Welcome to The World
It started as a normal day, until, through the crowded hallways, she could smell it. The smell of another. The smell of a predator, similar to her own, but different in so many ways. If he hadn't caught her scent by now, he would soon. They were about to pass each other. Looking up her eyes met those of a piercing blue, intently focused on her. Their eyes remained locked, unblinking, until they passed. However, for the rest of the day she could not get those eyes out of her head.
† Fire Fighting Fire
Ever since I was a child, I have hated running. However, for some reason or another running has become a big part of me. My family is different from the rest of you, we appear normal, but in all actuality, we could rip your throat out on a whim. I would know I've done it before. Don't judge my family or me; we are just trying to live, just like the rest of humanity. How could mere humans understand the pure torture we as a species have gone through, that's right! They have no idea what we've been through! No one can know our secret; no one can ever know what we truly are. That's why we run, to keep our secret, so no one knows and so no one can be hurt. Hurting, sounds like hunting. It all began, you could say, long ago.
In order to remember this I must reach back into the depths of my memory, into my childhood. Its somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, exactly where I'm not sure, but I know I'm in the woods. I'm running, from my best friend in the whole world. We are playing tag. He chases me up and over some rocks, but he slips. I hear him calling my name, screaming out to me with all his might. I am a naturally good climber so I am far ahead of him. Escaping to the rocks is the only way to evade him; he is a much faster runner than I am. Without thinking, I leap off the rocks and land right next to him. He looks at me in horror. I reach for the only part of him I can get a hold of, his neck. Why? I'm trying to help him. Why is he struggling? By the time I'm able to pull him up, he's bleeding and no longer thrashing against me. I am in shock, what had I just done? Wasn't I saving him? Why now, is he lying here in front of me dead, looking as if he had beaten to death with a wrench? I did not know what to do, so I did what we were doing before, I ran. I ran hard, though the rest of the night and far into the next day. How was I not tired yet? I've been running for a full day. Should I stop? However, the thought of his lifeless body appeared in my mind, the fact that I was his murderer; I had murdered my best friend. So I kept running. What of my family? I panicked and skidded to a halt, but something inside answered for me, and I knew some way they would find me. Therefore, I continued to run, I ran for eight days and ended up in what is now Ohio. I was where I was before, the woods, except now I was all alone. I stayed there, waiting for my family to find me, and I realized the monster I had become.
We don't speak of that day we just simply accept it. I look back on that every day of my life; amazingly, it's what holds me together. I have now accepted what I really am, but for now, I will continue to hide my existence until the world can also understand this part of me.
†
Blood. I smell it; it's a fresh kill. He found his legs begin to walk in the direction it was coming from without the consent of his head. His feet brought him to the edge of the woods not to far from the school. As soon as he crossed into the depths of the forest he immediately began to sprint off into the northeast, the direction the maddening sent originated. Within a matter of seconds, he found his prey only to discover that it was already dead. Eyebrows creasing together in the display of an actual emotion, he questioned the scene played out before him. It was the carcass of a dead doe feasted upon by some sort of creature, a large creature, that from this angle was frightening. He felt something icy run through his body, causing his pupils to dilate and his nostrils to flare at the smell carried to him on the faint breeze that lead him to this very scene. What is this? I am afraid, deathly afraid of this creature. This feeling was very new to him, having not experienced it for more than a hundred years. From here he could see that the creature had a massive head with rows of lethally sharp teeth currently dripping with blood, and oddly enough the eyes not of a killer, but that in close comparison to doe beneath its feet. They shared large deep brown eyes full of warmth, silently brooding over thoughts unknown. He circled the creature that was clearly unaware of him, occupied with ripping the hot flesh apart. From another angle, more to the side and not so head on, he could see it had an equally massive and intimidating body. Powerful legs lead to thick shoulders, razor blades of claws hooked into the pathetic doe come to pass, a tail long and graceful, and ears acute to pick up the slightest sounds adorned the head of the furry creature in front of him. Deep in thought, he let his precaution fly out the window, curiosity pulling him closer and evidently causing him to step heavily onto a small twig giving a light snap. Before he could even think to replace his foot the large head snaps up with brown eyes going black, staring directly at him so intensely that it's as if it can see his very soul. Well, that is, if he had a soul. In the split second this all occurs, the creature lunges forward with unanticipated speed considering its great size, and he finds himself running for his life. As the creature gives chase he appears calm and unfazed, as if he were simply strolling though the park, on the inside however he is so scared of the claws that he knows are dying to rip him apart. Studying it further, he realizes that it is simply an over grown-mutated wolf, creatures that even without genetic enhancements make for quite the exciting prey on their own. Pupils dilating further at the aspect of the challenge laid before him; he doubles back with no fear and inhales a deep breath. Yes, this was going to be a very exciting kill.
