AN so this'll be the last main chapter, the next one will be set many years into the future :) enjoy :D
Full Moon
Chapter 4 - Choices
"RHYDIAN!" Maddy called, sniffing him out, "RHYDIAN, WAIT" she shouted, slowly getting closer, being the faster of the two. "Rhydian, please" she said gentler this time, and finally he stopped, turning back into his normal self, and slid down behind a tree. Maddy skidded to a halt beside him. He was shaking... and crying. Maddy had never seen him cry before, and she didn't want to see it happen again. She sat down by him, and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.
He sat there in silence, letting himself calm down, aware of the fact that Maddy was the one that had come back to find him, not his mother or brother. And weren't packs meant to look out for each other?
"Rhydian" He'd forgotten she was there when Maddy spoke, "You... you should stay with your family" although it broke her to say it, Maddy knew that it needed to be said, "You belong here, with them, in the wild."
"But you can't keep away from me can you Mads," he joked, trying to lighten the mood, and they both laughed slightly.
"It would've been my first full moon without you..." she shrugs, "and who's to say I'll stay away?"
"You'll go with your pack Maddy, it's where you belong. You'd hate it here," Rhydian sighed. He was confusing himself more. He wanted his family and Maddy, but he couldn't have both. "And we both know that you'll go with your parents anyway." Maddy looked down, she wanted to deny it, but she couldn't. She was still a young wolf, and was glad of the guidance, Rhydian didn't need it... "And I know where I belong." He said suddenly, making Maddy's head jolt up, "I'll see you back there Mads. I need to walk for a bit."
Maddy frowned, "You'll come back, right?" she asked, worried.
"Yeah Mads, don't worry about me. I was the lone wolf, remember" he jokes lightly, and she nods. "No need to rush though Mads, alright?" she nodded again and they headed off in separate directions.
-WB-
It was an hour before Maddy finally made it back to camp, having walked slowly, sadly, at some point she had started crying, but they had dried not long after, leaving her cheeks cold from the winter wind, and red. Her eyes she dried, and prayed that they wouldn't be read when she got back, and here she was, still slightly red eyes, but other than that, just as she was when she went, but with slightly redder cheeks.
"Maddy?" Emma was the first to notice her return, quickly getting up, heading towards her daughter and embracing her in a tight hug. "Maddy, what happened?" In her mother's arms, Maddy once again felt tears sting her arms and she shook her head,
"I don't know..." she said, sounding slightly lost. "He didn't say."
It was only now that Ceri finally stood up. She looked like she'd been crying, and Bryn definitely had been. "This is all your fault." She said, looking Maddy straight in the eye. "If Rhydian had never met you it would've all been better! That way he'd never have fallen in love, never have become 'tame. Never have wanted to –"
"Never have wanted to what, Ceri?" there was a sudden voice, none of the packs had spoken, and all turned to see Rhydian behind. "Never have wanted to leave? Never have wanted to follow you?" he shook his head, his eyes piercing his mother, seeing right into her. "You're selfish. You wanted me. You didn't want to take care of me; you just wanted me here, in your pack. To lead." He paused, glancing at the Smiths before continuing, saying names with particular force. "Maddy was the one who showed me I'm not alone. Maddy was the one who befriended me. Maddy was the one who helped me. The Smiths were the first to invite me into their pack. The Smiths were the first to guide me. And what did you do? You stayed with the pack, moping because I wouldn't come back with you, so much that you almost lost your other son, and only then do you try again. Maddy protected me, helped me, taught me. What did you do? You let a kid come and find me. You let him end up getting hurt."
"I didn't mean for that-" Ceri's words were broken, harsh...
"Tell them why you really wanted me here Ceri" He spat her name out like it was a piece of dirt, but Ceri stayed silent, "You can't can you. Are you ashamed?" By this point, Maddy could see Rhydian's hands steadily getting more wolf like. She wanted to get up and comfort him, but Emma was held on too tightly. "You wanted me because the pack leader is dying," Rhydian said bluntly, "And you wanted me to take his place." There were a few comments then, about reasoning. "Well here's some news for you 'mum'. Your plan failed. You better hope Bryn lives up to the same standards" at the mention of his name, Bryn hid himself away slightly; he was still too young for all this anyway. "I've made my choice. I choose those that accepted me and gave me a chance, instead of those that wanted me for power."
Maddy finally broke free of her mother's hold and ran over to Rhydian, throwing her arms around his neck, she kissed him hard, forgetting there were others there, forgetting that both his mother and her mother were there, and that they were with other packs, the only person she focused on was Rhydian. And he kissed her back, wantonly, his arms holding her tight, swinging her off the ground, in heaven...
Finally they were brought back to reality, breaking their sudden kiss. Maddy tried to slink off, embarrassed, but Rhydian held her there, she was his comfort when he needed it.
"So this 'tame' is your choice. Over family?" Ceri asked, her voice now as broken, if not more so, then Maddy's was earlier.
"No, this wolf, who has never once acted as a tame, and whose family accepted me in, are the people I choose." He said, more calm than angry now.
"You can't do that!" Bryn finally joined the conversation. "I need a brother..." he said his voice more shaky now.
"Well perhaps, at times, I'll come out here. But I'm going to live in the human world, where I have friends, and family who I know; and where I belong." Rhydian spoke, his voice perfectly calm, "Sorry Bryn, maybe one day we'll meet properly again..."
-WB-
AN – OMR! DID ANY OF YOU WATCH MERLIN TONIGHT?! IT WAS ABSOLOUTLY AMAZING! xD
Anyway, xD Thanks for the reviews guys :D keep them coming :D Hope you enjoyed this story and will enjoy the next chapter too :D