Post by One Hit Wonder on May 4, 2020 1:05:31 GMT -5
DISCLAIMER: Graphic Violence, Assault
Kaydi sipped her coffee as she looked out the window, watching the waves gently beat against the shoreline. She'd taken to working from home more often than not, wanting to spend as much time as possible with Blayne. She hadn't felt like this about anyone since... a tear rolled down her cheek as the memory came... since Breki. And after what happened to Breki, she was terrified of anything happening to Blayne, and desperate to enjoy every moment she had with him in case he got snatched away from her too. And she knew Blayne would be just as... reckless... as Breki had been if anything happened to her. All the more reason to stick close to home.
Something moved on the beach below and she leaned in closer to the window, trying to make it out, but her coffee steamed up the glass and obscured her vision. She leaned back again and drew a heart in the steam, adding K+B in the center. She traced the B again. B for Blayne... and Breki. The two greatest loves of her life. She actually thought Breki would have liked Blayne. They had a lot in common, though it might not seem so on the surface. It was more fundamental commonalities such as their outlooks on life, desire to fight evil, generosity, and putting others first. She thought Breki might have grown into a man much like Blayne if he'd been given the chance.
She sighed and took a step back from the window, turning to look around the apartment. Her gaze fell on the piano and she went over to sit down, setting her coffee on a coaster. She played her fingers over the keys, not really playing a song, just kind of noodling around. Blayne had rekindled her love of music, something she’d set aside as she pursued her business career. It had never been more than a hobby, really, even though she knew she was good. She had a natural talent, and the years of piano lessons she’d taken certainly didn’t hurt. She’d taken them just as seriously as any of her other studies, but she had never meant to do much with them. Writing music with Blayne had given her “hobby” more of a life though. The notes and words just seemed to flow from them when they put their minds and talents together. It was magical.
As if her fingers had a life of their own, she began playing the opening notes of “Little Red Riding Hood.” Another tear slipped down her cheek and she pushed herself away from the piano. Picking up her coffee, she wandered back over to her desk and sat down. Enough being maudlin. Time to get some work done. Blayne would be home soon and she wanted to be able to give him her full attention.
**
She had just finished the last of her emails and closed her laptop when she heard Blayne enter the apartment and bound up the steps to the loft where her desk was. He was humming and when he saw her he began singing, “Little Red Riding Hood, you sure are looking good…”
Kaydi stiffened and stared at him. “Why are you singing that song?”
Blayne stopped and looked at her quizzically, “I don’t know, it just popped into my head. Don’t you like it?”
She sighed, “I used to love it…”
“I’m sensing a ‘but’ here, love.”
Kaydi nodded, “Yeah… let’s go downstairs. I need to grab something from the closet.”
He followed her and sat down on the couch, waiting while she rummaged in the closet. She came and sat down next to him, holding a scrapbook he hadn’t seen before. She took a deep breath and opened it to the first page, showing a picture of two teenagers apparently dressed up for Halloween. One of them was Kaydi, dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. The boy was dressed as The Big Bad Wolf. “Breki was my boyfriend when I was a teenager. He had an affinity for wolves, and he would sing that song to me all the time.” She flipped through the pages, showing him more pictures of the two teenagers: at prom, at an amusement park, a variety of selfies and silly poses. They looked very much in love.
“What happened?” Blayne asked, knowing there was more to the story. Kaydi loved with all her heart, and if she had loved this boy, something had to have happened if they were no longer together.
Kaydi swallowed hard. “Near the beginning of my senior year, I was kidnapped. They specifically targeted me, they had a device - a collar - that was specially designed to neutralize my powers. They were going to…” Kaydi couldn’t finish the sentence as tears filled her eyes. Blayne wrapped an arm around her, holding her close as she cried, letting her tell the story at her own pace.
**
Flashback
Kay hummed happily as she got ready for school, shrugging into her favorite gray jeans and a new long-sleeved white t-shirt with a wolf head on the front. She giggled and started to sing, "Little Red Riding Hood. You sure are looking OW!" She frowned as she bit her tongue. She slipped her glasses off and bared her teeth to examine them in the mirror. Maybe Breki was right, maybe they were getting bigger. And sharper. She shrugged and put her glasses back on, grabbed her backpack and headed to the kitchen.
It looked like Lyrick was experimenting with recipes again. "What's for breakfast, Rikki?"
