“No offence Eddie, but you need a new ride.”

“My truck is perfectly fine.”

“Oh, yes, perfectly fine. Like an abandoned toy left to haunt a playground.”

“What kind of idiom is that?”

“I don’t know. But back to the point, you need to get a better car.”

“I don’t need a car, Seb. This baby is a classic; built to last. There’s no way it’ll give out on me.”

“Alright. Just don’t complain when I turn out to be right.”

“Speaking of cars, when are you going to learn to drive?”

“Why should I. That’s what I’m friends with you for.”

“As much as I love taking you wherever, I can’t be your chuffer all the time.”

“That’s when I get a ride from mum or Nick.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Thank you.”

Just then, the pair arrived at Sebastian’s house. It was a modest sized home just at the edge of town. With a lovely white picket fence, pale yellow walls that contrasted the bright blue roofing, and a cosy little porch enclosed by fly screens to keep bugs away.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for the night since your dad is on patrol?”

“I’ve been home alone before, Seb.”

“Just because you’ve done it before doesn’t mean you have to do it again. Mom and Nick love having you over, you know. It’s not like you’re imposing or anything.”

“Are you worried about my truck breaking down?”

Sebastian laughed. “Maybe. At least promise to text me when you get home?”

Edmund huffed. “Sure. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye!” Seb said as he got out and then ran over to his front door.

Edmund watched him go inside of the house before starting up his truck again to drive home. He and his dad lived out of town, in the woods a good distance from anyone else. Their house was much bigger than Sebastian’s, and far bigger than two people needed, but Ed’s dad refused to part with it. It had been built by his great grandparents and passed down through the family since then. It was admittedly a rather nice place and Edmund never imagined leaving there either.

Even as a kid, he imagined staying here always in his little home town. He’d never had any dreams of leaving. Instead, he wanted to settle down and have a family. Perhaps it was silly for a child to think of but it was something he wanted. A nice family, with lots of kids to run around the house and fill it with joy and laughter. He wanted to make it feel like the warm lovely home it had been in his childhood.

He could imagine it now. Playing with his kids in the yard, teaching them to use a bow and arrows like his granddad had showed him. He’d joke and laugh with them, tell them stories from his own childhood, show off his favourite places to play as a boy. Perhaps he could even be a house husband and take the role of main caretaker. Then he would have his kids with him all day. Of course, he’d have to do plenty of household chores like cleaning and cooking and what not, but that didn’t faze him.

He would have his family. Him and-

A sudden sputtering from the truck pulled him back to reality and Edmund cursed under his breath as it suddenly decided to quit on him.

“Damn it, Sebastian, why do you always have to be right,” He muttered lowly to himself as he got out to check the engine.

His head was under the hood when he hears a twig snap. It gave him a bit of a fright, but he managed to keep himself calm as he pulled his head out to look at his surroundings. He didn’t see anything hiding in the trees which grew thick on either side of the road. There was still a possibility of something lurking just beyond his line of sight in the shadows.

As he was about to return to the truck, he heard a whimper from nearby. It sounds like an injured dog. Acting on emotion before his logic could kick in, Ed stepped towards the sound. He’d always been a damn softy when it came to animals so of course he couldn’t ignore a potentially wounded dog.

Once he was close enough to see the animal though, he realized it was a wolf. It had silver fur with a blue tint. Well, apart from its stomach which seems to be stained red with blood.

Edmund’s heart felt like was in his throat as his mind was torn between empathy towards the wolf’s situation and fear that whatever did this was still nearby. Then its eyes opened and his blood felt like it froze in his veins. Those eyes were so full of despair, pain, and blue. God, they were very blue. Like a sky on a clear sunny day. So bright and intense.

The wolf whines again, breaking Edmund out of his frozen state. He slowly approached it, hands up to show he means no harm as he moves to check it’s wound. There’s so much blood -too much- and he can already see the light fading from the wolf’s eyes.

He reached out to touch it gently. Desperately wishing to comfort the creature. The wolf seemed to appreciate this. Its eyes looked a bit less pained, but it was still slowly slipping away. It closed its eyes and Ed felt as its final breath go from its lungs.

The forest seemed far too quiet now, as Edmund cried silently for the wolf in front of him. Eventually, he pulled himself together, and decided to give the creature a proper burial. He wasn’t exactly sure why but it felt like the right thing to do.

He was glad that he had a shovel in his truck. He couldn’t remember why, but all that mattered was he had it to help him dig the grave for the blue-eyed wolf. He got some blood on himself as he lowered the body into the hole but he didn’t worry about that. After the dirt was replaced over the body, he looked for something to serve as a head stone. It seemed like a silly thing to do. Especially for a wolf he had barely just met. But still, Ed found a stone, and used the screwdriver part of his pocket knife to engrave a little cross into it.

He stood for a few moments beside the grave before he leaving. He decided the truck was a lost cause, for now anyways, so he walked home. Keeping the shovel with him just in case he needed a weapon. What he just saw left him feeling deeply disturbed. Anxiety was clawing at the edges of his mind as his imagination pictured horrors lurking in the shadows. Specifically, the horror that managed to kill that wolf.

Moonlight beamed down from above, breaking through the clouds like a shining silver hero, and illuminating the area around Ed much better than before. He felt a bit calmer without such dark shadows around him but he also felt… something else.

It’s was so strange, but so subtle at first that he didn’t notice it. It was something inside of him. There was a tingling, a warmth, spreading quickly through his veins. Something was forming inside him; or rather it was waking up.

His breathing was getting shallow and his eyelids felt suddenly heavy. He was so tired, absolutely exhausted, that he just barely pushed himself to get home. In fact, once he got to the house, he didn’t bother with going to his room. Instead, he collapsed onto the couch.

His mind was aware enough that he remembered to lock the door and text Sebatian that he got home alright. But there was a heat that took over all his senses. Blurring his thoughts far worse than even the exhaustion.

He felt hot -so hot- so He stripped down. That didn’t help him any though. He whimpered with desperation, tossing and turning on the couch.

Suddenly his eyes open wide. Glowing with an unnatural light. Clear blue like the sky.

That’s the last thing Sebastian remembered before waking up to the sound of a loud howl.