The creature ran head first into him, creating a thunderous crack like that of a car crash, scaring the neighboring birds into flight. Underestimating the force, he did not brace himself for the impact as his face slammed up against the belly of the beast while his back met that of numerous trees crushed down with the creature's effort to stop. Finally coming to a halt, he dug the balls of his feet into the ground as he crouched down grabbing the wolf by the scruff of its neck and springing up to launch the wolf across the forest. All this happening in one fluid movement without hesitation, he had simply thrown it. He had done it many times before and enjoyed the crack the bodies would make on impact with a stronger object. However, the sickeningly pleasant snap did not occur, the wolf lightly touched down digging its claws deep into the earth skidding backward to a halt off to the right of him. Immediately it leaped high into the air, and as he watched slightly amazed he saw that this creature, the one currently giving him a bit of fun, was a girl. He was fighting a girl and she was holding her own up against him, a girl was keeping pace and matching his strength. This hit him with the impact of the wolf as her massive jaws locked around his thin middle with a crushing force meant to break him in two. Which it didn't, he knew it wouldn't work, but what he did not expect was for her to bite harder. Pain shot through his entire middle as teeth pierced skin. This has never happened before, never, it's impossible. Unfortunately, it isn't quite as impossible as he thought. Shaking her head, he was turned sideways and whipped back and forth. Standing up on her back haunches to tower almost as tall as the trees, her two massive front paws came up and all he saw was a large black leather pad and those razor claws coming right down on his face. Bringing him to think where the other one would land he flinched and wiry muscles bulged within her jaw as he pushed it open almost ripping her bottom one off. Leaping off the tip of her nose to summersault through the air and land on his hands and knees, oddly in the same position she was in as well. Although, when her paws had landed the earth shook and gave way to two small craters, and he stared wide-eyed because that blow would have surely snapped him in half. Eyes locking he growled, low and menacing as he dug his fingers further in the dirt, and she returned the growl tenfold. It ripped through the air almost beautifully, musically, laced with low notes of blood lust, high notes of rage, and a warning hanging between the two emotions. Grinning as the sound shook everything around them and deep within his bones, as scary as this was he loved it. He had never encountered a creature like this in all his years of existence. Listening to the sound sent chills down his back as he watched her lips peel over to reveal her teeth once more as her muscles tensed to strike. It was a standstill, eyes never shifting; he simply interpreted the noise peeling from deep within her throat to roll through her teeth. Her growl, to the untrained ear would sound like anything but what it really was, defensive. She was on defense ever since he nearly snapped her jaw off. Smart creature. His grin widening until it could no longer be called that, it was now as feral as hers, that of a predator not a boy. His teeth were not as impressive as hers were, but to another human they were terrifying. He tensed as well and as if on cue, they both leapt up in a blur. They found themselves locked together, once again in a standstill, this time though a power struggle. His left hand clenching tight around her throat the other barley holding off her massive paw threatening to break him down, he was faltering. Her other paw was currently pushing against his chest in an attempt to push him away and release her throat. The pain was killing him; her claws were deep in his chest reopening the bite wounds. He was barley holding off her other paw, and so he tightened his hold on her neck. Unexpectedly the force pushing him was gone and he was swept off his feet as her massive paw knocked the hand on her throat up to be caught by the other. With the same paw she raked her claws down his back and around to the front of his slim form before firmly pressing him into the dirt. Chest bleeding profusely and being held down by one paw while the other held both hands high above his head. She looks over him, blood dripping from her teeth, to assess the damage, eyes calculating. He brought his knees up, planted his feet square in the middle of her chest, and pushed with all his might. She went flying back slamming hard into a tall oak to lie crumpled at its base. He stood up and brushed himself off, careful of his wounds, and ripped the nearest tree out of the ground. As she stood up her body met that of the tree thrown at her, and was pinned between the oak and the fallen tree. All he could hear was her high-pitched whine as many of her ribs were broken. She lay there whimpering beneath the trees as he walked over to her, clutching his side as he did so. Breathing heavily, he bent down and lifted the tree off her with one hand. Legs shaking and panting just as heavily, she rose to meet her opponent. Standing there for a moment to regain her footing, she observes him, wasn't he going to finish her off? He could feel where her train of thought was going and grinned despite the pain. He took one step toward her and she bolted in the opposite direction, ignoring the burning protest of her ribs to cease and desist. She hated running and right now running hated her. With this he took off after her, easily keeping pace as well as he could, considering his own wounds. It appears she ruptured a lung; he would have to hold his breath until it healed, damn her. With his sense of smell gone if he lost sight of her it would be all over, he would lose her. So, he ran with her, careful not to push her to hard, but never fading too far behind.
Run. That's all she can think of right now, run faster, don't be caught. Her legs moved faster and leapt forward at even greater speeds. How is it possible he's keeping up with me? No one can keep up with me. Suddenly there he was along my blind side, swift and menacing, bloodthirsty. That's what he wanted, he wanted me for his meal, I am no longer the predator, I am the prey. This notion spurred her on even faster, legs pumping, breathing hard and burning, until she realized she had just crossed three states in less than six hours. Slowing down, the trees no longer a blur of green and brown, but now they were spinning. She bought her pace to a steady trot, world still spinning; she could go no further because she was completely exhausted. She did not even think of that beautiful creature that she thought wished to feast on her flesh as she blacked out beneath a weeping willow. The calm of rushing water and chirping birds were the last things she encountered before the darkness took over.
