Skinwalker - Completed

CHAPTER 22

(Rylie's POV)

Rylie put her head on Aly's back and let herself feel the wind whipping her hair around. Her fist tightened, afraid that she's going to fall from Aly's back and break her neck. If she could transform, Aly won't have to carry her on the back. They already stopped for a few moments to replenish the blood on the necklace they wore. Afraid that the witches can find them if their containment leaks their magic.

'Aly?'

'Yes, Rylie?'

'D-Do you have a family.... I mean not the pack.... But a family like my own.'

Aly's wolf form stiffened for a moment, and Rylie almost wants to turn back time and take back what she said. But then, after a while, Aly's wolf form relaxed. Maybe the latter was just caught off-guard by her questions.

She just wants to have a conversation while they are traveling. Any topic to avoid the anxiety she feels as they near her grandma's farmhouse. But it seems like the topic she chooses to open has made Aly remember some bad things.

'Well...... They are dead. All of them.'

'I-I'm sorry, Aly, I didn't mean to---'

Aly shook her muzzle. 'Don't feel sorry for me, Rylie. Because of that, I became strong and became a part of the Light Moon Pack. I am still thankful.'

Rylie opened her mouth to say something, but she closed it again. What reply is there to make Aly feel better about her own family? There's nothing she could say that will lighten Aly's feelings towards their death.

What happened? Why are you still hurting from it? Rylie wants to ask Aly this question, but she's afraid Aly will distance herself from her if she asks too many questions. Especially if it's about the things that Aly obviously doesn't want to talk about.

'Rylie?'

Rylie looked up and looked at Aly's blue eyes. She realized that they are already looking at her grandma's farmhouse.

'We're already here.' Aly lowered her on the ground, and Rylie hopped down.

She put a hand to her heart to stop it from beating fast in anticipation and anxiety. Will her grandma and her mother listen to her? What if they don't want her to leave?

She took a step towards the back of the farmhouse. Aly followed behind her without transforming into a human.

Rylie's eyes began tearing up when her grandma emerged from the back of the house and started feeding the chickens. But there were times when her grandma would stop and stay still for a moment. Tilted her head a few times, and that's when Rylie saw the tears made their way to her grandma's cheeks.

"Grandma..."

'Go on... let them know you are ok. Rylie.' Aly nuzzled her side.

Rylie took another step until her grandma stood still and saw her. Her grandma immediately let go of the food for the chicken and called for her mother.

She put a hand to her mouth when her grandma and her mother started running in her direction. Rylie embraced them. Then her tears began falling from her eyes.

"You look so thin, grandma." Rylie looked at her grandma's side and cupped her cheeks.

Her grandma shook her head. "We missed you so much, Rylie. Why didn't you come home sooner?"

"I'm sorry, grandma. There's something I need to do. I-I can't go back yet." Rylie looked at her mother.

Natasha bit her lip, but her tears still fall on her eyes. "I want to scold you for being stubborn, but I am so glad that you are finally home. Don't do that again, ok?"

"Mom.... I'm sorry. But I still need to go back to the pack."

As if on cue, Aly emerged from behind the trees. Her grandma and mother gasps. Grandma Pip put a hand to her mouth and her mother's mouth formed into an 'o'.

Aly's wolf is five times as big as the ordinary wolf they saw in the wilds, and it clearly shows that what they see right now is not an ordinary wolf but a werewolf.

"W-What is that, Rylie!?" her mother did the sign of the cross, and Rylie wince.

"Mom. Grandma. This is Alyssa Field. She helps me escape from the witches."

"W-Witches? Your father spouts about wolves, and now you speak of witches?" Her grandma softened her voice and looked around. "Come inside, and let's discuss what you are saying."

Rylie looked back worriedly at Aly's wolf, and it nodded its head.

'It's ok. Rylie. We need to explain to them.'

They all went inside, and her mother and grandma glanced at Aly's wolf as they entered the back of the house.

-----

"W-Where did you get that wolf?" Grandma Pip looked at Aly's wolf in apprehension.

They are inside the kitchen. Rylie's mother leans on the table while her grandma Pip sits on a chair near the stove.

"She's a werewolf, Grandma." Rylie stroked Aly's fur and glanced at her mother.

"Are you saying that you found a real werewolf? Just like what your father did?" Her mother looked between her and Aly.

Rylie nodded and bowed her head down. "I-I'm sorry, mom. I can't stay here."

"Rylie. If this is about that stupid journal of your father and his discovery. You can let go of all that-----"

"No. Mom! This is not just about the journal anymore. Don't you want to know what happened to dad?!"

Her mother stood still for a moment, and tears started forming in her eyes.

Rylie knows that it's still a sensitive matter for her mother. Every day when her father passed away. Her mother would cry in her room, but Rylie can still her sobbing and crying. But now that they get the chance to know what happened. Her mother tells her not to dig into it anymore.

Natasha wiped the tears in her eyes and looked at her angrily. "Your father died because of his research! There's nothing that I need to know more about. Just leave it like that!

Her mother stomped her feet and walked towards the staircase, but Rylie doesn't want them to be like this. This is what she's afraid of. Her mother getting angry and not wanting her to leave, but she has to!

"Mom! I have to go back to the Light Moon Pack. I'm already a werewolf!"

Grandma Pip's eyes became wide. Her mother stopped and whipped her head towards her—a shocking expression crossing her face.

"W-What?"

Rylie's heartbeat began to palpitate anxiously. Would her mother be livid?

Natasha Scott walked towards her and embraced her tightly. "W-What happened?"

Rylie felt the warmth from her mother's arms. It wasn't what she expected from her mom. In her fit of anger, she thought that her mother would turn her away from the house. But this reaction made her happy, and she looked back at Aly's wolf and found it to be somewhat smiling.

"Oh, you.... Poor child." Grandma Pip stood up in her chair.

The old woman hugged her too while her mother's tears kept falling on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, mom. I'm sorry, Grandma Pip. I would be a threat to the two of you if I stayed here. Werewolf instincts are hard to control, especially for someone like me who had been recently turned. I can't risk your lives. Plus, those witches are killing the werewolf for their magic."

And Rylie prayed that she doesn't have to run into one. She can't even defend herself yet or control her instinct.