Chapter four

FLASHBACK

Justin and his brother Dodger sat on their tree fort in the woods behind their house. Their father had helped them put it together before he left on a certain business trip. He never returned from that trip. They got a notice that their father had died in a car accident but his body could not be found. Both of the young boys have been devastated by the tragedy ever since they had found out.

Today, the boys decided to hangout on their tree fort as if to find something to do. But since their dad's death, they haven't found anything. Justin, who was 9 at the time, had just got done learning about werewolves in school. Boy, did he think they were cool. They could read minds, their fur was always soft and warm, and they were friends to humans and their neighbors, the wolves. Justin believed in werewolves, but his brother did not.

He thought they were nothing but made up characters that you would read in a book. He knew that they didn't exist but wolves, on the other hand, he knew they did. He never told anyone that, one time when he was out hunting turkeys with his dad, he could've sworn he saw a whole pack huddled together in the far back of the woods. But his dad had told them that they were nothing but a pure image of his imagination and that his eyes were playing with his head.

Dodger didn't believe that. He believed that the wolves did exist and that they were still in the woods waiting for him, and if they were, Dodger made a bow that he would find them and ask them to become his family.

The 10 year old thought about the wolves. 'Are you still out there waiting for me?' he thought his head directed toward the deeper part of the woods. He didn't know.

Unbeknownst to him, Justin decided to leave his brother at the fort because he was tiring him out. More like boring him. All his brother did think about all the time were those wolves. What's so great about them anyways? There not like werewolves who are cooler and smarter. He wanted to be one of them.

Justin continued walking until he suddenly heard a noise. It sounded like footsteps. He stopped walking and then listened very closely. Then he heard them again. More of them. Justin had closed his eyes in an instant once he felt someone's breath on the base of his neck.

"Boo!"

"Ahhhh!" Justin screamed as he fell backwards and scraped his arm on the ground in the process. He glared at his older brother who was laughing at him.

"You should've seen your face!" he exclaimed the laughter pouring out of his mouth. "You were so freaked out!"

"That was mean Dodge," said Justin as he picked himself up off the ground. Dodger's laughter died away before he smiled at his brother.

"sorry, Just. I was only playing around with you," Dodger told him.

"Yeah but still. That was not funny."

"It was to me," dodger chuckled lightly.

"Whatever," mumbled Justin. His brother was always picking on him. "You know what would be cool?" he added suddenly.

"What?" Dodger asked curiously.

"if I turned into a werewolf."

"That wouldn't' be cool. That would be lame," said Dodger.

"No it wouldn't. Werewolves are cool," said Justin defending his so-called friends.

"Yeah. Whatever," said Dodger, rolling his green eyes.

"Besides, if you were a wolf you would think it would be cool."

"So?" Dodger objected. He shrugged his ten year old shoulders. "Besides, that's completely not the point."
He stooped walking and looked at his brother.

"Wolves are real. Werewolves aren't," added Dodger.

"werewolves are too real just like wolves. They belong to the same kind of pack."

"no they don't. Wolves and werewolves have different types of packs. Don't you read the internet?" Dodger said.

"no," said Justin.

"see?"

"I wish I could be a werewolf," Justin told Dodger. "It would be so awesome!" dodger shook his head at his brother.

"Whatever," he said.

"Wouldn't it be?" Justin asked, but Dodger didn't answer. Justin repeated his question. No response.

"Dodge?"

"Justin, I want you to head back to the fort, real slowly, ok?" answered Dodger, his tone quivering in fright. Justin turned around to look at Dodger but didn't, as he noticed a whole pack of wolves had surrounded them. Justin looked from each furry, snarling face to the next. He turned to his brother but Dodger didn't look at him.

"Dodger?' he whispered.

"go back to the fort!" Dodger hissed still not making eye contact with him.

"No! I'm not leaving you here!"Justin cried.

"Go!" Dodger ordered this time looking at Justin anger, fear and worry edged in his tone and eyes. But Justin remained where he was. He wasn't leaving his brother alone, especially where a pack of hungry wolves were.

Dodger stood in front of Justin instantly, as a wolf moved toward them.

"Leave him alone!" Dodger ordered the wolf. The wolf just smirked. He released a low, angry growl.

"Dodge, we've got to get out of here," Justin told him.

"No, ill stay, you go," Dodger replied, his eyes glued on the beast in front of them. The wolf stepped forward as Dodger slowly brought out his pocketknife. Justin saw the movement and put his hand over Dodger's. Dodger looked at him for a split second.

"Don't harm them," Justin said.

"Justin, they want to kill us!" Dodger whispered harshly to him. "I have to kill them."

"No," Justin said. "Maybe they want something."

"Trust me, Just. They don't," said Dodger.

The wolf in front of them growl again. Dodger glared at the creature.

"Back off," demanded Dodger. "He's my brother."

The wolf howled. This time Dodger begged. "Please leave him alone."

"Dodger, what's going on?"

"Hush!" ordered Dodger. Justin closed his mouth. He looked around them for a minute to see that the wolves had moved closer to them. He gulped and then looked aback at the wolf in front of he and his brother.

The wolf growled again, his fur rising up on end. "Please Dodge, let's just go," said Justin, the fear inside of him taking over.

"They'll follow us," Dodger told him.

The wolf barked. "So what?" Dodger said to the wolf. "He's my brother, you cant, you wouldn't hurt him." The wolf's only reply was a howl. Suddenly, the wolves that had surrounded them came closer.

"Justin, can you run really fast?" Dodger asked him, steering him toward the way they had come.

"Not really, but somewhat," replied Justin.

"Good. What I want you to do is head straight for the fort. Don't go inside the house and whatever you do, don't look back," said Dodger in his ear.

"But what about you?" asked Justin.

"Don't worry, ill be right beside you," whispered Dodger and before Justin had time to reply he was pushed forward. Justin took off running taking that as a signal and not once did he look back. He could feel someone beside him, but he didn't look as he kept his eyes forward. Then something fell on his right and he turned his head to see Dodger lying on the ground. He halted to a stop.

"Go!" cried Dodger. "Ill be alright! Go!!"

"But-," Justin interjected.

"Go!!!" and so Justin did. He ran as fast as he could toward the fort. He ran and ran until he reached it and climbed up the roped wood ladder. He could hear the wolves nearby but he stayed hidden in the right corner of the fort, his ears covered as best as he could and eyes closed shut. After about 20 minutes, nothing was heard.

Carefully and quietly, he left the fort, noticing that the wolves had left. Then, he ran back toward to where he last saw his brother but saw nothing. The only thing that he saw in a bush was his brother's favorite baseball hat. That was the last time he ever saw or heard from his brother ever again.

END FLASHBACK