Welcome To The Pack
Jesse's POV:
"So I was thinking if you were free this Saturday, then we could see Last Survivors. It looked really good from watching the trailer. Do you wanna go?"
"Sorry, Mel. I'm not free this Saturday. Or this weekend- or any weekend at all really," I lied to the bubbly blonde next to me in science class.
" Oh really? Why is that, like...are you grounded or something?"
"Yeah, close enough." To be honest, patrolling is kind of like being grounded. Though I'm not always patrolling.
There aren't even many cold ones near by but Toqua is insisting. He says he has this funny feeling something big is coming. I think he's off his head- must be on drugs or something.
But, the whole pack has been on edge lately. All five of us. But, there's been this kind of buzzing electricity hanging in the air. But sometimes the ground starts to tremor. But rumours are starting to spread about a dangerous bug going around. But boys have been dropping or bunking off school lately.
"I heard that that boy, Steve, has got it and he's off school too, now they're all sick with the same thing. The same symptoms, like huge temperatures. My granddad says he shook his hand at the store yesterday and said he was burning hot. Says he should have been dead. Like touching a white hot oven." Mel beside me was chatting away with Jennifer on her other side. I couldn't help but eaves drop. Jennifer suddenly pouted out, " Well I think they're all bunking!"
"All six of them? But Andy's got like 100% attendance since the start of the school. I really doubt it." Good old Mel, defending everyone.
To someone like me, it's so obvious what was happening. I wasn't worried about the boys. No, they didn't have a dangerous disease, they were fine.
What did worry me was the number our pack would become. Eleven in a pack? Impossible! That's far to many for Toqua to handle.
The Next Day
Jonah, can you check the south please, near the border of Makkah. I need you to sniff out any fresh tracks coming north. Claud, go with him. Jesse go to the Forks border and Jamie, come flank me. Get moving people.
Every one scampered off to do they're job and I was left alone on the Forks border.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Jonah laughed.
I'm not. I like being on my own.
Who are you kidding?
I hate sharing minds with the pack, it's awkward having people crowding into your head like a house party, it should be a private place.
I miss Imogen, Jamie moaned.
Don't worry, she's coming back tomorrow isn't she? Claud, the sensitive one reasoned.
Yeah she is, it's been a long week
Guys focus, Toqua reminded
Yes, oh mighty and powerful alfa
Don't start or his ego will will blow up
I don't have an ego!
You know I'm being sarcastic, right?
...
Well get on with it
Jeez mister, you do have an ego
Guys shut up for a minute, do you feel something? I, the only silent one mentally screamed to make them shut up. They all started to slow down. But in fact, there was a slight vibration in the ground, the trees were shimmying and the air was thick with energy like treacle.
What is that? Jonah shuddered
...
I've felt that feeling before from somewhere, Claud wracked his brain for the memory
You feel it everyday, I told them
They all stopped running. Toqua held them back for a moment, but there was no need, they were all waiting silently for me.
Some body's phasing.
There was a sudden almighty rumble and our sensitive feet felt the ground shake beneath us and a shot of electricity spiked the air. There was a mind numbing banging in our heads and I pressed my eyes shut, closing in on myself. They all did the same. All the nerves in my predatory body were set alight. Every loose end in my joints burnt in flame and fire until I was hit by a blinding light. Everything was shaking and I couldn't hear, couldn't feel, couldn't see. I'd lost the others as the vibrations drowned them out with the loud noise, emanating from all around. I couldn't see my paw in front of me, I couldn't do anything but curl up and try to block it out. But what ever I did, the energy came from everywhere. I couldn't get away. The light burned and I was left hanging silently and alone. The noise was thrashing around and booming inside my head. I felt I was on fire, the energy building up until I was a ticking bomb. I could thrash out at any time. The blinding light was driving me mad. There was nothing I could do.
Slowly, the light was becoming more tolerable and faint voices were coming into my head, like a radio volume being turned up. I'd never felt anything like this before.
Andy's POV:
I had no idea what was going on. All my muscles hurt and my senses so hot and numb at the same time.
They say that when you see a light don't go towards it. But the light was everywhere, assuming that I am dead.
I didn't know how I died.
I had got home from school one day, very angry and depressed that Steve and Ben hadn't shown up for school. They had been bunking for days and not answering phone calls. I was really worried. Their parents said they were sick and that I couldn't come round but I had a fever recently and I had a feeling that I had already caught what they had.
It got worse, that night. I felt my bones were breaking and I was really tired and hungry. I had double helpings for dinner and that wasn't enough so I helped my self to two sandwiches more and half a tub of ice cream, but I was still hungry. I was getting agitated that maybe I should tell my mum that I couldn't go to school on Monday but I thought that maybe this was a one off.
I felt quite nauseous as I went to bed but I some how managed to sleep like a log.
When I woke, I had miraculously grown over night. I checked my height and I measured at 6.1 hands. I wasn't so worried any more, because I supposed it was some puberty thing. It turned out that six other guys had the same thing happen to them as well, including Steve and Ben.
But I still felt sick, so I stayed in bed. I think that made me grumpy because I shouted at my sister when she tried to share the last of the ice cream with me. I felt so bad at that so I went for a walk to get some fresh air.
I took the short path that lead from the back of our house, through the woods and onto the road that wound up to the cliff near the Makkah border.
I thought about what had been happening. I had checked my height again and in the space of four hours, I had grown to 6.7 hands. I wondered if it was normal.
On the way, it was silent and peaceful. Until, I stepped on a twig and it snapped, breaking the silence. That's all it took.
That's where it happened. I first, started shaking uncontrollably. My skin felt like it was starting to stretched and tear as some beast was coming out of me. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. The thick, hot energy was suffocating me and I started to panic. There was a huge rumble in the ground and a shot of hot white light cloaked me over. I tried to scream but the thick air surrounding me refused to let me call for help. My bones ached as I felt them shift around. I fell down, trying to find the ground but my hands felt nothing. I was completely numb now.
Then it all faded. Voices came into my head. I was hearing voices now! They must be the angels. I better ask them the way home.
...rybody calm down...
...at the hell was that?
...creepy...
I tried to search for the faces of the angels but I could only see a few feet in front of me. I started to walk towards where I thought the voices were coming from but I realised I was still on all fours on the ground. I got up but I was so unstable, I fell back down.
Then, I realised, I had paws! And fur, a muzzle, a tail, and sharp pointed canines.
You're a wolf, mate
Well technically, he's part wolf. Or if you prefer shifter...
Shut up, Jamie
Well, he needs to know, Jonah
Wow, the angels were rude to each other. How did they get into heaven? I was starting to believe that this painful purgatory was far from heaven. Maybe I was reincarnated into a wolf.
You're not dead, the angel spoke, I'm not an angel, I'm a shifter like you
What do you mean? Am I dreaming?
No. Have you heard of the quileute legends?
Yes, my dad used to tell them to me for bed time stories when I was little
Have you heard of Taha Aki, the Wolf?
Yes, what are you...am I like him?
Yeah, the stories are true. We're his decedents. I'm surprised you're not freaking out.
I haven't really processed it all yet
Andy?, there came two other, more recognisable voices
Steve? Ben?
Andy, man! This is so cool, you're here!
Yeah, where is here exactly. Because, I can't see you.
We're talking telepathically! I'm somewhere in the woods and Ben is somewhere else in the woods...
This is freaky
Look guys, we were in the middle of patrol but I think we need to have a pack meeting immediately. By, the way you six, welcome to the pack, the other voice said.
Huh. A pack of shifting wolves. I love wolves. Maybe this is my heaven after all. But, how did I die?
