​Jinri couldn't help but feel shivers run down her spine when she stepped over the threshold and into the sprawling yard. A sea of faces parted as Taemin guided her down a path through the middle of the crowd. Men, women and children stared at her, some in awe, some in skepticism. She couldn't blame them, she was just as unsure of herself as they were. She tried to look around for her boys, but could not see them among the crowd. The knot in her stomach grew.

Taemin led her up to a platform, where the other members of the council were waiting, along with Henry, Saedemia, and a few other people she didn't know. Henry motioned her over to stand next to him, after which Jaejoong took to a small podium at the front of the platform.

"We welcome you all," He began, his charmingly gentle but commanding voice quieting the curious murmurs of the crowd. "This day, we are gathered here to welcome a new member to our noblest of ranks. We have long searched and hoped for the one who will help lead us to victory over the Hadrian, and to a future of prosperity and renewed vigor for the clan."

Jinri bristled at his speech. He was touting her to be some sort of savior, when she was nothing but a girl dragged into a world she didn't understand. More so than when she first walked in, Jinri wanted the comfort of her pack to surround her.

"This Howling is one that shall be written in the history books of our people," Jaejoong went on. "We shall persevere, we shall overcome. Let the Howling begin!" Jinri was shocked as the people around her lifted their heads to the sky and let our loud, wailing howls. The sound was beautiful and haunting and Jinri could feel the energy of the clansmen strumming through her.

There were several people who made no sound, and Jinri had to guess they were Tamers, like her. She knew that she was only one of two in South Korea, but she knew that that there were quite a many visitors from Canada, Europe and the US.

The howling died down as people began to mingle and enjoy what to outsiders, must now just look like a large garden party. Henry approached her with two men at his side, looking serious and suave in tailored suits.

"Jinri, you look very nice," Henry greeted, giving her a smile. It was the first time she was seeing him outside of their training sessions, and he looked a lot more approachable. "I hope you liked the breakfast. I heard what happened."

"It was great. I think the guys enjoyed more of it than I did," she told him. "Speaking of which... Have you seen them? I couldn't find them in the crowd." Henry shook his head.

"They will be here momentarily. They needed to prepare for the binding ceremony, and should be done soon." Jinri's shoulders slumped and she let out a sigh.

"In the mean time, I would like you to meet some of my friends," Henry said, indicating the two men behind him. "This is Donghae, and this is Zhoumi. They are Tamers from Hong Kong, respectively." Jinri bowed deeply to the two men, sweeping her eyes over their well dressed forms in appreciation.

Donghae, the shorter of the two men, was fit and lean. His dark brown hair was neatly parted to the side and despite his serious expression, his eyes held a hint of playfulness. Zhoumi, who towered above her, looked like a runway model. He had sharp features and milky white skin. His hair was slicked back, but long enough to fall just above his shoulders. Both men were beautiful.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Yeon," Zhoumi said, his voices light and smooth. He bowed to her politely. "We are honored to have met you today."

"Indeed, it is always a great deal of fun to meet a new tamer," Donghae said, his tone surprisingly warm. "Especially one so pretty." Jinri blushed and Henry rolled his eyes.

"We'll be going now," He told her. "Please feel free to walk around and relax. Someone will find you when it is time to prepare for the ceremony." The three men bid their goodbyes, and left the platform. Jinri stepped down a few moments later and walked into the mingling crowd.

She decided to find something to snack on. Her stomach was in knots, but she was hungry and thought that occupying herself with food with tamp down some of her nervousness. As she passed the small groups of men and women, she found herself playing a game to try and figure out who was a wolf, who was human and who was a tamer. The men were easy to distinguish as wolves. They were larger, with toned muscles and quick hands. The women who were wolves looked like elegant athletes. They moved like dancers, swift, precise and purposeful.

Halfway to the tables filled with food, she was stopped by a group of three girls, all who looked like they'd just stepped out of a fashion magazine. They eyed her with the scruitinizing stares of a hunter sizing up it's prey. That is, until a smile spread on the face of the girl who looked the oldest.

"Isn't she just the cutest?" The girl wearing a green and silver hi-lo dress squealed. "Shiro, doesn't she look stunning in that dress?"

The girl named Shiro, who had a shock of white hair and was wearing a black dress nodded solemnly. "Stunning." The final girl, who was the spitting image of Shiro, except with deep black hair and an eggshell white dress, also nodded.

"Don't mind them," the girl in green said. "They're are always so grim. You really do look amazing." Jinri wasn't sure how to respond to these girls.

"Thank you," Jinri finally said, bowing a little. The girl looked surprised and took a step back.

"Please, no don't bow!" She protested. "We're a lesser clan. We bow to you."

"Uh, okay?" Jinri said, unsure. "I mean, I didn't know. You don't have to bow to me. I'm just Jinri. Nothing special." She found herself feeling uncomfortable about hearing the girl refer to herself as lesser. She seemed to be anything but.

"That's right. You're new to all of this. Don't worry; I, Midori of the Color Clan, will help you." The girl bowed, and then remembering Jinri's request, straightened quickly and gave her a smile.

"These are my sisters, Shiro and Kuro" Midori introduced the other two girls, who flanked her on either side, their face blank. "They are twins. My brothers Aoi and Momo are somewhere around here."

"You're all named after colors