Back at the witches' hut, the three boys were let out for fresh forest air by Valerian.
Scratch and the others wandered around, their limit was the big tree several feet away from them. Valerian told them she contained it with some sort of invisibility spell. While Howl and Thunderbolt explored the yard, Scratch looked up at the stars, daydreaming about the life he'll have once he's free......once they're all free.
Howl took a spot next to Scratch and too looked up at the stars. "They're beautiful tonight." He said. Scratch nodded.
"I'm just wondering, Scratch....do you still have any memory?"
"Just a bit, why?" He replied, looking at his friend.
Howl looked at the ground sadly. "I don't have any memories left, unless, if our friendship is anything human, I guess I have all but one memory in tact."
Scratch looked at the ground. "Me too, well, our friendship and my resentment towards my father is another part. Have you asked Thunder?" Howl nodded.
"What did he say?"
He shrugged. "Same as us. You know, I've noticed that Shadow isn't affected by this...have you noticed?"
"No, not really."
"Hmm." Howl said, looking back up.
Before his friend could...Scratch suddenly caught something in the distance. Shit!
"What?" Howl whispered.
"Don't make a sound..." Scratch warned.
Once Thunderbolt noticed the silhouette, he slowly made his way to his friends. What do we do now?
I don't know, Scratch thought. Just watch I guess, wait until he leaves.
The boys stared at the beastly creature ten feet away from them.
The wolf seemed to be much larger than them. Scratch stared at him, but then he noticed something familiar about him....it was the same wolf in his vision back in the Valley...the same one with the familiar blue eyes that reminded him of......
Scratch gasped, he slowly made his way to the edge of the barrier, just glimpsing at who seems to be Ben.
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The wolf looked around and sniffed the air, hoping to get a sign of the wolf he'd been referred to. There appeared to be no trace of him so far.
Scratch, get back here! Are you STUPID? Thunderbolt exclaimed mentally.
Scratch immediately looked at his friends, then back at the wolf. He accidentally let out a breath and the wolf heard him. Then everything happened all at once, when the wolf spotted him, he howled loud, and so did Scratch's friends as they raced over to him. In the best way he knew how to protect his friends, Scratch ran out of the barrier and pounced himself on the wolf's back, clawing him as hard as he could.
I'm sorry, Ben...
"No!" He could hear Thunderbolt scream as he ran to him to attack. Suddenly, Thunderbolt was thrown down by a red- eyed wolf. Quickly, the small wolf got up and lunged at his target, missing him by an inch. Howl did what he could to pull Scratch off of the big wolf, but suddenly, he was knocked down by another wolf, that seemed to be female.
Hearing the commotion, the three witches ran outside to help them. Shadow could immediately recognize the wolves that were tormenting his friends. His stomach dropped. It was Beta!
Before they could reach them, one of the wolves managed to knock Scratch unconscious, and surprisingly left Thunderbolt and Howl behind.
"What's going on?" Thunderbolt groaned. "Why didn't they take US?"
The black wolf who was beside Rose the whole time, answered for them. "Because he's Scarlett's child. Rumors in the forest spread that for a long time, Scarlett wanted to not only take back her son, but make him her heir."
Thunderbolt and Howl looked at him with surprised looks on their faces. "What did you say?"
"How do you know?" Howl shouted. "How do you know all of this? Our friend is a child of this bitch?"
"Just one word..." the black wolf began to explain. "Reminded me of the rumors that was said through the years...she always talked about her son, using his name, Max.
"Yeah, but they're just stories...like the first one cursed by Scarlett." Thunderbolt explained.
"I'M THE FIRST ONE CURSED!" The black wolf retorted.
Valerian gasped, and all the wolves and Rose looked at her. "What?"
"That must make you Max's father!"
Rose and Shadow looked at each other, then Rose began to speak. "I know the story, about the first one cursed." She then turned to the black wolf. "You were her lover, but something happened between you two....you cheated on her and when she found out, she grew angry and hateful, casting a curse upon you that forever changed you into what you are now! That's you!" Everyone then turned their eyes to the black wolf, who was speechless.
"That makes sense." He says. "And from the stories I heard, Scarlett had a son, who after birth was taken away from her to protect him from her evil. Now that I see it, it was ME!" The black wolf chuckled. "I remember now, after he was born, I took him to my new lover and she helped me to raise him, after he was four, I felt like I needed to make amends with Scarlett....but, she had so much hatred for me. I lied to her, convincing her that only me and Max were to be alone, after a few years, when she figured out I was with someone else....she appeared and immediately, I told my new wife to hide the children. Scarlett cursed me in front of the villagers and I ran desperately for help, but everyone locked their doors."
Shadow looked at his friends and sister. "What does she want with him?"
Thunderbolt shot a look at him "You technically lived with her, I thought you'd know all the answers!"
Shadow then retorted. "She's never told me EVERYTHING!"