She had googled the address on her phone and knowing that Indy was just fine with Ulf, Layla had decided to set out to Miles’ house for their overdue training session. It hadn’t taken her too long to get there. And when she arrived, she could already smell his scent from outside the house. Walking up to his front door, she knocked softly and waited. The last time she had seen Miles had been at the birthday party, but they hadn’t spoken. In fact, she hadn’t spoken to many people that night. But that was in the past, and today, she was here to learn and to grow in her skills as a werewolf.

Duke gave a couple of alert barks that someone was at the door but quietened as soon as Miles gave a firm ‘thank you’. He’d been expecting Layla, but you still couldn’t be too careful with all the hunters around, so Miles paid close attention to his senses as he approached the door, confirming the scent of the person outside before opening it to let her in. “Hey, how’s it going?” Duke got up to sniff too, greeting Layla politely. “Did you wanna talk about what you’re having trouble with? I got water or soda too if you want something to drink…”

Layla heard the barks from the dog residing just inside Miles’ house, and it wasn’t long before the door was open, and she was being greeted by the man and his dog. She hadn’t interacted with Miles much before this but knowing he could teach her things that she had yet to experience and learn was important, “Hey, Miles!” Seeing Duke come towards her, she smiled, “Hey Buddy. Who are you?” His question had drawn her attention from the dog, “Well, I guess I just want to be better and more capable of escaping, if I ever get into a situation that I might not be able to get out of. Luke had mentioned parkour. And maybe self-defense. I got caught by a vampire a while back, and luckily someone was there to save me, but I guess I’m just really lacking in knowing how to escape. And, uh, maybe water for later? Thanks.” She chewed on her bottom lip. She felt awkward bothering Miles, knowing their initial interaction hadn’t been the best during the Wolf Pack meeting, but she had hoped this would give them something to bond over.

Capable of escaping. Oof. That was never a nice thing to hear. It struck Miles with the gravity and reality of their situation; that there were those who would cage them at best and kill them at worse. “Parkour?” Miles gave a friendly chuckle. “Course his lil skinny ass would mention that. I never done anything like that myself, but I know how to run, and I know how to fight.” Miles ushered her fully inside, closing the door behind her and locking it for good measure. Couldn’t be too careful with everything going on. He took a couple bottles of water out of the fridge and headed downstairs with her, into the soundproofed and extra-reinforced basement. There was a bunch of workout equipment and mats around, but the gym wasn’t exactly the basement’s primary use. 

“You can’t just lock yourself up every full moon or the wolf’ll go crazy, but I use this place for some transformations. We can train here for a bit before we start using the trees.” Miles positioned himself in front of her on one of the big, open areas of the basement. “Pretend I’m coming at you. Show me what you’d do.” 

So, parkour was out of the question, but probably for the best. And if it really came down to it, Layla could always use the flips and things she’d learned as a cheerleader. She would make that skill come in handy somehow. “Running and fighting is probably better anyways. Plus, I was a cheerleader for almost five years. I can figure something out.”

She followed Miles through the house and down to his basement. Seeing how well prepared and reinforced everything seemed to be made her feel safe. If hunters, besides Kaden and Rio, were ever after her, she knew exactly where she’d probably go. “I...I learned that the hard way.” She didn’t want to get into it considering it was one of the many reasons she had let the fidget spinner take control of her life, “I went running with Ulf and Ari on the last full moon, and I think it helped.” There had been plenty of times before she had even made it to White Crest that she was sure she had changed and ran free, but she couldn’t remember it. Her mind had blocked it all leaving her in the dark about more than she probably ever needed to know. However, his request brought her back to the mission at hand; defense training, “Uh...okay. Well normally I just run, but when I’m scared my claws come out and my fangs, sometimes. I think my eyes change color too, but I’m not sure.” She hadn’t felt threatened or any sense of heightened emotion, so forcing the minor changes in herself, the tricks she had picked up when she was hypnotized, wasn’t working for her now.

"You were a cheerleader?" Miles asked. "That's cool. It's got a lot of the same skills as being a gymnast, right? Like you gotta be agile and flexible. That could come in handy for getting out of tight spots." He wasn't exactly the best-placed person to teach her how to adapt her cheerleading skills to lycanthropy, but he knew it was possible. Better for her to focus on something she already knew. 

"That's good," he answered as she spoke about Ulfric and Ari. "Having someone with you is usually safer. That way if you get into trouble or lose control, you've got backup. Or someone to put you in check." He nodded, chewing the inside of his lip. "Okay, what you're talking about is involuntary transformations. Full disclosure, I was born a wolf, so it's nowhere near as bad for me, but we can work on it, if you want. You gotta get worked up though. It's tough to simulate that terror response."

“For my entire high school career. Even went to nationals at Disney World.” Layla laughed thinking back at that weekend. It was one of the highlights of her short life, especially considering her parents had let her go. Werewolf hunter training had taken precedence over most of her childhood and teenage years, so being able to feel normal for once had meant something more to her than most people her age. “And you’re right. You do. I could always show you a few things if you wanted me to.” She smiled. Maybe a Werewolf Cheerleading class was something she could offer up for her wolfy friends.

“I don’t know what I’d do without Ulfric and Ari.” She was grateful for their friendship. She had done a poor job of showing it, but she was working on making it up to both of them. “Involuntary changes. That’s what Ulf called it. He told me to be careful when that happens, and that it was the reason not chaining yourself on a full moon was important, so you don’t lose control before that time during the month.” Layla was wanting to take every step she could to keep everyone around her safe and to be a more aware and better version of herself, including the animalistic part of her being. “I just want to become a Zen wolf okay? I know I’m never going to be able to control myself quite as much as you, Luke, Ari, Ulf, and all the other born wolves, but I just want to be able to find peace with what I am and be the best version of a bitten wolf that I can be without being a threat to anyone around me.”

