AN- Hi, everyone. Obviously I'm new to wolfblood fanfiction so thank you for giving this story an chance. I love this fandom, as the rest of you do I'm sure. (You wouldn't be here if you didn't.) I've been meaning to post something on here for ages, and have been writing for wolfblood since the series began, but this is the first piece I've been happy to publish
Like Wolfblood, I'm from the north east and actually only started watching the series because it was filmed at my old school, of course after the first episode I was hooked, just like the rest of you. That and it's pretty awesome to watch them walking though the same corridors I did.
Anyway, hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer - I do not own Wolfblood.
Rhydian's POV
"Jana come on, we should probably get going." She ignored me in favour of searching through the fridge. That was the thing with Jana, she was so used to her dad letting her get away with things that she rarely followed anyone else's orders.
I sighed, showing her the den was one thing, but letting her rifle through the kitchen was crossing the line. "Why do they have such weird food here?" She asked. "Wolves don't eat this stuff."
"It just depends on what they want to eat." I tried to explain. "We're not just limited to the meat we can hunt here. Some of this stuff actually tastes nice if you'd give it a chance."
"What's that?" She asked pointing out a bowl of mousse like substance.
I sniffed the air briefly to figure it out. "It called angel delight." I told her.
"What's it taste like?" I sighed, she got like this sometimes, constantly asking questions.
It wasn't that I didn't like teaching her, the opposite actually, I wasn't the brightest person in the world, and I knew I was behind everyone else in a lot of subjects. Being in and out of different homes meant that I often missed a lot of school, So it felt nice not being the one that needed all the help, to be the one doing the teaching.
But with Jana she sometimes asked things I didn't know the answers to. Not difficult questions, just things I'd never thought of before, or had taken for granted. What did angel delight taste like? "Sweet..." I said hesitantly. "I don't know Jana, it comes in lots of different flavours. Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla..." I trailed off.
"Chocolate?" She asked, and I smirked. I wasn't sure who had introduced her to it, probably Tom or Shannon, but her eyes lit up every time you mentioned it
She reached in as if to put her finger into the dessert bowl and I pulled her back. "Jana, no!" She frowned at me and I closed the fridge door. "You can't just raid their fridge."
"Why? They're not here, and that food will go bad if you don't eat it." She argued.
"It won't Jana, that's what the fridge is for, it stops the food going bad." I informed her.
She huffed. "We ate their meat, I thought you said they wouldn't mind?"
I grimaced, I was starting to have second thoughts about feeding Jana the Smith's food, it had been rather presumptuous of me to think they wouldn't mind, they hadn't minded me and Maddy doing it... But that was while I still lived here...
Regardless of that, I couldn't exactly turn back the clock now, but I could stop her eating more. "Come on, we should go." I told her. "We only came here so I could show you the den."
"Cage" She muttered, and I rolled my eyes, even if I did agree with her, just a little bit. "Rhydian..." She said sweetly and I raised an eyebrow in question. "Will you buy me some angel delight?"
I laughed. Jana never hesitated to ask for things, it's what came with having no understanding on money and what things cost. I never asked my foster parents for anything, they gave me my allowance and that was it. I took my wallet out of the pocket of my jeans to check what money I had, definitely enough to buy a pint of milk and a packet of angel delight mix. "Alright, come on then."
She grinned widely and ran out, it was only then that I remembered her low tolerance for sugar... Jana on a sugar rush was not going to be easy to handle...
"Jana, you do realise that the mix is supposed to stay inside the bowl?" I asked. She turned just enough that I could see her eyes roll before she went back to mixing. I leaned back on the counter and scoffed, her caravan looked as though a bomb had hit it. Milk and angel delight powder everywhere, it clung to her hair and was splashed over the jumper she'd used as an apron, but she didn't seem to care. She was happy, that's all that mattered.
I tuned out after that and just let her have her fun, my thoughts went to Maddy, as they so often did these days, she'd be in Blackpool by now, with the rest of our pack.
I'd wanted to go with them, but the Vaughn's had insisted that I stay behind and unpack, or 'reacquaint myself' as they'd put it. Which made no sense since I was unpacked in minutes and the Vaughn's had gone out food shopping first thing this morning, something they knew I hated doing so hadn't even bothered to ask me to come with them ... I frowned, something wasn't quite right about that.
It wasn't so much the outing that I was disappointed about missing... It was the time with Maddy. I'd only lived under their roof for about two months, but during that time we'd gotten even closer, I got to spend a lot more time with her than I used to... I hadn't seen her since after school yesterday, and I was already missing her...
"Thinking about Maddy?" I snapped out of my daze at the sound of Jana's voice. She was watching me expectantly, a teasing smirk on her face.
