Tuesday: 10/3/07 Sydni was surprised with herself. She was relatively calm considering she didn't know exactly what to expect from this meeting. She had moments when she felt a flurry of butterflies in her stomach, but for the most part, she was felt confident about this meeting with Fenrir. Perhaps some of what was the knowledge that Cassandra had shared - that he was genuinely sorry. It made it easier for her to try and see things from his perpective. What he had said was still unacceptable, and she felt a little sick every time she thought about it, but he was not used to interacting with humans it seemed. It was strange - even though his gift would have frightened her if she hadn't known it was coming, it made perfect sense to her, in a magickal sense. Rabbits were peaceful animals, so they would bring peace. And deer were strong, so the deer heart would bring strength. She had called her father for advice on preparing them already. She still couldn't bring herself to eat raw meat when her human mind was in control.
She sat at her desk, working on the computer, as she waited for her guest. She had returned Molly to her room earlier. If things did not turn out well, she didn't want her pup to be frightened, or injured. To be honest, she wasn't exactly sure how Molly would react. She had never been around anyone Sydni had felt threatened by, so perhaps the pup would turn aggressive. That was the last thing she wanted. For about the hundredth time, she checked the open doorway. She was anxious. Just not terrified, as she had been.
---
His miniature vacation had done him well. Reflecting on the reasons for his latest string of anger, he was comforted in having solved the dilemma and returning to a relatively calm state. He had been doing an injustice to his former pack, giving the impression that nature were's were nothing but balls of anger. It was not the alpha thing to do, and he wanted to try to rectify that mistake.
He was glad that his gift had been well received, not that he particularly cared if she had not received it well. It was the best he could do, and just because he was trying not to be an embarrassment didn't mean he was going to turn into a vegetarian full of sunshine and rainbows. With that thought he came in front of her office and breathed in deep, preparing himself. He caught a whiff of a dog and cringed. It was a strange subject for him, dogs. Not letting himself get distracted, he walked into her office, and took a seat from across her without waiting for any sort of acknowledgment. She had invited him after all.
"So you got my gift. I'm glad it reached you safely. I believe we have some discussing to do."
---
Sydni looked up quickly when he entered, and then offered him a smile as she set aside her work, though any perceptive person would be able to see that her smile lacked something. Her smile still didn't reach her eyes. Her door was open because she welcomed guests. She certainly didn't have the gumption to go out and meet people, so she left the invitation for others to come to her.
"I did. Thank you. They're in my freezer until the end of the month." At his final statement, she nodded. "We do. I think we've had a misunderstanding." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I'm sorry for striking you. I should never have taken our argument to a physical level." She meant what she said - she had no right to strike another person, except in self-defense. She had felt justified in doing so, and even now she felt that of all situations, that may have been the one for her to be the aggressor. Still, she was genuinely sorry for her juvenile and irresponsible actions. She didn't expect an apology in return - he had already done so with the gesture of his gift. But she hoped he could give her some insight into his motivations.
---
He shook his head but held his tongue at seeing the smile that didn't reach her eyes. He had never understood faking emotions and it was not a habit he was going to adopt anytime soon, so he simply kept the relaxed glaze upon his face. He nodded as she talked of a misunderstanding and thought about how far he really should take the apology. Even an Alpha could admit when they had been wrong, in fact that was what made for the best Alpha's. No being was perfect.
"You shouldn't apologize for that. I goaded you and it was nothing less than I deserved. I think I am the one who has some explaining to do. There were events that led to my anger that day, and of course the full moon amplified an anger that was very different. I think one of the students can affect others emotions."
He brushed his hand across his head, rustling the short hairs on top of it. He was struggling just a bit to phrase his sentences, fighting with his want to make things right against his urge to just storm out and tell her to accept it. Words were not his favorite means for apologizing, he would have preferred to hunt and let her have the choice picks, but that was part of his world. It wouldn't be a true apology if he didn't make the effort.
"There are also things from my past you remind me of. I reacted strongly and I should not have toyed with you, but I also felt I was doing something to make up for a mistake I made a long time ago."
