by Maddie Foxx
Mira sipped her cola and nodded. “I agree. Tomorrow, I’ll pick some berries I saw in the woods.”
“Be careful, the bears like them, too.”
“So what can you tell me about you, Maxwell? Shouldn’t you be in school?”
“I go to school at Shadow Creek. It’s a nearby ranch, but we’re off right now since I found a woman who was badly hurt. She’s my friend Melody’s mother. I really miss Melody. She hasn’t left her mother’s side since we found her. I don’t understand it really.”
“It’s natural for her to be concerned about her mother,” Mira said. “She must be so worried.”
“I don’t know why she’d be worried about a mother who never took care of her. She’s lucky her father brought her here to Silver Creek to live. Melody is like a sister to me.”
Mira frowned. “I see. Well, sometimes mothers can be like that, but it might not be her fault. She’s just lost and needs to find someone who will help guide her.”
“I feel bad that Carrie is hurt, but I hope Melody will come home soon. I miss her.”
“I’m sure you do, but if you really like Melody you’ll not say anything bad about her mother. Now is not the time and she might just change. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Maxwell frowned; that was the last thing he needed. “I guess I should be happy for Melody if that happens, but….”
“You don’t want to lose her.”
“No, I don’t. I hate losing people I love. I lost my father ten months ago, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it. It was like one day he was taking me to school and the next, he was gone. It’s been hard to trust humans now.”
“Humans?”
“I meant people.” Maxwell wasn’t sure how else to respond. He didn’t want to tell Mira that he was a werewolf. What if he did and she was so frightened, she left? No, Maxwell couldn’t risk it.
When it came time for the raspberry tarts to be eaten, Mira said, “Do you want half? I don’t think I have room for the whole tart.”
Maxwell’s mouth watered, but he said, “No, it’s all for you. You can eat half now and half later.”
Mira smiled and bit into the tart, her eyes brightening as the flavor hit her taste buds. Maxwell knew that reaction well. “They’re the best,” Maxwell stated. He then frowned. “Remember to not open your door to anyone but me. Someone killed thirty sheep to the north and we don’t know who. I’d hate for anything to happen to you, Mira.”
Mira sank on a chair and nodded before looking quite somber. “Thanks for the warning. Who do they think did it?”
“They don’t know yet. I just hope it isn’t anyone I know.”
“Who do you know would want thirty sheep dead?”
Maxwell could say just about anyone from shifters to vampires, since Creeksboro had plenty of both. It would be bad if they found out it was a shifter. They had only gotten their rights ten months before. It was great to know his teacher Katlyn had taken part in that and hard to believe her own life had been in danger at one time.
“There are plenty of wild animals here,” Maxwell said. “Could be another rancher who was angry that a sheep wandered onto their property, or even a bear. I’m sure even a bear likes a lamb chop every once in a while.”
“I see. Thanks for the warning, and I promise I won’t let anyone in the cabin. Are you sure nobody would drop by, like your great-grandmother?”
“No, she never comes into the woods anymore. She stays close to the cabin.”
“Good. I’ll be on my way once I feel stronger, I promise. I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me, but you better get back before you’re missed. We don’t need someone showing up and looking for you.”
“Good point. I’ll be back tomorrow hopefully.”
Maxwell left and noticed it was quite still in the surrounding area, which he both loved and hated as it oftentimes meant trouble. He glanced overhead and again saw a hawk circling. Why would a hawk be out there other than if there was prey around? That alone made Maxwell move faster toward home.
As he neared the tree house Raphael had helped them make not long before, he saw a shape lurking above the ground. He blinked twice before he realized it was Melody. She waved down at him and he stood below, saying, “What are you doing up there?”
“Getting clothes. Didn’t you see me flying above you?”
Maxwell’s mouth hung open. “That was you?”
“Yes, I can shift and fly. Well, most of the time. I was a little worried when my dad didn’t come back to Shadow Creek, so I went looking for him.”
“Your dad is missing?”
“Yes, since the night of the full moon,” she said, descending the tree house. “I can’t believe he didn’t come back. I can’t afford to lose both my parents at the same time.”
“How is your mother?”
“Still not coming to. I don’t know if she ever will,” Melody cried, batting at the tears that fell.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure she will soon, and your dad might be looking for the man who did that to her.”
Melody emphatically shook her head. “I don’t think so. Everyone keeps saying they want to wait until my mother wakes up to tell them who did this, but I know it was Jason.”
Maxwell leaned against a tree. “How can you be sure?”
“He came here looking for her, for one.”
“That doesn’t mean anything, but what else can you do but wait like the adults?”
Melody sighed. “Go after him ourselves.”
“What?”
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, but I’m going for sure. First thing tomorrow, I plan to sneak out. I heard he has a cabin that was left to him by his father.”
“That’s too far to walk.”
“I can shift and fly there,” Melody suggested then fell silent. “Or we could take one of the ATVs. They’re easy to drive, even for children our age. They keep the keys in the canister next to the cookie jar.”
