Born into the pack
The three of us have been travelling for what feels like days and I still have no idea where we are going. The roads we take are all new to me either half hidden dirt tracks though overgrowth or back roads that are cracked and full of holes. The other three make small talk mentioning names and places I have never heard. I just walk along at the side listening and looking at the world around me. “What do you think Jason?” Ryan asks out of the blue and I have no idea wat he’s talking about. “I’m sorry what?” I ask and he just smiles at my confusion “there’s a town nearby. Do you think we should go through or should we go around through the fields?” He asks “it would be easier to pass through without questions in the town. If we got seen in the fields it might be harder.” I think aloud and I see the head of Luke nod “he has a point but in the town there is a chance that we could run into trouble.” He says stroking his chin in deep thought “what kind of trouble?” I ask. What could have a group of lycans so averse to exposing themselves “Hunters? The hunters have grown more aggressive in recent times and have more power than ever. If we are found we could find ourselves in a one hell of a fight” Ryan says seriously “we need supplies. Our food is running low .We need to go into the town” Sarah adds and it throws and curveball in the mix. “How would they know that your lycans?” I ask “our D.n.a. after our first change our DNA has completely changed to a mix of wolf and human.” Ryan explains and a lightbulb lights above my head “I haven’t changed yet. I can go into the town and get the supplies” I say and the others smile “that might have worked but there is one problem. We have practice shoplifting you don’t” Luke says and my jaw drops “you didn’t think we had any money did you? A few lycans work but that’s only to keep the packs home running.” Luke explains. “I’ve got an idea” I say and the three look at me confused “have you got any spare clothes?” I ask and Sarah looks at me puzzled. “I think I might have some old clothes in here let me see Sarah says and dropping her bag starts rooting eventually pulling out a plain black long sleeve top and some tracksuit bottoms with torn knees. “Perfect.” I say as I take them from her hands and set to tearing the top making holes in the fabric. “Wait…..What are you doing?” Sarah protests as the fabric rips “I’m going to play the beggar” I reply and as the penny drops the trio look at me and smile. “Are you sure about this Jason? We won’t be able to come in and help if things go sour? “Ryan asks concerned “I’m sure. It’ll be fine” I reply hopefully sounding more confident than I feel. “Do you see the tree in the field, stood on its own?” Ryan asks and I nod. “We will wait there. If you’re not there but sunset we will come looking for you” he says and I smile back. I’ve only known his for a day but I already feel under his wing. “What do you need?” I ask so I don’t come back with the wrong things. “Tins of food, anything tinned and bottles of water” she says still angry about the clothes. “Then I best get changed and go” I say and disappear to the side of the road hidden by the line of trees. Reappearing the three have to bite on their lip to stop themselves laughing. “You better pull this off. That was my last spares” Sarah groans “Good luck Jason.” Ryan say and Luke gives a so long salute before the three head into the trees and hop over into the fields leaving me to head into town. As I walk ever closer to the town the nerves and doubts start to creep in. if I don’t pull this off then we have nothing or what if the hunters do somehow find me out. No. I’m not going to panic. I have a plan and if I stick by it I will succeed. A few cars whizz past paying me no attention driving too fast to see the “state” I’m in. only around fifty meters from the start of the little town the red brick houses fully visible I hear the purr of and engine behind me and rather than whizz past the sound gets louder and louder till the source pulls up next to me I find an old couple sat in the front a beaten up car that splutters as is stays still looking at me their eyes full of sympathy. “Are you okay?” she asks her voice full of concern as if I was her son or grandson. “I was cycling nearby and I hit a rock or something and my bike threw me off and a tyre burst. I was hoping I might find a police station or something to call home and maybe get a meal.” I say trying to sound desperate and although I feel terrible lying to the old dear its necessary. “Oh I’m sorry dear there’s not station here. Not in a long time” she says and looking back to her husband they seem to exchange a thousand word with just their eyes and I see her begin to scramble in her little handbag and pull out a little purse. “There’s a little store in town you should be able to phone from and get yourself something to eat. I think they do some clothes too” she says smiling as she holds out a couple of rolled up notes. I take them hesitantly although every part of me wants to snatch it before it’s gone. “Th…th thank