Wolf’s Bane

Virgil wolfsped to get his brother’s hand right on time and pulled him back towards the grass carpet.

“What the heck was THAT, V?!” Eron said in shocked amazement.

“It’s… training,” Virgil looked down, avoiding his brother’s eyes. “What else do you mean?”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“Don’t lie to me, brother!”

Defeated, V sighed and started telling Eron, “Recently, somehow, I’ve started feeling things… or seeing things. Mostly, what would happen when I’m in danger. I wanted to believe at first that it was part of the training, but they have started talking about it and now father thinks that I just learn that fast. I don’t think I deserve the praise he gives me since I can see from where the hits are coming almost before they happens. Or when it’s from behind me, I can sort of isolate… what I see. I don’t know, it’s really weird.”

The older boy looked away, and it was evident that he felt bad due to what he was confessing.

“The worst is, well… it’s not just that. At times, I can even hear what people think and feel their emotions.”

“Whoaaaa! But, how can you know that it’s exactly what they’re thinking?”

“Because I confronted one of the kids at school, and he said he didn’t say anything about what I was asking him. But I could see in his eyes… the fear in his look was very real.”

“When did that happen?”

“Just…today, Eron.”

The defeat of his usually strong and brave brother, who used to kill the bugs for him and walk in front of them when their playroom was dark, was breaking his younger sibling’s heart.

But how could he possibly help Virgil?

“I’m not normal, little bro! I can’t even think what father will say when I tell him… He’ll surely hate me!”

“Then don’t tell him,” Eron said sincerely. “Don’t tell anyone. This will be our secret.”

“You think he won’t notice?”

“If you learn to use it, he won’t! It’s like a superpower. You’re gonna be like a superhero! I can help you practice, and I promise that I’m not telling anyone. Not even if they torture me!” Eron said, smiling widely with his eyes closed and imagining his big brother with a cape, looking down at the packhouse.

“Will you really? I mean, keep it a secret? And help me learn to control it?”

“Of course! We’re brothers, aren’t we? That’s what brothers are for.”

And they kept that promise!

Even to this day, nobody knew about Virgil’s psychic powers, except for Eron. The two brothers even found time practice V’s secret skill and hidden abilities when Eron was still living in the packhouse…

And he was now was finding very interesting similarities and peculiarities in Diwana’s admission to his older brother’s past confession to him.

If only she knew how normal all these “paranormal” events were for him…

And talking about Diwana…

What else might be her feelings about this damn creeper’s actions? And why does he keep doing all these vile actions? For your own good, Maxi, I hope this fucking peeping tom is not you!

But yes, the disgusting and well-known smell of the lumberjack team leader was close enough for Eron to sense and sniff it clearly in the air. And it was coming from exactly from the place where Diwana had pointed at and sensed danger earlier.

“I’m tired of this…” Eron said and casually picked up a small rock, about the size of the one that Max had placed on the sawmill a couple of days before. “Karma comes back fast, Maddie… I hope you learn with this and you stop creeping around her!”

And with that, he raised his muscular arm and with all his strength, he threw the stone towards the tree from which the dead squirrel head was hiding.

Oh hell no, Max thought, but he knew that if he moved, Eron would definitely see him so he had no choice but to watch in horror as the small rock zoomed towards him.

Before he was able to decide on a proper course of action, the stone hit him straight on the forehead, making him fall from the tree!

“Bullseye,” said Eron, in a low and emotionless voice that would have chilled the blood of the toughest logger in the lumberyard.

Who was obviously, not the one he had hit just then…

The blurred big and black shape that fell down the tree was enough confirmation for Eron, who chose to walk slowly towards the place where he saw the ‘thing’ fall and crash loudly.

Better get a move on, Max, and fast, before I get to where you are. Just get out of here for your own good because I won’t be so forgiving if I reach you and you’re still there!

As if Max could hear him, despite the very sharp pain in his head, which was now slightly bleeding, and the large bruise that was forming on his right arm, he did try his best to get up. Unfortunately for him, he could barely move but he still remembered what he was doing, and where, and also realizing the trouble that he’d be in if he was found there.

“AAAGGGHHH… damn it!!!” Max tried to muffle his screams by covering his mouth with his left arm.

And Eron kept walking, still at that same slow, scary pace…

Max then rolled on his stomach to try to get up while still crouched. “I need to leave, fast… If he sees me here, there’s no amount of explaining that will save me,” the lumberyard bully murmured, being the vile coward that he was.

As fast as the dead squirrel head could, which would not have been fast enough if Eron hadn’t purposefully walked slowly towards him, he finally got up and managed to quickly speed out of Diwana’s property just in time.

Eron heard the rattling and shaking from the bushes and smirked…

“It looks like the rat abandoned the ship. Let’s see how you explain that tomorrow, Maxi.”

