Chapter One "Never Again"

     The sound of my footsteps racing broke through the silence of the night as i sprinted through the tall trees. My brother Joseph stopped suddenly right ahead of me, causing me jerk to a halt, nearly knocking him over.  His ears shot straight up as he listened very intently to something, so i did the same. “What’s the matter with you?” i thought loud enough for him to hear me through my panting “there’s nothing out here.” He turned to look at me and i could see it in his eyes, he had heard something. I raised my nose to the air, as i smelled for anything threatening i caught a delicious smelling scent. A large animal was hurt badly and bleeding. I quickly looked back at him; we both darted to our left in the direction of our potential meal. The crisp midnight air whipped past as we gained on it. The exhilaration was overwhelming and i slowed a bit to catch my breath.

     We ran through many clearings and meadows until finally, about three miles from our starting point we came across an Elk laying in an open field. It had a large gaping wound to the abdomen, we took a step forward and the animal started to bleat furiously in an attempt to defend itself. I turned up my head to the round moon and howled, letting the others know of our discovery. I stepped even closer to the animal, jumped on its back and swiftly snapped it’s neck, putting it to rest. “Yummy” my mother thought from behind me, a sharp grin on her face. “Doesn’t take you long does it?” i asked jokingly “not when there’s a fresh meal. “I turned to see my oldest brother Vaughn, and my uncle William dragging the enormous animal back my way. “You’ve done very well” was all William barked toward my brother and I. Joseph glanced at me, a proud smirk upon his muzzle and his tongue was lolling. “ Well I was the first to catch on to it you know” my brother replied, I just rolled my eyes, turned around, and started running the short journey back home.

     Along with some deer caught earlier, we took the elk to the house. Once we got there we were exhausted, we shifted back, and hung our food outside, by the feet, to drain so that it could be our dinner that night. I walked up the front steps of our Grand Den and stepped leisurely through the door. I was on my way to my bedroom just downstairs past, the kitchen and underneath dining room when i heard my mother’s voice. “What happened tonight cannot happen again” she said anger edging her voice. “ she’s not a baby, she can handle herself now” A man softly mentioned, hoping no one would hear their conversation. I recognized his voice, William was here already. “You should not be encouraging her to stray away from the pack.” Thats when i pushed open the swinging doors and sure enough, proving my suspicion, there stood my mother standing ram-rod straight in front of my uncle while he   sat back against the island in the middle of the shiny room. The room fell silent and they both turned their head to stare in my direction William finally spoke, “You did fantastically tonight Kara, you will be the first to eat.” I slightly tipped my head to the side in gratitude and smiled. My mother, meanwhile, shot him a very disapproving glance and looked back at me “ Yes you did fine” she remarked then stormed out of the kitchen. “ ...I know what she thinks, what she wants” i said coyly after a couple seconds of silence “ Please tell her that she is asking too much of me, if she hadn’t let me run tonight I would’ve gone crazy” i said with a sigh “ I think she already knows that” he replied smoothly “My sister just fears for her only daughter’s life, as she has always done...” A sort of amused and hesitant look crept across his face and i could tell there was more. “What?” i said starting to get miffed. “ Sebastian will be here soon, you should go and get cleaned up.” “Why do you pressure me into choosing him as my mate?” I scoffed “ It’s never going to happen” I yelled back over my shoulder as i walked out of the room and downstairs to my den. “ It would be a very wise decision!” he wailed down after me. It will be my decision. 

     I opened the door and headed straight for the bathroom, as soon as the hot water was running i scampered to my closet and found a lengthy , elegant sapphire dress that my aunt had given me. She had told me that the deep blue of the one- shoulder dress reminded her of a crystal lake in the moonlight, i smiled remembering her kindness. I then set the dress on the larger than life bed, walked into the bathroom, took off my muddy clothes and threw them into the wicker hamper next to the sink.

