I killed her. You did well, but could have done better.
“Shut up!” I shouted to my annoying subconscious, “Shut up!” I looked at Ronda’s body and her bloody shoulder. Look what I have done to her; I had killed another human.
She was a Hag. I don’t care! All I know is that she was once a human, and I killed her! It’s my fault! Yes it is.
“Shut up,” I said again, and shuddered. It was freezing cold, even with my fur. The snow covered the hills, and soon it covered Ronda’s entire body.
I had killed a Vampire. Yes. Now that you have killed both a human and a Vampire, the Valley of Darkness is over. Find Fort Wolfgang, and they will accept you.
But the truth be told, I didn’t want to go back to Fort Wolfgang. I didn’t care if I ever saw Payton or Lacy again. What good have they done me?
They are your tools to survive. I’m not going to use my friends as tools! But they are your friends. You need them. They need you.
I sighed. My stupid werewolf side would never give in, and I knew it. As long as I was a werewolf, the voice would always be there.
Go back to Fort Wolfgang. I am sure that Wolfgang will be pleased.
Over my dead body.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps. They were coming toward me, the snow crunching under the person’s foot. Was there another person here?
The sun spit out from the east and slowly brightened the mountain, and with my extra sensitive hearing, I could tell that the footsteps were about a half mile away. Man, don’t you just love being a werewolf?
Exactly.
Shut up. That was a rhetorical question. I heard the werewolf voice smirk, and the footsteps drew nearer. The snow was getting brighter and brighter, and I decided to keep my werewolf body. I needed all of the warmth I could get.
Now that you have a choice, you would rather be a werewolf? I am impressed.
Will you just shut up? I’m not talking to you! I sighed and hated that little voice even more.
Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I started to run for the footsteps, warming up my leg muscles and getting my blood flowing. When my body heat started to take over, I rushed down the mountain as fast as I could.
The wind flying through my fur really felt good. The snow really added some chill, but it was like a boost to keep going. I had to find out who was coming up the mountain, because I felt that it was for me. I just knew it.
Suddenly, the footsteps stopped and shuffled backwards. I slid to a halt and panted, with my tongue hanging out and all. Man, running could be really hard sometimes. But anyhow, it felt good to run fast. I hadn’t done it for quite some time.
I barked, trying to find out who was coming up the mountain. The footsteps started again, and got faster and faster until they reached me.
With one glance of a head, I knew that it was Bart.
You know, Bart, the guy that I thought was kidnapping me. Yeah, well he poked his head out of the frozen bush, and his eyes widened.
“Landon!” he said in a very hoarse whisper. I nodded my head and ran up to him, looking at his gray eyes.
The last time that I had seen Bart, he looked round and cheery, but now his face was hard and pale. The blood seemed to have drained out of his face, and he was now like…deathly. I don’t really know how to explain it, but he looked like he had just seen a ghost.
I looked up at him, trying to get him to answer some of my questions. I particularly didn’t want to transform into my naked self standing in front of him, so I just hoped that he could answer my questions.
Bart said, “Landon, we’ve been looking all over for you! Come on! Wolfgang said that you have finished your Trials. That’s good, but there is also some bad news.”
He ushered me to go the way that he had just come from, and I followed him. My breathing started to slow down from my run, and I listened closely.
“Payton’s been hurt. I mean, really hurt. Our doctors are trying to do all they can, but it isn’t much. He is in a great deal of pain and seems to be a mute now. He won’t talk to anyone. We don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
My mouth hung open as he said this, and I couldn’t get a grasp of what he was saying. Payton was hurt? How?
“He came in, the day before yesterday and he looked completely horrible. His clothes were drenched and he had cuts and bruises. His shirt was torn open, and his arm was broken. We took Payton to the medical center, and tried to fix him, but like I’ve said, there isn’t much we can do.”
Bart said all of this kind of fast, so I couldn’t really understand what was going on. I tried to ask him, “What was Payton doing before this,” but it came out in barks. Bart looked at me and said, “I have brought some clean clothes for you. You can transform now, if you like.”
I stopped as he pulled out his bag that he had slung around his arm, and fiddled around for a moment, until he brought out jeans and a black T-shirt, along with a black hoodie.
I nodded and set them on the ground, and started to transform back to my original self.
“Where was Payton before he came to Fort Wolfgang?” I asked feeling rushed because Bart was walking really fast, and I was really tired.
Bart sighed and said, “Wolfgang sent him on a mission. He must have found out that he was going to help you with the Trials. You probably don’t know that that is strictly against werewolf policy. A werewolf is to fend for himself when in his Trials. If Payton had been caught helping you, he would have been killed.”
