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 Four
‘Demon’ gripped my attention and would not release it… What am I? An adopted monster? No, I know exactly who and what I am.
I kicked the covers back as my skin started to crawl with heat. My muscles stung, joints ached, fear took over my thoughts. I could feel something in my soul changing, not a bad change, and it made me feel more like me. Being sickly as a child always put a damper on finding out who you really are as you grow, I never had a chance to discover who Dahlia Raven Waters is as a person, but in that moment of fear and pain I knew exactly who I was. I didn’t know the answer to the questions ‘Who am I? or What am I?’ but I knew exactly who I was before all of the pain.
I was the daughter of a priest and a house wife, a best friend to Rose, a good person. I clung to that thought as lightning rushed through my spine. The shrieking was too loud for my sensitive ears; the pain caused my back to arch involuntarily. My mom kept whispering for me to take deep slow breaths; I did as I was instructed until the pain stopped.
“You’ll be fine, darlin’,” Mom said before she kissed my forehead while brushing sweaty hair away from my face. “Luke, she’s too hot again.”
“I’ll go get some ice,” Dad left without saying a word to me.
“Mom,” I started. Her eyes widened, “who was the girl, sixteen years ago that dropped me off on White River’s doorstep?” Her eyes filled with tears before she kissed my head again; she left the room without a response. Darkness took over my eyes as the heat took over my body.
There was no more soreness in my bones as I climbed out of bed. I felt better. There was no more heat, my head didn’t pound, and my stomach growled. I grabbed a clean pair of sweat pants and a clean tank top before I headed towards the hall bathroom.
“How much longer do you think it’ll be,” my mother whispered. It sounded like there water rushing to drowned out her voice.
“The sun will only be up for a few more hours. We’ll have to wait it out,” my father answered. I could hear the dull sound of his fingers tapping against his worn, leather bound bible.
“What are we going to do, Luke?”
“We’re going to pull it out of her with the Word of Christ.”
“Luke!” My mother’s voice rose above a whisper, followed by a harsh shush.
I shook my head trying to get their words out. They would have told me if something was wrong. The shower was calling my name.
After my bath, I went down stairs. Food was the driving force behind my actions. I felt like my stomach was turning into a deep hole. My parents were nowhere to be found, so I pulled out the old frying pan, grabbed some butter and cheese from the fridge, and started making a sandwich.
I watched the sunset through the large kitchen window as I cooked. The smell of bread, just a smidge too done, wafted through the house as I pulled my sandwich off of the stove. A feeling a dread crept through my bones as my stomach began to ache and heat rose from my skin.
It was almost 10 p.m. when my shoulder blade forced its way painfully into a new position, my elbow jutted out of its socket. I heard my spine crack as I fell to my knees. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t stand upright. When I tried to scream, I realized my voice was transformed into an animalistic gurgle. My skin felt prickly as the heat seemed to radiate, shock slowly began to take over my senses as my other elbow protruded. I growled as I forced the shock to stay at bay. My knee cap was beginning to budge, and I willed whatever was going on to stop.
I tried to scream louder, harder, but nothing seemed to make the gurgle go away until I felt my lips stretch up to meet the tip of my nose. My animal gurgle grew into a musical howl before my knees buckled. I saw hair sprout from the pores on my bare arms before the pain stopped.
The smell of burnt bread overtook my nose; hunger filled my brain as footsteps startled my ears. The images that flooded my sight were clearer, but my mind wouldn’t register some things. The tall four legged flattop stool was useless to me, but the door made sense. Escape and food. I couldn’t go out of the door because the footsteps were getting louder from that direction. I raced to my room, noticing speed wasn’t a problem anymore, before I glanced out of my window. There was nothing in the backyard except for a wooded area about twenty-five feet away. That’s where I’d find food and safety.
When I tried to unlock the window, I realized I didn’t have hands anymore. In their place were furry auburn paws that made it harder to maneuver the window lock, but I managed just as my father’s voice filled the down stairs kitchen.
I stole away towards the forest like a thief in the night without a thought except for feeding my appetite.