     I stepped out of my room dressed and clean...though there was someone else in the stairwell with me. “You never cease to take my breathe away” “Sebastian, I am not your wolf, you have no right to lurk around my den.” I said smugly. “ Not yet” he replied “Do not attempt to assume that i will choose you.” I growled at him glowering. “ Oh but aren’t i the one you wish was your mate?” I stood silent on the first step, “you will be mine, and we both know it, we;ve both dreamt it.” this irked me to no extent and i barked “ It is only in your dreams that we are a pair” I tried to push past him, but his strength and will power overcame me. I looked up and to my surprise he was half an inch away from my face. “ Why do you fight to resist the things you secretly want most?” he whispered “ “Because the things i want most are the things that will eventually kill me!” I shoved him as hard as my strength would allow and he slammed against the wall. As he tried to regain his balance I pushed him once more with firelight in my eyes as I said “ You will never get that close again, if you wish to see me take my mate, whoever he may be, you will take some things into consideration you mixed breed pup.” I walked back upstairs and out onto the coliseum- like dining room. My family likes to have an open life, most of us live in he den together so I was not surprised to see the wall to wall table set up and ready for dinner. Sometime after i sat in my place at the table i saw Sebastian scurrying up the stairs and and evil smirk grew on my face, i let out a quiet minute giggle. I rested  nice long slumber that night. After everyone had left to their own dens, i crawled into my own bed and drifted into a dream within seconds. 

     Everything in the house was quiet and sound...apparently everyone else hadn’t woken up. I was never somewhat of an early riser so this was strange. What should I do with my stolen time? the words echoed in my mind. There was really nothing to do on this floor of the house, so i went upstairs to see if everyone up there were silent as well. The stairs creaked on my way up so i tried to go as hastily as possible to avoid any disturbance. I stopped on the landing and listened to see if woke anyone...nope. I walked over to the window and looked out, there was a hint of blue-gray light coming through; it couldn’t be past 6:15 am. Some heavy fog was brushing itself against the grass and forest covered horizon. It came to me then, I had at least an hour and a half before everyone woke up, so i decided to swim out to the tiny island in the center of the lake just beyond the trees. I ran until i came to the lake and undressed down to my bathing-suit, The water was icy and felt good against my warm-blooded skin. It was not long, a few minutes perhaps, before i reached the shore. I am an excellently fast swimmer. The sun shone a bit more through the clouds now, it made the water glitter and shine with a radiance of blues, greens, and purples. I stood with my feet remaining in edge of the water, looking out upon it, amazed that its sight still managed to take my breathe away. From where i stood the view of my home was a distant blur, a million miles away it seemed. There were little tufts of grass and trees scattered in varying places on the isle that shown  bright green against the gilded sand. What would i do if i didn’t have this place. I let out a slight, peaceful sigh. As i was looking around i realized that i had forgotten my sketchpad and charcoal. “figures...”  i said as i blew a strand of wavy silver-blonde hair from in front of my eyes. “Couldn’t swam with it anyway”

     The rest of my time there was silent with the exception of the sounds, chirps, and whistles of the tiny tree-dwelling birds singing hello to this new morning. I sat a while longer than usual, just taking in all the beauty. Then i swam back to where i started and dried myself off with the clothes i had laid there earlier, then tucked them under my arm as i walked to the Mansion. I found my mother and younger brother Jack at the cupboard getting out some coffee mugs, when i caught the sweet smell of honeysuckle and almonds traveling through the house my mouth watered. “Have a good swim?” she asked curiously “ you really should let us know when your planning to go to the island dear, we had no idea where you were.” she continued. I sighed in apology and acknowledgement “ Who else is awake?” “ Umm, that i know of? Us, your uncle, Patty...” just then a gray and orange calico cat came and started weaving itself through my feet, i looked down and reached for her “and sasha!” i said playfully. I went to the den to put on some dry clothes, dark blue jeans and a purple halter top kept me completely comfortable. As soon as i was dressed i went back upstairs and made myself ‘steak-on-a-bun’ as i called it, with the leftovers from last nights  dinner, and went to sit at the island in the kitchen. I took my time savoring each bite. By the time i was finished most of the family had woken up and were storming into the kitchen, scratching, yawning, and stretching their feet, waiting for their breakfast and coffee. 

