Three Wolves and One Human

Chapter 25:

The Beginning of the Storm

...1 year later...

"Storm clouds are coming in from the East so don't be fooled by the temperature, we're in for another big one this afternoon," said the radio host.

Zatanna turned the radio off where it sat on the windowsill as she scrubbed the dishes that morning. Dick walked up from behind and wrapped his arms around her. Zatanna giggled like when they were first dating and turned around to face him. There had been a series of record storms and Hailey was scared for the animals that called the mountain their home. Zatanna wrapped her arms around Dick's shoulders and began feeling like a college student again.

"I'm off to school!" Roe called through the house, running to the door "Man, it's humid,"

Roe was wearing a yellow short-sleeved t-shirt and black cargo shorts that went down to her knees. Because it was going to rain again, she had a hooded sweater tied around her waist for when it got cold. Roe jumped down the step and put on a pair of flipflops with yellow souls and red straps. Hailey walked up to her, wearing a lavender sundress and white shirt-sleeved t-shirt underneath, and Roe looked up at her little sister.

"Roe, don't go to school today. Stay home with Mom and Dad," Hailey said, rather seriously.

Roe raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, why?" she asked "To quote what my creative writing teacher always tells me: I'm going to need more detail,"

Zatanna walked over to the door before Hailey could answer.

"The bus won't wait, Roe," she said to her oldest daughter.

"'Kay, Mom," said Roe "Why don't you keep them company, Hailey?" and she ran down the road.

Hailey watched her sister run off and meet up with Lillianna Young (Irey West was a year older so she and her twin brother, Jai West, were now 14 and in high school). Karen Marie ran up to them and they walked back down together. They were 13 now and Hailey was 10. Hailey occasionally ran into old classmates since she went with her mother to work and Garfield was friends with her old classmates' parents (like Isaac Rayes' father, Jaime Rayes).

"Hey, you okay, sweetie?" Zatanna asked her.

Hailey shrugged and kicked some pebbles before heading on her way towards the chicken coop. The old tilting building had been converted into a barn for the two chickens, the rooster that fertilized some eggs so they wouldn't have to buy new chickens, the six chicks, Syrup and Sugar. Hailey went over to the feed and sprinkled some for the birds then put the bowls of pellets in the hutch for Syrup and Sugar. Their hutch had dog flaps so they could enter and leave at will and the surrounding area was fenced off for them.

"Hey, you guys," Hailey said "I wish I could have been born an animal like you and be free,"

She sat down on the ground beside the bunnies and sighed. She could tell something was in the air and it wasn't good.

...That afternoon...

Roe looked out the window as rain poured down. She wasn't really listening to her teacher so it was a good thing Parker woke her from her daydream.

"We're being let out early 'cause of the storm," he said "C'mon, we're going to the gym to wait for our parents,"

Roe followed him to the gym where the entire school sat on the floor, waiting for their parents to arrive. Roe took a deck of cards from her bag and they began playing Go-Fish with some of the other students. After getting sick of Go-Fish, Parker went to get the Uno pack from the classroom.

Hailey walked back into the house, soaking wet, with a sad expression. Zatanna had just gotten the call to pick Roe up. She was putting her coat on when she saw Hailey in the doorway.

"Hailey? What's wrong?" she asked her youngest daughter.

"Vixon's cave collapsed on her... she's dead," said Hailey, seriously "Someone needs to take her place as the protector of the mountain,"

Zatanna gasped and took hold of Hailey's narrow shoulders.

"Hailey Sindella Grayson," she said, scared for her child "Don't even think about it! You're barely 10-years-old, that's adult for a wolf but that's different! You're not a wolf, you're a little girl!"

Hailey looked up at her mother in shock. Zatanna had never labelled her as a single species before. Zatanna let go of her daughter and clasped her hands together as they shook.

"Well! I'm no human!" Hailey shouted "Humans are weak, like you! I'M A WOLF!"

She turned around, changed into a wolf and ran off into the woods. Zatanna ran after her but she was out of sight.

"HAILEY!" she shouted, acting hysterical.

Dick pulled her inside and calmed her.

"Zatanna, we have two daughters. You go pick up our oldest and I'll find our youngest," he said and she nodded.

Dick turned wolf and ran after their youngest Wolf Child. Zatanna pulled her boots on and dashed to the car.

It had been a while and Parker hadn't come back. Worried, Roe went off to find him. He was sitting at his desk, seemingly asleep, and she shook his shoulder. Parker woke with a start and stared up at her.

"I was really asleep for that long?" he asked after Roe had explained.

"Yeah, you seem exhausted," Roe said.

"It's my brother, Christopher, he's only 1 but he sure can wail," Parker said, yawning.

Roe smiled and walked over to the window. She held her backpack over her shoulder and looked out at the flooded parking lot. She sighed and dropped her bag on the floor.

"I'm sick of pretending to be something I'm not," Roe said "I've pretended to be this false self to fit in but... fitting in isn't worth it if I'm not happy. I've tried to be normal but, by doing so, I've driven my sister away. Hailey embraces the other half but I deny it... I'm done with denying who I am,"

Parker got up and watched in awe as she pulled her hair out and opened the window so the wind blew the curtains around.

"Parker... do you remember... the day the wolf attacked?" Roe asked, looking out the window.

"How could I forget?" Parker asked.

"Well..." she murmured.

Parker gasped as he watched two wolf ears grow from her head and her nose grow into a different shape to resemble a wolf's. A black tail poked out of the top of her cargo shorts and her hands began to resemble paws with claws.

"It was me..." Roe admitted, tears in her eyes "I'm so sorry... When you said I smelled like a dog, it was like a wake-up call so, whenever you were around, it reminded me I was a wolf. When I clawed your ear, my wolf instincts had taken over... my kind's version of seeing red,"

Parker looked at her and smiled.

"I already knew," he said "I passed out later than I claimed. I saw you change back to human,"

"I already knew too,"

They turned to see Karen Marie and Lillianna in the doorway. Roe's tail and ears turned downwards in fear and she whimpered slightly.

"I saw you change behind your house but I hid round the corner. When you were utterly human, I pretended to have only just arrived," Karen Marie explained "It was about 6 months ago and I didn't know how to talk to you about it,"

"This is news to me but I'm cool with it," said Lillianna "Does this mean your entire family are werewolves too?"

"Werewolves is an offensive term! I'm half-human on my mom's side, Hailey too and my dad's a wolf-man. Because my mother's human and my father's a wolf, that makes me and Hailey; Wolf Children. My kind can change at any time and we don't go out of control usually... unless you're young and can't control your impulses," said Roe, her tail wagging "We left New York because my sister and I kept howling in a building where you're not allowed pets,"

They all laughed and Roe accidentally howled but she covered her mouth in embarrassment. They all chuckled and the door was opened.

"Robyn Mary Grayson! What... you're..."

They turned to see Roe's mother in the doorway. Zatanna was panting and soaking wet.

"Mom! It's okay," Roe said "Karen Marie and Parker already knew and Lillianna is cool with it,"

"It's... not that..." Zatanna panted "Hailey's missing! We need to get home and fast!"

Roe felt something snap within her and she let out an ear-piercing howl then pushed the desks against each other across the room. She panted, her claws clenched, and her eyes turning red in anger.

"Let us help!" Karen Marie said "Please, Mrs. Grayson? We can do this!"

Zatanna didn't have time to argue and all five of them headed out.

The beginning of the end! "Storm" is a metaphor for the hell about to come down, not just because of the storm.