Mother Wolf Ch. 16

When Toralei opens her blood shot eyes, she finds that she's in her room.

"Hey," Howleen's voice says drawing the werecat's attention to the chair in front of a vanity mirror. "How ya feeling?"

"Like a bag of cat litter," Toralei sits up to stretch. "Used cat litter."

Howleen lets out a chuckle. "Don't know who wouldn't after that outburst?"

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"For ruining your date, Kitten," the werecat refuses to meet Howleen's eyes.

"Toralei," the werewolf hefts herself out of the chair to go over to sit on the bed. "There's no way I could be mad at you. Especially now that I know how much you've been hurting. All that pain you've been holding in. Is that why you were so mean to everyone? Because they took your happiness."

"I-I think so. After that day, I just became so bitter," the werecat admits. "I mean, why should anyone else have a chance to be happy when I couldn't," she looks over at the wolf ghoul. "When I found out that you were pregnant, memories of everything I went through came rushing back. That's when I figured that even though I lost my happiness, it shouldn't mean that you deserve to," Toralei was about to cry again when arms wrapped around her.

"We'll figure this out, Toralei," Howleen whispers. "I know we will," she breaks away to reveal that she to was crying. "The others were wanting to know when you were up," the wolf ghoul gets up and heads for the door.

"Okay," Toralei sighs. Once the door closes, she pulls her knees up to her chest. Now everyone knows.

Her door opens up and in walks her guardian. "I wish to discuss something with you, Toralei," Bloodgood heads over to the empty chair to take a seat. The woman is holding a folder in her hands.

The werecat did not look up as she has a feeling what this is about. "You finally decided to send me away, Grace. About time. I've always been too much trouble for anyone."

"The thought has never crossed my mind."

That takes Toralei by surprise and she stares at the woman "Huh?"

"Toralei, when I found you I was searching for someone to enter my program. A program to reintegrate a troubled youth back into a normal school system. I chose you because I saw not a troubled ghoul, but a broken one. I promised to do everything I can to fix that same ghoul," Bloodgood gives a sad smile. "You've lived with me long enough to know that I tend to be too stubborn to let these things go," her smile then fades and gains a stoic expression. "Now to properly do just that, I need your full story. Tell me exactly how you ended up in Juvenile Detention."

Toralei glances at the folder in the woman's hands and then glares at her. "That my file?" When there was no answer, she turns away. "Then you know exactly what happened. Besides, there's no way you could possibly fix me."

The werecat then feels her bed shift with extra weight and a set of arms wrapped around her. "You don't know what I can do until I've tried. I have read this file many times, Toralei. But you've also lived here long enough for me to know that something doesn't seem right with it," she breaks away to look the ghoul in the eye. "I know you well enough be certain of that. So, please tell me."

Toralei closes her eyes tight before opening them back. "I should have known something was off when Leo never visited the day after our son was born and my foster parents never gave me much of a chance to contact him. After coming back home, it got stranger. My foster parents were never proud of my decision to keep the baby, they suddenly welcomed us with open arms. The next morning when I got up, the first thing I noticed was that my son was not there in his crib," the ghoul had to choke back a sob. "I was so terrified I immediately ran to my foster parents in a panic," she looks Bloodgood directly in the eyes. "You know what they told me? That he's with a mom that will be able to take care of him properly and that I should be grateful for what they did for me. It was after that they realized that I would never be grateful and that's when my life became darker after it had already ended. One day, I came home after school, went to my room, and soon my case worker came in with a police officer who started searching my room. He opened my dresser and found a box with some jewelry, a wallet, even cash. Before I knew it, I was being hauled off to Juvie. No one would listen to a troubled ghoul when she said that I have no idea how that stuff got there. Though, I did know how, just couldn't prove it. I tried finding my son, but they kept telling me that I have no rights over him," Toralei sighs. "I could never figure out why."

"I know why," Bloodgood reveals catching the ghoul's full attention. "After you had that outburst in my office at the mention of your son, I became very suspicious and looked into it," the woman hands over the folder to her charge. "I came across these."

The werecat was hesitant to open the file as she is afraid what might be inside. Once she did open it, the ghoul finds herself staring at some papers. "What's this?"

"They're documents clearly stating that you willingly gave up your parental rights over your son," the woman tells her before pointing at one part of her name. "Or so it would seem," she points at the end of Stripe. "Right there! A loop at the end of the 'e'. I've searched through all the school documents that you've signed and not once have you done that."

"They, they forged my signature?"

Grace nods her head. "It would seem so."

"They truly did want me to be miserable," Toralei tears up as she looks through some of the other papers. The ghoul is stunned as she comes across something she did not expect. "What's this?"

