Added Chapter 9 to Pack Matters 1

Chapter 9
Camille
uch to Camille’s relief, Antione silently called a
halt by sitting on a rock. She didn’t know how long
they’d been running, but it felt good to finally stop.
Bernard sat next to Antione with a sad smile. “This is not
how I expected to spend time with my siblings.”
Antoine visibly froze, causing Camille to groan out in
annoyance. Not this again.
“Whether you like to admit it or not, we are all siblings.
We need to work together.”
“Did I say anything?” Antoine snapped, scooting subtly
away from Bernard.
“Your face did,” she bit back.
“I don’t care about any of you. I just want to get back
home. Plain and simple.”
It stung, but at least he was honest.
“We all do,” Bernard interjected for the first time. “This is
some crazy stuff.”
Camille began to walk again. “We should keep moving.
Who knows how long those guards will be down.”
And if on cue, howls could heard in the distance.
“Shit!” Antoine jumped up, his skin paling in the
moonlight. “How far do you think we are from the camp?”
Bernard
“Not that far,” Bernard answered. “Maybe five or six
miles at best.”
M
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“We need to keep moving,” Camille said with more
conviction.
The siblings went off once more, running with as much
strength as they could. It felt different for Bernard. He wasn’t
the most athletic boy in his school, nor the fastest, but he
wasn’t getting as tired as he used to. Where is this energy
coming from?
He knew where. He was a werewolf. Just like his brothers
and sister, just like his father. But it was much harder to
process. Logically speaking, werewolves don’t exist. It’s
impossible. It’s fantasyland, but like the others, he had to
accept the unacceptable. This was his new reality whether he
liked it or not.
After about an hour of nonstop running, they grew tired
once more. At this point, they were at least fifteen miles out.
The howls could still be heard, but it was at a distance. They
were safe, for now.
“Is anyone else like in shock? Because what the hell?”
Daymond blurted out, looking up wildly at everyone. “I’ve
been holding in, but Jesus Christ, am I scared.” He hung his
head, staring emptily at his lap.
Bernard keeps forgetting that Daymond is only thirteen.
Of course, he isn’t much older, but still, his little brother is
hurting.
“We don’t have time for this,” Antoine groaned.
“Cut him some slack,” Bernard found himself saying.
Antoine and even Camille raised their brows. Bernard
wasn’t the type to do the stick-upping, but here they were.
The sky was turning a soft rose blue, transitioning from
midnight to early dawn. The day was coming, and they were
ready for it. Every once in a while, Bernard would look behind
him and catch Daymond staring off into space or the ground.
He didn’t know what to say that could comfort him. That was
Camille’s job. But she was too busy being bossy and telling
them what to do.
“Hurry up.”
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“We don’t have time for this.”
“Keep moving.”
“I think we are out far enough to rest,” Bernard suggested.
“Not nearly,” Camille yelled over her shoulder, walking
faster, much to Bernard’s annoyance.
“Camille, how are we to defend ourselves if we are
exhausted? At least give us half an hour to recharge.”
She rolled her eyes before releasing a rough sigh. “Fine,
fine. But only for forty-five minutes. After that, we need to
keep moving.”
“But where exactly? It’s like a never-ending trail,”
Antonie groaned, leaning over Bernard.
He was quite surprised by the sudden affection. He tried
to shrug it off as if it was nothing, but a small smile grew at
the corner of his lip.
“There should be a road up that hill.” Camille pointed. “I
remember it when Dad drove us down here.”
It was at least thirty miles out.
“You do realize there’s about a thousand hills in these
woods. How in the hell do you know that’s the right one?”
Antione demanded.
Bernard knew where this was going. Camille and Antonie
were about to embark on another dooming petty argument.
“I just know!” She bit back.
“Oh, okay, that’s really good. Thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome–
”
A deep snore came from Daymond’s mouth. He was lying
against a tree, snoozing away already.
Camille’s brows softened, and she smiled sadly at her
little brother. “Let’s just get some rest, and we can discuss the
next action.”
Antonie hobbled over to another stump, laying his head
against the bark, looking at the changing leaves from green to
orange. Bernard did the same, though. He sat further away
from everyone else, ensuring he had peace and quiet by
staying away from Daymond’s snores.
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As he rested his eyes, he remembered briefly what his
uncle had said as he was packing his overnight back for the
cabin.
