Shifter Vengeance (Appleton Wolves Book 1), page 6
I credit my speed for getting there in time and saving her. I also credited my nose for alerting me to the fact that it was Ericka. She would’ve been dead meat and I wouldn’t have gotten to know her. I wasn’t lying to Ericka when I told her werewolves have heightened senses and noses strong enough to smell something fifty to a hundred feet away.
But now I wish I had some shapeshifter powers because I wanted to change my appearance. The only way for Ericka to know my lie is true is for me to either assume an appearance or hire someone to pretend to be my childhood friend. I walked through the living room desiring the power to shapeshift so I can make ‘Josh’ exist. Either that or I can shop for a mask at a Halloween store.
I didn’t have more time to think about the subject before I heard a knock on my cabin door. I also smelled two distinct stenches at the same time. Werewolves can detect others through our stench, and it was then that I know two wolves stood on the porch at my door. Not only that, but we're able to know these scents for all our lives. I recognized these two distinct smells. They were two wolves that belonged in my dad’s pack.
I went to the door and opened it, after which I saw the wolves were Chandler and Frank. They were two wolves I’ve known in the pack since I was nine. They were slightly older than me and I wasn’t close to them. We’ve only interacted like three times in my life. Chandler was about my height while Frank was a little smaller. They both had black hair, but Frank grew a beard I hadn’t seen before.
Both of them smiled slightly at me, but I responded with a more serious look.
“Derek,” Chandler said. “It’s good to see you again. Long time no see.”
“I assume you’re here for news about my uncle.”
“We are,” Frank said. “We’re here to let you know that as you requested, your uncle’s pack is here. We all arrived a few nights ago but we would’ve been here sooner had we not been busy looking for a place to live in.”
“Did you find it?”
“No. We just set up some yurts out in a field outside the forest, away from civilians,” Chandler replied.
“We would have asked you if we could set them up closer to your cabin or even squat here for a few days in your cabin,” Frank said. “But your uncle chose not to do that given how you feel about him.”
I closed my eyes in irritation as I remembered how I felt towards my uncle. I balled up my fists as I tried to soothe all the anger towards him for what he did. I opened my eyes again and I looked at Chandler and Frank.
“You didn’t need to remind me.”
“Anyways, we just thought we would drop by and let you know your uncle and the pack are all here. He hopes to meet with you soon and talk to you. He hasn’t seen you for years.”
“I’ll decide when I see my uncle.”
“Fine,” Chandler said. “Have it your way. Consider the message delivered. Come on, Frank. We’ll catch you later, Derek.”
The two wolves walked away from the door and into the darkness of the forest. I closed the door so loud behind them that they probably heard the bang from their location in the forest. Werewolf noses weren’t the only thing heightened. We could even hear a fly when it lands on our fur.
I tried to get Uncle Jason out of my head. But Chandler and Frank’s visit reminded me of the horrible crime he did – the death of my father. The rifle bullet in my father Matthew’s heart came from him. He claimed it was an accident when they were hunting one night. He became pack alpha after my dad died, which made me believe that he killed my father on purpose.
But my uncle denied that and spent so many nights begging for forgiveness from my mom and me. I was too angry and grief-struck to believe him. I was still full of anger and hatred towards him. There was no way I would look past it or even hear his defense. And yet, he was here because I wanted him to be. I requested that he be here. I hope I don’t regret it.
7
I haven’t been to my dad’s storage unit in almost two decades. I imagined that all of his stuff and some of my mom’s stuff stored there would be covered with so much dust and mold. But I wasn’t going there for the junk. I was going to daddy’s storage unit for the weapons he owned when he was alive. I would take Derek up on his offer to train me in weapon use, but I didn’t have my own weapons.
Derek and I did have a lot in common. Our fathers were both hunters, but my dad quit hunting around the time I was born. It wasn’t a significant hobby of his and he saw it as a distraction from his ‘new family.’ He didn’t fathom me ever taking up hunting like him, but he didn’t know about monsters. His little girl hadn’t entered the world of the supernatural yet. If only he knew.
I got to the facility and walked down the hall to my dad’s unit on the left end of the hall. I unlocked the storage unit with the key to the disc lock entrusted to my aunt by my mother. I slid the door up and saw many boxes of junk in front of me. Dust particles swarmed me and the unit's air, and I swiped my hands in the air to clear the dust away from me.
I walked over to a few boxes surrounded by a family of dust bunnies. I opened one of them and saw a silver handgun with a bunch of rusty, withered bullets right next to them. But I was shocked when I saw a trio of arrows leaning against one corner of the box. I looked for a bow in the storage space but couldn’t find it.
I then picked the box up and placed it on the side before I opened the box underneath. It was inside this box that I found the bow, which was blackish gray. It sat right next to a crossbow in the same color. I picked up the bow and the crossbow. The strings on them were fragile and I saw some cracks on both of them. They weren’t functional anymore.
Ugh.
I placed the weapons back in the box and closed it before putting the other box on top. I then walked to my right and saw a third box on the floor leaning against the back wall. I opened it up and saw only one thing in there: a stainless-steel machete with a black plastic handle.