Wow, I just chased her over three states and she kept her pace for so long even with her injuries. He cautiously approached her now still form, even from a few feet away he could feel the heat radiating off her. Crouching down to observe her, and wincing as he did so, he saw she had six broken ribs, a fractured shoulder, torn muscles in both of her currently spasming back legs, and was bleeding profusely from a head wound that probably came with a concussion. Standing back up he left her there to go attend his own wounds at a stream nearby. It ran with the melt water from the mountaintops and chilled his entire body to the bone. Standing with the water to about his waist he tore what was left of his shirt off and began to wash the blood out of it as means to keep his mind off the pain in his side. He had multiple deep gash wounds covering his chest and back, even deeper punctures from where her teeth had sunk in, and a punctured lung as well as a large slice where flesh was missing all on his left side from when she had racked across him. All he could handle, except for the slice, that one was bound to pose a problem. Wringing out his shirt to wrap it around his chest he also found a few broken bones in his hand that protested this action. She really got him.
The sound of splashing water woke her from the darkness as she realized that she was no longer in her wolf form. Panicking she searched for the boy and found him cleaning his wounds in the stream. So, he did not see her like this. Good, she was going to keep it that way. Slowly she transformed back into her wolf self, enjoying the warmth the fur brought to her naked form but wincing as the pain unfurled back to full force. She lay back down in anticipation of his return, he'll be back she knows it, and she is in absolutely no condition to escape him. Excepting her fate, she drifted back into unconsciousness that welcomed her warmly. I hope that he'd be merciful and finish me quick.
Walking back from the stream he found that she had apparently woken up, shifted a bit, and settled back into unconsciousness. How could a creature with this much power be willing to lie down and die? It was a question he'd never get the chance to answer. Approaching slowly with his wet shirt set around his neck still slightly dripping, he concluded that she wouldn't wake back up for quite a while. Actually, she would probably end up dieing here if he left her; she would suffer miserably for a week at most before her body failed her completely. A part of him couldn't let such a unique creature die, he was curious to learn more about exactly what kind of animal she was. Having already made up his mind on what to do with her before questioning himself, he crouched down by her head. Taking the shirt off from its resting place around his neck, he proceeded to rip it into long strips, and rest them on his shoulder. Looking at her head he tsked at what he found. The wound was still bleeding and showed no sign of slowing; if he didn't act fast, she was going to die anyway, regardless of his opinion. Ripping off the bottom half of both of his pants legs, he folded them to form a makeshift gauze pad and pressed it firmly against her head. He received a whimper at this, but ignored it as he took one of the cool damp pieces of cloth and wrapped it around. Using up most of the shirt, he managed to crudely but sufficiently bandage her head. All but two he then used to patch his side. Grunting as he stood up, he made sure she was out cold and then went in search of a strong enough splint for her ribs. He did not have to look far for there were many large branches that had fallen during their fight. It was kind of ironic, he mused to himself, that after fighting to the death I'm now fighting just as hard to keep her from it. Grinning ruefully at his thoughts, he selected one and made his way back to her side. Before bending down, he removed his belt, braided the two other pieces of cloth together, and tied them to the end of it. On a normal size being this would not be necessary, but her size was anything but normal. After some time of strategic movement, he managed to splint her ribs. Peering over her to study his handy work, he questioned himself once more, on why he was doing this while every part of him was telling him to kill her now. Well no matter, he was never the one to follow the rules; he would always do things his own way no matter the consequences. Damn, what am I going to do with her now? He asked in the attempt to find a different answer, to no avail. He already knew what his only option was, and he wasn't pleased with it. Circling her, he pondered which way was the best to go about this, and stopped when he was at her side. Bending down he grunted as he scooped her up in his arms to carry her like a small child. He'd carry her over his shoulder, but with almost all her ribs broken, that wasn't an option. He looked very silly, a small boy cradling a humongous dog. Shaking his head to clear these silly thoughts, he devoted himself entirely to the task at hand. Cautiously he let out the breath he was holding, and focused intently on the slow ragged one he took in and held. He needed to do that no matter how much it hurt, he had to smell his way home. Home wasn't the only thing he smelled though. More prominently, he smelled her, and she smelled exactly like apples with underlying tones of blood, sweat, and earth. Her fur was the source of the sweet smell of apples, vanilla, and peaches. Curious, how could a creature of the forest smell like this? He would ponder this as he began the long run back home.
†
Home. He arrived back at nightfall, just as the sun had set. Sneaking around back, he let himself in through the porch door, careful not to disturb its occupants. Immediately he took the familiar path down the hall to his room and deftly locked the door behind him. Not bothering with lights, he laid her down on the bottom bunk of his bed, and made his way over to his dresser. He took out a large blanket and tucked her in with it, smiling to himself as he did. Turning to his bookshelf, he took a wooden box off the shelf and opened it to reveal an impressive medical kit. Leaving it atop his dresser, he undressed his wounds with a hiss and peered into his mirror with dismay. His body was turning black and purple, and his wounds were white and blue. Reaching into his medical kit, he pulled out a small bowl and filled it with a mix of chemicals. He took a clean rag, dipped it into the liquid, and dabbed it on his wounds. Because some of them were so deep, he had to squeeze the liquid fire into them. This of course was his most absolute favorite thing to do, not. After deeming his body clean and forced though enough torture, he grabbed a roll of bandages and wrapped himself tight. Taking out an unmarked bottle, he took out two mysterious blue pills and swallowed them, immediately feeling relief. That done he turned to the creature on his bed, took off the splint, and began to unwrap her head. Dried blood matted her fur, and when her ear twitched, blood began oozing out of the cracked cut. Moving back to the dresser, he poured more liquid in the bowl and soaked a fresh cloth in it. Returning to her head, he slowly reached up and pressed the cloth firmly onto the cut. Her eyes immediately snapped open and she lunged at his neck, just missing.