I tried to act dumb. "What makes you say that?"
She laughed quietly. "You get this look on your face whenever you're thinking about her and she's not here, like a lost cub."
I scowled. "I do not."
She sniggered. "You used to do the same when you first joined the wild pack, but I didn't know what it meant back then. Now I realise it only happens when you're not with her." I looked away awkwardly. Did I really look like a lost cub? "Your mum's the same whenever she thinks about your dad, but it's not as often anymore."
My eyebrows furrowed. It often unnerved me that Jana knew my dad, better than I did anyway, but he obviously stuck around long enough for mum to have Bryn, long enough for Jana to form some more solid memories of him. I thought I'd find out more while I was in the wild, but no one seemed to mention him, mum got all defensive when I brought it up so eventually I stopped.
Any information I did get was from Jana, but she couldn't remember much, just that he left before Bryn was born. That he'd deserted the pack and that's why no one would speak about him.
I hadn't let it bother me too much, I had Jana and mum and Bryn, but living in the wild had been difficult, I wasn't exactly cut out for it, just like I wasn't quite cut out for being locked away in the cellar every full moon. I wasn't wild, but I wasn't quite tame either.
Still I'd stay in the den for a hundred full moons if it meant I could move back in with the Smith's
"Hey" Jana called softly. Breaking my train of thought. "I'm sorry you had to move out, I know you liked it there." I don't know how she did it, but she always did have a good idea what was going though people's minds.
I tried to shrug indifferently, even though it did bother me more than I let on. I glanced over to find her mixing bowl less than half full, she was spooning some of the mixture into her mouth as she watched me. "You do realise that you're supposed to leave the mixture to set." I laughed.
She shrugged. "It tastes nice enough like this." She mumbled with her mouth full. I laughed and shook my head. "Want some?" She asked, fishing another spoon out of the drawer and holding it out to me. I took it from her, rubbing it clean with the hem of my shirt before tucking in.
I was stood outside the caravan waiting for Jana to get changed out of her angel delight coated clothes, and watching the tree line, I loved it out here on the moors, surrounded by nothing but the trees and and the sky, it was peaceful...
Jana walked out only a few minutes later in the checked shirt she'd been wearing earlier. It used to be Maddy's, thankfully this one wasn't stolen, Maddy just didn't wear it anymore. She smiled at me. "Perhaps I should try and get this place cleaned up a bit."
I smirked back at her. "You're thinking like a human already." She grinned happily at that. "Soon enough you'll be into hair extensions and... Nail bars." I joked.
"I could be the fourth Kay." She quipped, raising her eyebrows
"Oh..." I grimaced. "There's a thought." I'd had a close enough call with Maddy after her first transformation, that wasn't something I wanted a repeat of.
She hummed softly in amusement. "Thanks Rhydian... For everything."
I shrugged and smiled at her. "No problem." She'd been pretty down recently, what with her dad abandoning her the way he did, it was nice to see her a little happier.
I could see as Jana sensed someone approach, her senses always had been more alert than mine, it came with years of living in the wild. Her eyes scanned the tree line and she sniffed the air. I turned to find Maddy only a few feet away. "What are you doing back?" I asked in surprise. They weren't due home until late tonight.
"Long story." She said shortly, marching towards us. "What have you two been up to?"
"Nothing much." I shrugged.
"So you just couldn't be bothered to answer me texts?" She snapped and I frowned, a little taken aback by how she was talking to me. "You'd rather sneak 'round the den with her?" She tossed her head in Jana's direction, but didn't take her eyes of mine, Jana crossed her arms defensively.
I tried to laugh it off, she was getting the wrong idea. "Look, wait." I said quickly. "I dropped my phone in the river, and I was just showing Jana life as a human, I didn't think you'd care." I tried to explain.
"I don't, anymore." She said bitterly. "Where's y'key?" She took a step forward, it was a confrontation, something she knew I didn't do well with. I didn't like being challenged out right. It was the reason I just did as she asked and fished the key out of my jacket pocket.
She took it from me, still glaring. "And don't bother coming 'round for lunch tomorrow either." She said lowly.
She turned on her heel and began to walk away. This had to be some kind of joke. "Maddy!" I called. "What's wrong with you?"
She threw her hands up but didn't look back at me as she stormed away. "Maybe I'm just sick of people doing stuff behind ma back!" I watched her leave, completely stumped as to what I did for her to react like that. She'd never walked away from me, and she hadn't spoken to me quite like that, not since the day we met...
Jana was watching me closely, grabbing my hand when I went to chase after her. "Perhaps you should leave her to cool off." She said.
I pulled my arm away from her and shook my head. "I need to fix this, she's upset."
