Desert Wolf
Prologue
Loyal Grey
I had no idea what was happening to me but suddenly, my mom's suggestion to move didn't sound so bad. It wasn't exactly going to be a hardship to leave the gloom of La Push reservation. Compared to Washington, Arizona sounded like an eternal summer, sunny and hot everyday. I certainly wouldn't have to worry about Sam or his gang anymore. I didn't even know why he was so interested in me, I wasn't even full-blooded Quileutte Indian or huge and tough like the rest of his thugs. Something about them was dark and my mom could sense it too, she had been worried about it for almost two years.
The real breaking point for me was my friend, Seth Clearwater. He was a cool, nice guy who I liked to joke around and hang out with. We were classic bros, always getting into trouble together, always bothering his older sister, always making fun of Sam and his gang. I didn't think Seth would ever get involved, not when his dad was one of the tribe elders. Then overnight, he changed. He was never around, he didn't go to school, when I did see him, he was always tired and rarely acknowledged me. I soon realized I was one of the only guys my age not with Sam's gang. This made me particularly anxious. I had heard about gangs, and 'initiations' were never pleasant. It didn't take much persuasion to get my mom to decide where to go. We were going to go live with my grandpa on the Hopi reservation in Arizona.
We began packing two days ago, school would be out soon and my mom didn't want to spend me to spend a single idle moment in La Push if she could help it. This morning, I got a surprising visit. The doorbell had rung and I went to answer it. I opened the front door to find Seth there. I stared for several long moments, sure it was some sort of joke.
"Hey, Loyal...I was just passing through....thought I should stop and say hi." He said, shuffling his feet a little. He looked so different, taller, bigger....bigger. I stepped out onto the porch and shut the door.
"Well, hi. Is that all? Or are you going to tell me why you're running around with Sam after we both agreed that his little wanna-be gang was stupid?" I asked. Seth hunched his shoulders guiltily.
"Sorry dude. Stuff happens. Stuff I can't control." he explained though it was hardly an explanation. I wasn't exactly expecting to be enlightened anyway.
"Whatever. I guess you chose what you want to do for the rest of your life. I'm moving." I said, reaching for the doorknob. But he put his hand on the door to keep me from opening it. I looked at him, mostly in skepticism that he would actualy bar my path.
"You can't." he said. It sounded almost panicky. I was starting to get mad.
"Dude, go away, I'm not kidding." I said as calmly as I could. Seth stared at me, as though wondering what would happen if he didn't move his hand. But he did.
"You really shouldn't move. You're....everything will change. If you stay, you'll understand." He said, backing away. I had opened the door now, the anger had dissolved. I could only pity him. Seth had obviously been taken hook, line and sinker. Maybe it was self-righteous of me to think so, but there was no way I was going to ruin my life by joining a gang. I rejoined my mother, taping boxes in the back room.
"Who was that?" she asked. I didn't really think before I answered.
"Seth." I said, catching myself too late. She knew about Seth; cue meltdown in three, two, one....
"What did he want?" she demaded, as though the very idea were appalling.
"He said he was just passing through." I aswered uncomfortabley.
"Did you tell him we're moving?" my mom asked.
"Yes, I told him." I said, getting tired of her incessant questions.
"What did he say?" she further inquired. Now she was being ridiculous.
"Does it matter? We're leaving." I muttered.
"Yes, it matters! He was your closest friend, he used to be a big influence in your life, you don't just walk away from something like that. What did he say?" she repeated. A strange, hot anger suddenly swept over me. I slammed the box-taper down, and though it didn't feel like I used much force, it broke under my hand. I felt the sharp edge cut my hand but I was was too mad to care. I turned on my startled mother.
"He said we shouldn't move. He said if I stayed, I would 'understand'. Plainly, he invited me to join Sam. Happy? Your worst fears have come true." I told her flatly. Or at least, I thought I did. After several long moments, I noticed how fearful she looked. The huge balloon of hot air that had been swelling inside me suddenly deflated.
"I just want to leave. I don't want anything to do with Seth or Sam or any of it." I said, my voice sounding much quieter now. She didn't answer me.