---
It wasn't that she was faking an emotion. Smiling was her way of welcoming him into her space - there was nothing fake about that. But, she could not be happy. It wasn't in her spirit right now.
At his revelation that a student might have been toying with his emotions on that day, a look of shock, followed by one of near rage, crossed her face. She composed herself quickly, but inside she was roiling. That was toying with free will, and despite her timid nature, she was fiercely independent and strong willed. It was something she felt was wrong at the core of her being. Her greatest fear, real fear, was to watch the world around her devolve into a world of tyranny and dictatorship. It had happened before in history. "Do you think it was intentional?" she asked calmly. If it was beyond the student's control, it would not do to react harshly.
The brunette really could understand the problem with words. She felt very deeply and words seemed so limiting. She had a hard time putting her feelings into words, and that was part of her timidity. She never could really figure out how to get out the proper words to express what she wanted to say. Perhaps he would be surprised to discover that she spoke better in actions, too.
Sydni listened to his words carefully, and frowned slightly. She didn't deserve to be punished for a mistake he had made. But he obviously knew that, or he wouldn't have said anything; there was no reason to prostelytize. They lycan firmly believed that kindness was required in correcting a behavior. She had done it effectively in her work, and while straight behaviorism rarely worked on people, some of what it showed could certainly be used. There was a long pause as Sydni carefully thought of what she wanted to say. "What is it that you meant to tell me? What mistake were you warning me away from?" It was her olive branch, her way of showing she was willing to step into his world.
---
"In this school who can tell. Maybe it was intentional, maybe they have no control. I have suspicions but without proof I won't make accusations." He was thrown off by her rage, not used to seeing such fast changes of emotion. It made him wonder which part of her really was stronger, her timid side or the wolf raging within. "Either way, I will be prepared for it now that I've had time to reflect on the feeling."
He took the pause to think of how much he could tell her. There were some things he would never share, more for avoiding the memories than for avoiding showing weakness. It was too late for that now. As she asked he felt he was ready to do at least some explaining.
"I don't know if Mikhail explained to you, but the reason I'm here is that my old pack was murdered. Annihilated. And the reason for that was someone like you. She even looked similar to you which made my anger all the worse. A foolish pup changed her, chasing his foolish idea of love, thinking he could change her and have her understand our ways without the rest of the packs aid. He couldn't. She shifted and got out of control and murdered two girls from a nearby town. The people were furious, and took fresh kills and...poisoned the meat. We had never encountered such a thing, and knew humans were wasteful creatures so we all ate. And I was the only one to survive besides the girl who started it all. She had fled after the moon, so she was not around to reap the punishment for her actions."
He wasn't sure if he should tell her the next part but he had to. She needed to know what he'd had to do. Even if he had to speak more than was comfortable.
"As the last member of the pack remaining it was my responsibility to deal with her. To make sure that the untrained wolf wasn't allowed to expose our secrets and cause further harm to other wolves. I had to...well you can guess. And she was like you. She couldn't come to grasp with her beast. Even when I was closing in and she knew what I was to do, she wouldn't let her wolf take over without a fight. So in my anger you...triggered that memory. You have to understand, the only way I was ever taught control was punishment for lack of it. I forgot my place and tried to teach you my own way. I forget there is a reason I do not teach the classes on beast control."
---
The young woman really was a contradiction of expectations. She was timid, but passionate. Many people were surprised when her passions were released - they thought her timidity was indicative of a lack of passion. She did her best to keep herself invisible, and that was why she hid her passionate nature so well. The less attention she drew, the better. Of course, she also had made a mistake in her assumptions about Fenrir. It was only when two people knew each other well that they could understand each other on any level.
Mikhail had not told her Fenrir's story. Perhaps he felt it was too personal to share on a third person basis, or perhaps he knew how close it really was to her own story and he wanted to spare her the turmoil. She listened carefully to his story, but when she realized how much she was like the woman from his past, pain clearly etched itself across her face. Her hand, trembling, covered her mouth when he revealed what she had done. They were identical, herself and this woman. Closing her eyes, she tried to keep back the tears. They weren't just for herself either - the two young girls, the villagers, Fenrir, his pack - she felt for them all. There were so many errors and any one avoided could have spared the suffering that had occurred.