Lyrick looked up from her mixing bowl and nodded toward the pan on the counter. "I'm trying to figure out a new quiche recipe but it's not turning out very good." Kay picked up a piece and took a bite.
"Ugh, how can you eat that?" Lyrick asked. "It's awful!"
Kay just shrugged and took another bite. "I'm hungry?"
Lyrick just shook her head as Kay finished off the piece and grabbed another. "I swear you have no taste buds whatsoever, Kay."
Kay just shrugged again and said, "Vic's here."
Lyrick about dropped the mixing bowl. "Oh! I'm a mess!" She hastily tried to tame her hair with her fingers. "Do I have flour on my face or anything? Wait a minute… how do you know he's here?"
"You look fine. And I heard him, coming up the drive. He's whistling."
Lyrick stared at her. "How can you hear that?" Just then the doorbell rang. "Oh my god, he IS here!" Lyrick took off down the hall.
Kay laughed at her sister and grabbed another piece of the quiche. She understood how Lyrick felt now, since Breki had come into her life. He'd be here for dinner tonight and she couldn't wait to see him again. But right now she had better book it to school or she'd be late to her first class. She shouldered her backpack and left through the servants' entrance, flying off to the University in Steel Canyon.
After her classes were over, she checked her cell phone for messages, hoping to find one from Breki. But there was only one, asking her to check out a warehouse in Kings Row. She didn't recognize the number it was from, but figured maybe it had been forwarded to her by someone in the League, since they knew she'd be close by. She punched up the GPS on her phone and shouldered her backpack again, flying off to Kings Row.
Landing in front of the address she'd been given, she looked around. No signs of life. It looked like the place hadn't seen activity in months. But her tiger ears pricked as she caught a faint shuffling sound from inside. Someone was definitely here. She cautiously opened the door and slipped inside. It was dark, but she could see fine. She set her backpack down by the door and tucked her phone into her pocket, then slowly crept down the hall towards the sounds.
How she didn't hear the person sneaking up behind her, she'd never know. But suddenly a collar-like instrument was snapped around her neck. She turned around and saw a man dressed in black, smiling smugly at her. She opened her mouth to scream at him but no sound came out. Her eyes widened and she tried again. Nothing. He laughed at her. Glaring at him, she raised a hand to produce a ring of fire around him, but nothing happened. "Not gonna work, little girl. That thing's specially programmed to null your powers. My, my, aren't you a cute one. This is going to be fun." He reached for his belt buckle as two other men slipped out of the shadows and grabbed Kay's arms.
Kay fought them, ripping her shirt in the process, but she was no match for their brute strength. They forced her down to the ground. She kicked at the first man who was trying to get in between her legs and he snarled at the other two to hold her down as he ripped at her jeans. Kay panicked. She tried again to scream but nothing came out. The men laughed at her. Kay closed her eyes and wished she was anywhere but there.
When they opened again, there was a faint shine to them, a wild light. She growled and hissed at the men. "Whoa, feisty little thing." One of the men leaned over to look at her face and she took the opportunity to sink her teeth into his jugular. He screamed and let go of her, trying to pry her off, but she refused to let go. Tossing her head, she tore a chunk out of his neck. He gurgled, grabbed his neck, and fell to the ground, convulsing. Now with a free hand, she dug her fingers into the second man's eyes. He screamed even louder than the first and tore at her hand until there was a popping sound and the screaming suddenly stopped. Kay shook the now limp body off her hand and turned her attention to the third man, vainly trying to pull up his pants. She dropped down to all fours and stalked him. He looked at the blood dripping down her face and the wet hand prints she was leaving on the floor and turned to run, but got tangled up in his pants and fell to the ground. Kay pounced, and the walls echoed with his screams as she tore him to pieces. Finally the only sounds were her own heavy breathing and the wet squish of her feet walking through the pooling blood.
"What the fuck?" Three more men rounded the corner and stared at the blood-splattered girl walking through the carnage towards them. She gave a feral roar and the collar sparked and started smoking. She roared again, sending the three men through the wall behind them with a sonic wave. Dropping to all fours she padded over to the now unconscious men semi-buried in the rubble of the former wall. She sniffed at one and licked his cheek. Then she ran out of the hole in the warehouse wall, disappearing into the growing dusk.
***
"Hey Lyrick, have you seen Kay?" Jenny peeked into her daughter's room to see Lyrick rummaging through one of the many piles that littered her bedroom floor. Lyrick looked up at her mother. "Not since this morning. Have you seen my Tigger t-shirt?"
