Alpha of the Shack

ALPHA OF THE SHACK - III

AFTER that frightening and traumatic experience, I avoided shifting completely. Where once there was a whimsical vision, an enthusiastic expectation of heightened senses and whirlwind speed, there was now apprehension, fear of shifting. Turning into the monster that wanted so badly to murder the one person I knew.

In the days following the incident, I preferred to keep to myself, buried in my own thoughts. I hardly ever spoke, and when I did it was often an odd "yes" or "no", or just simply a high-pitched grunt or sigh. I surrounded myself with the many books in our library, escaping from the cruel world that was reality. I tried to stay away from Hardir as much as possible. I didn't trust myself. I couldn't.

"Are you okay?" Hardir asked me one day.

I simply nodded, without making eye contact with him. I just stared at my book, not really reading anything.

"Please talk to me," Hardir begged. "I want to help you."

I gave no response.

After a long silence, he gave up. He stood and started to walk out the room. "You don't need to punish yourself like this. If you need anything, call me, okay?"

I nodded. Hardir smiled weakly and walked out, quietly closing the door behind me.

~~~

Eventually, I'd fallen asleep, with a book over my face. I don't how long I was out, but when I was rudely awoken, it was dark, the middle of the night. But at the same time, it felt really bright. And hot.

"Cedric!" I heard a low voice. "Cedric! Wake up!"

I couldn't identify the direction from which the voice came. I groggily moved to get the book off my face. My hand slammed down on the book, but my grip was too weak to get a hold on it.

Hardir helped and peeled the novel off my face. "Cedric! C'mon, get up! There's a fire!"

So that's why it was so bright. I looked up and out the window, and I saw that many of the trees were on fire. There were animals running around in panic outside.

"We need to get whatever supplies we can and get out!" Hardir said.

I didn't need telling twice. I jumped off my bed and ran to the far corner of my room. I slung my bow, my new sheathed sword, and my quiver over my shoulder and ran out of my room. Hardir had gotten a sack and stuffed as much food as he could inside before tying it shut with a rope and slinging the rope over his shoulder. I retrieved a smaller bag and opened my closet before packing some clothes haphazardly into it.

"Let's go! We have to move!" Hardir cried. I sprinted out of my room with my weapons and bag and out of the house. We ran down the steps and into the burning woods.

I was sweating, not only from the heat, but from the weight I was carrying. I looked around, and saw countless trees burning fiercely. Orange and red embers flickered off the looming forests.

We had run for about ten minutes before I realised something.

I'd forgotten my books.

I turned around and started running back towards the cottage. I intended to sprint back, collect my books, then go back in the direction of Hardir.

He stopped me. "Where're you going?"

"Back to the house!" I shouted. They were the first real words I'd spoken in days. "I need to get the books!"

"Forget about the books!" he said as he held on to my collar. "It's too late now! They'll be too much weight anyway."

"But those books are important to me!"

"It's too late!" he bellowed.

"NO!" I screamed. Hardir pulled me back towards him. "NO!"

He put his huge lumbering arms around me and held the back of my head with his right hand. I buried my face into his chest.

"I'm sorry, Cedric," Hardir whispered. "We have to move on. It's too late."

I gave up. "Okay."

"You're gonna need to shift. We'll be a lot faster in our wolf forms."

"Are you kidding?" I cried. "No! I don't trust him."

"You'll have to," Hardir said, "otherwise both of you will die."

"Can't you shift?" I tried to reason with the man. "Then I can ride on your back."

Hardir tried to laugh, but found he couldn't given the circumstances. "That'll be too much weight, Cedric. You need to shift."

I looked into his dark eyes as sternly as I could. "No."

"Please," Hardir said. "Just trust your wolf. Just this once."

I stayed silent.

"Please try."

He let go of his embrace. I stepped backwards.

Wolf, wolf, wolf, I thought.

I felt myself transform and metamorphose into the beast I feared. It wasn't nearly as painful this time, but I still worried about what I'd do. I felt my bones rearrange themselves again, but I felt no excruciating cracks. I felt my tail extend from the bottom of my spine, and my hands change into paws. My nose extended to form a dark, wet muzzle.

Something felt different.

I was in control.

Hardir had already shifted. He beckoned me to follow.

With our equipment loosely locked to our backs, we galloped out of the woods, just as a large burning branch collapsed onto the very spot we were standing in moments before.

Author's note: Welcome back to Alpha of the Shack! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I made it a bit more action-packed than usual. Please give this story a vote if you haven't already, and please share it on social media so other people can discover it! I'd really appreciate it if you gave some love to this little 'ere story. As always, constructive criticism is always welcome! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next chapter!

Tim :)