Hilda and the Werepup

(P2) Chapter 1 - The Vision

"I'm not sure if we're supposed to be excited or feel uneasy with trauma after our little camp in the woods." Percy joked with a chuckle. Johanna huffed softly amusedly, "We were supposed to forget all that happened, remember?"

"O-oh! Right... forgot about that..." Percy laughed.

"We should feel like that couple over there!" Johanna pointed her index finger at a couple, who already seemed to be parents as they had three children. One brother, who seemed to be the oldest, was accompanying the younger sister play with a small baby, who was laughing cheerily with his older siblings. Percy watched the family stroll down the street; as they disappeared from his view, he said softly with a tender smile, "I think that's something we already have."

The gentle wind rode the leaves down the streets in the morning air, the sky was now light blue, with small translucent strips of bright orange for clouds. The group had already had their lunch and Percy was waiting with Johanna outside the apartment for Luke, Callum and Hilda to get ready. 

"What are they doing up there?" Johanna wondered out loud in an impatient tone. Promptly, Callum and Hilda came strolling out of the door.

"Sorry we took a while, Luke couldn't find his gloves, so we decided to wait down here for him." Callum explained. 

"Well I've waited enough," Johanna huffed, "I'm going ahead."

Percy chuckled as he walked along with her as she headed off.

"Did we really make her wait that long?" Hilda chuckled, she turned back to Callum, "I'll head along wth them, will you stay and wait for Luke?" 

"Of course, we'll come find you." Callum nodded with a smile. Hilda smiled back as she nodded as a sign that she understood. As Hilda disappeared from sight, Callum took in the snowy air.

He stood outside embracing the cold temperature outside as the afternoon sun shone over Trolberg. He was wearing his orange scarf, folded over the collar of a brown coat, inside he was wearing a red turtleneck sweater; his hands were kept warm by a pair of dark grey fingerless gloves, which were the only gloves he had. Callum exhaled deeply, watching his breath condense in the dry, chilly air; he could feel the wild breeze racing past him, feeling the coldness in his blue denim jeans which were ripped at the knees, and one more small rip lower on his left shin. The design of the jeans made him shiver a bit when he felt the breeze on his bare knees.

"Callum! Callum!" Luke bobbed up and down before the open window, calling his brother down below outside. Callum turned and looked up, seeing the bouncing white head disappear and reappear as Luke jumped.

"Careful, Luke!" Callum cautioned. "You don't wanna fall!"

"I know, I know..." Luke reassured, "can you and Hilda take me to the playground during our walk? I wanna play with the snow there!"

Wow... Callum thought to himself, watching the white flakes sway their way down onto the numerous, soft mini piles of snow on the road. The walkway already looked milk-white. He stood there for a few seconds and took in the dry, minty air before looking back up to see if Luke was still there.

Luke waved impatiently down at him as though he was trying to signal a reminder to him that he hadn't left yet. Callum smiled, but it abruptly dropped and he felt all the muscles in his body stiffen. Not because of the cold... but because he saw an unusually large figure standing behind Luke. He opened his mouth to warn him but only a frosty breath escaped. The figure stood behind Luke motionlessly, in the shadows.

"L-luke..." Callum coughed, "behind you!"

But it was too late, the dark figure faded away as though its shadow had spread itself to join the darkness around him, and shadows loomed over the small boy before it consumed him whole.

"Luke!" Callum breathed as he immediately threw himself forward towards the entrance of the apartment, but it was too late.

I knew this was gonna happen, I knew this was gonna happen, I knew this was gonna happen, I knew this was gonna happen... Callum repeated his thoughts frantically as he stumbled his way up the stairs to the entrance door of the house, fumbling out the house keys and unlocking the door, before barging in and rushing into Luke's room without bothering to take off his shoes. Callum opened the door to his room immediately when he reached it, but it was too late. Luke was nowhere to be seen, his room was drowned in darkness, with only a stream of light from the opened gap from the door. 

"Oh no... Luke!" Callum said, panicked. Stiffly, he walked towards the window where Luke was before his sudden disappearance. 

Hilda paced up and down, taking glances at the direction of where Callum should be coming from every second. 

"Ugh - what's taking them so long?" she groaned, her patient draining every minute. Percy and Johanna sat at the fountain ledge holding hands as they waited with her, but they weren't as impatient as Hilda had become. Soon, Callum came sprinting up towards them. Hilda, noticing him immediately, headed towards him.

"Callum!" Hilda called, "What took you so long! It's been-"

"We have to go back, now!" Callum interrupted. 

"What? What do you mean-"

"I'll explain on the way, where're Percy and Johanna-"

"Callum!" Percy's voice sounded as he jogged up to them, with Johann behind him. 

"What's going on?" Johanna asked, noticing the rising tension around them.

"He said we have to go back..." Hilda repeated.

"But... back to where?" Percy asked, turning to Callum for an answer.

"Wolf Slayer's lair." Callum replied.