As he explained his duty, she felt a mix of emotion. Sydni was ever the optimist, believing in the good of people. If the woman had been taught, had been showed mercy, perhaps she could have turned into the wolf Fenrir wanted her to be. But, at the same time, could he really risk the same mistake again? It was not really her place to judge, so she didn't. She just felt the conflicted responses. When he finished his tale, her face burned with the shame that she was just like this woman, and her face was drawn with the pain of knowing what she had done. Would Fenrir deem her worthy of the same fate? Part of her was willing to accept this. There was that bottle of silver nitrate from the chem lab on her bureau. She wasn't consciously thinking of ending her own life, but it was there just in case. As a last resort, if the wolf threatened to come out in a rage. She would protect the innocent in that way if she had to. And the innocent included other wolves. Fear caused the worst in humans - Holocaust death camps, Japanese internment, the Burning Times - and that was against their own kind. How many predators had been hunted to near extinction? Her passion for sharks left her all too familiar with what humans could do to an "other" they deemed dangerous. Sydni would never let others be victim to her mistakes. Never again.
For a long while, she simply stared at her desk, but when she finally met his eyes, they were pained but steady. She was firm in her resolve. "We are more alike than you know, this woman and I. That is why I am here. I thought I had an understanding with my wolf, but I was very, very wrong." Perhaps the young lycan was being unfair to herself. Unlike the other woman, she was trying to do everything in her power to understand this new part of herself. She was not running away.
---
It made him uncomfortable to see so much pain in her. Uncomfortable both for the reason that it was an both intense weakness, but also intense trust to be so open with ones feelings. And uncomfortable because she had just admitted to being as dangerous as the one he had personally eliminated all those years ago. It made his head swim, trying to sort out what his responsibility truly was. This world was completely different from his own, and the situation was completely different than the one that had taken place so long ago, but still he could feel a part of himself that was struggling to convince him to take action, the same action he had before. A part of him warned him it was too dangerous to let her live if she had the same potential that the girl had. But he also knew that there had been no schools like this back then. That she was out in the open about what she was, where as the other girl had been hidden from the other wolves. No, it was a different situation all together.
"If you are like her, have done things such as her, I hope you do find the strength to control yourself."
He was trying to be good so he left out the fact that if she failed he would take it upon himself to rectify the problem. If she failed he would never believe that the wolf could be contained by anyone who hadn't been born one. Even with Mikhail's overwhelming success he wasn't sure about that man either, with the way he couldn't shift into a full wolf, only the half-wolf half-man war form. It was unfair to put such a burden on her, but the coincidences were too great. If she failed, he would have to relive all his buried memories again.
"You are lucky to have Mikhail to aid you. He understands the human side far more than I do. I didn't start trying to be human until I was already sixty."
---
Sydni would have argued that it wasn't a weakness, but then, it was clear the two would disagree on many points. She wouldn't have called it trust, either. It was her nature to have this strong emotion; perhaps it was why she shied away from others, to keep it hidden. Undoubtedly, that was a part of it. While he pondered this new revelation, the lycan held her breath subconsciously. She knew it would cause him much concern. At his words, she nodded gravely. Even if he did not intend for it to be there, she heard the veiled threat in his words. She needed to have the strength to control herself, or he would take care of her problem for her, just as with the other woman.
At the mention of her newfound mentor and friend, Sydni's face warmed considerably, and a faint smile played on her lips. It almost reached her eyes, even, a considerable feat with the sadness that seemed to constantly lie there. "Yes, I am," she agreed. She had already developed a strong fondness for her friend and protector. He was kind to her, and truly seemed to understand what she was experiencing. He had not turned to her with anger, as Fenrir, or sadness, as Charlie. She was truly lucky to have him. At his last words, though, a confused expression crossed her face. The man before her looked human. He may have considered himself a wolf first, but how could have not practiced being human in some respect for all those years? To her, it seemed counterproductive to shut off one part of yourself - she knew from experience that it only caused problems.