"I'm going outside." I muttered, leaving her alone to go out to the backyard. I sat down on a tree stump, trying to get a grip. What was that? That anger I could feel in every cell of my body, such a white hot anger that threatened to overwhelm me. I looked disdainfully around at the glum wetness of this sun forsaken land. I was convinced that the farther away I was from this, the closer I would be to sanity.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by AMLemons {fanfictions} on -
A very nice beginning you have here. I have to say, I am awfully curious about what Sam wants with Loyal--but don't we already know (; I have to say the name i very unique and interesting. It makes me wonder if she/he (the gender wasn't clarified so I am a bit confused, sorry) is anything like their name suggests. Keep writing!
-- Lemons
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Permalink Reply by iWerewolf on -
I just found new meaning in my life. lol thnks for the comment!!! i will do my best!
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Permalink Reply by AMLemons {fanfictions} on
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You are absolutely welcome! Keep up the good work.
-- Lemons
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Permalink Reply by iWerewolf on
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Chapter 1: Transformation
I didn't want to be mad at her, it was such a
ridiculous thing to be mad about anyway, but I
couldn't help myself. Why the hell would she invite
all the people I used to know when I was 6 to a
dinner here? They were my age, she must realize
that not all teenagers are as dork friendly as I am,
was she really trying to make me look like a total
idiot?
We hadn't been living in Polacca, Arizona two
weeks and my mother had already jumped right
into the local community. Apparently, she had been
keeping in touch with most of these people and
easily got a job at the elementry school. Since
school was out, her job consisted mostly of
paperwork and gossiping all day with the other
busybodies.
Everything seemed to be going so well, I thought I
would get time to relax now that I was out from
under Sam's radar. I guess that's just no how it
works.
My mom said that she just wanted to introduce me
to some people, that this was an easy way to get
acquainted with 'future classmates', but she invited
everyone that I knew ten years ago. She invited
their families too, but that hardly softened the blow.
These kids....the last time I saw them, we were
playing tag and watching cartoons together. What
were we supposed to do now? I didn't even
recognize them and I doubt they recognized me.
We might as well be strangers, but we weren't.
Somewhere along the line, people did start talking,
but it was so brain dead I wanted to shoot myself.
They cussed and bragged about partying, how they
should have brought drugs or alchohol or shouldn't
have come at all. Great mom, I thought
sarcastically. You got me away from a gang, but
brought me to a bunch of wannabes who think
they're bad?
At some point, I got up and went outside, plopping
down on the steps with a sigh. I couldn't stand
hearing about who got so high last night that they
couldn't even remember what they did. They had
people like that back in La Push, but I was never
forced to spend time with them. My mother found
me.
"What are you doing, Loyal? You're being rude to
your guests!" she scolded.
"Trust me, I'm not." I said, trying not to let her get
to me.
"You're making a bad impression, you'll be going to
school with these kids soon, you should get to
know them more." She said reprimandingly. I
rubbed my forehead, trying wipe away the irritation
that was building up again.
"I already know way more than I wanted to know
about them. If half of what they say is true, I doubt
they'll be in school when it starts." I said and as
calmly as I could.
"You used to play with them when you were little,
you're related to half of them, that has to count for
something, doesn't it?" She pressed. I got up,
deciding not to argue with her. I could deal with a
few hours of listening to naive rez chatter, but I
didn't want to endure a month or more of my
mother nagging me about bad hospitality. But she
didn't seem so ready to let it go.
"Loyal, I decided to move because I didn't want you
to start acting like one of those boys in Sam's
group, exclusive and shut away from everyone.
Don't make me feel like I need to look into
alternative ways to fix your attitude." She said.
Every muscle in my body seemed to freeze, not
allowing me to move forward or back. It wasn't
what she had said, really, not even her tone. Did
she really think I had a problem? I looked at her, to
guage her gravity.
She was dead serious. It was like she had hit me in
the face. My mother and I have always been on
good terms, it was like we always understood one
another, even if one of us was having a rough time.
Apparently, I was wrong. Hot anger like molten lava
began to well up inside of me, I literally felt like a
volcano threatening to explode. Heated pressure
seemed to be building up in my body, pushing out,
trying to escape.
"Loyal, are you alright?" My mother's voice came,
sounding distorted and weird but grating on my
presently weak control. I felt something cold on my
forehead.
"You're burning up." Her voice came again. I
couldn't listen anymore, I didn't want to be
anywhere near her. I pushed her hand away and
opened the door. I didn't think about the people
inside, I didn't care about them. They could kill
themselves any way they wanted, it wasn't my
problem.
