Snow

I followed Lycan into the woods behind the school and he was already stripping off his clothes getting ready to change into his midnight black wolf. His back muscles rippled with the change, I hadn’t seen him shirtless in two years, and back then he was a scrawny fourteen-year-old, who had just started getting serious about playing football. I looked away, flushing crimson when he dropped his pants.

He hadn’t seen me yet, too absorbed with his anger to turn around. I started to strip as well as soon as I knew no one could see us. I jumped into the air transforming into my snow-white wolf and landed in front of Lycan. He stopped mid stride and sat on his tail—to stunned to do much else, I stepped closer to him and was surprised I could hear what he was thinking.

'Travis Dillenholer. With that bitch Charity Bell. Luna and Echo together in the shadows. Snow I'm in love with Snow.' I whined in shock and tried to communicate back to him,

'Don't worry about Dillenholer. Who cares about that slut? Let them be who they are. I love you too Lycan.' 

I hadn’t meant for it all to come out so jumbled; but I was excited at the prospect of professing my love for him. He looked just as surprised as I was with our discovery. He stood and wagged his tail and yipped happily, nipping at my paws playfully. I barked in happiness and we ran deeper into the woods. We never left each other's side not for a moment.

We shifted back in a clearing, neither of us bothered much by our nakedness all that much, but all the same we adverted our eyes from certain areas. It just felt so right to be here with Lycan like this. His fingers traced circles on my skin and I sighed in content, I didn’t care why Echo had broken up with Lycan…I was just extremely happy that she did.

'Time to head back,'

 I shifted, which was becoming easier and easier to do with each shift, and ran back to the school grounds where I left my clothes. Lycan was right behind me when I heard a snarl and I turned and saw Lycan face to face with an Unspeakable.

He was tall, and as grotesque as the last one. I let out a long menacing snarl…but that didn’t seem to faze the beast. It kept to the shadows, the sun still too bright and hot for it to come any further. It let out its own version of my snarl, before snapping his teeth. The thing circled Lycan and I, sizing us up before it lunged. I watched it intently, waiting for my own opportunity to attack.

Finally, my chance came when it rolled its neck, I flew through the air, my jaws clamping around its throat, I snapped his neck and he fell to the ground. His blood oozed and stained the once green forest floor, Lycan licked it up.

 Neither our parents, nor Mr. Placksworth, ever mentioned why we do this. Maybe the blood of an Unspeakable is toxic and only we can digest it. I smelt the air to be sure we were alone and changed back into my vulnerable human form. I dressed quickly and made sure Lycan was dressed and we made our way out of the woods together hand in hand. We kept looking over our shoulders for more of them. Was this the life we were condemned to live? Constantly living in a state of paranoia of attacks? I wasn’t sure I wanted this, but I don’t think I had any choice.

 Destiny, that’s what Placksworth said, we had to do this-- be who we are because it was our destiny. I didn’t want to fulfill this prophecy; I didn’t want one of my friends to die. Most of all I didn’t want to be the one leading my friends into a war we didn’t start.

We didn’t see anyone on our walk across the football field, but as soon as we got to the parking lot, intent on just going out like we usually did on a Friday night, we saw Placksworth. He was talking to the rest of our friends and from the looks on their faces; whatever he was saying was going to interfere with those plans.

“What could he possibly want on a Friday afternoon?”

“Give him a chance, he saved your ass today.”

“I had it under control.”

“Really? Is that why you told him to get the other kids out of there before you killed them?”

Lycan grumbled something I couldn’t decipher but I didn’t push it since we were now in earshot of the others.

“What’s going on?”

“Placksworth wants us to stay after exams.”

“Why?”

“Apparently our Guardian history starts right after the last exam.” Accalia sneered. “As if I really want to spend my Friday night with Placksworth.”

“Miss. Coal I can hear you.”

“So?”

“Fine, after the last exam, where do you want us?”

“Miss. Hooligan’s English Literature classroom.”

I nodded my head, and ushered my friends back into the school. The Unspeakable we just fought long forgotten.

After the last exam, I walked to my locker to retrieve my things before going to the classroom Mr. Placksworth instructed us to meet him in. It felt odd being alone in the school, I usually was with at least one of my friends, but today I had the hall to myself.

I walked into the classroom that was once my English Literature class but was now Guardian History 101. Oh joy.

