Status: We are what we are; don't need no excuses for the scars from our mothers, and we know what we know 'cause we're made of all the little bones of our fathers.
The Last Wolf
Chapter Twenty Three
Bear and Viper left me pacing in front of their precious Doc. My mind wouldn’t digest what he tried to spell out. The shifters killed my parents. White River stood there. He watched their throats being ripped apart, the bullets piercing their flesh, and worst of all he did nothing to help them. That man…
White River sighed loudly as his eyes followed me. My feet met the dark edge of the forest before they turned away again. I couldn’t bring myself to march into that forest. Nightmares haunted my vision, even in the day, of that snarling black panther. Its slick fur and its words holding me hostage. White River would’ve let me die.
“My mother dropped me off at that house after my father died. That’s what I was told.” My voice was low, dangerous, the wolf growled inside me.
“No.” White River shook his head while his fingers curled together. “That’s not true.”
“I heard you talking to my father,” I hissed. “My mother told me!”
“No,” he repeated. “Listen to me!”
“So you can lie more!”
“I told your mother and father that I didn’t want you to know.” His voice was low too, eye narrowed. “I found you in the base of a tree trunk. A baby during a full moon in the woods, hungry and alone. What was I supposed to do? Leave you alone, defenseless, in the woods after you’d just witnessed the most horrific thing imaginable.” His feet marched after mine stopped.
I plopped down on a stump. Tears stinging my eyes. My shoulders shook with rage and sadness. Hair on my neck and arms stood on edge. “You could’ve helped them!”
“I knew better,” he shouted. “Those hunters would’ve come after me!”
“I witnessed it?” His words sinking in slowly. Noting made sense. Why didn’t I remember?
“Yes. Your mother burrowed you into the base of an Oak tree. I watched her, kept you hidden. Threw them off.” He looked down at his feet as he stopped in front of me. “I was with the hunters that night.”
“What?” I growled jumping from my seat. My eyes met his with all the rage that shook my shoulders with such violence. “Why the hell were you with them?”
“Don’t get upset!” he warned. “I was there. So many of the wolves I considered friends were hurt; I wanted to be there to heal them.”
“Then why aren’t my parent’s here?”
“Because I couldn’t help that much blood loss. Silver does hurt more than you think it does.” He grabbed my arm. “You need to calm down.”
I ripped my arm from his grasp. Daggers flew from my eyes. Tears finally spilled over as the rage flew to my shoulders and turned to sobs. He stammered. I’d never seen an old man get tongue tied; I didn’t know White River could be that way. Deep breaths filled my lungs with helpless desires to go back to that day. To remember my parents. My mother.
“Why,” I sobbed, “did you pick her?”
“I’m sorry,” he turned away from me, “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Why was she the one,” I pleaded, “that dropped me off in your story?”
“Because, Dahlia,” he sighed. “She tried to give you up that way.”
“NO!”
“Yes,” he faced me. “She brought you to me. A month and a half after you got out of the hospital. I told her she’d regret it for the rest of her life.” He grabbed my arm again, forcing my eyes to stare into hi. “She had you for a year, and she loved every minute.”
“You should’ve stopped them,” I cried.
“I should’ve stopped them,” he agreed.
He rubbed my back for a moment. The tears slowed finally. His features were stoic. Then we heard it. The scream that tore through every ounce of my blood, my anger, my sadness. It started…and it didn’t stop.
White River sighed loudly as his eyes followed me. My feet met the dark edge of the forest before they turned away again. I couldn’t bring myself to march into that forest. Nightmares haunted my vision, even in the day, of that snarling black panther. Its slick fur and its words holding me hostage. White River would’ve let me die.
“My mother dropped me off at that house after my father died. That’s what I was told.” My voice was low, dangerous, the wolf growled inside me.
“No.” White River shook his head while his fingers curled together. “That’s not true.”
“I heard you talking to my father,” I hissed. “My mother told me!”
“No,” he repeated. “Listen to me!”
“So you can lie more!”
“I told your mother and father that I didn’t want you to know.” His voice was low too, eye narrowed. “I found you in the base of a tree trunk. A baby during a full moon in the woods, hungry and alone. What was I supposed to do? Leave you alone, defenseless, in the woods after you’d just witnessed the most horrific thing imaginable.” His feet marched after mine stopped.
I plopped down on a stump. Tears stinging my eyes. My shoulders shook with rage and sadness. Hair on my neck and arms stood on edge. “You could’ve helped them!”
“I knew better,” he shouted. “Those hunters would’ve come after me!”
“I witnessed it?” His words sinking in slowly. Noting made sense. Why didn’t I remember?
“Yes. Your mother burrowed you into the base of an Oak tree. I watched her, kept you hidden. Threw them off.” He looked down at his feet as he stopped in front of me. “I was with the hunters that night.”
“What?” I growled jumping from my seat. My eyes met his with all the rage that shook my shoulders with such violence. “Why the hell were you with them?”
“Don’t get upset!” he warned. “I was there. So many of the wolves I considered friends were hurt; I wanted to be there to heal them.”
“Then why aren’t my parent’s here?”
“Because I couldn’t help that much blood loss. Silver does hurt more than you think it does.” He grabbed my arm. “You need to calm down.”
I ripped my arm from his grasp. Daggers flew from my eyes. Tears finally spilled over as the rage flew to my shoulders and turned to sobs. He stammered. I’d never seen an old man get tongue tied; I didn’t know White River could be that way. Deep breaths filled my lungs with helpless desires to go back to that day. To remember my parents. My mother.
“Why,” I sobbed, “did you pick her?”
“I’m sorry,” he turned away from me, “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Why was she the one,” I pleaded, “that dropped me off in your story?”
“Because, Dahlia,” he sighed. “She tried to give you up that way.”
“NO!”
“Yes,” he faced me. “She brought you to me. A month and a half after you got out of the hospital. I told her she’d regret it for the rest of her life.” He grabbed my arm again, forcing my eyes to stare into hi. “She had you for a year, and she loved every minute.”
“You should’ve stopped them,” I cried.
“I should’ve stopped them,” he agreed.
He rubbed my back for a moment. The tears slowed finally. His features were stoic. Then we heard it. The scream that tore through every ounce of my blood, my anger, my sadness. It started…and it didn’t stop.
♠ ♠ ♠
I don't know if I ever mentioned my writing rituals to you guys, but I always turn on the tv for background noise because I can't write in silence. It's usually a mini-series so whatever is on won't draw my attention. So I watch reruns of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order... Well today, I wanted a change. So I watched Paranormal Witness on Syfy, and this is the episode that came on. :) I thought you guys would get a kick out of knowing this too.after I watched this I procrastinated a bit, so if it's late blame Rachel, who I love and dedicate this chapter too since she loves this story so much!
I will edit this later. Promise :)