If what he said was true, and the werewolves were mine, I wouldn't know what to do.

I knew that silver did terrible things to werewolves, and that I would have to try and set them free on my own.

I kept close to him as he hurriedly walked in different directions. Not too long after, we approached what looked like a farm. There was a barn and a large house.

There were three men and two women on the porch, and they all looked at us the moment the boy said, "I'm back!"

I barely had time to dodge when someone fired at me.

The boy stepped in front of me and yelled, "She's fine, she's fine!! She's with me!!"

The old man who aimed at me lowered his gun and frowned, saying, "You know better than to bring some stranger home." "She was on her own," he pressed, "Shoot, she even dropped her knife when she saw me. She's safe."

Another man, one with blonde, short hair, asked, "Was she really alone?"

He nodded softly and said, "I ain't seen no one else but her."

Another, seemingly older than the other man, but younger than the old man, said, "Bring her in."

The boy smiled at me and said, "See? No harm, I assure you. We're as harmless as flies. Just don't touch Chris' sword; he likes it a lot. He's my brother, you see." I was confused as to who Chris was, until he pointed at the man with the short blonde hair.

I slowly walked with the boy towards his family, feeling awkward and nervous at the same time.

I didn't see either werewolf anywhere.

The boy smiled at me and said, "My name is Josh. That right there be my grandpa Louie, the one who shot you." The old man grunted and said, "Apologies." The boy pointed to the man with the blonde hair down to his back and said, "That's my pops, you can call him Mr. James Fione, and the other one next to him is my older brother, Ezekiel."

The man gave me a charming smile, all the while Josh's brother scoffed and looked elsewhere.

Josh said, "Don't pay any attention to Ezzy. Anywho, over there is my mother, Melinda," he pointed to a woman with brown and grey hair, "And that over there is Annie, my sister." He pointed to a girl with long blonde hair.

I smiled shyly and said, "I'm Lyra.. Honestly though, I don't mean to barge. I was just waiting on my brothers, but I haven't seen them yet."

Melinda said, "Oh you poor thing. And you look like you haven't had a bath in days. Please, we don't mind."

I hesitated. I wanted to see if Xain and Connor were alright, but my stomach was growling painfully.

I nodded a bit and said, "Oh fine, if you insist. I'd like to keep my clothes on though, thanks."

Louie said, "You'll be sleeping out in the barn with 'dem wolves if you insist." My heart lurched. 'So that's where they were,' I thought. I huffed and said, "Lycos don't scare me." Annie shivered at the term and asked, "Wouldn't you rather use the other word?"

I shook my head and said, "Either or."

James said, "We'll be doing no such thing."

I bit my lower lip before saying, "To be honest... I can't stay long... I'm hungry, and I'm tired, and I really must meet up with my family if they're there."

James smiled and said, "A girl dedicated to her family. Alright, tell ya what, we'll give ya something to eat and then you can go back to wherever you came from. However, if they don't show up in over an hour, then don't hesitate to come back and spend the night, okay?"

I nodded softly and said, "Okay... I am curious though, to what the werewolves look like. May I see them?"

Louie opened his mouth to say something, but James said, "Sure thing. I'm sure Josh will take you to see them."

"You can bet your uncle I will," Josh said cheerfully.

He turned towards the barn and waved for me to follow. I followed with haste and did my best to be patient as he opened one of the large barn doors. He said, "Ladies first." I gulped softly and made my way inside the barn. The barn was full of hay, boxes, gardening tools, and in the middle were Connor and Xain.

They were sitting and chained up tightly, back to back, with stakes pointed directly at them.

And Xain was injured.

I held back a gasp and said, "Wow... They're huge." Their ears twitched at the sound of my voice.

I asked, "Where did you find them again?" "Down by the river, yonder. About a mile from here er so."

"Josh!! Get yer ass down here!! You left the fence open again!!" Josh sighed and said, "Shit. Well, it doesn't seem like they'll be movin', so I'll be right back." He ran out the door, yelling, "I'm comin', I'm comin'!!!"

I waited a moment before desperately walking around them, hoping to find a lock.

Connor said, "Lyra... What the hell are you doing here?"

I looked up at him and said, "You two left me there... I-I got worried." I blushed softly and Connor inwardly chuckled at me.

"The lock is between us," Xain said, huffing in pain. I quickly reached up and cupped Xain's cheek in worry. He licked my hand and said, "You shouldn't be so close to us... They may not like it if they find we know each other. The father and old man hate us... Trying to convince them we're harmless could prove a challenge."

I shook my head and whispered, "I'll take on any challenge to get you both free."

His eyes widened at that, and Connor said, "I figured you'd say that."

I huffed and said, "Shut up. Just... be happy I care. I don't care about hating either one of you anymore. Just try to stay alive long enough."

Xain whined and said, "Hear, hear. Back up, he's coming back."

I backed up quickly and pretended like I did nothing. I simply stared at the two brothers. Josh came back and said, "Food's ready for you, Ms. Lyra. You hungry?"

I turned to him and smiled.

