A Wolf Among The Sheep

Clarissa remained there, frozen as the growls began. She didn't dare turn around to see the crowd of his pack behind him, not with the noises she had just caused. She licked her suddenly dry lips and soon found it hard to keep her eyes on his as the tension grew in the clearing. As he approached, she finally lowered her eyes and quietly cleared her throat. The apology on her lips didn't get a chance to form in the air as she was suddenly and roughly yanked to her feet.

She didn't even have a chance to fight back as he forced her forward into the tree, gasping and breathing heavily as she was forced forward. A yelp escaped her as she slammed into it, wincing at the force he used and the bruising grip he had on her jaw. Unable to move, she felt incredibly vulnerable. Tears burned her eyes which she was quick to shut to avoid the tears from falling. Exhaling at a faster pace through her nose, her eyes remained closed until he was done with his speech for her. Clarissa then opened her eyes to try to look in his direction from the corner of her eye, registering his warning look.

There was no gut instinct for her to go off of now, she had been abandoned by the usual help she had in her mind. So Clarissa pushed herself away from the tree, swallowing hard and gently rubbing at her chin. Her eyes remained lowered as she pulled herself away from the tree, moving to the outskirts of the pack she had just had growling at her.

Keeping to herself, she sat on the ground, crossing her legs and ensuring her skirt kept everything hidden. Clarissa didn't dare look up after that exchange, now with the adrenaline of her anger wearing off, she was left once more with her grief and her fear of the situation she found herself in. The brief glance she took to look around at the group didn't inspire her with confidence that she was going to make friends or fit in quickly in this new environment.

She took the quiet, awkward moment to assess herself. She was filthy, from being dragged through the grass and the mud, from the soot of her ruined village and the blood of her sister. Her dress was tattered and equally as filthy. Her eyes raised to look around for a the promise of a stream or a pond or a lake for her to potentially take a dip in. But then his threat came back to mind, and her eyes lowered to her hands again, brow furrowing with defeat.
 
The silence that followed the alpha's confrontation was almost as cacophonous as the chorus of growls had been. Tate made his way to his hut, both to clean himself up and to try and relax himself as much as he could before dinner (the attack on the village had exhausted him, so dealing with a rebellious Clarissa really hadn't helped him much). As he ventured past his pack, stopping only briefly to accept a light hug from a shorter female who bore a striking resemblance to him, the other members gradually returned to their duties - some who had been part of the attack followed Tate's example and proceeded to either clean up or sit back and ease their aching muscles. Others who had remained slowly fell back into their activities, whether that be preparing the stew or stoking the fire.

Regardless what specific action the werewolves in the pack proceeded to get on with, the silence amongst them (broken only by the faintest of murmurings) was unsubtle, and Clarissa the cause of it. They noticed by now that the scent indicated she was one of them, a werewolf, and so her defiance and open rebellion to the alpha made everything all that more confusing. How she had been in the village amongst humans was a question no doubt burning everyone's mind, let alone how fearful she looked when she was amongst her own kind now. Though, nobody dared to ask her when Tate had apparently made it clear that she was his responsibility and nobody else's. That protectiveness, almost bordering on the possessive, was another question they desired the answer to, though Tate wouldn't be in a position to answer that, given his own confusion over why he felt such a need to help Clarissa himself.

Minutes ticked on by as, gradually, the chatter amongst the pack picked up. Laughter broke in jubilant celebration over their success at the village, mates returning to one another's sides in relief that they hadn't been hurt too badly in the attack and friends congratulating one another over the triumph that had all but eradicated the humans and stamped down the authority of the werewolves instead. Amongst this sudden outbreak of celebration, it was easy to forget about the bewildered Clarissa sat by herself - though eventually, the thud of heavy footsteps would approach the girl and a set of blue eyes stared down at her in silence, their owner peering over his shoulder several times in quick succession, evidently to watch out for the alpha.

When he was certain that Tate was preoccupied for the time being, a strong arm held out a wooden cup for Clarissa. "You should drink up. You, uh... were screaming a lot back at that house, so... your throat's gotta be dry or somethin'. Sorry about the, uh... whole dragging you here thing. And almost ripping your skirt. And scaring 'ya. I got a lot to be apologetic about, huh?"
 
As the chatter picked up, Clarissa dared to lift her eyes again to survey the camp. She brought her knees to her chest and lightly rested her chin on them, one hand keeping her skirt still and another wrapping around her shins. The fact that should look childlike didn't faze her at this point, she was sure she had already made a certain impression on this community... and she was fully aware of how negative it must be.

For her, the questions she had mirrored all those that were circulating in the minds of the people around her, even if she wasn't aware of it. Except she wasn't aware of what she was. She didn't know she had the same scent as all these people. To her, they smelt more like the earth. She had become too used to the smell of her home, the smell that was stained on her skin. She had never been aware of her difference in scent, not having lived with her family for the years that she had. Clarissa was also aware of her immediate fear of the man that she had injured, something within her, no longer deep within her, always warned her to obey and submit. However the Whisper, something that had been with her since that certain age, wanted her to challenge him. It was aware of something but neither of them were sure what. Similarly, something within her longed for that nurturing aspect.

But he terrified her. The main male. His arrogant attitude and his controlling behaviour had her wanting to scream at him. If she was such an annoyance and showing such disrespect, why did he keep her? He didn't need to, and Clarissa was left confused and the defeat blossomed into an ache in her chest as she pulled and shredded the grass beside her with her one hand. She pressed her fist hard into the earth at one stage, squeezing her eyes tightly as she did so.

At the laughter and natural chat, she opened eyes again to survey the area. She moved her hand away from the grass to wrap both arms around herself as she witnessed the scenes playing out before her. There were couples, and friends, and families. All together. Laughing and joking, displaying signs of affection and nuzzling into one another as they sat on the grass or on logs. It was a proper community.

What was she doing here?

