OLIVER

 

We woke up early the next morning to begin our journey to the camp. We were both already more than exhausted. But with the skulk just a few hours away, we knew that the sooner we arrived at the camp, the better.

The sun was out after another late night rainstorm. The mud was thick. Knight had trouble walking through all of it because of his injuries but he didn’t complain.

I walked with the jaguar through the woods. We didn’t talk much, conserving our energy for the journey. Every now and then I would ask Knight if he were all right but he gave me the answer I expected, telling me he was fine.

Several hours went by until we came upon a part of the woods I was completely familiar with. I sniffed the air and breathed a sigh of relief.

“They’re here,” I said.

Knight followed me through the brush until we arrived to find the rest of the skulk. The scene wasn’t anything different from what I was used to seeing.

Men and women lounging around on the grass and enjoying the warmth of the sun. The women sewed skins together to make blankets for the cold and bags for gathering food. The men worked to build shelter from the stones and branches they’d collected from the woods. Even though they were all working, everybody was smiling and having a good time. It was an ordinary day in the skulk.

I took a step forward before one of my brethren finally noticed me.

“Oliver? Oliver, is that you?”

“It’s Oliver!”

“Oliver’s back!”

We were a small group of no more than 30 foxes. But it was overwhelming to see just a few of them turn their attention to me.

“Where have you been?”

“Do you realize how long you’ve been out there?”

“Everybody thought you were dead or run away!”

They all asked their questions at once. There was so much chatter that I couldn’t speak over all of them as they started to crowd around me.

But when Knight appeared from behind the brush next to me, everybody suddenly fell silent. The jaguar I had walked this entire journey with walked up and shifted before everybody. They all gasped at the man who stood bare before all of them.

“What is he?”

“A jaguar…”

“What’s a jaguar doing in our camp?”

They all murmured to one another. I put my hands up to quiet them.

“Where is Anita?” I said. “I need to speak to Anita.”

“Well, well. Look who it is…”

Rather than getting the answer I was looking for, I saw a couple of twins approach me among the crowd.

“The little Omega who ran away,” Silas said. “You finally decided to grace us with your presence.”

“And he brought a friend with him,” Eve added. “You refuse to gather food for the camp and now you’ve brought this vicious jaguar into our camp.”

“He’s not vicious!” I said. “Will you two shut up for a second? Where’s Anita?”

Silas took a step toward me and put his face to mine.

“Watch your mouth!” he said. “You have no place to speak to me like that.”

“Maybe you should be the one holding your tongue.”

Knight suddenly spoke up. It was as if his voice came from the heavens with the way everybody turned their attention.

Disdain on his face, Silas looked Knight up and down.

“You have no right to be here, jaguar,” Silas said. “Be on your way. Nobody invited you.”

“I invited him,” I said. “Enough of this. Where is Anita?”

“You are in no position to make demands of us,” Eve said. “You are the lowest Omega here. Do not command us as if you were in charge.”

“Oh, give it a rest!”

I don’t know what had emboldened me so but I couldn’t hold back. I had only seen Silas and Eve for only a minute and already I didn’t want to deal with either one of them.

Silas moved closer to me. His stare was more threatening than usual. But before he could do anything, Knight took a step near me.

“Enough!”

A loud voice boomed to break the sudden tension building in the camp. The crowd parted. Everybody turned toward the lead Alpha as she walked toward us.

“What is going on?”

Anita gave everybody an inquisitive look before looking right at me.

“Oliver,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to have you join our skulk once again…”

She gave Knight an eyeful, shifting her gaze up and down as she examined him.

“…And it appears you brought a friend.”

“Yes,” I said. “He is a friend. You have nothing to fear from him.”

“Is that so?”

Anita raised an eyebrow as she approached us. Silas took a step back to give her the space she needed. Anita was tall enough to look Knight right in the eye. He didn’t move. He just stood his ground and stared right back at her as she continued to probe him.

“A jaguar,” she said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen your kind. There haven’t been many in the Timberlands. I’m surprised you made it this far and survived.”

“I would never have survived if it weren’t for Oliver,” he said. “I owe him everything.”

“Indeed. We are a proud group of foxes. I am honored to lead this skulk. But I know you’re here for a reason…”

Her words trailed off.

“…Interesting.”

For some reason, she suddenly leaned forward and sniffed Knight on the neck. I didn’t know what she was getting at. But her narrowed gaze suddenly changed. Her eyes widened as she stared at Knight.

“No,” she whispered as she shook her head. “It can’t be…”

She turned around.

“You,” she pointed to one of my brethren. “Get the elder. Now.”

The man nodded as he stepped back into the crowd.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “What’s happening?”

Anita ignored me as she continued to examine Knight like a specimen.

“What have you done?” she said as she shook her head.

The man Anita spoke to returned a few moments later with the elder.

Baron was the oldest fox in the skulk. His hair was a faded red and thinning. His wrinkled skin sagged off of his face. He moved forward slowly, his back hunched over from years wandering through the Timberlands.

He crept forward at a snail’s pace before finally getting to Anita’s side.

