My Father's Bidding

1: We Redecorated

I waited for Daphne to go upstairs before laying my bag on the counter and raiding the fridge. The lack of food made me frown. They always refill on Tuesdays. I grabbed a couple of waters and moved on to the cabinets. First, the crown jewel of the kitchen, the snack cabinet. It is home to food with the potential to reach your daily calorie intake in one sitting if you eat irresponsibly enough. To my disappointment, it was now filled with cups.

The can cabinets were replaced with china. What is going on? The hunger caused panic and I quietly picked up my pace in desperation. The rest of the cabinets were either replaced with random objects or empty.

"On the counter? Seriously?" A voice spoke up behind me. I slowly turned until I saw Daphne leaning against a door frame casually. "You may have noticed that we redecorated." She crossed her arms and watched expectantly.

"I- I'm sorry." I snatched my bag and bolted.

"No-no-no-!" She chased me through the house. I escaped through the front door, stumbling down the stairs and catching myself at the bottom. "DAD!" She screamed before ripping through her skin into a giant wolf. Oh no-

I sped up, jumping over bushes every few feet as she chased me through the neighborhood. I kept looking back at our distance to calculate how much time I had before being eaten, nearly losing my head to a tree branch in the process. She nipped at my back, managing to grab my shirt with her teeth. I didn't plan on giving up. I pushed forward, ripping myself free.

Come on, Blue! I know you like playing hide and seek, but I need you right now!

I thought I left one-sided relationships in Whispering Pines, but I thought wrong. Blue remained hidden, leaving me to fend for myself.

Daphne stayed inches behind me but didn't nip anymore. She's planning. She could do anything, but isn't. I've watched this town for weeks. I've watched her. I know what she's capable of. She must be sorting through her options. The anticipation is killing me.

Her paw fell on the back of my shoe, pulling it down as I ran forward. Before I had time to process it, I tumbled head-first to the ground. Ow! My hand shot to my head as the blood rush began. Surprisingly, she didn't stumble over me. Even if hurting me wasn't her intention, we were too close and moving too fast for her to have stopped that abruptly.

I sat up while the world tried merging into one. Just as I saw her figure, another appeared, failing to stop. They ran into Daphne, knocking her back and tripping themself. Even in my confused state, I knew I had to go. I can't outrun eight legs with two. There will be more soon enough. I found footing and limped away quickly toward the tree line.

I glanced back after I passed through, finding that other wolves had caught up with them. They were circling someone, discussing something. The large furry head in the middle rose, looking above the rest of them. Shit! Her father is here!

I moved to a shed not too far past the tree line, immediately locking the door and grabbing the broken leg of a game table as a weapon. My aching ankle needed a break and I needed to calm my breathing, so I slid down the wall opposite the door, watching it intently. This shed is abandoned. No one, other than me, comes here. I'm praying they continue to overlook it for the time being.

Please let them pass by without notice! Please please, please! I swear I will leave the second the coast is clear!

The hair on my neck rose before my ears caught the sound of soft footsteps moving toward me. The air left my lungs as I met two large golden eyes.

Move back. Run. Scream for help. Throw something. Don't throw anything. Distract it. Anything!

No matter what my mind screamed, I couldn't move a muscle. My body seems to think acting as a statue is the best move. It seems I have no choice but to go along.