He had said she had more in common with him that her sister, yet hadn't elaborated. She was as strong as him, but that wasn't enough to put them in the same category. He could shift into a wolf for goodness sake!

Her train of thought slowed to a halt as she watched a pair of boots walk toward her, not a pair she recognised though... Clarissa glanced up, hesitating as she did so. Anxious about being reprimanded once more for her behaviour. Eventually meeting his gaze, she frowned softly as she reached up to take the cup of water.

"Thank you," she murmured, lowering it down to herself. Unable to help herself, she took a sniff of the water before taking a small sip. Once happy, she immediately gulped it down, soon realising how right he was. Releasing a breath afterwards, she lifted a small part of her skirt to her mouth to wipe any droplets from her chin to then hold the cup close to her chest. "That was you? For all of it?" She asked.

Her own eyes darted to the hut the other male went to, wondering if she should be talking to anyone at all. "It's... not your fault. I shouldn't have been so stupid. To think I could actually outrun any of you... it was ridiculous." She trailed a finger around the rim of the cup, "It was... it was your job? I honestly don't know what to say to you. I have no idea why I'm here or why he wants to keep me here."
 
Even though Tate had asked for a cup of water to be delivered to the girl, Anders still felt a degree of trepidation when approaching the newcomer. The warning glare he had witnessed in the alpha's eye back at the village had been enough to send shivers down his spine, Tate having already made it abundantly clear that Clarissa was not to be harmed and, ultimately, was under his duty of care. Doing anything to possibly encroach on that responsibility would only result in Anders himself being victim to the alpha's anger and after witnessing his roughness with Clarissa, publicly in front of the entire pack, the younger werewolf was perfectly valid in his desire to avoid such an anger at all costs.

Tate hadn't made it clear why he felt so protective of the girl or why he was taking on such a huge duty of care for her, so the vagueness left Anders concerned that even talking to her might somehow be the wrong thing to do and punishable by either public embarrassment or a relief of his responsibilities around the camp. Responsibilities he valued more than his life.

And yet, despite feeling he was now firmly in the grey area that could possibly somehow irk Tate and provoke him into another violent outburst, Anders remained stood where he was in front of Clarissa. Despite his youthful features, his eyes and the way they calmly examined the other in front of him held a degree of clear wisdom within them - and when he was a studious, observant figure who felt he could size up someone in a few seconds, he felt a deep desire to understand Clarissa. To understand why she, some average werewolf who had, in his eyes, the misfortune of being brought up among humans, had captured Tate in the manner she had. Yet, when neither Tate nor Clarissa had figured that out yet, the chances of Andres doing so were slim, and the realisation that he was ultimately clueless about the connection between the two left him irritably frowning.

"I dunno why you're here either. Don't wanna speculate on it in case my brother loses his shit again and pushes me against the tree," the werewolf smiled quietly, knowing that it was entirely possible that his older brother would do such a thing if he had to assert his dominance. Despite being brothers, Tate was in charge and Anders was expected to follow his orders. Any disobedience from him couldn't be ignored because of their shared blood; a fact Anders in particularly was aware of given his tendency to push the rules more than the rest of their siblings did.

"Ah, he's alright. You'll be fine. If he wanted you dead, you'd be dead," he continued in an effort to offer some reassurance, apparently oblivious to the fact his words, while somewhat comforting, could have been less brutal. "I mean, he wouldn't kill 'ya even if you annoy the shit outta him. We don't kill other werewolves without a damn good reason."
 
Despite not finding much humour in his words, considering it had only happened to her moments ago and caused quite a bit of pain, Clarissa offered a small smile of her own regarding his comment about getting shoved into a tree. "Is he always so... controlling? I've never met anyone who loses their... shit... like that." She responded, eyes briefly darting back to the hut. "He's very confusing. One minute he's saying I'm a headache but the next he is saying I'm his responsibility. Then he goes and slams me into a tree in front of everyone." Clarissa frowned, mulling it over, "I can tell he is your... leader and everything. He said the word alpha? Anyway, I can tell he's your leader, but I'm not a part of this. I don't know you people and I don't know him. Where I come from you elect a leader, not have one forced upon you and then told you must respect them-"

She halted abruptly, realising what she was saying and what she had been told when against the tree. She immediately lowered her gaze to the cup again, clearing her throat as she gently picked at the edge of the wooden cup. "So he's your brother... well you seem a lot nicer than him, when you're not dragging me along." Clarissa smiled faintly, glancing back up to him after a momentary pause so he knew she was only teasing.

Her eyes drifted back to the hut, although she wasn't quite sure why. There was something that made her, despite their horrid beginnings, want to seek out this alpha if just to be able to be in his presence again.

All thoughts sharply slammed to a stop at the next words from the young lad in front of her, and Clarissa instantly gave him her complete attention. "Other werewolves? Werewolves? Other?" She began to stumble over her words, the words he had just used. "Okay... I've overlooked far too much and because your alpha was too busy trying to control my grief and my anger and my... my..." She trailed off, putting the cup down on the grass beside her.

"Werewolves. You're all... werewolves. You can shapeshift. So you're werewolves. But they're supposed to be a myth. They aren't real." She looked to the crowd in front of her surrounding the fire. "But... yet you are because you're all here." She was whispering to herself at this point, raising a hand to press it to the side of her head. "And-and other? You're not implying I'm a-a werewolf here are you?" She looked back to him, allowing a brief pause before a nervous laugh filled the space between them, "No, no, no. I'm not a werewolf. There's no way. My family were slaughtered back there. I have never ever woken up one morning as a four-legged beast. Maybe I have terrible bed hair but that's a separate thing entirely. I'm not..."

Clarissa stood and took a step back, only to immediately go still again. She had been told not to move, but she felt like she was suffocating. So much had happened, all in one day. She was surprised that she was still sane, or that she hadn't passed out yet.

"I'm not a werewolf."
 
