In The Pack

Chapter 1

Karen sat on the back porch of her simple, one story, yellow house, watching her three year old play in the sandbox. She smiled as Layla tried to make a sand castle and accidentally knocked it over. Letting out a wail, she pounded the rest into rubble.

She sat back and took a sip of her iced tea. She loved watching Layla play. Her dirty blonde hair sat just below her shoulders and her deep blue eyes were very expressive. Karen could gauge the little girl's mood with one glance into those captivating eyes.

They were inherited from her father, Jeremy. Karen didn't know what happened to him. One day, when she was about six months along, Jeremy didn't come home. At first she was angry, thinking he'd left her, but when no one knew where he was she got worried. Now, she mostly tried not to think about it and pretend everything was normal.

When Karen looked up again, Layla was bumbling about chasing butterflies with an adorably ecstatic grin on her face. The sight caused another smile to light up Karen's face. She watched Layla chase the butterfly in circles and around the yard. Within the blink of an eye, between one second and the next, where Layla had been standing was a wolf puppy. Karen couldn't believe her eyes.

She blinked a few times and pinched herself. She covered her eyes for a moment and checked again. Nothing she did changed the scene before her eyes. Nothing she tried made the scene go back to normal. No matter what she did, she had to face it: her three year old daughter had changed into a wolf puppy.

That wolf puppy was still chasing a butterfly around the yard in happy abandon and Karen could only stand there, her mouth agape and her perception of normal crashing down around her.

Finally, she managed to stutter, "L-Layla!"

The wolf puppy spun around and trotted to Karen's feet. In another blink, her daughter once again stood before her, completely naked. Her grin was even bigger than when she was chasing the butterfly. There was something proud in that smile.

On the inside, Karen was freaking out. She couldn't raise a child that could turn into a wolf at will. It just wasn't possible; it wasn't normal. On the outside, she tried to appear unaffected and attempted to smile back at Layla. Picking her up under her arms, Karen took her inside, having had enough of outdoor playtime for the day.

She put Layla in the living room to play with some toys and went to the kitchen to make dinner and a plan for how to deal with this frightening new development.

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The next day, Karen got up early and packed a bag before Layla woke up. They were going on a camping trip. All Karen had to do was pack and wait for Layla to wake up.

When Layla's cries came through the baby monitor, Karen went upstairs to tell her daughter the news. "We're going camping!" she announced with false cheerfulness and a big, fake smile.

Layla laughed happily and clapped her little hands together. "Yay, mommy!"

So, Karen fixed breakfast and packed her daughter into the car for a camping trip. A very long camping trip. The ride was uneventful. It was normal for Layla to fall asleep on long car rides and the two our drive to their destination was no exception.

Karen pulled into the parking lot for avid hikers who like the rough terrain of this forest. Next to the trail was a sign warning hikers to watch for wolves.

"Perfect," Karen murmured as she unbuckled Layla. Then louder, to Layla, "Wake up, sweetie. We're going for a little hike before setting up camp."

"Look at the trees, momma!" Layla exclaimed in awe, looking around at the towering trees all around her.

"Do you like it?" Karen asked, taking her hand and heading for the trail.

"Very much!" Layla replied happily, still gazing around at the plants around them.

They travelled together about a mile or so down the path. Layla oohed and aahed all the new plants, bugs and birds, running back and forth on the trail to see everything. This only solidified Karen's resolve.

Karen saw a log just off the trail and told Layla to sit on it. "I think I dropped something a ways back. I'm going to find it real quick and then I'll come right back so we can finish our hike. I want you to wait right here for me until I come back, okay?"

Layla nodded solemnly and said, "Okay, mommy, I'll wait right here."

So Layla sat and watched her momma walk away without once looking back. She watched and she waited.

When Karen reached her car, she let out a breath of relief. She no longer had to worry about raising a daughter that could magically turn into a wolf. Now, she could start all over. Create a new, normal family.