Running, Punching and Irresponsibility

Rhydian took a few steps back and turned away trying to control himself in case he changed.

"Listen, I'm telling you, man to man. Stay away from Maddy. She's with me and if you ever go near her again, I'll make you pay. Understand?"

"No, actually," said Rhydian unable to control his mouth. "I don't understand. I don't care if you and Maddy are together. I'll never stop fighting for her!" His voice rose, louder and louder until eventually he was shouting.

So Dean shouted back. "You had your shot with her last year and you blew it," he yelled, each word twisting the knife further into Rhydian's heart. "She doesn't want to be with you because you left her. It wasn't you who was left picking up the pieces!"

"From what I heard, you didn't either. When did you starts taking an interest in Maddy, huh? When she became cool? Before that, she wasn't even worthy of a 'hello.'"

Dean threw the first punch. It hit Rhydian square on the nose. A crack burst into the air.

All the anger that Rhydian had been trying to control stormed out in one retaliating fist. His punch was stronger but not quite as well aimed, grazing Dean's cheek and jaw a little and turning it slightly red.

Traditionally when two alpha wolfbloods fight, particularly over an alpha female, she would be present along with the rest of the pack, growling if their current leader was being defeated and ready to maul and reject the loser. However, the pack's presence was partially to allow them to make their own judgement.

For example, if the alpha female prefers to mate with the failure, the pack may still accept him unless their is another to take her place.

The wild packs had no rules in their scraps, though.

Rhydian was used to the wild way of doing things and therefore had an advantage over his opponent.

He didn't plan on having any rules.

With only the small run up of the gap between them, Rhydian pounced on Dean, pushing his weight onto his shoulders and forcing him to drop to the ground. Thrre was a thudding sound as Dean's knees hit the floor and a yell of pain as he fell backwards, Rhydian lying on top of him.

Growling, the young Wolfblood clenched his fist around part of Dean's collar. He saw the dark colour running down his arm, pulsing through his veins but Rhydian ignored it.

Thrashing, Dean utilised Rhydian second of hesitation as he decided whether or not to backdown to his own advantage: he drew up his knee to his chest and violently kicked it out, kneeing Rhydian in the stomach. He was winded.

Dean threw Rhydian back. He wiped the blood from his lip and crouched down over Rhydian. The wolfblood was tossing and turning, waving his hands through the air and kicking and shouting. He went to get up, hoping he would have enough time to run a little way into the forest where it wouldn't matter if he wolfed out.

One foot was firmly on the ground. I can do this, thought Rhydian.

The adrenaline was pumping his blood faster and faster, circulatingthe black signs of a Wolfblood through his body quicker and quicker. No match for a human.

Before Rhydian's second foot could hit the ground, something hauled itself at him, wrapped its arms around his waist, and tackled him to the floor.

In an effort to conceal his dark secret even more, Rhydian's hands flew to his face, hoping that in the blackness of the night, so long as his eyes were covered, no one would discover his what he was.

Although his plan would fail if Rhydian didn't control himself soon. Eyes - people might make a mistake about. Wolves, less than likely.

"Fight back, loser. Firght back!" yelled Dean, no longer worrying if anyone heard them. "Or are you covering your pretty face to stop me messing it up?"

Tingling! Rhydian could feel every inch of his body on the brink of transformation. He tries to breath. Think in a green field, in the sun.

"Coward," snapped Dean. "You don't deserve Maddy."

That did it. Rhydian couldn't hold it one swift movement, he overpowered Dean, turning the tables to that his opponent was on the ground and the powerful alpha reigning supreme.

Rhydian growled.

"Stop!" Jeffery's yell echoes through the trees. "Boys! Get off him Rhydian."

The wolfblood heard the words, he understood them. But he couldn't act on them. His body wouldn't let him.

Grabbing Dean's collar, Rhydian hauled the puny human towards him, holding him above the floor. His other hand clenched in preparation of the final punch.

There was fear in Dean's eyes and he might have laughed if he hadn't Rhydian not been engrossed in the seriousness of the situation. But he was. He was one step away from transformation, and now that Jeffery's was here, probably with half of the campers, Rhydian would have a hope of hiding it.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Rhydian. Calm down," it whispered. Maddy's voice was as hushed and tranquil as the breeze, flowing through the trees on a warm summer's evening. "Just breath."

One by one, slowly, the fingers gripping Dean's shirt released themselves and Dean dropped to the floor. Quickly and quietly, he scrambled away.

Rhydian turned to Maddy, his eyes glowing a bright yellow as they looked into hers.
This was it. He was going to change.

Her fingers slid up his neck, following the trail of black the was surging through his veins. She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and guided him down so that Rhydian was crouched on the floor, his head tucked into his chest.

"Rhydian. Rhydian please," Maddy whispered. "You must stay in control. The wolf cannot over come you, you are more powerful. Believe that and you won't hurt anyone."

His breathing began to slow to a steady pace, as though he was asleep. The clenched fists by his sides relaxed and his fingers began to flex.

Rhydian looked up. Maddy just caught a glimpse of the glow fading from his eyes.

Rocking to the left, Rhydian keeled over onto his side.

Letting out a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding, Maddy stroked Rhydian's hair back from his face. "I knew you could do it."

"It was irresponsible, reckless and one of you could have been seriously hurt."