you.” I stammer and she just smiles. The husband looks over her shoulder and say nothing as he looks at me but I see sympathy in his eyes “ I hope it helps and” she says before the engine pops and the beaten old car disappears into the distance leaving to watch the kind pair disappear. The kind pair I just played. The town in smaller than I had thought with most of the houses empty, for sale signs in the windows. The streets are deserted. The only sound is of litter being blown down the street. The store the couple talked sticks out lick a sore thumb. While all the houses are red bricked, old style homes the store is sleek and modern, walking in a ding sounds and hurts my ears and a smell of blech makes my stomach churn. Looking around I find the stores shelves almost empty only a few cans of beans and hotdogs remain. Picking them up I place them on the till and continue searching with the till deserted but there’s nothing left. The fridges are bare and the freezers chilling nothing. I head back to the till and still find it empty. “Hello? Is anyone here? I shout wondering what’s going on. “Y…You shouldn’t shout” a voice says whispers and a girl around nineteen old peeks out from behind the coun
ter her long black hair a mess and her makeup up smuggled all over her face “ what’s going on? What happened here?” I ask unnerved “Wolves. Huge wolves bigger than cows. They destroyed everything, took everything” she sobs I don’t say anything frozen in fear. I know what it was. Werewolves. “When?” I ask forcefully “a few weeks ago. Since then everyone has left” she sobs but something doesn’t feel right. If home is anything to go by as being werewolf territory then they would have taken it a long time ago. What’s different here then there?” “So why did you stay?? I ask cautiously certain that somethings going on. “Oh I didn’t stay I’ve only been here for a few days.” She says rising from behind the counter and in her hand sits a silver gun her finger over the trigger. “And who are you? Any human outside our ranks would have asked about the wolves or dismissed them. You didn’t” she says her voice now hard and threatening. “I…I” I stammer and she doesn’t move. “Give me your finger” she orders and I look her puzzled. “Give me your finger!” she repeats and grabs my wrist hard making me winces as she twists it palms side up. She reaches into her pocket with her free hand and pulls out a little pot with a strange blue liquid inside. “Ow” I moan as she pricks me finger with a needle and quickly puts it into the pot and the blue liquid turns green. Only now does the penny drop as her face drops and her gun arm rises. Acting on instinct I backhand the gun arm and the bullet settles in the ceiling and the gun falls from her hand landing on the floor with a bang. The woman grabs my hair and smacks my forehead on the counter and I fall back dazed shaking my head to clear the haze. The hunter wastes no time, hoping over the counter with a small silver blade in hand. I barely mange to duck out the way as she goes for my throat and shoulder tackle her to the floor. Slamming her hand into the ground the blade falls from her fingers and I pin down her wrists. Her struggling does nothing the strength rising in my blood and when she realises she isn’t getting free the realisation drains the colour from her skin. “Go on kill Me.” she says defiant to the end “No.” I say and let go climbing off and letting her get up. I head back to the counter and reach up to my forehead expecting it to be swollen but find nothing. I pick up the cans of food and turn around to find the woman still stood there frozen on the spot. “ there’s hunter all through the town” she whispers as I walk past and I don’t reply quickly running out the door and back the way I came the tins in my pockets and hands jangling and making running harder. I don’t stop running till I’m almost back where we split and take a moment to catch my breath. It’s a good thing that I went alone or things could have been a lot worse. Hoping over the fence is made a lot more difficult by the weight of the tins in my pockets and as I fall over one falls out of my pocket and rolls away down the road. Cursing my bad luck I abandon the escape with no time to go back. I have to get to the others and warn them. My thighs feel red raw running through the bobbly field the tins smacking harder against the same spot with every spot. The large oak slowly gets closer and closer till I can almost smell the wood and I can see the other three sat in the shade and they must see me as they jump to their feet and run towards me obviously realising something must be wrong for me to be running so hard. The three move faster than I ever could the surface making no difference to them as they almost hover above it, their feet moving so fast and Sarah almost knocks me to the floor she clatters into me that hard. “What’s wrong Jason?” she asks her eyes prying “the town….. Werewolves attacked it...” I pant and the others exchange uneasy glances “the werewolves are done but now hunters are there……” I finish and unease