“Yes, my Alpha?” the old fox asked.

“Him,” she said as she pointed at Knight. “He’s done it. He’s mated with one of my Omegas.”

Baron took a step closer to Knight. Knight remained patient as another person started to examine him. He turned to me but I could do nothing but urge him to stay silent.

The elder looked Knight up and down and leaned in close to sniff him. Then he moved over to me and did the same. The crowd watched in silence at the strange examination.

After a few moments, he turned back to Anita and gave her a nod.

“It’s done,” he said. “The jaguar has mated with the Omega.”

Everybody gasped at the revelation. I didn’t think anything of it.

“How sick,” Silas said. “A fox mating with a jaguar.”

“A city-dweller, too,” Eve said. “I can smell his stink from a mile away. It’s no surprise that Oliver would settle for whatever he could get.”

The twins snickered at one another.

“I was in heat!” I shouted. “There was no one else around. I had no choice. Knight saved me.”

“If you didn’t leave the skulk, I would have been there for you,” Anita said. “All you had to do was simply do your duty. You would have been back at the camp days ago and I would have satisfied your body’s needs.”

“I did my duty. I did my fair share of gathering. It’s these two that forced me to go back out into the wild.”

I pointed at Silas and Eve. They feigned innocent looks as I expected them to.

“What are you talking about?” Silas said. “My sister and I gathered food along with everybody else.”

“You didn’t do anything,” I said. “All you did was fatten yourselves up with all of the food I’d collected.”

“Watch your tongue,” Eve chimed in. “Just because you have mated with an Alpha for the first time doesn’t give you any new rights.”

“I don’t want any special rights. I’m only telling the truth—”

“Silence!”

Anita commanded respect again like she always did. She raised her hand up and quieted the commotion. Her eyes locked on me, I couldn’t tell if she were angry or upset or sad. Maybe it was all three. The only thing I knew for sure was that she wasn’t happy.

“Return to work,” she announced to everybody while she continued staring at me. “Everybody go back to work.”

“Teach him a lesson,” Silas muttered. “He should not even be in our skulk.”

“The laziest Omega,” Eve said. “Frolicking in the woods with his jaguar friend while the rest of us are preparing for the snow.”

“Come on, sister. Let’s leave this Omega to learn his lesson.”

The twins walked away with everybody else. Anita remained standing there with the elder next to her.

“Are you sure?” Anita asked.

“I am sure,” Baron said with a nod. “I have lived many lives. There is no mistake.”

“Thank you, elder. That is all.”

The old fox bowed his head and excused himself. As soon as he left, I finally got the chance to say what I needed to say.

“I need to talk to you,” I said to her. “This is important.”

“I have no doubt about that,” she said. “There are many important things we need to discuss. You leave for a few days and you bring this man to camp. I question your judgment, Omega.”

“You have nothing to fear from Knight.”

“I mean you no harm,” Knight said as he put his hands up. “Oliver is my friend. If you are his brethren, then I cherish your friendship just the same.”

Knight was just as kind as he always was. But Anita couldn’t help but stare at him skeptically, almost looking her nose down at him.

“The most dangerous enemies are the ones that bring gifts. In this case, your friendship.”

“I assure you, I mean you no harm,” Knight responded.

“You came here for a reason,” she said. “I know you didn’t come here to offer your friendship, as you put it.”

“Not directly. But I was hoping we would be able to come to some sort of agreement.”

Anita crossed her arms. She was a proud Alpha like so many I’d known. It wouldn’t have surprised me if she cast Knight out of camp. I was ready to do everything I could to convince Knight to stay.

“What is it you want?” Anita said.

“The snow is coming,” I answered for Knight. “He is injured. He would never be able to make it back to the city in time.”

“Then you seek shelter here? At our camp?”

Knight nodded.

“We have spent the last several weeks gathering food to prepare for the snow,” she said. “This jaguar is another mouth to feed.”

“I will do my part,” Knight said. “I will not be a burden to you.”

“You’re already a burden. Your mere presence has created hostility among my people.”

“Knight has only good intentions,” I said. “Please, Alpha. You must understand that.”

Anita clenched her jaw. Her eyes were locked on Knight this entire time.

“Oliver,” she said.

“Yes?”

“Go to work with the others. The water stores are not as filled as I would like them to be.”

“Okay… But Knight—”

“Knight and I have business to discuss. You have been gone a long time, Omega. Make up for your lost time.”

I swallowed and nodded to her.

“Okay,” I said.

I turned to Knight and he gave me a reassuring smile.

“I will be fine,” Knight said. “You’ve spoken well of me. I will try to live up to those words.”

“I have no doubt about that,” I responded.

“Come, jaguar,” Anita said. “We have much to discuss.”

Anita spun on her heel and started walking away. Knight followed just behind her.

There was no telling what Anita was up to. I wanted to believe she had good intentions but I couldn’t say for sure.

I had to take comfort in the fact that we’d at least made it back to camp. Knight would no longer have to suffer through his injuries because our journey was over. For now, all I could do was get back to the work I’d known all my life.