"They have cheerleading contests at Disney World?" Miles asked, flabbergasted. Sometimes the world beyond White Crest amazed him. He couldn't even picture how that would look. "I think I'm too heavy and bulky for cheerleading, unless I was the guy on the bottom of the pyramid or something," he chuckled. "I'd love to see what you got though." 

He nodded as she spoke about Ulf and Ari. "We're built to have community around us. A pack. Ours might not be the most strictly structured, but we're there for each other, right? That's what counts." A Zen wolf. Now that was a hell of a thought. "Winn's a bitten wolf, ain't he?" Miles pondered. "He has decent control. Not... great, but he's got some practice under his belt. Maybe you'll never be able to do it quite the same way, but we can work on it."

“That they do. It’s like a really big deal, too.” Layla laughed when he mentioned being a cheerleader. “We had some guys who were really good. I think a few of them might have gotten scholarships, too.” She smiled thinking back on the day her friends from cheer had found out, but the smile soon faded with the reality of her situation. Thankfully Miles’ request pulled her from her own thoughts, “Uh, yeah. Sure.” It had been a while, and she was probably a little rusty, but it would give her something to show him when they started training.

“Yeah, we’re like the Island of Misfit Toys from Rudolph. But I guess it’s still a pretty special thing, right? To be able to have a pack?” It was one thing she had longed for after being shunned for so long by the wolves she had encountered before coming far enough North that most people didn’t know about her family and their legacy, “I think so, yeah. Is it true? What they say about the transformation, that it’s always going to be more painful for bitten wolves than born wolves?” She didn’t know if Miles knew the answer, but she had to ask.

“Well, good for them,” Miles answered with a casual smile as she mentioned the male cheerleaders. “Fuck gender roles. Do what makes you happy.” But that wasn’t really the topic at hand. With the threat in White Crest currently at an all-time high for wolves, Layla needed all the help and support she could get. “Yeah,” he answered sadly as she asked about the transformation. “Bitten wolves never have it quite the same as born ones, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live a perfectly happy life, okay?”

He brought her to the center of the room, making sure she was ready before getting in position to spar with her. He couldn’t exactly go full send with a teenager, but he wanted to test her reactions, see how her instincts were, see if he could make her inner wolf come out. Only then could he teach her how to stop it. 

“Right? I’m pretty sure they’re living it up right now.” Layla could only assume, but she was still happy for her friends from back home, nonetheless. Miles’ news for her wasn’t so pleasant though. In fact, it brought her mood down even more knowing there would never be any relief in sight. She was doomed to feel the same excruciating pain repeatedly every month for the rest of her life, “I guess.”

Following him to the middle of the room, she knew whatever was about to happen was what the older wolf was preparing for. She could already feel her heart beating a little harder and faster just at the sense of him preparing to attack her. She didn’t know how or when he would start, but she already knew her wolf senses and skittishness were kicking in. After being out on her own for quite some time, fight or flight was something she automatically resorted to in situations instead of thinking logically about things. She could remember the day Ariana had found her in a dumpster in town, and the first thing she did was growl; the feeling of being able to take the smaller girl something she felt quite confident in. However, with Miles, it would be a different story.

It wasn’t the ideal situation. Miles was terrified of hurting her, but he buried that so he could focus on what had to be done. Layla wasn’t going to get through this if someone didn’t push her. He started sparring with her, giving little test jabs to test her response, seeing if she could block him. “Try harder,” he said, voice firm but fair. “Focus.” Another little jab, and another. He danced around her like they were in a boxing match.

When they started, Layla hadn’t expected the jabs so soon. The first one caught her off guard, but she soon started to catch on. She was a little rusty from having been out of training mode for so long, but as soon as she got the rhythm, she was blocking him left and right; her mind instantly going back to doing stuff like this with her father. However, he wasn’t fair. He had just been firm with her and a lot rougher. Putting on a concealer to hide bruises had become an everyday thing for her.

As Layla started to get into the sparring, Miles upped his game, moving quicker and making his movements more unpredictable. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he needed to push, just enough to get her to react, to get the wolf in her to come out. 

Layla somehow managed to keep up, even though she could tell things were getting harder. She didn’t like fighting. It went against everything she believed in, and one of the only fights she had been in had been with Ariana, under the influence of a cursed fidget spinner. Every other altercation had been one sided with an outcome of leaving her injured or nearly left for dead.

Miles increased his speed and intensity, letting the wolf lead him. A guttural growl left his lips as he fought her, landing a few solid blows then grabbing her shoulders and pushing her into the wall, pinning her there. “Fight. Back.” 

Layla didn’t expect to be pinned and when it happened, it took her back to the night she was bitten. Flashbacks held her paralyzed. What started out as something that was supposed to help her become a better wolf, left her on the floor begging for him not to hurt her, “Please stop! STOP!” She cowered in fear as tears seeped from the sides of her eyes. What she had hoped would happen, didn’t. No self-defense. No wolfing out. Just a reminder of what she had become.

Pushing him off her with her own wolf strength, she crawled over to a wall to catch her breath. Any other time and her claws were out, eyes golden, and teeth ready to rip, but any other time hadn’t been with another werewolf (aside from Ariana, when Layla wasn’t exactly herself).

Miles did as she asked, stopping and stepping backwards. He caught his breath, scanning her body for any partial transformation. There was none, but he could feel her panic. Her heartbeat echoed in his ears, loud as a drum. “I’m sorry,” he said, catching his breath too, stepping back and wiping his brow with a towel. “I don’t know how to help you.”