Simultaneously, Rhydian and Dean sighed as Mr Jefferies subjected the two 'troublesome boys' to one of his long, arduous speeches. As they noticed eachother's reaction, they glared and snapped their reaction back to their teacher.

"Honestly boys, what is ever gained from fighting except for a black eye? Well?" He asked impatiently. "Exaxtly, nothing! Now I think I know what this was about and I have to tell you that I'm ashamed. Whatever is going on between each of you and Maddy Smith, it does not warrant a fight!"

Both Dean and Rhydian opened their mouths to begin to speak, but once again Mr Jefferies cut them off.

"What is it you say? Guys before girls? Bros before ...? Anyway, the point is, I don't ever want to hear about anything like this again, from either of you. Now hug it out boys."

Both of them took a step away with a moan of "no way!" and "never gonna happen!"

"Hug it out or I'll give both of you detention for the rest of the term, I read of just the week," commanded the teacher, grinning to himself.

Wearing the largest fake smile, the boys turned to each other and reluctantly held out heir arms. They pulled each other in for a hug.

"Don't think this is over, Rhydian! I'll make you pay," Dean promised through gritted teeth in a whisper that only the pair of them could hear.

"There is a bond between me and Maddy that no one can break, not even you," replied Rhydian with a scowl.

As they turned back to Jefferies, the pair of glowers were replaced with broad grins.

"Remember, boys," said a smug Mr Jefferies, "Nothing gets past me in this school."

Maddy along with the rest of the students were waiting outside the main tent to hear Mr Jefferies issue Rhydian' and Dean's punishments. There were a few wolf-whistles when he said that they must have been fighting over Maddy and the girl felt her cheeks catch fire.

As the pair of boys emerged from the tent, a cheer rippled through the crowd; it was quickly silenced by Mr Jefferies who had followed them out.

In the light of the torches, Maddy could see the trickle of blood that hadn't been wiped from Dean's jaw and the beginning of a bruise across Rhydian's left eye.

While the rest of her classmates rallied around the boys, Maddy drifted apart from the crowd. She watched Dean lap up all the attention and for once was glad she wasn't in the midst of it. After her conversation with Ceri, Maddy didn't know if she could play along anymore. Eventually, the teachers silence the crowd and ordered everyone to get to bed otherwise they wouldn't be up for the agility course tomorrow.

"Hey, Mads!" Came a voice from behind her just as someone to her left yelled "Maddy!"

She halted and wished that they weren't the two people her head told her they were.

Wishes don't always come true.

Just as Dean's hand touched her shoulder, Rhydian slowed his light jog to reach her.

"Maddy, I-" both of them said together. They frowned and Rhydian snarled quietly in the back of his throat.

"Listen, loser," snapped Dean addressing Rhydian. "I'm trying to talk to my girlfriend so could you butt out." Although it was phrased like a question, anyone with more than half a brain could have worked out that it was anything but.

"No, actually. I wanted to talk to Maddy myself," retorted Rhydian, standing his ground. In fairness, he did say in the most civil tone possible under the circumstances.

"Go away, Rhydian," Dean said as he took as step toward him and lightly pushed him away.

Please do what he wants, Rhydian, prayed Maddy.

Instead, Rhydian gave Dean a small shove too. Both of them were too proud for their own good. It became a competition of who would back down first and soon Maddy realised that the only way it would ever end is with a full out fight.

"Stop it!" She shouted, putting herself between them. "God! You're acting like cubs!"

"Cubs?" a confused Dean clarified. Maddy's eyes widened as she realised her mistake.

"Cubs? Did I say that? I-i-i said kids. I meant to say kids." Dean wasn't convinced.

"Anyway," started Rhydian, trying to change the subject. "I just wanted to say thank for earlier, Mads. I mean, I honestly don't know what would have happened if you hadn't-"

"Did I say you could talk to her?" snapped Dean, entering his over-protective boyfriend mode. He pushed her behind him and stared Rhydian down.

Rhydian felt a growl emerging in the back of his throat but it turned out he didn't need it.

"Since when do you get to decide who I talk to?" queried Maddy, a look of shock and outrage burning through her eyes. If it had bee anyone else, they would have recognised their mistake and back down immediately. But on this one night, with anger running high already, Dean couldn't stop himself.

"So you want to talk to him do you?"

Maddy remained silent.

"While we're asking questions," continued Dean, "what the hell did happen in the woods? First Rhydian was freaking out and suddenly you're there, the only person who can make him feel better," he challenged. "I don't buy it Mads!"

"I stopped him from attacking you! What's the problem?" She replied.

"But why is it you who make everything better? What's this unbreakable bond between you two? And don't avoid the question this time, Maddy, I want an answer!"

There was silence as Maddy toyed with what she should do. There was nothing she could do.

Maddy took a deep breath. "You know what: I can't do this anymore," she said in barely more than a whisper.

Then her shriek stunned everyone. "I can't do this anymore! You hear? I refuse!" Her yell echoed around the clearing and out into the woods. She just prayed it would reach her intended target.

That's when Maddy ran.

Sorry for not updating for the last couple of weeks, I hope this long chapter makes up for it. I can't wait for the final episode; I'm hoping they aren't turned into humans!

If all goes to plan, I'll update again with in the week but if not, you'll hear more soon.

Indigofrog :)