“Don’t look for trouble because it still manages to find
you in unexpected ways.”
He was right. Trouble finds them all, even when hidden.
Daymond
Daymond woke up with his ears ringing and a dry mouth.
Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to wake up not once
but twice in the middle of the woods – let alone with his three
older siblings that half the time he couldn’t stand. But he tried
to bite his tongue, at least for Camille’s sake. Lord knows he’s
pushed her buttons one too many times.
They hadn’t eaten since the night before, back at the wolf
camp. It was still just hitting him that he was no longer human.
Every once in a while, Camille would turn back and look at
him. Mostly to make sure he was still moving, but sometimes
she would ask if he was okay. He would lie and say yes.
By the time they reached the bottom of the designated hill,
their hunger only grew as the night grew closer and closer.
The sun officially sat, and the stars began to evade their
senses.
Daymond suddenly felt a burst of energy fueled by his
hungry stomach.
But as they continued their trek, Daymond began to feel
sweat producing under his arms and between his toes. Every
little thing began setting him off. With every step he took, he
would groan in pain.
Eventually, Antonie even asked, “What’s wrong with
you?” But even Antonie was scrunching his face as if to hold
in his own personal pain.
Daymond looked around his surroundings and finally
came across Bernard’s gawking gaze at the sky.
Right where the trees meets the sky, a bright moon shines
down on the four siblings.
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Daymond collapsed on the ground, his body shivering—a
low growl climbing from the back of his throat.
“Daymond!” Camille called, but she, too, eventually fell
to her knees, her right arm reaching out to touch him.
Antoine
His whole body ached, and the moon called to him as he
stared at the heavens. Antoine’s eyes glazed over, and all he
could see was the looming sky made of glass. Digging his
knees into the dirt, he shut his eyes, trying to control the
hidden wolf from within. It lurked around in the corner of his
mind, smiling as he lost control. The wolf howled next,
angling his head toward the ceiling of his mind.
“Daymond!” Antonie heard Camille scream.
Antoine’s eyes flashed open, staring into Camille’s purple
gaze. Her limbs began to move in awkward positions before
screaming out in anguish. Fur began peeking out from
underneath her skin, and clothes started to shred around her.
That’s when he looked down at his body. Black hair covered
his arms and legs, and his clothes became obsolete. He
screamed in pain – his body forming into a monster, a giant
wolf.
When he finally looked up again, Camille was long gone.
Paw prints lead out into the open field of the woods. To his
right, Bernard screamed in agony, eyes wide open in pure
pain. Daymond was no less. After that, he blacked out.
It wasn’t until the moonshine reflected off the pure black
coat that he was again conscious. To his side, three wolves
stood guard. One was white with gray and light gray speckles.
The second was a honeysuckle shade with white under the
belly. The last was a smokey gray color with black highlights.
They howled in unison, and Antonie followed suit.
His senses were in complete overdrive. He could hear
birds up from three hundred feet in the air, the smell of a
stream from miles and miles away – his paws large and robust,
feeling every pebble of the dirt.
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In the distance, he heard chatter – laughter – and
happiness. Whoever they were, wherever they came from, his
wolf self was curious to see what all of the commotion was.
Running down the hilltop, the three wolves behind him
followed his every move.
The laughter only grew louder and louder. But as they
stepped forward into the light of the moon, breathing in the
fresh air, the campers quieted. Antonie reveled in their
discomfort. Controlled by the moon, he did what his ancestors
would want him to do.
Reek havoc for the sake of it. He began running full steam
ahead, howling away at the night sky. It was a group of six:
three adults and three kids. They screamed out of fear,
huddling together in unity. Antonie snarled, and the entire
camp was shredded from top to bottom, causing the family
more discomfort. They attacked their tents, put out their fire,
thrashed blankets, and kept going.
Wherever Antonie went, the other wolves blindly
followed. So when the young wolf jumped, so did they, if he
howled out in frustration or, worse, approached the family
with a quiver to his lip. The four would circle them together,
and all the children cried in hysteria. The moon controlled the
animals’ every mood. Even if they wanted to stop, their legs
kept moving forward.
“Leave us alone!” a woman cried. Her valiant effort would
be noted.