The Headless woman snatches the file away. "Those weren't supposed be there!" she makes her way out of the room.

"Were those adoption papers," Toralei looks at the retreating woman. "for me?"

Bloodgood stops at the door and turns to the ghoul. "It's not something to be discussed at the moment. We'll save it for a later date," she turns to leave once again, but stops. "By they way. Mr. Braveheart is downstairs and wishes to speak with you. Shall I send him on his way?"

"No!" Toralei shakes her head. "There's still somethings that need to be said."

The woman nods before leaving.

Toralei gets up to sit at the vanity just staring at her reflection. She then sees the door opens in the reflection as the all too familiar werelion walks in.

"Toralei?" he walks up behind her. "Will you turn around and look at me?"

"I don't know if I can," the ghoul explains, only relaying it through the image of the mirror. "Not without feeling everything I've kept in for three years," she takes out the picture to look at it. "You know? Today's his—"

"His birthday," Leo finishes as he slips a copy of the same picture of Toralei and her newborn son. "It's not something I could forget, Toralei."

The werecat picks it up and can see that it's worn, that it was viewed a lot. "You've been carrying this for three years?"

"Yeah, same as you," the silence and the ghoul's drooping ears tells the lion a different story. "You didn't, did you?"

"They wouldn't let me have anything of his. As soon as he was taken, my foster parents took away any reminder that he even existed. They even tried telling my that it never happened. Those two had this image of the perfect kid and expected me to be that. Of course, it didn't involve a kid having a kid. So, they tried fixing that," she looks up at his reflection. "You can see how well that turned out."

Leo crouches down next to her. "Look, Toralei. We've been through a lot and lost just as much if not more. I never thought I'd see you again," he takes her hand in his. "Is there anyway we could start over?"

"Leo. That's not possible. I can't take the chance of going through it all over again and you running off with your perfect mane."

"I didn't run away!"

Toralei spins around in her seat. "When I first found out I was pregnant, you vanished for a month! And then when our son was taken from me, you never showed up. You might as well have ran away. You know why? Because you were afraid and turned tail. Afraid of being a dad, afraid that your life being ruined. That something would happen to your precious pony—"

It happened so fast that the werecat didn't even register what happened. Just that she was suddenly staring at Leo with a pair of scissors in one hand that he picked up from the vanity and his ponytail in the other.

"You know what this is?" he places the ponytail in Toralei's hand. "It's hair. It can grow back if I let it and I'm sure it'll be as gorgeous as before. If I let it," Leo then sets the scissors down. "But what we had and the plans we were making together. As scary as what was happening was, I was more than willing to do it with you. Why? Because it was a future that involved the three of us," he then takes her hand in both of his. "If there's any way I could take the pain you're in as my own. I would suffer on your behalf. It can't hurt any worse than never seeing you again."

Toralei stares at the monster before her in disbelief. Then, she looks up at his messy mane becoming fuzzy and she lets out a small laugh. "You look stupid with your hair like that," the ghoul runs a hand through his hair. "I remember how you'd never let anyone touch it but me. I used to love tangling my fingers in it."

"Easy there," Leo lets out a chuckle. "I clearly remember what we ended up doing last time."

"So, do I," the ghoul removes her hand. "Hi, I'm Toralei Stripe. Perhaps the fiercest ghoul around. Cross me, then I'll bring out the claws."

"Uh, what?"

"You wanted to start over, right?"

Leo smiles. "The names Leo Braveheart. It may not look like it now, but I tend to have a gorgeous mane. You will find no one full of more confidence than me."

"You're full of a lot of things. Not so sure about confidence. Hot air, maybe."

"Hey!"

The two soon start laughing.

.oOo.

Bloodgood looks out the window over her mansion's front yard. Toralei has just walked out and been greeted by her friends, all worried about the werecat. She glares as her ward kisses the werelion before he gets on a bike. "She better not expect me to allow her on one of those."

The headless woman walks over to pick up a phone to dial a number. "Spectra!"

"Headmistress Bloodgood!" the ghost whispers from the other end of the line. "Is this about that?"

"Indeed, it is," Grace looks back out the window to see Toralei being comforted by the other ghouls. "Remember when I said that I don't want you to do anything drastic for this story? Forget I ever said that."

"Are you sure?"

"I care for Toralei as if she was my very own. Those people hurt her, and she deserves any chance of happiness that she can get. Do what ever it takes. I'll take full responsibility. You understand, Spectra?"

"I'll do what I can, Headmistress Bloodgood."

Bloodgood sighs. "Thank you, Spectra," with that, the woman hangs up and continues watching on as the werecat says goodbye to the others before walking in. "I will do everything in my power to help you, Toralei," she says to herself. "I Promise."

End