Because he was left in the dark about Clarissa in general and warned quite vehemently to leave her care primarily in the hands of the alpha, Anders wasn't to know how much the girl had been told. It stood to reason that she may be fearful of the werewolves not because she didn't know she was one of them, but because she had just had her entire world shattered; the very belief of who she was broken apart. At least, that's what Anders had assumed when he witnessed her sat by herself, observing the pack - he believed that Tate had broken the news to her and her observations of the pack's dynamics a way for her to try and understand the culture that she, by birth, should have been part of.

Instead, the dread set in the instant she responded in shock to his claims. She might not have believed him but the damage had been done, the younger werewolf's eyes widening in horror as he had no choice but to acknowledge how badly he had messed up. Clarissa had been kept in the dark for a reason, to allow Tate to ease her into the world she should be a member of. He had wanted her to first understand that they weren't monsters of beasts, so the news that she was alike them, a werewolf, wouldn't be as horrifying as it would be if he just blurted it out to her.

Anders realised his brother might have had a plan and might just know what he was doing when this was the alternative; a panicked, stammering and overwhelmed Clarissa who looked like she might pass out at any moment. His own panic was starting to exponentially rise as he attempted to calm her down with reassurances that being a werewolf was 'great' and that she would be 'looked after', though panic made way for fear and regret the moment he sensed Tate leave his hut.

It took the alpha all of a second to hone in on the frantic scene, realising all at once that his little brother had put his foot in it. As observant and as smart as Anders could be, he was also the one in the pack who was likely to blurt out a secret or mess something up - he had a heart of gold and was almost too naive to really blame, but in this instance, Tate couldn't just laugh it off and put down his mistake as classic Anders behaviour. This time, he had interfered in Tate's plans and ruined the chance for Clarissa to gradually be introduced into their world. And it couldn't just be swept under the carpet.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, listen, I-- I didn't know she didn't know, Tate, you-- you should have told me she didn't know! I didn't mean to blurt it out, I was comforting her--" The younger brother urgently began upon locking eyes with the approaching alpha, freezing all at once at the spark of anger igniting within the heated leader. "S-Seriously, chill, I-- I'm sure she-- she needed to know--"

"...She didn't need to learn such information from an idiot who can't keep his goddamn mouth shut. You-- you're lucky you're my brother or I'd have lost my temper with you a long time ago. Now make yourself useful and fuck off, would 'ya? Before I shove your head through the damn tree," snapped Tate as he loomed over the brother, easily dominating the space with not only his greater physical presence but his general air, the authoritativeness and the natural dominance he possessed resulting in a now meek Anders to sulk off, without daring to glance over at Clarissa in apology. Instead, it was Tate that glanced at her with a frown, his brows furrowed as he tried his best to calm his anger to prevent unnerving her more than she already was.

"Are 'ya alright? Don't give me no attitude, or any bullshit. I don't have any answers for 'ya either, darlin'. We found you, sensed you were one of us, and took you here. That's all I fucking know."
 
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"Just, please, don't be so fucking close." Clarissa breathed, taking a step back again and pressing the palms of her hands into her temples. Nausea rolled in her stomach at the realisation of what she had just said only moments after the warning her gave her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to disrespect you. I just-I just this is a lot." She frantically apologised, not daring to look up at him but lowering her hands. "You're just-just too close. You're incredibly intense. You're overwhelming. This is overwhelming. I promise I won't run, please, I just need some space."

Taking another step back from him, she ran her bloodied, dirtied hands through her hair as she attempted to process everything that was happening. "So...so werewolves. That's-that's what you all are and that's why you can become a-a wolf." Clarissa puffed out an exhale and a hand from her hair dragged down her face, causing her to wince at the bruise that was beginning to form after his discipline earlier. "And-and that's why you're so strong and-and... what else?" She finally looked up to him, hesitating as she did so.

"I can't turn into a wolf. I've never once woken up as one or done what-what you do." She stammered, pressing both hands to her forehead and beginning to pace. "I-I have always been stronger than my family, even my father and my brother. I guess I can hear more than-than I should and smell better than anyone else in my village could. My eyesight was a lot better too... but I can't turn into a wolf." She stressed, halting and turning to face him again.

Her breathing had become rapid, shaking and unsteady as she slowly approached him. "Maybe you-you got it wrong. Maybe you thought you smelt this particular smell on me but you got it wrong. There is no way I can be one of you. I know nothing about this and I certainly have no inner wolf." She shook her head, ignoring the push back from that little voice in her head reminding her that it was there.

Clarissa then paused, looking down at her hands as she attempted to calm her breathing. She didn't understand why she was bothering talking to him about it. He had made it perfectly clear just what he thought of her - a headache, a pain, an annoyance. He said she was his responsibility yet didn't exactly seem particularly keen to help her.

"Forget it. I'll-I'll talk to the other guy about it. Where did he go, anyway? He can maybe...maybe explain all of this to me." She suggested, taking a step back from him again, "It's clearly not...not something to bother you about."
 
This. This was why it had been Tate's desire to ease Clarissa into the pack before breaking the news to her that she was the same as them. Her only observation of the werewolves thus far had been the terrorising slaughter of the village she had called home most of her life - how could she take in the news that she was a werewolf entirely positively when her only impression of what werewolves were was wholly negative? It was bound to mess her up to believe she was somehow the same vicious, massacring beasts that had just killed all the people she had known and loved, hence why he had hoped to first integrate her into the life of the pack, allow her to realise that they had a loving, thriving community set in idyllic, peaceful surroundings.

As fierce, temperamental and beastly as they could be, they were ultimately a family who cared for one another, alike most human families. That had been the motivation for the attack; it was born out of protectiveness for the pack against the threat the humans posed. After Tate's brother had been seriously injured by a farmer from the village (over the innocent search for food), it was entirely plausible that the humans could hurt any of them and that particular threat needed to be eradicated. It hadn't been a quest to purely seek dominance; that was a nice bonus, but ultimately, the humans were a potential threat that had to be extinguished to protect the pack.