"I don't know how you can find anything in here. Maybe Kay's under one of those piles."
Lyrick laughed. "Don't be silly, Mom. Besides, Kay's probably just out with Breki. Oh, here it is!" She pulled a black t-shirt out of the pile.
"I don't know. He's coming for dinner tonight and Kay said she was coming home right after her classes were done for the day. That would have been over three hours ago. And unlike you, daughter dear, Kay is very rarely late." Jenny gave Lyrick a stern look.
"Oh Mom, don't start. Have you tried calling her cell phone?"
"Of course. She's not answering. I texted her too, but no response. That's not like her."
"Yeah, that is weird. Maybe she and Breki ran off to Vegas together."
"Speaking of Vegas…" Jenny was interrupted, much to Lyrick's relief, by a servant approaching her in the hall.
"Excuse me ma'am, but there are some police officers here to see you."
Jenny looked surprised. "The police? Why?"
"I don't know ma'am. They're waiting in the visitor's parlor."
"Thank you, Edward."
Jenny walked through the halls to the visitor's parlor and greeted the half a dozen or so people gathered there. A man in a dark gray suit separated himself from the others and held out his hand to Jenny. "Mrs. Ashton-Vandemeer? I'm Detective Greg Martin. I'm afraid I may have some bad news for you."
Jenny shook his hand politely. "Bad news?"
The detective took a deep breath and launched into his tale. "We were called in to investigate a disturbance at a warehouse in Kings Row. When we got there we discovered your daughter's backpack inside the front door. And we found this by the… bodies." He handed her a broken cell phone. Jenny took it and stared at it. It was Kay's.
"Bodies?"
"All male. There were… signs of a struggle. We don't know what happened to your daughter."
Jenny sank into the nearest chair, cradling the broken phone in her hands.
**
Present Day
Kaydi was still sobbing as she finished telling the story. “Breki found me. I was… not myself. The tiger had completely taken over. Breki blamed himself because he wasn’t there to protect me, because he had just discovered his own powers to shift into a werewolf and had been out testing them. Nobody knew what to do. Then Breki discovered a ritual where he could use his own shifting powers to shift me back. Except…” Kaydi broke down again, while Blayne continued to hold her, rubbing her back to offer some kind of comfort as his heart ached for her.
She managed to take another deep breath so she could continue the story. “The ritual worked, it got me back to myself. But Breki..” She turned the page in the scrapbook again, revealing a piece of red fabric that had “K+B” written on it in black ink, but part of the K was missing and had been written into the scrapbook instead. “Breki sacrificed himself to save me. The ritual cost him his life.”
Blayne stared at the scrapbook page, then gently let Kaydi go. “I’ll be right back.”
Kaydi watched him go into the bedroom, and return a moment later with something in his hand. He sat down next to her again and reached for the scrapbook. He put a scrap of red fabric down on the page where the missing K has been written in. It fit perfectly. Kaydi gasped, “Where did you get that?”
Blayne smiled, “I think Breki gave it to me.”
Kaydi stared at him incredulously as he told her the story.
**
Flashback
It was early spring of 2010 and Blayne Murdoch was nearing the end of the “hill phase” of the S.A.S. S.F.B.C. (Special Forces Briefing Course). He had spent the last week among the Brecon Beacons - a chain of red sandstone peaks in South Wales. His time there had been spent marching and practicing navigation in the hills. Nothing difficult - it had all come remarkably natural to him. His final test was a timed, 64 km march. He was required to carry 59 pounds of weight - plus food, water, and his weapon.
It was a cold, rainy morning when Blayne began “the long drag.” He made good time - he would finish well within the 20-hour time limit. About halfway through the march, he heard a sound behind him. Blayne assumed that he was being followed by one of the instructors and began glancing back occasionally. Eventually, he caught sight of what had been tailing him - a large gray wolf. He continued on, and the wolf kept pace with him.
Two more hours into the march, the rain stopped and the afternoon sun began peaking through the clouds. Blayne checked his watch - he was still making record time. This was a good time to take a breather, have some water and a bite to eat. He unslung his pack and raised his arms to stretch when he saw the wolf emerge onto the trail ahead of him - not 10 yards away. They stood and watched each other for a moment.
“So, you’re me travelin’ companion for today, mate? Aye… I could be stuck with a lot worse.” Blayne chuckled. The wolf tilted its head quizzically, then sat down. Blayne opened a pocket on the side of his pack and removed a small plastic pouch. He tore it open with his teeth and emptied the contents into his hand - two square protein bars. He took a bite of one as he looked around the area.
