The wolves descend

Chapter one

"Do you think they would ever attack us?" I questioned hesitantly. With a gentle smile, my mother slowly shook her head, "No darling it's all just propaganda, we have nothing to worry about." Letting out a sigh of relief, I continue stitching my fabric in a semi perfect line. Since I have been working in this factory since I was merely ten years old, I have gotten excellent at sewing. Glancing over at my mother, I notice the stress she has been harboring, lines of wrinkles litter her once youthful face making her seem older than she really is.

I know the talk of the upcoming war has everyone stressed, humans couldn't defend themselves against wolves, it was as simple as that sadly. The mutts as I like to call them were bigger than humans and not to mention stronger with razor sharp teeth and claws. Also, the fact that most humans were dying on the street from starvation wasn't helping anything either. If another kingdom did attack, one thing was for certain, humans would die and somehow the wolves would always prosper. Humans were the bottom of the totem pole nowadays, while the aristocratic wolves got to live in their fancy manors and castles eating the finest of dishes, us humans are forced into either slavery or the factories. If you're lucky enough, instead of living on the streets, you might get to live in a tiny shack in the woods like my family. It was the last thing my father had ever gotten us before a wolf tore him apart at the markets for stealing a piece of bread.

My father was a good man trying to help his family under any means necessary. But sadly, that occasionally meant when things were bad he resorted to stealing food for us, which got him killed. Since that day, I've learned something, never steal from wolves, their reflexes are ten times sharper than ours and humans will get caught every time. Zoning back in to my sewing, I noticed my stitching was slightly uneven, quickly I throw the material into my finished pile hoping my boss doesn't notice. If Mr. Miller saw me he would surly doc my pay and considering my mother and I's wages combined could barely afford food for us, I simply couldn't afford for that to happen.

After finishing five more pieces of fabric, I looked up at the small ancient clock hanging on the brick wall. The clock read that it was seven thirty, meaning in five more minutes I would be able to leave this dreadful place. Once it was officially seven thirty-five, I informed my mother, and we clocked out together. Thankfully, our home wasn't too far away from the factory. Walking down a small trail through the woods, I felt my mother grab onto my arm for comfort. We no longer needed a light anymore, even though the sun had already set behind the trees. We both knew this trail like the back of our hands, the only thing we had to worry about were wolves and other humans. Since the humans lived in such poverty, the crime among us was atrocious. Just being two women living together, we always felt a strong urge to be aware.

Walking up the steps of the small wooden shack, my mother fished for her keys out of her pocket to unlock the rusty padlock that kept anyone from entering our home. Once unlocked, I immediately went to my mattress on the floor. There were no bedrooms in our home, we just had the front room in which we used as our bedroom and kitchen. On the other end of the room was a homemade fireplace with some shelves that I assume my father might have built before his passing.

Plopping on my bed, I immediately start changing out of my work uniform and into my nightgown that my mother had made me. The nightgown was a twentieth birthday gift, I don't exactly know how my mother had gotten enough money for the white Lennon fabric, let alone the lace around the skirt and sleeves. But I loved it, nonetheless, my mother was the best seamstress I have ever met, and I could tell even if we weren't in the same financial position we are in now, she would still love sewing. Slipping out of my socks and letting my auburn hair down from the tight bun I put it in at work, I walk over to my mother, eager to help her with dinner.

While I had been changing my clothes, my mother had already started a fire. Getting a cast iron pot, she expertly hung it above the flames of fire. Taking a jar out of the cabinet, I could see it was full of fermented meat, "Ava can you please go and get us some water from the spigot please." With a nod, I grab a glass jug and walk outside towards the back of the house where our spigot is. Since humans weren't aloud running water, we had to get wells. Since we're a two-person household, we were able to put our money together and save for our spigot instead of boiling creek water every night. Setting the jug down, I start cranking the handle to the spigot up and down until the jug is full, and sweat beads form just above my upper lip.

Wiping my sweat away, I head inside, ready to eat. Setting down the water, I noticed my mother already had all of her ingredients prepped and ready to go. "Is there anything else I can help with?" I question, frowning, not wanting my mom to do any extra work. Glancing over at me, I can see the fatigue in her blood — shot eyes, "No Ava, why don't you go relax, and I'll let you know when dinner is ready." Sighing I walk back over to my bed, knowing she won't let me help her even if I beg, she's always been like that though, taking the weight of the world on alone just so I don't have to. While waiting for dinner, I decide to rest my eyes for a few minutes. Trying to count sheep, I can't help but think about what everyone has been talking about now. There is a considerable possibility that our kingdom could be going to war. This was sadly very common among wolves, kingdoms constantly fought for land money and power and only the strongest would win.

Typically, when wars broke out among the wolves, they would kill or terrorize the humans just for the fun of it. The only time a wolf would treat a human halfway decent is if they happen to be their mate, otherwise they despised us. Letting out an annoyed sigh, I could smell the soup my mother had put together. The aroma of the soup wafted around the small room we called home, emitting a loud growl from my empty stomach. Letting out a quiet chuckle, my mother informed me that our meal was done. Getting up, I rushed over and grab some vegetable and meat stew. Quickly, I scarf down my meal, still feeling the effects of not eating anything today. Taking my mother and I's dishes, I clean the mess from our meal. After cleaning, I get into bed and swiftly fall asleep, grateful that tomorrow my mother and I don't have to work.