From the Outside Looking In

We should be heading back, it’s about nine. You got only three hours of sleep, you need to take a nap! I chided Halyn. I honestly didn’t want to turn back home myself, but we had to.

Fine. She responded reluctantly. But her eyes were starting to droop slowly, and her gait had become a stagger. We slowly turned on our heel and walked the other way. The woods were surprisingly calm. So as not to disturb the peace, both of us were quiet, staying to ourselves. The sunlight was warming our backs, and it was practically blinding us. It took a good hour or so to get back at the rate we were going.We approached the house. I heard something out  front, maybe on the driveway, and the sound of gravel being crushed rang in my ears. Oh, it was probably Rylee coming back from Liza’s. I heard the car door slam and Rylee give her thanks to Mrs. Lada. She went to knock on the door. Realizing that nobody would be there to open the door for her, I walked up to up next to her, Halyn at my heels. Slowly she turned around. I watched as her once smiling face was wiped off and replaced by a look of sheer horror. She let out a piercing scream.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!” I recoiled in surprise. What was that? I was her mom. I couldn’t see what was so scary. Surveying the whole backyard and the front, I still had no clue what was wrong. Finally, I looked down at myself, and that’s when I realized what had caused her to scream. I was staring at my black fur. Still in my wolf form, I stood before my mortified daughter, her eyes the size of plates. She was frozen in place while I slowly willed Dakota to transform me back into a human, into the form that Rylee would actual recognize. Inside my head, Halyn was panicking.

Mom, she doesn’t know? Ugh! And how do I become myself again?

Just tell the wolf inside to morph you back. She should listen. Finally, I turned around as a human, Halyn doing the same. Rylee’s eyes grew even wider, if that was possible. “Mom? Halyn? What in the world?” With every word she spoke, she took one step backward towards the house. She was afraid of me. She was afraid of us.

“Rylee, wait!” I said running behind her as she bolted into the house. Rylee ran to her room upstairs, slamming the door shut hard. I directed Halyn to stay downstairs. I should have explained to her earlier. She deserved to know, she would be a werewolf eventually. What was I thinking hiding it? I wearily walked up the staircase, wringing my hands anxiously. I still didn’t know how to explain this all to her. She didn’t even know that werewolves existed! I’d have to start from the beginning. I opened the door slightly, as if asking permission to enter. Rylee didn’t say anything. Taking that as a yes (even though it probably wasn’t) I strided in. There she was, under her purple bed covers. I stared at the outline of her body turning around.

“M-mom? WHAT was THAT?” She demanded.