Jana moved to stand in my way. "All the more reason, you go now and all she'll do is argue with you, leave it a day or two, then you'll be able to talk to her properly."
I looked over at the space where Maddy had disappeared. "Jana you don't understand, Maddy's not like that." I protested.
She scoffed. "Rhydian, she's female, we're all like that." I scowled at her. "Trust me." She stressed.
I watched the tree line for a few more seconds, hoping Maddy would come back and give me a better explanation, but she didn't. I growled in frustration and sank down, resting my back against the foot of Jana's caravan."What did I do?" I asked her. "I don't even know what I need to apologise for?"
Jana sat down beside me, pulling her coat tighter around herself. "I don't think it was all you." She tried to reassure. "She said she was sick of 'people' doing stuff behind her back, not just you."
"Then why am I getting it in the neck?" I asked.
She raised an eyebrow. "Don't you know anything about females?" She asked incredulously, but she was smiling too.
"Apparently not." I huffed.
Jana laughed a little before growing serious "Then please tell me you can see how much she cares about you?" I nodded even though I hadn't a clue where she was going with this, I knew Maddy cared about me, I could remember the tear tracks on her cheeks when she thought I'd left with mum after the football match against Baron's Mill, the look on her face as she and her parents drove away the day Shannon and Tom found out what we were, both images made my chest hurt whenever I thought about them.
"All I've done wrong is not text her back, and that wasn't even my fault." There was taking Jana into the den... I didn't even know how she'd found out about that, our scent should have been long gone, and even then I wouldn't have expected it to bother her... Her parents maybe...
"That probably just ticked her off, Rhydian. There's probably something bigger that's happened and she's just taking her anger out on you." She explained.
"Why me?" I asked.
"Because she cares about you." She answered instantly.
I put my head in my hands. "That makes no sense."
"Yes it does." Jana insisted. "Say she has had a rough day, she's angry, needs to vent, so she takes it out on you, because she knows no matter what she says to you, she won't lose you. She could call you all the names under the sun, but you'll never love her any less than what you already do."
I looked away. I knew I loved Maddy, I had for a long time. It had been hard for me to admit, I didn't remember ever loving anyone before that, I moved around too much to be able to form any kind of connections with my old foster families. But with Maddy it was different, she'd shown me so much, she hadn't let me just hide away like I did in all my other schools. I struggled to make friends, and she knew that, so she'd stood up for me and introduced me to new people, I wasn't just the angry kid that sat in the background anymore, my life had changed the day she'd entered it.
That said, admitting it to myself and having someone say it to me out loud were two very different things, I'd always thought me loving Maddy was something no one else saw, that I hid it well enough that no one could see it. Apparently not... I didn't quite know what to think about that... Did that mean Maddy knew how I felt?
"How did you and Maddy meet?" Jana asked a few moments later, I had to admit I'd almost forgotten we were talking.
Jana's POV
"How did you and Maddy meet?" I asked, I'd always wondered how he'd managed to find a pack here in Stoneybridge. Ceri had always assumed he'd be on his own when the time came for him to rejoin our pack, that he'd welcome us all with open arms, but his transaction hadn't exactly gone to plan. He wasn't tame, so to speak, but he definitely wasn't fully wild either.
When Ceri returned alone the first time, claiming he'd found a pack of his own, we'd been shocked, it was very rare for a pack to take in a lone wolf like Rhydian, especially when it wasn't a blood relative and it was was a male wolfblood.
A young male wolf like Rhydian could easily take over a pack if he'd wanted to, it was a risk even for the strongest alpha.
He laughed softly. "We met at school, on my first day at Bradlington high." He told me. "She spent the whole day glaring at me. I didn't know what I was back then, didn't know I could wolf out if I got too angry, I ended up losing it the the hallway, luckily Maddy shoved me into the dark room and I transformed there."
"You transformed in school!?" I asked, it was a wonder he hadn't been caught!
He nodded. "Maddy managed to calm me down, she made her eyes turn since she wasn't old enough to transform back then, I was so caught up in the fact that she was like me that I forgot to panic." He chuckled. "I'd never seen another Wolfblood before that, I thought I was a werewolf." He admitted and I laughed. "She still tried to drive me away, but then who would blame her? I was on their territory, uninvited." His brows furrowed like he was reliving an unpleasant memory. "She almost succeeded, I was running away, planning to live in the woods when she came and found me. Someone had told her I was in care, and she realised that I hadn't really had a choice in who's territory I was placed in."
