When Shadow opened the door, he almost laughed at the nude chaos that awaited him on the other side.
He held back his laugh as he heard Thunderbolt say to the girls, "Uh, yeah please just ......turn your heads the other way. You don't need to see this. Please and Thank you!" They were already looking away, of course.
When Shadow shut the door, everyone looked up at him. Rose and Valerian were in such shock they didn't say a word.
Thunderbolt was first to speak. "Uhh, who are you?"
Shadow gave him a side eye. "It's me."
Thunderbolt looked around as if waiting for someone to give him an answer. "I don't know - ?"
"Shadow?"
Thunderbolt then excitedly said. "Dude, I thought for you transforming into a black wolf, you would have black hair.......but, you're BLOND?"
Howl gave him a sarcastic answer. "For someone who should know why we look the way we look is what happens on the inside, not the outside...wouldn't you agree?"
Rose stared at him with pure shock and glee, so did Valerian, but when she looked up at him, she saw the same annoying little shit she too had to take care of back then.
Shadow set the pairs of clothes down, and turned to his sister. He couldn't hold back the wave of emotions that were hitting him all at once. He stood there, crying. Rose reached out to him, and immediately he ran into her arms, sobbing his eyes out. She too cried as she held her little brother. "It's alright, it's over." She whispered in his ear.
"Uh guys? I hate to interrupt the moment you're having over there....but.....Scratch?" Thunderbolt said.
Shadow looked down at Scratch, who was a full human now. His eyes were shut, and his skin was pale from bleeding out. He walked over and knelt beside him, holding his hand and closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, buddy, but it's not your time yet." He whispered gently.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
He could feel the life coming back into his friend again, and he could even hear him cough.
Scratch looked up at him with wide eyes. "What the - ! Who are YOU?"
Howl laughed.
"That's Shadow..." Thunderbolt explained.
Shadow smiled at Thunderbolt, then turned back to Scratch. "What he said."
Scratch scoffed. "Whoa, I didn't think you would be BLOND!"
"Why does everybody keep SAYING that?" Shadow wondered as he turned to everyone, as if expecting an answer come from somewhere.
When Scratch sat up, he looked at his brother and father. His father was knelt right beside his long haired brother, he looked at Scratch and smiled, with tears flooding his eyes.
"Father!" Scratch shot up, but held back and winced once he felt pain. Shadow grabbed him by the arm. "Easy.." he said.
Scratch smiled weakly at him, and Shadow smiled. "It's good to have you back!"
Scratch nodded. "It's good to BE back!"
Shadow then left his side to raise Ben back from the dead.
Within a few seconds, Ben gasped as he took his first breath. When be saw his brother, he shifted to see Scratch. "You found me." He said.
"I told you!" Scratch said smiling, then turned to his father, fully dressed from the clothes offered to him. He seemed to have grown gray hair, he was taller than him and more muscular built. He was in pretty good shape.
Ben looked at his father too. "Where have you been all our lives?"
Scratch explained to him the experience he had with his father as a wolf, and he retold the story of what happened between him and his ex partner, Scarlett. Scratch felt ashamed to talk about it.
Howl and Thunderbolt were in the distance, trying on some good tunics and boots with them.
Over in the distance, Shadow watched the pack in silence, and Rose stood next to him. When he looked at her again, he hugged her. "I'm sorry, sister." He whispered to her.
Rose comforted him. "Shadow, you were only ten. Little boys like you do silly things all the time at that age."
The fear that Shadow thought left him for good came back up. "Please love me." He begged.
"Always." Was her response to him.
Shadow smiled in her shoulder, he jumped when he heard the door swing again. He looked over to see who entered.
It was Mica.
Shadow rolled his eyes, then looked back at him. "What do YOU want?"
Mica was speechless at this horrid sight of hugs and warm embraces. He looked back at Shadow.
"You guys DISGUST me!"
"Get lost!" Shadow said, shooing him away.
He could hear Mica mutter "traitor" under his breath as he left them alone again.