When one runs with the wolves, one must howl with the pack ~ Leon Trotsky

Chapter 1

Tick… Tick… Tick…

It was the last period of the day and no class was as boring as Quin's world history class. She had already finished her assignment for the day and was waiting for the bell to ring so she could go home already. Quin felt as if she hadn't learned anything in that class as all they ever did was do their assignments online and their teacher never even bothered to teach them anything. He just gave them their assignments, quizzes, or tests and that was pretty much it. Not that Quin was complaining of course as this class was pretty easy but after she got her work done in that class she would instantly get bored but she tried to pass the time by looking at her phone to see if she got any new notifications or did some writing. She would've loved to have done some reading but with a loud class she was in she couldn't concentrate on reading and so she usually ended up reading at home.

It was a Friday and Quin could not wait to get home so she could do whatever. She was debating on whether or not she wanted to work on one of her fanfics today or draw something. She loved to draw and write, especially when it came to her fanfics, and usually, when it came down to those two her mood could always change. One day she could be in a writing mood and another day she could be in a drawing mood, who knew? Usually, she would be too bored to decide and would just end up reading a book, watching YouTube, listening to music, or just hang out with her parents. It didn't sound like a very fun thing for Quin to do but she didn't mind a bit. It was better than nothing after all.

Whenever Quin had to go to school it was always a pain in the ass to her whenever she had to wear a mask everywhere she went and the only times she could even take it off was when she had lunch. Everyone had to wear a mask whenever they went out in public ever since the COVID-19 spread out worldwide. Quin would've been very glad, though, if no one had to wear their masks one day. 2020 was indeed a train wreck for everyone including now in 2021 and a lot of other crazy stuff happened in 2021 that was not only concerned with the COVID-19. It seemed like the world was falling apart once more and who knew when things would get better?

Teenage Quin had her earbuds in and was listening to music as she was looking at the screen of her phone. Most of the music she had on her playlist was rock n' roll, country, or 80's music and she enjoyed listening to them whenever she had to go to school. She was texting one of her online friends as the music was drowning out the conversations that were happening around her and they were currently talking about how school was sucking the energy out of them like vampires. School was definitely a big obstacle course for Quin as her future depended on her grades but the more she focused the better her future looked. She knew she wanted to go to college but she wasn't sure where exactly. She had time though to think about this but if she waited too long it would not be good.

Tick… Tick… Tick…

Quin looked at the time on her phone and it read 2:05. She sighed as she had to spend five more minutes in this classroom without falling asleep but she would soon be home in no time. Her home sweet home.

Then, a student in her classroom started to pass out paper towels to everyone. Whenever it was close to a class period ending someone would always pass out paper towels then spray them with cleaning spray so everyone could clean their tables, their chairs, anything really that they've touched. It was a daily routine for everyone and they had to stick with this. Quin decided to clean up early as a lot of the other students were just so she wouldn't have to worry about it later. She did what she always did and cleaned her table, chair, and whatever else she touched. After she cleaned up she returned the laptop she was using for the assignment they had to do in class back to the laptop charging cart. After she did all that she grabbed her things and waited for the bell to ring.

Tick… Tick… Tick…

Quin looked back to the screen of her phone and was about to check the new notifications she got but before she did she couldn't help but notice how messy her hair looked. She always wore her hair in a ponytail and every day her hair was a mess like she might've brushed it with a pillow instead. Her hair was dyed a red color but the red was fading away from her hair faster than hard butter melting on bread. Her hair had more brown to show than the bloody red hair she usually had. Quin sighed in annoyance as she was going to have to text her Grandma and ask her if she could dye her hair. Her parents didn't trust her to put dye in her hair so they suggested to her that her Grandma could do the messy work. Dye was pretty messy to use and sometimes never came off when it splattered on any object. Her Grandma was pretty good with applying dye to her hair, Quin couldn't deny it but sometimes it can get annoying a lot when the dye action began. Quin loved her Grandmother but she didn't love the dye routine they did. It was better than going to a salon though as getting hair dyed at any of those places cost around $100 and Quin didn't like to spend that much money on her hair. Seriously, who would even want to spend around $100 to get their hair done?

