Chương 253: NOOB PATROL, HERE WE GO!

After breakfast, I had an hour before we had to go. Naturally, I opted to take a shower, and then I got dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans, a gray turtleneck knit top, and my lucky puffy dark blue vest. What could I say? I got tired of wearing black over the weekend at Grandpa Alpha's funeral. I found the manual that Beta Lucas had provided for the traps. Nix had stuck his nose up at it because he was the genius trapper guy. But I was like... Level-Absolute-Noob.

I tried to read through the instructions and match them to what I remembered seeing Nix do. We would minimally need a screwdriver, which I didn't have. I did know that there was a toolbox in the office supplies room next to Dad's office. Things Sam wants for her birthday: Pocket knife Screwdriver Anyway, I made it to the supplies room and dug around. It sure was nice to be home where I could find what I needed on my own. I dragged the large old metal toolbox out from the back of the room.

It smelled dusty and rusty, and it looked worse, but the stuff inside was okay. I found the right flathead screwdriver. It had a black-and-yellow handle, and unlike Nix's short-handled one, this one was a standard-size one that would in no way fit in my pocket. Not without sticking out and stabbing me in the back when I sat down and leaned back (back pocket position). Or stabbing me through the ribs should I fall forward (inner pocket of lucky vest position). Either of which I was bound to do without thinking.

I would need some kind of bag. Putting the old toolbox back, I hid the screwdriver in my lucky vest temporarily and made my way back to my room. Why was I hiding it? I guess I just didn't want to arouse suspicion. Sam walking around with a screwdriver would definitely get reported to my Dad or Beta Lucas. Pulling out a sling bag, I decided to put in the instruction booklet, the screwdriver, and then, just because there was space for it, I put my navy blue felt scarf in as well.

The weather was getting cooler, even though it was the middle of the day. It was probably going to snow again. Killion had set out a dark blue waterproof snow jacket for me, which reminded me a lot of my Dad's old jacket. The one he had always worn until it was burned away with our house. It was fancier than Dad's old jacket, though. This one was a bit longer, skimming my hips, and cinched at the waist. It also boasted a silky inner lining, and both a button and a zip-up double-sealed front.

Altogether, it was more feminine and more windproof and waterproof. BUT it was a dull and deep dark blue, the exact same color as Dad's old jacket. The guys were in snow boots and pants. I wasn't sure if this was because they were really going all out to win Harvey and Nix (although I'm not quite sure how the winner would be determined), or because they were just dressing sensibly in lieu of the likelihood of snow, or because their mothers made them.

I wouldn't be surprised if they were wearing bulletproof vests under their getup. But I didn't comment. Killion drove us to the Morning Light Packhouse where Gamma Endo and Hank met us. Gamma Endo and Hank were standing around talking on the porch when Killion pulled up in his dark blue Merc. He had left the sunroof open, and to his chagrin, Ben and Jonah got out of the car through it. The weather was cold. It almost felt colder in Morning Light than Night Leaf.

"Good afternoon, Princess!" Gamma Endo called.

"Follow me, please. Let's see how your boyfriends complete this duty." He sounded like he was in a good mood.

"I have assigned the safest and easiest route for you today. And you have a Beta, a Gamma, and a Delta right behind you, so you can play warrior patrol safely." Okay, I thought the setup was over the top too, but he really didn't have to put it that way. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. We had entered an old brick shed beside the packhouse. There were warriors there performing various tasks. It looked quiet but busy.

"Here we go! Hang up your coats and suit up. Bulletproof vest, warrior jacket, gun and holster. Keep the safety catch on. And don't touch the trigger until the gun is pointed at the target." Gamma Endo said in an almost sing-song way.

"Or do you need your mommy to help you get dressed?" He laughed heartily as if he thought he made a good joke. Wow, Gamma Endo was going all out to rile us up today. I used to think he was doing it on purpose, but now I'm beginning to suspect he was completely unaware of it. Killion immediately picked out two of every item and adjusted the straps. He passed one set to me. Eh? I could do this by myself. Well, no... Actually, I had no idea even how the gun holster went.

