Wolfblood: A way back

Chapter 2: The Wild

Maddy's P.O.V
"I promise they won't be a problem Maddy." Jana reassures me.

She directs me to her tent am at the very rear of the camp; many of the Wolfbloods look at me with contempt, patronage and as though they have a desire to get rid of me.
"I can't thank you enough Jana for taking me in."

"Its no trouble, you sleep here tonight."
I can manage a smile for once, I'll finally have somewhere comfortable to sleep; actually I'm not really wild so it may be a challenge for me. Suddenly Aran and Meiner are coming towards me and Jana.

"Why is the tame wolf sleeping in your tent Alpha?" Meiner asks in a very suspicious tone of voice.
"She's part of the pack, she stays with us, it'll only be a little while."

"A wild leader would never allow tames to set foot on our territory, you prefer to make us weak, a tame wild has no place amongst us!" Aran is very tense and looking at me as though I'm a small insect that must be squashed at once.

"Bring her meat and water, do as I ask!" Jana has grown into a truly strong-willed alpha.

"Your father would have had her tried for her crimes, unless she grows wild we'll have no other choice but to eliminate her."

"I am not my father, you will do what your alpha tells you or else!" Jana's eyes glow bright yellow as the sun.
Aran and Meiner both draw their eyes onto me, I look at them with an expression of deep dislike and turn my Wolfblood eyes on them just like Jana.

"Weak, tame and has no place in the wild."

I growl and leap towards Aran, he falls onto the ground as I hold him down. Meiner lunges towards me, Jana grabs her arm and tugs at my jacket, gesturing me to get off Aran.

"That's enough, I will not tolerate any fighting. This is my territory, my rules!"

"I'm sorry Jana." I reply.

"She must be punished." Aran suggests.

"She gets one more chance, she'll learn in time."

Meiner inches into me, hunched as though she's sniffing at me. She growls and her and Aran storm off.

"Aran and Meiner will challenge you, don't give into them and beware either of them saying Brwydr."

"What's that?"

"It means a fight, you will have no choice but to go along with it, even I won't be able to get you out of it."

"Thanks for the warning."

Jana gestures to me to go inside the tent: inside I can see blankets, baskets full of clothes and the sketchbook that Rhydian gave to Jana when her sad Ceri left Stoneybridge. Now it's all I've got to remember him, even feel his presence again.

"I hope you'll be very comfortable."

"It won't be easy, but it'll have to do."
Jana leaves and I sit down on the ground examining the ways of living wild. What if this changes me? If I turn wild?

"Rhydian, I miss you." I say to myself quietly and turning the pages and looking at the drawings of me, Jana, Rhydian, Tom and Shannon, tears are coming to my eyes.

I miss them all dearly, the last picture I look at is of Alric: he pursued Rhydian, tried to kill him and almost killed me to tear a hole of grief in Rhydian.

Despite everything going on in tired, my eyes begin to close and I rest my head on the ground. I am fast asleep.
*****
Jana's P.O.V
The pack is settled around the fire, the moon will be rising very soon. I fetch s bowl of water for Maddy and see Aran and Meiner gorging on the meat, that I specifically asked for Maddy.

"I warned you!" I grope Meiners arm and look at her and Aran with disappointment and anger.

"Why should we feed her. After what she did to my brother?!"

"At least let me take her a little." I ask a little politely.

"You see, her being here is corrupting you, turning you tame, weak."

"She has to leave now."

"If you wish to remain with the pack, keep your positions and rule when I take her back to the human world then do as I say."

Aran hands me a piece of red meat and I turn around and make my way back to Maddy.

Upon my arrival back at my tent I see that Maddy is gone.

I rush back to the campsite where the pack is waiting and find Aran and Meiner.

"Where is she?! What have you done with her?!"

"We didn't do anything." Meiner replies.

"He did." Aran points behind me.

I turn around to see Maddy being dragged and picked up by Derian: he is a little more than 6ft tall, has dark brown hair and is by far the strongest wild Wolfblood in the pack.

"Derian!" I yell at him.

"Let her go!"

Derian gives me a creepy smile and keeps hold of Maddy before he is knocked into his side by Bryn. I race to Maddy and help her up.

Meiner pulls Bryn from Derian and Aran begins the chant:

"Brwydr!"

"Aran, no!" I call out.

"Brwdyr!" Meiner joins in and eventually the whole pack does so.

When the chanting has ceased Aran and Meiner raise their hands to stop the noise.

"Ever since the tame wolf set foot on our territory there has only been trouble." Meiner makes her point clear; the pack yells in agreement.

"If she is to stay, she must prove herself by facing our strongest wolf: Derian." Aran proposes, I have to stop this.

"No. I'm your leader, Maddy will face me."

"No. I will challenge the tame girl." Bryn offers, he's on my side at least.

"You said that she could stay for a while, if she shall, then what better way to prove her worth than to face our strongest?" Meiner insists.

The entire pack yells, growls and begins chanting again, there's nothing I can do now, except.

"Tomorrow morning. Tonight we will welcome the full moon and tomorrow when they are both at full strength they'll take the challenge."

The pack look at Maddy, she's not afraid of them but deep down she is. All I can do now is everything I can to help her.

The pack bow before me: Aran, Meiner and Derian included, it's unanimous; everybody's in agreement.

"Bow, tame wolf." Derian orders Maddy.

Maddy kneels and lowers her head as proof of her allegiance and thankfulness.
*****
Maddy's P.O.V

"Thank you so much for that." I say to Jana.

Jana nods happily and leads me away from the camp, Bryn follows from behind.

When we reach the top of the hill we look down at the pack; all preparing for the moon.

"Bryn and I'll help you Maddy, we're not as strong as Derian but we know his strategy, how he thinks and how he'll try and take you down.

"I've seen him take on every member of the pack but me, the cubs and Jana." Bryn explains.

"I may not be wild, but I can fight, if I could face your father then Derian shouldn't be a problem."

"Yeah, well there's something you should know Maddy."

"What?"

"Derian, well, he's my brother."

Maddy is shocked, the moon rises before she can say a word and its strong pull; like that of a magnet is taking its effect: our veins begin to disperse across our necks and hands, our eyes glow and the wolf calls to us as the metamorphoses begins to take its toll and the wolves are free.