Never

~prologue~

Prologue

‘Pay attention to where you’re stepping, Genesis. You nearly trod on a porcupine. Now is not the time to daydream, you may be attacked by rogues any moment...’ My inner wolf spoke, pulling me out of my train of thoughts.

‘Sorry, Zeita. I was just thinking about Mum again. I’m worried about her, you know?’

‘Your mother can take care of herself just fine without you. She has done it before.’

‘I still worry though. Can’t a daughter worry?’

‘Touché.’

Focusing on the long trek back through the thick forests of Oregon, I leapt over a fallen sycamore tree, just as my mind floated back to my frail surrogate mother, living all alone back in Iowa.

Tripping over a bit of risen earth, I tumbled into the deep foliage beneath my paws, getting morning dew in my fur and eyes.

‘I told you to pay attention.’ She said.

Grunting, I got back up on my paws, shook my fur and continued on my way. I was almost there, to my destination: the territory of the Blood Fang pack.

In five minutes, we will be stepping out of no man’s land and into their borders. Why am I going there? I don’t actually know, but I have to look for answers before leaving. I want the reason as to why I am different compared to others of my kind.

‘We’re here, Genesis. You have just stepped into their territory.’

Looking around, it looks like just another stretch of the gigantic forest that we were in, although I could feel the pack’s presence in my bones. Taking a few cautious steps forward, I waited for the loud pattering of many paws that would charge straight at me, but only the soft sound of my breathing reached my ears.

Just then, the faint noise of a truck’s engine sounded to my right. It whooshed by in an instant, indicating that a road was nearby. I inhaled a nearly undetectable smell of gasoline and traced it to the road.

Breaking through the treeline, I found myself right outside a town. A moderate-sized sign was facing the south. On it wrote ‘Welcome to Sycamore Harrison’ and the population size of 2,517.

Shifting back into my human form, I pulled out my travelling clothes from my orange and black backpack and put them on, before starting to walk into the town. Right on the edge of the town, was a quaint barber shop with the iconic barber shop pole hanging by the door. Walking in further, a small supermarket came into view, along with a diner.

‘You’re hungry.’ She said.

As if on cue, my stomach growled loudly.

‘Go and eat.  You’ve travelled too long without nourishment.’

‘Okay. I should.’

The instant my foot landed on the ‘Welcome’ rug, the little bell hanging above the door chimed. It brought the stares of the townspeople and an eerie silence as they checked me out.

Moments later, most of them went back to their noisy chattering and chewing, though a few continued looking at me suspiciously. I bet they are part of the pack here.

Ignoring their penetrating glares, I sat down at a table and started flipping through the menu.

“Hello, my name’s Amanda and I will be your waitress for today.  What would like to eat?”

“What would you recommend I eat?” I asked, placing the piece of laminated paper down.

“This would be a good choice.” Amanda chirped, pointing at a steak item on the menu.