Whitepaw Revival

Chapter 11

The jangling of a bell announced their presence as Isaac followed Tia into the bakery, he was met with a near physical wall of olfactory pleasure, the smell of fresh baked bread, hot meat pies and sausage rolls, and the sweet overtones of baked treats and tarts had him closing his eyes and taking deep happy breaths through his nose.

A bright woman's voice floated into his reverie, "My grandma does the same thing whenever she comes into the bakery. Being here from early morning it mostly creeps up on me over time but there's nothing quite like the smell of a bakery, huh?"

Isaac opened his eyes and identified the speaker as a short, bubbly blonde maybe nineteen or twenty years of age, standing behind the counter. She was barely a head taller than the display case she leaned both hands against, grinning happily at him and almost bouncing in place.

Isaac nodded and returned the smile, "Oh yeah, it's even better with enhanced senses." He tapped his nose, "This place is incredible to a Wolf's nose."

Her eyes went wide at that and she leaned further against the display case, "No shit!? You're a wolf shifter then? Are you local or what? There's supposed to be a pack based out of the reserve on the other side of town, is that where you're from or are you an out of towner? What's it like to change forms? Can you show me your wolf? Is your fur as soft as they say it is online!?"

Isaac patted the air with his hands in an attempt to slow her bombardment of questions, and he felt Tia tensing beside him palpably.

He chuckled and answered, "Hang on, let me see if I can answer all those; yes, Tia and I," he waved a hand at his escort, "are wolf shifters or werewolves, whatever you prefer, we use the terms interchangeably. Yeah I'm from the local pack, the Whitepaw. Shifting is strange at first and can be a little traumatic for kids the first few times, especially if it's involuntary, and I don't think I'm allowed to shift in public without good reason. I don't want to alarm anyone.

And I don't really know what they say about our fur online, but yeah it's pretty soft. Not really like a real wolf's fur, we tend to be cleaner than a wild wolf so I imagine that helps keep it feeling softer.

"My name's Isaac, Alpha of the Whitepaw pack." He looked down at her apron where her name was embroidered prominently over her modest bust, "It's nice to meet you Dani. We're actually here to meet the manager, Phillip I believe is his name?"

Dani became visibly more excited as he spoke to the point that she was practically vibrating by the time he finished, and she was nearly shouting when she responded.

"Yes! Phillip is my brother, or my granddad depending on which one you mean, grandad is retired though so you're probably after my brother. He's the head baker and I help out in the shop and do most of the admin for him. What do you need to talk to him about?"

"Actually, we're sort of business partners, the Whitepaw pack owns the bakery and since I've just taken up the Alpha mantle I'm here to introduce myself, and see what support we can offer and such."

"Awesome!! I'll go get him!" And with that she practically skipped into the back of the bakery. Isaac took a moment to look through the display cases and appreciate the effort put into the goods on display. Everything looked bright and appetising indeed, and the pricing was quite reasonable. Certainly better than the bakeries in the bigger city where he went to uni.

Isaac and Tia took a seat off to one side of the front room at some old but sturdy timber tables and chairs, the furniture like the rest of the store was aged but well cared for, so that the obvious wear and tear simply added character to the quaint little shop instead of looking run down. Even the arm rests on the chairs showed where countless hands and elbows had polished the surfaces over time.

His sharp hearing caught snippets of a conversation in the back room.

Dani asked "Why didn't you tell me we had shifters coming to visit!? This is incredible! An actual werewolf in our bakery!? Oh my God!?"

A deeper voice, presumably Phillip, responded coolly "I wanted to surprise you. Go shut the store, the lunch rush has petered off so we can close up for a bit and sit out front. I'll be out in a sec, get them whatever they want from the cabinets."

Quick footsteps announced Dani's return as she bounced out of the back room and around the counter toward the front door.

"I'll close up shop and we can sit down for a chat!" Without breaking stride she asked, "Can I make you two coffees or get you anything from the cabinet? Phil will be out in a minute." she finished as she flipped the sign on the door to display "closed" to the outside and latched the door shut.

