A Son of Wolves

Chapter 8: Nightmares Are Only the Start

What did animals do best, what do wolves do best? They run, and Leo was doing nothing but. He ran the length of the town and towards the park, there was a Valley five miles away that he could stay out in, they'll never come looking for him in there or that deep in the forest. Why did he suddenly feel so free, why the sudden sensation that he could run forever? Why did he love to run so much? He never had before.

He ran the mile to the park boundaries, passed the lakes and suburbs, but he didn't stop. He glanced back, one last time at civilization before fading into the trees. As soon as he stepped on nature's soil, he had made his decision, this was his life now. Two people could help him now; give him the answers that he wants. His parents were in here somewhere, the ones that made him like this. No, he wasn't going back to stay with them, he merely wanted answers as to why they left him, how they could their lives in this place and how they could raise a child in it and pass on their mental illness. Maybe he'd hang around a little while longer just to say how much he hated them for making him like this and that they should consider getting some help. Maybe that's what he needed. Maybe, just maybe, that if he clears things with his parents, it'll all just stop and go away. That his nightmares will end, his hallucinations will stop and he can go back home. He didn't want to live out here, but then again, he didn't want to be locked up in some insane kids care home. They wouldn't come looking for him in here.

He slowed his pace to a walk when he looked back and could no longer see civilization. He looked around, but while doing that, he came to a daunting realization. He really just ran away, he just left his friends, things and life behind, all because he started going crazy. But like he thought, if he found his parents out here, then maybe the nightmares will stop and he can return without having to be locked up like the animal he was turning into. He belonged out here now, so he'd better adapt to this.

He started to make a mental note of what he had to do. It was highly unlikely he'd find his parents today, so he'd have to find shelter before it got dark. He'd need to make a fire, find food, and defend himself from that wolf pack that no longer seems afraid of humans and other predators. He was in away over his head; he didn't know what he was doing. In his head it sounded so easy and simple, but he knew that it wouldn't be. This was going to be hard.

He walked and walked, up to the point he was tiring, he was deep within predator territory. He was unarmed, he was tired, hungry, and thirsty, he had to find shelter soon. Instinct kicked in, telling him to find shelter soon, that he shouldn't be out here at night. He found a stream as night started to close in on him, so he nearly drowned himself in it while he drank away. It probably wasn't the safest thing to do, who knew how dirty it was or what died in it further upstream, but it was better then nothing. He relished the water as it cooled him down and trickled down his throat what felt like gallon after gallon. He removed a water bottle he packed into his bag and filled it up while he had the chance, which he never had before. He looked around while on his knees beside the river. To his left was a berry bush, full of sweet, and bitter berries. He was dared once to eat one a classmate pointed out in the school grounds. He remembered how terribly sweet and horrid they tasted, but it was better then nothing. He crawled over and broke off a branch to start picking them off, firstly looking for any that were fluffy or a strange colour, indicating they were either not ready or rotten. He ate the ones that seemed ok. He cringed his face as he forced each one down his throat. He ate as much as he could without bringing them back up and then washing his mouth out from the taste.

He couldn't stay here; he could see faint tracks in the ground of all kinds of animals, meaning it was a drinking spot for them, so anything could come here. He was up and moving again, this time desperately searching for shelter.

An hour later, just as night had settled and darkness roamed the forest, he still hadn't found anything. He leaned against a tree, now starting to think life in a locked room might have been better. At least it would stop his sanity getting any lower. But wait… He looked up the tree, seeing two branches that he could use. He stepped back and few, and took a run up at the tree and after placing one foot against the truck and pushing off and up, he grabbed the lowest branch and started climbing. He was fifteen feet off the ground when he reached the branches he was after. Two thick braches that barely moved as he tested them out, longer then his body and close together. He lay down over them, finding he sunk a little into the gap, but he didn't fall through. He rolled a little, finding that there wasn't a chance he'd fall out in his sleep. He removed his bag and laid it under his head and sighed. To his surprise, he was actually comfy. He wasn't cold, he wasn't hot, and he was safe from anything on the ground, so he was ready to sleep. He closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn't have any nightmares, and this time dream of something other then monsters. But unbeknown to him, a pair of Jade green eyes watched from inside a bush, ready to pounce when the human jumped down. He'd wait all night if he had to.

The next morning, the sun was shining and the birds sung and flew over head. Leo walked along a long log on the ground, his arms either side of him to help him balance. It was nearly mid-day, he woke up thinking all he could really do as keep walking and gain as much distance from the town and in hope he'd find someone living here and ask about his family. He jumped off and started walking, happily looking around him. He didn't understand why the news and documentaries said it was dangerous to walk out here on your own, he hadn't seen or heard anything other then the birds and the river he walked beside. He thought that if anyone lived out here, then they'd stay near a river to collect water, so he followed it up stream.