turns to fear. “Did they find you out? Do they know that you are one of us?” Ryan asks hopeful “yes... they tested my blood in some pot” I tell him and his face drops a thousand miles “we need to get back quickly. We can’t stop” Ryan declares turning to walk back to the tree “I’m guessing this is bad” I say hoping someone will tell me what this means “They have been checking blood for ages Jason. We aren’t the only ones that were looking for you. The hunters have been searching for you too. You are the lycan to lead us to freedom. You are the lycan that the hunters fear and know that they know who you are and what you look like they will stop at nothing to find you” Ryan says and my heart stops “but I don’t even know what I am! I’m more confused than I have ever been. I’m told I’m a monster I’ve only ever seen in film and suddenly everyone is after me. “I shout the emotion getting the best of me “I’ve lost everything. My family, my home and now you’re saying I’ve now got a huge target on my back.” I say almost whispering to myself and I can feel a fire burning through my blood. “You want to know what you are. Don’t fight the fire let it consume you become the lycan you was born to be” Ryan coaches almost daring me before looking at the other two and they begin backing away. I want to ask why but my voice is gone. My body isn’t mine to control anymore. I can see my arms grow longer and my fingers and nails become claws. My body grow and widens. I feel no pain and that surprises me. My body is changing but it feels almost natural, like my body was already suited to it. I feel my teeth lengthen and sharpen. My sight goes fuzzy and then comes back sharper than ever. My nose does bling then comes back burning with new smells. My ears pop and the world sounds louder and crisper. My nose to my chin extrudes outwards my nose becoming part of my face forming a wolven muzzle. Looking at the others I find them looking at me half afraid. I stand there taking in what I am. Looking down I find myself covered in coal black fur and my ripped clothes lay on the floor now in ribbons. I breathe deeply and the others slowly walk back towards me. “Jason. Is that you?” Luke asks weary and I nod in response but I sniff I get a sniff of something cold and metal and turning around I see nothing but the smell sets alarm bells ringing in my mind. A deep growl rumbles in my lips and I dart across the ground running on all fours following the smell and slow slightly as I close in on the smell. I can hear the others running behind me begging me to stop but this smell is of something dangerous and as I arrive at the trees I stop and rise to two feet. My claws drag through the trees making a horrid scratching noise making deep cuts into the wood and I hear it a quick gasp of fear and I spin round to find myself face to face with the same girl from the store. Her teeth start to chatter as we come face to face and she
slowly starts to back away. I follow out of curiosity forgetting how terrifying I must look and she turns to bolt landing on her face and a small pot rolls from her pocket in front of her and into the hand of Ryan. “The blood test. Why do you still have it?” he growls threateningly heaving her to her feet with ease. “Because he spared my life” she says simply and he look at me questioningly and I nod to confirm it. “I was going to kill him but he stopped me and had me but refused to kill me. I’ve been questioning everything since. They said lycans and werewolves are killers yet he spared Me.” she says turning to face me the fear gone and the fear is gone replaced by something else. “ I couldn’t take this to them and sign the death warrant of someone that spared my life” she says as the other two arrive and the fact she’s still alive confuses them till Luke sums it up in one sentence “he spared her so she is saving him” he says handing him the pot. “No one knows he was even there. I told them I feel and my gun misfired. They didn’t pry” she says before Ryan can say a word. “Now what are you doing to do? Go back to them?” Ryan asks curious. “I don’t know. They have raised me but after today I feel manipulated. If they lied to me about this what else did they lie about?” She says and I see in her as almost a kindred spirit. Focusing I try to change back. I picture myself human. Hands feet, toes and fingers and slowly I feel myself become me again. “She could come with us. She knows the hunters and can help us avoid them” I say and the three look at me like a madman “a human travel with us? She wouldn’t be able to keep up. We don’t have the supplies and she could just wait till we are asleep and slit our throats. The hunters would welcome her as a hero and all hope would be lost.” Luke protest an anger in his fierce gaze “so because she’s human she isn’t trustable?” I reply outraged. “ what is I wasn’t human?” she says and everything stops and all eyes fall on her and she rolls up the bottom of her trouser leg to reveal a very poorly bandaged wound. Ripping off the bandage she reveals five deep puncture wounds all healed but leaving five