Isaac and Tia had spent the morning driving around visiting several local businesses and hadn't stopped for lunch yet, so he asked for a steak and bacon pie, a cappuccino and a sliver of a chocolate and caramel slice.

Tia chose a bacon and cheese topped pastry that was wrapped around a hotdog, that looked and smelled amazing.

"Good choices! I really like the puff-dogs too." Daniel called over her shoulder as she started making coffees on the large stainless steel Italian style espresso machine.

As she was finishing up steaming the milk Phillip stepped out of the back room drying his hands on a towel.

"Alpha Whitepaw? It's nice to meet you, I'm Phillip and you've already met Dani."

Phillip stepped forward to shake Isaac's hand before taking a seat across from him at the table.

Phillip was taller than his sister, around six foot in height, with a thin rangy build and short dirty blonde hair. He wore a baker's apron that bore more than a little evidence of his profession, flour and other miscellaneous marks lined his long sleeves as well.

Dani delivered the coffee and food to the table, including some sourdough sandwiches for herself and Phillip before taking her seat next to her brother, between him and Tia.

"So, what can we do for you today Alpha Whitepaw? I'll admit I was a little shocked at your message out of the blue since the Whitepaw pack has been a silent partner since before I took over the bakery from my granddad." Phillip asked once they were all settled, and Isaac could smell his nervousness even if it wasn't obvious from his demeanour.

"Please call me Isaac or Zack, no need for formalities. We're here to introduce ourselves. I don't want to disrupt your business in any way, this place is lovely, truly, and now that I've taken up the Alpha mantle I just want to get to know the pack's business partners.

I'm sure the pack was more involved in things in the past but the Whitepaw may as well not have existed for the last decade and a half which explains why we've been absent."

Dani jumped in before Phil could speak, "Why was the pack "absent" though?"

Isaac took a bolstering breath before he answered. This was not the first time today that he'd explained the tragic events that had befallen the pack all those years ago. It didn't get any easier in the retelling but he was getting more familiar with discussing it, finding the right words to use, and keeping his emotions under control.

Phillip looked mortified and Dani was on the verge of tears when he finished his story, culminating in his recent decision to revive the Whitepaw pack.

"Those poor people. We learned about the demi-wars in school and some of the horrible things that happened, but to think this happened right on our doorstep is horrible. I'm so sorry you had to go through that." Dani commiserated.

Isaac smiled warmly at Dani, "My mates and I survived at least, and we're going to bring the Whitepaw back to its former glory." He paused and turned to Phillip, "We're committed to doing this, and the first step is to make sure our business partners have everything they need."

Phillip cleared his throat, "Well, the bakery is in good shape. We've been modernising our equipment bit by bit over the last five years or so and doing some more catering focused business lately. We have a part timer who works the mornings while Dani and I bake, and there's a local delivery driver we subcontract for catering and such. Ideally we'd add a full time employee to work the shop front, that would free up Dani or myself to grow the catering part of the business. It'll never be huge given we're not a big town but there's opportunity here and the work has been steadily increasing."

Isaac was nodding along. "That sounds reasonable, we can help with an injection of funds. Maybe enough to cover the first year of their wages, if that would help your confidence in bringing someone new in?

Oh, and I definitely want to get some regular deliveries for the pack lodge, fresh bread and such a couple times a week. Small amounts to start with but as the pack grows..."

Phillip's expression was torn between happiness and frustration, he visibly grit his teeth before responding, "As much as an injection of cash sounds great, I don't really want to be beholden to you Isaac. We've been doing good business, working hard and building up slowly, if we keep doing what we're doing we will reach the point of bringing someone on within a year.

We've worked hard to build the bakery up over the years since our father passed away, and it feels wrong to... I guess take a shortcut?"

That had isaac chewing his lip in consternation, Phillip was obviously a proud and hard working man. He couldn't help but notice from her exasperated glance that Dani didn't seem to agree with her brother.