Tate had plans to slowly introduce that to Clarissa, to allow her to understand their dynamic rather than just see them as the beasts that had rampaged through her village, but that opportunity had been taken away from him. Instead, the alpha had to uncomfortably watch the girl gradually become more confused and panicked by the announcement, obediently stepping back from her when his presence apparently did little to help calm her fears.

A part of him wanted to tell her to shut up and stop panicking; to force her to realise that she was part of their pack (or was at some point in her past) and that this was the best place suited for her to truly understand and realise her full potential. Yet, another part of him (one he struggled to truly understand) forced him to maintain a gentle tone with Clarissa, to treat her differently to how he would react to anyone else acting like this. He didn't understand why he felt that way, and he resented himself for it given it just made things far more complicated, but there was no fighting against it. Every time he felt a desire to grab her again to force her to shut up, another part of him felt disgusted at treating her that way, as if she was somehow more special to him than he realised.

"...You don't need to understand and accept it right now. But you do need to believe me because I'm neither lying nor making a mistake, darlin'. You're one of us and that's that. But don't think about it if you don't wanna do that. I didn't plan on blurting the news out to 'ya like this. Just come and have some stew; we can talk about everything tomorrow. You can hate me all you fucking want, but I'm not allowing you to stress out like this. It ain't good for you and it sure as hell ain't good for the younger ones in the pack; we have children here that don't need to be confused by the loud stranger causing a scene, alright?"
 
Unable to look at him, she kept her eyes on the grass in front of her feet. Her arms had now tightly wrapped around her torso, gripping onto her elbows and her nails biting into the skin. The slight pain from her nails helped her stay focused and conscious, just. Her breath still remained uneven and unsteady, and Clarissa was aware that she needed to calm it and control it. But her mind was too busy occupied with this bombshell of an announcement. Which she was still having trouble believing.

If she belonged with them, how did she end up in the village? Clarissa had been apart of her family for as long as she could remember, there was nothing in her memory that lead her to believe that this was even a remote possibility. They had never hinted or exposed that she was not a family member by blood. If this man was truly speaking the truth, her family had lied to her. Maybe not Lucy, but definitely her parents. Her brother she couldn't blame, he would have been just doing what he was told. But her parents had lied to her for all this time.

That village had become her home. They hadn't treated her any differently there. No one had said anything to her. Maybe everyone had forgotten over time that was not a true member of the Scrivens family.

However strongly she felt about not wanting to believe what Tate was saying, Clarissa trembled at the prospect of having to coming to terms with it. Her strength was inhuman. Her sensitive senses were definitely not something humans experienced. And the Whisper... could that have something to do with her new identity?

This new identity... being a werewolf, being what she had seen in her village. The murder and rampage, all that anger and hatred. Clarissa didn't want to be like that. She didn't want to kill mercilessly and without need just because she had been ordered to. Which was bound to happen now, with him as her... alpha. Would they move onto neighbouring towns and villages to continue with the killing? Or was her village just enough? But then she had to question why it was her village that was attacked. They hadn't seen or heard of this community, ever. The only thing they had rumoured from the woods were--

"You were the wolves all those years ago. The ones that came for the chickens." She pieced together, eventually looking up to him.

Clarissa turned partially from him, raising a hand (the non-bloodied one) to her mouth to bite and chew at her thumbnail. The longer she found herself standing in his presence, the calmer she found her turmoil becoming. He was still rather gruff and blunt about things, yet the beginnings of the connection between them was something she couldn't understand. A part of her did hate him, hated him for what he did to her family and her life, hated him for dragging her into this new life and hated him for how he had treated her - humiliating her and hurting her. But another part took comfort in his presence, felt safe.

Although now she guessed weakly that it was to do with this werewolf culture. That that hidden, suppressed part of her recognised him from the start as a leader and that's why she felt safe.

Hesitating at his suggestion of stew and being around the younger...people, she turned back to face him. Clarissa was far too exhausted to argue with him, to listen to his words and form a snappy, sharp retort back. "I would rather clean up somewhere first, if that's possible?" She asked, gesturing to her filthy state, "I don't know what you have here but if-if I'm not to scare the younger ones then I don't think me having stew in this state will help. I promise I won't run, I just need to be clean and get... get this blood off me." She paused for a moment before adding a tentative: "Please."
 
The mention of that incident did cause a flash of anger to cross the alpha's visage. It wasn't aimed at all at Clarissa; simply an immediate response to the horror he had witnessed that night. He had been 18, wayward and rebellious and daring to push the rules to satisfy his own curiosity. The night had been in the middle of a harsh Winter, where food in the woods had been scarce as a result of many creatures, creatures the wolves would hunt for food, dying from the difficult conditions. Venturing into the human village to seek food had seemed like a great idea at the time, opting to take along his youngest brother, Anders (who was a mere 11-years-old then) for the adventure.

Obviously, he didn't return to the pack triumphant. Instead, he returned in a panic and a fluster, covered in his brother's blood as he carried the almost lifeless younger sibling home. Though Anders survived and had thrived since the incident, it had never left Tate's mind and probably never would, the injustice of being attacked in search of food when humans drove into the forest constantly to hunt gradually making him angrier and angrier over the years until he snapped, evidenced by the eventual attack on the village.

Forcing the horrific memory from his head as best he could, he first glanced across at Anders to replace the memories of him bloody and passed out with ones of him as he was now and then turned to face Clarissa when she began to speak again. The idea of letting her clean herself off wasn't ideal when she had already proven herself a nuisance to him in her efforts to escape - now she had been awoken to the truth, she had more of a reason to act irrationally and leave. He couldn't trust her to simply clean off without mounting an escape attempt, and the last thing she or the pack needed was a werewolf who didn't know how to control her burgeoning abilities alone in the woods.

