Fox was left alone. Without an Alpha, without an Alpha’s mate, and without a Beta. He’d had short periods of alone time before, but only when traveling between where he was ordered to go. Now, though, he had no destination. 

Fox was accustomed to this. He thought over his options. He could travel around town to better gauge its layout, he could head to Leyra’s house and take a nap before dinner, or he could simply wander aimlessly and see what else the pack’s territory contained. 

As much as he had walked today, he wasn’t tired. He could try for a nap, but he’d most likely end up simply lying in bed, sleep evading him, and he’d get up for dinner feeling like he’d wasted precious time again. 

He decided to make use of his loosened leash and explore. Part of him remained aware that this might be a test, Rishima’s way of seeing what Fox would do without direction or surveillance. This was another chance for Fox to prove that he could be trusted.

Fox took in his surroundings. He didn’t want to spend more time in town than he needed to, and the map was enough, so he turned toward a road he hadn’t yet traveled. It forked off from the road that led up to the housing sector.

Fox strolled along. He took his time, appreciating the fact that he didn’t have any tasks to do or Alphas to be wary around. He gazed up through the tall oak trees that lined the road, and found that the wind had carried some grey clouds over. It only seemed like enough to sprinkle, though, not fully rain, so Fox didn’t worry. He kept his jacket on, though. 

The road wound lazily through the forest that inhabited the territory. Fox listened to bird calls and scrabbling squirrels. He spotted a few deer hidden amongst the trees. His footfalls were light enough that they didn’t hear him, and continued to graze without worry. 

Fox noticed that no one drove down this road, in either direction, and no one was walking along it like he was. It was a narrow dirt road, not a two lane asphalt one, so Fox assumed it was merely a larger pathway to some other sector he had yet to see. 

As he came around a bend, he found a signpost and two brick pillars that supported an iron gate, as well as an iron fence that mingled with the trees and shrubs. The signpost read “Cemetery.” The dirt road turned into it, and a smaller foot traffic path branched off ahead of him. 

Fox paused and took a peek through the gate. It wasn’t locked, just closed. He wanted to respect the area where they laid their dead to rest, though, so he didn’t enter.

Fox didn’t think this pack had suffered through many losses. Surely not enough to truly understand how it changed a person, and not enough to hold any sympathy for the lone wolves who’d experienced grief. As he observed the cemetery and its size, he was partially proven right. He peered through the bars at the closest tombstones. By the dates etched into the stones and the type of names he saw, it seemed like most of their dead had died of old age. 

Fox couldn’t help himself; he opened the gate and entered. The cemetery held no living occupants aside from him, so he had free reign to peruse every tombstone there. He read the dates of each one he could find, and most of them were elderly werewolves. Only a few belonged to younger werewolves, a couple dying from sickness and one dying by suicide. 

Fox stopped at that one. He read the name. “Kat Gallegos, Beloved and Deeply Missed Daughter.” Underneath that, a line read “Your suffering went unnoticed for too long. We will never forgive ourselves.” He read the dates below that, and found that Kat had only been 17 when she committed. 

Seventeen. Fox’s heart gave a sudden painful lurch, and he turned away. He walked out of the cemetery before the reminder of death grew too much for him.

He closed the gate behind him and took a deep breath. Fox hated fighting, but he hated death more. He hated the absence of a life, the emptiness a person could leave behind and never fill again. 

He didn’t want to stay here, so he continued his stroll. He went down the smaller walking trail that broke off from the narrow dirt road, tall grass brushing his calves and soft soil accepting his weight. This trail took him a good amount of time to travel. The foliage grew thicker here, and he could barely see the sky above him through the canopy. 

After about half an hour of strolling, Fox found himself walking into a very tiny clearing paved by large flat stones, and he spotted a glass door, completely covered in vines. He looked around and discovered that a large building was hidden in the plant life, the walls and roof made of glass, like a conservatory or a greenhouse. There was no signpost stating what this building was.