Having hair like Quin's was a pain in the ass as it was always very thick. Quin really did hate her hair and it was mostly why she tried to keep it short at all times. Long hair was a lot to work with and Quin would much rather have her short hair than the hair of Rapunzel's. No matter how short her hair got cut it would grow back pretty long and that always annoyed her. However, her Mom would always say that it always looked great and Quin would look at her annoyed as her hair was a wild mess almost every day. Her Mom even told her a few times that her hair was like Molly Ringwald's and whenever she said that, Quin would always scoff at that.

Tick… Tick… Tick…

There was only one minute now until she could finally walk out of this school and go home. As she waited for the bell to ring a new song started to play on her phone and it was a pretty good beat if she could say so herself as it looked like her deep blue eyes were going to smile at any second now. Not only because of the music but because it was almost time for her to leave. Just a few more seconds and then she had her freedom for a couple of days.

Ding!

As soon as the bell rang everyone started to make their way out. Quin finally could relax until she had to go back to school on Monday and learning on Mondays was not her cup of tea. However, she wouldn't worry about that as she now could go home and relax.

About half an hour later, Quin pulled her car into the driveway. It was a pretty long drive from the school she went back to her house but the school she went to was pretty good and had a good education to provide. Even the lunch the school served was pretty good as well and wasn't crappy like dog food. Quin then parked her car and after she did she turned off the engine and got out of her car. She grabbed her things and after she did she locked her car and started to make her way inside her house, glad that she wouldn't have to wear that stupid mask at home. She knew her Mom was home so she had no reason to text her and ask her when she was coming home. Her Dad was still at work but he came home around 5:00 so they all had time to spend time with each other whenever possible.

The house Quin lived in was nothing too fancy but it was still a nice house to live in. The house was located in a small looking neighborhood but it was a nice area to live in. The house was a white color, with a porch that had a grill on it, with a couple of tables, and a few chairs. They even had an outdoor pizza oven. They also had a pond that was next to the house and there was a lot of fish in that pond they had to feed. Quin wasn't sure how many they had but there was quite a lot and Quin couldn't even remember all their names.

When Quin got to the house she opened the door to be greeted with the smell of something sweet. The scent was delightful and she knew that aroma all too well. Quin then made her way to the kitchen to find her Mom just now pulling out a batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies from the oven. Her Mom made the best cookies and when she made cookies Quin would always have one or two of them. They were the bomb.

"Hey, Mom," Quin said, getting her Mom's attention.

Quin's Mother looked at Quin with a smile after she placed the tray of cookies down on the counter. "Hey, how'd school go?"

"The usual, boring." Quin then placed her backpack on the dining room table. "Did a package come today? I ordered a book on Amazon and it said the package was supposed to arrive today."

Quin was a bookworm and she always loved to buy books whenever she could. She practically had a whole stack of books to read even and sometimes she barely even had the time to read because of school or because she was simply too tired to read. But she tried to read whenever she could and reading was a good hobby for her like writing and drawing was. The only times she didn't like to read was when it was related to school.

A few days ago, Quin bought a book she really wanted to read and she simply couldn't wait for it to arrive. It was like a birthday to her, when she got her package she was the happiest girl in the world. Books always brought excitement to her no matter what.

Quin's Mom then pointed to the patio room. "There's a package in there and I think it might be yours." Quin nodded then went to the patio room. "Quin, it's nice seeing that you love to read but I wish you wouldn't spend a lot of your money on books."

Quin saw the package in the patio room and when she did she grabbed it and went back into the kitchen to get some scissors. "Mom, if this is because you're worried about my college money you don't have to worry about it. I got enough saved for college."

"I know you do. I just wish you could go to the library for a change to get the books you want."

As her Mom spoke to her, Quin opened a counter to pull out a pair of scissors that were still in good condition. She then closed the counter and went over to the package to open it with the scissors she had. "Mom, it's really not the same though. When I buy a book I don't have to worry about returning it to someone or ruining it then I gotta pay for it, but when it comes to the library there's a lot of things you gotta worry about. The library owns those books they have."