I picked the machete up with both my hands and examined it in the dark-lit light. I swiped some of the dust that was covering it off. It was still good to use, and I decided to take it home with me. I left the storage unit and locked the disc lock. I took my phone out and dialed Derek’s number and put it up to my ear.
“Hello?” Derek said.
“Hey, it’s Ericka. I went to my dad’s old storage store because I don’t own any weapons, so I found this machete we can use. Do you have anything we can use for me to train with?”
“Yeah, of course, I do. We can start today instead of tomorrow as we agreed on if you want. You can come over to the cabin right now.”
“Really? Wow, thanks. I’m coming over now.”
“Great! See you soon!”
“You, too.”
Derek and I were in the massive backyard behind his cabin, and we stood in front of a tree stump where he put a gun, a bow and arrow, and my dad’s machete. He installed five scarecrows in front of us that he made from a long pole and a bunch of hay a couple of days ago in preparation for my training. He told me he purchased the hay online and it came the next day.
Derek picked the gun up and held it with both arms before aiming at the scarecrow to the left of the one in the middle. He had me wear earplugs and a pair of goggles when I came to the cabin. Derek fired two bullets at the scarecrow, one hitting its chest, the other in the forehead. He turned to look at me.
“Alright, it’s your turn. Ready?”
“I think so. I don’t know why I’m nervous, though.”
“You’ll be fine. Here.”
Derek reached his hand out to me with the gun so I could take it. I held it with my right hand and Derek took my other one to place it on the grip.
“Alright, hold it with both your hands and aim at the scarecrow. Aim anywhere on its body or head. You got this.”
“Okay.”
I aimed the gun at the scarecrow with my fingers sweating and shaking. I pressed the trigger and the recoil of the gun sent me back a few steps while the bullet zipped past one of the scarecrow’s shoulders into the forest. I shook my head in agitation as Derek came up to me.
“Ericka, it’s okay, don’t worry. That’s why we practice. Try again, alright? And don’t be discouraged.”
“Okay. You’re right.”
“Just grip the gun real hard in your hand and secure yourself in your position, so you don’t get knocked back by the recoil.”
“Sounds good.”
I aimed the scarecrow again, securing myself in a position like Derek advised. I aimed the barrel of the gun at the chest and fired one more bullet. I didn’t jerk back like before and I hit the target on its shoulder. It wasn’t what I aimed for, but it was encouraging to see I didn’t miss. I looked at Derek and I saw him nodding and smiling at me.
“That was much better. Let’s try a few more shots.”
“Alright.”
I aimed the gun back at the scarecrow and fired two more bullets. With no recoil, the first bullet struck its stomach while the second bullet pierced its heart.
“Yes! Making progress!” I heard Derek shout.
I looked at him with a satisfactory smile on my face.
“Thanks, Derek. I appreciate the encouragement.”
“Alright, let’s get back to shooting later. Let’s work on using the machete right now.”
I walked up the stump and took my dad’s machete in my hands. Derek walked up to me and placed his hands on top of mine.
“Alright, we need to work on your grip because you’re going to be swinging this thing around with only one hand.”
Derek showed me how to handle the machete by securing it tightly in his palm. We both walked up to the nearest scarecrow and Derek made a pair of wild swings at its chest. He made it look so easy with the blade gripped tight in his massive hands. Derek walked up to me and reached his hand out for me to take the machete.
“Your turn.”
I took the blade from Derek and held it with one hand, squeezing the handle snug to my palm. I walked up to the scarecrow and swung at it once before the blade got stuck in the scarecrow’s chest. Derek couldn’t help but snicker a little at my mistake before going up to the scarecrow and getting the blade unstuck.
“You need to swing at it, not stab it. It’s okay, though. Don’t be discouraged. You’ll make progress.”
I couldn’t help but feel that way. But I took the blade from Derek's hands and tried again. I swung two furious times at the scarecrow and slashed it in its chest and stomach.
“Much better,” Derek said. “Let’s do it a few more times. Swing as many times at it as possible until you feel confident. The key is to let the blade touch the skin but not enough to penetrate it. I’ll teach you that later on.”
I nodded and aimed the machete up at the scarecrow. I did as Derek said and slashed it so many times, I couldn’t keep count. I did much better this round as I saw with gratification the massive number of indents and diagonal lines on the torso of the scarecrow.
“Alright, that’s enough machete for today. How do you feel?”
“Good, good. Thank you so much for helping me do this.”
I walked up to Derek and gave him a hug of appreciation. He hugged me back and I felt the warmth of his large body up against mine. I couldn’t help but sigh over how tight he wrapped himself around me. I was sweating a little bit but I didn’t care if it touched his skin. I just wrapped my arms around him because of how happy I felt.
“It’s my pleasure. I’m happy to help. What do you say we work on the bow and arrow now?”
I let go of Derek and groaned a little bit.
“Why do we have to work on that? I’m satisfied with just using the machete and the gun. I feel like the bow and arrow is complicated.”
“What are you worried about? Don’t fret a thing. You have the best instructor in the world with you. Come on, let’s give it a try.”