Wasn’t that what Lacy had said in the note? She was taking a great risk just writing me a note. Oh boy, I really hoped that Lacy was all right.
“So, where was he?” I asked again.
“He was in these mountains, searching for a Vampire or Witch colony.” Bart said, walking even faster.
“Did he ever find them?” I asked, wanting to know more. Bart was silent for a moment, and I thought that he had not heard me, so I asked the question again.
“Oh, sorry. Uh, no, well, that’s not completely true. I told you that Payton has been a mute ever since he came back. We don’t know if he ever did. Whatever happened to him must have scared him, or else he would be talking. I don’t know why he’s not…” Bart said, and got lost in wonder.
What was wrong with Payton? Nothing could have scared him that bad! I mean, come on, I have seen some really scary things lately, but I haven’t turned into a mute!
I thought about Payton and Lacy and wondered why they had risked their life to save me. Could I really have made a friendship that strong? I mean, I haven’t even known Lacy for more than a week, and she is risking her life to save my butt! What is wrong with these people?
“Why are you here?” I asked Bart, as we crossed a stream. I was getting really tired of walking, especially with absolutely no sleep. Heck, I can’t even remember the last time I’ve slept!
“Wolfgang told me to come and get you. He had told me that you had killed a human and a Vampire, and that was all that the Valley of Darkness asked of you. You are very lucky that a Vampire was so close to you. It usually takes weeks to complete that Trial.” Bart told me.
“No, it wasn’t lucky that she was around me! I didn’t even want to kill her!” I shouted to him, and stopped walking. He turned around to face me, and I noticed his face was pale and ragged looking.
“Landon, you are going to have to accept the ways of our people,” he said slowly.
“No! I don’t want to be like you! I want to be normal!” I yelled, hoping that I could finally be rid of my stupid werewolf body and that annoying killer voice.
“Once a werewolf –” he started.
“Always a werewolf, I know! I’ve heard it a billion times! Just shut up and leave me alone! I’m going home,” I said, really annoyed. I turned on my heel and stomped in the opposite direction, while Bart continued to stare at me, with his eyebrows raised.
I was wondering when Bart would said, “Wait! You can’t leave!”
He never did. It really surprised me, because I knew that Payton wouldn’t allow me just to storm off like that. He would have kept me, even fought me. But Bart never called me.
Now what do I do? I stopped walking and looked back to where I had left Bart. The old man had continued walking, this time alone. He wasn’t at that spot anymore.
Can I go down this mountain and go to the town? I could pretend like I’m a normal person!
But you aren’t normal.
I jumped. Oh, you freaking voice! Will you just shut up and leave me alone! Be like Bart! Just walk away!
You can’t walk away from your destiny.
I paused. What destiny? I have no ‘destiny.’ That’s only for religion.
Destiny. Fate. Call it what you will. You have one, and you need to complete it before time runs out.
Before time runs out? Huh…what is this, some kind of riddle or something?
Before you die. You have to complete your destiny before you die.
Yeah, and I plan to fly around the world before I die also.
I sighed and continued on, ignoring my stupid voice.
Turn around.
Make me. I laughed at my own joke and closed my eyes. I suddenly pictured Ronda, and her husband. What had I done?
Do you realize what you have become?
Shut up. I don’t want to talk about them.
You are a werewolf. You aren’t normal anymore. If you go into town, do you really think that Wolfgang and Payton will just forget about you? You are in a prophecy. They want you dead.
Payton wouldn’t want to kill me. No way. He said he would die for me.
What if Wolfgang told him to? Payton has never been known to disobey a direct order from Wolfgang. Payton could kill you just as easily as Wolfgang could. Face the facts. If you go into town you die.
But if I go back to Fort Wolfgang, I also die. The next Trial sounds just as difficult. I’d rather just forget about it all.
“Landon!” I heard a voice cry.
“About time!” I muttered, and ran towards Bart’s voice.
Bart knew that I would come running towards him the moment that he called. I did too, because really, deep down inside of me, I knew that I needed someone to help me. Friends really did affect and help me.
“Knew you would come back,” Bart said to me when I stopped in front of him. I nodded and looked at my snow covered feet. Considering that it was winter in Canada, I wasn’t that cold.
“Well, let’s go. We need to get back to Fort Wolfgang. It’s only another couple of miles from here.” Bart said, and started walking, with me behind him.
We traveled in silence, and I really didn’t know what to do. So many things had happened. Every thing was being rushed. Like that movie Rush Hour. Everything happened so quickly.
Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that I had been snug in my bed, with no worries of Vampires or werewolves?
Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that Courtney refused to go out with me?
Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that my parents and Celeste were killed in a fire?
I sighed and asked Burt, “Why did they put me way out here? I mean, for the Trials. Why way out here?”
Bart answered, “Wolfgang wanted you the farthest away from civilization as possible. He didn’t want you anywhere near Fort Wolfgang.”
“What is up with him?” I asked Bart, “Why does Wolfgang hate me? Couldn’t he just like be nice to me, like Payton?”
“Wolfgang is a leader. He can’t be ‘nice’ to anyone. He has to follow the werewolf standards and codes.”
I shook my head. Werewolf standards…ha! There isn’t even such a thing!
“It’s just up here,” Bart said to me, later on. Now my feet were freezing, and water had soaked my socks. The snow was melting, and everything was turning slushy. Even Bart’s shoes were all muddy and wet.
Bart forced himself up another couple of feet, and then stopped.
“Do you hear that? That is the waterfall!”
Fort Wolfgang had been built around a waterfall. Jonathan had told me on the tour of Fort Wolfgang.
“Yeah, I hear it,” I said, not really caring anymore. I wanted to get away, but I couldn’t. I needed Lacy. I needed Payton. Heck, I needed Bart!
“Come on. We’re almost there,” Bart replied, and started walking once again.
Once we had approached the might fort, the werewolf guards came and escorted us up to the front of Fort Wolfgang. One of the guards was growling with his deep, soft voice, as if threatening me. The werewolves probably didn’t like me, just like their leader.
“Just to let you know,” Bart whispered to me as we followed the guards into the fort, “the guards and staff members helping out here are loyal to Wolfgang. They eat what Wolfgang eats. They like what Wolfgang likes. Wolfgang doesn’t like you, so they will not like you. Just be careful who you talk to, all right?”
I nodded and one of the guards motioned us to go through a pair of doors, and as we passed him, the guard glared at me.
“I want to see Payton,” I said, the instant that I walked through the doors. Beyond the entrance doors was the hall that separated into the Dining Hall and the rooms. There were some other halls, but I couldn’t remember them right now.
“I don’t know if he is allowed to see anyone. I haven’t seen him for a whole day.” Bart replied in a hushed whisper.
“I don’t care! I want to see him!” I said, urging him.
Bart stopped and looked at me. His face was even paler if that could even be possible.
“You can’t see him right now, ok? I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to go and check up on Payton to make sure that he is stable. And besides, he won’t speak to anyone,” Bart told me quietly.
He’ll speak to me. I just know it. I didn’t say that out loud though. Deep down, I knew that Payton would talk to me. He was most likely just waiting for me. He probably knew something that he wanted me to know! I had to find out what it was!
“Just – just stay here, all right? I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Bart told me, and then walked down the hall, and turned right.
I decided to follow him, and I did. I crept very silently and slowly, so that he couldn’t see where I was. Why did he need to go see Payton in the first place? Why could he just bring me along?
So many questions, so few answers.
Suddenly, I heard a gasp, and I turned around.
“Lacy!” I cried, and then Bart turned around and saw me.
“Landon! I told you to stay back there!” he shouted at me, and then ran off in another direction. I didn’t care though, because Lacy was now running up to me, tears swelling in her eyes.
“Landon! Oh, Landon!” she said, her voice muffled in tears. Her black hair flew back as she ran, and when she reached me, Lacy embraced me as hard as she could.
I returned the favor and hugged her back. She was literally trying to squeeze my guts out! I laughed and Lacy put her head on my shoulder. We held each other for a moment until she said, “Landon, I have been worried sick about you!”
I laughed and replied, “I have been too. But it’s ok. I’m here now. I finished the Trial.”
She laughed and pulled me closer. Her cries were muffled in my ear, and it drowned everything else out.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, and pulled myself away. She shook her head and pulled me back to her.
“I – I was just so worried for you. And – and some other things. I mean, did you get that note I gave you?”
I nodded and said, “Yeah, I did. It was a big help.”
She sighed heavily and said, “Good. I’m glad. As soon as I gave it to you, Wolfgang saw me, and I had to run and hide.”
I gasped and pulled back, but only to be pulled closer to her by Lacy’s firm grip.
“Landon,” she said, tears spilling out of her eyes, “Landon, Payton is dying!”
Landon is having very realistic self conflicts which add to the story's quality. Wow. I can't wait until the next chapter! you gave the reader a lot to think about in this one. great job!
I did however, find quite a few tense/grammar issues which should be taken care of. Here is one example:
Gender:
Points: 7740
Reviews: 713