Wolfblood
Hero
"Okay Mum, I'm off." Maddy called as she neared the front door.
"Go carefully, pet." Emma called after her. "I know how clumsy you get when you're overexcited." Maddy hefted her rucksack onto her shoulder properly and double-checked her sleeping bag she wouldn't need was secure on top.
"I'm not that bad!" she replied as she went to leave and walked straight into the doorframe. "Ouch!"
"For god's sake, Maddy..." Emma muttered as she walked over from the kitchen with an ice pack she'd put in the freezer the previous night specifically in anticipation of this.
Maddy left the house and took a right, following the road to the end. Each step she took made her heart skip a bit as it brought her closer to the Vaughan household and her boyfriend. When Mrs Vaughan told Rhydian that she was going to be spending the night with a relative whose other half was in hospital, Rhydian had asked if he could have Maddy over for the night for help with babysitting and stuff. The 'and stuff' bit was what she was looking forward to.
When she got there, Rhydian opened the door and had to do a double take.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I walked into the doorframe." Maddy growled, still holding the ice pack to her forehead. "I've got a lump coming up on my head that makes me look like a Star Trek character."
"Come on in and let's get that sorted." Rhydian helped her inside, chuckling to himself as he shut the door behind him. Even when she was annoyed, Maddy was just so irresistibly cute. It was one of the things he couldn't help but love.
"So, how have the terrors been?" Maddy asked as she sat down on the sofa.
"They've been as they usually have." Rhydian shrugged, going into the bathroom and grabbing the first aid kit off the top of the cabinet. "Are you going to be okay to help me cook?"
"Rhydian, I walked into a doorframe. It's not like I fell and smacked my head on the edge of the curb." Maddy replied.
"So it's still just as we planned?" he checked walking back over with the teal plastic box.
"I get the boys' supper ready while you cook the proper food." Maddy nodded. "Why do you ask?"
"Just making sure you had no gaps in your memory." Rhydian joked. "Okay, this is probably going to sting but you'll heal even faster."
"Just do it." Maddy said sharply as she took the ice pack away. She couldn't help wincing as Rhydian started rubbing an anti-inflammatory cream into the lump that was forming.
"Jesus Maddy, how hard did you hit that doorframe?" Rhydian couldn't believe how angry the swelling looked.
"I'll be fine, Rhydian." Maddy shrugged. "Between this and how quick we usually heal, I'll be fine in about twenty minutes." They both knew she was exaggerating, but she'd definitely be on the way to healing in the morning.
"You know, if we get the boys' supper now and get them in bed early..." Rhydian didn't even have to finish. Maddy knew what he was after.
"Let's do it." She got up and went to put her backpack by the doorway.
"Why have you got that sleeping bag?" Rhydian asked. "It's not like you'll be using it."
"It was just to make my parents think this was another innocent visit and in case I got here before Mrs Vaughan left." Maddy replied.
"In that case, let's make a start." Rhydian said.
"Surely we should get the boys' dinner and put them to bed first?" Maddy was perplexed.
"That's what I meant." Rhydian elaborated. "Maddy, are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, Rhydian; I'm absolutely fine." Maddy growled, trying to block out the pain from her head.
"Okay then." Rhydian said, moving to the bottom of the stairs. "Boys, are you going to help with supper?" Instantly, two pairs of feet could be heard thundering downstairs.
"Okay, Rhydian; what do you... what happened to Maddy?" Ollie asked.
"Ollie, that's not polite!" Rhydian snapped. "Besides, that's private and personal and it's not to be discussed."
"Were you two making out again?" Joe asked bluntly, catching Rhydian off guard.
"I said it's not to be discussed!" Rhydian said sharply. "Just for that Joe, you're getting the knives, forks, and plates and laying the table. Ollie, you get the cups." Joe hung his head and walked into the kitchen to get the plates, clearly put out by Rhydian's heavy-handedness.
"Thanks, Rhydian." Maddy said, kissing him lightly on the cheek.
"By the way guys, she walked into a doorframe at her house." Rhydian told the boys.
"You are such an arse!" Maddy growled as she repeatedly punched him in the arm.
"You love me really." Rhydian said.
"That's debatable." Maddy snarled. Rhydian could see the black veins appearing in her hands, so he wisely decided to back right off.