Quin then used the scissors to cut open the package and after she did she opened the box to see the book she ordered online. It was a hardcover one and Quin always loved the hardcovered ones and it was simply because she didn't like it when the paperback ones were always easy enough to rip. She always tried to go with the hardcovered books so she wouldn't have to worry about ripping them.

However, Quin's Mom then sighed as she then came over to her. Her Mom had the same hair that Quin did but the only difference was that her Mom's was dyed a black color. Her Mom had gray-blue eyes and she was very tan. Quin was not tan like her Mom was and was instead a lilac white color. Quin didn't like to get tanned and her Mom even tried to get her to go to a tanning bed once but Quin simply refused.

"Could you at least go to the library and try to borrow a book from there? I know you really don't want to but could you at least give it a shot? Why don't you go there today and borrow a book? Your Dad won't be home until later but if you go to the library I won't ever ask you to go there again."

After her Mom said what she said, Quin sighed. Quin hadn't been to the library in a long time and the last time she went there was probably when she was 12. She doesn't even remember where she put her library card at. It was probably hidden in her room somewhere and she simply didn't even realize it. Quin didn't like the idea of going to the library but she really didn't want to make her Mom upset. Plus, Quin hoped that once she returned from the library with a borrowed book her Mom wouldn't bug her about the library again.

With a library though full of books, Quin wasn't sure what book she was going to come home with. She would simply look though to see what would be to her interest. She may not even come home with a book at all. After all, she did have a lot of those bought books to read still and she really wanted to read them as soon as possible. If she didn't then she'll grow old not knowing how every one of those books ended. Every book had a way of ending so you could never know how any book would end.

"Fine, I'll go to the library," Quin said. "But I'm going on my laptop for a bit and I'm taking a cookie." She then went to the kitchen and grabbed a cookie and when she did she took a bite and could taste the rich chocolate and the other sweet parts exploding in her mouth like a party was happening. As usual, the cookies were delicious. "Mom, you make some damn good cookies."

Quin's Mom then smiled. "You always say that."

"And it's the truth."

Driving to the library really wasn't what Quin wanted to do today but if she didn't want her Mom to bother her about the library then she would go there. She couldn't promise that she'd come home from the library with a borrowed book but what she could promise was going to the library. As she was going to the library she had some music blasting in the car. She was listening to some rock n' roll music and she couldn't help but sing along to the song. Quin wasn't a bad singer but she could never have it in her to sing in front of anyone, not even if it was karaoke night.

Quin then stopped at a red light as she continued to listen to the song and sing along with it. She was having a great time and as long as she was then she was happy. No music meant no fun.

When the light then turned green, Quin drove forward and it wasn't long until she arrived at the library. She parked her car in the library's parking area and made sure that her car wasn't taking up any space. It was a pain to Quin when it came to parking but she parked the best she could. Driving could be a challenge at some points, especially around the wintertime but Quin proved that she could handle herself when it came to driving and had never been in an accident. When Quin was learning to drive her Mom always worried that she was going to crash the car and that made Quin annoyed sometimes but she tried to stay calm with her Mom and reassure her that everything would be fine. When she drove when her Dad was around he was a lot more relaxed than her Mom and it was probably because he trusted her a lot or because he simply was worried like her Mom about crashing the car but just didn't wanna show it.

Before Quin got out of her car she took her black mask that was on the passenger seat and she put it on her face to cover her nose and mouth. Everything she practically had was black, even her clothes. She loved the gothic side but never would wear makeup as wearing makeup made her face breakout. She always made sure to wear anything gothic, even her choker and if she didn't have her choker on her neck she would feel naked without it. Luckily she had it on her and wouldn't have to worry about it.

When Quin got her mask on she got out of the car then locked it and after she did that she started to make her way inside the library. When she got in she could smell the smell of old books everywhere like the books were trying to cook up something. People were either trying to find a book, reading, or were simply borrowing the books they wanted and of course they were all wearing masks. Quin sighed as she would browse through the aisles to see what she came across and if she didn't find a book to her interest then she would leave.

