Among The Wolves

Imbrue

The Imbrue Battle. The nightmare that it was, happened when I was 14 years old. No Vakusian was expecting it, no Vakusian had any idea that it would happen. Even the conspiracy theorists were blown out of the water.

I had been a young woman with little dreams. Telling my mother, "In two weeks it is my birthday and then two weeks after that the baby will be born!"

In my vivid memory, my mother let out a carefree laugh and rubbed the sides of her growing belly. I had never seen my mother like this before and I marveled as such a beautiful miracle happened before my eyes. A baby was in there, alive and moving. I felt the little foot kicking myself.

"It is so cool seeing you pregnant, it is making me excited for when I get pregnant."

My mother laughed again, "First things first. You need to get older and then find a good virtuous man, then marry him, and then... only then can the two of you love like spouses."

"How does one love a spouse, how is it different from loving someone else?"
Mother reached and tickled my cheek. "When you get married, you will find out, but I charge you, daughter, that you do not stir up or awaken love before its time."

Our conversation had ended when the phone rang. She left my presence to answer it.

I went over to my own personal sewing machine. I was making rag dolls for my incoming sibling. There was a mama, a papa and three baby rag dolls. I did no other project at the time. Always making new princess doll dresses and talking endlessly about the things I wanted to do with a little sister.

"Kejy! Kejy, come here!"

I looked at my mother's frantic expression, not even realizing that my life was not going to be the same from that moment forward.

The phone call had been my father, telling us that we had been attacked. The werewolves were coming... and that he was not going to be able to come home that day. All available men and some women were called to the east. Where the threat of inhumane creatures ensued.

Mother had assured me that we were safe. We lived by the South sea, far away from any moon-ravaging beast. That's the way my father intended it. He was not a conspiracy theorist but he was prepared. More so prepared for a straggling werewolf that should venture too far onto the Vakusian border than a full blown attack.

Still, she and I gathered canned goods, batteries, filled water jugs, blankets, and of course I made sure I had my family of dolls. I worked hard on them and did not want anything to happen to them should the creatures come this far.
Grandma and grandpa lived across the street. My next duty was to let them know what happened and bring them back with me. Too scared to feel anything else I ran over to the old brick house.

Grandpa was sitting in his chair wrestling with his antiquated remote control. "Gramps!" I yelled, hoping his old ears would not give me a hard time today.

The old man startled, peering over his readers. "Oh Kejyta, you've come at the perfect time. I cannot get the TV to turn on."

"Hey gramps, we can't watch TV right now. Mama just got a call from papa. The werewolves have breached the border. Mama is getting things ready in the cellar."

Gramps frowned and stood up. I did not know how it happened but suddenly my wrinkled, white-haired grandfather instantly looked fifteen years younger. He put a firm hand on my shoulder. "Your grandmother is napping. Wake her up and you both get to your house. I need to get some things. Do you know how long it has been since the breach?"

I hastily shook my head. "We just now got a call from papa."

"OK, Get going."

I immediately woke up my grandmother and we made our way back to my house. Grandma and I helped my mother with packing things up.
When gramps finally came back with his rifles and a shotgun, we turned on the radio and crowded around the table. In the following hours we would learn that the border was completely decimated. The radio host would call out city after city to vacate and head west or calling able bodied men to join the army in the battle to hold the bloodthirsty dogs at bay.

We had a night of little sleep and by morning gramps declared he was going to join the ensuing battle. Nothing could change his mind. He gave us one of his rifles and his shotgun then left us alone. Without papa's or gramps' presence or security, I felt even more scared. By that evening the radio host declared that there was a hoard of werewolves heading south.

It was time to vacate. We grabbed the radio and scampered out of the house, rushing to get into the barn.

Mama sent me back to the house for her book. It was her favorite book that always sat on the mantle. She read it every night and sometimes would read it to me. I never understood it. The words were old and seemed to be riddled. I grabbed my mama's treasured possession and ran back out. I looked up and could see my mama and grandma in the distance.

Then, something terrible happened. Mama fell hard.

She grasped her oversized belly and groaned. She'd fallen on the baby.
Nonetheless, with Grandma's aid, she waddled to the cellar that was in the barn.

"Mom, are you ok?" I asked after we lit a single candle to break the damp darkness of the cellar.

"I am a little sore but I will be fine." Her gentle smile brought me relief.

We turned the volume of the radio down extensively. Having to hold it to our heads to hear what was being said.
By the wee hours of the morning the host declared that his sources were not coming back in a timely manner and that he would have to vacate, if not fight. "Find a safe place for women and children. If you are able-bodied, no matter the age or disability, the government calls you to answer the duty to battle.
Please think of your country and your people. Come and help! For the people! For Vakusi!"

The three of us listened to static for a few hours before it became evident that there was no more news. We would just have to wait until gramps or papa came back to get us.

With enough food for months we could afford to be down here for a while. Or at least around the baby's due date in less than four weeks.

After another twenty four hours I got extremely restless. The candle was too dim for me to hand stitch another outfit for my rag dolls. Grandma and mom both found it in themselves to fall asleep. And so after a few hours without conversation I was getting impatient. Surely gramps or papa should be here. With our strong guns the werewolves did not stand a chance. Right?

Wrong.