I made it to my room and slammed the door,
locking it. I could only think about how betrayed I
felt by my mother. After all we've been through,
how could she think of me like that? I wanted to
get away from Sam, I denounced everything they
seemed to be doing, I don't do drugs or drink like
the people in the living room right now.
I clutched my head in my hands, trying to contain
myself, because it literally felt like I was coming
apart at the seams. The heat was expanding,
growing bigger than me. I heard tearing, like it was
ripping me apart.
Then it suddenly disappeared and everything was
different.
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Permalink Reply by iWerewolf on
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This story is starting out really slow, sorry, I swear it will get better.
=_=" please keep reading!!
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Permalink Reply by iWerewolf on
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Chapter 2: Nightmare
My heart was thundering, or at least, I was sure
that was the deafening noise crashing in my ears. I
kept knocking into things, things that were
supposed to be heavy moved way too easily, the bed
the dresser, when had this room become so
cramped? What was that smell? That scratching
noise above me, was that mice?
I tried to manuever around the bed when in the
corner of my eye, I thought I saw an animal in the
room and and jumped, a strange noise escaping my
mouth. I was face to face with a huge, furry dog-
thing that looked ready to to attack if threatened. i
stared a it for several long moments, waiting for it
to move. But it didn't.
I could hear my mother apologizing to the guests in
the living room, telling them that I hadn't been
myself lately, it must be the stress from the move, I
was having problems with my friends before we
left. I huffed a sigh, then looked suddenly back at
the dog, because I was sure I saw it move. It
scrutinized me with the same intensity.
It took several long moments for me to realize I was
staring into a mirror. The sliding mirror doors of
my closet. It was all I could do to keep from totally
freaking out. That huge, mostly black dog in the
mirror was me. I was a huge black dog.
I wheeled back, slamming into the wall that made
my room shake. I looked behind me only to wish I
hadn't. I had a tail. Dear God, I had a tail!! This had
to be a bad dream, a hallucination, one of those
druggies must have slipped something into my
soda, maybe I accidentally ate some sort of
traditional food that causes 'visions'. Whatever it
was, this could not be real.
I slumped onto the floor, stairing at my reflection in
the closet door. A huge black dog stared back
forlornly back. I could hear everything. I could hear
my mother still making excuses for me as she said
goodbye as though she were right in the room, I
could hear people muttering about how rude their
own children were as they drove away. I heard the
rustle of something slithering through the desert
brush outside, the tiny munching of rodents in the
walls and attic.
The sounds were nothing compared to the smells.
The savory smell of food combined with the musty
rotten smell of decay and dust, along with the ever
present smell of people that seemed to radiate with
every move they made.
I shut my eyes. This was some wacked. nightmare.
It had to be something I ate. What else would cause
super sensitivity? It wasn't possible to hear what
people were saying in the house a mile away. It
wasn't possible to smell the road kill on the asphalt
which was even farther away. No, I must be sick.
My mom said I had a fever. What else could cause
that irrational anger or the delusion that I was an
animal? That dog didn't even look reall, it was way
too big. I just needed sleep. When I opened my
eyes, everything would be alright.
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Permalink Reply by Seugnet du Toit on
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Excellent! I love the way you captured the reaction of this boy when he suddenly turned into a wolf! Just a pity he moved away before the others could help him! But what was he supposed to think when he saw how they acted?! Just a pity his mother doesn't know what the kids in their new place is like. Please keep me updated!
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Permalink Reply by Chris on
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This is a really good description of the feelings and thoughts of the Loyal on his first phase.
I just hope his Mum doesn't walk into the room before he turns back.
Maybe with sleep he'll turn back to human.
Best wishes
Chris
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Permalink Reply by AllysonBLACK on -
L O V E it.
Write more or else.
Is there going to be a love interest in this story?
The name ROCKS btw.
^.~
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Permalink Reply by iWerewolf on
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Chapter 3: Curiousity
I woke from a dead sleep to incessant knocking. It was
so loud, it was like someone was pounding in my very
skull. It was annoying as hell and I just wanted to go
back to sleep. Then my brain started to work and I
remembered what had happened last night. My eyes
flew open and I sat up.
"Loyal? Are you awake?" My mother called from the
other side of the door. It seemed unnecessarily loud.
"Yeah." I called back. What was with my voice? It
sounded weird. Then I noticed I was naked. My door
was locked, but I still felt the need to cover myself. I got
up and pulled the comforter of my bed, wrapping it
around my hips.
