Chapter Four - A Curse Covered In Fur
It was his fourteenth birthday. His mother had given him a reprieve from his chores, so he'd spent the entire day out at the lake with his friends. Burnt and satisfyingly tired, he'd returned home for dinner to find that his father had actually made an effort to make it in on time for once. They had a real family meal, consisting of some of his favorite foods. He'd gone to bed that night with a smile on his face. It had been a perfect day.
But night was a different story.
He woke in the middle of the night with a splitting headache. He clutched his head in his hands, as if that would help, but something was off. He looked at his hands only to discover that they didn't so much resemble hands as they did...paws. He choked on a scream as he checked the rest of him. His feet were halfway through the transition, too. His ears were higher up than they should've been, becoming pointed at the tops, and his nose was flattening. He was slowly being covered in...fur. What was happening?
He still didn't scream as white-hot pain shot down his spine, forcing him to curl backwards. He was drenched in sweat by the time he collapsed back onto his bed. He panted, trying to slow down his galloping heart. He didn't realize it until much later, but he was more confused than scared. Maybe even a little intrigued.
He felt as though his ribs were snapping outwards, one by one. Breathing became impossible, constricted and setting a bomb off in his chest every time he tried. Soon he felt life being taken from him, and rolled over on his side, painfully waiting for death.
"Hope? Hope, please."
He forced open his heavy eyes, and his first thought was that he wasn't in pain anymore. His second was that his first thought wasn't the issue.
"Oh, sweetie, you're awake."
His mother's voice was very calm, but there was a tightness to it that scared him. He worked all the muscles in his body to make sure they were functioning properly, and they were, but his heart sunk as he noted other things. He was completely rearranged, he was heavier than before. And...he had a tail.
He figured out his new limbs enough to get off of his side. However, he fell clumsily onto the floor. He huffed in surprise, and scrambled to his paws, claws digging into his bedroom floor.
He went to his mother and sat down in front of her. He stared at her as she knelt to his new level, taking his transformed face in her hands.
"I'm sorry, Hope. I should've told you, but I didn't want to believe it."
He whined his confusion, wishing he could talk to her.
His mother ran one hand down his head and through his fur. "There's this story - well, more of a legend - about our family. It started way back with your great-great grandmother. The legend says that she was cursed, so that her first male descendant would become, well, you know." She sighed. "I was so scared when you were born, that it was true, that it was you.
"But now we know. It is true."
Hope placed his left paw - which for some reason was covered in black fur - on his mother's knee, and whined again. He didn't understand. Why didn't anybody tell him? Why was he like this?
"I know, sweetie, it's a lot to take in." She paused. "But there is one more thing. According to the story, you're supposed to protect someone. I don't know who, I don't know why. That part has been lost over the years. But I know you can do it, you're smart, you'll figure it out." Suddenly, his mother hugged him. She took a deep breath and whispered one last time, "I'm sorry."
Hope blinked.
Vanille cautiously moved her hand farther up his head, and started petting him. Something in him clicked as she began to scratch behind his ears.
It was her. She was the one, the one he had been cursed to protect. That was why he'd felt the need to make sure she was safe. The desire to do so became stronger at the realization. Whatever the reason, he was bound to her, and he would do what needed to be done.
One great big gust of wind rattled the house, and Vanille froze. She glanced around in several different directions before standing. She grabbed a bucket from somewhere near him that must have contained water, because she put out the fire with it.
"Sorry if you're still cold," she said, "but I don't want my house to burn down." She crossed over to what looked like a large pile of blankets, and began to organize them. "Maybe the storm will be over in the morning." She turned back to him. "Go ahead and stay if you want."
The still-damp wolf was grateful for her offer, on multiple levels.
He slept at the foot of her bed that night.
Hope woke the next morning when the sun feebly poked at his eyelids. He yawned silently, and still half-asleep, glanced out the window. Most of the heavy clouds from the night before had blown away with the wind, leaving patches of blue behind. He vaguely wondered how late it was, but didn't really care that much. He yawned again as he stood and shook out his stiffness.
"Morning!" He heard Vanille say.
He smelled what she was cooking before he saw her. Eggs of some sort. The smell reminded him of home, and his heart clenched.
Oddly enough, his stomach growled at the same time.
Vanille giggled. "Sounds like you're hungry, huh? Here." She tipped some egg onto a plate for him, and set it on the floor. "I know it's not much, but it's warm, and I needed to cook these before they went bad."
Hope sniffed them out of habit before scooping them up into his mouth. They tasted like home, too.
Vanille didn't say anything more as she finished cooking and eating her eggs. Hope just watched her. When she was done, she gathered up both of their plates and put them on her little table, presumably to clean later. She put out the small fire she'd made, and began to bundle up. As soon as she'd done so, she headed for the door.
"I need to dig myself out." She explained.
The great silver wolf decided to help her, and followed her outside, not caring who saw him.
Cut!
The non-flashback parts were short, I know.
So now you know a bit about what's going on with Hope. This is just the tip of the iceberg, believe me, but I can't let you in on the rest of it. At least...not yet... *evil laugh*
Significant progress has been made on chapter five already, so hopefully I won't break my streak of giving you a new chapter every week.
So, what do you think?