light pink patches each a different shape. “You’re a werewolf?” I say hesitantly “I haven’t changed yet it was only yesterday. One of the werewolves was running and I chased it down. I was about to kill it when it looked at me and I say the human behind the fur and I froze. This is what I got for freezing. No one else saw and I kept it hidden. Till now. If they had found out” she explains and I can see the gears turning in Ryan’s head. “Where we are going you won’t be welcome. I will not be able to guarantee your safety when we get there.” Ryan says and the girl nods “I understand. I don’t expect you too” she replies simply and the trio turn their backs to her like a scorned child and slowly make their way back to the tree to get their things. “Thank you for not giving it to them” I say to the girl as she brushes herself down. “Thank you for not killing me” she replies smiling her teeth perfectly straight and white. “No problem. If I can be so bold I think it might be a good idea to get rid of the silver” I say to her raising an eyebrow “I guess but then what will I defend myself with?” she says slowly unsheathing the silver knife from its holding. The smell of it sets my stomach churning the smell so acidic it burns the inside of my nose. “I’ll protect you” I reply and her cheeks go a light rosy red and a shy smile touches her lips. “And what is the name of my brave protector?” she laughs but the simple question makes me ask myself the same question. If what Ryan said is true then maybe my name isn’t what I believe it to be. “The strong silent type hey” she laughs playfully punching me on the arm “No. they say I was kidnapped by hunters as a baby so I don’t know if that’s my name or of its something different” I tell her opening up to the girl that tried to kill me. “Well do find out and then tell me. Lucy is waiting” she says trying to lighten my mood as she drops the blade into the ground leaving stand in the mud and leaves me to walk over to Ryan alone. “You want to know what your name is” Ryan says as I join his side and I’m not surprised he heard. Since I changed my senses have become amazing. I can smell things buried in the ground. I can smell the different trees in the distance each one different. I can hear the cows walking in the field next door chewing, I can see the pattern on the butterflies in the distance. “Yes. Am I who I say I am?” I reply thinking how strange it will be if I have a different name. “They hadn’t given you a first name but your surname is Umbrian.” He says and walks on as I stand there feeling all the pieces start to fit together. “So do you know your name” Lucy laughs re-joining my side “yes. I’m Jason. Jason Umbrian” I reply and she smiles “Umbrian?” she asks and I nod “I’ve seen that name somewhere before” she says and my heart leaps “where?” I ask eagerly hoping it might help me discover where I came from “I can’t think of where I saw it. Sorry” she says with an apologetic smile. “At least I know there’s a chance I might find family” I reply smiling but it’s a fake smile. Things have been happening so fast that I haven’t been able to think about the fact my family and what was my family. Did they actually care about me or was it all just an act, birthdays, Christmas. Finishing school did it mean a thing or was it all lies. Was it them that took me or was it someone else? Everything I think I am is a lie. I don’t know who I am anymore. I have my name but who were my parents, what where they like do I have any relatives left? So many questions I don’t have the answers to. “Hey Jason you okay?” Luke asks joining my side. I was so lost in thought I find myself on the other side of the field looking over at a field of green and the setting sun. “I’m okay. It’s just
a lot to take in” I reply slightly surprised by the concern from the normally cold Luke. “I can’t say I understand how you feel but I want you to know that although you may feel alone and afraid don’t. This may not be the family or friends you imagined having or the path you saw yourself taking but I believe that we are put on different paths for a reason. Living as a lycan is hard, moving, hiding, and fighting. You have had the chance to live in peace and see the world differently and humanity in a different light. Most lycans have a deep hatred for humanity, I had a hatred for humanity” he says and I’m slightly taken aback from the bluntness in his tone no envy or jealousy just points it out for me to see “Had?” I ask and he smiles “you and the werewolf have shown me that maybe judging a whole race by the actions of a few isn’t right. The hunters think we are all monsters because of the actions of a few and we judge them the same. Both sides hatred keeps the fighting going. Just by sparing her life today you broke the belief of one hunter and one lycan.” He says almost admiring the fact I spared her. “I just done what felt right” I shrug and we stand there watching the sun set before we have to set off and reach the pack that was to be my new family and find the home that was ripped from me.
The Last Umbrian Page 2
