A Howl In The Night by Lorelei Sutton (life books to read .txt) 📕

"Once we get our food, we need to eat it quickly," Xavier cautions, being careful not to look me in the eye, "we can't wait for the council to find us."

"How would they know where to look?" I ask wonderingly.

"All of the council members tend to have excellent senses of smell," Ray says, "if they get one item that has our aroma on it, then they can track us like a pack of bloodhounds. Of course, they cannot do that if we are several miles away."

"Oh," my eyes grow wide, "but then surely they will be able to find something! Especially if they take the mansion... my smell must be on everything I have touched!"

Ray looks at me, then surveys our surroundings. "It isn't safe here," he turns back to us, whispering softly, "we must find another place to finish our conversation."

Xavier follows suit, examining the premises. "But where can we go that is completely private?" he expresses his concern.

But I am distracted by something much less serious. A delightful fragrance creeps to my senses as our food is placed on the counter. "Food!" I squeal with delight, nearly skipping to its location. My tray is huge, stacked with a full sized pie, salad, and super combo filled with fries. Xavier and Ray's trays are even bigger because they both ordered two super sized combos. I lift the huge stack of food, laughing at how easy it is to do so. Before my transformation, I probably would have struggled to carry it.

Danae craftily smiles at us, holding her small meal. "I think I have an idea," she winks. Gray hairs are already covering her head, her eyes bright and adventurous.

The eyes follow us as we exit the station, all of us wondering just what Danae has in mind. She leads the way over to the road, navigating around the line of cars waiting to go to the drive through. Cars whiz by us as we stand right before the highway, eyeing the gleaming shine that radiates off each one.

I lick my fingers, wanting to savor even the tiniest flavor of greasy fries. Everyone's attention gravitates to me, Ray immediately laughing.

"You ate all those fries?" he chuckles, staring pointedly at the gigantic, now empty box in my hand. I smile, my teeth shining brightly.

"It was so good," I laugh also, "I love greasy food."

"Hey," Danae advocates, "I ate all of mine too!" We all swivel our heads to Danae's small, empty kids meal bag. I notice, suddenly, that the bag is decorated with fairies and pixies. It seems to suit her, the more I think about it. One of the black haired fairies on it looks almost identical to her.

We simultaneously roll our eyes at her miniature bag. "As if thats a big feat," Ray says dryly, causing me to laugh. Xavier just looks at the ground, looking more out-of-it than anything.

"Well anyway," Danae directs us back to the situation at hand, "what we need to get is a car. Look, just across the highway!"

True enough, a gigantic car dealership is less than a mile away. "Wow," I comment softly, "that's a good idea. Why didn't we drive a car in the first place?"

"Because the council would immediately know we were gone and soon catch up to us with their super speed," Xavier finally answers, shaking his head, "I don't know if this is a good plan."

"But this way we can confuse them!" Danae fiercely defends her idea, "AND we are right here next to the highway. We can go pretty much as fast as we want when we drive it."

"Let's try it," Ray takes our side, "I think all of us are pretty tired from running." Obviously he is just speaking about both Danae and I, but nevertheless, it is a semi-valid complaint.

"But... how are we going to cross the highway when cars are going so fast?" I ask, looking at the frightening buzz of the usual traffic. Danae's eyes crease–I can tell she didn't notice this problem until now.

"Ray! Xavier!" She whirls around and nearly barks their name. "Can you take us across the highway on your backs?"

"I don't know," Xavier answers, "we can definitely go through the traffic unscathed if we were traveling with the general flow of movement. But just zipping across the highway like this? I have no idea. A car might be able to hit us, especially since there are so many of them passing at one time."

"But what else can we do?" Danae asks fiercely, "are we going to go back into the forest where they can find us?"

 I look around the highway, hoping to find some other way we can avoid this problem. However, nothing comes to my mind. For as far as I can see, the highway extends in both directions. 

"It's just what we have to do," I firmly say, "we have to take the risk if we are to escape the council. We can't wait any longer, because we don't have the time to waste."   I can tell they all realize this too by the way they stare at me, then at the road; all with a fierce look.

"Jump on," Ray directs me, bending down into a crouch. I hastily obey, sneaking a glance at Xavier along the way. He is frowning, Danae sitting on his back peacefully. I can tell he is a little bothered that Ray, once again, gets to carry me.

We stand along the highway, looking for some sort of entrance, a break in the endless line of speeding cars. Danae and Xavier are in front of us, and we are lingering close behind.

Anxiety pounds through my blood like the beating of a steel drum, heartbeats threaded with fear. The initial excitement from doing the unknown has faded into cold-blooded terror. For some reason, it feels as if I am racing to meet my death rather than escaping from it.

