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Manny was on his way home from school for Holice break, when a few hundred miles away, he heard his mother, Mary, cry out his name. Manny’s casual pace to the bus stop, soon turned into a quick pace to the edge of the forest outlining his college. Once hidden in the dense forest, his step turned into a run, and Manny contemplated shifting forms, but decided against it; it would be difficult to keep track of his belongings if he shifted now. The ability to shift and take your personal effects, such as clothing and books, was a task he had not yet mastered. Every pup developed at his own pace. There were contributing factors, such as genetics, drive, ambition, hard work, and the reading and understanding of your family’s scriptures. Manny had a little trouble with that last part, and therefore the control of all his faculties as a future alpha wolf did not always come easy, and or correctly for him. Manny did however, try to make up for his lack of pack skills, by excelling in human tasks to benefit his clan; such as accounting.
Manny was in his home town of Wolf’s Creek in a few minutes, a speed he saved for great urgency. Manny smiled to himself as always when he thought about the name of the town. Many things were so obvious but yet so hidden to outsiders. There weren’t many average humans within the community, the few handful that were granted permission to live among them, had been granted permission from the tribal chiefs for various reasons, and made lifetime pacts in order to keep the peace.
When Manny entered his parent’s home from the backdoor, moments after his mother’s scream, he could see his parents were standing at the kitchen counter staring at an object in his mother’s hand. His parents didn’t hear him enter the room until he dropped his backpack to the floor. His mother was pale and solemn, but his dad smiled wildly at him. Manny walked over and looked at the photo in his mother’s hand.
Manny searched the photo but he saw nothing alarming, and commented, “Mom, it’s just this year’s Halloween photo at Wolf’s Den. We take this photo every year. It’s a couple of the barmaids, Dice, the old lady, and me.” As Manny pointed unnecessarily to each person in the photo to identify them, it apparently brought his mother no solace. The people in the photo were pretty much loved ones, trusted friends, and loyal customers in her life, but something was definitely wrong.
The Wolf’s Den was a restaurant bar owned by Manny’s parents, it also doubled as a town hall, being used for town business, meetings, and rituals. Manny was Mary and Simon’s second of three children, and Manny too worked at the Wolf’s Den, along with his older sister, his younger brother, and his twin cousins. The Den, as it was frequently referred to by canine clientele, was also a refuge, a temple, and a meeting point for shifters.
Manny’s mother Mary had tears in her eyes, and a strained voice when she finally replied, “Look at you!” Manny looked at the photo but all he could see was his mom’s friend, old lady Julia, as they referred to her, working at the bar. And as in many Den photos prior, he was standing behind her with his head on her shoulder and smiling. The quandary was that Mary was a seer, and photos to her were like tarot cards to a gypsy. Simon, Manny’s dad, cleared his throat and said, “Manny, I think your mom is just concerned. Son, in this photo, do you remember what you were thinking about?”
Manny laughed a nervous little laugh because of course he didn’t remember what he had been thinking weeks earlier, and he also did not always believe in his mother’s visions, but somehow he knew something was ominously wrong, and he somehow played a key role in it. Manny looked at his mother, and said, “Mom, its Thanksgiving now, do you know how many weeks have passed since that photo was taken?” Manny always tried to be respectful, but lately he was always tired, and some things were beginning to grate on his last nerve. “Mom what did you see? Just tell us, tell me”. Mary looked up at her eldest son and refused to tell the truth, but replied with the first thing she thought of, “Manny be careful with the kitchen knives.” And that’s all Mary said.
Manny kissed his mother on her cheek and smiled, “Mom, please. You sounded like you saw death itself. I heard you cry out my name, and I was over a hundred miles away from home. I just wasted a bus ticket, and my friends will be wondering what happened to me!” Manny looked at his mom and was sorry he trivialized her concern, “I’m sorry and I promise to be careful.” Manny kissed his mother’s other cheek, grabbed his back pack and started up the stairs.
As Manny ascended the old staircase, there was a horrible squealing sound escaping each step under the weight of his foot. And just then a large scraping sound like nails on a chalkboard began. Without looking up, Mary called over her shoulder to her son and said, “Manny honey, no partial shifting on the stairs, the support beams are old.” Manny looked at his feet, nothing had changed, so he yelled back as he continued to ascend the staircase, “I’m not shifting mom, I swear.” Mary looked at her husband as he closed his eyes knowingly.