Fire. Fire. Fire fire fire! FIRE! There's something burning in my head, make it stop! Her body tensed up in a fighting position on his bed, which only sent more pain coursing through her body. Her vision was going fuzzy with white spots, but she lunged at her attacker anyways, the pain causing her to barely miss her target. She was struggling to keep her eyes from rolling to the back of her head when she felt a pair of cool hands firmly push down on her shoulders, until she was once again lying down on the bed. Hands not moving, she looked up at him to meet cold blue eyes. "I'm not going to kill you." He stated to her. Brown eyes closed in acceptance and he made his way back to the forgotten clothe. He returned to cleaning her now open wound and she only gave a slight twitch as he applied pressure.
It appears she had some fight left in her after all, he thought. As he continued his work, he looked at her fur. It was dark brown with hints of red, white gold, and black. She was beautiful, for a wolf that is. She didn't fall back unconscious after the episode, which was okay, except it made it harder for him to bandage her. Retiring the blood soaked clothe to the bowl he reached into the box and pulled out jar full of some kind of cream. Unscrewing the lid, he then proceeded to lather a glob of it on her cut. It left a cool tingly feeling in the tips of his fingers that no doubt had the same effect on her head. She visibly relaxed at the easing of her pain and he was overjoyed that he was the one who did that for her, completely forgetting that he was the source of her misery in the first place. Smiling to himself and not even realizing it, he bandaged her head again. Looking down he met curious brown eyes and immediately removed his hands that had lingered for a little too long in her soft fur. Frowning, he turned back to his dresser and took out an abnormally wide roll of bandages. Her curious eyes remained glued to him as he took the discarded branch and broke it in half, and placed a half on each side of her. Frown deepening he realized this was not going to work. He looked at her, she looked right back at him, and he sighed. "If you consent, would you please stand up?" He asked pleasantly as he ran a hand through his hair. He watched her as she raised one eyebrow in silent question while getting off the bed and narrowly avoiding the ladder. As he began to splint her ribs, this time more accurately, he answered her in the purring vibration that is his voice. "I feel it's the least I can do for you dear creature, after I so rudely intruded on your meal, and you gave me the pleasure of a well matched fight and a wonderful chase." Expert fingers tied off the ends on her tightly wound ribs and he rose from his crouched position. Reaching the door, he opened it and bowed, indicating that she may leave, and she did. Like that she was gone, nothing left to indicate that she was ever there, except for the blood soaked strips of his shirt and an indent on his bed.
"Wake me next time we have company little brother," his sister said with a grin from across the thresh-hold of the doorway. He had not even sensed her until she spoke, she was always sneaky.
"Alright sister, if you insist. If there happens to be a next time, I will properly introduce you to my guest. Sorry for disturbing you." He said as he moved to make his way back into his room, but met the arm of his sister blocking his way.
"I do hope that there will be a next time little brother," and her eyes told him everything that was not said. He nodded and ducked under her arm to retreat into his room to clean the mess he made and try to rest, for tomorrow he would have school.
"Good night dear sister."
"Good night, foolish little brother." She blew him a kiss and he was once again alone. Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair and looked out at the moon. It was a full blood red moon, how ironic. He hadn't seen a moon this red or this full since- well let's just say it's been a very long time.
† Den Of Wolves
Mother, if I must, I shall apologize again. I am sorry for transforming, hunting, fighting, breaking things, and lowering my guard around a powerful and strange creature. In return to this thought I received a growl much more ferocious than my own. My mother made me look like a newly weaned kitten, that's how scary she is. All of us held some amount of fear towards her except for my father, who at this moment was standing next to my mother, both sharing the same displeased expression that was directed at little old me. I looked at them with my puppy eyes, and I could see my father start to crack. My mother was being ruthless as always.
"Alessandra, don't you think you're going too hard on Elora? I think she handled herself quite well, she didn't give away her identity and that's the important thing." He said to my mother. Now her gaze turned to my father as she spoke- err thought.
I am not questioning whether Prima handled herself well or not James; I am questioning her decision in breaking the rules that she has known for more than half a millennium! Sure, she has broken them before, but never has she done so so close to your people's domain and almost died! She has jeopardized our entire existence. Her growling was even more fearsome, ripping though her teeth, and her body was tense in an attack position. Still none of this fazed my father. He held his exact position as she circled him, and simply smiled lovingly at her.
"Now now Alessandra, don't be such a drama queen," she stopped all of her menacing gestures as she heard this and looked at him though narrowed eyes, "it's not the end of the world. I say she is grounded for a week, including school, and has to teach her sister for at least six hours a day. What do you say dear?"
She looked at him and thought, Very well, but also she is not allowed off the property unless instructed by you or me. She then looked to me. Prima Elora we sentence you to one week of this grounding in which you will teach your sister for six hours each day, and will not leave the boundaries of our property unless given permission. Is that clear?
I transformed back into my human self and bowed my head. "Yes mother." Satisfied with my answer she nodded and walked off. My father took one of the many blankets from under the stairs and wrapped it around me. "Thank you." I said, and he knew it wasn't just for the blanket. He kissed my forehead and pushed me in the direction of the stairs.
