#206: A dog's life
Neela enjoyed watching Jacob work on his sermons. Seeing that dedication and attention turned to the abstract was fascinating, but it made her heart ache a little. He worked hours on them and she never heard them. Despite months with him and his and Dermot's assurances that what she could was not sinful, she still couldn't make herself go. She knew it pained him to see her struggle with it, but he let her work through it at her own pace. He was an infuriating man.
Unable to share that part of his life, she threw herself into pack life. Still at a loss about her place in the pack, she spent her days wandering the compound talking to others. With nowhere to be and nothing she had to complete, she could lend a hand anywhere and she did so with her eyes wide, studying everything. In a thriving family of just over twenty, there was always plenty to do. Growing up on a farm meant she had useful skills, even if she had to work a bit to remember them.
They accepted her, showing her their ways and listening to her about hers. She'd grown up with no concept of pack or wolf, but every day she saw signs that she'd been surrounded by it. Some of it was the names they called things, others the way an item was used. The clearest thing, though, was the pack hierarchy. However subtle, it was everywhere.
That hierarchy showed in funny ways. All pack members were listened to, but some spoke first every time. She was familiar with that. Her father had spoken after the man who oversaw their animals, although she'd never understood as a child. He was an employee, but he spoke on things well outside his job and her proud and demanding father listened.
What wasn't familiar, at all, was how they all looked to her for her opinion. They didn't expect her to know all the answers, but they wanted to hear her ideas. She was part of their pack, mate to their alpha, one of their own. Each of them looked to her for something else, but they all looked to her.
Curled on her porch waiting for Jacob to come home, she watched the pack's young play. They chose that spot to entertain her, knowing how many nights she was alone. In their way, even as children, they knew pleasing her would help solidify their place in the pack. One pup knocked over another, rolling him more than once before she came up on his chest.
The pup on top was smaller and younger, but she was faster. Much faster. Neela laughed at her victory and applauded her. The older pup tried to get away, hoping that his opponent was sufficiently distracted, but she wasn't. She nipped his shoulder quickly to keep him in his place.
As Neela applauded again, Jacob walked up. He took in the scene before meeting Neela's eyes. She smiled broadly and clapped again to welcome him home. Watching him approach her, seeing the pups scramble to be presentable in front of him, she was filled with contentment. This was her world, this was her life, and she was going to live it to the fullest.
Neela Whelan, OC, 545