     I borrowed my brother’s Challenger to go into town and get some more paint, and a couple drop-cloths for my youngest brother Rafa’s room. I was painting him a mural of waterfalls and animals (mostly dogs) on three walls, on the other, however stays blank so that he can do what he wants to it. Although the sun was out, it was a stuffy day and i would have preferred to stay inside now but i had promised him that i would get started. I walked into the small craft store and the bell above my head jingled, i looked up at it, there were very few people here and yet the tiny store made me a bit claustrophobic for a  split second. I walked forward and down the long aisles and found what i was looking for, i grabbed a large bag of Wall-Brushes and paint, then i went up to the counter and set my things in front of me, the teenaged girl,younger than I stood opposite me, just staring and chewing on a piece of gum. I had almost forgotten, “One more”  i said putting up my index finger to the bored girl, she of-course did the attitude thing and rolled her eyes, i turned slowly and headed back down the aisle from where i had just come. I snatched up two or three packages of transparent cloth and taking my sweet time walked back to the clerk, and sat it on the table. I could feel her eyes on me as i got into the car and started to back out, throwing a wad of chewing gum out the window as i sped away.

     As soon as i got home I headed straight for my brothers room opposite my mothers with my new items in tow. I was having trouble finding the right shade of purple for the violets that rimmed the upper edge of my waterfall, then i started with the deep blue-purple that seemed to work beautifully. “ Why do you always do that?” a tiny voice chimed, i looked down to see Sebastian’s younger sister Patricia (aka Patty) staring up at me. “ You stick out your tongue when you paint.” she said in a playful giggle. I smiled, “it helps me concentrate” she just stared at me with skepticism lining her pale green eyes, “ I think better when i make a funny face” “ Oh yeah, i make funny faces sometimes” she grinned “ Sebastian is looking for you” i stopped painting and leaned down to eye level with her “ can you do me a favor little one?” “yes” she replied “ I’m going to go and hide, if your brother asks where i am, tell him i ran into the forest to live with the raccoons. Can you do that for me?” her face lit up “so it’s like a game!” “ yes, precisely like a game” “Okay!” she said excitedly and she skipped around the corner then i heard the door shut behind her. I gathered my things and headed out of the room. I crept through the hallways as quickly and silently as possible, I was very careful and free to come and go as i pleased so i went unnoticed. I was finally in the solace of my own room gently shutting the door behind me and plopped down on the bed after setting my things on the desk at the far end of the room. I grabbed my favorite novel off of my bedside table called “WE EXIST”  and started reading on my bookmarked page.

     A loud knocking on my door woke me up. When had I fallen asleep? “Who is it?” “can you come out here please?” my mother’s voice on the other side of the door made me sigh with relief. It’s not Sebastian. “ be out in a minute mom, I’m tired” “ I think you’d better hurry.” she sounded worried, and her voice was hoarse, as if she had been yelling for some time. I jumped up and rushed to change out of my shorts and into a pair of jeans, wondering what had happened. I noticed by the lack of light shining in my window that it was night already. “Crap mom! Why didn’t anyone wake me up?” “ I’m waking you up now, get out here!” she shouted back. I opened the door and saw the look on her face which made me even more anxious, a crowd of people were gathering behind her to look in on me. I could feel all blood drain from my face in those few moments. “what’s happened, what’s wrong?” “ It’s Patty” my heart jumped to a huge lump in my throat, i couldn’t breathe. she’s dead... “Mom where is Patty?” “she’s gone, she disappeared earlier right after coming to see you” “It was just a game....” I whispered grimly to no one in particular, I stared at the floor.

     “We’ve been out all night searching for her in the woods, William thought that he picked up her scent but it just vanished at the lake.” That explains her voice... “ Did you look on the island?” I whispered with hope that she had gone for a long swim. “Of- course” and my hope was blown away with her words. Tears rimmed my eyes as they turned the deepest shade of blue. “She’s just an 8 year old child, she will not survive the week, if we don’t find her...” she trailed off.The tears were streaking down my cheeks like liquid crystals now, “Sebastian is out still searching for her” my mother said to me as we started up the stairs. “You should join him, he’s quite upset.” I did not argue. I pushed past all the people crowding the top of the stairs and shot out the front door leaving it ajar. 

     “Sebastian?!”