---
It was strange, to have turned around so much in a week, but he had learned things in this school were volatile, one of the main things that kept him here. He enjoyed the chaos, a lone wolf got bored after so long being alone and it kept him on his toes. So when he saw her grow happy at the mention of Mikhail, it almost made him feel something akin to happiness as well. The slightest of twitches in the corner of his lip, hardly noticeable at all. Mikhail was a good choice for the students. He understood a little of both worlds.
As for himself, he knew anyone who had lived as a human their whole lives would never understand shutting that part off, or even how to, but for him it was natural. Even among his pack, whenever they weren't literally wolves, they were behaving like them. In all his years he had just never wanted to learn how to be more human than was necessary. He didn't feel like he was missing out on anything, just that he would never fit in. But he didn't want to fit in. Or at least, not in any way he would admit.
"Who knows, maybe next Full Moon I can show everyone how I feel it should be celebrated. It is a shame you all fear it, we used to turn every Full Moon into a party, we would dance and sing and then when the moon rose we would hunt and at the end of the night we would-" He cut himself off there, remembering the last reaction to his mentioning what generally happened during the time of the moon. "But maybe it would help the students and yourself if you tried to view that time as something to be celebrated rather than a curse?"
---
Sydni did want to fit in. But not for reasons most people did. Not fitting in meant she stood out, and that was the last thing she wanted. She had spent a good deal of her life being invisible. It had been hard in school earning recognition for her academic performance. In high school, she had asked teachers to please not recognize her in public, which had baffled some, but others understood. She often waited until passing time to ask questions simply because she couldn't speak in front of the class. She had come a long way since then, but she still didn't want to draw extra attention to herself.
The lycan did want to celebrate the moon. It was part of her faith anyway, though she could no longer practice Esbats on the night of the full, she did want to regain a part of what had been lost to her. She had been ready to, that night. She had felt excited all day, and she didn't know if it was her human side or her wolf. But what had happened instead... It was like seeing a dear friend at the door, and opening it only to be kicked in the stomach. She listened to what he said, and her face turned very somber. After a moment, she spoke.
"I used to celebrate the moon. I am a Witch, a Wiccan," she explained, to differentiate herself from the witches here. "Silver is a sacred metal in my faith and now I can't even touch it. I'm not saying I will never see this as something other than a curse, but it was very hard at first. I thought I was ready to celebrate it, to be out in the wild and enjoy it... But I was wrong," she finished. To be honest, there was a very wild streak, deep within her soul. Sometimes she thought there was Romani blood in her Italian heritage. She wanted to dance freely in the moonlight, out in the wild, open spaces of the world. Or perhaps that was just her witchy ways. "But you are right, Fenrir - it is better for us not to look at it as a curse," she smiled slightly.
As for the mating that occurred on the full, that would not have bothered her. It had only bothered her before because it had sounded like a threat. Her faith celebrated the union of the male and female, unlike some other faiths. The Great Rite was performed symbolically at every ritual, and could be used for very powerful magic when performed in actuality. His sudden pause drew a curious look from her. What was it he thought she couldn't handle? There was nothing more frustrating to a scientist than a secret.
---
He had very little knowledge when he came to religious and spiritual practices. He was familiar with his own customs, but beyond that, none of them applied to him personally.
"Hmm, silver. I never encountered it until a few years ago. Metals of any kind have never been of importance to me. But perhaps it is an allergy that can be overcome? As I said it's not something I am familiar with."
He was surprised to hear that Full Moon was a time of celebration for her as well. It was strange to think that they had more in common than he had originally thought. And now he was curious. What had happened to her this Full Moon? "What happened during this Full Moon? Was it our disagreement?"
He would honestly feel bad if he had spoiled it for her. He had assumed she had no tie to the moon and was growing more surprised as he actually sat down and chatted with her. At the curious look he decided to simply be open about things. There was no point hiding it.
