CHAPTER FIVE
It was still early but Shannon's bedroom window was slightly ajar. I jumped up to it making her jump.
I was in a state; words tumbled from me before I even got through the window.
"There's a prediction, Shannon. Rhydian and I have produce a child and unite the Tame and the wild wolfblood's. There is no way I am ready for that, I mean I'm about to sit my GCSE's for goodness sake, there is no way that they can put this one us, on me, why on earth haven't my Mam and Dad told me about this? Why didn't Gran tell me that one day I would lead the Tame wolfblood's? You're a Witch, Tom is a Keeper, and it looks like they want me to become a Mummy. I don't flippin' think so. I mean I love Rhydian to bits but we only shared our first kiss this morning. I not ready to be Mrs Morris just yet, thank you very much. This is all too much. Grrrrr." All I could do in the end was growl.
Shannon was sitting on her bed, books about her. Of course, we had exams tomorrow.
"OK", she said after taking a deep breath, "One thing at a time. Firstly I'm going to make you a cup of tea and then I going to get the vacuum cleaner and clear up the mess you have just made."
I glanced behind me, I had left a trail of dusty footprints from the window still across her desk and in a path where I had been pacing the floor.
"Then I think you have better start at the beginning".
"Sorry" I mumbled standing still and removing my boots. I suddenly realised that I wasn't even dressed; I was still in my pyjamas and the thick socks and boots I had pulled on to go out into the garden with Rhydian this morning. I had grabbed my coat as I had bolted out of the house.
We wandered downstairs to put the kettle on.
"You really are a Witch aren't you Shannon" I smiled as I took the steaming strong brew from her "tea is just the right potion".
She laughed back at me. "Apparently so" she shrugged. "Now I think you had better tell me what has been going on. You and Rhydian kissed?" Shannon gave me a broad grin, a note of mock shock in her voice.
I looked down and concentrated on stirring a spoon of sugar into my tea.
"Umm" I assented. "Are your Mam and Dad here?" I suddenly realised that I had magically appeared without knocking on the front door.
"No, they left early to go on a coach trip to York" reassured Shannon. "Now start talking!"
We sat down at the kitchen table with our tea and I began by telling how Rhydian had woken me early to go outside to the garden and how he had told me about Lyall and his sons, Fillin and Marrok, about how we were decedents of the first sets of wild and Tame wolfblood's.
"He came back for you?" asked Shannon.
"Yes" was my simple answer. I took a deep breath and told Shannon what Rhydian had told me about the prediction; that we would unite to bring an end to the conflict between the wilds and the Tames.
Shannon was sitting quietly listening intently.
I went on to explain how Rhydian had lived with Ceri and Bryn, why Bryn had wanted to attack me and how Rhydian had got in his way to protect me.
"You said more upstairs though Maddy. About a baby?" Shannon said quietly.
"That was my Mam this morning. She gave me more details, that Rhydian and I are the 15th descendents of Fillin and Marrok and that the prediction said that we would have child that would end the war."
"War?" questioned Shannon.
"Yer, I know, Rhydian had said that when Marrok and Fillin had split there had almost been a war but Mam said that it like there was an ongoing battle. She was livid though."
"And a baby? How did Rhydian react? Did he know that part of the prediction?"
"Rhydian seemed to think it was all a big joke, as I was leaving I heard him say 'I didn't mention that part', so I think he knew, well it's ok for him isn't it? He told me that he didn't find out anything about his father, that Bryn had told him when they first met that Mother's stay and Fathers come and go... Nothing for him to worry about then, he walks away a uniting hero" I ended sadly.
"It doesn't mean that you have to trip down the aisle and start reproducing now though does it? The prediction just says that you will have a baby."
"Mam was pretty mad though, I think she was furious with Rhydian and Gran for not being able to tell me herself. She said we couldn't even be sure that the prediction that Rhydian is the wild wolfblood."
Shannon's phone began to ring upstairs in her bedroom so I trailed up after her as she went to answer it.
"It was Tom" said Shannon, "he is coming over to revise and he's bringing your birthday present too, sorry Maddy I forgot with all the excitement. Happy birthday."
Shannon gave me a hug and reached up onto a shelf in her bedroom and lifted down a gift wrapped package and a card.
