Once upon a story

Chapter Eighteen

Toff cleared his throat and sat down on the floor with his back next to the recently moved mirror. Cem chose to lay across her bed instead with her hands holding up her head while her feet kicked in the air. I watched their movement for a moment before a cough from Toff brought my attention back to him.

“So the beginning” he began, I pulled the cover more tightly around me and nodded to indicate he should continue. “We have no idea why those first people began to change in to wolf form, some stories suggest it was a witches blessing or curse but all we know is that each of us possess this ability. The most common way to shift is through blood, your parents were wolves as were their parents going up the chain. Sometimes it skips generations, that’s what I think has happened to you. This means that somewhere in your history there were wolves and judging by your form it was a strong group. The only other way to change is through a blessing from a local witch, this usually happens when someone’s mate is human. I’ll come back to mates later. Like natural wolves we also travel in packs, where you currently reside is one of our pack houses, started by a kind old gentleman for our kind a hundred or so years ago. Within a pack there is a hierarchy lead by the Alpha and Luna who have advisors and various titled people such as the Beta who is like a second in command. Wolves have increased speed, strength and senses in comparison to the human form and through training both can be improved. I feel like I’m just shouting points at you and not really getting anywhere, do you have any questions Faith?”

I think carefully “I don’t think so, it’s all just so much to take in. Can I just ask you questions when I remember them? So much has happened I honestly can’t think straight.” The pair nods eagerly at me.

“I’ll go and get you some clothes Faith” Cem says jumping up; I look at her thankfully as she disappears from the room. She quickly returns and throws a pile of fabric onto me.

“Thanks” I smile looking through what she brought me while keeping covered- which is a challenge.

“You are welcome, and you, out. The girl needs to change!” Cem laughs poking Toff so that he stands and walks from the room. She then slumps on her bed with her back from me “Go on then, get changed I’m not looking!”

I go through the clothes that she brought in and just pull on jeans and a thin blue t-shirt over underwear. I then grab a hairband and pull my hair into a bun, making a mental note to shower later.

“This is all so weird” I say falling back onto my mattress as Cem sits up.

“Yeah it’s mad. What Toff didn’t say was that if we had known it would have been different.”

“What do you mean?” we both turn to face each other.

“Most shift for the first time in the presence of family or a mate, someone with a blood connection which means it is easier. If this isn’t possible then there is this sticky drink that they give you to numb it a bit. It’s been ages since someone shifted without either; it must have been really painful.”

“Yeah, well I mean I’ve never felt anything like it so I don’t have much of a comparison.” At that point Toff knocks on the door and Cem stands to let him in. We all sit on her bed with me in the middle as we try to improve my knowledge of the wolf culture. It all seems so mad and by lunch I know I need to write it all down, I need to have that release that writing always seemed to give me.

After we have eaten we all walk back into my room and I am struck again with how much I love it. The colours seem so perfect and everything goes together so well. The all clear is given and we march back to Cem’s room to grab my mattress and bedding to lift into the bedframe in my room. It will be sad to leave Cem but we both want our own space and anyway she is just down the hall.  They both leave me to marvel at my room alone while they go and do other things. I pace the walls and make sure all of the clothes I have are neatly hung in the wardrobe. Once that is all done I climb onto the desk to sit beside the window, I do really like this room but it feels so empty. It hasn’t been lived in and I miss the comforting four walls of my home.

There was a knock at my door and Toff comes in carrying a tray of tea and biscuits.

“Jump off the desk so I can put this down will you?!” he laughs; I quickly move out of the way and watch as he carefully places the tray without spilling a single drop.

“How did you manage that? Not spilling any I mean?”

He grins down at me “Wolf perks. Now it’s really hot so we can’t drink it yet.” We both move away from the desk and sit on my bed with our backs against the headboard, it is a squeeze but comfortable in a weird way. We both sit like that, side by side for a while before Toff hands me a box. I look from him to it in confusion, unable to work out where it had come from.

“It was on the floor by your bed. I’m surprised you didn’t see it beforehand.” He says “Open it will you, I want to see what is inside.”

I do just that, carefully tearing the cardboard until it opens. There, inside is my old mobile phone. I tear up at the sight of it and quickly pick it up tossing the box aside. I switch it on and watch as my familiar lock screen pops up, it’s a photo of all of us, my old friends and I run a finger over the image. Toff is silent beside me and I could almost say I forgot he was there apart from the fact my focus on his regular breathing was the only thing that stopped me from my bursting into tears.

“Toff…” I whisper my voice cracking “How long do I have to stay here?”

He sighs “You have to stay here just as long as you keep your shifting under control but when you are part of the pack it is hard to let go and just return to normal. However much you might want that.”

“Ok” I say quietly looking down at the phone. I feel the bed move beside me as Toff stands and walks over to the window. Confusion washed over him, followed by anger and finally pure hate.

 "I'm needed, but I'll be back" He walked quickly out of my room, hands clenched in fists. As he slammed the door behind him I hurried over to the window. The only difference I saw at first was that there seemed to be no one outside. I couldn't see anyone at all, until I glanced up at the forest. Hidden in the leaves there were a group of wolves each completely black. I knew they were the reason for Toff’s outburst.

The doors of the house flew open and a group of men rushed out onto the grass. I didn’t recognise many but the clear leader was the Alpha. Even from my window I could feel the power radiating off him. Suddenly a growl erupted from the wolves in the forest and they came running out of the shadows, attacking anyone they could reach. They fangs glistened with the blood of already fallen men. We were clearly outnumbered and even though both sides were now fighting in wolf form there didn’t seem to be any improvement.

I needed to help. As if there was a switch in my brain the thoughts flooded through me. The voices screamed and shouted making it very hard to concentrate. I grabbed both sides of my head and closed my eyes, willing myself to focus. All I managed to learn was that all the children were locked safe somewhere but that the women of the pack that could fight were not allowed. An image of a locked glass door filled my mind suddenly and I watched the fighting from ground level. A part of me agreed with the decision but that was a small part, another saw it as a sexist act but the biggest part growled 'why should they have all the fun'.