"Okay boys, have a seat." Rhydian said, pointing to the table. "We'll get dinner on."
Eventually, everyone was sat at the table and about to tuck in. All Maddy and Rhydian were waiting on was the bacon, which seemed to be taking forever.
"Rhydian, can you get me some juice?" Ollie asked.
"You're a big boy now, you can get it yourself." Rhydian replied. Sighing, Ollie got up and went over to the juice rack. As he pulled a bottle from where it was stacked, it fell awkwardly and hit the metal edge of the work surface. As it bounced off, juice started pouring from a split that had occurred on impact with the edge.
"I'll get it." Maddy said, getting up.
"No, I've got it." Rhydian replied. "You watch the bacon and I'll sort this."
"Okay then." Maddy went over and started keeping an eye on the bacon while Rhydian grabbed a plastic cup and filled it with the small amount of juice that was left before getting the mop. The orange juice hadn't stained the floor, but there was no saving it now.
"If you boys want more juice tonight, it'll have to be blackcurrant."
"Sorry about that, Rhydian." Ollie muttered.
"Ollie, it was a simple accident." Rhydian replied, bending down to his level. "It wasn't your fault." From behind him, he heard Maddy say something. He stood up straight to see what she wanted just as she came out of nowhere with a frying pan full of bacon.
"Watch what you're doing, you idiot!" she yelled as the edge of the pan narrowly missed his head. It passed so close to his eye that he could actually feel the heat.
"Jesus Maddy, first you beat me half to death then you nearly burn my eye out! What the hell are you doing?" Rhydian ranted with an obvious sarcastic note to his tone.
"I did tell you to watch your head." Maddy told him as she started splitting the bacon between their plates.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." Rhydian replied as he put the mop back and sat down next to Maddy. Under the table, she locked her ankle round his. "Okay boys, once you've had supper you can both go to your room, get your pyjamas on and then you can watch movies until seven-thirty. After that, it's bed time." Rhydian said.
"When will Mum be back?" Joe asked.
"She'll be back sometime tomorrow morning." Rhydian told him. "All she said was it should be before lunch. Joe, we've had this conversation."
"I forget these things." Joe shrugged.
"Okay, what's on your mind?" Rhydian asked. "You don't forget things like that unless you're troubled, so what is it?"
"I don't know." Joe replied as he ate slowly. "I just have a feeling something bad might happen tonight."
"Don't worry about it." Rhydian replied. "I get feelings like that all the time, but I know I don't need to worry. I don't worry because I've got Mrs Vaughan, Maddy, Tom and Shannon. You don't need to worry because you've got me. If something happens, I'll keep you safe. That's one of the things I'm here for." As Rhydian spoke, a smile spread over Joe's face.
"Thanks, Rhydian." He finished eating and took his plate to the side.
"Go up and change into your pyjamas and I'll be in to help the pair of you clean your teeth and get tucked in." Joe headed through the living room and up the stairs just as Ollie finished eating and took his plate to the side. At a nod from Rhydian, he also headed upstairs.
"Shall we head up too?" Maddy asked.
"Well, you've got to have some time to set up your sleeping bag." Rhydian joked.
"One part of that's already sorted." Maddy grinned. "I left my breathing pillow here last time I visited."
"Yes, well your 'breathing pillow' wasn't supposed to have guests over and your 'visit' was completely out of the blue." Rhydian reminded her.
"You can't deny, it was still fun." Maddy giggled.
"Yeah, it's always fun, Maddy. The trouble is if you get caught." Rhydian said as they headed for the stairs.
"I think it's worth the risk." Maddy teased. She grabbed her rucksack from off the sofa as she passed it before running up the stairs just ahead of him.
"I'm going to clean my teeth while Ollie and Joe are getting changed." Rhydian said, heading for the bathroom.
"I'll get the sleeping bag set up so it looks like I've actually used it." Maddy replied as she headed into the bedroom. As she did, she set the sleeping bag down and unrolled it. Just as Rhydian's electric toothbrush buzzed into life, a thought struck her. Frantically, she rifled through her rucksack only to realise the one thing she'd forgotten. Gingerly, she made her way into the bathroom and tapped Rhydian on the shoulder. Spitting out the toothpaste in his mouth, he turned to face her and switched the toothbrush off.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I've forgotten my toothbrush." Maddy admitted.