“Are ya alone, my friend? Aye… I am too. Most of the time I prefer it that way, but I’m glad to have a bit of company today.” Blayne took another bite, then broke the second bar into quarters and tossed them toward the wolf. The animal stepped forward, smelled the snack, then rejected it with a snuff.
“You’d better eat it, mate. It could hold ya over until you find something bigger.” Blayne said softly as he knelt in front of his companion. The wolf looked at him, then ate the chunks of protein bar - as if he was taking Blayne’s advice. As the wolf ate, Blayne finished his portion of the meal.
Blayne continued to scan the area as he talked to the wolf. “Have ya got a mate waiting for ya somewhere? It’s Spring - maybe ya have some little ones as well. Nah… I haven’t been so lucky. And, I’m holdin’ out for the right one, yeah. When I settle down, it’s gonna to be with the perfect one… and when I see her, I’ll know.” They sat and watched each other for a few moments. And, at that moment, Blayne felt a peace come over him... and he closed his eyes.
Then, Blayne heard a noise behind them and spun around to look in that direction. “Someone else is comin’ down the trail. I’d better get moving. You’re welcome to…” When he turned back toward the wolf, it had vanished.
“Best of luck, my friend.” he whispered as he shouldered his pack and picked up his weapon. As he started down the trail again, Blayne looked down and saw something unusual where the wolf had been sitting. It looked like a small scrap of red fabric. Picking it up, he quickly examined it, then put it in his pocket. It was tattered, dirty, and part of what may have been the letter “K” was written on it in black ink.
**
Present Day
“That’s… I don’t even know what to say.” Kaydi shook her head, as if trying to get her tumbling thoughts to settle.
“I know, it’s crazy. But I really believe it was Breki. At least, his spirit or something like that. How else could I have gotten this?”
Kaydi nodded. “He always wanted to go to Wales…”
Blayne chuckled, “I guess he got his wish then. And he chose me for you. He knew I’d love you as much as he did.”
Kaydi cupped his cheek with her hand and looked into his eyes. “You really think so?”
Blayne nodded. “Aye, I do.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I love you, Little Red Riding Hood.”
Kaydi sipped her coffee as she looked out the window, watching the waves gently beat against the shoreline. She'd taken to working from home more often than not, wanting to spend as much time as possible with Blayne. She hadn't felt like this about anyone since... a tear rolled down her cheek as the memory came... since Breki. And after what happened to Breki, she was terrified of anything happening to Blayne, and desperate to enjoy every moment she had with him in case he got snatched away from her too. And she knew Blayne would be just as... reckless... as Breki had been if anything happened to her. All the more reason to stick close to home.
Something moved on the beach below and she leaned in closer to the window, trying to make it out, but her coffee steamed up the glass and obscured her vision. She leaned back again and drew a heart in the steam, adding K+B in the center. She traced the B again. B for Blayne... and Breki. The two greatest loves of her life. She actually thought Breki would have liked Blayne. They had a lot in common, though it might not seem so on the surface. It was more fundamental commonalities such as their outlooks on life, desire to fight evil, generosity, and putting others first. She thought Breki might have grown into a man much like Blayne if he'd been given the chance.
She sighed and took a step back from the window, turning to look around the apartment. Her gaze fell on the piano and she went over to sit down, setting her coffee on a coaster. She played her fingers over the keys, not really playing a song, just kind of noodling around. Blayne had rekindled her love of music, something she’d set aside as she pursued her business career. It had never been more than a hobby, really, even though she knew she was good. She had a natural talent, and the years of piano lessons she’d taken certainly didn’t hurt. She’d taken them just as seriously as any of her other studies, but she had never meant to do much with them. Writing music with Blayne had given her “hobby” more of a life though. The notes and words just seemed to flow from them when they put their minds and talents together. It was magical.
As if her fingers had a life of their own, she began playing the opening notes of “Little Red Riding Hood.” Another tear slipped down her cheek and she pushed herself away from the piano. Picking up her coffee, she wandered back over to her desk and sat down. Enough being maudlin. Time to get some work done. Blayne would be home soon and she wanted to be able to give him her full attention.
