Jack rubbed his hand, looking around uneasily. No one had seen what he'd done that he could tell. Making his way to retrieve the dagger, he stashed it into his boot and pulled out the arrows. When Geralf looked back at him, he told him with a reluctant sigh. "That's enough for today. I have other things to attend to. You may go home." Jack nodded, setting the arrows down and starting to rush for the gate. Just as he opened it, Geralf grabbed his arm. Jack tensed, curling his hand into the sleeve of his red cloak more in the hopes of hiding the wound across his palm. Geralf leaned a bit closer to him, whispering firmly. "Go straight home, boy. I'll know if you stray. And should any wolves come for you in the night... Let me know. We're on the same side now. Right?" Jack nodded but made no eye contact with him. Geralf snapped his fingers toward a man nearby. Handing off the item to Geralf, Geralf handed it to Jack, sweetly telling him. "Here. You dropped this in the woods. The contents... didn't make it. But I'm told the men liked it." Accepting the basket, Jack looked it over and uttered out a bit flatly. "Thank you." The second Geralf released him, Jack quickly walked away.
While heading through the little village, Jack slowed down and listened to the crunching of snow behind him. Upon stopping to glance back, he saw a man duck into the shadows. Sighing softly, Jack continued on his way. Geralf really wasn't going to let him out of sight this time around. He was having him followed. Reaching his house, he hesitated to go up the steps. After fighting with his parents, he wasn't in the mood to return. Turning slightly, he thought he might go back to the bakery, but found himself anxiously standing in place. The people in town were watching him with guarded eyes. Some averted their eyes and those of their kids. While others peered at him from their windows like he was a monster. One of the women passing by quickly dashed to the other side of the path, grumbling out sourly. "Witch-child." Pulling his hood forward to hide his face, he rolled his eyes. This only confirmed it. This town sucked. Gossip was practically a life sentence in shame. Walking up the steps of the porch, Jack raised a hand to knock but the door was yanked open. In the doorway, his dad started to snap out. "If you tell me there is yet again nothing you can do, Mayor, I'm gonna shove my gun up your-!"
His dad stopped talking, his expression changing as he looked him over. Reaching out, his dad put his hands on his shoulders, asking in a shaken voice. "Jack? Oh my... Are you alright? What happened? Where have you been?!" Jack opened his mouth to answer but didn't even get a word out before his mom rushed out to hug him tightly. The air was squeezed from his lungs, until his dad ushered them inside and glared out at the nosy neighbors. Slamming the door, his dad turned and asked him a bit frantically. "Jack, did he hurt you? Did the wolves get you?" Prying himself from his clinging mother, Jack backed away from them in order to tell them calmly. "I'm fine. No one did anything. I was just... hiding." His dad crossed his arms, countering sternly. "That's not what they are saying happened. They tell me that you went running off into the woods with one of them. A local boy. A damn wolf! I don't call that being fine! What did he want? Why didn't you ask for help?!" Jack set down his basket with a shrug, blurting out a bit defensively. "I don't know. Why didn't you tell me what I am?" His dad fell into silence and his mom pulled her shawl over her shoulders more. Sharing a brief look, his mom mumbled out. "I think you should answer that, Dear. It's time you tell him everything."
His mom turned away, moving closer to the fireplace to put another log on. His dad shuffled his feet, then leaned back against the wall with a grim expression. Hefting a sigh, he reluctantly told him. "I didn't want you to know. I didn't think you could keep a secret. So, I didn't tell you to keep you safe." Jack raised an eyebrow, prompting his dad to utter out guiltily. "Yes. I know you aren't very safe now... but we had a few good years before now." His mom gave his dad a light look, spurring him to say more on track. "My family is... complicated. My mother is from an old bloodline of witches. She used to be in a coven up North. They protected the woods from Woodcutters and Hunters. They were generally harmless unless provoked... but they still pissed people off." Tilting his head back on the wall, he sighed out even more reluctantly. "My father and brother joined their little coven at some point. I refused. I saw them as lunatics trying to hinder progress that would make life easier for everyone. I joined the Huntsmen, instead. My mother was pissed." Shaking his head, his dad hung his head as he admitted grimly. "I was a good Hunter once. I could hunt werewolves as easily as breathing. Then one night... I went on a hunt with some friends. We killed two werewolves. They were strong. They hesitated when they saw me... I didn't."