I walked up the basement stairs, into our huge kitchen, and walked through to the foyer until I found the stairs that would take me to my room. Entering I was greeted with a multitude of rainbows gracing my walls. The sun was just peaking over the horizon, almost time to go to school, except I wouldn't be. It was at this time every morning when the birds chirped and just before sunset that the sun shown through the prisms in the window to create this beautiful scene. After locking my door, I sat down on my bed and shed my blanket to look at the wounds that remained even in my human form. My injuries were considerably less, but I still had a large cut on my forehead, three broken ribs, and torn tendons in my legs. The bruising was less though. Walking was painful to say the least, but at least I was still able to breath, kind of. I lay down and thought of my mother. She has been in a worse state than I have more times than can be remembered. There is one time I do remember though; we were in Italy.
My mother then was very young, only a few hundred years old, which to us is about the age of a teenager. She was twice the size of a wolf, when sitting she was a massive five and a half feet tall. It was night and we were in the forests of one of the many mountains close to the village when we heard voices growing louder and louder. I was just a pup then, and I was in human form, to say the least that had shocked my mom. She said that when I was first born I was a pup, but only for a little while. I started to do strange things and began to lose my fur. I looked exactly like a human in less than three days after my birth. I had grown rapidly though; I was the size of a normal six-year-old child, with the intelligence of an adult. We could see the lights of their torches and smell their dogs. My mother bent down and I clung to her back furiously as she took off in the opposite direction. She did a large arc around and came along the side of the search party. Apparently, some of the villagers had seen my mother while on a hunting trip, and were coming to kill her before she could kill them. They were convinced that she would come for them and their children. She followed them listening to what they were saying.
"…Seems we found her trail, look at those paw prints." Said a man with torch crouched on the ground. "They're as big as my face."
"Look!" shouted a man at the head of the party. The others came rushing over. "It's the foot prints of a child!"
"It appears we came too late for that one, see I told you all we should have done this sooner! Maybe she'd still be alive!" proclaimed a man holding the leash of a dog.
"Well it's not my fault; you were the one who said it was nothing!" A man with a torch accused the man beside him.
"My fault!" he snorted indignantly as he pointed his finger at a man across the circle. "It's his fault; he was passed out drunk every night during his shift of guard duty!"
"Me? How dare you…" the voices got quieter as my mother stopped following. I looked up and I could see clearly why she did. There was a lone man who snuck away from the others in the midst of their arguing. He was stumbling toward us and peering through the dark desperately looking for something. He was only a few feet away when my mother sat up. As he was turning in her direction, she licked his face. Instantly he gave her a bright smile and scratched her head. I clung behind my mother's leg and wondered whom this strange man was and why did my mom kiss him. She whined and nudged me forward. He looked shocked as he saw me, and he looked to my mother, she only nodded at him. He looked back at me and swept me up in a huge hug. I knew then that this was my father. We had the same eyes, the same dark hair, and the same crooked smile. He kissed my forehead.
"Prima." He whispered in a deep voice like honey, and my mother nodded at him again. Prima is Italian for 'first one'. I am the first one, first born, and this man is my mother's first love. Its complicated, but only a few times has my mother been able to be in human form, and that's when she loved my father.
"Daddy." I whispered as I returned his embrace. I looked up to see tears in his eyes and a smile of pure joy, the joy a father has the first time he holds his baby in his arms. His heart was breaking though; he knew it was impossible for me to stay with him. I could see faint flickers of light and I knew this moment would end soon. "I love you daddy." I told him, and he held me tighter as he cried. My mother looked at him with a pained expression. She was losing someone special too.
"I love you too sweetie. Be safe." He set back down on my feet and held my small hands in his huge calloused ones. Looking right into my eyes he spoke. "Please don't forget me." He asked with one of those crooked smiles, but it didn't reach his eyes. His eyes were full of tears traitoursly spilling over. I could hear voices now and the bark of dogs.
I pulled him down to my height, "I won't forget you daddy, I promise," and I kissed his prickly cheek. He laughed as more tears fell. "Please don't cry daddy." I said as I wiped his tears and began to cry too. He smiled a true smile at this and pulled himself together. He turned to my mom and embraced her as she licked his face and whimpered. The voices were so loud now, almost on top of us.
"Take care of her," he said, though he already knew she would. "I love you so much." She whined and licked his cheek.
"Ilario!" They were looking for him, and they were so close. The dogs were going crazy, and broke free from the man's hold. They were coming straight for Ilario. He saw this, picked me up, and threw me to my mother before she could do anything.
"Run." He instructed as I dangled from my moms mouth.
"Daddy no!" I screamed, as I knew the inevitable. The other men were running in the direction of the dogs, but it was too late. My mother could do nothing as three huge dogs came at my father. He smiled and turned away from us, taking up a fighting stance. My mom turned too and ran away, but not fast enough. Looking over my mom's shoulder, I saw my father illuminated by the faint torch light of the men, blocking the dogs with his own body. They were tearing him apart trying to get to us, but he fought them off to his dieing breath. Two of the dogs were trying to rip their way through the pair of strong arms holding them back. He had kicked the third away, but it shot back up and latched onto my father's throat. Blood covered him, but he flung the dogs on his arms into the trees so hard it killed them, and ripped the other off his throat and strangled it. What happened next happened all at once. The dog died, my father fell to the forest floor in a pool of blood, and the other men found him.