"I'm famished."

~

"Enjoying your meal, Lyra?"

I looked at James and smiled softly, saying, "It's a meal I'm used to."

The family had made corn, cooked fish, and a side dish of vanilla pudding. It was delicious, but also hard to keep down.

I knew it had been a while since Xain and Connor ate, and my thoughts kept coming back to them.

They knew how to produce their own heat, but not their own food. It must've irritated them to be stuck in the way they were.

I burped softly and blushed, saying, "Excuse me." Josh laughed at me and said, "No harm, Ma'am. Ezekiel creates nastier and louder burps." I couldn't help but to giggle at that. Ezekiel snorted, but he didn't make a nasty face. It seemed like he was used to me at that point.

James said, "Louie had laid out a set of clothes for you if you've changed your mind."

I shook my head and said, "I'm fine with what I'm wearing, honest. It's not even that dirty or smelly. What's wrong with him?"

James chuckled and said, "He told me that the outfit reminded him a wolf. I know the difference between one and the other, but he doesn't even like being reminded of somethin' like that. Either way, you don't have to sleep in the barn if your family doesn't come and get you. Would you like to go check to see if they're there once you finish eating?"

I nodded softly, knowing that the trip would waste more time, but it would keep up appearances.

James smiled and said, "Ezekiel will walk with you just to make sure that you're safe."

I nodded, glancing at him but not looking in his eyes. I knew he was wary of me, and I didn't blame him. I only hoped that he wouldn't figure out that the wolves and I were connected.

After finishing my plate, I sighed, satisfied beyond reason.

Melinda said, "Feeling better?" "Much," I replied, standing up and patting my skirt down. Ezekiel took that as a sign that I was ready, and he said, "Just lemme go get my shotgun and we can go." I nodded and watched as he left the kitchen. As I did so, I glanced around at the décor of the kitchen a little more.

It was homey and relaxing for the most part. James smiled and said, "Melinda handled the décor. Looks nice, don't it?"

I nodded softly and said, "Yeah.. It reminds me of home."

James asked, "So my question is, why you ain't home?"

I sighed and said, "A rumor spread and I was forced out of there. My family decided to come along with me, but something happened, I don't remember what, and we got separated. I already knew where we were going to meet, but they never showed up."

"Oh, you poor thing," Melinda said, sighing softly. "Well, I don't care what that old hog says, you're allowed to use a bed if you want to."

I smiled and said, "I thank you, but I don't know if that'll be necessary."

Melinda said, "Just in case, honey. Just in case."

Ezekiel came back with his gun and said, "Let's hurry up and get this over with." I nodded and followed him outside. Once we got off the porch, he handed me a lit up lantern and said, "I'm following you. Don't try anythin' funny. I ain't afraid ta shoot a girl."

I nodded softly and walked ahead, trying to remember where Josh walked from. I eventually saw footprints that matched Josh's and followed those. The further Ezekiel and I walked in, the more footprints I saw, including those of my flats.

Eventually, I came across the knife I dropped and picked it up, slipping it into my pocket when Ezekiel wasn't looking.

We made it to the meet up, but of course no one was there.

I did my best to look down in front him by sighing and hugging myself.

It seemed to work, because Ezekiel sighed and said, "I bet you really miss them..." I nodded slightly, trembling a bit. Yes, he was right about me missing my family. But that was the only part he understood.

I still missed my brother. No amount of sex or love could change that.

I eventually turned around and said, "Let's just... Go back, I guess... I really don't want to be alone tonight." He nodded softly and waited for me to walk, handing the lantern back to me.

~

When we made it back to the house, I overheard one of them making a fuss in there. I tensed up and Ezekiel said, "Easy, hon. They won't get out." I nodded softly and followed him back in the house. Once there, I found that Annie was sitting on the couch in the living room.

She looked at us and said, "Pa said lights out once ya'll got back. Come on then, Lyra, let me show you to your room."

I nodded mutely and followed her up the stairs. There were several doors, and the only one open seemed to be owned by the old man, Louie.

She took me to the last room down the hall and opened the door. I found that the only things in there were a bed, a closet, a dresser, and a chair.

She looked at me and said, "It's not much, but there is a nightgown in the dresser. The bathroom is downstairs, sorry to say."

I smiled and said, "It's fine."

She nodded and said, "Well, goodnight then."

I watched her as she closed the door and waited a moment before sighing.

'Great. I'm nowhere near knowing how to get them free.'

I sighed and got dressed into the gown, wondering if an axe would work on the chains. I thought about telling them, but I was afraid that they'd punish or kill me for being associated with werewolves. I shoved the thought away and went back to figuring out how to get them free.

I got in bed and thought of every way I knew, but I eventually started to fall asleep.

'I figure something out... In the morning...'

As my eyes closed, I did my best to imagine Connor and Xain's bodies protectively wrapped around mine.

I fell asleep fast.

~

Yes, that is Josh and he is an official character in this mess of a story. XDD Hope you enjoyed the update.

Until the next Update!

~ Nimo