He smiled then and I assumed the memory had taken a turn to something happier. "I tried running away from her, I was so used to being faster than everyone else, I assumed she wouldn't be able to catch up with me either, of course I couldn't have been more wrong." He smirked fondly. "Running had always come so naturally to me, I'd never had to push myself, if anything I always had to hold myself back. With Mads, that was the first time I ever really let go, first time I really pushed myself to run faster... It was amazing..." He trailed off, lost in thought
When he spoke like this you could really see how much he idolised her, she was the first person he could really be himself around, first person he ever really trusted. She brought him out of his shell, I'd seen that much in action.
Back in the wild he'd been a lot shyer than he is in the human world, he'd been quiet, timid. Other than the odd temper tantrum he was every bit the submissive wolf, which was strange considering his age.
Here in Stoneybridge he was still rather submissive, he just wasn't timid. He spoke his mind, he joked and laughed with friends, it was a side of him I hadn't seen until I turned up at Bradlington high. The anger seemed to have dissipated too, he'd had quite the temper in the wild, he get agitated at the slightest thing and eventually wolf out, I'd put it down to the lack of sleep he got since he'd always seemed to be plagued with nightmares during the night. Here though the slightest look or touch from Maddy and he could calm himself down.
... I guess all of that explained why he was so distressed to have fallen out with her.
His attachment to Maddy had bugged me at first... If I was honest with myself, I did used to have a little bit of a crush on Rhydian, I liked that he was a mystery, that he wasn't the same as all the Wolfbloods I'd met before. He'd sometimes say things that I didn't fully understand, like the day he came back to the pack and asked if my hair had always been the colour it was, I hadn't understood why he'd asked that question until I found out that some humans changed the colour of their hair using a special soap thing.
He answered my questions whenever I asked them, often giving me in depth answers using what he'd learnt at school. He'd taught me about something called photosynthesis, which was how the trees and the leaves made food, something I'd always been curious about but never been given an answer to. But that wasn't the best part, the best part was that he could read the words on all the signs we passed, it was like he knew a secret language the rest of us didn't. I enjoyed listening to his stories about all the strange things they had in the human world.
By the time I finally got him to take me I was desperate to see the human world for myself, that said, it hadn't been worth the trouble I'd gotten him into afterwards. I guess everything turned out for the best in the end though, Rhydian got to come back to his real pack, back to Maddy.
It was true that he hadn't mentioned her in the wild, but what he didn't realise was that he'd cried for her in his sleep, whimpering until the early hours of the morning. Ceri would sit awake to watch him, frowning and stroking his head gently, obviously upset that he'd wanted his old pack more than he'd wanted her. It had taken a while for Rhydian to accept some of the more motherly gestures Ceri tried to give him, obviously not used to them.
Once I'd arrived in Stoneybridge it was difficult to accept that Rhydian had friends that weren't me, friends that weren't even Wolfbloods, he'd been pretty isolated in the wild pack, meaning that if I wanted to play he was pretty much always available, now he had Maddy, a female wolfblood he obviously liked more than me, the Maddy that he'd been crying for at night.
I was jealous, and anyone could see that Maddy felt the same way about me... Well, anyone accept perhaps Rhydian, who seemed oblivious to how either of us felt.
Over the months he and Maddy grew closer, I wouldn't say I was pushed into the background but you could see the connection between them growing, simple things, like if he had the choice between sitting by me or Maddy, he'd choose Maddy, or the way he'd lean closer than he needed to to tell her things. Where he'd shy away from any contact I gave him, compared to the way he almost craved Maddy's touch.
As time went on I was less and less bothered by it, and it was just a few weeks ago that I realised that actually, I loved what Rhydian represented more than I loved him, in that way at least, Rhydian represented knowledge and mystery, he was the chance I'd needed to learn more about the world I lived in, he represented school and learning and the mystery that was the human world.
That, and it was hard to like someone who spoke about another girl the way Rhydian spoke about Maddy, the tone of complete adoration in his voice and those innocent cub eyes that followed her around the place like she was the only thing he saw.
"... So." I prompted. "Mr Smith just invited you into the pack?"
And he was off again. He told me all about how the Smith's had taught him and helped him control the wolf, he told me about Maddy's first transformation on Lindisfarn, how he'd helped Maddy find her 'wolf legs' as he'd put it, and they'd played all night in the ruins and on the beaches.
He grew solemn after that, probably remembering that they'd fallen out. "Things will sort themselves out." I promised him. "Just don't crowd her too soon, wait until after Sunday lunch tomorrow, give her time to think."
He smiled sadly but nodded. "I guess you're right."
I sniggered. "I'm always right."
He shoved me playfully before standing up. "I should go, the Vaughn's will be wondering where I am." He explained.
I nodded standing up to hug him goodbye.