"Ilario! The creature killed Ilario!" They did not know that their own dogs killed him; that he had died protecting the very creature they accused of killing him. This was all too much for me, and blood was running to my head from being upside down, my vision was failing. I passed out to the sound of my mother's even breathing as she did what Ilario said, ran.
My mother was a mess after my father's death for at least ten years. In that time, I learned how fitting my father's name was. Ilario is Italian for cheerful, my father was smiling to the very end. The pain my mom suffered never really healed; after all, it was her biggest wound ever. A wound to her heart.
† Schools of Secrets
Ah school, or as these students call it, hell. Well I've been to hell and school isn't even close. Today though, I think I can make an exception to that statement. This is as close to hell as I'll ever get again. See, today I woke up late, missed the bus, forgot my homework, failed a test (didn't feel like taking it), and got detention. I was also attacked by the girls who stalk me (they ripped my pants right off me), had to walk through school in my boxers (surprisingly everyone acted as if this was a normal thing), had to borrow pink pants from my sister, got stuck in the rain after school because my car broke, and what else is missing? Oh yeah, I was in incredible pain unable to breath the whole time because my body was full of holes! All thanks to the creature I should have killed yesterday, I mean what was I thinking! Finally, at home, I lay on my bed and watched the rain hit the windows. It's been three days since I fought her, and my wounds are not healing as fast as they normally do. It appears that she had some kind of venom in her saliva. I have kept a sharp look out for her everywhere I go, but I have not had a single clue as to where or who she is. I'm chasing imaginary people, and going in circles. It's hopeless, or so I had thought. My sister had discovered that there was only one other student in my grade not there for those three days. They, or should I say she, was off with a medical absence. She is one of the top students in our level and has never missed a day in all her years of school. Her name is Elora, and that is all I know about her. She's a tricky little thing; I should have known that a creature of that magnitude could not survive for so long without an alibi. Well Elora, I'll be waiting for you, no matter how long it takes.
†
I shot up in bed covered in a cold sweat with wide eyes and a racing heart. It was just a dream. I reiterated until my nerves calmed. The sun had just set and the stars were just starting to peek out. Well now's a time as good as any to teach Yoko. I thought as I swallowed the six clear pills that were sitting on my nightstand. Standing up I opened the door and transformed into my wolf self, the pills negating all of the pain, and raced down the halls until I came upon my sister. Yoko was in the family room playing with her stuffed animal, it was a bird. Yoko, come outside, I'll teach you something.
"Okay Prima!" she replied cheerfully, and set her bird down. Yoko is the odd ball out of the pack, her true form name is Fulvia, it's Latin for blonde. Yoko has bright yellow hair, almost white, incredibly pail skin, and yellow eyes. "What are you going to teach me?" she asked as she began shedding her cloths.
You'll see. I replied. Yoko breathed out and slowly she grew fur while she focused on her changing body shape. Soon before me sat a wolf as white as the moon, with a golden tail and paws not even half the size of mine. We went out in the back yard, Yoko prancing happily behind me. Today I'm going to teach you some fighting moves, we will start with defense first, and when I deem that you can successfully hold me off, we'll start on the attacks. I demonstrated basic counter moves, and she copied them until she could do them fluently. You might have to use combinations of these moves, or use them as a base to create your own, because I am not holding back. I dashed at her with one of my strongest attacks, and she dodged, but wasn't prepared for me to move directly into the next move. I gave her no time to catch up, and this time she received a large slash across her shoulder. I stopped and we moved to face each other once again. I sprung at her and went through another attack pattern so quickly she had no time to track it. She only received a hit to the chest; she was getting better at dodging. By my fifth attack she was able to dodge and maneuver around my attacks, she was moving though the motions quicker. Very good Fulvia, do you mind if we continue tomorrow? My wounds are acting up. If you wish to continue without me, I recommend working on your speed. She turned to me panting while I looked unfazed from our engagement, and sat down in front of me.
Very well, Prima, I shall practice my speed then, good night. With that, she stood back up and turned to walk away.
Good night. It had only been a few hours, so the night was still young. I continued walking toward the back of the property. I arrived at the edges of a large field glittering with lighting bugs, and made my way to the center of it. I lie down and roll onto my back to gaze up at the stars with the feeling that life was going to get interesting.
†
Where could that girl be? I thought as I walked into the locker room after gym class. It had been a week, and it was Monday once again and there was still no sign of her. In gym class I didn't really do anything in there; it wasn't really fair to the other kids. Sometimes though, if I was in a violent mood, I would participate. Dodge ball was my favorite, they played that today and I got to take all my frustration out on that pathetic kid who kept picking on the girls. I threw the ball so fast the kid didn't know what hit him. It was a face shot and it sent him to the clinic with a bloody nose. The coach called time, but had no clue who threw it so she resumed the game with a stern warning to the whole class. The teachers here have no idea how severe my wounds are, or they definitely wouldn't let me in gym class. All they can see the discoloring on the skin peeking out from my cloths. Changing cloths was what bothered me the most; I always excluded myself to a corner.
