My Father's Bidding

I waited for Daphne to go upstairs before laying my bag on the counter and raiding the fridge. The lack of food made me frown. They always refill on Tuesdays. I grabbed a couple of waters and moved on to the cabinets. First, the crown jewel of the kitchen, the snack cabinet. It is home to food with the potential to reach your daily calorie intake in one sitting if you eat irresponsibly enough. To my disappointment, it was now filled with cups. The can cabinets were replaced with china. What is going on? The hunger caused panic and I quietly picked up my pace in desperation. The rest of the cabinets were either replaced with random objects or empty. “On the counter? Seriously?” A voice spoke up behind me. I slowly turned until I saw Daphne leaning against a door frame casually. “You may have noticed that we redecorated.” She crossed her arms and watched expectantly. “I- I’m sorry.” I snatched my bag and bolted. “No-no-no-!” She chased me through the house. I escaped through the front door, stumbling down the stairs and catching myself at the bottom. “DAD!” She screamed before ripping through her skin into a giant wolf. Oh no- I sped up, jumping over bushes every few feet as she chased me through the neighborhood. I kept looking back at our distance to calculate how much time I had before being eaten, nearly losing my head to a tree branch in the process. She nipped at my back, managing to grab my shirt with her teeth. I didn’t plan on giving up. I pushed forward, ripping myself free. Come on, Blue! I know you like playing hide and seek, but I need you right now! I thought I left one-sided relationships in Whispering Pines, but I thought wrong. Blue remained hidden, leaving me to fend for myself. Daphne stayed inches behind me but didn’t nip anymore. She’s planning. She could do anything, but isn’t. I’ve watched this town for weeks. I’ve watched her. I know what she’s capable of. She must be sorting through her options. The anticipation is killing me. Her paw fell on the back of my shoe, pulling it down as I ran forward. Before I had time to process it, I tumbled head-first to the ground. Ow! My hand shot to my head as the blood rush began. Surprisingly, she didn’t stumble over me. Even if hurting me wasn’t her intention, we were too close and moving too fast for her to have stopped that abruptly. I sat up while the world tried merging into one. Just as I saw her figure, another appeared, failing to stop. They ran into Daphne, knocking her back and tripping themself. Even in my confused state, I knew I had to go. I can’t outrun eight legs with two. There will be more soon enough. I found footing and limped away quickly toward the tree line. I glanced back after I passed through, finding that other wolves had caught up with them. They were circling someone, discussing something. The large furry head in the middle rose, looking above the rest of them. s**t! Her father is here! I moved to a shed not too far past the tree line, immediately locking the door and grabbing the broken leg of a game table as a weapon. My aching ankle needed a break and I needed to calm my breathing, so I slid down the wall opposite the door, watching it intently. This shed is abandoned. No one, other than me, comes here. I’m praying they continue to overlook it for the time being. Please let them pass by without notice! Please please, please! I swear I will leave the second the coast is clear! The hair on my neck rose before my ears caught the sound of soft footsteps moving toward me. The air left my lungs as I met two large golden eyes. Move back. Run. Scream for help. Throw something. Don’t throw anything. Distract it. Anything! No matter what my mind screamed, I couldn’t move a muscle. My body seems to think acting as a statue is the best move. It seems I have no choice but to go along. I don’t know how to read a puma’s expression, but I think it’s hungry. I felt as though it was scrolling through my thoughts to prepare for my next move. It stopped moving forward as a branch snapped outside the door. Unfortunately, the glowing eyes remained fixed on me. This is it. It’s going to pounce. I have nowhere to go. It is faster than me. Even if I manage to dodge an attack, the wolves are right outside the door. Maybe they could help me. Dogs and cats don’t always get along. That logic might work for human dogs too. They could distract each other, I just have to- The puma took another step closer and its eyes chilled to blue. “Their minds have diverted from the light. I must take you myself,” an old woman's voice interrupted my thoughts. My breathing picked up gradually before a blood-curdling scream exploded from my mouth. I shot up and darted out, confusing the three wolves I passed. “Now now, it’s alright. We won’t let them catch you,” I stopped in front of two men I hadn’t seen before. The one speaking had a strange accent. I would remember hearing it before. “You are with them.” “No, we are with ourselves. We can protect you.” “From giant wolves? You were what- just standing in the middle of the woods conveniently?” “Says the strange girl running through the forest screaming. If anyone is to be suspicious, it should be us. You bring trouble.” “What? No!” “Then why are they chasing you?” The other man circled us, looking through the trees. “They caught me taking food.” “Oh, you are a thief.” “No-” “So they are the thieves?” “Well no. . . fine, I was stealing, but you don’t understand. I am starving. I couldn’t stay where I was. I tried getting a job, but they needed an address. I don’t have an address. How can I get a job? I can’t even get hired under the table because no one wants to be associated with a runaway. So I stayed here temporarily until I could think of where to go but now they are chasing me and I hurt my-” I motioned to my ankle, pausing upon the realization that it was no longer swollen. “Umm-” I think hunger is exciting my imagination. . . “Calm yourself. Thieves are admired in our profession.” “What profession is that?” I took a slow step back. A smile grew on his face and he stepped forward to make up the distance. “Hunting.” Vibrations moved through the ground as the three wolves I passed ran toward us. He flung his arm in their direction, sending three black orbs into each of them. The wolves dropped on impact. The hairs on my arms rose as fear set in. “I told you we won’t let them catch you.” “I hear them running around. They can’t track her either. That is what has taken so long,” the other commented behind me. “What?” “So if they can’t track her and no one else can, who knows where she is-” the first ignored me. “What are you getting at?” “We haven’t eaten in a while, ay, Carlisle?” The other man turned around quickly, seeming to question the seriousness of his partner. Please please PLEASE tell me I am misunderstanding something. “Ay.” I took off again, refusing to spend another minute with them. I will not be sticking around for whatever their sick minds are planning. Heat spread through my body as a growl grew in my chest. My clothes ripped off and I landed on all fours. Finally! I bolted through the trees, taking them both by surprise. It wasn’t enough though. Even in wolf form, I’m not as fast as I used to be. It is shocking that I even managed to shift. There shouldn’t be much expectation for speed after the energy that took up. You know, Blue, making an appearance would be helpful right about now. There is an entire pack and two of whatever those are chasing me. “UNACCEPTABLE!” A strong voice boomed, causing the ground to shake violently. The sky above began swirling angrily while lightning charged the clouds. “What are you doing here?” one of them questioned as I lost my balance. The two men were no longer chasing me. Instead, they stood, staring down at the ground behind them. Whatever it was, I couldn’t see it from here. I felt a weird charge running through my body as my fur rose. The sound of the other wolves moving around filled my ears until a loud crack pained them. A bright bolt of lightning shot down, splitting in the middle, and hitting the ground beside me. Two people appeared on impact, holding hands. I watched in awe as the electricity danced over their skin on its way to the ground. They must be gods. . . “No, sweetie, I’m just Alison.”