Maxwell moved away from the tree, leading the way up the trail toward home. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. What can we do if we find him?”
“Shift and take care of him for good.”
“Like kill him?” Maxwell asked shocked. “We can’t do that!”
“If it was your mother, how would you feel?”
“That’s not fair since I’ve never met my mother.”
“I’m sorry, I meant your father. Didn’t you want to avenge his death?”
“Yes, but the pack took care of the man who murdered him. I wish it had been me, but at least it was handled.”
“So are you with me or not, because I’m going either way.”
Maxwell wished he could talk Melody out of her plans. This was the last thing she should do. What if Jason hurt her? He had no choice, though; he couldn’t let her go alone.
“Maybe we should talk to Uncle Raphael first.”
“You better not tell. The adults aren’t doing anything, and my mother might die even by the time they decide to do something.”
“You don’t know that. Your father is missing and might be tracking Jason now.”
“I doubt it. I’m not sure where he went, but I think it was too much for him seeing my mother like that. He sure seemed upset, and I think he blames himself just like I do.”
“Why blame yourself? It’s not your fault and you know it.”
“I shouldn’t have left and moved in with my dad.”
“I hope you really don’t think that, because you know your mother wasn’t taking care of you right. And if you didn’t come here to live, we wouldn’t be friends.”
Melody hugged Maxwell and he stiffened, as it felt so weird.
“You don’t have to do that. Let’s head home. I’m sure everyone will be happy to see you.”
Maxwell led the way back. He didn’t think it was a good idea for them to look for Jason, but Melody would certainly be heading into danger if she left by herself. He wanted to tell his uncle what she had
planned, but that would be betraying his friend and that wasn’t something he was willing to do. She trusted him and that was important, but it might not go all bad. How likely were they to find Jason anyway?
When they went through the door, Palina raced forward. “Oh, Melody! I’m so happy to see you. I’ll have to call Shadow Creek back. Paige was so worried when she realized you left without telling anyone. How did you get here?”
“I flew,” Melody said with a gleam in her eyes.
“You can shift and fly now?” Palina asked.
“Yes, she can,” Maxwell answered. “She was flying over my head and I didn’t even know it was her.”
“I see, and where were you, Maxwell?”
“I was taking a walk.”
“Oh, and did you take chicken and a raspberry tart on this walk, too? There’s been food missing the last few days that I can’t account for.”
“No, why are you blaming me?”
“I don’t care if you get hungry and raid the refrigerator, but it’s not like you to eat that much.”
“I’m going through puberty and I’m extra hungry.”
“Don’t push the puberty thing. Besides, you’re not nearly old enough for that just yet,” Palina said. She crossed her arm over her chest, but then relaxed them as she glanced over at Melody. “I’ve missed you, my girl. There are tarts in the kitchen.”
Maxwell led the way into the kitchen and he handed a tart to Melody. “I don’t think we should do this.”
“Shh, you know Palina has good hearing.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you outside by the swing in ten minutes.”
Before Maxwell left the kitchen he glanced at a dirty glass that was red on the rim. Was that blood? He went into the white refrigerator and saw a bag full of blood.
“What are you doing in there? You know Palina told us not to.”
“Would you shut up? There are bags of blood in here.”
“Of course there are. Tessa’s a vampire, duh. There isn’t any power at the cabin she stays at.”
“I guess. It’s just weird having her here.”
“Yes, and after what happened the other night, she’s been banned from Shadow Creek,” Melody said. “I overheard Brendan telling Paige that a bunch of sheep were killed on another ranch. I think they are blaming Tessa, but I’m not so sure. That night of the full moon I heard werewolves howling all night.”
“Course you did; this is shifter territory.”
“I suppose, but why did I hear them at Shadow Creek when Silver Creek is where the werewolves are?”
“I don’t know, but I could ask Raphael if there are more werewolves in Creeksboro than just us.”
“What about Creeksboro?” Uncle Raphael asked as he strolled into the kitchen.
“We were wondering if there were other werewolves than just at Silver Creek,” Maxwell said.
“No, why?”
“Because the night of the full moon I heard wolves howl, a lot of them,” Melody said. “I was put to bed, but I woke up from all the noise they were making. It scared me.”
“There are wolves that aren’t shifters in Wyoming. They might just be regular wolves.”
Maxwell noticed his uncle’s eyes darken when Melody had told him about the wolves howling, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he was keeping something from them.
“Do you think Tessa killed those sheep?”
“Who told you about the sheep, Maxwell?”
“Melody did. I don’t think she did it. Tessa’s too nice for that. She read me a bedtime story.”
“Something like this puts us all on edge. The humans from Washington might show up and we can’t have that. What if they start pointing fingers at us shifters? It wouldn’t be good is all. I don’t want either of you to jump to conclusions. My gut feeling is that Tessa is innocent,” Raphael said.
“What’s going on in here?” Tessa asked as she joined them. “A party?”
“N-No,” Maxwell began. “We were just about to try one of those tarts. Do you want one?”
“Sure do. But have you had dinner yet? I’d hate for you to spoil your appetite.”
