Chapter 2
Reading the first page I discover it’s someone else journal. Shutting it torn. It was sent to me to read but it’s someone’s journal. But it’s old so whoever wrote it is dead. Screw it the note said, “I hope you find your answers” or whatever. Grabbing it and opening it.
To my beloved Easter on your 18th birthday. I hope the world blesses you the way you’ve blessed me.
Love dad.
Aw, that’s so sweet. I wonder who they are? Pulling my phone out I do a Google search. Do you know how many Easter's there are? To many. There I go again jumping the gun. Picking the journal back up.
Dear Diary,
Today I turned 18 and papa gave you to me. I know it had to cost him a lot so I will cherish you forever. I will tell you all my dearest secrets. Even ones I’m not supposed to tell anyone.
I started to feel dizzy as I was reading a feeling of being sucked through a straw. Blinking I look around confused. I’m standing in the middle of the forest. No not standing sitting on a limb of a big oak tree. But where?
“Easter.” A sweet childlike voice yells. Looking around confused. Sniffing the air and nothing but my room. A hand lands on my shoulder. Yelping and jumping I fall backward out of the tree. Gasping for breath when a young girl looks down at me. “Easter stupid what are you doing? Did not hear me calling for you? Mama and papa said it was time to pack up. Let’s go.” She holds her hand out to me. Still confused when my hand reaches up on its own taking her hand. “your getting good at sneaking soon papa will start with bells. That’s harder to get past “ “I watched you fail for years I’ll do fine.” She sticks her tongue out and runs off. Grabbing my journal I take off after Elisabeth. “your dead when I catch you” I yell. Both of us giggled being way too loud.
Growls stop us in our tracks. Looking around several wolves step out of the woods. I had been too busy playing around that I dropped my guard. I should have smelt them. The rot that flows off us all. Well not all of us. My papa is the head of our small family so we smell more like wet dirt or that’s what mama says.
Holding up my hands using my journal as a shield. “please we were just passing by. We didn’t mean to bother you.” I stammer out as Elisabeth jumps behind me. She's still a year away from her first shift so it’s me against 1,2,3.. ..six rogues, ya that’s great odds. This is one of the times I wish we were pack wolves. Pack wolves can link for help, rogues can’t. Praying to the goddess that one will shift so we can talk. But I don’t see a lot of smarts with this bunch.
The rogue in front of me pins his ears back lowering to the ground and pulling his tale under him. Confused I sniffed the air all I smell is rot. Seeing the other wolves doing the same I glance over my shoulder. My shoulders drop in relief. “papa.” I breathe Elisabeth spins running to our father. “so what kind of trouble are my troublemakers getting into? And who are your new friends?” now I’m sure you are curious as to why my father is joking around in the middle of a group of rogues. That’s easy my father is the size of a bear. He’s a big man and that’s not even his wolf form.
“not friends papa they were gonna eat us.” Elisabeth excitedly yells. Looking over at them papa tilts his head. “you girls go on back to camp help your mother pack up.” “yes, papa.” There are times when you can be stubborn and times you just listen the trick is to know when to do what. Elisabeth started to open her mouth. I slapped my hand over her mouth pulling her along with me. “shut up” I hiss. She licked my palm. “gross” pulling my hand away and shaking the spit off.
Getting to camp we hurry to help pack up everything in the large bags we carry in wolf form. Sarabeth rides on my back since I shifted that’s until she shifts. Why are we packing up and moving? Papa said this is not the right spot. He’s been searching for the right spot for years. My father said when he turned sixteen he felt a pull so he’s been following it since he turned eighteen. He found my mother not too long after he left his pack. She could have rejected my father. The goddess knows her father begged her to. But my mother accepted my father and joined him on his hunt for the perfect place. They had me then Elisabeth three years later. Mother suffered the loss of a pup between us. It was unexpected painless and fast. Father believes there had been a defect in the pup that our healing could not fix so it terminated.
All that’s left I’d to strip and shift. Elisabeth will gather our clothes and put them in her bag. Waiting for papa to get back was the hardest part. I wanted to go and find out what is taking so long but I know better.
Pacing back and forth when I hear his foot steps coming “papa I’m sooooo” my sentence catching as six men fall behind my father. “girls Mary this is James, John, Jacob, Luke, Luther, and Landon they were thrown out of their packs due to not wanting to fight each other for titles. The jays are from out east the els are from the south. They are sixteen and seventeen. What do you boys have to say for yourselves?” they drop their heads “we are sorry to have scared you. We smelt meat and well.” He shrugs grinning slightly. Looking at my father he nods crossing my arms I huff. He growls I shake my head his eyes glow red. I gulp. “we accept. Thank you for admitting your mistakes.” I say glaring at my father.
Nodding “good. Okay boys you carry the bags. When we get to our next campsite I will teach you to hunt. More mouths to feed we all chip in. Right?” he growls the last out we all gulp nodding. My mother laughs “Joseph stop scaring the pups. Or I’ll tell them about our first year together.” My mother scolds. “Mary you're under a blood oath never to talk about that year.” My father pales. My mother smirks. “alright kids shift boys over there girls over here no peaking. Elisabeth gathers all the clothes up so one of the boys can carry the bag. Right?” “yes, ma’am.” They all nod. Great that’s gonna go to her head. Storming off to shift.