"Just use mine." Rhydian said simply before going to switch it back on again.
"But that's been in your mouth!" Maddy countered. "It's your disgusting boy germs on it!"
"Maddy, you quite willingly stick your tongue in my mouth at every given opportunity when you kiss me, so don't give me that crap about germs." Rhydian leaned in and whispered.
"You're right." Maddy muttered. "Okay, fine, but just this once."
"It's either that, or you get Emma to drop it in to you." Rhydian said.
"No, it's fine." Maddy replied.
"Great." Rhydian rinsed the toothbrush off and passed it to her. She looked round for the toothpaste before noticing it on top of the mirrored cabinet where she couldn't reach it. She also noticed a pair of hands loop around her waist.
"Rhydian Morris, don't you d-" Ignoring her, Rhydian lifted her easily so that she could reach the toothpaste down. "I will kill you!" Maddy shouted at him.
"Shut up and grab the toothpaste." Rhydian muttered. "My arms are getting tired here!" Maddy grabbed the toothpaste as Rhydian hastily put her down to avoid dropping her.
"Right that's it; I'm using the sleeping bag tonight." Maddy said.
"I bet you won't." Rhydian teased as he moved to the bathroom door.
"I bet we'll see tonight." Maddy fired back. Laughing, Rhydian made his way into his room and waited for Maddy to finish cleaning her teeth. A few minutes later, she walked back in and went to sit on the bed next to him.
"What are you looking so smug about?" he asked.
"After some consideration, I've decided I might just forgive you." Maddy leaned over and gently wrapped her arms around him. "There is one condition though."
"And what might that be?" Rhydian asked, returning the hug and leaning back so she was resting on his chest.
"I think we can work something out." Maddy replied, her fingers creeping under the edge of his shirt.
"Rhydian, what are you doing?" Ollie asked. The teen wolves flew apart instantly.
"Oh, err…"
"I was just hugging him goodnight before bed." Maddy lied shamelessly.
"Can we borrow a DVD?" Joe asked, walking up behind Ollie.
"Yeah, I've got Predators on that table over there." Rhydian said pointing to the table with his sketchbooks and a stack of DVDs. "There's also Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead if you need a laugh."
"Thanks, Rhydian." Ollie said as he went over and grabbed the DVDs.
"That's fine." Rhydian said as they left. "Now, back to business…"
Several Hours Later…
Rhydian's eyes snapped open, burning bright yellow in the darkness. Silently, he eased himself out of bed so as not to wake Maddy and tried to find where she'd thrown his shirt and trousers. After a couple of seconds, he pulled them on and crept out into the darkness of the landing. There was a definite chill creeping up the stairs, so he followed it down to the living room. One of the windows was wide open.
"Why is that open?" Rhydian muttered to himself. "That window's never open." Rhydian shut the window just as he noticed something else. A smell similar to poison crept into his nose and made him recoil in disgust. Looking out the window, he noticed an exterminator van across the road. "Okay, so number seven clearly has rats." Rhydian muttered. "I'll have to let Mrs Vaughan know tomorrow." Rhydian went to go back upstairs, but noticed something odd. The smell was getting stronger as he went. He was just about to turn the corner on the landing when a shape lunged from the darkness. Something heavy hit Rhydian in the head and sent him flying down the stairs again. As soon as he hit the bottom, his wolf flared into life. He jack-knifed to his feet just as the intruder lunged at him from halfway up the stairs. He managed to grab Rhydian before slamming him sideways into the radiator with enough force to make the metal buckle inwards. Rhydian hauled himself up as the intruder ran to the window, only to be unable to open it again.
"Why won't you open?" a woman's voice screamed.
"Thank god I had the common sense to put the crime lock on." Rhydian muttered before igniting his wolf again. The intruder looked to her right only to see Rhydian's yellow eyes shining like beacons in the darkness.
"What are you?" she asked Rhydian couldn't see her face clearly because she had a hoodie on with the hood up and a scarf tied over her face. Only her eyes were exposed, and in them was nothing but terror.