Jack placed his hands on the back of a chair, while his dad told him in a sorrow filled voice. "I killed my father and brother that night. My mother has never forgiven me. That's why we don't communicate well. That's why I don't hunt anymore. I can still fire a gun as a warning shot... but I haven't killed a werewolf in... years." Gesturing to himself, his dad informed him casually. "My mother and her coven started killing Huntsmen. She couldn't bring herself to kill me for what I did... So, she took it out on them. One night, your mom is in labor, and your grandmother comes riding in like a bat out of hell. She tells me this thing about one of her friends having seen a prophecy about a child being born on a Blue Moon. I didn't pay any attention to it... but when she said that Geralf had killed her friends and was hunting her. I... contacted my mentor and he smuggled us out of the city. He owed me a favor and didn't ask questions." Tossing his hands up, his dad stated out dryly. "I didn't pay any mind to the Moonchild bullshit that she spoke of. I just wanted to keep the last of my family safe. But no... She insisted we move back here to this place. She insisted on trying to make my life difficult with her talk of befriending the werewolves here. She filled your head with her weird ways and now..."
Giving one last shrug, he finally locked eyes with Jack when he said uneasily. "I don't know what to believe. I don't know why they want you. I just know that... If you don't stop whatever it is that you are doing. They are going to burn you as a witch. The town already thinks you are one because the Huntsmen claim that you can talk to werewolves. They say you were talking to them in the woods... That you unleashed one in the barn that killed two Huntsmen! They have even started to think you've been putting stuff in your pastries to make them taste the way they do. Jack... I'm worried." Jack bowed his head, mumbling out. "I know it sounds bad... but it's not true. The werewolves weren't in wolf form. They were human. Any of them could have spoke with them. And they did. I didn't kill anyone, and I never did anything to my pastries that recipes didn't tell me to do in the first place." His mom moved a little closer, asking him gently. "Then why were you with the werewolves?" Jack swallowed, hiding his face in his hood when he answered softly. "I was trying to get to Granny's house and... ran into them. I'm sorry. I just... I miss her." Jack sniffled, tears brimming his eyes as he hugged himself.
His mom strolled up to him, giving him another hug, before pushing his hood back to see his face. Giving him a loving motherly look, he licked her thumb and tried to wipe something off his face. Shaking her head, she whispered to him. "You're filthy. Let's just... put this mess behind us and get you cleaned up. Ok?" Jack nodded, but his dad piped in curiously. "Why did Geralf let you go? He had all the evidence he needed..." His mom frowned at his dad, but Jack honestly told him. "I joined the Huntsmen like he wanted, and he let me go." His dad looked unhappy by that, but his mom pulled him away to stand behind a little wooden wall divider that hid the tub. Sitting on a stool by the tub, he watched his mom warm buckets of water to fill the tub with. When it was full, she told him to strip and wash up before dinner. Stripping himself down, he slowly sank into the warm water and rubbed the dirt off his pale skin. He wanted to tell them about what he could do and why Geralf wanted him, but it seemed pointless. They either wouldn't believe him, or they'd just become more worried. Taking a deep breath, he sank under the water and closed his eyes to enjoy the muffled silence the water provided. The water felt great on his skin, and it allowed him to think.
He didn't care if his Granny was a witch or not. He didn't want to be mad at his parents or at Mark. Yet, he felt so torn up emotionally and didn't know how he should feel. He had wanted to be a Huntsmen to get out of this town and still felt like that was his plan. However, things Mark had said just made him feel like staying. Slowly siting up in the water, Jack let the water run off his face and bangs, listening to the drops trickle to the water before shivering. Pushing his wet hair off his face, he tilted his head back to wipe the water off his face. Covering his eyes, he bit his lip as his heart raced in his chest. Just the thought of Mark was making his face flush. Slumping in the water, he pouted and mumbled out to himself. "Don't think about him..." Reaching up to rub his neck, he found himself closing his eyes and imagining Mark's warm fingers on his neck. He tilted his head to enjoy it, then jumped as his mom asked him from the other side of the divider. "Jack? Honey? Are you getting out soon?" Blushing a bright red, Jack stated out nervously. "Ya. Just finishing up." Listening as his mom moved away, Jack sank in the water to blow quiet nervous bubbles below the surface before climbing out.
Drying himself off, he dressed in a clean set of baggy pajama clothes that his mom had left out for him and wrapped a cloth around his cut palm to hide it. Dinner went by in silence like they were all afraid to say anything that would end up with them fighting. So, when he finished, he went straight to his bed in the loft. Laying on his back, he stared up at the ceiling and tried to will himself to sleep. Yet, his mind kept drifting to Mark. How had he managed to hide? Did he get out? Did he leave? Would he come back for him? He felt stupid for thinking about it and hoping for it... but his heart ached for him. No one in this town compared to him. Even if he had betrayed him and lied to him, he was still attracted to him and liked how comfortable he usually was talking to him. Groaning, he turned over and buried his head under his pillow. He wanted to stop thinking about him, but his heart was torturing him. Why couldn't he be normal and chase after girls like a normal guy? Had Mark done something to him? Something in their youth? He couldn't recall. Mark had never been close to him until recently though. Burying himself under all of his covers, he groaned into the mattress and tried to force himself to think only about falling snow as he drifted off. Eventually, he managed to calm his mind enough that he fell asleep.