He came to a bank and jumped down onto the sandy floor beside the river. But as he came to stand back up, he froze as a low growl filled his ears. He looked around, but he didn't see anything. His heart rate started to go up, as did his breathing rate. Just as he thought that he wasn't going to be bothered by anything. He looked behind him at where the growl came from, then to have a big gust of wind blow by, making the trees sway and emit a loud and low creak. He sighed, the two noises sounded similar. He chuckled a little, getting himself scared for no real reason. He turned to face the stream again, this time only to have something fly out at him.

He screamed and fell back as the thing pushed him down and stood over his chest. He placed his hands the wolf's chest and neck, stopping it from reaching his throat and face. It snapped its jaws and reached to claw his face mere inches from him as he tried to fight it off. He found the strength to get his feet under it and flip it over his head and away. He jumped to his feet and soon found an old chuck of a stick with a pointed end. It wasn't much, but it was something that he could use as a weapon. He turned to face the wolf, crouching and readying himself.

The wolf scrambled to his paws and lowered his front half, baring his teeth and raising its hackles as it started to circle it. Leo mimicked it and start following its circle. He was able to get a good look at it. He saw the eyes, that dark Jade green. Its back fur was almost red in colour, and it's underside a sort of dirtier shade of white, a sort of cream colour. It had a killer look in his eye, but Leo expected that from a ravenous wolf. Suddenly, it ran back at him, this time snarling and barking. It jumped at Leo, but he simply stepped around to the side and delivered it a punch to the side before moving back away. It yelped from the blow, but was quick to get to its paws and get back into the defensive position. Leo once again found him being taken over by something, something that guided him practically against his will. He lowered himself a little more, he looked back at the wolf through the tops of his eyes, he turned to his side a little as he faced it, his sharpened stick in front of him. He revealed his teeth and let out a wolf like growl from the back of his throat, something he has never done before. He started to hear that inner howl again from the thing inside him. The wolf looked at him, both confused but still ready to fight. He was starting to get intimidated by the human, but he found it all so funny. He charged at the wolf once again, this time Leo was going to go far worse. Leo ran back at him and as the wolf threw himself at him with a snarl and opening his paws and flexing his claws. Leo slid under the wolf, taking his stick in his tight grip and lashing out and the wolf. He cut its chest, but not much. He jumped back to his feet and got back into the position he was in before.

The wolf looked down to his chest, it wasn't bleeding much, but it certainly hurt. But he was an Alpha, and a highly looked upon one as well, he was trained to deal with pain. He looked back at the human, readying himself to attack once more. Leo stepped to his left to start circling him again, but as he did, his necklace slipped out his shirt, something the wolf saw. Instantly, the wolf stopped when he saw it, both circling and snarling, and now looking on in shock. It couldn't be, there was no chance it could be. "Leo?" The wolf asked.

Leo looked on in shock, did he just really see a wolf move its mouth and talk? But then, more wolves emerged from the trees and bushes behind the first wolf. Leo looked back at them.

"Oh shit." He muttered before spinning around and wading as quickly as he could to the other side. The wolves ran after him, having to swim through and therefore slowing them down. The red wolf stood where he was, trying to piece through everything that he just saw. It looked like the human heard him. But it can't have, no-one of them can. But wait; only one could. He didn't run after the human, instead he whirled around and headed in the opposite direction.

Could this be it? Could this be the moment he and his pack have waited for, for so long. He ran and ran as far and fast as his strong legs could carry him, across the hunting grounds and the Valley to come bursting into a den, panting heavily.

"Kate!" Garth called out loudly as he burst into the den. Kate, Humphrey, Eve, Winston and Tony, all looking no older then they were ten years ago. That herbal mixture provided by Sahara worked a treat.

"Garth what's wrong?" She asked seeing his reaction as if something terrified him.

"I saw him." He panted with a desperate look.

"Saw who son?" Winston asked. "Slow down."

"Leo, he's back."

Leo was starting to tire, but luckily he managed to find a tree he could climb just as one of the fifteen wolves behind him dived to grab him. He scrambled up the tree, high enough to keep them away. He threw down sticks and anything else he could find up there, but eventually he saw that he was safe, for now anyway. He started concentrating less on the wolves and more so his breathing. He sat back against the truck and breathed deeply as the wolves below him snarled, barked, scratched up the tree to try and reach him.