“ I’m here” a vaguely familiar voice said gruffly behind me, “ Oh bastian, you look absolutely horrible..” his eyes were blood shot and puffy from exhaustion, his clothes were torn, rumpled, and muddy as though he had been crawling around the forest floor   like an alligator. He looked at me and warily said “ I have to find her, I’m all she has” I put all my hatred for him aside at that moment, my emotions, my heart would not let anger or disgust bubble to the surface as I stood here staring into his hopeless face. “ I know” tears welling up again “ Sebastian, I am so sorry, If i had just-” I stopped, his stare cut off my words, the anguish on his face caused me to look down at the twigs below my feet yet again. “ We will find her” i said lifting my head with confidence, and just as quickly it fell upon the ground a third time and only then did i realize that I was in such a hurry to get out of the house i had forgotten to put on my shoes, I didn’t care. We had to start searching immediately, If only the ivory circle were in the sky tonight, i would phase  into my second skin, I would be able to pick up her scent so much easier.Although i was in human form my senses were still severely heightened. She had left hours ago though I couldn’t smell her scent. From what i had been told, I was the last one who had seen her. It was me watching her scarlet rippled hair as she skipped around the corner of the room, going to play our game.

      A deep growl thundered in his chest as he became impatient with my daydreaming, i snapped upward to see him directly in front of me, eyes glaring down his nose. “ Have you picked up her scent tonight?” his faced relaxed “ No one but William has, he’s our best tracker and yet the trail was still very faint.” “ Where were you searching when I called you?” “Just about a mile out” and he pointed weakly to the edge of the woods. “ Then how did you-” “ Get here so fast?” he interrupted. “Yes” i said, “ how did u get here so fast?” “ I could smell you, all the way out there...” he continued “ I smelled you the moment you stepped foot outside of the Mansion, I was already running before you called me. You smell a bit like Raspberries and Musk to me, very inviting... easy to follow” The sorrow resurfaced and spread across his face. Before my tears overflowed again i said “ We’re going to start where you took off then.” I said  softening my voice so it wouldn’t sound like a command, “Right” he replied in a defeated tone in his voice.

     We rushed into the woods not worrying about hitting any fallen limbs or branches on the way, I was going fast enough that even if i did i would not be able to feel it. We stopped in a dark area sometime later, much darker than the rest of the forest, it was very cold but the air was crisp. I remained warm, although i still shook furiously i knew it was not because of the weather. I could hear no sign of anything, no scurrying vermin, crickets, or even the leaves rustling beneath us. I could even no longer hear the waves crashing upon the shore along the lake. It was complete engulfing misery, so much that even our land had absorbed it, and was weeping. I remained silent...

     We searched all night we left no rock, or tree, unturned, calling out to her, longing for an answer that never came. I don’t think that i have ever seen Sebastian act the way that he did that night, and for one second, i felt his Sorrow. It was as if I was grieving for the loss of my own sister. I suppose Patty was something of a younger sister to me, I was there when she was born, I was holding her hand the first time she changed because she was scared, I was the one there along side her brother and she when their parents Demitri and Felicia, and her twin brother Peter died during the flood. After their loss I don’t know how Sebastian is going to survive another tragedy. Patricia  was like the moon that shines on his life, leading him through all he does, without her he will be lost in a very dark, desolate, and lonely world.  

     We left very early the next morning, around 4:00 am, to comb the woods again. We had been near the outer roads leading to the house, the sun high and golden in the middle of the sky,  when we heard some one gasp very loudly, then whimper. Fear filled the surrounding air immediately. Patty!...We took off at once, we followed the fear as if it were a red ribbon signaling us forward. We froze, I couldn’t believe what i was witnessing, all the trees in the entire opening were splattered with blood, and directly in the middle of this clearing was Rafe, the youngest of my brothers, with his arms clasped tightly around his knees, he would not stop sobbing. Rafe has a gift that is very rare, he can touch or feel something and see what has or is going to happen. In this case he had seen something that had absolutely terrified him, and now we were able to see it too... If his visions are strong enough, he can actually drag others, of our kind, into them. That was undoubtedly what was happening now, It seemed so real i could almost taste the blood. I realized what was happening and was at Rafe’s side within a split second. I stroked his cheek trying to snap him out of this haze he seemed unable to escape. He blinked a couple of times and looked at me bewildered, “ What’s going to happen here...?” “ Patty is not lost, she was taken...and this has already happened!”  he said between sobs. I looked around expecting to see the trees normal again, free of blood stains, but it was not. It still blanketed all around surrounding us like a halo of destruction... I was wrong, this is not a vision that he has dragged us into, this is real. “ Something horrific has already happened here?” “YES!” he said loudly “ SOMEONE HAS TAKEN PATTY AND THEY DONT WANT TO GIVE HER BACK!” 