But to decline the proposal and disregard the politeness and respect she was finally offering him would be the move of an inconsiderate asshole. As horrendous as he could act, knowing himself that he came off as brutish and cold at times, he wasn't entirely heartless.

"...Beyond the huts over there, beneath the waterfall, you'll find a lake you can bathe in. I'll have someone fetch you a change of clothes or somethin'. Just don't go thinking you can run off, alright? 'Cos we'll find 'ya. Don't wanna sound threatening but-- you can't go running off when you could transition at anytime and... cause havoc and get yourself killed by a human. So... don't be an idiot and run off. I should really have someone stand guard over 'ya but... this is a test. To see if you can be trusted. You get that?"
 
Unable to miss the flash of anger across his expression at her mention of wolves and the village, Clarissa immediately knew that she had accidentally hit a nerve with her words. She remained silent, not daring to say anymore as he took his time to relive whatever moment he was forced to. She knew what had happened from the village's perspective. Two wolves from the forest had been by one of the farmer's chicken coop. They were sniffing about when the farmer had found them, obviously trying to get in to the hens that lay as a prize inside. She knew one of them had been hit with something... although she couldn't remember what. She remembered the farmer's shock at the sight of the one wolf dragging and carrying the injured one back, that in his whole life time he had never witnessed behaviour from pack predators like that.

At his glance to Anders, Clarissa immediately put it all together. Her lips parted into a soft 'oh', eyes darting between the two brothers. An apology balanced on her tongue, but she hesitated and swallowed it back, simply lowering her gaze again as he turned back to face her.

Her shoulders sank with relief at his permission to go and bathe, having expected him to point blank refuse to allow her to go. Releasing a breath she didn't realise she had been holding and she nodded at his words. "I won't run, I stand by my word." Clarissa reiterated her promise when she first requested to clean up. In her family-- in the family she grew up in, a person's word was to be taken as unbreakable. A promise was sacred between her and Lucy and Oliver. You couldn't go back on it, no matter how much you wanted.

Clarissa turned to leave, taking a few steps away toward the waterfall before she halted. She turned back to face him for a moment, "Thank you." She said, briefly inclining her head to him before carrying on her way to the lake.

She had no idea how she was supposed to leave his presence - what did werewolves do when leaving their alpha after a conversation or a request had been granted? Bow or back away slowly and not turn your back? She shook her head at her ridiculousness, leaving thoughts of that behind for now.

-----

Reaching the lake, Clarissa was quick to disrobe and leave her clothes at the water's edge. As she entered the water, she momentarily lost her breath at the coldness that greeted her but soon submerged completely in order to get used to it quicker. She gasped for air as she came back up, shivering and moving into an area that provided more of the sun, hoping that would help warm her up.

She scrubbed at her skin and attempted to massage the dirt, mud and soot from her hair, trying to disengage her mind from what she had just learned.
 
Clarissa hadn't shouted rebelliously at him or attempted to rile him up with knowing glances to the arm that still hang uncomfortably and painfully at his side, and for that he wanted to show his gratitude. He had no obligation to praise her for showing the basic respect every pack member would show the alpha but given she had been through a traumatic experience and then had her mind overrun with the news that she had lied a lie her entire life, he could forgive her for not instinctively understanding how to behave around him. He hoped that she was now making that effort to do so (rather than her potentially being so overwhelmed by everything that she failed to act as she ordinarily might do) and so showing her his appreciation felt like the least he could do for her.

Though given her reaction to his earlier approach, Tate didn't want to upset the advancement they seemed to have made in regards to the atmosphere between them. They were hardly best of friends and he doubted she even thought of him favourably, but the fact she wasn't shouting or screaming at him was a step in the right direction... and he wasn't prepared to do anything to jeopardise that. Besides, a small part of him as the alpha still couldn't help but feel it was right to praise someone for doing the bare minimum in respecting his word so, with two contrary desires (one to praise her for the effort and the other to see it as nothing to compliment her for when it ought to be natural behaviour), he chose to simply remain silent and let her head to the lake without any words to complicate matters.

As promised, someone would soon arrive at the lake with a spare set of clothes for the girl to change into, given the dress she had worn was stained with the blood of her sister. Though Anders was the only one who had spoken to Clarissa thus far, it was hardly appropriate in Tate's mind to send in his little brother when Clarissa was bathing in the water, not wanting to intrude on her privacy and make her uncomfortable. Ultimately, he figured she might be less uncomfortable if he sent his sister on the duty, knowing that while Clarissa may still inevitably be wary around any werewolf, the generally gentle and kindly appearance of his younger sister ought to help ease any possible fears she might possess around some of the burlier men in the pack.

"...The water is awfully cold, isn't it?" Daisy began, knowing her brief was only to set the clothes down and make a quick exit but like Anders, she felt almost obligated to say something to the newcomer, as if offering her some comfort with a casual conversation would make up for the horrors she had undoubtedly gone through. With a smile, she carefully set down the simple garment on the grass and politely averted her gaze from Clarissa, choosing instead to stare up at a few birds fluttering about in the sky above.

"We don't really have any clothes as pretty as your dress was. We only have basic stuff. But it's-- they're comfy, so... um... sorry. I can go. I just saw Anders talking to you so I thought you might like the conversation? Better than getting yelled at by Tate, huh? He's a jerk sometimes, I'm sorry."
 
Everything was so peaceful at the waterfall. Clarissa felt like she could rest against the rocks she had found at the one end of the lake and stay there for longer than she needed. She could close her eyes, listen to the musical lyrics of the water and the birds singing, the sweet swishing of the long grass in the window and the swaying branches of the trees... and just pretend that none of this had happened. It was all a nightmare that she had had after falling asleep bathing later on in the evening once her family - if she could even call them that now - were all home from their respective jobs and duties.

But she couldn't and it wasn't a nightmare. It was all real and she had to face it, alone.

