In the Shadows

Chapter 2: Answers

   My head throbs and my left arm sting. I open my eyes and groan. Opening my eyes make the pounding in my head worse. So much so that I can feel my heart beating inside my skull, but I do not care, because I realize I'm not dead. I'm in a weird looking circular structure with a hole in the center of the ceiling. It seems to be made of what looks like Animal skins and wood.
   Inside the small space is a small work bench, a few hand made tools, a small fire burning in the center, and the bed I am laying on. The bed is soft and smells of the earth. The heavy bear skin blanket is smooth and fuzzy against my hot skin. I love to take the blanket off, and the sting in my arm turns to shearing pain.
   I try my best to not make a noise but a groan comes out, and I look at my arm. My entire left arm is tightly wrapped and a splint is keeping it still. I must have broken it when I fell.
   I shudder at the memory of that man. Wolf. Whatever he was. That's when I notice the low voices coming from outside the structure. At that moment I ask myself the question that I should of asked awhile ago. 'where the hell am I?'. I look in the direction of the voices and see the only exit out of here. A Fly-sheet made of a tan cloth. Pale like seems in through the cloth, showing two silhouettes standing in front of it. I listen closer, straining to hear what they are saying.
   "I think she is one of us." Says a man with a low and rough voice. "When I was running after her in the woods last night, she ran quickly, faster than any normal human should. I couldn't even catch up to her until she started to slow down, and that took a while. Not to mention, she doesn't smell like a human at all." I tense when I realize that voice belongs to that wolf-man thing.
   "Then how do you explain the slow healing? We heal faster than humans Liam, and..." Says a soft female voice that sounds almost like velvet.
   "And she doesn't" Interrupts Liam. "I know that. But what if she just started the transformation Sara? We were all like that at one time or another."
   Sara sighs. "But the gene..."
   Liam interrupts again. "I know only runs in the Sioux bloodline. But what if she is one of us. She resembles us in so many ways. Have you felt her skin?" Liam pushes. He keeps saying us. Who is us? Is it the Sioux or something else? What does he mean by us? What is he trying to prove here? "Her skin is as hot as burning coals. Only the ones with the gene have skin like that. Her eyes too..."
  His voice trails off and I see his silhouettes head turn to look at the fly-sheet. I quickly realize that I am by the exit and slowly start to back up. "She's up."
   I hear Liam take a breath before I see him hand appear between the cloth and the frame of the structure. Instantly I run to the farthest corner from him and crouch down. My whole body trembled and my hairs on my arms and knock stand on end, but not from fear. Something else. Something more feral and wild.
   When the pulls back the fly-sheet and walks in, to my surprise, a snarl comes out through my bared teeth. Liam instantly puts his hands up in surrender and comes no closer. If anything, he takes a step back.
   "I mean you no harm." He says in a soft soothing voice. Something about that voice makes me calm just a bit and look at him.
   His skin is slightly darker than my own olive tone and his eyes are of the richest blue. His shoulder length, black hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail at the name of his neck. He is huge. He seems to be made of mostly muscle and looks to be around 6.4.
   "What's your name?" He asks. The question seems harmless enough but I think about it anyway. If he wanted to hurt me, he would have done that when he had the chance in the woods. Even still, should I tell him my name?
   "Micha" It comes out of me before I can stop myself. My voice is higher pitched than that woman's but it is fierce and has an edge that is as sharp as a knife. It also sounds weak and raspy from hunger and thirst.
   Liam Smiles and lowers his arms. "Well Micha, my name is Liam. You are in the Sioux tribe right now. Micha, by are safe here." He pauses to let this sink in. I start to feel myself relax, .But only slightly. His next words make me tense up more than I was before. "There are others like you here."
   I give him a confused look that I hope tells him, that I have not no clue what he is talking about, that he is insain, and that I want to know more. I try to stand, but my body is so weak from so long without food that I start to fall right back down to the ground. Liam is there in an instant and catches me. He lift me up with ease and sets me on the bed beside me, then takes a step back.
   He looks at me with concern in his eyes. "When was the last time you ate?" It's a fair question. I mean I do look like a skeleton with muscle and skin.
   I shrug. "A few weeks." I say looking at my lap suddenly embarrassed by it.
   Liam sighs. "I'm guessing food is not appealing?" His voice seems heavier. It's almost like he is worried. When I don't answer he takes it as a yes. "That's normal for what you are." I look up and look him dead in the eyes. My eyes burn with such intensity
that he takes a step back.