Derek and I walked over to the stump and he picked up the bow and arrow. He placed the arrow on the bow and stood a far distance, about twenty feet away from the scarecrow in the middle of the other one. He stood upright with his feet and shoulders apart at a certain angle. Derek aimed the bow and arrow at the scarecrow and drew back the string. He released the arrow and it shot straight into the middle torso of the scarecrow. It was a sight that made me jump a little, and I looked at Derek with my eyes and lips wide open.
“You expect me to do that?”
“Relaxed! I’ll teach you. There’s nothing to it.”
Easy for you to say!
Derek motioned for me to come to him, and I walked over to where he was. He took my hands and placed the bow and arrow in them.
“It’s your turn now.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t –”
“Relaxed. You can trust me, alright?”
“Okay.”
Derek walked behind me and took my hands with the bow and arrow in his. I felt his body lean against my back, a sensation that sent shivers all over my nerves. He showed me how to place the arrow on the bow and hold it in front of me. Derek had me stand at the same angle he stood at just a few minutes ago.
“You need to have a relaxed grip on the bow. Place the arrow on the shelf here, and then position your index finger above the arrow and two fingers below. Draw the string to the point where your pulling hand is under your chin.”
Derek adjusted the aim of the bow with my hands so that it’s targeted at the scarecrow. He came behind me again and gripped my hands in his. He helped me release the arrow and it landed underneath the arrow he shot earlier in the torso of the scarecrow.
“That’s how you do it.”
“Oh my gosh, that was so cool and exciting!”
“With time, you’ll be doing that yourself. But I think that’s enough for today. We’ll be back at it tomorrow afternoon, alright?”
“Sounds good!”
8
I was at the local library trying to research shapeshifters with my goal to find and kill the one who took my aunt’s life. I was supposed to meet Derek to work on this, but he wasn’t here yet. He told me he had to take care of some work for school and run errands for the cabin. I thought about what Derek said to me about monsters as I took in the smell of the musty books that occupied dozens of shelf space in the cases in front of me.
My nose also picked up the scent of the mahogany wood of the bookcases. The two odors were combatting the smell of a fragrance plugin hidden somewhere in the library, which smelled like spiced apples or some type of citrus fruit. It was a battle for smell supremacy that distracted me from my train of thought.
Back to Derek, girl.
I took some time to reflect on what Derek told me about monsters. I focused more specifically on the existence of shapeshifters and werewolves. Josh then came to mind, the supposed wolf who saved me from the shapeshifter that awful night. I couldn’t help but sense alarm bells blaring in my head and getting a knot in my stomach. Something was wrong. I think Derek lied to me.
It didn’t make sense to me why his friend Josh saved me that night. If Josh existed, and that’s a big ‘if’ because the basis of my instincts is that Josh wasn’t real, why did he find me and attack the shapeshifter? He didn’t know me and I sure as hell didn’t know him. I didn’t believe that a random ass wolf would be in the forest to save me when it never met me. I found it hard to believe that "Josh the Werewolf" was in the forest and had a strong smell that determined my location.
Something in my intuition told me that there was something off about Derek’s story. I think he was involved in my rescue. If it wasn’t him who was the werewolf and it was indeed this Josh guy, I believe Derek somehow knew my location and told his friend where I was at so he could rescue me. Either way, Derek was involved, and I don’t appreciate being lied to right in my face.
Other details I glossed over suddenly came to my mind while I was doing my research or trying to. This train of thought distracted me from my mission severely. Derek and the werewolf had the same eye color. Did Josh have bright green eyes too? I needed to remind myself to ask Derek if Josh’s eyes were green, too. Of course, he could say yes and end up lying to me. I just needed to find evidence to prove this mass deception within Derek existed.
Second, didn’t monsters have inhuman minds of their own? Why did Josh, a werewolf, save me from another monster? He was a monster, too, so monsters should have minds of their own in their true form. Josh could’ve killed me and finished the job that the shapeshifter started with my aunt. Instead, he spared my life for some reason.
Unless it wasn’t ‘Josh.’
There were too many inconsistencies to count. They were giving me a damn headache. I was too distracted from researching in the library. I leaned back against my very uncomfortable hardwood chair and stretched my back and body. I rubbed my eyes and forehead to re-concentrate on what I was doing.
My heart and intuition told me that Derek was the werewolf. He just didn’t want to scare me so I would stop being his friend. Or maybe his intentions were more than friendship. I don’t know. All I knew was, I couldn’t fathom being friends with or associated with a monster like Derek was with ‘Josh.’
I needed solid evidence to finally determine if the person who I deemed a friend of mine was one of the many dangerous monster races out there. My life was on the line. Maybe if I caught him transforming into a wolf on a full moon. I could maybe stalk Derek one night on a full moon to see if he changes into his proper form.
But it had to wait. I had to refocus back to my main mission. The screen of my computer was locked on the Google search bar and its white background. I typed the word "shapeshifter" into the search bar. An extensive list of results popped up nanoseconds later on the screen, all of which were an irrelevant disappointment.