"I'm your worst nightmare given form." Rhydian growled, advancing slowly. The intruder reached back and grabbed the nearest thing she could before lunging at Rhydian with it. Rhydian grabbed her wrist and twisted sharply, making her scream out and drop the TV remote. The battery compartment broke open and the two AAs clattered to the floor. The intruder went to step back to get away from him and ended up tripping over one of them, falling backwards and smacking her head on the back of the drinks table. She was out cold even before she hit the floor. The blood pounding in Rhydian's ears meant he only just registered the sound of someone else creeping downstairs. Silently, he closed the living room door and waited behind it to ambush them. He heard the doorknob turning and got ready to strike. Just as he lunged out, the door flew open and smacked him dead centre of the forehead, causing him to be knocked back into the wall and get pinned there by the door.
"Rhydian, are you alright?" Maddy's voice filtered into Rhydian's brain. "I heard noises downstairs! I'm here to help! Where the hell are you?" As Maddy shut the door, Rhydian let out a soft groan as he collapsed forward onto the floor.
"You're a crap hero!" he muttered, letting go of consciousness.
Rhydian woke up to find police swarming all over the house. Ollie and Joe were out of bed and had worried tears streaming down their faces. Maddy was furiously gripping his hand, worry of her own plain to see.
"He's awake!" Maddy shouted over to a paramedic.
"Who the hell are you?" Rhydian asked her. Maddy's head snapped back to him with a look of utter horror. Rhydian couldn't help but burst out laughing. "I'm only joking, Maddy. I just thought that would be fun."
"You're such an arse!" Maddy yelled, hitting him repeatedly on the arm.
"Can you stop?" Rhydian asked as he felt his arm starting to go dead. "Your poor boyfriend has been through a lot between you and that woman."
"What woman?" Maddy asked.
"I mean the intruder that I fought." Rhydian elaborated.
"That was a woman?" Maddy couldn't believe it. "It took four men to drag their unconscious arse out of here!"
"Maybe it's Danielle from school." Rhydian joked.
"Rhydian, that's really discriminatory!" Maddy snapped.
"No it's not." Rhydian defended himself. "It's just an observation." At that moment, an officer came in dragging the intruder in handcuffs. Her hood and scarf were gone, leaving her face totally exposed.
"Do either of you know this girl?" he asked. Maddy couldn't believe it.
"Well, Maddy?" Rhydian looked at her smugly.
"That's Danielle from school." Maddy said bluntly.
"Wow; Rhydian was actually right about something." Ollie muttered.
"Shut up." Rhydian groaned, rubbing the lump on his head that was coming up. "I've got a lump on my forehead that makes me look like a Star Trek character. I do not need this abuse."
"How is that fair?"Maddy raged as Danielle was led away. "I got nothing but abuse over it yesterday!"
"Yeah, but we both prefer Star Wars." Rhydian reminded her as Mrs Vaughan rushed through the door.
"Rhydian, are you okay?" she asked, rushing over to him as she made it past the cops. "I came as soon as I heard!"
"Did Maddy call you?" Rhydian asked.
"I called her shortly after you took that door to the face." Maddy told him. "In fairness though, that was one impressive hit you took."
"You did that, Maddy!" Rhydian reminded her.
"Still, it was impressive." Maddy defended herself.
"No, the impressive one was when I got thrown with enough force to crumple the radiator." Rhydian flopped back on the sofa he was laid on. "Sorry about that, Mrs Vaughan."
"Rhydian, you don't have to be sorry." Mrs Vaughan gently stroked a hand through his hair. "You did what you had to do. I couldn't be more proud of you if I tried. Hell, even if you'd knocked the house down to beaded glass protecting everyone in here, I'd still be proud of you for it."
"I didn't do much." Rhydian said modestly. "As soon as she attacked me first, I had no option but to fight, and then she did my work for me by tripping over a battery from the remote. If it wasn't a home invasion, I'd be laughing."
"Wait here." Maddy said, getting up and walking outside. She could see Danielle in the back of the police car crying. "Why did you do it, Dani?" she asked. "Rhydian joked about it being you and I defended you! Then they haul your arse through the door and I get made to look stupid!"
"I'm so sorry." Danielle sobbed. "I just wanted to help."
"Who the hell does this help?" Maddy didn't understand.
