Tests

I was looking over the first chapter, and I noticed that there was like, a whole bunch of one liners and all that. Kind of bugged me. Well, I’m gonna try to make both paragraphs and chapters longer.

Now for the reviews!

Antaris: Yeah, I'm going to try to do better on the details. Heh... Thanks!

Avernion: Well, guess it's a bit obvious about what he is, heh. I'll try and update as quick as i can :)

Hope ya'll review, again and otherwise :D

-------

I’m think I’m going to die.

She won’t stop staring at me.

Terra. The daughter that Auntie was talking about yesterday. Seriously, she just wouldn’t stop, the whole time we were being introduced to the family.

I don’t know why I never even tried getting out of going to dinner. I don’t know why at all. Even Auntie thought, either there was something wrong with me, or I really wanted to meet the daughter.

Truthfully, it completely and totally slipped my mind to be at least a little stubborn.

Didn’t even cross my mind until we were already driving up to the damn place. It was on another gravel road, but it wasn’t as bad as the one that we were on yesterday.

The father of the family was outside, on the porch. Cowboy clothes, hat, and all. Even saw some horses out in the field.

Seemed normal enough to me, except for what seemed to be a permanent scowl on his face. Smelled like tobacco, too.

He just looked away when we came up, with me holding Riley. No way in hell we were leaving him home alone. He acted pretty well around strangers too, which was better than I ever did, according to Auntie.

The mother, Mrs. Tarine, no, Nora, gave us a warmer welcome. She was a chubby little woman who looked like she would have a wardrobe full of ‘farmer’s wife’ dresses, with the sunhats to match.

Nice woman, but there was something off about her. I got it, she was too happy.

Nora introduced us to her daughter, Terra, pouted that her son, who ‘was my age!’ was running out and about, and then sat us down to dinner.

I kept a hold on Riley the whole time, considering if I didn’t he’d be holding onto my pant leg the whole time.

“So.” Terra started off, after Nora shooed us out of the kitchen to go eat in the living room. “You’re from the city?”

I nodded, thinking about trying to see how long I could go without actually having to give an answer.

“Your Aunt, said you were Adrian?” I nodded again, hiding a smirk when she looked disappointed. Besides, Auntie introduced me when we came in.

“You’re a senior, right?” Another nod, “You’re in my grade then. I can show you around the school then, if you want.”

I was tempted to tell her that I didn’t plan on going, though I had a feeling that Auntie would find out, and be pissed.

“The little guy yours?” I looked confused, and then understood that she was talking about Riley. It came to me that Auntie never told them that he was my cousin.

I was very tempted to say he was, but figured I shouldn’t. Didn’t need any rumors going around about me now.

“Cousin.” I finally said, and the look her eyes were a little gleeful. She probably thought she made some sort of break through.

I could understand why she thought he was mine though. We had the same amber eyes and brown hair, and there was the fact that he followed me around everywhere. He was more of a little brother though.

I’m really going to hate when school starts, now.

“How old is he?” Terra asked after a minute. At least she wasn’t staring at me anymore.

“Just turned two.” Not that I really knew, but he was in diapers, and I was sure he was older than one, and not three yet.

“Does he know any words?” I shrugged, hoping she’d get the point that I didn’t want to talk to her.

It seemed she did, too, because she didn’t ask anything else after that. She turned the TV on, to some soap opera show, and ignored me for the next hour or so, until Auntie told me that we were leaving.

“How’d you like it?” She asked on the ride home, and I shrugged.

“Fine.” I answered when she looked at me, and frowned.

“She’s a nice girl.” I could tell what she was trying to do.

“It won’t work.” I told her, and she gave a knowing nod.

“At least you can try.” That was the end of the conversation. It didn’t matter if I tried or not, Terra was too ‘fragile’ to be in a relationship with me, which was what Auntie was trying to get me to do.

It was getting pretty late for Riley, so I went ahead to tuck him in. I went to the study, where I found Auntie going through her books.

She looked up at me as I came in, standing near the door.

“We’re getting you school supplies tomorrow.” When I was about to object, she raised a hand. “You’re going.”

She said it with such finality, showing me that she made up her mind and she wasn’t going to change her decision. I pouted anyway, just in case, but it didn’t help any.

“Besides,” she went on, “you might meet more people before school starts, might help you out or something.”

I rolled my eyes, before telling her I’d be outside, under the tree. I really needed to find somewhere farther away.