"Whao, dude, that's awesome!" some boy changing next to me said. I stared at him wondering if it was the bandages wrapped tightly around my middle, or the severe discoloration of my body he was talking about, boys were so weird. "Your tattoo is so cool! I would never be brave enough to get one that big." He said as he reached toward the huge tattoo of black wings sprawled across my back, half hidden by the bandages. I winced, flinching away from his touch; I had forgotten about that, it's been at least a hundred years, which is really like a day to me, since the tattoo has crossed my mind. Maybe later I would let it breath, it would help clear my head. He turned back around and left me to finish getting dressed, thank goodness.
I changed slowly, and soon I was alone in the locker room. Shutting my locker, I walked though the nearly empty halls, avoiding the faces of the few people still rushing to class. I don't know what possessed me to look up, but when I did, I glimpsed a flash of red rushing across the hall at the end of mine. That person in red sparked something in me, it's like I knew her, but from where, could it possibly be a memory? I sat through my next class and did not participate, the teacher dared not to disrupt my thoughts for the look on my face promised death to whoever did. The bell brought me from my subconscious, tolling that it was time to go to English, my favorite class. I grabbed my books and made my way through the hall ways once again, my feet leading of their own accord. I am in the advanced placement course for English, which is unheard of for freshmen.
†
I have to be more careful, for a moment there I thought he recognized me. I came into class late, the only evidence of running being the flowing hair around my face, and met the stares of all my classmates. "Glad that you decided to join us Miss Elora please take your seat," Mr. Baker said. I made my way to the back of the class and sat down, my thoughts preoccupied. All my time at school, I never noticed him. He must be a new transfer student, damn; I'm going to have to deal with him a lot more. Being one of the top students, the elite, it's our duty to show the new kids around the school and community. Knowing my luck I'll be stuck with him.
Before I know it the bell rings and I'm out the door faster than anyone can keep track of. I slow down as I enter the commons, students staring. Walking through the crowded halls, I realized he knew my scent just as I knew his, and I would soon pass him. I kept my eyes down in the hopes that he would not notice me, though I knew it was futile. His scent grew stronger and I peeked up to meet the piercing stare of smoldering blue eyes unblinkingly locked on mine. He held me in his gaze like a serpent does its prey until we passed and I was freed.
Wait, I've seen him here before, he's not a new student, but I guess he's newer than most. I think I have classes with him. Oh God, my life is going to get very interesting. Up the stairs and at the door of my English room I saw him walking down the hall way. It looked like he was walking this way, like this was his class.
I stood there gaping at him while he walked around me and into the class room. "Good morning Elora," he said as he passed, and his voice melted through the air like ink in water, a shocking swirling value of color elegantly diffusing into the water.
"Urrgh." I sneered at his smirk and followed him into the room. I took my seat in the middle of the class against the wall as he sat in the back.
"Okay class, today we will be studying poets of the romanticism period. I will put you in pairs and you will take turns reading out loud different passages, and then discuss your views on them." As the teacher walked around and gave us each a number, I already knew what my luck would be. And sure enough, that blue eyed boy was sitting next to me with his open book as we both read the passage. "Now that each group has read their passage, how did the time period it was written in affect the content of the poem, and how did the author leave an impact on that time? I will come around and listen in on each groups discussion. Alright, go!"
"So," he began with a tone and a smirk that said whatever he was going to say next was correct, "its simple, in that time period everyone had a secret, and to let that secret be known, people wrote it in poetry and stories. Authors told their secrets through their writing, and it spoke to the reader on a deeper level, it spoke to their secret. Therefore people saw that if the authors could share their secrets with the world then ones own secret could be shared as well. And so the age of secret sharing began, one that would grow as time wore on."
I sat there and stared at his self-righteous grin for a few moments, and then began my contradiction. "No," I told him frankly and I could see his grin waver, "after many years of suppression, people were finally letting loose and sharing what was really in their hearts. Through words was one of the first ways inner feeling was truly expressed, and who was better at transferring feelings from the heart to paper than writers. That is the impact authors had on the time period." He stared at me dumbfounded for a moment before closing his gaping jaw, and began to plead his case again.
The teacher was now at our little pair and was listening intently to our now heated debate when she interjected, "And how are the both of you so informed about this time period? It sounds as if you both knew the authors personally and lived full lives in that time period." Her eyebrows were creased in confusion and thought, "Well, this is why you two are in advanced placement courses," and she moved along her way and left us both dumfounded.
My curiosity peaked, I knew I was alive then, but what about him? "Umm, Jacob?" I trailed off losing confidence. "Yes, Elora?" He asked right back, imitating my exact tone. I stared at him for a moment and he stared back, and then my eyes dropped down to my fitteling fingers, and he continued to stare. "Umm, well, were you alive all the way back then?" He took a few moments, and answered carefully.
I did not want to lie to her, but there was no guarantee that I could trust her, so I decided to tell her only part of the truth. "Yes," I said, and her eyes widened slightly, "but only in spirit I believe. You see I feel I had lived through a different life then, and I keep the memories."
"Oh," her eyes dropped, "it was a silly question, sorry, I just got a feeling from you that you've been around for a very long time." I stared at her as she fiddled with her fingers again, and wondered what her story was. I don't think she'll ever tell me anything now.