"We used to all join together at the end of Full Moon, when we would revert to our human selves. It was the most wonderful union a mated pair could experience, to love one another in the presence of the rest of the pack loving each other. Those without life mates would battle right before the peak of full moon for rights to each other. Male versus Male and Female versus Female. Sometimes even female against male, if one disagreed with who had won the top position. But life mates were beyond that ritual. Once a pair was bonded together, there was no argument. Not even the Alpha could take a female who was bonded to another wolf. But it was a long process and did not happen with all the wolves. Generally only the top three wolves ever bonded, the alpha, the beta, and their body guard."
---
Frowning, Sydni answered, "I doubt it..." and removed the pentacle ring from her middle finger on her right hand. There was a clearly visible blackened scar that fit perfectly the shape of her ring. "I was wearing a silver ring on the first night I changed. Now it's white gold."
"No, no, not this full moon. The last. When I..." Her voice had grown soft, and she had to pause. "The first time I shifted outside of school walls since my first transformation," she finished. Now every full moon felt tainted by blood. It wasn't his fault at all. Well, she had been all the more frightened this full because of what he had said, but it had been more because she couldn't trust her wolf, more than because of him, exactly.
Sydni, too, was surprised at what she had learned from him. She would always disagree on some things, but she could at least understand his point of view now.
When he explained, the young woman couldn't contain the color that rose to her cheeks. She was a private person, and to her it was the most intimate act between any two people, and the thought of being joined like that in front of others brought a flush to her face. In her faith, there were some who did perform ritual sex magic in circle with others. Sydni might not have felt uncomfortable in such a situation - it was a place of perfect love and perfect trust. But she had never been with anyone who would participate in a ritual with her like that; nor had she ever found a coven to practice with in perfect love and perfect trust. Aside from the fighting, the lycan thought what he described was quite beautiful. Even the fighting... Well, it was a ritual of its own, and she did understand it. "It must have been an incredible experience..." she murmured. Feeling a twinge of jealousy, she wondered about the young pack-less students here. Some had no one, had been rejected by family. It would be good for them to have some support.
Without thinking, she asked, "What were you? In the pack?" Suddenly realizing the potentially callous nature of her question, her eyes widened and she amended, "Oh, you don't have to say. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked..." With that, she worried her ring, which had been returned to its spot on her hand. Her stupid mouth sometimes opened before her brain could catch up.
---
He gazed at the scar in wonder. He had plenty of battle scars, but to see one so distorted sent a shiver up his spine. He had not been aware of the true danger of silver to their kind. He nodded in acknowledgment at her fear of the moon. He didn't understand it, having been affected by it since he was first born, but he supposed it would be a frightening thing without the control of a more experienced wolf. He almost burst out laughing when she blushed, however. It was an emotion that didn't make sense to him, shame of nudity, of sex. There had been no privacy in his world. He had been quite confused the first time he entered a house and found it partitioned into rooms separated by doors.
"At the time I didn't think it was all that special. I mean, it was the only life I knew. But after living among humans so long it really was incredible. There was far less disputes than humans who are afraid to stand up for themselves and let what's theirs be taken without a fight." He held out his hand and showed a jagged scar across his own ring finger with a smirk. "That one I got when I wouldn't stop pestering my brother. He surprised me, I'd always been the more dominant one so I didn't think he'd fight back that hard, but he got me good."
He shook his head, indicating that it wasn't a bad question, but his smile still faded away, returning him to his cool and composed nature. "I was the beta. I could have been the alpha, my father was getting old in his years, almost 150 by then, and I was strong enough to take all challengers, but I just couldn't picture trying to take his position from him. I knew he wouldn't back down without a fight when I was that young, just to teach me a lesson in managing the pack and that even your closest family had to be kept in line. And traditionally their are only two ways to become an Alpha. Either the Alpha grows too old and steps down when he's challenged for his spot by a younger, stronger wolf, or the Alpha is overthrown in battle, which is almost always to the death. But it's rare for the Alpha to be overthrown, and that was only in the legends of my people. Only when the Alpha failed to uphold his agreement with the pack is he ever in danger of being challenged. He is respected and honored because he places the well being of the pack above the well being of himself. Something that I have forgotten in my years."
