Visions

V’s at my place this time. She has something to tell me. Of course she does. I’m still reeling from yesterday’s event. Raina got a little too close to shifting in front of the whole school thanks to some remarks by that bully Jackson. He got suspended. Still I had to push her into the nearest empty class room, and then had Cypress and I talk her down. Jordan’s adjusting pretty well though. Though the hunger seems to bother him a bit still. I make popcorn. Enough for both of us.

“So your God is like a cosmic horror.”

“I don’t know what that is. Probably.” There’s carved wolf masks scattered over the table. Ones half done. Only two are painted so far. Thank to Cypress and Raina. All wolf-shifters have masks. We’re almost always wearing masks of course. These ones you can see. This way we can shift to human with out having to worry about being spotted as much. In RedCreek it was also tradition to receive yours after you turn eighteen. Around when the killer, human eating, instincts kick in. My parents had very well made masks. Simple and well detailed. Everyone, but the children had one. These masks are well detailed. Each matching our fur color. V flips though channels. I sit down next to her. She stops trying to find something.

“I had a vision.” She starts. In wolf form my ears would perk. “It starts off with a bunch of images. One of a town I don’t recognize. The inside of Dan’s store. The forest. Then it changes. It’s not a very clear vision but… it’s a mob C. I thought you should know. Jordan too. Still I wanted to let you know first.” I sit, and process.

“Alright.” I say. “I want to know what that town is. Look up satellite photos of near by towns. We’ll need to be ready to leave. Have bags, and suit cases packed. I need to alert my pack. V call Ross. Let him know. If you’re planning on coming make sure your bags are packed. Gas is on your card. You’ll need tents. Portable chargers. You can charge in your cars can’t you.” You could in Jordan’s. I start planning things out in my head.

“Rain get out the movie.” She nods. She knows she’s welcome to stay even when I’m not here. I grab an empty black duffle bag. I already have another one filled with my stuff. Clothes, and money. Not much. I travel light. I walk out. When I’m a ways into the trees I shift. I howl. I hear two howls back, then a third. We meet up at the Green House.

“What is it?” Raina says shifted human. I shift back.

“V had a vision. Of a mob. We may need to leave in the near future. We need to prepare for that outcome.”

“I’ll help with supplies.” Jordan says.

“We’re mostly good there.” I say. “Rain what do your parents know?”

“Nothing.” She says. “I’m graduating early, and planning on moving out of town getting a studio. Me leaving won’t look weird.” I nod.

“Charlotte. Me and Ross were thinking we could sell our cars, and buy an RV. That way if they need to live on the road while we’re in the woods they can.” I nod. That’s a good idea.

“What about your pack?” I ask. 

“They know the get away plan. Dad has the car packed. They got an apartment not too far off. Small, but big enough for four people. We’ve always had just in case.”

“Right. Well this will just have to do for now.” I say. “Dismissed.” Jordan comes up to me.

“The numbers of hunters is rising. Four wolf-shifters is starting to draw attention.” I nod.

“I’ve noticed. There’s nothing we can do about that.” Four human eating mouths to feed. The death count is rising. It’s a week later. Cheryl’s mom is fighting with Jordan’s and Leo’s dad.

“What are they fighting about?” Leo asks. He and Cheryl had just broken up. Things were still a little awkward between them so it was just me, Jordan, and him. Jordan was adamant once a little time passed they would be best friends again.

“The hunters. Us. They don’t like the situation. Mostly there mad your dads been keeping secrets. Well Julie is.” Julie was Cheryl’s mom. She wears a pantsuit. Her hair up.

“Well they know everything now.” Leo says. I take Jordan’s hand. The tree of us are sitting on a white picket fence.

“So you wanted a tool box.” Leo asks. I nod. Jordan suggested we may need it. “It’s in the garage.” We get up. Jordan’s head snaps to the shed. I can smell the sharp sent of animal blood in the air. I put a hand on his shoulder sympathetically.

“You can take what you want man.” Leo says. Jordan leaves us. We go into the garage.

“So Raina’s parents don’t know.”

“Says she doesn’t want them too. Will only complicate things.” I take a tool box he hands to me, and immediately drop it.

“What’s wrong?” He asks picking it up. I hold my hand.

“That was stupid of me.” He looks at the rusted handle. You would never have known it used to be silver. “Silver.” I say.

“Sorry.” He says. I shrug.

“Hang on.” I hear clattering. I can still just make out the parents conversation.

“You don’t need to worry about us.” Julie says. If they didn’t give up hunting before they have now. One less complication. At the very least they won’t be hunting anywhere we’ll be. After the vision I felt not telling them wasn’t a good idea. I didn’t need them turning on us.

“You ok?” Jordan asks. He looks at my hand.

“Don’t touch the handle.” I gesture with my head to the tool box. It’s a simple garage. One car and a long table of tools. He nods. Leo comes out. He has a brown shoulder bag with him. I heard footsteps come around the house. He starts putting tools inside.

“All I could find.” He says carful to inspect each tool.

“Thank you.” I say.

“What are you doing?” Julie says. Her car is parked right in front of the garage. She smells strongly of perfume.

“Putting the tools in a bag for them.” Leo says.

“Why not just keep them in the…” I see the wheels turn in her head. “Well it was good to see you again Leo, Jordan.” She gets I her car. I ignore the sliver knife mixed in with the tools on the table.

“I think we’ve set everything up best we can.” Leo says. He and Cheryl are there. Jordan was right of course.