Fox tilted his head and stepped up to the building. He cupped his hands around his eyes and peered through the glass to get a look inside. He could barely see anything through all the moss and vine leaves. The glass itself was also very dirty.

He caught the scent of something reptilian. He wondered if this was just a nature sanctuary that had once been frequented a lot, but wasn’t anymore. This building appeared nearly abandoned, unkempt and forgotten.

Curiosity willed him to look inside. He tried the handle of the door and found it locked. Fox made a sound of disappointment. He didn’t have his lock picking tools with him, but he could always just break the door handle. He didn’t think anyone would notice a broken door all the way out here, with this building as hidden as it was. 

He debated risking it. None of the Alphas had mentioned this building, so he didn’t think they utilized it. He sniffed around the area and studied the earth. He could see old tracks in the dirt, and the faintest, faintest smell of werewolves. But neither were fresh. Maybe a maintenance person came out here just to make sure the building wasn’t a hazard or housing any trespassers. It was probably only kept locked to keep mischievous teenagers out.

Fox decided he was allowed one rebellious act. He gripped the door handle tight and wrenched it. The metal inside the door broke, and the handle fell apart. He tugged the handle out and dug his fingers in the hole, taking out the rest of the mechanism. With no jamb in place, the door creaked inward. Fox stashed the broken parts in the foliage just next to the doorframe. 

He cautiously pushed the door open. Its rusted hinges squeaked. Fox poked his head in and looked around. The building was surprisingly humid, warm moist air wafting over his face. There were tall trees that reached all the way to the ceiling, but they weren’t oak or sycamore or pine like the usual trees he’d seen. Their bark was different, and long thick vines hung down from their branches. Wide-leaved ferns covered the floor, and flowers he’d never seen before grew in haphazard fashion throughout the building.

So it was a conservatory after all. One for tropical plants, it seemed, judging by the humidity and exotic nature. Fox assumed it had once been for casual educational purposes, like going to the zoo or aquarium. He wondered why it had been neglected.

Fox stepped inside. He inhaled deeply, gathering as many scents as he could. He smelled reptiles again, stronger this time, as well as the musk from freshwater and the aroma of all the different flowers. Fox wondered if this conservatory housed any snakes, or any other wildlife. 

He made sure to be careful and alert as he stepped inside. He didn’t want the environment to become disrupted by the difference in air, so he eased the door closed behind him, or as closed as it could get in its current state. There were small stone pathways that wound around throughout the conservatory, partially covered by overgrown undergrowth. He followed them as he gazed at all the new plant life around him.

As he walked, he would come across small pedestals that provided information on the plantlife. He stopped and read them, interested. As he came across more and more of those pedestals, he wished the pack hadn’t cast aside this place. It was genuinely comforting to him, someplace new and fresh and full of life. 

Fox heard something rustle the leaves beside him. He froze, listening. He was deep inside the conservatory at this point, and he hadn’t come across any animals. But maybe they were hiding among the plants. 

Fox peered through the leaves. He couldn’t make out what was hidden beneath them, but he knew something was moving. He stepped back, but as he did, he heard rustling just ahead of him as well. He darted his gaze to where some of the wide leaves were swaying, and he saw a series of patterned scales. Mostly black, or dark green, with dull yellow rings. Fox watched as it slithered between the leaves. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw more movement. He looked up to his right and saw the body of a giant snake, slithering over a branch of one of the trees, high above the ferns and flowers that grew below. 

Fox tried to follow the trail of the snake, searching for its head. The body wound around a trunk and another branch, and draped across to another tree behind him. As Fox turned in a slow circle, head tilted back to see the trees above him, he saw that the snake was incredibly well camouflaged, blending in with the shade of the leaves and the color of the foliage. If it hadn’t begun moving, Fox wouldn’t have seen it at all. 

The body grew thicker, wider, causing his eyebrows to rise in astonishment at its size, and then— the snake blended with the torso of a man.