**
She had just finished the last of her emails and closed her laptop when she heard Blayne enter the apartment and bound up the steps to the loft where her desk was. He was humming and when he saw her he began singing, “Little Red Riding Hood, you sure are looking good…”
Kaydi stiffened and stared at him. “Why are you singing that song?”
Blayne stopped and looked at her quizzically, “I don’t know, it just popped into my head. Don’t you like it?”
She sighed, “I used to love it…”
“I’m sensing a ‘but’ here, love.”
Kaydi nodded, “Yeah… let’s go downstairs. I need to grab something from the closet.”
He followed her and sat down on the couch, waiting while she rummaged in the closet. She came and sat down next to him, holding a scrapbook he hadn’t seen before. She took a deep breath and opened it to the first page, showing a picture of two teenagers apparently dressed up for Halloween. One of them was Kaydi, dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. The boy was dressed as The Big Bad Wolf. “Breki was my boyfriend when I was a teenager. He had an affinity for wolves, and he would sing that song to me all the time.” She flipped through the pages, showing him more pictures of the two teenagers: at prom, at an amusement park, a variety of selfies and silly poses. They looked very much in love.
“What happened?” Blayne asked, knowing there was more to the story. Kaydi loved with all her heart, and if she had loved this boy, something had to have happened if they were no longer together.
Kaydi swallowed hard. “Near the beginning of my senior year, I was kidnapped. They specifically targeted me, they had a device - a collar - that was specially designed to neutralize my powers. They were going to…” Kaydi couldn’t finish the sentence as tears filled her eyes. Blayne wrapped an arm around her, holding her close as she cried, letting her tell the story at her own pace.
**
Flashback
Kay hummed happily as she got ready for school, shrugging into her favorite gray jeans and a new long-sleeved white t-shirt with a wolf head on the front. She giggled and started to sing, "Little Red Riding Hood. You sure are looking OW!" She frowned as she bit her tongue. She slipped her glasses off and bared her teeth to examine them in the mirror. Maybe Breki was right, maybe they were getting bigger. And sharper. She shrugged and put her glasses back on, grabbed her backpack and headed to the kitchen.
It looked like Lyrick was experimenting with recipes again. "What's for breakfast, Rikki?"
Lyrick looked up from her mixing bowl and nodded toward the pan on the counter. "I'm trying to figure out a new quiche recipe but it's not turning out very good." Kay picked up a piece and took a bite.
"Ugh, how can you eat that?" Lyrick asked. "It's awful!"
Kay just shrugged and took another bite. "I'm hungry?"
Lyrick just shook her head as Kay finished off the piece and grabbed another. "I swear you have no taste buds whatsoever, Kay."
Kay just shrugged again and said, "Vic's here."
Lyrick about dropped the mixing bowl. "Oh! I'm a mess!" She hastily tried to tame her hair with her fingers. "Do I have flour on my face or anything? Wait a minute… how do you know he's here?"
"You look fine. And I heard him, coming up the drive. He's whistling."
Lyrick stared at her. "How can you hear that?" Just then the doorbell rang. "Oh my god, he IS here!" Lyrick took off down the hall.
Kay laughed at her sister and grabbed another piece of the quiche. She understood how Lyrick felt now, since Breki had come into her life. He'd be here for dinner tonight and she couldn't wait to see him again. But right now she had better book it to school or she'd be late to her first class. She shouldered her backpack and left through the servants' entrance, flying off to the University in Steel Canyon.
After her classes were over, she checked her cell phone for messages, hoping to find one from Breki. But there was only one, asking her to check out a warehouse in Kings Row. She didn't recognize the number it was from, but figured maybe it had been forwarded to her by someone in the League, since they knew she'd be close by. She punched up the GPS on her phone and shouldered her backpack again, flying off to Kings Row.
Landing in front of the address she'd been given, she looked around. No signs of life. It looked like the place hadn't seen activity in months. But her tiger ears pricked as she caught a faint shuffling sound from inside. Someone was definitely here. She cautiously opened the door and slipped inside. It was dark, but she could see fine. She set her backpack down by the door and tucked her phone into her pocket, then slowly crept down the hall towards the sounds.
How she didn't hear the person sneaking up behind her, she'd never know. But suddenly a collar-like instrument was snapped around her neck. She turned around and saw a man dressed in black, smiling smugly at her. She opened her mouth to scream at him but no sound came out. Her eyes widened and she tried again. Nothing. He laughed at her. Glaring at him, she raised a hand to produce a ring of fire around him, but nothing happened. "Not gonna work, little girl. That thing's specially programmed to null your powers. My, my, aren't you a cute one. This is going to be fun." He reached for his belt buckle as two other men slipped out of the shadows and grabbed Kay's arms.