----------

It was Saturday night. One more day of freedom before I had to start school. Despite everything, I was nervous as hell, as well I should be, according to Auntie. I couldn’t screw anything up this time.

All yesterday, me and Auntie was combing through the woods. She’d bought quite a bit of the land, and we were ‘marking out territory.’

Not in the animalistic, peeing on everything sort of way. Just sticking up boundary crystals. Guaranteed to keep the freaks out and me in. I felt like I should have taken offense when she told me that, though I guess she did have good reasons to.

It took us a few hours, but we were finally done.

The whole time we were ‘marking our territory,’ Auntie had me going back to check over Riley, who was sound asleep the whole time, the lucky bastard.

Not for the fact that he sleeps about twenty hours a day, but that he gets to. Makes me fucking jealous, is what it does.

“Make a run around, make sure nothing’s messed up.” Auntie had ordered, and so I did.

The good thing about using these crystals is that if one wasn’t working for some reason, the ones on either side would reach across for a temporary barrier until it was fixed.

Auntie knows what she’s doing, that was for sure.

I ended up coming across a clearing, that I had to do a double take on.

It turned out to be the best place on earth. At least by me, anyway. It wasn’t nothing big, which I didn’t mind. There were two large trees near the middle, shading the space in between. A great place for a hammock…

I was there during the next night putting a hammock up, after getting Aunties permission, when I heard a high pitched whistle resounding through the woods, that almost made me drop to the leafy floor.

It only went off once, and only for a few seconds, but already my eardrums were about shot. My teeth grinded together in the aftermath, before I bit my lip, and took off running towards the new house.

When I got there, Auntie was outside on the back porch, rocking in a rocking chair that she had, making me think of her as an old woman.

By then, I was feeling better, but my ears still rung.

I got up on the porch, and almost started began to make a whine, but Auntie held up a hand.

“Sorry kid, I’ll go talk to the neighbors tomorrow.” She told me, recognizing the look on my face.

“They’re fucking animal abusers or something,” I said after a few minutes, and Auntie rolled her eyes.

“Probably just some disobeying dogs.” She gave me a look, which I returned with a glare.

“They’re stupid fuckers.” I growled out, still pissed, but we left it at that.

Auntie rocked back in her chair, and I looked up at her.

“What?” She asked once she noticed my staring.

“You’re too young to be an old hag.” I told her, getting a kick. “Hey, that was a compliment.”

“Whatever, kid.”

It was true though. Auntie was probably in her thirties or so. Far too young.

“I’m heading up to bed,” I told her before standing up, stretching. The night was still young, and I still had to finish up the hammock, but right then, I was too lazy to fix up something that I was planning on lazing around on.

“I’ll be waking you up in the morning, alright?” Auntie said, almost sounding like she was threatening me. I nodded, before heading in and up, checking on Riley on my way.

Once I’d stripped down to my boxers, and got under the covers, looking up at the ceiling.

Tomorrow was the big day. I was anxious to get it over and done with. I didn’t want to screw everything up like I did last time, though if it was true that this town was a hotspot, then maybe I wouldn’t get in trouble if I lost control.

I couldn’t do that to Auntie, she went through a lot, and was probably the only reason why I wasn’t dead right now.

She was already running, but she took me with her, which was both a danger for both her and Riley, though she was confident that nothing would ever happen.

Maybe it was true though. Maybe Auntie was strong enough to keep the wolf at bay. I barely could.

After more thought, I decided that I wasn’t getting anywhere in any sort of decision, and turned over, determined to get a good night’s rest.

-------

Running, bones changing, lengthening and shortening, on all fours, fur thickening and the finally being able to feel the breeze, as if it was stripping away all my worries and fears.

Senses heightened, ears forward in alertness, eyes sharp for the path that I created with each stretching of my legs, bounding across the earthy ground.

The night, cool, but my body heated up anyway from the thrill of the run.

There was nothing to fear. I was the new predator.

But what sort of predator was I, if there was no prey?

The small, weak animals scampered across my path, but they held barely any appeal. I had the taste in my mouth, the scent of blood almost making me crazed, but the thrill of the open area overrode my want to devour.

Tonight was not about the hunt, it was about the freedom. If only it could last.

A howl up at the moon, it’s pale beams lighting up the clearing I found myself upon.

I couldn’t help but sniff around, one final precaution that it was mine, and mine only.

I sat, tail thumping against the ground, letting my tongue loll about.

Freedom.

-------

Ugh, I meant to make it longer.

And don’t worry, the story will be moving pretty