Wolf-blood

Dandelions

Flashback

Mikey and I were five years old and playing in the garden. Our mothers were watching us, talking about the weather and whatever else mothers talk about when they aren't around their children. We were playing tag. Mikey was alot faster than me, so I spent alot of time chasing him. "I gotcha now!" I shouted, as I ran towards him.

"No you don't!" he shouted back and dodged my arm. I fell to the ground gasping and felt Mikey lay down next to me.

"Promise we'll be friends forever?" I asked quietly.

"Of course. You're my best friend. And to prove it," he got up and walked away. I looked over and saw him by the garden. He walked back over by me and handed me a little yellow flower. A dandelion. "Now it's settled. That is proof that we'll be friends forever."

I giggled and tagged him. "You're it."

Flash-forward

Mikey and I were seven and having a "huge" fight. Really, it was over the fact that he stole my Barbie and in exchange, I stole his Hot-Wheels.

"Give it back!" I shouted.

"You first!" he yelled. Oh yeah, a real heated fight.

"I'll give you yours when you give me mine," I said.

"Fine! We'll give them back on three!"

"Fine!"

"One, two, three." We both threw the toys at each other. I immediately grabbed mine and started looking over it to see if he had damaged it.

But I saw something different. Tied around her waist was a little yellow flower. "A dandelion?"

"Friends forever. I thought you'd like it," Mikey said.

I lowered my eyes and said, "Oh." Then I walked away and life went on as normal.

Flash-forward

"Hey," I said as I walked towards Mikey. We were nine now, and it was Mikey's birthday. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks. You can put your present over there, I'll open them in a bit," he told me.

"Okay," I said. I put down the present and walked back to him, my hand behind my back. "But I have a present that wouldn't look good in a box, so I thought I'd give it to you now."

"Oh yeah?" he asked.

"Yep," I said as I pulled a bouquet of weeds from my back.

"Dandelions. Friends forever." he said with a smile.

"Of course. What else would I give you on such a big occasion?"

"I don't know. What else did you get me?"

"Make-up." I said matter-of-factly. Actually, I had gotten him a car figurine, but he didn't need to know that right now.

"Ah, of course." he responded, laughing.

Flash-forward

"Mikey. Breathe. You'll be fine," I assured him for the hundredth time. Mikey was about to go into his interview for Darenger's. Darenger's was free if you got in, except for the cost of lunch and school uniforms, but you had to pass an interview from the principle. "I passed."

"That's different, Indie, he's your grandfather. He isn't as intimidating to you."

"That's because he isn't intimidating. He's an old man who runs a school. Plus, he knows you, and from what I can tell, he likes you. You'll be fine."

He just snorted like he didn't believe me and continued pacing. I let him do that for a while before I asked, "Why are you so worried? I mean, I know that Darenger's is the 'best of the best' but you can always go to public school."

"It's not that, it's just-," he cut off and sighed. "I don't want to lose touch with you."

I laughed and he looked confused. I stopped laughing long enough to say, "Oh, Mikey, you can't get rid of me so easily." He still looked confused so I held up my finger to say, 'One sec.' I walked out of the school and to the yard. There were dandelions everywhere and I quickly picked some. I brought them inside and put my hand on his shoulder to stop his pacing. "Friends forever, yeah?" I said when I handed him the weeds.

He looked up at me and seemed happy when he said, "Yeah."

Present

There, lying in a pile of dandelions on my bed, is Mikey. Immediately, I growled out a warning, "You'd better leave. I wouldn't trust Vir to not rip your teeth out of your head after what you've done to me."

"Wait, what?" Mikey seemed taken aback by my response to him being here, but I don't know why. He did try to kill me.

"Last warning!" I said and I could feel my eyes start to glow. My nails were slowly changing to claws.

"Wow, calm down," he said standing up.

"CALM DOWN?! YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN?! YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!!" I shouted.

"I never almost killed you, Indie, I'm here to take you home," he said slowly reaching out to me.

"NO!! THAT IS NOT MY HOME ANYMORE!! LEAVE!!!!" Vir and I screamed at him.

I doubled over and felt the familiar pain in my gut. "Shit," I heard Mikey mutter before he started towards me. I shifted and quickly stood. Vir and I growled and bared our fangs, prepared to pounce if he came near us. Vox was trying to take control, shouting He's friendly! He's friendly! Vir and I ignored her and shut her out. He was the enemy. He tried to kill us.

Time to return the favor.

Vir pounced at Mikey, who had not moved from his spot in the tent. He quickly dodged our attack and ran. We growled and followed. He would pay for this. Mikey was holding his gut, like he was about to change, but we didn't give him the time to. We pounced and bit his arm. We could taste his blood. He deserves this. 

STOP!

Vox had somehow gotten through our block on her and had shouted in our mind. Loud. We whimpered and stepped back. Mikey fell to the ground clutching his arm. We watched as he changed. His legs shortened, his nose elongated. We saw when he sprouted a tail and grew fur all over his body. He stood and we saw for the first time what he looked like.

He was as big as me with brown and gray fur. His eyes were the same chestnut color they always were, but they seemed to glow. He started to pace around me, and I around him. I was confused.

Attack! He made us powerless, a prisoner, he deserves nothing less than death.

No! He didn't do anything, you can't act rashly. Let's hear him out.

Why do we have to, we know what happened. He kidnapped us. He insulted us. He almost killed us.

But he didn't! And he brought dandelions, that has to mean something.

It's a trick, obviously, like the voices in that place. He wants us to get close to him so he can try to kill us again. We must kill him first.

No! He's a friend! He came to take us home!

We are home!

I whimpered, their shouting was hurting my head. What was I supposed to do?

I don't know, I don't know, I don't know... (I felt a tear roll down my cheek but I didn't stop pacing.) What am I supposed to do?

Listen to me.

No, listen to me.

I had to make my choice. Wisdom, or power?