   "And what am I?" I say quietly but not weakly. "You say others like me, like you know what I am. So please tell me."
   Liam Crosses his arms and looks me up and down. "Okay. If you want to know I will tell you." He pauses to give me a chance to back out, but I never do. He sighs. "There is no way to break it to you lightly, so, I will just say it. Micha," The next thing he says what not what I was expecting. "Your a werewolf."
   I look at him like he is insane. Then I think about it. The speed, the wild behavior, the eyes, the sense of smell. It all makes sense. It all connects like dots on a line.
   "That explains alot." I say more to myself than to him.
   "I'm guessing you have not shifted yet?" He asks me. It takes me a minute to realize what he is asking, but when I do I nod. "That means you will soon." He pauses and thinks. " how old are you."
   "17"
   Liam laughs a bit. "Sorry." He apologizes. "It's just that you are a few years later Micha. Most people with the gene start the transformation at 13 maybe 14." He chuckles a bit more then looks at me. All amusement leaves his face at what he sees. I am shaking. "Micha that shaking is the shift coming. It will hurt but you need to keep calm Micha. You need to no matter what."
   As soon as he says that, my body starts to feel like it is vibrating.  A loud cracking sound fills the space and I scream. My bones start to dislocate and brake and then reform. Pain takes over everything. I can't notice anything else. I don't notice my skin being replaced by rust colored fur, my hands turning into paws and my arms turning to legs. It overpowers it all. I don't even realize I have shifted until I look around me and see my clothes in strips around me.
   I look at Liam and he is holding a mirror. A huge smile has cut a path across his face. He has to look up to look at me. I tower over him.
   I mean down and look into the mirror. What I see takes my breath away. A huge rust colored wolf with my eyes looks back at me. The wolfs fur is long and sleek and the tail is long and fluffy. I turn and look at my side. three Black stripes run down then side. And just like I was a second ago, the wolf is skinny but strong.
   Liam goes to say something, but some wild and primal part takes over, and I am already running out the exit at break neck speed. Several people move and jump out of my way as I come running past. Some of them I notice, shift as well. I ignore it all, giving into the beast now inside me, and run into the woods.
   As I run I become more aware of others behind me.And, but I am faster. Every inch of my body becomes edged with panic so strong it is almost sickening. My heart pounds so hard on my chest, it is almost painful.
   The sounds behind me become quiet and distant. I smile a bit. I think they decided to let me have this freedom, But in reality, they were surrounding me. It took me a while to realize this, but when I did, it was to late. They were already closing in around me, making escape impossible.
   I skid to a stop and look around. Around me are ten wolf's hidden in the shadows of the trees. All seem to be smaller than I am. But one, a wolf with shorter gray fur and blue eyes steps forward.
   Almost instantly I realize that it is Liam. Another wolf with black fur and green eyes steps forward with a white blanket in its mouth, and drops the blanket on liam. The wolf steps back into the shadows.
   The sound of bones shifting and cracking sounds in the area and Liam starts to become more and more human. Once human he wraps the blanket around himself to hide his naked body. My ears flatten against my head and I snarl, loud and viscous.
   The other wolves surrounding me snarl in response, but one look from Liam stops them.
   "Enough!" His voice rings out, loud and clear. Every wolf sits and monitors every move I make. I look at all them nervously and whimper. What ever freedom and wildness I felt before is now gone. Now all I feel is scared and panic and closed in. I can't get out no matter which way I turn and look. I'm trapped.
   My ears flatten to my head and my tail tucks between my legs. I look at Liam and give him a panicked look.
   "You can't shift back until you calm down Micha. You are safe here. We," He motions to the wolves around us. "are all like you. We will protect you." I whimper again and glance at the wolves surrounding me. Liam seems to notice me glancing at them and says. "You are making her nervous. She can't shift back with you here." Every wolf gets up and leaves. But before they do one leaves a white blanket behind. Once they are all gone Liam gets up and walks to me.
   I lower my head to his, and look at him. I try to hide the pain and sorrow from my eyes, but I know he sees it. He hugs me around the neck. I make a name a noise that sounds like a son and start to shift back. Liam moves and covers me with the blanket left by one of the wolves before I am fully human again.
   Once human again Liam holds me as I start to cry.