Rhydian's POV
It was Sunday night and I lay wake in bed waiting until I heard the sound of the Vaughn's bedroom door close, I couldn't wait any longer than that, I had to sort things out with Maddy before school tomorrow, I had to make sure she wasn't still mad at me.
It was a warm night so I didn't bother putting on my jacket, the run to Maddy's house wasn't too far anyway, not for a wolfblood, and if push came to shove I always had a fur coat. I pushed my feet into my trainers and jumped down out of my bedroom window, landing softly on the grass below and took off into the woods.
The run took around ten minutes once I transformed into wolf form. I enjoyed the cool night air on my muzzle and the soft damp earth on my paws as I ran, it was a nice feeing, running through the wood at this time of night, almost primal, you didn't have to worry about what was hidden in the trees, chances were you were the most dangerous animal out here anyway.
Once I reached the tree line outside Maddy's house I turned back, brushing the dirt off my clothes as I stood. Luckily the house was dark, so that meant her parents had gone to bed too. As I neared Maddy's bedroom window I was shocked to hear her whimpering softly in her sleep, a nightmare. I listened to her tossing and turning for only a few seconds before scaling the trellis up onto her window ledge and pushing the window open.
The noise made her bolt upright on her bed, and cry out, eyes wide and fearful. I slipped through the window and closed it quickly but quietly so as not to wake her parents. "Maddy, it's just me." I said softly. Having just woken up she probably couldn't see me properly, I moved a little closer, putting a hand just beneath her nose so she could smell my scent.
"Rhydian." She whimpered, her shoulders slumped and she started crying.
"Hey Mads, what's wrong?" I asked gently, whatever she'd been dreaming about had really upset her, but I wasn't quite sure what to do about it, after what she'd said yesterday I didn't know whether she'd want me to comfort her. I sat down beside her on the bed and she answered my question for me, she held her arms out to me.
I reached out and pulled her closer and she let me hold her, burying her face against my neck as she sobbed. I stroked her hair and back gently to try and calm her down. "Shhhh, you're alright." I soothed.
"I thought you were going to hate us." She choked through her tears.
I frowned, she'd what!? I sighed and held her a little tighter. "Maddy, I could never hate you, not in a thousand full moons, not for all the bacon in the world." I got the reaction I was looking for, she laughed wetly against my shoulder. "What on earth made you think otherwise?"
Her arms moved around the back of my neck so she could cling closer. "You didn't come for lunch." She sniffed.
"You told me not to." I reminded her.
"I didn't mean it." She cried. "I didn't think you'd actually listen to me." I sighed realising I wasn't going to get anywhere with this, if she was just feeling sorry for herself, now wasn't the best time for a debate. I pulled her to sit on my lap, letting her rest against me. "I'm sorry, I spoke to you like that, I overreacted." She mumbled against my shoulder after she'd cried herself out.
I laughed softly. "That's okay Mads, I'm sorry if I upset you yesterday." She tensed up at the mention of yesterday and sniffed away fresh tears. Something wasn't right. "Maddy, what happened in Blackpool?" I asked carefully, it must have been something bad for her to react the way she had.
She began sobbing quietly again so I held her close until she found her voice. "We never even made it to Blackpool, we stopped about half way there at this petrol station called 'The Mottled Poppy.' And there were these poppies in the shop, when dad went near them they went all speckled, we thought they just... I don't know, changed with the temperature or something, but they didn't, they detected Wolfbloods. The shop owner sabotaged our car and said it was something to do with the alternator, whatever that is, and said he had a spare back at his house so he towed us there on his truck." She rambled.
"Maddy, slow down." I soothed.
She took a deep breath before she continued. "They were werewolf hunters, Rhydian... They drugged dad and locked us all up in this dungeon thing in their house... they were going to keep us there until full moon..." She sobbed "They had this big old fashioned gun... And... I was so frightened."
It took me a moment to get my head around that, Maddy had almost been killed yesterday and I hadn't even been there to protect her... I nuzzled against her cheek trying to reassure both of us that she was okay. "Shannon got us out." She said finally. "She has all these pictures and videos of us on her laptop, she'd hidden a camera in that stupid owl thing she gave us so she could spy on us during full moons." She spat.
I stiffened at that, I'd known Shannon had been up to something, I'd caught her in the act the night I returned to Stoneybridge, but filming our transformations?! All it took was for that footage to get into the wrong hands and we'd be finished! "And I can't even be angry at her." Maddy huffed. "Because that evidence was the only thing that saved us, she used it to convince them she was a werewolf hunter too, they let her out and she stole the keys to set us free." She cried. "If she hadn't been spying on us, we all would have been killed, what kind of screwed up logic is that?"
I pulled away, pushing some of her hair out of her eyes. "I'd have come for you." I reassured her.