"Phillip, not to put too fine a point on it but you're already beholden to the pack. I'd like to think that if the circumstances were different that the pack would have offered support much sooner. My only goal here is to see your business growing and thriving, what's good for you is good for us. As far as I'm concerned a reasonable cash injection right now would simply be tipping the scales back to level after years of inaction.

I can't force anything on you, but I would like you to seriously consider how we can accelerate your growth.

How about we leave it at that for the moment, you two can talk it over and come back to us later on?"

Dani interjected before her brother could speak, placing her hand on his arm and squeezing, "That sounds good to us Isaac, I've got your email and phone number so I'll get you set up with an account for the online order form; just fill out what you want delivered and we'll call if there's any issues."

They wrapped up their late lunch fairly quickly after that, Isaac dropped some cash on the table in spite of the siblings' protests and thanked them for their time.

Tia led the way through the cowbell ringing door once again and they walked the short distance towards his car. The last planned stop for their day was a moderately large car dealership that sold several vehicle makes from the one location.

Isaac picked out two large four wheel drive SUVs for himself and the girls and a light truck for Will to transport materials, it would be a week before they could take delivery but that was an acceptable delay. They didn't quite have the options he wanted in the cars on the lot but they had them in stock at an affiliated dealership.

He surprised the salesperson when he made it clear he would be buying the cars outright without financing and was able to secure a reasonable discount.

With their business concluded they returned to pack lands, and Isaac decided he needed to burn off some energy. Despite going between several meetings and such he'd spent most of the day with his bum in a seat, and felt like he needed a run.

"Why don't we run the boundary Isaac? It's a good distance but we have time, right?" Tia seemed pleased at the idea of stretching her legs as well. He and Tia parked at the lodge and Isaac took a moment to send a text to the girls to let them know his plans while Tia started to undress.

Tia was definitely not shy about giving Isaac an eye full, stripping her clothes off without a hint of embarrassment.

He couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate her toned body, she really did look like a gym instructor, or even a professional fighter. Not to say she was masculine or unattractive, she was stunning, it was clear she worked hard for her physique and she showed it off proudly with little more than a lifted eyebrow when she caught Isaac's lingering gaze.

He decided with her muted reaction and what he knew of her personality to just speak bluntly.

"You look fitter and stronger than some aspiring pro fighters I know, I'm looking forward to sparring with you tomorrow."

She smirked at that, "I hope you can keep up. You're looking a little soft."

Isaac barked out a laugh, he was in the best shape of his life with the daily training and morning runs. He could stand to spend a little more time lifting weights he supposed, he had actually trimmed down a little in the short weeks he'd been on the reservation. That said he seemed to drop any lingering fat instead of losing muscle mass, and his muscle definition was definitely improved.

He shed the last of his clothing and took a moment folding his pants over the balustrade on the side of the lodge, giving Tia a moment to look him over in return. She certainly didn't seem disappointed by what she saw.

"Shall we?" he asked as he shook out his shoulders. They shifted to their wolf forms and headed back up the driveway to the boundary to start a long circuit of the edge of their territory.

Tia's wolf was a light tan, almost creamy colour everywhere but a strip from her neck along her shoulders to her haunches that was a darker brown. She had a longer and shaggier looking coat than his mates, he wondered if that was a trait that was common in the Ironclaw pack. Despite the extra fur, her wolf was clearly well conditioned and strong as well, the movement of her leg and shoulder muscles sending her fur rippling in mesmerising waves as she ran alongside him.

Their run took them up and down hills, through open meadows and along the top of a short rocky cliff at one point near the lake. A lot of the ground they covered was new to Isaac, as much as he was familiar with the terrain from reviewing their maps, it was a very different experience actually being there and seeing it first hand.

After an hour and a half they took a short break at the northernmost edge of their territory.

Neither of them really needed a breather but they weren't in a hurry and Isaac sat leaning against a tree overlooking a valley that was quite picturesque.

Tia sat against the tree to his left, sitting upright and stiff, she seemed comfortable enough to talk a little about herself which Isaac was grateful for. He hoped to bring her around to his way of thinking about their packs' future, assuming she chose to stay, and the first step was simply to get to know each other.

