Demonic Regime

Chapter 1: Cattle

I nodded. "He didn't hurt me."

My dad checked my arm to find redden skin. "I'll send your mother into check on you."

"Okay."

He patted my head and went back out to see what the werewolves wanted. The brown one was not from around here. My father was always the one to deal with the overseers. I leaned back and stared at the ceiling. Closing my eyes, I tried to ignore the pulsing pain that came from my arm. My condition was getting worse. I glanced at my chair to see my notebook fallen over into the seat. Rolling it closer, I grabbed it and my pen. Peering out the window, I finished the thought:

Slaves to the wolves.

No better than cattle.

***

"How are you feeling?" my mother finished wrapping my arm.

"I'm fine, Mom."

"Your father said one lifted you in the air."

"So? Everyone in this family has had worse run in with the werewolves. He wasn't trying to hurt me."

She sighed. "Jax, please just tell me if something wrong."

"I will."

She hugged me. "I need to start dinner. Do you want to come in the kitchen with me, or stay here?"

"I'm fine here."

"Okay." She pushed my hair off my forehead. "Just yell if you need anything."

I nodded and relaxed back against the couch. Pots and pans being taken out of the cupboards sounded soon after. I was thankful for the pack I was born into, but I also hated the werewolf. Humans of the south were free, while my family belonged to Midfield. It was better than Northern Ridge. The northern lands were cold, and the work was harder. I'd be dead if I had been born on Wolfsbane land. Humans were property and only valued on what they can do. Humans like me were killed. Some of the humans in our town has been sold to Midfield because they weren't strong enough.

It wasn't much of a life, though. I was young when my legs stopped working, and little by little more of my body started to shut down. My parents were hopeful, but I felt my life was starting to come to an end. At least with me gone, it would lessen the burden on my family.

The door slammed open, shaking the whole house. I jumped as my mother hurried from the kitchen.

"No!" yelled Jedrek. "I'm not going. Those mutts can't make ship me off like this."

My mother ran over and hushed him. "Please, Jed. Keep your voice down. You'll be punished if they hear you."

"Let them hear!" yelled my brother. "Let them all hear. I'm tired of being a mongrels pet." He marched up the stairs.

Richard entered with my father. "I'll talk to him."

My mother nodded as she looked to her husband. "What did the overseer want?"

"They want to lease the twins to Northern Ridge. To the cut lumber. It's just for the rest of the summer, and then they will come back."

"What about the farm?" My mother clutched her chest. "If we fall behind.."

"Don't worry, Amanda." He kissed her cheek. "They are going to send some of the others to help us. We'll be fine. Maggie is old enough to know to run most of the machinery by herself. We'll take care of the farm, and the boys will get to come back. They assured me there would come home before the first snowfall."

My parents moved into the dining room. Maggie entered and seemed confused by why the door was open. Closing it, she looked up stairs where Jedrek's voice could clearly be heard. The redhead temper was showing. Then again excepted for the girls in this family we were all redheads, and none of us had a temper like Jed.