Clarissa's eyes snapped open at the weak sound of footsteps, head lifting off the rock as they got closer and immediately moved to hide herself behind some reeds. Tate made the right call in sending his sister, with Clarissa relaxing almost instantly at the sight of another female. A light breath of relief escaped her, although she still didn't move from behind the reeds to save her embarrassment. She waited until the other young woman turned her gaze away before moving from her spot to tentatively climb from the water to grab the garment. Another dash was then made to one of the nearby trees for her to have some cover to change, answering her as she did so: "It was bloody freezin'." She answered in agreement, "But there's some sun poking through the trees so I just about managed to stay warm."

Stepping out from her dressing spot, she cautiously approached the girl as she attempted to strain water from her hair by twisting it. "No, please." She blurted out, only then to realise how desperate she sounded. The tips of her ears went red and she cleared her throat awkwardly. "This...this is a nice dress. The material is soft and it's sewn well. I appreciate you giving me anything at all." She responded, sinking in the comfort of talking about anything to do with her seamstress skills. "Tate and Anders. That's their names?" She asked, having wondered how she hadn't found that out before.

"It's-it's okay," she frowned, sitting on a nearby rock as she allowed her wet hair to just drip down her back, causing the material of the dress to stick to her. It was odd to hear her call him anything, especially after all the grief she had been given about respect. "I... wouldn't mind some actual conversation," she admitted, a small smile appearing, "I'm Clarissa."
 
Daisy hadn't known what to expect when it came to Clarissa. She had witnessed her open defiance to Tate and observed that confrontation from afar, so while she could immediately judge her as a troublemaker who lacked basic respect, the 16-year-old was also mature enough to realise that witnessing your whole village's massacre and then being dragged by the 'beasts' responsible for the slaughter to the middle of the woods was more than enough reasons to challenge the man responsible for it all.

Tate had initiated the attack for reasons that made sense to him and to the pack, but those were reasons Clarissa was unaware of, so of course she was going to defiantly challenge the man that had torn her from the life she had always known. Sure, perhaps her instincts as a werewolf ought to have enabled her to realise her submissiveness needed to be present when greeting the alpha... but Clarissa had also been separated from knowing who she was, so could her lack of understanding of their traditions really be held against her?

It was for those reasons that Daisy was happy to judge the girl for herself, not base an opinion on witnessing her behaviour from afar. Hell, if anything, her defiance to Tate hadn't been a matter to dislike her for. She found it surprisingly amusing to see her older brother challenged like that. It might not have been acceptable or remotely respectful, but she also knew her brother and she knew that he had found Clarissa's challenge impressive. He had to make a show of chastising her, but the strange pull he felt for her also let him acknowledge the enjoyment he gathered from her confidence.

"Oh. Yeah. Tate's the alpha; it just means he's in charge. And then Anders is the guy who blurted everything out to you because he's sort of an idiot," the girl grinned - she would challenge anyone that dared to insult her brother but she was allowed to playfully tease him if she chose to. It was a different matter entirely for someone else to tease him, of course, especially when Anders was naturally naive and probably wouldn't differentiate between a playful tease and a cruel comment. Though she was the younger sibling, she, like her other brothers, felt it a natural duty to watch out for Anders.

"I'm Daisy. Their sister. There's six of us, actually. Tate's the oldest, I'm the youngest, and then there are four other brothers somewhere in the middle. Too many of us, really," continued Daisy with the same infectious smile on her face as she took a seat on a nearby boulder, adjusting her own dress automatically as she perched upon the cold seat.

"...You can call him Tate, you know. He was putting on a bit of a show out there, had to reinforce his authority after you challenged it, but he's really not that, ah... bossy or nothin'. You don't need to go calling him 'Leader' or 'Alpha'. Though he'd love that, it ain't necessary."
 
For Clarissa, of course now she had become more subdue in her reaction and behaviour toward Tate, but in the moment where she fought back, it felt right. It felt right in her gut to challenge him, that she was within her right to do so. It was a part of her motivating her to continue doing so, now she wasn't sure if that was because of the adrenaline and anger she felt toward him at the time... or if it was a part of her that she had yet to discover. This new... werewolf side. A part of her knew it was right to challenge him, despite that other side wanting to submit and obey him as he wanted her to do too. But that more dominate side didn't want that, didn't like that. Although why, she wasn't sure.

"At least Anders told me what I was, even if it was a mistake." She answered, playing with the material of her dress, "It's out there now and there's nothin' I can do to change it. I'm just grateful he came to talk to me in the first instance... I wasn't sure if any one was going to. I thought maybe everyone would avoid me like the plague after he slammed me into that tree. Not exactly a person you want to be knowin'."

She laughed lightly, slowly beginning to feel at ease around Daisy, and smiled, "Big family." She agreed, nodding, "I only had a younger sister and an older brother to contend with--" Clarissa cut herself off, smile fading from her lips. She was already talking about them in the past tense, and how could she even talk about them - they weren't her real family.

Quickly, she forced herself to smile again and pulled her hair to the side to attempt to squeeze more water from it. "Could've fooled me about the not bossy part," she answered dryly, eyebrow raising, "I don't even want to know how many bruises I'm goin' have on me by tomorrow mornin'." She then muttered, shaking her head at the mere thought. A hand raised to gently graze her jaw, the area sore but she wasn't entirely sure if it would leave a mark.

"So... can you tell me more about... all of this?" She eventually asked, head tilting to the side slightly, "I just don't understand. I don't understand how I can be... one of you and not know though all these years." Clarissa knew the girl was young, but she had been in this environment longer, been raised in it. "It's suffocatin', having all this dumped on me and not knowin' anything about any of it. Especially since I haven't turned into a wolf, ever." She gave a small, but bitter sounding laugh as she looked down at her hands, "A bloody useless werewolf I'll be." She joked, but there was no amusement to her voice.
 