He was so stupid, what on earth gave him the thought to come out here. He was foolish; he didn't know the first thing on survival or how to protect himself from the predators out here. It could have been far worse then this, it could have been a group of bears. He should have just run to the other side of town, or used the edges of the forests to get as far as possible; he should never have come inside. He's entered foreign territory; he didn't know where he was going, or where about he was in the park. He was lost, he couldn't turn back, for he didn't know which was it was. If he was able to get down the tree at some point, then he'd have to walk in a straight line and just hope he comes across something or someone before he was either hurt or eaten.

He looked back down, but then the wolves all stopped and stood looking up at him, snarling before turning around and walking away, whimpering and whining that they didn't get the taste of human flesh. Leo watched them carefully as the faded back into the bushes and shadows of the trees. Finally he was able to breathe again now that they had given up. But he wasn't out of the woods yet, in more ways then one. He needed to get down and back to civilisation before they came back or they caught him. He couldn't stay out here. He looked around; he didn't hear anything but the wind and the trees creaking. He could get down easily. But he'd need some way of protecting himself. He looked around, seeing one long branch more or less right above him. He reached up and grabbed it, snapping it after struggling to for a moment. He pulled it down in a way that pointed the end and splintered it. He removed the smaller twigs on it and removed his necklace, tying it just bellow the pointed part of it, he didn't want it smacking him in the face if he had to run or fight. He wouldn't be able to fight them off if they came back, but at least he might be able to hold them off a little longer.

He looked around one last time, making sure and assuring himself that they were gone. He didn't hear or see anything. He carefully and quietly climbed down, but dropping the last few feet seeing as he couldn't reach without doing so. He tensed his face muscles hoping the thud he tried to soften didn't drag unwanted attention to him. He looked around, he still didn't see anything. He looked up at the sun, seeing it look like it was at its peak, but seeing the angle it was at and knowing where it rises and falls, he knew he needed to follow it. Jasper town was to the west of the sun, it sets over Jasper. He leant against the tree, before taking a few cautious steps out, just in case he had to run back. But he was satisfied that they were gone. He sighed and took a normal step out.

But then, the trees around him echoed with the sounds distant of howls and barks, sounding all around him. He looked around, he didn't see them, but he knew they were watching him. So he ran, running for his life, again. His heart rate jumped back up to what it was, adrenaline raced in his system that drove him to panic and desperation as the barks and howls drew closer. He jumped over a fallen log, but slid to a stop when he saw more of them coming towards him. So he veered right and towards the stream he was previously walking besides and fighting off that first wolf. Instinct told him to jump into the water, he thought about it as he came running out the trees. He'd lose his scent if he did, they wouldn't be able to smell him out if he got there before they caught up. He ran and jumped back into the stream, sinking up to his waist.

He emerged out the other side, but only then to be block by five other wolves that closed in on him. He looked back, another five appearing through the trees he came through. They set a trap. He took a few steps back into the stream as they neared, going as deep as his ankles, he'd have to move back a lot further before it went up to his waist. He was trapped, behind and in front of him was nine wolves and a river, to his sides was the river and the bank, he was in a kill box, clever dogs. He took his spear in two hands and began his threat; lower his head and looking at them through the tops of his eyes and crouching slightly.

He looked back, the wolves beginning to cross the river. He waved his long stick out at them, making them jump back again. He waved it in front of him, and those wolves jumped back to avoid it. It was like they were mocking him. He began to walk forward, starting to growl at them and look threatening. He was able to get around them, but gave the wolves behind him the chance to cross and gather with the others. He had the opportunity to run into the trees again, but he was cut off by the arrival of three other wolves who then joined in with the attack. He was forced back into the middle as they surrounded him. He didn't have long left. He started waving his pointed stick out at them, and yelling to keep them away if they came to close. He looked one as it passed him in the eye, and it returned it by snarling and baring his teeth back as it circled him with the others going in different directions around him.

He really started to see that he wasn't getting out of this one, that this was going to be his final act. "I don't have all god damn day." He growled to himself. "Come on!" He taunted them further, now wanting them to attack him. He turned his back on one, and with lightening speed, it jumped at him. Leo heard the snarl it let out and spun around while waving around his stick, hitting the grey and black wolf in the ribs and away. It yelped and scrambled to get away, but then continued to attack as a second wolf then took a turn as his back was to it. It jumped this time landing on Leo's back. It sent Leo forwards, so he took his stick before he fell and drove it backwards against the wolf, stabbing it in the chest, it bled, but it was a small scratch, the stick wasn't going to kill, only hurt. It fell off his and started lashing out at his legs while a second came in to help.