I kicked the covers back as my skin started to crawl with heat. My muscles stung, joints ached, fear took over my thoughts. I could feel something in my soul changing, not a bad change, and it made me feel more like me. Being sickly as a child always put a damper on finding out who you really are as you grow, I never had a chance to discover who Dahlia Raven Waters is as a person, but in that moment of fear and pain I knew exactly who I was. I didn’t know the answer to the questions ‘Who am I? or What am I?’ but I knew exactly who I was before all of the pain.
I was the daughter of a priest and a house wife, a best friend to Rose, a good person. I clung to that thought as lightning rushed through my spine. The shrieking was too loud for my sensitive ears; the pain caused my back to arch involuntarily. My mom kept whispering for me to take deep slow breaths; I did as I was instructed until the pain stopped.
“You’ll be fine, darlin’,” Mom said before she kissed my forehead while brushing sweaty hair away from my face. “Luke, she’s too hot again.”
“I’ll go get some ice,” Dad left without saying a word to me.
“Mom,” I started. Her eyes widened, “who was the girl, sixteen years ago that dropped me off on White River’s doorstep?” Her eyes filled with tears before she kissed my head again; she left the room without a response. Darkness took over my eyes as the heat took over my body.
There was no more soreness in my bones as I climbed out of bed. I felt better. There was no more heat, my head didn’t pound, and my stomach growled. I grabbed a clean pair of sweat pants and a clean tank top before I headed towards the hall bathroom.
“How much longer do you think it’ll be,” my mother whispered. It sounded like there water rushing to drowned out her voice.
“The sun will only be up for a few more hours. We’ll have to wait it out,” my father answered. I could hear the dull sound of his fingers tapping against his worn, leather bound bible.
“What are we going to do, Luke?”
“We’re going to pull it out of her with the Word of Christ.”
“Luke!” My mother’s voice rose above a whisper, followed by a harsh shush.
I shook my head trying to get their words out. They would have told me if something was wrong. The shower was calling my name.
After my bath, I went down stairs. Food was the driving force behind my actions. I felt like my stomach was turning into a deep hole. My parents were nowhere to be found, so I pulled out the old frying pan, grabbed some butter and cheese from the fridge, and started making a sandwich.
I watched the sunset through the large kitchen window as I cooked. The smell of bread, just a smidge too done, wafted through the house as I pulled my sandwich off of the stove. A feeling a dread crept through my bones as my stomach began to ache and heat rose from my skin.
It was almost 10 p.m. when my shoulder blade forced its way painfully into a new position, my elbow jutted out of its socket. I heard my spine crack as I fell to my knees. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t stand upright. When I tried to scream, I realized my voice was transformed into an animalistic gurgle. My skin felt prickly as the heat seemed to radiate, shock slowly began to take over my senses as my other elbow protruded. I growled as I forced the shock to stay at bay. My knee cap was beginning to budge, and I willed whatever was going on to stop.
I tried to scream louder, harder, but nothing seemed to make the gurgle go away until I felt my lips stretch up to meet the tip of my nose. My animal gurgle grew into a musical howl before my knees buckled. I saw hair sprout from the pores on my bare arms before the pain stopped.
The smell of burnt bread overtook my nose; hunger filled my brain as footsteps startled my ears. The images that flooded my sight were clearer, but my mind wouldn’t register some things. The tall four legged flattop stool was useless to me, but the door made sense. Escape and food. I couldn’t go out of the door because the footsteps were getting louder from that direction. I raced to my room, noticing speed wasn’t a problem anymore, before I glanced out of my window. There was nothing in the backyard except for a wooded area about twenty-five feet away. That’s where I’d find food and safety.
When I tried to unlock the window, I realized I didn’t have hands anymore. In their place were furry auburn paws that made it harder to maneuver the window lock, but I managed just as my father’s voice filled the down stairs kitchen.
I stole away towards the forest like a thief in the night without a thought except for feeding my appetite.
♠ ♠ ♠
So... the first change is here... it's a little disappointing just because I've already written the second change and it's so much better. I haven't finished chapter five yet, so I'm not making any promises on when I'll have it up. (I wrote like chapter 10 before I even started chapter one cause it was the epic idea in my head.)... Leave comments and love if you want more wolfy-ness.