The Godsend Backfire: The Beginning by Harold Straugh (books to read in your 30s TXT) 📕

the mystery liquid and it tasted like liquid fire. I spat it out immediately and coughed a coarse cough. It sounded like I was attempting to howl.  Mylicious started laughing uncontrollably and slapped my back, which caused me, almost to fall off the ledge of the cliff.

“That’s why it’s called the wolf’s cry,” he chuckled and took the canteen from me.

It took a minute or two for the burn to get out of my throat, but Mylicious drank it, only making a face here and there. He loved the drink, but I think he loved it because he made it.  I, on the other hand, did not like the drink at all, why would someone want to drink fire?

The moon went down, and the sun started to peak, “Isn’t it beautiful brother?” I asked Mylicious, but I only got a snore in response.  I looked and over and he was passed out drunk.

I got up and moved my brother away from the ledge.  I patted his chest and left the place I would grow to fall in love with.  I walked though, enjoying the scenes, the mountains, the many cliffs, the hills and hollers.  It was and still is a majestic place.

I didn’t get too far away before I heard something coming up behind me. I stopped and turned around, with my arrow knocked and ready to fire.  I saw my brother in wolfen form, running towards me, with something in his mouth. I put my arrow down, then put it back in my quiver. Mylicious stopped, dropped what was in his mouth.  He then changed in front of me.  Even though I’ve seen it before, it was still amazing to watch.  Hearing his bones snap, was still bothersome to my ears.  I did still find it amazing how everything fell back in place, the skin especially.  In a way I was jealous, he could transform into massive wolf and me, well I did nothing.

He was naked before me, within a matter of minutes. He walked up and unraveled the item that was in his mouth.  It ended up being his clothes, he got dressed and then looked at me.

“After changing so many times and then having to walk home naked, you learn a few things,” he laughed, “You’re not leaving me that fast, where are you off too anyways?”

“I was going back to find Pontius Pilate and kill him?”

“Why get involved in it anymore? What’s done is done, you have a life to live, live it.”

“I lived the life I wanted to live. I watched that life die on top of mountain,” I said.

“You live forever brother, don’t limit yourself. Live as many lives as you can, I have,” he said and stroked his beard.

“How do you do it?”

“Love is forever brother, you love one person and they die, love another until they die, I’ve done it three times over now. I did travel to where I’m staying now to be alone, but I did find love again.”

“I’m not to worried about love, my brother, I’m worried about acceptance and Noemi accepted me. I have to hide who I am now again.”

“Quit hiding, be you!”

“Easy for you to say, you and Derium can hide who you are, I cannot!”

“Then you haven’t accepted yourself.”

“Will you please shut up with this nonsense you speak of,” I said getting annoyed with him.

“So be it brother, but I see you heading down a path of destruction that you can’t come back from.”

“Then I shall go down that path with my head held high.”

There was a moment of silence between us, then Mylicous spoke, “Come back with me, see my place, I’m not asking you to stay, but visit.  I still want to know where Derium’s head is at, maybe you can journey with me there afterwards. I have a family I want you to meet and a pack of wolves that I’ve made as well.” I had a feeling this is what he wanted to tell me earlier but didn’t.

“You can reproduce as well?” I asked growing even more jealous, not that I had tried any at the time and I wasn’t even sure I couldn’t.

“I live just like mortals do, there aren’t very many where I’m at, but I learned that long before I moved to the land of the cold. Your problem is you think you’re different and you act different.  You need to know you’re different and act like you’re not. Please come back with me, then decide of you want to find Derium’s head with me.  We’ve lost out on so much time, lets get some of that back,” he was sincere in words and I could see by the look in his sad eyes that meant it.

“Fine, I won’t guarantee I will take you to Derium’s head, but I will come back with you and see your family and pack.”

“It’s about three-day trip on the water and two on land,” he said.

“On the water?” I asked not really wanting to do that.

“Yes! It wasn’t easy getting here, you’ll see,” he said, “I’m half-a-day’s travel over that way,” he said and pointed past the direction of where I was setting.

With my bow and arrow and what little fur I had left, I followed Mylicious along the cliff line.  He walked briskly and I wished I knew where we were going, because I would run there.  I thought about how much he had changed, he had long hair and a beard, he didn’t look a day older face wise though.  He had grown a little bit, but I was still more muscular than him.

With each step I took, my bow would bounce off my butt cheek and my arrows would rattle, after a couple of hours it got annoying.  I’ve walked thousand of miles and have had that happen and it