She looked up, eyes still puffy. "What?"
"If Shan didn't have her laptop full of wolfblood secrets, you wouldn't have been locked away until next full moon, I would have gotten you out in time." I saw her smile softly in the dim moonlight, so continued. "When you didn't turn up for school tomorrow I would have ran out the back gate, through the woods. I would have used Eolas to figure out where you were and tracked you down. I would have snuck around to the back of the house..."
"Why the back of the house?" She asked. "They're just as likely to be in the back of the house as they are the front."
I laughed, she did have a point. "Because that's what they do in the films." I told her. "Now stop criticising me, this is my first solo rescue mission."
She laughed quietly and snuggled closer. "Okay, so I would sneak around to the back of the house, hiding in the shadows and searching for the keys. Once I'd found them I would have found you and set you free." She hugged me a little tighter, thanking hypothetical me and I hugged her back. "The hunters would have heard the doors but that wouldn't matter because by the time they'd gotten down to the dungeon we all would have turned. We would have growled and hissed and bared our teeth, rounding them up and back into their own dungeon, that's when Tom and Shannon would have locked them in, because after all, humans do have one tiny advantage over our wolf forms, opposable thumbs." I could feel her shaking with suppressed laughed and smiled. "The End." I smirked.
She hummed quietly. "Thank you for setting me free." She mumbled sleepily.
"I totally just saved your wolf bacon." She sniggered and pulled me down to lie beside her resting her head on my chest.
She was quiet for a while after that and I thought maybe she'd fallen asleep, I was just debating whether it would be best to slip out when she spoke again."I missed you." She said softly. "I know it's only been one weekend, but I still missed you."
I pressed my nose against her hair and breathed in her scent. "I missed you too."
She shuffled to lie on her side, facing me, so close that I cloud feel her breath against my cheeks, she mustn't have been asleep long because her breath still smelt of toothpaste. "It wasn't social services that arranged for you to go back to the Vaughn's." She said softly. "It was me Mam and Dad."
I frowned and tried to keep the hurt out of my voice as I spoke my next words. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"
"No" she said fervently, pressing her face against my chest. "This was why I was so angry at them, because I knew this was the first conclusion you'd come to and it couldn't be further from the truth."
"Why then?" I pressed, still confused.
"Mam said that she didn't want us getting too close... I don't know whether that's because she's worried you'll leave again... I was pretty upset for a while when you left the first time... Or whether she thinks there's... Something more going on between us." She said awkwardly and I looked away. It wasn't like this hadn't been brought up before, Tom and Shannon still teased us mercilessly, and we'd just accepted that a lot of people at school though we were going out, it kept the three Kay's off my back most of the time anyway. That said, It wasn't something Maddy and I had really discussed before.
It wasn't that I didn't like her that way either... Far from it actually... But I had my reasons for not making a move. "I think your mum's right." I murmured.
She pulled away and I could just see her narrowing her eyes in the dim light. "You what?!"
I sighed and sat up to rest my back against the headboard. "Maddy." I said quietly, it was time I was honest with her. "We both know where we want to go with this." I gestured between us. "But say we did... Start going out..." I mumbled. "What happens if I leave again?"
She frowned. "But you're not... Are you?" I could hear the panic in her voice, which only confirmed my theory, if something did happen and I had to move away, I'd hurt her.
"No." I reassured quickly. "Not if I don't have to." She sighed in relief and I grimaced. "Maddy." I whispered. "Sometimes it isn't up to me... I've never settled anywhere, all it takes is one little slip up with the Vaughn's and they could kick me out. You know what my temper's like, I could be carted off to a group home and on my way to a new placement, before I could bay at the moon."
"Rhydian..." She started, but I shook my head.
"It's true Mads." I leaned closer, pressing my forehead softly against hers. "Maybe one day, when I'm not controlled by the care system, things will be different, but I won't hurt you by promising you something I can't give just yet. If I got your hopes up for a relationship, then hurt you, you'd hate me for it Maddy."
She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down to lie beside her again, hiding her face against my neck. "I could never hate you, not in a thousand full moons, not for all the bacon in the world."
I laughed quietly against her hair and pulled her closer.
Eventually with her warm body pressed against mine and her scent surrounding me, I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up around four in the morning to her thrashing in her sleep, fighting off another nightmare, if I had to guess I'd say it was yesterday's memories catching up with her. "No, let's us go!" She whimpered. "Mam, Dad!" Her cheeks were damp with tears. "Rhydian!"
I lifted myself up so that I could hover above her and keep her still, putting my face by hers, and nuzzling her cheek softly until she calmed down. "Shhhh." I soothed. "You're safe, I've got you." She was half asleep but still managed to cling closer until she felt secure again, her fingers curled tightly around the front of my shirt and her nose pressed to my cheek so she could concentrate on my scent.
