Regina knocked on the door, and Atta opened it with a smile.
"Thanks for coming so quickly, Luce. I wanted to share this as soon as I found it. Mavis said you weren't down in the nursery today, so I figured any time would work."
She nodded and smiled at the large table full of papers. There were maps, pictures, and documents thrown about the room and surfaces. In the corner, a man could be seen through the laptop. He had pale skin and blond hair like Mavis.
"This is Pack Informer Aalbert Ridder of the Hendrix Pack up in northern Canada."
"Greetings, I'm glad I can help you, folks."
"He is part of a pack of Dutch descendants and knows more about the Gratis pack. He knows more than I ever did."
Regina and Atta sat down at the table and let Aalbert explain.
"Attalo is right; I actually met the Alpha of the Gratis pack. There was a ship full of werewolves from the Netherlands that landed in New York. No one knew anyone in America, so the group decided to stick together, later forming this pack."
"They crossed up into Canada and formed their pack. For years they traveled across Canadian mountains and forests. From what the Alpha said, they would spend some time down in Idaho if they needed more recourses they couldn't find here."
"Because they traveled and crossed out border so many times, we grew to be friends. We are the largest pack, covering most of Canada. They even trusted us enough to stay on our land to give birth to a pup. That also means we have records of the whole pack, up until they disappeared."
Hope started to grow in Regina's chest. Aalbert would show information and pictures, and they would finally know her family, where she came from, who she was.
"There were only three young girls in the pack matching Regina. One was a white wolf, a gray one, and a brown one. They never shifted; only the adults did. Is this your wolf?"
The man was replaced by a picture of a family of wolves. Two adults stood guard of two pups, one a mixed gray and the other was a dark green shade. The pups stood between the adult's legs, one white and blending into the snow and another gray with amber eyes.
"That's Regina, the gray pup. When her wolf steps forward, her eyes are amber."
Regina didn't know what to say. She just wanted to reach through the laptop and grab that picture. Her family was right there, inches away from her face. They had finally found her family.
Aalbert moved the paper so he could read the words at the top.
"According to our records, this is Marielle and Ollie Van Hoof with their two girls. They all came from the Netherlands. Congratulations, Regina, these are your parents."
There was a new paper featuring a man and woman; both had blonde hair and eyes varying shades of blue. They didn't look anything like Regina. Her hair was dark, and her eyes green, the opposite of these people.
Atta didn't say anything, and they turned to face each other. Without even talking, they both knew these people might have raised her, but they weren't her birth parents. That meant there were more questions and fewer answers.
"The problem is that we still don't know what happened to Gratis. About five years ago they just, never showed up. We thought they had either joined human society or found a pack to join. I'm sorry, but I don't have anything else for you."
Another dead end.
Regina smiled at Atta and left the room. What was she expecting, they would find her parents within a month of searching? Her hopes were raised too high, and now they were shattered. Maybe she would never see them; Regina would just have to stick with the family she had made for herself.
"Hey there, Regina! What did Atta need you for?"
Aisha came from nowhere and put her arm around Regina. The girl just shrugged off the arm and walked away. She didn't feel like dealing with Aisha's hyperactivity today.
Regina walked around, unsure where her feet were taking her. It wasn't until she saw the colorfully decorated door that she smiled. She had taken herself to the nursery.
She had a love-hate relationship with pups. They didn't listen and crossed all the lines she drew. But they were also cute, adorable, and irresistible. Who can say no to eyes like theirs?
Regina opened the door, and since school was out, kids of all ages were there. Pups whose parents worked a human job, those who didn't want to go home, or those who stayed until dinner. The back was where the school kids stayed; it was like a hangout.
In the main room, the smaller children gathered. Mavis said it was to make sure they didn't lose any little pups.
"Regina, I didn't expect you today."
She smiled at Mable and looked down at the girl in the woman's arms. Camila, the infant, was adopted by Jake and Leon. The baby gave Regina a smile and a coo.
Most of the kids were playing by themselves, so Regina stayed by Mable's side. It had taken some time, but after being brought to the nursery every day for two weeks, Regina was comfortable with the woman.