Daisy arched a brow at the other's apparent assumption that everyone in the pack would want to avoid her as a result of the disrespect to Tate and the subsequent confrontation, but that was far from the case. If anything, those in the pack were more eager than ever to acquaint themselves with the stranger that had dared to confront Tate. Some were admittedly disapproving of the action and sought to reprimand her themselves, but the majority were simply curious to get to know her, finding her actions took more courage than any of them as a whole possessed - and a person that courageous was someone they had to speak to for themselves.

It was why Anders had approached her (though he was also motivated by his guilt to apologise for his actions) and even Daisy had found herself intrigued by the stranger's behaviour so much so that she was willing to ignore Tate's instruction to leave the girl bathe alone because she wanted to converse with her, get to know her a little more. Breaking the news that there were countless pack members who sought the same thing felt like it might just overwhelm Clarissa again; a possibility that wasn't ideal now she had relaxed herself a great deal.

"All of... this? The pack? It's... I mean, it is what it is; nothing more to it than what you saw out there. We live in our nice little huts, we have families and we hunt for food n the forest, bathe in the lake, eat around the fireplace as a community beneath the stars at night... It's a simple living but I don't know any different. We don't mingle with the humans so how you ended up in the village is... a mystery, Clarissa," she laughed gently, trying not to sound accusatory like Tate had been - rather than blame the humans for Clarissa's life at the village, she chose to remain neutral, simply because she didn't know the truth and even though humans weren't necessarily her favourite species, she didn't want to pin the blame on them if it wasn't deserved.

"...You probably acclimatised to life in the village, right? You must have been there a long time so maybe you just... unconsciously held back anything that might have interfered with your life there? I don't know, I've never even seen a human before, I don't know anything about that. But I do know Tate wants to help 'ya. If you're one of us, we'll all help 'ya. You don't have to go worrying~ I get it's, like, totally overwhelming but-- you're in the best place to get to understand what you are, Clarissa. No better place to learn about being a werewolf than around werewolves, right~?"
 
"If he wants to help me, he has a funny way of showin' it." Clarissa muttered, picking at a strand of long grass she had plucked from the ground. It was why she had asked where Anders had gone earlier, feeling comfortable with the younger male than someone who was an alpha despite only spending a few minutes with the former. "Is he always this surly or is that saved for the people he claims are his responsibility? Because I have got to say, I am not enjoyin' it." She knew it was Daisy's brother she was talking about, and she said that she wouldn't disrespect him again, but her tongue had become looser around the young woman and she felt comfortable for the first time in a while.

Exhaling heavily, she tilted her head up to look to the sky for a moment, hands on her knees and body swaying backwards. "I can tell he hates them. That you all hate them... the... humans. But I don't know if I will ever be able to be on that level. They may have lied to me for all these years, but they wouldn't have known what I was either. If they did adopted me, then they obviously found me somewhere or thought I was orphaned. They didn't leave me out to die. They took me in... raised me..." Clarissa trailed off, returning to a normal sitting position. "Regardless of what happened, I could've been dead if they hadn't taken me in."

A cocktail of emotions swirled within her. A lot of rage and confusion, of hurt and anxiety. The fear of having to start afresh, in a community that she didn't know. With people she believed wouldn't be interested in knowing her. Not after the public humiliation she had just been through. Mix that with the knowledge she now possessed, Clarissa felt like a ticking time bomb. Tate had said: 'you could transition at anytime and... cause havoc...' So did that mean she still had a possibility of becoming a wolf? It looked painful, when she saw him go through it, it was like watching all of his bones and muscles rearrange, completely unnatural. Yet a part of her held excitement, eager to unlock her full potential. It wanted to know everything, see it all now. She was sure that if it could jump start that 'transition' Tate spoke about, it would.

Her eyes raised to meet Daisy's and she provided the girl with a small, thankful smile. "I appreciate it. I think I'm goin' to need all the help I can get. I-I suppose you're right. Although bein' used to bein' a werewolf is a completely different matter altogether." She pushed herself to her feet, pulling her damp her over onto one shoulder as she ran her fingers through it to comb it. "Maybe you can tell me a few more things on the way back?" She questioned, slowly heading in the direction back to camp, "Like... is it normal for me to be unnaturally strong? And for my senses to be a lot more sensitive than a-a human's? And this... transitionin'... will it hurt?"

Clarissa had a million questions running through her head, but she knew that now was not the time. She didn't want to overload herself with even more information than she already had to process. It was effort enough to get her head around all that she had learned today.
 
Encouraging Clarissa to speak derogatorily about the alpha wasn't wise when Tate had already made it abundantly clear to all who stood as witnesses that he expected, at the very least, to have his authority and leadership respected. As amusing as it was to watch her big brother challenged by the newcomer, it wasn't exactly behaviour that ought to be encouraged... however much she knew Tate might have secretly enjoyed it. Hell, Daisy was almost certain that her older brother would have let the challenge slide, as if he innately felt Clarissa could challenge him, had it not been for the observing pack.

And yet, Daisy couldn't help but stop a grin from spreading across her face at Clarissa's continual complaints. They wouldn't be appreciated by Tate if heard any of it, and he probably wouldn't appreciate the fact his little sister was doing very little (if anything at all) to stop such grumblings from being communicated, but Daisy also knew that Clarissa had a right to voice her frustrations after everything she had gone through. Besides, it was funny to hear someone speak so brazenly about Tate, particularly when her complaints were hardly ill-founded. Tate could be an asshole, a fact that all his younger siblings would agree with no matter how much they also respected him.

Having plucked a few daisies from the ground, her fingers worked nimbly to join them in a chain as she pushed off the boulder and joined Clarissa's side to head back to the camp, her attention only deviating from her work when hearing the other's (again, justified) concerns. As happy as she was to let her rightfully proclaim dissatisfaction at her treatment, especially when such ramblings amused the teenager, she was less comfortable answering questions regarding her abilities and ultimately, the transition that she probably would undergo at some point. These were questions she knew Tate wanted to provide the answers for, given his dedication to easing Clarissa into the life of a werewolf. Interrupting the process he had in mind was something Anders (predictably, it would be the naivest sibling to have done so) had been punished instantly for, and Daisy wisely didn't want to be subject to such open chastisement.