Lycan was sitting in the very back of the room, hood drawn over his head. Luna and Echo were sharing a table, and I knew that they were holding hands underneath of its shiny black top. I slid into the space beside Lycan and looked around for Accalia, but she wasn’t here yet.

Strange, she usually walked to classes with Luna and Echo.

“Have you seen Cali?”

“Not since this morning.”

“How weird,” I was about to get up to find her when she walked through the door, Placksworth close behind.

“Miss Coal the next time I catch you trying to skirt your duty as a Guardian I will be informing the Council.”

“You mean our parents?”

“Enough with your insubordination! Take a seat.”

Accalia rolled her eyes once more, but did what she was told. I had seen her father angry…and it wasn’t something she took lightly. All our fathers were something out of nightmares when provoked, they weren’t exactly teddy bears.

“Now that Accalia has so graciously graced us with her presence, let us begin today’s lesson. Please take out your copies of Guardian’s A History: The Absolute Laws of Our Kind…”

We all did as he asked, and waited for further instruction,

“Good, you are capable of listening. Turn to page 394. Luna, start us off please.”

“One of the most sacred of our laws is absolute secrecy and this extends to our young. Up until a certain age, children cannot be trusted to keep large secrets; although many modern humans would pass off the story of giant wolves as fiction, we cannot risk the one human who would believe the tall tales of our youth.

Humans are the most violent of the species our Good Creator ever made. Although we know she truly just wanted something in her image, we will never truly know where humans get their pension for violence from.

Soon after the All-Powerful One was locked away in a pocket dimension created by the Queen of Hell, the humans learned of the Guardians and their Protectors. The very first Guardians to settle here in the New World learned of the bloodbath in their mother countries but could not return to aide them.

By the time it was possible for them to return, it was too late. The Italian and Romanian packs were decimated and forced into lives of solitude and secrecy. It was decided then, that humans were to be kept in the dark about their silent protectors. We would live in secret amongst them, but humans were to never know of our existence.

The laws surrounding the coexistence between young Guardians and humans are far less strict than that of the older Guardians. Once the true nature of what we are is revealed, human interaction and mingling is frowned upon. Secrets as large as ours are bound to slip in such company.

It is recommended that Guardians once they turn 16 denounce the human world, and cut ties with any human friends.”

“Wait…you’re telling me I can’t be friends with my team mates? They’ve been in my life since pee wee!”

“Lycan, it only says it is recommended we cut ties. Not that we have too, right Mr. Placksworth?”

“Correct, but given Lycan’s poor control over his anger and by extension his transformations…he may have to cut all ties with the school.”

“Homeschooling?”

“The London Pack homeschools their youth once they turn sixteen…why would you be any different? Especially given that you’re the prophesied pack.”

“This is just insanity! First you drop the bombshell of the century on us, and now you’re saying we can’t talk to our friends? Who, until yesterday we thought were just like us?” Accalia protested,

“Miss Coal—”

“No, you can’t just expect us to be okay with all this! We’ve been lied to our whole lives! We were led to believe we were human, and until yesterday we technically were!”

Accalia stood and stormed from the room. If it were anyone else, I would assume she was going to shift…but she wasn’t anyone else so there was only one other place she would go. The gymnasium, where we had cheer practice.

I stood and ran off towards the gym, hoping to catch up to her, but once in the hall…she was just gone. I found her in the parking lot, fuming against Luna’s bright red Camaro.

“Hey…are you alright?”

“No. Why would I be? Why would anyone in our position be okay? We’re being forced to cut ties with our friends. With the whole cheer squad…with our plans and everything we’ve worked for! How are you so okay with this?”

“I’m not, but fighting and yelling about everything isn’t going to change anything. I want to be normal as much as you do Cali…but we aren’t normal. Like it or not, we are an ancient race of human protectors that happen to have a wolf form. Now, let’s get our friends and go out like we usually do. Just with a pit stop.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I’ll tell you on the way.”

Lycan and the others came running out of the school a short time later, and Lycan instantly came to my side, snaking his arm around my waist, claiming me as his. I felt uncomfortable with the public display, especially with Echo right there, but I noticed her small, knowing smile before she took Luna’s hand subtly, I didn’t think anyone else noticed.

 I couldn't help but to smile and I saw Lycan's lip curl up into his half smile half sneer. He really didn't like public displays of affection that much and neither did I, holding hands is as far as I would go and the same with Lycan. But this was just so awkward that I let go of his hand slowly but he placed his arm around my waist, claiming me.