Red Riding Hood

Chapter Thirty: "New Beginnings"

Jack stayed snuggled against Mark to get as close to him as he could without hurting him. His adrenaline was wearing off. Leaving him sore and tired. He did his best to stay awake, but his new body had been exposed to so much that he just wanted to lay down and calm down. Mark's padded hand pet his back, helping his body to relax. It was almost painful to feel his every muscle loosen up. He hadn't released how tense he was. When his whole body finally eased up, he whimpered a little as he realized he was trembling. Mark adjusted to lay on his back, his head resting along his shoulders. Closing his eyes, Jack tried to force himself to nap, but couldn't. His silky ears were the only thing that gave away the fact that he was still awake. They flicked and moved to listen to every sound. He heard it all so clearly that it was distracting him. The smallest creak of a floorboard was enough to make him restless. Even the new smells that filled his nose was a bit overwhelming. He didn't understand how Mark could act so natural in this form. It was so much to process in any given moment. Mark licked one of his silky ears again, rubbing his muzzle against him. For a short time, it got his ears to stop moving, but before long they were back to twitching.

He could hear his grandmother talking to people and wanted to speak to her himself but couldn't bring himself to ask the millions of questions rushing through him. When she moved closer to prepare the stew, Jack opened his eyes and peeked at her over his arms that he was resting on. His Granny moved slowly and carefully as she put ingredients in a boiling pot of water over the fire. When she finally glanced at him, she asked nicely. "You've gotten so big. I've missed you." Lifting his head, he asked her tentatively. "What's happened to me? To you? I... I was so worried about you..." Granny reached out to put a padded hand on his head, sweetly telling him. "There is so much I wanted to tell you... but you were so young." Sitting like a large dog beside the fireplace, she straightened up and regaled clearly. "We come from a long line of witches known as Moonchildren. Most of us live ordinary human lives. However, during a Hunter's Moon that only comes around once in the fall. A Moonchild can become something more. On any other night, your blood would cure a werewolf of their gift. However, on a Hunter's Moon, one bite and you become a special kind of werewolf."

Mark sat up a bit stiffly and Jack sat up with him to see her better. His Granny sighed, informing him with loving eyes. "There are very few White Werewolves left. My husband was once the Alpha of Lupine... but when we moved to the city, we left Mark's grandfather in charge here and broke off to start anew. Things did not go as planned. My coven... My Pack... was slaughtered when Darcy sought us out. He was very territorial and being a Hunter... he took pleasure in hunting others of his own kind. Your father blindly helped them... until only I was left, and he saw for himself what we were." Jack shrugged, asking softly. "Didn't dad know? Isn't he a... moonchild?" Shaking her head, Granny reluctantly answered. "Not since he was a young boy. Your father... was attacked by a werewolf. Left scars on him. He lost a lot of blood. The strange pale doctor there replaced his blood with blood from another. It saved his life... but he lost his gift. The saddest moment in my life was telling him that he couldn't be life us. I tried to make him a werewolf at the very least... but it seems the incident he suffered as boy has made him immune." Hanging his head, she exhaled heavily, her ears falling down across her head as she sadly added. "In my grief, I sought to kill Hunters and only made things worse for your father. It was a low point in my life..."

Her ears slowly perked up though as she looked up at him and sweetly said in a hopeful voice. "Until you were born. You are very special, and you will change our kind forever. Once you were born, I had to bring you here. Bring you home where our Pack was. But Darcy followed. Joined a rogue Pack and plotted to get you. To kill you. To keep his own lover from using you against him... against our kind. When the Hunter's Moon rose, I came to get you. To take you here and explain before... biting you to save you." Jack flinched, whining out. "But dad... almost shot you." She nodded, lifting a padded hand to show how her hand shook now and the joints popped softly from age. Putting her padded hand down, she grimly informed him. "It took everything I had to sneak in with Arlynn to get you and their children... but I failed. I saw how scared you were, and I couldn't force you. I couldn't put you in danger of getting hurt. So, I left... and unfortunately age is slowing me down. It's harder for me to hunt... It's harder to evade capture... As every Hunter's Moon came and went... I felt more and more like... staying safe at home. Afraid to be put down like a dog and expose our family to the village... I'm sorry..."