A Startling Legacy-Chapter Two
"Charley?" The three mice exclaimed as they stared at the large wolf in front of them.
"Guys...what's going on? Why am I kneeling on the floor?" She asked.
"Sweetheart, don't you know? You're a-" Vinnie began.
"A what? Come on, spit it out!" She asked.
"A wolf."
"What are you-aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" She screamed, on glancing at herself in the large human sized mirror standing on the floor.
"Charlene, dear, please calm down. Everything will be alright." Her aunt Aggie said.
"How is this alright?! I've just been turned into this-this-thing!" She exclaimed.
"You were born a wolf. Our whole family was." Vivica explained.
"What do you mean-?" Charley began, then her eyes widened on seeing her cousin transform into a wolf in front of her.
"It was you! The white wolf! The one who saved us from that other wolf." Charley said.
"That's right." Vivica replied, "I couldn't let the pack harm any of you."
"Now, Charlene, concentrate and you'll transform back into a human." Her aunt said, closing her eyes.
Charley did what she was told and turned back into a human girl. But she was quite naked. Throttle and Modo blushed while looking away. Vinnie covered his face but tried to sneak a little peek through open fingers till Modo slapped him in the back of his head.
"Hey!" He frowned at the larger mouse.
"Just want you to make sure you're devoid of any lustful intent, bro." He chuckled.
"This mouse ain't a pervert. Well...some of the time anyway." He grinned, eyebrows wiggling.
"Men." Charley murmured, as she frowned at the white mouse.
Her aunt, by this time, had covered her with a blanket.
Vivica was transforming back under a blanket her aunt had already brought her. Throttle caught a glimpse of creamy white shoulders along with the tops of matching breasts disappear under the blanket. He felt his face turn crimson at the sight. He had a girlfriend and here he was eying another woman. He felt ashamed.
"This is crazy. I love Carbine." He told himself.
Besides, he knew absolutely nothing about Vivica. Only that she was a werewolf. A creature of legend. She belonged to a group of creatures that weren't human. They had no morals and killed whoever as it suited them. Her people had tried to kill him and his friends. Sure, she was pretty. No, not pretty. Beautiful. Her eyes were dark as the night sky. Plus, she was sexy as all get out. The kind of woman most men would be attracted to. And he was no exception.
Except he was already spoken for. Problem was, his woman was back on Mars. A million miles away. But he and Carbine had had a falling out a week ago. She wanted him to come back to Mars. She felt like he wasn't doing enough to make it happen.
He can still remember the last time they spoke. He was at the scoreboard in Quigley Field back in Chicago. Vinnie was watching tv on the black and white set while Modo had turned in for the night. Throttle was gazing out the window at the night sky. He saw the planet Mars.
Flashback...
"Hey, beautiful! How are you?" Throttle said, as the vidcom came on and Carbine's face appeared on it.
"Is that any way to talk to your commander?" She demanded, no smile, face blank.
"Sorry. Greetings, commander." Throttle gritted.
He hated when Carbine went all military on him. He knew right away this wasn't a social call.
"At ease. What's the deal? Why haven't you and your comrades captured Limburger?"
"Chill, babe. Me and my bros are working on it."
"What did I tell you about calling me babe especially on a military issued vidcom?"
Vinnie shook his head then turned back to his tv surfing. He wondered why Throttle put up with Carbine's funky attitude. The woman was impossible. All she seemed to care about was her job. He sometimes wondered why Throttle didn't just kick her to the curb and go on with a new woman. He's seen lots of women fawn over his bro dozens of times but he never dated any of them. He was too loyal to Carbine.
"Look, Carbine, I told you. My bros and I are doing everything we can to stop Limburger. It's just taking more time than we thought." He heard him tell her.
"It's been three years! That's how long you've been on Earth. You should have captured him by now! You should've come here! We could've put him on trial!"
"Um, my bros and I did that before and you remember what happened. You accused us of working for the Big Cheese and put us on trial."
"I made a mistake that time. I know now that you guys are innocent. I spoke to Martian Command. They gave me the green light to bring you back to Mars to take command of a military base near them."
"But my bros and I still didn't nab Limburger. We can't go running off to man any military base."
"Not them. Just you. Think of it! We'll be able to see each other everyday. We'll be right next to each other and then...we can get married."Carbine said, dreamily.
"Carbine, all this sounds awesome. But I can't leave my bros behind. They need someone to lead them."