Kay fought them, ripping her shirt in the process, but she was no match for their brute strength. They forced her down to the ground. She kicked at the first man who was trying to get in between her legs and he snarled at the other two to hold her down as he ripped at her jeans. Kay panicked. She tried again to scream but nothing came out. The men laughed at her. Kay closed her eyes and wished she was anywhere but there.
When they opened again, there was a faint shine to them, a wild light. She growled and hissed at the men. "Whoa, feisty little thing." One of the men leaned over to look at her face and she took the opportunity to sink her teeth into his jugular. He screamed and let go of her, trying to pry her off, but she refused to let go. Tossing her head, she tore a chunk out of his neck. He gurgled, grabbed his neck, and fell to the ground, convulsing. Now with a free hand, she dug her fingers into the second man's eyes. He screamed even louder than the first and tore at her hand until there was a popping sound and the screaming suddenly stopped. Kay shook the now limp body off her hand and turned her attention to the third man, vainly trying to pull up his pants. She dropped down to all fours and stalked him. He looked at the blood dripping down her face and the wet hand prints she was leaving on the floor and turned to run, but got tangled up in his pants and fell to the ground. Kay pounced, and the walls echoed with his screams as she tore him to pieces. Finally the only sounds were her own heavy breathing and the wet squish of her feet walking through the pooling blood.
"What the fuck?" Three more men rounded the corner and stared at the blood-splattered girl walking through the carnage towards them. She gave a feral roar and the collar sparked and started smoking. She roared again, sending the three men through the wall behind them with a sonic wave. Dropping to all fours she padded over to the now unconscious men semi-buried in the rubble of the former wall. She sniffed at one and licked his cheek. Then she ran out of the hole in the warehouse wall, disappearing into the growing dusk.
***
"Hey Lyrick, have you seen Kay?" Jenny peeked into her daughter's room to see Lyrick rummaging through one of the many piles that littered her bedroom floor. Lyrick looked up at her mother. "Not since this morning. Have you seen my Tigger t-shirt?"
"I don't know how you can find anything in here. Maybe Kay's under one of those piles."
Lyrick laughed. "Don't be silly, Mom. Besides, Kay's probably just out with Breki. Oh, here it is!" She pulled a black t-shirt out of the pile.
"I don't know. He's coming for dinner tonight and Kay said she was coming home right after her classes were done for the day. That would have been over three hours ago. And unlike you, daughter dear, Kay is very rarely late." Jenny gave Lyrick a stern look.
"Oh Mom, don't start. Have you tried calling her cell phone?"
"Of course. She's not answering. I texted her too, but no response. That's not like her."
"Yeah, that is weird. Maybe she and Breki ran off to Vegas together."
"Speaking of Vegas…" Jenny was interrupted, much to Lyrick's relief, by a servant approaching her in the hall.
"Excuse me ma'am, but there are some police officers here to see you."
Jenny looked surprised. "The police? Why?"
"I don't know ma'am. They're waiting in the visitor's parlor."
"Thank you, Edward."
Jenny walked through the halls to the visitor's parlor and greeted the half a dozen or so people gathered there. A man in a dark gray suit separated himself from the others and held out his hand to Jenny. "Mrs. Ashton-Vandemeer? I'm Detective Greg Martin. I'm afraid I may have some bad news for you."
Jenny shook his hand politely. "Bad news?"
The detective took a deep breath and launched into his tale. "We were called in to investigate a disturbance at a warehouse in Kings Row. When we got there we discovered your daughter's backpack inside the front door. And we found this by the… bodies." He handed her a broken cell phone. Jenny took it and stared at it. It was Kay's.
"Bodies?"
"All male. There were… signs of a struggle. We don't know what happened to your daughter."
Jenny sank into the nearest chair, cradling the broken phone in her hands.
**
Present Day
Kaydi was still sobbing as she finished telling the story. “Breki found me. I was… not myself. The tiger had completely taken over. Breki blamed himself because he wasn’t there to protect me, because he had just discovered his own powers to shift into a werewolf and had been out testing them. Nobody knew what to do. Then Breki discovered a ritual where he could use his own shifting powers to shift me back. Except…” Kaydi broke down again, while Blayne continued to hold her, rubbing her back to offer some kind of comfort as his heart ached for her.
