Secret Lives

Chapter 5, One State Over [Mitch's POV]

Chapter 5

Leaning over my ute as I examined the coolant now leaking all over the various parts of the motor; I could barely breathe a sigh, already knowing it would take me another week to fix my ride before I could ever go anywhere.

The old Chevy motor had finally given me a sign that I needed to look after it better, the old 80s pickup truck spitting a water hose just to prove its point.

Resting my head against the underside of the bonnet, I could hear the echo of my good friend Mario pulling up in his flash Camaro.

Being a burgundy red with a distinct red stripe down the middle, Mario’s car wasn’t exactly hard to miss considering the straight through pipes he’d had installed not long after getting it.

Pulling myself off my ute as I slammed the bonnet shut for another day, the sound of rubber sliding along the dirt greeted me as an amused Mario jumped out, his hand tipping the edge of his hat as he walked over to me.

‘Your old bomb got you grounded again, hey cousin’?

Like always, Mario had to take it upon himself to carelessly remind me that we were somehow related; despite the displeasure the thought always brought me.

‘Yeah bro, and it cool cause I roll like that……..What the hell are you on Mario; this isn’t some rap museum’!

Now clutching his stomach laughing, I couldn’t help but smile at my idiotic cousin and friend as he tried to compose himself to form words.

‘You know my interpretation was soooooo much better cuz’

Walking over to slap me on the back, I was quick to push Mario away, my patience beginning to wear thin with his constant jokes.

‘Is there a reason you’re here Mario’?

Mario then proceeded to pretend that he had to think about why he’d come here until I watched him click his fingers in front of himself, now trying to push me towards my house.

‘There’s something on the news you have to see; your Dad sure did it this time’!

Sighing as I did what he said, we soon ended up at my backdoor as I pulled off my boots seeing a now overexcited Mario already running inside to turn on the television.

Ever since I had left my father’s pack he had been set on catching the hunters that constantly try to take him down, his progress always seeming to make it on the human news being mixed to make us sound like the enemy.

‘Mitch hurry it up!  It is on like right now’!

Wanting to rip my hair from my scalp, I threw the backdoor open, the television coming into view as I walked over to where Mario sat now taking my own place beside him.

‘Are you like twelve or something Mario’?

Slapping me on the shoulder and attempting to shush me, I eventually turned to look at the screen that seemed to have my cousin entranced only to see exactly what had caught his attention.

Just north of where my Dad was based, the humans were covering a vicious wolf attack as they called it which had wiped out two of their hunters which they claimed were just trying to keep the forest safe.

The news feed was showing two bodies being carried away in body bags and in the background some news man who seemed to be talking very persuasively to another man which looked like he was covered in blood.

As the camera moved towards this man, he tried to hide his face; the cameraman clearly bothering him as he tried to walk away.

‘Sir, please tell us what happened here?  Is this another case where the wolves have killed where they are not wanted or was this simply an accident caused by the many bears that roam here’?