BLOODLINE REGRETS

The aroma in my kitchen was filled with the savory scents of my porridge. I was using the recipe that my late mum had given me. She was an excellent cook and I enjoyed every meal she had prepared for me till she died. I often think about her but I know she is in a better place now. It was Tuesday and I loved cooking porridges on Tuesdays. I poured in the freshly cut bell peppers that I had cut from my garden in my backyard. I had just cleaned up my cabin and I was famished after that which made me cook by this time because I preferred cooking in the evenings and it was just 1 pm. As I stirred the porridge in my pot, I heard grunts and shouts from two men coming from outside. I resisted the urge to go look through my window because it was really none of my business. The noise got louder as I continued to stir till I couldn’t take it anymore. I dropped my wooden spoon and wiped my wet hands on my apron then walked to my living room where the window was facing outside. As I slid my beige curtain, I saw two werewolves fighting each other to the death. The two werewolves had already transformed into their wolf forms and were tearing each other apart. The scene of violence reminded me why I dreaded my kind so much. Werewolves knew only one thing and that was to kill and destroy. Where I grew up exposed me to all sorts of violence that I wanted no part of. “Can’t these young men see that they are ruining their lives?” I asked myself as I watched them tear each other apart. I had had enough of the scene of violence so I closed my curtain and went back to my kitchen. My porridge was already burning which angered me because I allowed my curiosity to ruin my delicious porridge. I added some water so it could steam then I went to pack my washed clothes from the backyard. While in my backyard, I could still hear the ruckus from the two men who were fighting at the front. I shook my head and went back to my cabin to fold my clothes. After folding my clothes, I went to remove my porridge from the fire. I served the porridge and went to my living room to enjoy my meal. As I devoured the meal, I couldn’t help but notice the loud silence outside. “Could the men have stopped fighting? Are they dead now?” I asked myself, wondering if the men had killed themselves. “It’s none of my business anyway,” I said out loud as I took a spoon of porridge in my mouth. I couldn’t enjoy my porridge as my mind kept thinking about the men that were fighting. Although I acted like I did not care, I was really bothered. The rain that had just started and the loud thundering wasn’t helping things. I dropped my bowl of porridge on the table and went to my window to look at what was going on. As I slid the curtain, I saw a man, who I guessed was one of the fighters, lying lifeless on the cold soil of the forest under the rain. The humanity in me kicked in so I went outside to help this stranger. As the cold rain dropped on me on my first step outside, I felt a shiver which made me ask myself if saving this stranger was worth it. I stood on my porch for about five seconds deliberating on my next course of action. Without any further hesitation, I ran into the rain and stopped in front of the lifeless man. As I stood in front of him and looked at him, I felt this sudden rush in my body which I hadn’t felt in a long time. I dismissed this feeling and started looking for ways to take him into the cabin but I had to be quick because the rain was getting worse. He was way heavier than me so I had to drag him on the soil till we got to my porch. I was successfully able to get him into my cabin where I took off the remnants of his damaged clothing and started to use a warm rag to clean him up. He was bruised all over his body and also his face. The bruising wasn’t enough to distract me from his wonderful physique and his handsome face but I snapped out of my trance. It was no easy task cleaning him up and dressing his wounds, it made me wonder if rescuing him was worth all the trouble. I was scared whether he was still alive since he hadn’t made any move since I had brought him in. After I had finished cleaning him up and dragging him to my bed, I sat on my wooden chair in the corner of my room, looking at him and wondering why werewolves were so violent. Seeing a handsome man like that engage in such violence irritated me but I couldn’t find it in myself to get irritated by him. “Maybe he was the victim, maybe he had to defend himself from the other werewolf,” I said to myself. Nightfall came soon enough and as I continued to look at him, I heard a sound like someone had just stepped on a tree branch which made my heart skip for a bit. “Could the other werewolf have come back to finish his job and kill you?” I asked the injured man as I peeped outside my bedroom window. The noise went down and I sat down but still wasn’t settled down completely. I was scared that someone was going to attack us. I finally sat down and started to fall asleep on my chair when I heard more footsteps that were louder than the last. I stood up and picked up a wooden stick to defend myself. I walked to my front door holding the wooden stick tightly to swing it against anyone that was there. As I turned the knob and opened the door swiftly, I widened my eye, seeing who had been making that noise.