The Wolves

Awaken Children

Jack found himself deep into the woods, he put down his sword and shield as he lay on the moss covered earth. The soft dirt floor bringing nature's scent to his noise. He could smell everything, pine, dirt, water, stone and grass. The dead leaves that started to fall from their high up branches reminded him.

"I wish I could stay here forever... I can breath here." Jack said to himself as he closed his eyes as he took a deep breath.

This was how most days from then on went. Jack would disappear into the forest and be free from the world he didn't belong in. His sister lost herself in her story telling, her father being her only listener until Jack walked inside at a late hour. But then there came a day where the sun had set, it was well into the winter months now. Audrey told her father about her day at school and as she finished her school work and looked up, she noticed that Jack's things had went untouched, She hadn't heard him come in, or seen him eat anything at dinner time. She went in their room and found nothing there. She started to worry and then went to see her father outside.

She braced herself as the cold cut through her clothes with a sharp whistle of the wind that came down from the North.

"Father, is jack out here with you?" She asked as she closed the door to the garage behind her. He looked up from his small fire and his face filled with worry.

"He came home from school today, right?" He asked as she nodded frantically.

"Yes, his bag is inside and I checked the house, he isn't there... Is he still out in the forest?" She asked as his face drained.

"There's a blizzard coming tonight, I heard it on the radio today at work... He can't stay out there all night, he'll freeze to death." He said as he took up his coat.

"Where are you going?" She asked as she watched him step outside.

"I'm going to find him, you stay here. Be safe, I don't need to look for you too." He said as she nodded and stayed in her place.

Earlier that day Jack's day hadn't been going so well. Audrey had found herself a small group of friends. Girls that were considered odd due to their backgrounds. But Jack hadn't found any friends in his time here. He was having a ruff week already, not with his school work but with the male students. One boy had tried to cut Jack's hair while he was sitting behind him. Jack had nearly stabbed the boy with the scissors when he saw them coming towards him. He had been threatened and some jocks had tried to beat him up. He fared well for a little bit until they overpowered him.

He found himself sore and bloody after that event. He cleaned himself off and felt something inside him shift. He stood at the sink in the boy's restrooms washing his face. But then he felt his stomach twist as he then turned to run into a stall.

He heaved but yet nothing came forth from his system. He felt pain and hate at the same time. After a while, he heard the bell ring. He brought himself to go to class but as he left the bathroom he was stopped by what he caught glimpse of in the mirror. His reflection had managed to change for a split second in his view. He touched his face. Nothing had changed but his hair did. It had been a bright strawberry blond before today and now it held more of a red undertone. Nothing too drastic but it was enough for him to notice the color change. As he walked back to his class he wondered if Audrey had been getting the same change.

It was normal for him and Audrey to compare their looks, for most of their lives even their parents couldn't tell them apart. There were days in their toddler years and young childhood that their mother or father had dressed them in each other's clothes. One day it had been Astrid who spent the day dawning a pair of pants and it was Ulf that wore her dress. It wasn't until bath time came that night that the children had a good laugh when their parents realized that they had spent the whole day being unaware that they were mistaken.