And yet, one look at the other woman, her countenance marred by uncertainty, persuaded Daisy to do the right thing and ease her concerns now, rather than let her stew in fear and nervousness until Tate decided to step in.

"Don't, uh... don't tell Tate I told you any of this, I think he wants to teach 'ya about this stuff himself for whatever reason, but... the transition's gonna hurt. Not even gonna lie to you. Most of us go through it when we hit 13 or so, maybe even earlier than that, but... it does hurt. Gets easier when you're used to it, but it's-- you shred your skin, bones twist and your muscles expand-- it's tough. But it really isn't as bad as you'd think, y'know? You think it'd be torture, and it does hurt at first, but it... won't always be that bad. God, have I freaked you out more? Look, I swear, after the third time or so, it comes naturally and you barely take in any pain, so... don't worry too much, yeah?"
 
Her face did pale at the explanation, her stomach twisting at such a detailed account of what to expect. It sounded terrifying, having your own body betray you and rearrange in the way that Daisy just described it. While Clarissa found a whole new thing to be anxious about, she couldn't blame anyone but herself. She had asked the question and it was tough that she didn't appreciate the answer she had been provided. "It has freaked me out," she admitted slowly, rubbing the back of her neck, "But I am glad that you told me. It's better to find these things out sooner rather than later... especially if I am going to be staying now. If-if being with all of you causes this transition to happen, then I would rather know what to expect than be taken by surprise."

The idea that the transitioning should have happened when she was 13 left her trying to think of any changes she noticed in herself at that age. She kept in mind Daisy's guess that perhaps her time in the village suppressed anything that could have caused her harm, so naturally the transitioning would have been one of those things. But she was sure that her instinct, the Whisper, and the thing that helped her out of so many bad choices, started to appear around that time. What if that was something to do with it all?

Clarissa was also starting to get the impression that Tate had made it clear that he was the one to help her into this new life, or at least provide answers for questions she hadn't had the opportunity to ask. All from the hesitance from Daisy and the fear from Anders earlier, it was becoming obvious that this alpha wanted to be a big part in Clarissa's 'rebirth' as a werewolf. A part of her was frustrated, just wanting answers to questions that she directed at anyone that could answer them. She felt Daisy's kindness and sincerity, and hoped that she would be able to remain friends with the girl in this new part of her life. Yet they all were less eager to provide those answers. Not wanting to encroach on Tate's wishes.

Not that she blamed them.

Yet that other part was eager for Tate to pass on any knowledge that he could. It sensed that for him to help her grow in this new chapter of her life, she would have to spend time with the alpha. That made a small part of her happier than she expected considering all that had happened.

Clarissa not only had all this overwhelming information to process, but also this odd battle within her. She wanted to hate Tate for all that he had done and was furious and humiliated at his treatment of her. Yet to think about gaining some sort of revenge on him, on hating him forever and not wanting anything to do with him, ached her in a way that she hadn't experienced before. Still learning, she merely put it down to this alpha nonsense, believing it was her (true) nature's way of ensuring she would never purposefully harm the alpha... at least not for any reason other than trying to save her own life like she believed she was doing earlier... That didn't count.

"Why does he want to have such a big part in teaching me things?" She finally asked, briefly watching Daisy's hands as she worked on the flower chain. "I understand that he's claimed me as his responsibility, but I'm also very aware that I am nothing but a headache to him. Why not just pass me on to you or Anders to show me and teach me? If he's an alpha and a leader, he must have more important things to worry about."
 
"With all due respect to Anders, he's a bit of a calamity. He's got a heart of gold, it's often always in the right place, but I don't think he'd cope well with the responsibility of teaching you. It's probably a hard task considering you've not known what you really are for years and... bringing that to the surface might be stressful on you, right? Physically and emotionally. Anders is sensitive; he'd take the effect your transition was having on you personally and... I'm guessing Tate ultimately wants to protect him from that, y'know? I'd happily help 'ya out but Tate... clearly he fancies doing it himself," shrugged Daisy through her explanation.

She had no confirmed reason for Tate's unwavering desire to help Clarissa out independent of outside help, but she could at least hazard the guess that part of it was to protect the ones he cared about from the responsibility - particularly someone like Anders who wouldn't fare well with such a responsibility.

She didn't really know what else there was to justify Tate's decision, though the inkling she had from simply observing the dynamic between the two, having caught the briefest flicker of smiles from her brother at the challenge Clarissa had presented, was that there was more going on beneath the surface. Perhaps something Tate himself couldn't accurately diagnose, so Daisy thereby stood no real chance of understanding it herself.

"Mind you, I think it's dumb he doesn't even want us interacting with 'ya. He's the leader so I get that he wants to make sure you transition properly under his guidance, it's his job to protect his pack an' all that, but why can't I talk to you and be some support, y'know? Why can't Anders? Anders ain't a leader, but he's a damn good friend, so it sucks Tate's so possessive about this. I get that he's worried and wants this to go right 'cos it's such a unique situation, but... the fact he's probably gonna be pissed off that I talked to 'ya isn't fun. Like, does he want you to remain friendless here? To talk to him and only him all day? That's enough to drive anyone mad," the teenager teased, though her grin and teasing, playful remark belied the genuine irritation she had with her brother's demands. She might understand his reasoning for training Clarissa -as alpha, he was best placed to take on that responsibility- but she couldn't fathom his desire to separate the newcomer from the rest of the pack, as his outburst of anger at Anders for merely trying to welcome her exemplified.

"...Just know he's going to do a good job helping you. He knows what he's doing. He... practically raised me and my brothers, so I'm sure he'll help 'ya out, Clarissa. And I'll still talk to you, he can't be so fuckin' dumb that he'd stop you making friends."
 
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