Quin then went to the first aisle she saw and started to scan the titles of each book on the spines. So far she really wasn't seeing anything that was speaking to her. She could be very picky a lot of times, especially when it came to shopping. Whenever her Mom took her out shopping, Quin would be pretty picky when it came to clothing. She preferred not only the gothic types of clothing but also some plain clothing. No glamor, no sparkles, none of that. She knew she shouldn't judge a book by its cover but when it came to choosing it had to catch her interest and it was very rare for that to happen.

As Quin was browsing she sighed as she then thought about when Monday would come. Once Monday came it was back to homework, studying, and probably even taking a test or two. High school really was a lot and it was hard to keep up with her grades most of the time but she made sure to keep them up no matter what. She really hoped to get out of high school soon so she could have a very long break, a long vacation for that matter. Perhaps a cruise would be nice but her parents couldn't afford that.

The more she thought about it though the more Quin realized that every day would be a challenge for her. She simply couldn't have freedom whenever she wanted but if she was rich one day maybe then she would have a lot of free time. She then wondered what even the point in fantasizing about freedom was. If she even sang a tune about having her freedom every day it's not like it would even come true anyways. Life was pretty much just trying to put misery on her. Quin sighed once more as all she could do was live her life and hope for the best. Right now, she continued to browse.

As Quin browsed she then found herself in the dark part of the library where it was just her there. It was dark, yes, but she could still see fine. The lights here looked like they needed fixing though. However, she then noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see a book on one of the desks. She looked around to see if someone left their borrowed book behind and was now trying to find it but she saw no one in this section looking as if they lost their book.

With curiosity that might kill the cat, Quin then approached the desk and as she did she noticed how old the book looked but it still looked in good condition. It was even a hardback one. Quin hummed to herself as she then looked at the title of the book and on that very cover, it read the title of the book: Wolfwalkers.

Quin furrowed her brow in confusion at the title. She's never heard of something like this but she was interested in finding out what this book was all about. She read about different species of wolves but she's never heard of wolfwalkers. Now more of her curiosity piped up.

Without a second thought, Quin picked up the book and opened it and when she did a slip of paper fell out and landed on her boot. Quin noticed the sheet of paper that slipped out of the book and she furrowed her brow confused once more. Perhaps it was some kind of bookmark? Or maybe it was some kind of important piece of information that someone left behind? Usually, Quin wouldn't look at something that didn't belong to her but at this moment she couldn't help but want to have a peek at that sheet of paper.

Quin placed the book down with it still opened and picked up the paper and when she did she saw that it was folded and so she opened the paper. She saw there was some writing in that paper and decided to read out loud but quietly to herself. "If you're now reading this paper a new journey will now await you, unlike anything you've ever seen. After you read this you will soon find yourself in a whole new place. Silly it may sound but it won't be when you enter this world. When you wake up, your surroundings will be different but a brand new adventure will be awaiting you. Good luck." After Quin read that note she furrowed her brow confused but then she thought it was some kind of joke someone was trying to pull on someone, including her. She then rolled her eyes as she tossed the note aside. "Yeah, whatever."

The note really did sound ridiculous, even when she read it out loud quietly to herself but decided to ignore it. She then sat at the table and was about to read the book but she then started to feel strange. At first, she started to see that her vision was starting to look a little strange and she thought it was probably because she was tired after a long day she had but her vision started to get stranger by the second. Her vision was swirling and she really didn't feel good at that moment. It was like she came out of a tire swing after spinning in it for too long. She thought she was going to throw up.

Was the mask the reason why she wasn't feeling right? She then began to worry that maybe she had the coronavirus and that's why she wasn't feeling right. She didn't want to jump to conclusions but she then started to get worse. She wanted to get up from her seat and go to someone for help but she felt very weak to even move from her seat. Quin tried to keep her vision focused but her vision did not want to cooperate with her.

The next thing that could then be seen was darkness.

A/N- Hey guys! This is the first chapter to my Wolfwalkers fanfic and I just couldn't wait to get started on it and now the first chapter is finished. One down, more to go XD

I hope to write more chapters to this very soon but I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter. Like my other fanfics, my goal is to get this fanfic done.