"Hey," Ray notices my nervousness, and smiles. "Why did the werewolves cross the road?"

"I don't know. You tell me," I respond, rather irritated. This is not the time for jokes.

"To get to the other side." He winks, and after one strained moment, I laugh genially. He is smiling as if he just told me the joke of the year, and I can't help but humor the handsome werewolf.

The laughter seems to loosen up my insides, to make me feel more relaxed and at ease. I don't honestly know what to think of Ray anymore. At the very beginning, he was mean and rude, but as time goes on, he seems to be much more pleasant. Even now, in the face of danger, he tries to cheer me up, noticing my frightened demeanor. He has done many bad things, but for some reason, a small part of me believes him to be a genuinely good guy. Maybe even one I can honestly call my friend.

If only he could get along with Xavier.

Suddenly a break occurs, the line parting for a split second. This is the moment.

There is a sudden whoosh of air, and everything around me blurs into a mix of colors, splashing like paints on a canvas. My mind grows dizzy, my head frequently thrust back by the violent wind. All I can hear, over and over again, is Xavier's voice. He is whispering in my ear, the words too soft to make out.

Suddenly there is a blow, knocking the breath out of me. I feel myself flying, as if I have suddenly grown wings. My head hurts terribly, the beats of my heart overcoming me. I am thinking of nothing. I am nothing.

Until a pair of strong arms encircle me, holding me close to a warm body. With it comes peace, settling over me like a thick blanket. After a few seconds, my eyes gradually open, trying to focus on the brightness around me.

"Xavier?" I ask softly, as the blurry face before me sharpens.

"I'm right here," he comforts me, holding me close. I sit up in his arms, looking around. The first thing I notice is that we are on the other side of the road.

The second thing I notice is Ray, sprawled out in the muddy grass.

"Ray!" I yell, trying to jump out of Xavier's arms. However, a strong pang of pain graces my left side when I try to move, torturing me with its restraining whip. "Whats wrong with me, Xavier?" I ask after the spear of fire retreats from my body.

"You both were hit," he says, anger flooding his body, "that giant truck over there suddenly had the will to have a sudden burst of speed. When it hit you and Ray, it was abruptly stopped and around five cars crashed into it. Ray let go of you, trying to throw you away from the danger, and I caught you just a few seconds ago. I think your side may be bruised."

I look at the wreck on the road, marveling at the trouble it has caused. The cars are sprawled across the lane, right behind a massive truck. Police cars are heading up to the action, their lights flashing.

"And all because of us," I sigh, bringing about another wave of pain. He frowns, staring at the truck.

"No, it was that truck's fault," he says firmly, "if it had kept at its normal speed, none of us would have been hit. I hate to say it, but we are lucky that you are converted, because a blow like that normally would have killed a human."

"Is Ray okay?" I question fearfully.

"I think he has passed out," Xavier responds, distraught at the edge of his voice. We both watch as Danae examines him.

"He was hit from this side." She rolls up his shirt, pointing at the mass of blood and bruises. "He seems to be healing very quickly though. I would say that it will be completely stitched up in a couple of hours, and the only thing left will be the bruises. I'm surprised that he still made his way over here even after he was hit."

"So he will be alright?" Xavier asks fervently. I can sense that he cares deeply for his brother, maybe more than he lets anyone know. They seem to share a deep bond that not even hate can break.

"Yes," Danae finalizes, "but we may have to carry him to the car dealership. And look at him! He is covered in mud!"

"We can fix that later," Xavier says assuredly, then gestures to my form. "What about her?"

Danae scampers over to us, looking at my left side. "She's fine. Just some heavy bruises."

Xavier tries to put me down, looking at me worriedly. "Can you walk?" he asks me. I wobble on the first step, but with his help, I walk in a small circle.

"Its good," I say finally, "I can walk. I just cannot twist my body."

"Ok," Xavier smiles, "thats good. I'll carry Ray then." He hoists Ray onto his back without complaint or even strain. The car dealership is only a couple hundred feet away, and for a minute, it symbolizes deliverance for me. Deliverance from the burning pain I have whenever I twist my torso.

"What kind of dealership is this?" I inquire to distract myself.

"Pommel," Xavier immediately answers, "a very expensive type of car."

"Do we have enough money for something like that?"

He winks at me, saying nothing. We walk in silence to the front of the dealership. I am struck by the dazzling cars surrounding it, all shown in their utmost glory. It feels like I have walked into a sea of brilliance, drowning into the blinding opulence of each car.

"Wow," I say softly, surveying the vehicles with wonder. Xavier ignores me, walking to the front door with Ray on his back. A man in a suit opens the door