---
He would have been shocked, then, to see her only a few months ago. Skittish enough to jump at the touch of another's hand. Charlie had done a great deal to move her forward to less timid behavior. And talking about sex would have scared her clean out of a room. It was strange that she was so shy about it with strangers, when she was quite insatiable when she had a lover. Despite their rocky relationship now, Charlie had done a great deal for her. More than he probably knew.
Sydni couldn't help but to frown again when he spoke of humans letting others walk all over them. She didn't think he meant it as a jab at her, but it could be taken that way. She did know what he meant though. Certain recent legislation scared the crap out of her, and she couldn't understand how people didn't seem to feel the same way. They just let their rights be taken from them. Still, she could understand the helplessness some felt. It was like watching the world fall apart around you, and everyone was insane except you. It was frightening.
When he told her the story of how he earned his scar, she couldn't help but to laugh, an honest sound. Her laugh was always genuine. "I can imagine that," she murmured, still smiling softly.
As he explained the position of the Alpha, and his own position, she listened intently. Much of it was akin to the heirarchy of a natural wolf pack, so she wasn't surprised. Nor did she think it cruel, as some other humans might. Her scientific experience allowed her to look at it in context. Still, her heart couldn't help but to twinge at the thought of taking the life one's father. Luckily, she saw that it only occurred in the most dire situations. At his admission, she asked softly, "How so?" From what she knew of him now, he did not seem like a selfish man.
---
He knew his opinion of humans was probably less than what they deserved, but his own circles of human companions was less than a full understanding. He had grown to know those traveling groups of hippies he resided with in the sixties, the hunters who had annihilated his own pack, and the random people he encountered in his travels, but beyond that, this school was his first immersion in a varied and complicated human society. Still he enjoyed being surprised by people who proved to be more than his initial expectations, and when they didn't, it simply solidified his opinion that on the whole, humans were less than dominant creatures.
He was glad his story amused her, more for the fact that it meant she wasn't uncomfortable with the rougher parts of a true werewolf life. Other people had been shocked when they'd heard the edited version, as he was at least wise enough to know not to admit to being a werewolf to normal human society. The ones who weren't different were quick to dismiss his upbringing as brutish and wrong, and it was those groups he grew tired of quickly.
At her question he felt it right to explain it to her. To try to make her understand his actions the past few weeks. "I put my own desire to scare the wolf out of you before your needs as a human. I forgot my place and put my own desires before your own. The same with some of the students over the past weeks. I have been using anger and aggression before understanding and nurturing. It's really not too different from being a teacher, except an Alpha gets to bite his students when they don't behave. But it's not unneeded violence or goading. I just forget that a lot has changed in a hundred years. No offense, but you and the students are more fragile than people from times past. I tried to instantly change you which was wrong. Even I wasn't born with immediate control over myself, I was both nurtured and punished to get to the state of control I have now. I just had the opposite problem that you all have. I had to learn how to control my human self and keep myself in this state rather than a wolf state. It may surprise you to know that in my pack, as soon as we were born from our mothers in human form we turned into wolves and stayed in that state until we were a few months old. It's why I have such control over myself and can shift individual parts of myself. It's not shifting for me, it's reverting to a more natural state."
It was strange to be talking so much, but he enjoyed it. He had never been able to be so open about his own state of wolf, not since leaving his pack. And he had been a bit of a loner, even when arriving at the school.
---
Sydni had to laugh at his comparison. "Some students deserve to get bitten, I think," she admitted. Peyton was causing as many problems as ever. And apparently the honeymoon period was over with her students - others had started acting up. The young woman often wondered if she would make a good teacher. She was not used to dishing out discipline. Perhaps she was too kind.
Frowning at his opinion of humans today, she spoke tentatively. "I think perhaps we are strong in a different way. There are many faults in the population today, but I think there are strengths, too, that people did not have 100 years ago." She didn't think he was entirely wrong, though. There were many weaknesses. But some strengths, too.
At his words about newborn weres, a look of surprise crossed her face. She didn't know why it bothered her. She had decided she would never have children so they would not also be cursed. Perhaps speaking with a born were had taught her that growing up a lycan made control easier; it was his natural state. It was strange, but she had never actually sat and spoke with a born were before. But what he said made her wonder, could she really mother a born were? After a moment, she asked softly, "Is it that way with all weres?"