But I'm seriously not going to learn if Killion kept spoon-feeding me. I glanced quickly at Gamma Endo, wondering what delightful words he would have for this, but he didn't even seem to notice. Instead, he focused his attention on the two younger guys.

"I'll demonstrate," Hank decided helpfully when he saw Ben and Jonah hesitate. Here's another big brother in the pack. Hank's instructions and tips were clear as he picked out his equipment. He would say aloud his thought process, like how to check that the paneling was the right way around and if the trauma pad had been inserted. He also picked out one that had a rip in it. Gamma Endo frowned at it and tossed it into a large bin labeled "Disposal." Killion was already dressed.

He came over to help me, but I shook my head.

"I want to try to do it myself," I said.

"Sure, Princess, please take your time. We will patrol at your leisure," Gamma Endo said. Killion smiled, so I knew he took offense. I didn't have time to deal with them, though. Hank was demonstrating how to put everything on. I joined Ben and Jonah. As far as I could tell, Gamma Endo completely looked down on us. We were young and obviously inexperienced. We couldn't even get the gear on without guidance. It wasn't really the right time to say that I've never shot a gun either.

In Night Leaf, we wouldn't be expected to use firearms or even melee weapons until we signed on as warriors at 18, although I knew that Gamma Harry often took Jonah and Ben to the range to practice with a rifle.

"Do not try to shift in the vest or holster. Take off your rifle before shifting too," Hank warned.

"Minimally, it would tear the carrier. It could also damage the other parts of the vest or strangle your wolf in the harness or strap, especially if you have a large wolf." Hank looked briefly at me. Well yes, my wolf was huge. And yes, I was the only one of us three who could shift. I nodded. There was no denying it. We were noobs. And since that was already established in everyone's minds, there was no point in trying to pretend to know anything.

I decided to embrace my noobiness for what it was and be absolutely willing to ask the stupid questions and make the dumb mistakes noobs did. You can only be a noob for a while. So it's better to behave like one while it is a valid excuse. The moment I decided that, I felt like a heavy blanket was taken off me. I smiled internally (it would be pretty creepy if I suddenly smiled "out loud" at the moment). After that, I enjoyed the experience a whole lot more. I tried to put on the vest. It was stiff.

"Luckily I'm so flat or I don't think this would fit properly," I commented. Ben groaned.

"Sam... Never mind."

"You're not that flat," Jonah blurted out. This earned him a couple of hard hits to the back of his head from the older guys.

"Idiot." Ben smirked. Jonah chuckled while rubbing his head, and after that both guys seemed to be enjoying the experience more too. Not surprisingly, they both chose to carry rifles. The khaki warrior jacket fitted me to a T. They had my size here at Morning Light.

"Cool! Why don't we have warrior jackets in my size at Night Leaf?" I happily zipped up.

"Because your warriors aren't pups," Gamma Endo said.

"You're wearing a pup size, Sam," Ben informed me. I remembered what Harvey said about the boys here starting warrior duties after their first shift. I also remembered Harvey saying that it was the younger ones who had a higher risk of dying or being badly hurt on duty.

"You're also taking the pup route," Gamma Endo informed us.

"Whenever you're ready, of course." I decided to just laugh off Gamma Endo's insults now. I raised my hand.

"I'm ready!" Gamma Endo didn't provide any instructions or a map. He simply said, "Follow me." And we trooped on behind him.

"Noob Patrol, here we go!" I called out happily. The guys laughed.

"Speak for yourself," Ben grumbled.

"What? Like you've done this before?" I challenged. Grrrr... Ben's wolf was pretty miffed. Lol.

"Noob is fine. It's fine," Jonah immediately tried to placate us.

"This route is called Lullaby Route," Gamma Endo decided to play tour guide.

"It's generally safe. The other side is usually puppies, but don't be fooled. Even unshifted pups carry firearms on the other side. They won't step past the border, though, although they like to hang around and try to creep our warriors out."

"What can possibly creep your warriors out?" Jonah asked.

"You'll see," Gamma Endo said.

"Just hold your fire. It's a scare tactic but is otherwise harmless... Unless you shoot. Then they will shoot back and their real rogues will show up." Okay... Nice to know.