     Rafe and Patty had sworn since the day they laid eyes on one another that they were to be mates, and now his heart was almost literally shattered, mixed in with the blood around us.

     “ Shh, i know, i miss her too. We will find her.” “ It was others,” he continued “ people like us, they stole her from us...” I jumped back horrorstruck. “ Are you saying that it was  a wolf that did this Rafe?” “ wolves Kara”  he growled, looking up at me. “ No one has any reason to harm her though Rafe, you needn’t worry.” his face moved back into his knees, “ Yes i do” he almost began crying again. “ If there is something your not telling us you should let us know now,” i said to him glancing back at my cousin Alexandra, who was with me when we heard Rafe, she was just standing there, staring. “Any information, any at all, no matter how insignificant it may seem it is very, very important, please...” I begged “ It’s nothing you should worry about just yet.” My brother may have been young, but he was very wise, i left it at that. Yet... that word stuck with me the rest of the day. There was something he wasn’t telling me, something very important, possibly the reason she was taken from our pack. She was, after all, very, very young to be going off on her own, and she knows that. She wouldn’t have gone into the woods without a reason...

      A man named Davison walked up to me with a mug full of coffee in hand.He was three years older than myself and second in command to my uncle. We, the pack and myself, had decided that if Patty was taken, then our borders had been breached. So to keep a watchful eye on our land for their return,if they return, William had made groups of two and three of us to take on shifts. Davison, myself, and my cousin Alex had the dawn shift. We had already been up for the past two days and I was exhausted. “ Are you sure you want t do this, you need your sleep” Davison said. “ Patty is like our sister” Alex answered for me, “ of-course she’s sure.” Thank you, Alexandra” i said smiling slightly, and painfully because grief still bombarded my heart, “ and yes i am sure, my cousin is right, I may not sleep again if she does not return.” “ If you do not sleep, then i will be the one along side you.” he said with a loving smile on his lips and a green glimmer in his eye. Suddenly, s spark caught fire deep within my chest for one second, then was extinguished as quickly as it had started.

 

 

 

 

     I walked into the den where Rafe had been staying for quite some time now, he never left to eat or even search, he was just...there, like a ghost of himself.He was sitting at the edge of the bed in my late grandmother’s rocking chair. The room was freezing, I wrapped a blanket around him that i had brought with me from the cabinet in the hall. I could tell that he was searching his visions over once more by the blank sliding of his eyes from side to side. I kissed his cheek and whispered “ we’re hunting tonight, you will have to come with us or you’ll phase and tear up the furniture” a tiny laugh escaped my throat “ then we’re going to search some more” he was paying attention now i could tell. “ What’s the use of hunting when she’s still gone, we always hunt together” “ we still have to eat, plus we need the strength to find her.” i replied. “ It’s been two weeks and-” “ and we still have no reason to believe that she is not unharmed” I interrupted. I smiled at him and said “ Besides, mom says that if your not out there in 5 minutes, she’ll drag you out of here by your scruff...pretty embarrassing if you ask me.” “Well I’m not asking you” he remarked finally looking towards me with his eyes only “ but maybe it will be good for me, clear my mind a bit...”  “ now thats the spirit!” i said with sarcastic enthusiasm. I walked upstairs and announced to my mother, brothers, and uncle that he had agreed to hunt that night. We waited for about ten minutes but he never came down, so i went to tell him we were ready to leave. “Rafe?” i yelled as i walked into the third story den. Although the door was open, he was nowhere within my range of sight. The wall-sized windows were open leading out onto the balcony. I walked out and realized that he had gone alone. When he had said that he would hunt, it didn’t register to me that he meant by himself.

   

Author's Note

Tell me what you think