It's sunrise and I have virtually no idea where I am. All I'm sure of is that yesterday was absolutely crazy and yet amazingly beautiful.
When I'd arrived in this school I became a centre of attention within days. That, to me, would usually be a bad thing. I'm in the last year of high school, or Terminale in the French school system. I'm an average student, working hard to get through schooling in this foreign land. Pretty sure I forgot to say this, I'm in France but I 'aint French. You're thinking "obviously or you would write in French" and yeah you're right. I could write in French but the author decided otherwise so this happened.
It's not like me to get mixed up in crowds. My parents taught me only how to hide what I am and nothing else. Yet here I am three years later, friends with all the partygoers. "I have to mix in with these people so that I don't attract unnecessary attention to my clan." That was the message; I understood it as "Go party son". Not exactly the same I know but hey what can I do about that.
Yes, you did read "clan" just before that useless banter about parties. I'm part of one of the only surviving clans in this forsaken country. I have no idea clan of what or who or when; just that I'm in a famous clan. Every time I ask for details I get told to wait till I'm of age. And I ask every year to see what they mean by that. When I said clan, don't expect some awesome territory wars or anything. We just exist because of our name and absolutely no other reason. That's all I know for now so that's all you get to know, sorry.
Well now, to come back to yesterday and what happened. I don't really know. In actual fact I don't remember much at all apart from searing pain and suffering. I mean I know fights and even gang takedowns but this was different. Yes I'm a bad boy and I do bad things, I like showing off. So I often get into silly fights and go home with a few bruises. And yes being foreign and all that does not help my case at all. To the contrary actually, it makes it all the more bad and troublesome. Oups, going off subject again...
I was in the middle of a great big "end of year party" when it turned to a showdown between two gangs. I had no idea such a thing could happen even if this part of town is not the prettiest. Surely a turf war is not an event we often see.
Being a usual solo player I did not have a date at the party nor did I go with friends. That made it much easier to know whose side I was on: the one getting away. Yes I knew most the people at the party, but I like remaining unbiased so I stay out of groups.
Though as I tried to run I got pulled into the melee and had to fight my way out. If you could see me you would know that was not going to end well before it even started. Remember I said I like showing off well, only my brainy stuff not the rest. I'm totally useless in this sort of fight; I mean no ways am I built for it. It's kind of like a going to a gunfight with a stick. Let's say I look pathetic and utterly unable. In fact pathetic is the perfect word to describe what I ended up being.
After getting knocked down a few times I gave up on getting up and that was my biggest mistake. After getting walked on a few times, often by mistake, I ended up managing to make my way under a table. Here I am, hiding like a pathetic animal, curled up in pain, under a picnic table. I'm clearly missing some information here; I can't recall where the pain came from.
I can remember hearing blaring police sirens and then the eyes. Yes, that was it! Someone, or something, was looking at me with strange eyes: they were red and green. I had never seen such a colour before. I couldn't look away and I almost welcomed what came next. Okay, I can't remember where the pain came from but I can remember this part; clearly those eyes were magical!
"Sorry this may hurt but you'll die with those wounds!"
I'm thinking what wounds until I look down and see the stab holes in my stomach. That's where the pain comes from, wait no...
My pain threshold must be skewed because I couldn't feel them; I don't remember when it happened or who did it. Now that I actually look away from the strange eyes I see that they belong to a girl around my age. She smiles at me and says, "Close your eyes". That's a good idea, says my brain, and then I get to die! Yes I love my very morbid thoughts sometimes.
I only briefly remember what came next. Something bit me on the arms and legs, maybe the girl? It hurt when the teeth went in but not so bad. Then came the pain, all at once I felt every stab wound. Every bruise. Even a few broken ribs. All of it!
I'm expecting to pass out at any moment, maybe even die; I have no idea what state I'm really in. I just woke up after losing consciousness last night. Maybe a few days have past, but I don't know that either. The only thing I'm sure of is that I'm not home and not in a hospital. This place looks comfortable which means I could be dead, especially now that I no longer feel any pain.
My parents must be scared out of their skulls. My school year being over should mean that I'm out of trouble now, yet here I am disappearing for an uncounted amount of time. And not only did I disappear it was from a fight scene. That must have reached the news by now, at least I would think so considering the amount of spilled blood.
I'm scared, but neither droopy nor hung-over as I would have expected to be after those event. Maybe I actually did die and am now in a strange type of paradise...
Considering the excessively loud howl I just heard I'm not sure this is paradise anymore. Any sane human definitely could not have made that noise; that was a wolf I'm sure of it. Okay, I guess wolves are allowed in paradise too but only the town called Paradise, Ohio.
I know something is really off when a magnificent, absolutely massive, wolf walks into the room and just stares at me blankly. Like "hey dude, I'm a wolf, how are you doing today?" That would almost be fine if not for the red and green eyes.
"Welcome to your new world, Delta. How are you feeling?" Says that bloody huge wolf with a pretty girl voice. It's the same voice as the girl from yesterday who ... bit me? That is after all a normal thing to do, especially to a dying dude.
I have no idea what to answer. A wolf should not be able to speak with a cute voice like that. I just stare at her until she speaks again.
"I hope it didn't hurt much, though I know how it feels" I guess she is talking about the bite but then what on earth is she? A werewolf? They don't exist last I checked!
"What are you? Why did you call me Delta? Where are we?" I spurt out not knowing where to start. I need to figure out why I'm not dead either.
She gives me a very toothy grin and says: "I am a wolf child, one of my parents was a wild wolf and the other a werewolf". She says as if that's something totally normal. You know that voice you use at the drive in to order your burger, same sort of tone. "I call you Delta because that is what you are, an initiate to the pack. And until you become at least a beta, that will be your only name." I don't really like the sound of that but what choice do I have. She's a bit more than a force to be reckoned with. "As for where we are, it's called a SH, short for Safe Haven. It's what we call a werewolf safe house. It's the size of your average farm and we have lots of game around, so lots of food." The word food makes me wonder just how long ago I had something to eat: too long to remember. My stomach is painful but seems to be healed, must be a side effect of lycanthropy. That's if of course I'm not just dead or dreaming all this in some hospital bed.
Well nope it can't be that because my stomach is not giving me even a hint of pain. It's even healed enough that it growls like a rabid dog at the mention of food. As ashamed as I am, I still dare to ask for something to eat.
Her answer is pretty brutal "Never ask for food, change, go out and hunt it yourself. To ask for food is to be weak and we shun the weak and cast them from the pack." The surprised look on my face must say a lot. Well maybe not quite enough actually because she smiles at me again and leaves the room.