"My dad died years ago and my mum lost her job a while back and can't find a new one. She can't even afford to bail me out of this." Danielle explained. "We've had to sell stuff to stop them from taking the house and pay the bills, but it's got to the point where we're running out of stuff. I'm under eighteen, so if we lose the home then I'll get put in care. I really can't have that happen!"
"Dani, I'm so sorry." Maddy was nearly in tears herself. The pieces were now all there. Danielle had been stealing stuff and pawning it off so that her mum could keep the house. Without even thinking, Maddy pulled out her mobile and scrolled through her contacts list.
"What are you doing?" Danielle asked.
"I'm saving your bacon." Maddy replied as her phone rang. "Is that you, Dacia? Its Maddy Smith here. I've got a problem over here, and I think you might be just the one to sort it out."
One Week Later...
"You know, there are people out there who would kill to have a friend like you." Rhydian said as Maddy passed him another bacon sandwich. He was round the Smiths' house for the full moon and they were preparing to go into the den.
"Dani and I weren't even friends before this." Maddy told him. "I just didn't think it was fair that someone got penalised just for being desperate. She did nothing to deserve the position she was in and Segolia have been so great to her."
"So they paid for her bail and helped her mum out of her financial crisis as well as giving her a job, all in exchange for Dani accepting a Saturday job in their cafeteria?" Rhydian double-checked.
"Yeah, she's thriving now." Maddy shrugged. "Her grades are up, she's not stolen a thing since and she's happy. That's the important thing."
"I agree." Rhydian nodded. "I'm not going to lie, Maddy; my life had its fair share of hellish moments in care. But I don't care about any of that when I'm with you. That's what keeps me happy. Dani just wanted to help her mum. That's how come Mrs Vaughan dropped the charges so quick when I told her."
"You mean when you emotionally blackmailed her into it?" Maddy smirked.
"She's a big softy at heart." Rhydian grinned. "Besides, aside from damaging the radiator and trying to steal stuff, Dani didn't do any harm. The only physical damage to me was what you did."
"Will you just drop that?" Maddy muttered.
"The only thing I'm curious about is the exterminator van." Rhydian continued. "The guys at number seven told me they didn't call an exterminator, and then there was the fact that she smelled like rat poison. What was going on there?"
"The exterminator van was her dad's." Maddy told him. "It's an automatic, so all she had to do was put it in Drive and aim it in a straight line. She used it to make a quick getaway each time she stole something."
"Wow, she really was desperate then." Rhydian muttered. "You never commit a robbery in a marked van that you own and you certainly don't use the same van for repeat offences. That's the way to instantly get found out."
"I don't think she really thought about that." Maddy replied. "All she cared about was her mum."
"I know." Rhydian nodded as he picked up the plate of sandwiches and the two of them made their way to the living room. Rhydian knew just what he was going to do as soon as the full moon was over.
The Next Day...
Danielle answered the door and was very surprised to see Rhydian standing on the doorstep. He looked quite apprehensive, so she guessed he was there to talk about that night.
"Dani..."
"Rhydian, what are you?" Dani asked.
"You needn't worry about that." Rhydian said. "I'll tell you now, there are some secrets I still don't trust you enough to tell you and I really don't think you can blame me for that."
"No, you're right. I can't blame you." Dani muttered. "I'm sorry for what I put you through."
"You don't have to be sorry." Rhydian scuffed his feet nervously. "I just thought you should know."
"Know what?" Dani asked.
"I forgive you." Rhydian told her. Instantly, Rhydian was almost suffocated by a bone-crushing hug.
"Thank you so much, Rhydian." Dani sobbed into his shoulder. "I don't deserve you and Maddy as friends."
"Let's just take one thing at a time." Rhydian muttered.
"You're brilliant, Rhydian." Dani said, picking herself up slightly. "It's times like this that can I see why you're Maddy's hero."
End!
Author's Note: Okay, so this was an idea that came to me and then started writing itself. I wanted it to be equal parts humour and serious, so this was the result. I don't know how I feel about the ending, so that may be subject to editing. Please review and let me know what you think. Also, I got a great grade on my college course, so with that finished and only one piece at most on my other course left to do, I'll have a lot more time for writing. I'll also have more time to get out and actually see the world around me a bit more, so expect some more new content soon.