Odin's Prize

Fog

Bristling fur, with lifted fang at the doorway filling the space out so no one can get by, nothing is getting in either. Uncle Grey in the hallway just watching the breakdown of my mom, Aunt Meela trying to talk to her but the wolf has no intention of listening.

She's lost inside herself, darken eyes devoid of her humanity, nature strumming through her wild now. Again she lifts her head up in the room, while I cover my ears to the pain that's flowing out from her singular howl as if asking the moon why?

This is the first time witnessing despair.

"I'm sorry mom." Again the words coming out because this is all my fault.

"Charlie, this isn't your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for." Dad just keeps repeating these words while holding my shoulders with his hands looking into my eyes with the importance of what he's trying to get through my head.

"I'm sorry, dad." His words just aren't sinking in like they always had before. Rocking me as if I'm two again, instead of thirteen. Mom's wolf pawing me on the leg before putting her muzzles on my lap, low whines escaping from the base of her throat telling me of her unhappy language.

I've never heard my mother's wolf whine before; I feel as if I'm hurting the ones who love me the most just by all their reactions to me and it's as if I'm cursed.

Turmoil

Uncle Thomas yelling at all the kids to go back to their rooms but not before the twins' eyes find the cut on my face and stare at it as if it's the only thing they can now see about me. Shamus's looking rattled while he's holding his brother's hand providing comfort for each other.

"Let's go downstairs." Aunt Meela herding all the young ones up, marching them downstairs as the wolf starts her rage again.

No sleep for anyone, because the vibration of disturbance is terrorizing.

Breakfast smells slowly drifting up from the kitchen as the house can't go back to sleep, plates being put on the table while my mom is slowly emerging from madness.

Once shifted she presses herself against my dad's side, while he holds the both of us close. Throbbing pain is making me whimper only to add more tears to her face.

So I stop my crying.

"I am going to break him, piece by piece." My mother's voice is coming out through gritted teeth, jaw muscles flexing.

"Victoria, we need to try to be calm. Think this through before we kill him. He's her mate if we do that she could come to hate us forever." He's looking down at her holding her eyes.

"If we don't kill him she might hate us forever." Her voice is embracing her malice she feels.

A soft sigh from my father while his hand is rubbing my mom's back.

"Are you calmed down enough for the doctor to look at her?" Placing a soft kiss on her face before looking at her in the eyes with a softest he only shows to her.

"Yes."

"Now put that robe back on, and I'll call him in here." Directions are given because she looks too shaken up to think.

Once she's dressed, my dad stands me up to face the doctor who opens up his backpack full of things that look very interesting but not as interesting as Lana's books that she lets me leaf through whenever I visit her house that smells as if it's the most familiar place in the world.

"Let's see what's going on here." His hands are sure of themselves, face in gentle concentration even with my mother breathing down his neck.

"We won't do stitches; we'll just use these sterri-strips to close it up. The best thing about this is it doesn't hurt. You just have to hold still alright Charlie." Nodding my head like a big girl, closing my eyes until he's done. Not making a sound because I understand how my cries affect mom. I don't want to cause her any more distress than I already have.