Leo smacked it across the face with his stick and kicked the second, causing them to yelp loudly and scamper away. He whirled around after hearing one running towards him. He wasn't quick enough to hit it away. It jumped and landed on his chest, knocking him onto his back. He managed to get his stick under its neck to keep it away, but it snapped and clawed merely an inch from his face. One swipe scrapped his neck, putting a long but thin scratch down it. He looked around, seeing the other wolves closing in. This was it; he was going to die, at only fourteen years old. And the last anyone saw of him he was becoming a psycho. He readied himself while he held back the wolf.

Suddenly, there was a flash of brown, then of grey and a third of red that leapt over him, the brown knocking off the wolf on his chest. He sat up with all his speed as five more wolves came running passed and towards him, seemingly starting to fight the others for who got the privilege to rip him apart. He recognised one wolf, that red one that he first fought with, he could tell by the cut along its chest. He jumped to his feet and took his stick back in two hands while he started to back away while the five against over a dozen wolves snarled at one another. They were distracted, giving him the perfect moment. He turned to run, but then froze when he heard someone speak sternly. "Stop it!" The male voice yelled. He spun around and looked around and passed the crowd of wolves, he didn't see anyone. "It's him." He said again. He still didn't see it. But the moment whoever it was said it, the snarls and growls faded away and every wolf looked around at him.

His eyes widened, he should have taken the moment to run. He turned to run again, but he heard another voice, a girl's. "Don't run." She said desperately. He turned back again, not understand why he wasn't running, or why these wolves suddenly chose not to rip him apart. He looked in the crowd where it came from. But when his eyes set on one wolf, a light brown and white one did the voice then say. "Please." He saw its lips move, and it talked right at him. He looked behind him for a second and then back towards the wolf.

"Di…did you just talk?" He asked gripping his stick tighter and holding it by his side to swipe with. He really didn't just see or hear it, he can't have.

"Who are you?" A third voice said, a males, this time seemingly coming from a grey wolf that stepped beside her and looked up at him with the same pleading eyes. This time, he lashed out and stepped forwards to strike the wolves. He really did just hear it, his sanity really as at an all time low. He lashed out a second time; the wolves had to step back as to avoid it.

"Shut up!" He yelled at it. "Wolves can't talk!"

"And humans can't understand us." The first male voice said, this time belonging to a second grey male. These three voices, why was it starting to ring the instinctual bells in his head?

"What's your name?" The female asked. "Please, tell us." She pleaded. He didn't answer; instead he quickly broke off a branch beside him and threw it at them. They all stepped out the way or ducked. But when they looked back, he was gone and running.

"Are you sure it's him?" Kate asked looking at Garth.

"He had that necklace you gave him; it looked exactly like you said it would."

"Come on, we can catch him." Eve said as they all started running after him.

This was a dream, and nightmare! Wolves can't talk. His dreams have only gotten crazier and stranger, so who's to say that he's been dreaming about the last two weeks and none of this was really happening. He burst through the bushes to come onto a large circular and the trees growing over it to block out the light. But then, a group of the wolves ran out the bushes and shadows in front of him, he yelled in freight and slid to turn back around, but more blocked him off, then more from the sides. He looked back again, seeing the same four wolves that started talking. He covered his ears, muttering and repeating that this was a dream over and over again and trying to wake up.

Garth looked at the human, trying to see the necklace again, but he couldn't. Maybe he only thought he saw it. "Human listen…" Winston said stepping forward. Like most kids, Leo wasn't listening, but he could still hear his voice through his cupped hands and words. "Tell us your name and you can go."

"Shut up, this isn't real!"

"Hey, this is as real as it's going to get human." Garth mocked. Then Leo thought of something, he knew what was going on. He removed his hands and looked around at each wolf and around his surroundings. Then he yelled.

"Ok you got me; you can come out with the cameras." He chuckled while spinning around to try and spot them. The wolves all looked at one another, this was one crazy human. "So this was all a prank for the last two weeks?" He questioned and looking back down to Kate and Humphrey. "I'll admit, you had me going. So the wolf in the mirror, what was it a false one, projector what, what tell me." He said looking down at them. "Did Caitlyn, Rick and Ciara put you up to this?"

"It's not him." Kate sighed and giving up on her hopes. She was stupid to believe they would find their son again. She should never have taken that stuff; she could be in peace and looking down at him, never leaving his side, but no. Ten years later she's interrogating a deranged human.

"It's not him!" Garth called out as Kate turned to walk away. "Kill him."