I reached out slowly to touch her face, keeping my scent close, trying to reassure her. She twisted so my hand trailed down over her neck "Don't leave me." She mumbled sleepily.
I lay back and pulled her up to lie against my chest, listening as her breaths evened out and she dozed off again. "Never." I promised her, because I knew I'd never leave her if I had the choice.
I dozed on and off for the rest of the night, keeping an eye on Maddy and soothing her whenever she grew restless. I waited until the last minute, as the sun began to rise and weave its way through the trees, before pulling away from her.
She stirred as I lay her back down and moved away, climbing out from under the covers and turning to slip my feet into my shoes. I debated on whether to wake her or just let her sleep, but after what she'd said last night I didn't want her to think I'd left her without saying goodbye. I leaned over to put my lips by her ear. "Maddy... Maddy."
"Mmmhmm." She hummed, cuddling closer.
"I need to run back to the Vaughn's, before they find out I'm missing." I said quietly. "I'll see you at school in a few hours."
She groaned quietly. "I don't want to go to school yet... Five more minutes."
I laughed softly. "I'll see you soon." I promised, sitting back up.
I made my way over to the window and pulled it open. "Rhydian." She called just before I jumped out. She held her arms out, and it was only then that I realised she was wearing one of my old shirts to sleep in, maybe she'd missed me more than I'd thought... I moved over to hug her goodbye and she wrapped her arms around my neck. "Thank you." She whispered and kissed my cheek.
I nuzzled her cheek and let her go, she shivered and curled herself up against the cold so I made sure to pull the blankets back over her before heading back to the Vaughn's.
"Hey! Pretty sure dark moon was last week!"
I jolted awake with a growl "Hmm? What?" I rubbed my eyes as they adjusted to the light that was streaming through the open door, there was a reason I'd come to sleep in the dark room.
When I'd gotten back from Maddy's I hadn't bothered trying to go back to sleep, just gotten ready, stuck around long enough for the Vaughn's to say good morning and eat breakfast, before running to school.
"You look shattered mate." Tom observed and I rolled my eyes, he never had been one for subtlety.
Shannon frowned, walking in and setting her backpack down. "You sure your alright?"
I scoffed, I was pretty sure they still thought we were invincible on every day that wasn't a dark moon, the truth was we got tired just the same as humans did. "It's nothing." I reassured. "I was just up late, sketching." I lied, lifting my hand to show her the blue black smudges I knew stained the side of my right hand and wrist almost permanently.
Shannon rolled her eyes and started her usual speech about how lack of sleep drastically effected moods and temperament. If I wolfed out during school because I was ratty, because I'd not slept, it was her, Maddy and Tom that would have to pick up the pieces, and I'd only had myself to blame, blah blah blah.
I scoffed. "Shan, you do realise I've wolfed out in this very room before."
"Yes, and you were lucky you didn't get caught." She scolded.
I laughed. "You're lucky you didn't have to deal with Maddy pre and post first transformation, or me for that matter, lack of sleep would be the least of your worries." I smirked. "Don't worry Shan, I'll be fine." She smiled at me and shook her head.
The door crashed open and Jana teared through it excitedly, bouncing over to sit beside me on the seat that lined the far wall. "Did you know that the school has central heating? The metal bars under the windows are all warm."
Shannon Tom and I laughed at her enthusiasm and she sat herself down by me and huffed. "Shannon would you help me with my Maths homework?" She asked. Shannon brought her bag over, sat on Jana's opposite side, and set to work explaining the rules of quadratic equations.
I could hear it when Jana started sniffing and rolled my eyes, she really had to learn to keep the wolf behaviour to a minimum. "Is Maddy here?" She asked, sniffing some more.
Tom and Shannon frowned. "No, not this morning, her mums driving her in." Shannon explained.
Jana's eyebrows furrowed. "But her scent..." She sniffed and turned her eyes to me, I stiffened. She moved closer to sniff my neck and I pushed her away, that was the thing with wild Wolfbloods, they had very different views on personal space. "You slept with her last night, didn't you?"
"Jana!" I felt my cheeks burn, because that was another thing with wildbloods, the language was different, and I knew exactly what Tom and Shannon would think she meant.
Their eyes burned into mine as I turned to explain. "You what!?" They chorused.
"She doesn't mean it like that." I said quickly.
Jana laughed. "What other way would I mean it?"
I growled at her. "Seriously Jana, shut up!" Her eyes flashed and she growled back at me. "They think you mean I mated with her." I snapped.
"Oh..." She said quietly, her eyes dimming, she bit her lip and turned away, smirking.
