Ryder and the Wolf: The End Begins. (Book 1 Completed)

Chapter 3

Here's the third chapter. This is where things start to get a little stranger for the Peterson family. Enjoy!

Chapter 3:

Same old Ryder... Different Aura.

I opened my eyes to the new morning; It was first light and I had a craving for raw meats, was I ill? I knew one thing was for sure -- I would be in huge trouble when I got home. I thought to myself that as long as I didn’t run into the police on my way home I’d be fine. I was quite sorely mistaken; for when I walked up the lane toward the front door, my mother stood waiting in the doorway.

Upon seeing me she shouted.

        “And just what time do you call this?” I knew she’d start asking questions as soon as I got closer; so I paused and untied the sweater from around my waist, then pulled it carefully over my head so as not to feel the sting of the fabric against my wounds. “What do you need a sweater on for? You won’t need it in there.” She said as I drew closer.

        “I’d rather keep it on. I’m feeling a little chilly after being out all night” I said to her; she merely rolled her eyes, and muttered.

        “Suit yourself.” I followed her into the cottage; where the main room of the lower level had been converted into a bedroom for my grandmother, who was terminally ill -- or at least that’s what the local doctor tells us. She looked so pale and cold; with her white skin and hair, and almost blind pale blue eyes. She looked at me as I crossed the room to sit at the table; and despite her lack of sight, she knew me by my footsteps.

        “Come here my child.” She told me in almost a whisper, “there’s something different about you, I can’t quite put my finger on it. Come closer and let me see.” I turned and went to her. “Let me see your hand child.” She whispered. For some strange reason I could not deny her simple request; I obeyed, She took my right hand and looked me directly in the eye with a vacant expression until -- after a brief moment; she said, “same old Ryder… different aura.”

I wasn’t sure what she meant; until she handed me a pendant of pure silver, and told me to go to the parlor and find myself some food. “You need to keep up your strength in these dark times. The witch hunters are still passing old knowledge down the generations; knowledge on how supernatural phenomenon can change a person’s aura, make them different. You have been touched by something not of this mortal world, I can tell.”

        “Perhaps it’s something to do with astrophysics or astrology; I really have no clue what you’re talking about, grandmother.” I said; trying to keep last night’s events quiet, but with little success.

        “Ah, but you do. You were out there by the caves last night weren’t you? No one goes there unless they want trouble. You saw him didn’t you? The wolf; He spends most of his nights up there, the villagers all say he’s not an average wolf. He came into our village; not three months ago, no one knows where from.” She spoke of things mother had always said weren’t real; but then again, grandmother knew things no human could possibly know.

She was always in her piles on piles of books; and she used to wander for hours collecting mosses and flowers, and then sitting on the patio studying their unique characteristics, then boiling them down to liquids and testing their individual properties, both helpful and harmful. Above all else she loved to watch the wild dogs; and ponder the likeness between humans and animals, through seeing the behavior of one and comparing with that of the other. “You can tell me dear child, I won’t say a word. I’m not long for this world anyway.”

I looked around to see that my mother was headed out to the cow pasture for milk, and surely Peter was out by the barn chopping wood; so I leaned in and said.

        “By the time I got that far I turned to find my way back and couldn’t see the tracks.” Grandmother looked at me; worried for a moment, “I stayed where I was and as soon as I sat in the cave entrance it came out so I tried to run, I didn’t care where as long as it couldn’t find me; but it lunged and caught me. I thought it would kill me.” I showed her the wounds; on my back and right shoulder, my shirt was ruined and I was scared what mother would say to me if she found out.

        “He bit you!” I begged her not to say anything; and she agreed, I replaced my sweater before mother and peter came back, and headed back to the table for breakfast.

       “Right then, Ryder, your cheese and mushroom tofu omelet’s nearly done. Peter-‘” Our mother began before I cut her off.

        “No!” I growled at her, “no tofu, and no mushrooms.” Mother and Peter looked at me with strange expressions; I had been a vegetarian since my father died, and suddenly I was rejecting the vegetarian omelet my mother had made me. “Sausage, egg and bacon would be great though.” I said bluntly, as everyone stared wide-eyed at me.

        “Are you feeling alright Red? You never have sausage, egg and bacon.” Peter asked me, with a quizzical look on his face.

        “I’m Fine, Pete. I just thought it might be nice to do something differently for a change.” I smiled as my mother placed grandmother’s tray of porridge on her lap and returned to the table, where Tagger; our Bull mastiff puppy, was growling at Peter as if guarding me from the sharp axe blade in his belt.

“What’s wrong with Tagger?” Mother asked, reaching for the milk jug in front of her. “He never growls at Peter, he always growls at the postman and the paper boy.” This much was true; however, today I was no longer human. Today I was half wolf; and if nothing else, Tagger was my most loyal friend and protector.

        “Maybe because Peter’s been chopping wood, He’s gotten all sweaty and Tagger must not like sweaty Pete.” I mumbled between Tagger’s growls, “Tagger, that’s enough! Go lay on your bed.” Tagger obeyed me, with a look of quiet understanding.

        “He’s never obeyed your commands either.” Peter pointed out, “That’s definitely saying something. You’re definitely not the same Ryder Peterson you were yesterday.”

        “Must be this fresh, countryside air clearing out the cobwebs in my usually not so clear mind. Surprisingly; I’ve managed to survive the past three days, I never thought I’d get over moving away from all our old friends. I actually feel pretty good about this one, like being on vacation.” I said cheerfully; in all honesty, I felt great since getting bitten. Despite the curse that now hung over me; I felt stronger than I ever did before, and it almost made me grateful to the strange monster with such beautiful brown eyes that bit me.