“I’m sure they’ll be okay with one tart a piece,” Raphael said with a wink.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Tessa spoke up. “Hand me one.”
Maxwell enjoyed being with Tessa and Raphael. They were more laid-back than Palina. He hoped he could talk Melody out of going after Jason. It sounded too dangerous and he also worried how his leg would hold up, but he’d never tell her that.
“How is your mother, Melody?” Tessa asked. “Has she woken up, yet?”
“No. I swear I saw her hand twitch, but nobody believed me. Why do adults do that to us kids? We know what we see.”
“Give it time,” Raphael encouraged. “That sounds like a good sign to me. Why did you come back without your dad?”
“I don’t know where he is. He left the night of the full moon and hasn’t been back since. That’s why I finally came home. I wanted to find out if he was here.”
“Not to worry. We’ll go into town and see if he’s staying at the boarding house. I’m sure there’s a logical reason why he hasn’t been back yet.”
* * *
After eating the tarts, Maxwell went outside with Melody in tow. They didn’t walk to the swing as Maxwell had suggested, but to the tree his uncle had encouraged him to climb that one time.
Maxwell leaned against the trunk. “I’m not sure if it’s such a good idea to go after Jason. He’s a grown-up, so how will we ever be able to do anything to him? He might even hurt us.”
“Why are you being such a chicken? You don’t have to go, but I am with or without you.”
Maxwell gave Melody a look. “That’s just crazy. A red-tailed hawk would be of no use against a human.”
Melody balled her hands into fists. “That’s where you’re wrong. Have you ever felt a beak pecking your head before? I could even pluck out his eyes.”
“I’m not a chicken; I’m just worried if we could pull it off. But I thought the adults wanted to wait until your mother wakes up to tell us who did that to her.”
“I’m so tired of people telling me to wait when my mother is no closer to waking up than she was the day we found her. Make your decision. Are you coming along or not?”
“And you want us to travel in shifted form?”
“Yes, if you’re able. Maybe it would be better if I go alone. Your bum leg might make the journey too hard for you.”
“Don’t you dare even say that to me? I’ll be fine, but I have something to do before we leave. What time did you think we should go?”
“Early, before Palina wakes up,” Melody suggested.
“If we go in shifted form, what will we do if we need to shift back into human form? Don’t you plan to confront Jason before you attack? That way he wouldn’t even see it coming. Oh, but his friend Earl is with him, too.”
“I know, but together we could do it. I just know it.”
“I think it might be better if we take the ATV so we can bring more gear,” Maxwell suggested.
“I told you the first time that the ATV would be a better idea, dummy.”
Maxwell gave her a dead stare in the eye for that comment. “Are you going to tell anyone what we plan to do?”
“No, and you better not either,” Melody warned. “Or I’ll never forgive you, or be your friend ever again.”
Maxwell then asked, “What do you plan on taking with us?”
“Just clothing for the both of us. We’ll have to hunt for food while we’re gone.”
“Have you ever had to hunt for food, Melody?”
“No, but how hard can it be?”
“Eating wild game might not suit your taste buds.”
“Maybe not, but we shouldn’t be gone more than a few days at the most.”
“We should take a tent, too. If you’re planning for us to be gone two days.”
“That’s too much gear to take. We’ll
live off the land like they did back in the old western days, but we could bring a flashlight at least.”
“They didn’t have flashlights in the pioneer days,” Maxwell said with a wicked grin. “But that might be a good idea.”
“See, we’re making a good team already,” Melody returned.
“Are you planning on leaving a note to let Palina know where we’re going, or that we won’t be back for a few days?”
“No, and you better not either.”
“You do realize if we do this we won’t have any help if it goes wrong?”
“I know, but what other choice do we have? If we tell anyone where we’re going, they’ll stop us before we get there.”
Maxwell nodded. “You’re right, but I have another idea in case we don’t make it home. I met a woman in the woods and put her up in one of the hunting cabins. I’ve been stealing food from the kitchen to give to her.”
“What? Are you crazy? For all you know that woman means you or the pack harm.”
“I don’t think so, and for some reason she doesn’t want anyone to know she’s here. I can’t help but wonder if she’s running from something. Jason has abused more women than just your mother, didn’t you say?”
“Yes, but what makes you think this woman can be trusted?” Melody sounded on the verge of panic.
“It’s a feeling I get. Let’s go out there now and I’ll introduce you. Then you’ll see she poses no threat to us.”
“Okay, but let’s hurry before Palina comes looking for us. It’s already dark.”
“I know. I’m surprised she hasn’t already called us to dinner.”
“I didn’t see her cooking anything yet, so it will be a late meal anyway.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Maxwell walked off the main trail, heading deep into the woods. It was the less direct way, but at least Palina wouldn’t be able to find them so easily, or Uncle Raphael if he happened by when he looked for Seth.
When they passed a tree with two trunks, one facing north and the other facing south, Maxwell took a turn, which came up, from behind the cabin. When they wound themselves to the front, Mira fell off the chair she had been sitting on.