They barked in response and prepared to take a bite when
another howl echoed from afar. Antonie’s ear quirked up in
recognition. Pack. The wolf pack that they stayed up with was
nearing them. In a matter of seconds, they surrounded the
young wolves. Distracted by their intrusion, the family was
able to escape in peace.
They howled, barked, and foamed at the mouth—the
largest wolf from the pack, a smoky black and gray speckles,
steps forward. In Antonie’s head, he witnessed his inner wolf
cowering in defense. What was the meaning behind this
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power? Why were they able to control him without even
touching him? Antonie wasn’t ready to find out. He fought
hard against the compulsion – the need to submit. But after
minutes of denial, his body bowed down in submission.
“Stand down!” He heard someone say from inside his
head. And after that, his mind went blank.
Antoine woke up a day later laying under some scratchy
cloth. His head rang with fire, and he couldn’t think straight.
Feeling sweaty from the burlap blanket, he lifted it from his
chest. His eyes widen. He had no clothes on because of his…
transformation of last night. When he turned to his right, none
of his siblings were in the tent—instead, a stack of clothes and
new pairs of shoes lay next to him.
Stretching from his spot, he got up and dressed quickly.
He needed to find Camille, Bernard, and Daymond and get
the hell out of here pronto. But when he exited the tent, a few
feet away, he saw the three sitting at a table eating peacefully.
Slowing his pace a bit, he came to their rescue, whispering,
“Let’s get out of here.”
Camille barely acknowledges him before saying, “Sit
down, Antoine. We have nowhere to run to.”
He was dumbfounded, but when Bernard looked at him
with a grim stare, he decided it was best to sit put and get food
in his system.
The pack around them was readying themselves for
something Antoine had no idea of.
“They said they could help us find Dad. And the reason
why they wanted to lock us up was from transformation – our
first one, the werewolves are always out of control.” She
muttered.
“They could have just told us that from the start,” Antione
said.
“I think they were going to, but I jumped the gun on that,
sorry guys.” Camille tried to smile, but no one looked at her.
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They sat in silence for a while. Antonie didn’t know what
to make of all this. They are once again trapped with Jean-
Claude’s pack. “So what’s next?”
“We listen to the person in charge, that’s what.” Bernard
took a large bite from his oatmeal and surveyed the camp.
“Easier said than done. We are with people we don’t
know, Bernard,” Antonie argued.
Dropping his spoon dramatically, his younger brother
looked at him, dismay clear in his eyes. “I’m so sick of you
and Camille trying to run us into danger when we should have
just stayed put. We are way out of our element, and if we
aren’t careful, we’re going to die.”
Antonie scoffed. “Someone finally grew a spine at the
wrong time.”
“Guys, please –” Camille tried to butt in, but no one cared
to listen, especially Antonie.
“Like I’m going to listen to you,” he grumbled.
“Hey, hey,” ZaMari started toward them, sitting next to
Daymond at the table. “Relax. It could have been a lot worse.
I remember my first transformation… or at least the aftermath
of it. It was a massacre. Just be thankful we got there in time.”
The siblings went silent, staring only at each other.
“Look, this all feels scary. Believe me, it is. Not only are
you werewolves, but with these newfound gifts, you also hold
powers. Each and every one of you will soon discover them –
and hopefully, aid Alpha Jean Claude, and I find your father.”
“We don’t know where he is,” Camille said. “And if we
did, why would we tell you? For all we know, he could have
been taken by you.”
Antione rolled his eyes. Then why would they say they’re
looking for him? Also gifts? Beyond turning into monsters?
“When we transformed… We didn’t look like the werewolves
that attacked us.”
ZaMari cruelly chuckled. “If that were the case, you and
your brothers would already be dead. But that’s not how our
pack works, my dear friend.” His eyes lit up at Antione’s
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words, and nodded. “That’s because you weren’t in control.
We call that state, the giant wolf, berserker. You’ll be able to
take the other form, the true form, soon enough with our help.
Together, we’ll discover your gifts and find your father.”
“And how are you going to help us do that?” Antonie
asked.
ZaMari’s eyes flashed a sheen of hope before uttering the
next words: “Through love and unity. We are the Laurrell
pack and we thrive on helping each other.”
“Look, we don’t know where our father is. I just found out
I was a descendant from a wolf like less than 24 hours ago,
for crying out loud!” Antonie stood up.