She liked being here. It was loud but not too much, just enough to distract Regina from her troubles. The pups usually didn't bother her; they gave her looks and stayed away. Regina was good with that; staying in the nursery wasn't better than being alone at home.
"Troubles, Regina? Atta said to make sure you were okay."
Of course, Atta told Mable. They worried about her too much. She was old enough to take care of herself; she wasn't a pup.
She was going to do something by herself and without telling Mavis or Atta. She would go to Aisha, and they would do, something. Regina didn't know what, but it would be cool.
Regina waved goodbye to Mable and left the room, running right into Aisha. The two groaned and took steps back; Aisha let out a laugh.
"I knew I would find you here, I know you are in a bad place, and you don't really want to talk or do anything, but I want you to know that I'm here for you and I want to support yo-"
Aisha just never stopped talking, so Regina covered the girl's mouth. Regina nodded, trying to make Aisha understand.
She then tried to talk, mumbling behind Regina's hand. Eventually, Regina took her hand away, and Aisha was able to speak.
"So, you want to do something?"
Another nod from Regina.
"Any idea of what you want to do?"
A shake of her head.
"So, you want to do something, but you don't know what. That means it's up to me."
Both drew a blank. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and school was out for the other kids. That meant wherever the two went, there would be tons of teens.
"I know it's going to be very crowded, but I know just the place. Come on!"
Aisha grabbed her arm and tugged her through the packhouse towards the garage. Regina was loaded up and buckled in before she could even blink. Thankfully, Aisha wasn't as crazy of a driver; sometimes, the drives were a little exciting, but not life-threatening.
"This trip is long overdue. You've been here almost a month, and no one has taken you out shopping. How did you manage to get away from that, I've heard that Mavis wanted to take you multiple times."
It's called sneaking away into the forest when Mavis asks if you're free.
"Anyway, I know there will be lots of people, so if you need a break or step outside, just tug on my shirt three times. But know that unless you do that, I won't let you leave until we get something for yourself."
Aisha glanced over, and Regina's heart started to pound. This girl had a strange look in her eyes, not that she was crazy, just very, very determined. Maybe she should have just stayed home.
****
Half an hour later, Aisha finally stopped the car in front of the largest building Regina had ever seen.
"Welcome to the Kalispell Center Mall. It's the best in the area and worth the long drive. Let's head on in."
Regina really should have stayed home.
Still, she got out and followed right behind Aisha; Regina was practically walking on Aisha's heels.
"High schoolers will come here to hang out; there are lots of shops, cafés, or places to go. With the high school just down the street, it's easy to come here."
Aisha continued to talk about the mall, high schoolers, and the things they were looking for. Regina didn't pay much attention; the mall was gigantic!
The hallways were wide enough for several warrior wolves to line up without a problem. Everything was while and clean until you got to a shop, then it was all colorful and decorated.
For the rest of the afternoon, Aisha took Regina all over the mall. They shopped for clothes, bedroom items, jewelry, and other random items. By the end, both girls were having a blast, laughing at stupid jokes and exhausted.
"Well, I think it's time to go." Aisha fell onto a bench, finally able to rest her feet.
Regina agreed and sat next to Aisha. It was like they had walked miles in the mall; it didn't seem like a lot until they were sitting down. The number of bags didn't help either.
After taking a few moments, they got up and started to walk back to the car. Along the way, Regina noticed a shop she hadn't on the way in. She stopped and tugged on Aisha's shirt, making her stop too.
"The Little Forest?"
The two walked closer, seeing intricate wooden figures in the main windows. Some were large, like old clocks or lawn decorations. But the small ones were what caught Regina's eye. There were a bunch of figurines that were the size of her fingernails! There were horses, sheep, lions, and even a tiny wolf. They were beautiful.
"Do you want to buy one? They don't look that expensive."
Regina nodded and went into the store, knowing Aisha would follow anyways.
"Hello, and welcome to the Little Forest. How may I help you today?"
There was a young girl at the counter, a teenager at least. She had long curly hair that was all over the place and excited brown eyes. She didn't seem upset that she was a kid running a mall store.
