Pack Business

Willow turned to watch the weak one, Lance skitter away from her pack in fright. One by one each pack member threw their head back to let out an eerie cackle, until Willow smacked Kyle upside the head.

He grunted and stopped laughing abruptly to glare at her.

Annoyed, Willow kicked one of his knees out from under him so that he had to kneel before her. She then grabbed one of his ears and yanked his head up by it. “This is MY pack,” Willow stated in a calm voice, “and my pack doesn’t terrorize the weak.”

“What does it matter?” Kyle gritted his teeth in pain, “He’s just a nerd.”

“You idiot!” Willow yanked his ear harder, knowing that the rest of the pack was watching this power struggle play out. She wouldn't let a lowly male take control. “Let me remind you that I used to be ‘a just nerd’ and you now know that I’m more than meets the eye. I’m the leader of this pack!” Willow let go of Kyle’s ear and watched Tor help him to his feet.

Willow looked at her pack members. “We aren’t going to waste our time and energy teasing ‘nerds.’ In case you haven’t noticed, Sunnydale has more than enough ‘wild life’ to satisfy our hunger and need to hunt. We’ll scavenge the kills of the Slayer. Not fresh kills without my permission. Is that understood?” Willow stared down three pairs of blue eyes until she met Heidi slightly puzzled hazel ones.

“Umm… Mistress? Mother? Uh…”

Willow sighed exasperatedly. “Just call me Willow, Heidi.”

“Oh, okay. What’s a Slayer?”