“We still going trail walking. The four of us?” Jordan and I have been spending a lot of time preparing the RV, and travel bags. Still I had Jordan make time. Leo, Cheryl, and the two of us are going to go trail walking. Away from the mountains. Ross and V and our two packs have bags ready. Jordan’s father, and sister have bags packed at their house. The rest of us have things in the RV, or V’s car.

“Nice not to have so much stuff in my cave.” Cypress says. We pack the fridge with soda, and meat knowing well to eat and replace it though out the weeks. There’s a loft space big enough for two people, and the couch folds out into a bed. It’s very small, but they’ll be able to make do. It’s all we could afford. We keep it parked off a backroad near Cypresses cave. I run up an incline of rocks catching myself easily on a ledge, and pulling myself up. On the small cliff-face I hear,

“So you shift the world around you too. What does that even mean?” V is asking Cypress. Jordan joins me. We shift wolf a moment, and he nuzzles me.

“So you’ll drive the RV. Or should we just take the RV?” V asks. I’ll let her decide that herself. It might be good for the humans to have another vehicle, but not having to divide might be better. “My stuff will fit in here.” I jump down. Jordan fallows. Ross is looking at his phone.

“Did you know in short bursts wolves can run 36 miles per hour.”

“Can you run that fast?” V asks. I snicker.

“I can do 40.” I say. Our senses, and physical ability’s. A lot like wolves, but at the very peak of they’re capable of. That’s how it was described to me any way.

“Ok. I’m done. You can look now.” The RV is basic white white a black stipe around the center. Now near the top, back corner is a painting of four relatively small, black silhouettes of wolves running.

“Think it’s too much of a give away?” I know she’s asking me. Her Alpha. I shake my head.

“Humans don’t tend to assume fellow humans would hide a pack of murders.”

“Keep a small paint can inside. Just incase.” I had seen packs made up of humans and wolf-wolves before. The Hunters found the humans complacency or active protectiveness of the murderous wolf-shifters just as much a danger. Just as much a thing to be killed for. I had seen a family of humans killed once. The hunters afraid, and desperate has thought a wolf-shifter that had long left amongst them. They could have used silver to check of course, but the hadn’t. Perhaps they didn’t want the wolf to have a chance to escape. Three innocents died. I shivered, and shook the thought away. Jordan wrapped an arm around my waist.

“It’s perfect.” Jordan says. He looks at the four of them up there. My pack, and my mate. The newest wolf-shifter. I nod.

“Good work.” Raina gets embarrassed at my praise.

“We’ll add a fifth after Alice gets her mask. Speaking of masks.” I pull four objects out of my bag. Raina had given them to me earlier. “For each of you.” They slip them on. As the weather get chilly we each wear fur. Today the coldest so far. As the seasons change. Fur on the ends of our jackets. Fur at the ends of our boots. It was colder in RedCreek. I push away memories. I myself wear a black fur hat, and gloves. A brown button down jacket with white fur on the collar. Raina wears an olive green, button down jacket pulled cover her head, at the ends it brown fur, and matching brown fur boots. Jordan and Cypress wear plaid coats with wool hats. Ross wears a knitted black scarf, and a long white coat. V as though subconsciously picking up on our style wear a red scarf, and a purple button down jacket with fur on the sleeves. I often still wear black leather jackets even when it’s cold out. I could always shift if it got too cold. I miss being able to do that.

“It looks great.” Cypress says kissing Raina’s cheek.

“Finally.” I say smirking.

“What was that?” Raina says head tilted, eyes glowing.

“I said ‘finally’.” She mock growls. Jordan growls back playfully. I kiss his cheek.

“So protective. Could still take you though.” I say to Raina. She’s definitely a formidable opponent, but I’ve been trained on how to take down a challenging wolf-shifter. Me and Cypress have a leg up on her because of our training both in and out of wolf form. We’re passing on to Jordan, and Raina, and the human skills to V and Ross. To the best of our ability. Eventually, I’ll keep my promise and train Alice.

“No doubt. I pity anyone stupid enough to start something with you.” She says. She pulls a lighter out with a wolf engraving lighting a cigarette. She’s asks if I want one, and when I shake my head she puts them away. Jordan really has been adjusting well. Raina was harder to rain in than he is. Raina’s shirt tempered, but Jordan’s the sort of person who doesn’t naturally get ever emotional. When he does though he is used to keeping a calm for-sod. Something he can’t do as often or as well now. Shifting when emotional like a super hero losses control of their power in a comic book is a dead give away. Cypress said he was doing well for a newbie wolf.

“How’s hunting going?” I ask quietly enough so our humans companions can’t hear.

“I’m alright.” He assumes me. I had to hunt for him a couple times. Not that I minded. Hunting for one’s mate isn’t too strange a thing to do anyway. He did seem more contemplative though. I wish he’d tell me what he was thinking. The guilt was something we shared. Some thing I could console him about. Still he’d talk to me when he’s ready. Raina par cored up a tree to the roof of RV.

“You’re going to scratch it.” Ross complained trying to coax her down.

“I’m not going to scratch it.” She says. “I’m not going to scratch it. It’s like trying to get a cat off the counter.

“Ready for the trip.”

“Trip?”

“The school trip to Blackwood. It’s a few towns over. I could probably get there in a day on foot now though. Are you coming?”

“Oh yeah.” I say distracted.

“You ok.”

“The visions.”

“There’s nothing more we can do about it. We can’t put life on hold.”

“The thing is we could. Anytime. In RedCreek it was never a problem. Having a day off work or school. We would just tack on days at the end of the year. We could now. Just not go. Or drop out. Or leave.” He says nothing. He can’t disagree.

“Still you can’t spend even second worrying. Alpha or not.” Jordan says. 

“Alright.” I say. I lean against him, nuzzling his shoulder.