They talked for a while, mostly about her role in the Ironclaw pack, what her missions and patrols looked like, the little bit of guard work she'd done off site and her lack of interest in any of the males in her pack. It seemed they thought her cold and dismissive, but Isaac thought that wasn't really accurate.

Sure, she wasn't particularly expressive compared to someone like Alexis or Bella, but he was starting to pick up on her body language and non-verbal cues already. When she was interested in something her gaze sharpened, when she was happy her lips pulled tight against her teeth but never quite made it into a proper smile and if she didn't like something one side of her nose would crinkle in the tiniest sneer he'd ever seen.

Otherwise, her posture and the way she moved seemed a little stiff but she moved deliberately, carefully, and always held her chin high.

They finished their run in time for dinner and Isaac noticed a missed call from an unknown number but left it until after they'd eaten to call back.

In the privacy of an upstairs room in the lodge he dialled the number and waited for an answer.

"Hello, Anora speaking." A mature feminine voice answered.

"Hello, this is Isaac Greymane, returning a missed call from this number?"

"Ah, Alpha Whitepaw, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Councillor Anora Stonetail of the shifter council.

I was calling to advise you that the Whitepaw pack has been ratified unanimously by the council and you should receive the confirmation paperwork in the coming days. Congratulations on this momentous occasion."

"Oh! Well, thank you, councillor. That's great news." Isaac left out a relieved breath, he didn't see any reason for the council to block the packs' reformation but there was always a chance it went poorly.

"Yes, it's heartening to see the Whitepaw rise again. In addition, the council has decided that a formal delegation should visit and discuss your pack standing with you at your earliest convenience. I would like to arrange a visit for Monday of next week if that suits you?"

"Of course, councillor, that would be fine. Do you want my pack present or will it just be myself you wish to meet?"

"I would like to stay with you for a few days and speak with your entire pack, but initially I think it would be a good idea to limit our initial meeting to yourself and one pack member as a ceremonial guard. You see, there is a complicating factor to the visit.

You see, my role with the council is something of an ambassador or liaison with other demi-human governments on the continent, and that is why I was delegated to meet with you.

This may be confronting for you but please, hear me out; You are no doubt aware that the Darkseeker coven of vampires was largely responsible for the decimation of your pack, and they were destroyed in the investigation and aftermath. However, there are some few members of that coven who were uninvolved or too young to be held accountable for their covens' actions.

One such Vampire youngling has been working under me for several years as a vampire-shifter liaison, she was little more than a child at the time of the attack as I understand you were.

The council in its wisdom has decreed that a vampire representative should attend as part of our delegation to deliver apology and recompense on behalf of the coven council."

Isaac could hardly hear Councillor Anora over the rushing of blood in his ears, the council wanted to send a vampire from the coven responsible for his family's murder to visit. His brain locked up and he felt his phone creaking in his hand as his grip tightened. Oblivious to his distress Anora continued.

"Annalise was selected to attend as she is one of the few tangentially involved Darkseeker Vampires remaining and in good standing with the shifter council.

I understand this may be something of an emotionally charged directive, but the council is clear on the necessity of continuing to restore good relations between demi-human concerns."

Isaac grit his teeth so hard they creaked audibly. "And if I refuse, councillor?"

Anoras' tone softened at his question. "Isaac, that would be a capital B, Bad idea. The council decided this unanimously, and will not take it well if you refuse. If you did so, there are sanctions they may put in place that would cripple your ability to restore and grow your pack.

Please understand that Annalise is innocent of any wrongdoing against your pack, she was a child and only involved insofar as her unfortunate birth into a coven of monsters.

I truly hope that you can separate your anger for her coven from her as a person. Those responsible for the massacre are either dead or wish they were, in the dark prison isolation they inhabit now.

You do not have to like her, or show her any kindness or understanding, but please, allow her to join me and deliver the coven council's apology."

"I..." Isaac unclenched his fists and took a few calming breaths to focus on relaxing his body that had tensed bowstring tight from head to foot.