---
"Yes, I agree. But the headmistress would not approve of us biting them." His tendency of getting frustrated easily by students who wouldn't listen was one of the reasons he was glad he did not teach a serious subject. It was hard enough dealing with students in meditative practices.
He really had no opinion of the human world, that is the pure human world, beyond his own pre-built notions of them. He could try to come to an understanding, but similar to how some of the vampires never quite learned to grasp the changes that occurred over hundreds of years, he too would probably never come to grips with some changes. Humans had grown to separate themselves from the natural world, hiding in their cities and destroying more and more each year. If he ever truly learned the scope he would probably have gone on a rampage, so in a way it was a good thing that he didn't quite understand.
"I cannot speak for other weres, or other wolves even. We were a society that valued the wolf and saw our humanity as secondary. More human weres might have more human children. If you were to have children they might not even be weres, since you are not all wolf. I only know my society. The rock man might know more, I hear he's talked with were's from all walks of life." He flexed his hand gingerly, remembering how much it had hurt to hit the earth elemental. He would have to apologize for that too, though it hadn't seemed to phase the other guy very much.
---
Smiling again, Sydni shook her head. "No, probably not."
Again, Fenrir would probably be surprised at how much the younger lycan was like him. Her faith brought her closer to the natural world, celebrating the natural processes of the seasons, solar phases, and lunar phases. Like other Wiccans, she was conservationist. And her commitment to that was further strengthened by her career as a scientist.
The brunette was surprised to find that she felt a slight twinge when Fenrir said any theoretical children of hers might not be weres. Perhaps she was coming to grips with her station in life. With a confused look she asked, "Rock man?" She had not gotten to know many of the faculty.
---
If they ever got to talking more, they would probably both be surprised with some of the things they shared in common. As it was Fenrir was already more than surprised with how the conversation had gone.
"I don't know his name, just that I hit him a couple weeks ago when he questioned my teaching style and I was already close to my breaking point. An overreaction on my part but he's made out of rocks so I don't think I hurt him. Made me pay for it though, my hand hurt right up to the Full Moon. I've heard that he's old though, really old, and he's been asking to talk to people around the school, some sort of collector of stories about the different supernatural races. He might know more about the chances of our kind having human or were children."
---
Sydni was surprised with the conversation, as well. It was only a few days ago that she had reported Fenrir to Charlie as a dangerous person in the school. She had been truly terrified of him. Now, though, she realized that it had been a clash of cultures to some degree. She was enjoying his company, in fact.
The brunette looked shocked when he said he struck the other teacher, despite her own actions the previous week, and then chuckled slightly when he said that the man was made of rocks. "Instant Karma," she murmured. That was when the Universe delivered an immediate punishment for wrongdoings. "I might speak to him, though it's not an immediate concern of mine," she explained. She had no one in her life who could be considered a mate, especially with what had happened with her and Charlie.
---
"Yeah, Karmic retribution. I guess I deserved it." He snorted not really believing his words. He didn't buy into Karma, despite some of the other mysticisms he practiced. If anything he felt Karma owed him a big favor for the events in his life.
At sydni's response he gave a shrug. It was just a thought and not one that really concerned him. He had no plans on mating anytime soon and he even if he did, children were definitely out of the question. "With that I think it's time I leave. I'm glad we've sorted this out and life can return to some state of normalcy. As normal as it gets for people like us."
In truth he prefered things as abnormal as they could be, to an extent. There was a reason he was here and not living in a different world.
---
Sydni believed that some of the Karma one experienced came from previous lives. Reincarnation occurred because there were still lessons left to be learned. Some people were in a reaping life, others were in a sowing life. It all depended. Of course, that didn't mean Karma didn't owe him.
Smiling at his conclusion, she nodded. "Thank you, Fenrir. I am glad we've sorted it out, too." Watching him leave, she was happy that she could let Charlie know he wasn't the threat she had thought he was.