Werewolf Forest

Werewolf Forest::Chapter 27

Yes I know, I posted again so soon. It’s a miracle. Enjoy every one. The next chapter will be out maybe next week. 

* * *

The sun was beating down on the front yard. The house was as quiet as it had been the day before. We were to leave in two. The crushing force of fear weighed down on everyone, getting heavier and heavier with every second that ticked slowly past.

Connor and I were outside at the benches. He had been on the phone all day, calling in reinforcements. We did not speak of the night before, except for a heart-felt ‘thank you’ this morning. Nothing else needed to be said.

“…alright, I’ll expect you soon…uh huh…bye,” Connor flipped his phone closed and set it down. He picked up a stack of papers and started to rustle through them.

“Connor, if we aren’t going to leave until the day after tomorrow, how do you know Danny won’t just come here and attack us before we leave? Won’t the traitor warn him?” I asked.

He looked over at me with a knowing smirk. “Exactly. The traitor will warn him. I’m counting on it,” I gave him a skeptical look. Seeing that I didn’t understand, he began to explain. “Danny is an exhibitionist if nothing else. He will want this final battle, this final standoff. He will want to stare us down, with his army at his flanks, and show that he doesn’t need sneak attacks to defeat us. And tomorrow I will announce where exactly we will be headed. He will meet us there. He never has been able to turn down a challenge.” Connor rolled his eyes and looked back to his papers.

“You want him to know we’re coming? But we’ll be out numbered. The element of surprise could be our only tactic,” He nodded and put the stack of papers neatly on the table.

“I know. But there was no way around it anyway. So I figured there was no point in hiding it. And think about it this way, when they are informed by the traitor, it will clear your and Davo’s names.”

“How do you figure that?”

“You’ve been with me and Davo has been in the cell. There’s no way either of you could have tipped them off. You see?” His cell phone began to beep and vibrate against the table. “Just a minute,” he picked up his cell phone and flipped it open, placing it to his ear. “Hello?...yeah…already?” He turned around and looked at the tree line. “Alright see you in a sec, ” He flipped the phone closed and looked at me with a smirk. “Maggie, I have a surprise for you.”

“Yo! Maggs!” I flipped around to see Kyle, the one and only leader of the Freedom Fighters, walking out of the tree line, followed by Donnie and Luke. I ran to them and wrapped my arms around Kyle. “How ya doing kid?”

“I’m alright. I can’t believe you guys are actually here!” I let go of Kyle and hugged Luke, then Donnie. “So, how are you, Donald?” I asked a smirk on my face.

“I’m just fine…Margaret.” He arched an eyebrow at me. I slapped the back of his head, making his signature baseball cap fall to the ground. 

“Don’t call me Margaret,” I said, waving my finger at him.

“Then don’t call me Donald,” he retorted poking me in the nose. I chuckled at the old annoyance. Then my smile faded. With my arms still wrapped around Donnie’s neck, I leaned back so I could look at his face. “I heard about Brenan, Jared, and Taylor.”

 He looked down. “Yeah…”

I let go of Donnie and looked to each of them, their faces sullen. “Wait…” I began, my stomach sinking. “Where’s Carter?” Kyle gave me a pointed look. Understanding, I nodded.

“They got him to.” It wasn’t a question. Luke nodded.

“Hey…” Kyle put his finger under my chin and lifted my face up. “He went down fighting. He wouldn’t want you to dwell on the bad things. We’re all together again, so let’s treat this like the reunion it is, not a funeral.”

“You’re right,” I said, a sad smile on my lips. “Come on inside, we can get something to eat.”

Connor followed us inside and into the kitchen. As we got lunch, we reminisced over old times. We told embarrassing stories about each other, made fun of all our mistakes and fumbles. We laughed at Donnie for taking almost a year to learn how to throw a knife correctly. We laughed at me for secretly following them when I was told not to go on a mission. All our old tales and memories were laid out like a movie of our past. All our fallen comrades were remembered as if they were sitting there with us. But something was missing. Andrew was nowhere to be seen. In all our reminiscing, we were one short. They knew something was wrong, but none of them voiced it. Kyle gave me a knowing look, but said nothing. He would probably find Andrew and ask him. But for that moment, I allowed myself to be lost in the memories, in the laughter. I made myself forget the empty feeling, no matter how hallowing it was.

* * *

It was late. Elli was lying asleep in her bed, much like everyone else in the house. Reinforcements had been showing up all day. Tents were set up in the yard for them. I spent most of the day with Kyle, Luke, and Donnie. But for most of it, I wasn’t all there. My mind was wandering through my past, leaving the present for the living.

I looked to the window. The moon was almost full as it shone bright in the sky. The stars glittered the black sky behind it. It stared at me, calling to me. I opened the window and breathed in the crisp night air. I needed to go out. I needed some space. I scribbled down a note on a spare piece of paper for Elli to find if she woke up to find me gone.

The wind felt good against my wings. The air flew through the feathers, gently lifting me. I stretched out my arms letting the cool air engulf me. The wind tussled my hair, which was beginning to grow out again. I looked up at the moon once more, flying higher and higher towards it. The air became thin and my lungs began to constrict. I closed my wings and let myself fall. I fell further and further, plummeting toward the ground. At the last moment I snapped open my wings, my feet just barley brushing the tops for the trees. Then I just rode the wind, letting it take me where it would. I looked down, watching the trees pass under me. A small path twined through the trees, like a snake crawling in the grass.

There was a small figure walking along the path. I swooped down to get a closer look.

Andrew.

I flew down to the path in front of him. He barely reacted to me, just stopped and looked at the ground.

“Andrew…” I whispered, unable to say anything else.

He looked up and we shared a glance for a moment, one single moment. His piercing gaze seemed tortured and hateful. He turned away, breaking the trance, and walked past me. I flew into the air again and landed in front of him, blocking his path.

“What do you want?” he mumbled, his face still lowered.

“Andrew, why are you being like this?” I asked, walking closer to him.

“You know damn well why,” He seethed, his eyes narrowing to all but slits as they cut into me. The green of his eyes might as well have been as red as hot iron. I had never seen them like that.

“I’m sor–”

“Don’t,” he interrupted me, putting his hand up for me to stop. “Just…don’t.”

I sighed, “Why did you retract you vouch?” He looked down and his shoulders sagged. His face changed from anger to shame.

“Look, you made your decision, and we’ll both have to live with that, but I just…” he licked his lips. “I need time. I can’t be around you right now. I’m sorry…Margaret…” He turned around and started heading back to the house. He didn’t look back. Not once. My stomach sank.

He called me Margaret.

He never called me Margaret. Not since the day that we met. I started running in the opposite direction. The ground flew beneath my feet and before I knew it, I was running on all fours. I sprinted through the forest, not caring about the thorns digging into my pelt. I just kept running. I came to a clearing. There was a small pond where the moon reflected like a pearl in the sky. I reached my nose up to it and howled. It echoed against the hills, reverberating throughout the forest. More howls answered me, serenading the glowing moon.