In his dream, Jack was walking through the snowy woods down a clear trail. Hearing snow crunch, he looked behind him but saw nothing. So, he kept going toward a little cottage that was set in a nice nook surrounded by trees. Reaching the door, he knocked and called out excitedly. "Granny? It's me. Can I come in?" From inside, his Granny called out warmly. "Come in. The door is unlocked." Slipping inside, Jack set his basket down on a chair by the crackling fireplace and looked for her. Seeing the bed in the far back, he moved closer and asked her in a worried voice. "Granny? Are you ok?" His Granny coughed a little but smiled as she told him. "I'm ok. It's just the cold. It makes these old bones ache." Jack glanced at the fireplace, asking hopefully. "Anything I can do, Granny?" His Granny removed a hand from under the blanket to take his wrist, pulling him closer to the bed as she told him sweetly. "Yes. You're young and warm. Come. Lay with Granny." Removing his red cloak, he set it aside and crawled on top of the blankets. His Granny stroked his cheek with her fingers, then told him hopefully. "You feel a little cold yourself, Dear. How about you remove those clothes and join me under the blanket?"
Sitting up, Jack removed his clothes without a second thought. She had bathed him as a kid. She knew what he had. He trusted her. He was comfortable around her. Sliding under the blanket, she coaxed him close enough for him to snuggle with her. Her hand stroked his hair, and he moaned a little, when he noticed her ears were changing. Her human ears were growing out into furry wolf ears. Slowly easing away from her side, his blood started to race in his veins when he asked so softly. "Granny...? What big ears you have..." Her ears perked up, her head slowly turning to look at him when she told him nicely. "The better to hear your lovely voice with, my dear." When her eyes met his, he watched them change from a soft greyish blue color to large dark brown wolf eyes. Swallowing, he scooted back from her a bit more as he barely whispered back. "Granny, what big eyes you have." One of Granny's hands grabbed his arm, while the other reached out to cup his cheek. Bringing him closer, she told him in a voice that was changing from feminine to a deeper growling tone. "The better to see your lovely face with, my dear." Jack's eyes drifted down to Granny's hand that was holding his wrist in a firm grip and steadily pulling him closer.
Upon watching her fragile human hand turn into a large wolf paw with human finger joints, he gasped out shakily. "Granny... What a grip you have..." Granny pulled him closer, until he was pressed against her, before whispering into his ear in a deep growling voice. "The better to hold you close, my dear." Taking ahold of his jaw, she turned his head to look at her and he shuddered as he saw her human teeth grow out into sharp canines ones, breathlessly saying aloud. "Granny? What big teeth you have..." His Granny shoved him onto his back, rolling overtop of him to pin him down. Holding his wrists above his head, Granny leaned in close to his neck to whisper against the soft flesh. "The better to eat you with, my dear." Jack gasped closing his eyes and jerking as he felt the sharp teeth on his neck. He expected a bite, but when it didn't happen, he slowly opened his eyes. His Granny's body was completely gone. In place of her was Mark. Keeping him pinned, Mark kissed his neck, before lifting his head to whisper over his lips in a longing deep voice. "That's not how I plan to eat you. I won't bite. Let me show you what I mean." Jack licked his dry lips, unable to do anything except watch as Mark kissed a trail down his bare chest.
Every kiss stole Jack's breath. The kisses felt so warm and sent strange tingles through him. Mark kept kissing farther and farther down, until he vanished beneath the covers. Biting his lip, Jack mumbled out timidly. "Mark? What are you...?" He didn't have enough breath to finish the rest and as he tried to take a deep breath to finish, he felt Mark's mouth on his cock. As amazing as it felt to have such a vulnerable part of him touched, he became overwhelmed with shame and embarrassment. So much so, that he jerked upright with a startled cry of blissful surprise. Which jolted him awake and right off the side of the bed with a loud 'THUD.' From the room below his, he heard his dad call out with worry. "Jack?! Are you ok?" Burying his face in his blankets, Jack shoved his pillow between his legs as he stayed on the floor in shame, muffling out loudly. "Ya! I'm fine..." He didn't know what was wrong with him... but whatever he had... it was bad. To Be Continued...