"No problem. I'll just get Rimfire to do it. He's much older and a great pilot. He can lead your two bros while you're here on Mars and-"
"Modo's nephew? No way. My bros and I go stop the Big Cheese together or we don't go at all."
"Nonsense. Rimfire can lead your two friends as well as you can."
"He's not experienced enough to be a leader. He needs more training. I'm sorry, Carbine, but the answer is no. My bros need me."
"I need you! Why are you being so pigheaded? Is there another woman?"
"You know me better than that!"
"I thought I did. Good-bye, Throttle."
Then the screen went blank.
End Flashback...
"Life...It's no easy road." He told himself.
"So why did I turn into a wolf?" Charley asked her aunt and cousin.
"As we said, you were born a wolf. Your mother and father were werewolves. Skinwalkers. Prominent members of the werewolf clan, Loup Garoux."Her aunt explained, "But your parents didn't want you to grow up as a wolf or in the pack. They wanted you to have a normal life so your mother asked me and your Aunt Zelda to put a spell over you to turn you into a human. We discovered tonight the only way the spell could be reversed was by a bite from one of our clan."
"I faintly remember my mom or my dad. All I remember is a cabin and lots of trees when I was real little." Charley said, "What happened to them?"
"They were murdered by hunters who foolishly thought they were common wolves who murdered their cattle." Aunt Aggie replied, "You were placed with the Davidsons. They were your parents' friends in the States. They raised you as their daughter."
She took Charley's hands in her own.
"Oh, Charlene...can you...ever forgive me?" She asked.
"Why, auntie?"
"Daniel is the one who you're supposed to be meeting to sell your bike to."
"Who's Daniel?"
"He's the leader of the werewolf pack our family belongs to. He doesn't really want to buy your bike. He wants to marry you."
"Marry me?!" Charley looked shocked.
"He saw your picture in the copy of the Chicago newspaper you sent me and now he wants you."
"How could you do something like this?" She exclaimed, pulling her hands away.
"I had no choice! If I refused to do what he asked, he'd turn the pack against our family. They would kill us!" She replied, "He can get very angry."
"How do you know this guy?" Charley asked.
"I was once one of his wives. Then I got old and he cast me aside." Aunt Agatha replied, looking away sadly.
"So now he's looking for a younger model." Vivica spat out, angrily.
" Yeah, well, Danny Boy's not taking Charley-Girl anywhere." Vinnie said.
"That guy's out of his ever loving mind if he thinks I'll ever agree to being his wife!" Charley spat out.
"Yeah, well, this pack is going to have to go through us to get to Charley-girl." Throttle declared.
"That's right. Don't worry about a thing, Miss Charley Ma'am. We'll keep you safe." Modo told her.
"You don't know Daniel. He has lots of people in the pack that will back him up." Vivica said.
"Why do you stay and put up with what this Daniel guy does?" Charley asked her aunt and cousin.
"He's our leader. He has been enacting werewolf law. Werewolf law has always governed and saved our lives. Each member of the pack depend on each other for survival. Humans have hunted our kind down for years. United we stand, divided we fall. That's always been our way of life." Aunt Agatha explained.
"But he uses women like they're his personal playthings." Charley said.
"'Playthings is such a harsh word."
Everyone looked up to see Daniel enter the room.
"Daniel..." Agatha responded by bowing.
"You shouldn't say bad things without knowing more about me, my dear." Daniel told Charley softly.
"I know enough about you." Charley responded, coldly.
"Spirited. I'll give you that. Just like your mother. It's a shame she married your father and not me. Your father was always foolish and a dreamer."
"Don't you dare insult my father."
"You have no father nor family. The werewolf clan is your only family."
"You're wrong, wolf boy! We're her family." Throttle told him, walking up followed by Vinnie and Modo who stood with Charley.
"And so am I." Vivica said, hand on Charley's shoulder.
"Rayford told me how he had turned you and now you're one of us. Be prepared to become my bride this night." Daniel told Charley.
"Not interested." She replied.
"That wasn't an invitation. It was an order."
"Look, pal, I don't know who you thing you are." Charley angrily replied, shoving him away from her.
"You will submit to me." He told her, grabbing her arm.
"The lady wants to be left alone, tall, dark, and stringy. So get lost."
Vinnie said, getting between him and Charley.
"After I get what I came for." Daniel snapped his fingers.
Within minutes, the room was flooded with wolves!
"Oh, mama! What I wouldn't give to be asleep in my own bed right now!" Modo groaned.