"Thanks' Shannon" I smiled as I opened the gift.
It was a small hardback book called 'The Duchess of Northumberland's Little Book of Poisons, Potions and Aphrodisiacs'.
"If I told you that I had bought it weeks ago would you believe me?" giggled Shannon.
"No!" I laughed. "A true Witch, Shannon."
I cleared a couple of folders from the bed and sat down flicking through the book. Shannon picked up her History notes and began reading them.
"Oh..."I groaned, "History AND maths tomorrow..." I'd forgotten all about Exams this weekend.
"Want to do a bit of revision while you're here?"
"Yer, why not. Might take my mind off things at home."
We sat down with the books opened and began to test each other ready for tomorrow's history exam. There wasn't any point doing much Math's practice with Shannon as she was so many sets ahead of us.
Tom arrived and Shannon nipped down stairs to let him in. He was still yawning.
"I hate revising for exam's" He grumbled.
"Happy birthday Maddy", he smiled handing me a giant bag of sweets and a card.
"Thanks' Tom" I grinned back.
"So what's new?" He questioned. "I didn't realised you would be joining us today Maddy".
We filled Tom in on my dramatic entrance into Shannon's house that morning and the reasons behind it. I suddenly felt very tired and hungry, I'd been awake since 4am and it had caught up with me. My body clock thought that it was lunchtime.
"Any more Tea Shannon?" I requested.
We all ambled downstairs and Shannon popped the kettle on again. Tom looked longingly at the biscuit tin until Shannon opened it and offered it around.
"Another one Maddy?" queried Shannon as I took my 5th chocolate biscuit. "Are you eating for two already?"
Tom nearly choked on his tea. "WHAT?!"
"Ah... yes... we didn't tell you about that bit of the prediction" I mumbled into my tea mug. I took a deep breath and explained what Mam had told us over breakfast.
Tom suddenly looked furious.
"No Way." He said. "There is no way that your parents are going to let that happen. Your Dad would be after Rhydian with an Axe before he let him anywhere near you, and as for your Mam, she'll tear him apart with her bare hands, wolf or not!"
"OH NO!" I yelled. "I left Rhydian at home with my Mam and Dad! They will kill him!" I was suddenly frightened.
I bolted for the door.
"Call us if you need us" yelled Shannon after me.
I raced home as fast as I could. As much as I was angry with Rhydian for not telling me about that particular part of this mystical prediction I was suddenly worried about my parent's reaction to him. They had never been keen on Rhydian. Maybe this was the reason why. Mam had even gone so far as to try and ban me from seeing Rhydian in the past until he had tried to find me when I had run away from home into the city. Fortunately Mam had found me but it hadn't been through lack of trying on Rhydian's part. Even so, Mam and Dad had still been cool towards Rhydian as he had rejected the Tame ways.
I hadn't asked them how they felt about Rhydian's return, they had looked after him and cared for him with Gran's help but I still wasn't sure that they would welcome him into the pack if necessary.
I crept into the kitchen holding my breath.
Mam and Gran were watching something on the TV, Mam was laughing her head off! When I looked it was a home video, they were watching Gran's travel film. I could hear Dad working away in his workshop across the yard. Where was Rhydian, my stomach flipped with worry.
"Hello Pet" said Mam, wiping tears away from her eyes "You have to see this, your Gran's travels have been amazing." I hung my coat up on a hook by the front door.
"I...I..." I was confused. Mam had clearly calmed down loads but where was Rhydian?
"He's fine love" said Gran, reading my mind. "He's upstairs having a rest. I'm guessing you have a lot of questions right now, shall we all have a chat?"
Mam reached to turn the video off and I went to sit down. I perched on the edge of the sofa, sitting on my hands to hide my nerves. What were they going to tell me this time? This had already been such a long day.
"I'm sorry I stormed out this morning" I mumbled to Mam and Gran.
"I'm sorry to Pet, I shouldn't have launched everything on you like that. It wasn't fair to not explain things to you. Your Gran and I have had a good chat and she calmed me down! I sometimes forget that my little girl is growing up."
My heart was pounding now – did Mam really expect me to go through with this plan? Gran must have seen the fear in my face as she continued.