Eron now walked faster to make sure that there was no longer a threat around the mansion. After confirming this, he strolled back inside the house in a better mood.

Diwana looked at him as soon as he stepped into the kitchen, and he gave her a reassuring nod and a soft smile. She realized that it was his way of saying that they were safe now and smiled back at him.

I could get used to this ‘heroic’ business, Eron thought, almost patting himself on the back, as he saw his landlady feeling relieved and looking a lot better than before.

Being the good guy was actually rewarding, and even more so when he could see how her shoulders relaxed and how her smile grew bigger just by seeing him around.

Hey Eron, she’s probably just happy about the good news that we’re safe. Don’t think that highly of yourself, he thought, grounding himself again, but still content with the results of that current ‘mission’.

One for which he wouldn’t mind killing for…

But knowing the lady in question, she definitely wouldn’t like that…

Too bad…

Yes, yes, no killing for now. I really hope you get it, Maxie. Don’t force the Right Hand to come out or we’ll both regret it!

But Max was nowhere near any kind of positive inclination or correct decision. He had walked towards the village hospital, bleeding and in pain.

And even angrier than before!

“Your arm is fractured, son. We’ll need to immobilize it for at least two weeks, during which you can’t work, or force your arm at all,” was the diagnosis that the doctor gave him. “And you’ll need to stay at the hospital for at least 24 hours to make sure that your head concussion didn’t cause any major damage.”

“I see. Thank you, Doctor,” Max stated tonelessly, already lying down on a hospital bed naked, except for the thin fabric of the patient robe and the blanket that he was covered with.

The lumberyard foreman was cold and in pain. But more than anything, he was furious, seething and absolutely livid! As soon as the doctor left the room, he started ranting aloud.

“What the hell, Pretty Boy? What the fuck are you? Argh, now I’ll have the huge hospital bill, and won’t be able to work for who knows how long! But don’t think that I’ll give up this easily. If anything, I’ll have to be more attentive and protect my Diwana even more from you!” he said, his eyes red and almost popping out their sockets. He suddenly fixed on a spot on the wall, and the rant came to a sudden pause, “How the hell did you know that I was there anyway? And how did you throw that rock to hit me from that distance?” He wondered, suddenly calm and analytical. “That’s fucking humanly impossible! I knew for sure that there was something going on with you, and this only confirmed it. But whatever kind of monster you are, I will find out soon, and when I do, I’ll let her see it. We’ll see who she chooses between us when she realizes the truth, you freak!”

Meanwhile, Jack was already sitting at the dining room table to have dinner at his parents’ house, when his phone started ringing…

“I’m sorry, Mom and Dad but I’ll have to take this call.”

“Is it about work, son? Remember that you need to make your employees respect your time out of the office, otherwise, you’ll be working 24/7.”

“Yes, Dad, don’t worry, this might not be work-related. I’ll be back in a minute. I’m sorry Mom,” Jack said, getting up from the table.

“Please make it quick, or your food will get cold.”

“Yes Mom!” he said, stepping out and pulling the front door to an almost complete close behind him. “Hello?”

“Hey bro, am I interrupting anything?”

“No, but you’re right, bro, you are clingy. You miss me already, or what?” Jack joked, making the caller laugh with him.

“No, there’s something that I need to tell you and I believe it can’t wait… I don’t know if it’s your job as our boss, but since I know that you care about Diwana…”

Now both ends of the call turned serious, and Jack’s tone was slightly tense.

“Why, what happened?”

“Remember when we came out of the garage and Diwana was really scared? Well, it so happened that I walked around the house and I might have taken down a stalker…”

“What do you mean? You saw him?”

“Not exactly, just made him fall from a tree in front of the house. He ran away, but might not be able to work tomorrow. I’m informing you now just so you know and if you receive a call then… You know what I mean.”

“Bro, you’re scaring me! Right now I AM getting a call. Just wait a second, I’ll take it… Stay on the line, I’ll put you on hold.”

“Alright, I’ll be here.”

Jack took the phone from his ear and tapped on the screen to accept the incoming call.

“Good evening, boss… I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“Oh, Max. Is everything okay?” Jack asked suspiciously.

“Not exactly… I’m at the hospital right now. I happened to have fallen from a tree and fractured my right arm. I know you counted on me for the planned new areas of the business, but I don’t think I’ll be able to help for a while.”

Jack stood in silence for a moment. The more he thought about it, the less he believed in coincidences.

And these two calls were definitely not a coincidence…

“Okay, I’ll finish dinner real quick and will go see you. Then you can tell me in detail what happened, and I’ll talk to your doctor, too. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Thanks, boss. Later.”

Jack finished Max’s call and returned to Eron’s…

“Bro, you won’t believe who just called me,” Jack said in an amused tone.

“Oh, let me guess,” Eron said with a smirk.