I turned back to Tom and Shannon. "She came to find me after you's got back on Saturday, had a go at me for not answering her texts, took my keys and told me not to come for dinner the next day before storming off, ranting about people doing stuff behind her back." I explained.
Realisation dawned on their faces, and Shannon looked down guiltily. "She told you what happened?"
I eyed her pointedly. "She told me everything." I wouldn't say anything about Shannon's camera around Jana, that would just blow everything out of proportion, but I couldn't see Maddy leaving it the way it was. "I waited for her to cool down before going to apologise late last night. When I got there she was having a nightmare, I woke her up and we talked." I left out what we'd talked about, because after all it wasn't all about what had happened Saturday afternoon. "We fell asleep, but she kept thrashing around during the night, crying, so I stayed to keep an eye on her. I left around half six this morning."
Jana frowned. "I thought you were going to Blackpool on Saturday?" Tom and Shannon shuddered and I shot Jana a look that told her I'd explain later.
"What did you want me to do?" I asked finally. "Just leave her on her own?... She wasn't herself last night, she was scared, insecure, she doesn't know who she can trust anymore, and can you really blame her!" I tried to keep my anger under control, but I could tell by the way Tom moved slightly closer to the door that my eyes had already turned.
I wasn't saying I was completely blameless but I wasn't the main culprit here. I'd told Shannon that Wolfbloods lived in constant fear of being found out, that we never knew for sure who we could trust. For her to do something like that behind our backs...
The door opened and Maddy walked in. I took a deep breath to calm the eyes before she looked up.
She glanced past Tom and Shannon before making her way towards me. I touched her shoulder gently once she was within reach, silently asking if she was alright, she shocked me by turning her head to nuzzle my shoulder.
It took me a moment to respond, she rarely used wolf behaviour around her friends, she usually kept all these gestures for when we were alone, but if that was what she needed I wasn't going to deny her it. I lowered my head to run my chin over the top of her hair.
"Maddy..." Shannon started, but Maddy bared her teeth and growled, eyes flashing. I sighed and turned her head into my chest so she'd calm down, if she was this worked up she shouldn't be in school.
The others seemed to take the hint and filter out to registration, giving her some space. Once the door closed I pulled her a little closer and stroked her hair. "You okay?" I checked.
She sighed and pressed her face against my shoulder, breathing in my scent. "I am now." She reassured. "Me mam was just being difficult this morning... She knows you stayed over last night, she caught your scent this morning..."
I grimaced, I didn't want to get on the wrong side of Maddy's mum, after taking Jana into the den, then sleeping in Maddy's bed last night... I wasn't exactly looking forward to my next visit. "I didn't mean to get you into trouble."
She shook her head. "You know what she's like." She muttered. Maddy's mum was extremely protective of her, but unlike Maddy it wasn't something I disliked about her. Living in care and moving from family to family, I'd never had that connection with any of my foster mothers, and my relationship with my real mum was still developing. I couldn't help but admire the relationships in Maddy's family, I'd was something I never had, and something I had to admit Maddy sometimes took for granted.
Maddy breathed evenly, resting her head against my chest and I took the time to let myself get lost in her scent, something I'd done a lot when we first met, but less so since I got back. It made my thoughts drift to places I could allow myself to go, it made me want to get closer to her, to hold her, to press my lips to hers... And that was my cue to snap out of it. Luckily the bell rang at that exact moment so it covered my need to pull away.
"Come on then, registration then double drama, nothing too inhumane." I told her. I walked over to grab my bag and coat, and when I turned around there was a sliver object rattling as it flew towards me. I snatched it out of the air to and opened my hand to find my keys to the Smith's house.
I looked up at Maddy who smiled softly at me. "Not that you need them, jumping through windows all the time." She laughed. "But I feel better knowing you're not locked out."
I smiled back at her in thanks. I felt better knowing I wasn't locked out, the Smith's house was the only place I ever remembered calling home, it was the only place I'd ever settled and felt safe and comfortable. I liked knowing I could go there if I ever needed to, if I had question or if I couldn't calm down after I wolfed out.
Maddy giving me my keys back meant she'd forgiven me, even though like me, she was too proud to admit it. She smirked, nodding towards the door, and we walked out, heading towards registration side by side.
AN- So, let me know what you thought! This is a oneshot that's been on my mind for quite a while since we never really see how these two resolve things after 'The Mottled Poppy' I feel that the episode aired and was never mentioned again, so we never really got to see the aftermath, just Maddy's paranoid views towards cameras and videos in 'Top Dog'
Anyway. Please Review! Any ideas for a new one shot are welcome since I really enjoyed writing this one and plan to post again in the future.
-EndlessMoonrise X