"Well, honestly, its more than just memories I have." She looked back up at this with an expression of speculation. "I have feelings and fears, like I really was alive back then, and I dream of the people I knew in that life." She was intently focused on every word I said now, and a deep feeling warned I might regret this later but, "this is all because I was alive so long ago." She was not shocked at this statement at all, she simply smiled that enticing wolfy grin as her eyes squinted and her shoulders shook in silent laughter. She was laughing at me, I have simply gone and made a fool of myself. And as my stomach sunk, she began to speak.
"I knew you were, and I'll tell you something purely in the confidence of what you told me." I looked up at her from under my eyelashes, and the look on her face pulled me from drowning in my pool of despair. "I was alive then too, I still remember everything vividly, as though it were yesterday." At this statement my stomach did flip flops, finally someone who I could relate to, someone other than my own family I could talk to about things of old.
"Okay class!" The teacher said, breaking our moment. "I'm assigning a partner project." A student raised their hand as the teacher continued on. "No you may not pick your own partners," and the student lowered her hand defeated, "you will work with the partner I assigned you today." I looked up slightly and studied the reactions around the room as the teacher droned on. Some boys high-fived while others looked stricken as their female partner clung to them. The girls were mostly worried that they weren't with a close friend to chat the hours of the project away with. I cautiously looked over at the girl that was to be my partner, and could not decipher what her feelings were on the project. "Mr. Jacob!" I looked at the teacher now, all was quiet and all eyes were on me. "Stop staring at Elora and tell the class what I had just said." I paused a moment, some of the kids snickering at my plight, and dove right in.
"Well where would you like me to start?" I asked in all seriousness, and the teacher began to get angry because her plan was backfiring. "You and your partner will have until Friday," I quoted her in her exact tone, but not in a mocking way, so I was allowed to continue. "Together you will create an interesting presentation of the poem, be sure to include the historical and social impacts of it, as well as act out a scene based on a readers opinion." The class now stared at me wide eyed as I continued to imitate the teacher. I stood up and continued, acting out her movements now.
"To the office young man, now." The teacher said venomously, and the class snickered. I locked eyes with Elora as I left the room and what I saw said this project would be done at my house. I sighed and looked away as I left the room.
†
I sat in his kitchen, across from him, oddly no one was home. Papers strewn across the table, we began to work, and it continued this way with mild disagreements here and there. Suddenly out of no where a blade met my throat, and I was stunned into silence.
"So this is the girl you're in love with, eh little brother?" Wide eyed, I looked at him, who was his family anyway?
"Sarah, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Elora. Elora, this is my sweet sister Sarah."
"Pleasure," I chocked out. "Could you..." as I gestured to her blade, which still lay at my neck.
"Of course," she grinned, sheathing the blade. "Now come at me."
"Excuse me?"
"Come at me, or are you more chicken than wolf, Fazer." I knew my secret was blown, blown further than that house last summer... So I stood, and sized her up. Sarah stood across me in the living room, crouched more feral than her brother. Stripping off my outer shirt, down to my under pants and tank top, I caught sight of Jacob's blush as my jeans hit the ground.
"They'll rip," I explained plainly. As I began to faze, slowly, I took off the rest of my clothes, fur covering everything, tail already full out. Jacob looked up at me now, as I reached my full height. His hand reached out and stroked my massive form. I bristled at his touch and in a flash I was on his sister. Sarah was laughing as I licked her whole face, my tail wagging. The fight turned out to be one massive scratch fest, both of them tag teaming me.
"Lucky little brother, I would of loved to fight her." Sarah said as I lay on my back, taking up the whole living room. Something lie beneath me though and I rolled over to reveal a crushed coffee table. "Mom's not going to be happy."
"Speak of the devil," Jacob said as their mother walked in the room just then. She was shocked to see me fully taking up the space of their living room.
"Hello, and who is your new friend?" I could not respond in this form. I looked at the new comer with my puppy dog eyes, as innocent as possible, as the others made my introduction.
I sat there awkwardly as my head shifted back and forth between the siblings and their mother like watching a tennis game until I could see this wasn't going to end well. I lifted my paws off the ground causing the light fixture to shake and instantly had all three of these beautiful creatures attention. Paws still in mid air I shifted back almost all the way to my human form, leaving my body covered in fur for modesty. They looked at me wide eyed, although I am not in shock they have never seen this faze of the Fazers. My face was still that of a canine, powerful and intimidating jaws yet my eyes were more humanoid, my hands had their thumbs but each finger was adorned with a razor sharp claw. The hair on my head was longer with pointed ears atop my head while the hair on the rest of my body was short about an inch in length, enough to hide my protruding breasts, and it complemented my long tail. I saw a blush lit across Jacob's face for a moment as he steeled a look at my technically naked form and responded with a quick wink at which his blush deepened as he hid his face. Our silent conversation was lost on the other two in the room as they were waiting for me to speak, I bowed my head towards their mother as an indication that it would only be a moment more before I would be able to communicate. I carefully reached for my clothes so as to not tear them with my claws and quickly got dressed. With just a tremor through my body I was fully human again.
"I'm terribly sorry about you table, we were having a little bit too much fun."
"Oh not to worry dear, its replaceable, I'm just glad to see Jacob with a guest over." She said with a smile and an endearing look towards her son.