She managed to take another deep breath so she could continue the story. “The ritual worked, it got me back to myself. But Breki..” She turned the page in the scrapbook again, revealing a piece of red fabric that had “K+B” written on it in black ink, but part of the K was missing and had been written into the scrapbook instead. “Breki sacrificed himself to save me. The ritual cost him his life.”
Blayne stared at the scrapbook page, then gently let Kaydi go. “I’ll be right back.”
Kaydi watched him go into the bedroom, and return a moment later with something in his hand. He sat down next to her again and reached for the scrapbook. He put a scrap of red fabric down on the page where the missing K has been written in. It fit perfectly. Kaydi gasped, “Where did you get that?”
Blayne smiled, “I think Breki gave it to me.”
Kaydi stared at him incredulously as he told her the story.
**
Flashback
It was early spring of 2010 and Blayne Murdoch was nearing the end of the “hill phase” of the S.A.S. S.F.B.C. (Special Forces Briefing Course). He had spent the last week among the Brecon Beacons - a chain of red sandstone peaks in South Wales. His time there had been spent marching and practicing navigation in the hills. Nothing difficult - it had all come remarkably natural to him. His final test was a timed, 64 km march. He was required to carry 59 pounds of weight - plus food, water, and his weapon.
It was a cold, rainy morning when Blayne began “the long drag.” He made good time - he would finish well within the 20-hour time limit. About halfway through the march, he heard a sound behind him. Blayne assumed that he was being followed by one of the instructors and began glancing back occasionally. Eventually, he caught sight of what had been tailing him - a large gray wolf. He continued on, and the wolf kept pace with him.
Two more hours into the march, the rain stopped and the afternoon sun began peaking through the clouds. Blayne checked his watch - he was still making record time. This was a good time to take a breather, have some water and a bite to eat. He unslung his pack and raised his arms to stretch when he saw the wolf emerge onto the trail ahead of him - not 10 yards away. They stood and watched each other for a moment.
“So, you’re me travelin’ companion for today, mate? Aye… I could be stuck with a lot worse.” Blayne chuckled. The wolf tilted its head quizzically, then sat down. Blayne opened a pocket on the side of his pack and removed a small plastic pouch. He tore it open with his teeth and emptied the contents into his hand - two square protein bars. He took a bite of one as he looked around the area.
“Are ya alone, my friend? Aye… I am too. Most of the time I prefer it that way, but I’m glad to have a bit of company today.” Blayne took another bite, then broke the second bar into quarters and tossed them toward the wolf. The animal stepped forward, smelled the snack, then rejected it with a snuff.
“You’d better eat it, mate. It could hold ya over until you find something bigger.” Blayne said softly as he knelt in front of his companion. The wolf looked at him, then ate the chunks of protein bar - as if he was taking Blayne’s advice. As the wolf ate, Blayne finished his portion of the meal.
Blayne continued to scan the area as he talked to the wolf. “Have ya got a mate waiting for ya somewhere? It’s Spring - maybe ya have some little ones as well. Nah… I haven’t been so lucky. And, I’m holdin’ out for the right one, yeah. When I settle down, it’s gonna to be with the perfect one… and when I see her, I’ll know.” They sat and watched each other for a few moments. And, at that moment, Blayne felt a peace come over him... and he closed his eyes.
Then, Blayne heard a noise behind them and spun around to look in that direction. “Someone else is comin’ down the trail. I’d better get moving. You’re welcome to…” When he turned back toward the wolf, it had vanished.
“Best of luck, my friend.” he whispered as he shouldered his pack and picked up his weapon. As he started down the trail again, Blayne looked down and saw something unusual where the wolf had been sitting. It looked like a small scrap of red fabric. Picking it up, he quickly examined it, then put it in his pocket. It was tattered, dirty, and part of what may have been the letter “K” was written on it in black ink.
**
Present Day
“That’s… I don’t even know what to say.” Kaydi shook her head, as if trying to get her tumbling thoughts to settle.
“I know, it’s crazy. But I really believe it was Breki. At least, his spirit or something like that. How else could I have gotten this?”
Kaydi nodded. “He always wanted to go to Wales…”
Blayne chuckled, “I guess he got his wish then. And he chose me for you. He knew I’d love you as much as he did.”
Kaydi cupped his cheek with her hand and looked into his eyes. “You really think so?”
Blayne nodded. “Aye, I do.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I love you, Little Red Riding Hood.”