"Oh yes go ahead." Leo chuckled still believing that this was all some prank show. The wolves once again started snarling and closing the gap on them. Kate sat with her back to him and Humphrey looking back and forth from her and the human and rubbing her back in comfort. Leo crossed his arms and waited to see what these puppets or very clever robots would do. But as they neared, he then started to sense that maybe this wasn't a prank, that maybe this was real. He looked into their eyes, seeing that they were all deadly serious, and very much alive, that this was very real. He uncrossed his arms and took his stick back into two hands again. "Oh shit." He said as he was overcome by his inner animal again. He crouched more to the ground, snarled and bore his teeth and started growl, taking them by surprise by how wolf strangely like it was. Humphrey heard him, and so was puzzled he looked back at him. Leo brought his stick around and held it horizontally in front of him in one hand, the necklace hanging from it. Humphrey saw something fall, but when he narrowed his vision and saw what it was, he couldn't believe it. His eyes widened, he knew that thing from anywhere. But was he seeing things?

He nudged Kate who looked around with welled eyes; she too then zoomed her vision on the necklace and couldn't believe what she was seeing. She didn't want to take any chances. Just as the wolves were about to pounce, she screamed at the top of her lungs. "STOP!" Leo and the wolves all looked back at her as she came barrelling through and pushing them out the way. Leo stepped back and readied to strike. "Where did you get that?" She demanded with Humphrey, Garth, Winston and Eve coming up behind him.

"I ripped it off a tree." Leo answered waving the stick around a little.

"Not the stick." She snapped. "The necklace, where…did…you…get…it?" She demanded again, this time more feral and snappy. He looked at it, how would she want to know? He removed it from the pointed part and held it in his hand.

"This?" He questioned. "It's mine." He answered.

"Where did you get it?" Humphrey asked again, not believe this either.

"It was given to me by my parents." He answered. Kate looked at her mate, then back to her former fiancé and parents before then looking back at him and after a shaky breath asked something that if was wrong, then it would shatter her heart.

"What's your name?" She asked ready to burst into tears.

"Leo." He answered. Every wolf around them gasped and stepped back further, other then Kate, Humphrey and the others. Kate was ready to let her tears fall, and Humphrey had his welling in his eyes. Could this be it? Was this the human they raised and sent away all those years ago?

Suddenly and without warning, Kate threw herself at him. He yelled in freight was he fell onto his back and against the ground with him on her chest. The stick fell out his hands, so he closed his eyes ready for her jaws to clamp around his throat and the others to join in. He could feel her on his chest, this was it. But nothing happened. "Leo open your eyes." Kate whispered. He opened one eye first, then the second to see her standing over him and still on his chest. He looked into her eyes and she did to him, only then he felt like he entered a whole new world. Flashes and voices filled his head. Why? This had never happened when he did this before. He raised his hand off the floor, Kate watching his actions while the others watched on from a distance. Leo brought his hand up while looking her in the eyes, slowly and gradually bringing it to her cheek, where he made her keep looking into her eyes. They bore nothing but happiness and retribution; it was like looking into the eyes of someone who lost something so dear to them and after so long, finally found it again. But wait, there was something more then this, this went way deeper then that.

He saw in her eyes as he narrowed them and looked deeper and into what felt like her soul that he saw something else. He saw her, a baby and that grey wolf that was with her. She was laid on her side under and tree with multicoloured petals with the baby lying against her, that grey wolf lay around her back as she leant against him. She looked up at him and licked his nose. "It might not be how we wanted it…" Her voice echoed and her mouth smiling. "But he's ours." She then looked down to the baby that slept against her side. "Little Leo, my fallen angel." She smiled and stroking his cheek.

He reeled back out if it as is either he read her mind or she did something to him. A tear fell and landed on his cheek. Kate saw the exact something thing in her eyes, the mother and child bond that sparked between them for a second made them see that distant memory. She knew it was him. Her angel has returned. She looked back and around to Humphrey. "It's him." She whispered and on the verge of a breakdown. "It's Leo."

"Oh god." He muttered as the tears came and he ran over to them. Kate collapsed on Leo and cried into his chest while Humphrey came over and cried into her neck, but not as badly. Leo lay there, not understanding what the hell was going on. He looked down to the she-wolf on his chest, sobbing into his shirt uncontrollably and not moving a muscle. Neither Kate nor Humphrey could believe it, Leo had returned to them.

To my none regular reviewers, check out my other stories, people have said their good, so check'em out! Kate and Humphrey have found their pup, Sahara's recipe worked. What will Leo make of this, will he go back to the pack, will he run away again and back to civilization? Is Leo the one to save the pack from the humans or the one that'll bring their destruction as Tony once thought? Read and Review to find out. Until next time ;)

The FalconWolf

P.S To those who haven't read my other stories, then you should know that i don't update on Sunday mornings due to being at Church nice and early, so don't expect anything on that morning. :)