"There are two things that you need to know Maddy" she said assuredly, "firstly that nothing is set in stone. You have the power to decide your own future, just the same as all of us. This prediction was made a long time ago when people saw the world in a very different way. The second thing is that nothing needs to happen immediately. You're only sixteen; you've got a whole lot of living to do first before you need to get involved with any of your duties."
"Duties?" My voice sounded constricted.
"Well, yes, leading the wolfblood's does have some responsibilities. You need to ensure the safety of the wider pack, settle petty territorial disputes. The packs will look to you as their leader to maintain the rules and ensure their safety.
"But your Mam will take on the role before you and she will have to get me out of the way first, and I'm not planning on going anywhere for a VERY long time yet. It will be decades before you take over that role."
"How could I not have known about this? Why did you not tell me?" I was almost begging Mam, tears now filling my eyes. I was tired and hungry and suddenly the exhaustion hit me. I began to tremble with fatigue.
Mam slid across the sofa and slipped her arms around me. I relaxed into her hug and began to cry. Everything that had happened in the last 48 hours rattled through my head... Deciding that I was giving up pining after Rhydian to find him standing in front of me; to the attack by Bryn and fearing that I might lose him again and being so scared; learning the truth about Shannon and Tom had been enormous. It would take us all weeks to get our heads around those revelations. The relief when I realised that Rhydian was going to be OK and that he was back here. Then Rhydian's talk with me this morning, our kiss, my feelings for him, finally Mam's digression this morning.
I was so overwhelmed. I'm not sure I could take in any more information.
Finally my crying turned to weeping and I had cried myself out. Mam was gently rubbing my back, Gran had been to fetch some tissue for my eyes and nose.
"Feel a bit better Pet?" questioned Gran.
I nodded. I did feel a bit better for a good cry and a hug with Mam.
"It's such a lot to take in Pet, I'm not surprised you feel a bit bombarded." smiled Gran generously. Both she and Mam looked so concerned.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I muttered. I wasn't angry any more, just hurt.
"Well," began Mam, "the truth is that me didn't really know how much of it was true, so many of these old tales can be mumbo jumbo, Chinese whispers that have been passed down through generations can become contorted through time. We do know that we are the direct decedents of Marrok and that your Gran is currently the pack leader. As her only child I will take over that role when she... well, you know" Mam cleared her throat, Gran smiled at us both, "and as my only child the role will fall to you. It's traditional rather than anything ceremonial really. We don't really hold any power as such; it's just that we are able to trace the line back.
"We weren't sure that Rhydian would be the wild wolfblood of the prediction, though we knew about Ceri and who she was. Your Dad and I were quite surprised when she appeared out of nowhere. We were terrified that Shannon and Tom would expose us after seeing you all transform in the woods and then Rhydian disappeared with Ceri and you were so upset at everything going on".
Gran continued the story. "The prediction was made at the time of the split of the wolfblood's, by the Keeper that protected the pack at that time. The story goes that the Keeper was torn between the two packs. To be a Keeper or a Witch is a mystical choice, we don't know how they are chosen or how they become associated with the packs but sometimes packs go looking for them, sometimes the Keeper or the Witch will go looking for their Packs and sometimes, like with Shannon and Tom they all just find each other.
The prediction that was made was that the packs would one day be united again under a single leader that was neither wild nor Tame, that had been brought forth by the 15th direct descendent of the first wild and a Tame wolfblood, one male and one female. It is assumed that it means that they will join together and produce a child.
"But pet," jumped in Mam, "There isn't a timescale specified, you have got years before you need to think out settling down and worrying about this. It may not even mean a child. The prediction says that the leader will be brought forth, that could simply mean that you and Rhydian decide who leads the packs. It might mean a wolfblood, a Keeper, a Witch or even a human..." Mam was floundering now, I could tell. Grasping at straws to re-assure me.
"It does not mean a baby." She said determinedly.
"Well, not for now anyway" added Gran, looking at Mam pointedly.
I didn't know what to say. I wasn't convinced, why had she said it in the first place? There was so much to take in but I at least felt reassured that whatever was going to happen would be a bit more under my control. I felt like there was still so much I had to learn, about our history and about our future.
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