"How are you feeling? You seemed unwell last night, do
you still have a fever?" She asked. I felt my forehead. I
didn't feel warm, the air was a little cooler though.
"I don't think so. I feel fine." I answered, then stopped to
clear my throat, wondering if my mom noticed how
strange I sounded. I hear something heavy and metallic
dragging outside.
"Okay....well, I'm going to make breakfast. Come out
when you're ready." She said.
"Alright." I answered. Then I heard her walk away. I
went to my window and peeked outside. I didn't see
anything that would sound like a huge chunk of metal
sliding across the ground. That was strange. And so was
the mess that my room was when I turned around.
The dress was leaning haphazardly against the wall, the
bed frame was broken, there was a huge broken chunk
of dry wall bashed in. The shredded remains of the
clothes I had been wearing last night illustrated a trail
to the place I had woken up.
I shut my eyes, thinking of that crazy dream, the one
where I thought I saw myself as a gigantic dog in the
mirror. It was still fresh in my mind and I almost
expected to see it again when I opened my eyes. No, I
was me. Standing half naked in my partially demolished
room, it was me. But like my voice, I seemed...different.
Not that I ever really payed attention to them before, my
voice or looks, it just seemed dissimilar.
So what happened? I was mad, I stormed to my room,
had a weird control loss issue, then saw myself as a big
black dog in the mirror. I know I was bumping into
things, I even rembered backing into the wall. The tail
flashed into my memory. I shook it away. No, that was
just a weird dream.
As quickly as I could, I dressed and slid the furniture
back in it's place. Was it just me, or was it easier to adjust
the dresser than it felt when moving into the room a
couple weeks ago? Trying to push the weird thoughts
from my mind, I left my room, knowing that I would
have to apologize to my mother.
I came into the kitchen where my mother was busily
moving from sink to stove and counter, cooking like
there was no tomorrow. I knew this frenzied cooking
mode. She was feeling guilty too. I als knew that if I
didn't apologize soon, she might just keep cooking until
there's nothing left to cook. Then she'll just boil water.
"Hey, mom, about last night..." I started. She slowed a
little to hear me.
"...I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." I said.
The statement held more truth than my apology, but it
seemed to work.
"It's okay, Loyal. I think we were both stressed out with
all the people over and those kids saying those aweful
things....I can understand why you wanted to get away
from that." She said, symathetically. I forced a smile, but
was distracted by that strange metallic dragging sound
again. My mother must have noticed my far away look.
"What is it?" she asked, looking out the window. I
looked too, because the sound was louder this time,
closer.
"I don't know. Is grandpa up?" I asked.
"No. You know he's never up and about before ten really
anyway. Are you hungry?" she asked. Quite suddenly, I
was hungry. Ravenous in fact. The food smelled even
better than usual, the steamy scents of bacon, eggs, and
pancakes seemed to completely envelope me. So I ate.
"My goodness, where are you putting all that?" She
asked, watching me shovel it in. When I was full, I was
strangely energized, more awake. But that wasn't
necessarily great. Like last night, I was aware of
everything, from the scitter of insects across the floor to
that strange sound outside. It was a lot to take in, but
what really seemed overwhelming was the fact that it
wasn't.
"I'm...going to take a walk." I mumbled, getting up from
the table. My mother was busy cleaning up the breakfast
dishes to acknowledge me.
Outside was a little better, more open. I couldn't exactly
say the air was very fresh, there was a distinct syrupy
sweet smell that hung about. I could practically taste it,
like artificial sweeteners building up on my tongue. I
didn't like it. I could still hear that draggin sound, but it
was fainter, like it was moving away now. I turned in it's
direction.
Behind my grandpa's house was a mesa, some five or six
miles away. There was a lot of these mesas, most of them
had villages on top of them where ceremonies were
held. The one behind my grandpa's house was different
though. It was deserted, like a forsaken idol. My mother
said that the elders tell people not to go there, they say
it's cursed. She also said that they tell people not to put
their shoes by their beds when they go to sleep for fear of
nightmares.
The dragging noise was moving toward the mesa. I
rocked on my feet, very curious about what could be
making that sound. Energy like electricity itself seemed
to buzz through my veins. I did tell my mother I was
taking a walk, she'll expect me to be gone a little while.
With a leap and a bound, I set off through the brush
after that strange sound.
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I love the way you described his reaction to the transformation the previous night and the aftermath in the morning. Now you've really got me wondering about that mysterious sound! Can't wait to see what happens next!
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