"Good afternoon, how much are those small figures in the window?"
The girl looked over to where Aisha was pointing and gave another smile.
"It depends on which one, the smaller and more detailed, are more expensive. If it's simple it would be around ten dollars."
Aisha continued talking to the young girl while Regina wondered about the store. Bears, trees, foxes, it seemed like they could make any animal out of wood. And they all seemed so lifelike; the bird seemed to be real and staring at her.
In the very back, near a door, Regina noticed an almost empty shelf. There were things like a simple clock, a rhino, and a duck. There wasn't a lot of detail; they were actually quite plain.
"My brother makes those."
Regina jumped at the voice, and the girl hurried to apologize.
"Sorry, I often don't think before I speak. My uncle or professional woodcarvers do everything else in the shop. My brother got involved a while ago, and these were the first things he carved. He has done some cool things like my uncle, but he won't sell them, he only puts up easy carvings."
"Do you carve?" Aisha added in.
The girl's face grew red, and she nodded.
"I do, but it's not very good. My hands shake; my sister and brother are much better than me. So, I stay in the front, and they go to the backroom to carve."
Regina went over to the clock and inspected it more. It was shaped like a tree, the trunk going up the middle with branches on either side. The numbers were part of the branches, and there was a bird in the tree. She didn't have a clock in her room yet.
"That one is only seven dollars, it's easy and simple, so it doesn't cost much. Do you want to buy it?"
Regina nodded and followed the shop keeper as she picked the clock up and took it back to the main counter.
"Seven dollars as promised, we add the tax to the price." She smiled and handed the bag over the counter to Regina. "Thank you for shopping, and please come again!"
Regina didn't know why she did that. The shop, the small items in the back. There wasn't a reason; she just felt drawn to the shop. That was strange.
"Now we go home. I swear if I walk any further, I'll lose feeling in my toes. My thighs are already burning. Who needs training? Just go walk the mall four times, and you're good."
The drive seemed much quicker, and they were home before Regina expected it. The whole time she was watching the clock. It seemed to draw her in, did it have some magic or something? Was that a thing?
"Regina, Regina."
She looked up to see Aisha staring at her.
"Mavis and Atta are inside. Are you okay? You seem very distracted."
Regina just smiled and nodded. If she told anyone what she felt, they would all think she was a freak. Who would be that fascinated about a clock?
Pulling out all the bags, the two went into the packhouse. Aisha was right; Mavis and Atta were waiting with frowns on their faces.
"I was told by Aisha here that you guys were going out for fun hours ago. So, you didn't think of telling us that you were leaving or where you were going? What if you had gotten attacked or lost?"
Regina stared at the floor as Atta and Mavis took more of her bags. No one spoke after Mavis scolded her, and Aisha disappeared in an instant. She was in trouble now, Mavis was right.
Back home, they took the bags to Regina's room before going to the kitchen. Regina sat on a stool while the adults were on the other side of the counter.
"I'm not mad, Luce."
She looked up and saw Mavis giving a smile. She wasn't?
"I don't like that you left without saying anything or where you were going. But I couldn't be happier. You chose by yourself; you went someplace without Atta or me, and you had fun. You got to be a normal teenager, and I'm glad."
Then Atta spoke, serious once again. "But if you leave without telling us where you went, you'll be grounded. We want you to have freedom, but you can't give us a scare like that."
Regina looked between the two and noticed Atta looked more freaked out and angry than Mavis did. Mavis was with Mable in the nursery; she probably heard and saw Aisha. On the other hand, Atta had told her that they still didn't know where she was from, and then she had left. That seemed scarier from Atta's point of view.
Regina slid off the stool and walked around the counter, startling them all by hugging Atta. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight to his chest.
While she moved around Mavis peacefully, Atta's large form scared the girl. She didn't want to; Atta was so sweet, he even spoke softly.
This was the first time they had hugged, and Regina was the one that started it.
"We love you, Mavis, and I. We don't want to lose you."
As if she could ever leave such a warm and safe place. Regina knew she would stay; her family was right here.
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