tala opened her door and scanned the compound, it was more the Alpha wolves roaming, the Omegas probably already at the meeting hall.

She closed the door behind her and walked, her mind still running wild over the rejection, Tala couldn't believe it bothered her that much, but Mike was really good to her, he cared, and suddenly it just took a violent turn.

In the meeting hall she sat at the far back, feeling the glances she got from the other Omega females she felt shy and placed her hand over her bruised cheek.

"Ok quiet!" Mike said in front "Before we start, I'd like to congratulate Sabrina for earning the Alpha rank, this will be her last Omega meeting"

The group applauded her but Tala clicked her tongue, she saw Mike give her a glance as he announced it, so he probably did it to spite her.

"The night patrols of the recent week revealed another group of wolves sniffing around in our territory..." Mike said looking at a set of papers in front of him "Probably a scout group because there are only three sets of tracks, never the less I imploy you to take care during your patrols, don't go out three three anymore, rake up units of four to have an extra set of fangs as backup"

He gave the faces a look over to see if there where questions.

"Sabrina, as previous Omega leader, is there anything?"

"Yes..." Sabrina said proudly stepping forward, Tala could almost feel this was going to be a shot at her.

"Tala..."

'I knew it!' "Yes?"

"It's yes Alpha now!" Mike said.

Tala sighed "Yes... Alpha!?"

"Since you are the trap master you will not be joining the patrols in the ereas where the ivanding group of wolves were picked up, instead you will go with Helen to check snairs and traps"

Tala knew where Helen sat and glanced at her, another Omega who got all the flack for being useless, atleast Helen could fight, she was good at it as well, what made Helen a target for the more popular Omegas was her inability to breed... Helen was infertile so no Alpha wanted her, it was sickening to Tala really.

"Helen, you agree?" Sabrina asked.

"Yes Alpha" She answered, Tala heard the annoyance in her voice though, she and Helen never really had grief, but never saw eye to eye either.

"Then that's it, extra patrols thanks to the invaders! Start earlier, and do not engage! We don't know what ranks they are, so rather call in the Alpha's" Mike said.

"Why would Alpha wolves do the lowly Omega's job? A wolf pack never sends Alphas to patrol or scout" Tala couldn't resist asking.

"They might be planning to chew away at the Omegas Tala" Mike said.

"Then the other clan would bait us with Omega's, and draw us into an ambush... Those three wolves are the bait Mike, if I were you I'd ignore it, it's a trap, or a diversion"

"I never knew you were the expert in these things Tala, since when?" Sabrina asked.

Tala said nothing, she knew better than to backchat an Alpha, the only thing that made her sick now was that it's Sabrina of all wolves.

"When you find these wolves, call in the Alpha's, do not engage, and only follow from a distance"

"What if they engage?" Helen asked making Tala happy, that was her next question.

"That's why there will be a fourth wolf, three on three engagement, and one to call backup"

This seems to be a fair explanation to the rest and they nodded.

"Dismissed"

Tala stood up and left before she got caught in too much traffic at the door, outside almost first a hand patted her shoulder and Helen fell in next to her.

"You see what I saw" She said.

"No, we noticed the tactic, there was nothing to see" Tala answered.

The walked wordless together for a couple of meters then Helen said

"There will be blood in the air"

"Let them bleed, this clan means nothing to me anymore"

"You still sore about the rejection?"

"I..." She bit her nail.

"Let it go, be happy atleast one day an Alpha will still find you"

"I know Helen" She answered and looked at her "Why are you even here still?"

"A pack sticks together right? For safety"

"You're a floor rug here Helen, they are using you"

"We all contribute, no matter how minute"

Tala decided she had no time for stubborn wolves like Helen "Tonight as the patrols kick off, I'll meet you at the skew Birch"

"Very well" Helen said and they parted.