Chapter 7: Trouble in the Camp

“Of course I might be wrong,” Garett said, just above a whisper. “But my instincts are telling me that something here is much more serious than we think, so I will not ignore them. Now, try hard to just keep your voice down and act as if this is a normal visit,” he said to Raul urgently.

The two friends walked into the colourful place with exciting birds of various kinds and colours. It was truly an amazing place to visit.

Raul could not help but admire everything around him. There were beautiful trees of every size and shade, in which the colourful birds sat. The birds also flitted around from one tree to the next and they seemed rather content, in Raul’s opinion.

He realized then, that Percival had a very good working relationship with his father. Raul wondered whether it would be possible to rebuild his relationship with his own father, now that he saw him in such a different light. He had not seen his father yet for the day, because he had already gone to work at his furniture company by the time Raul went to school. Raul did not look forward to sitting at the dinner table tonight. He wished that he could sleep over at Garett’s home, but that would only make Garett’s parents suspicious because it was a week night.

“May I show you around, gentlemen?” a pretty young girl in a navy blue uniform asked at his shoulder, after he and Garett had paid the entrance fee and were walking in through the gate.

“Oh, thank you, but we know our way around,” Garett answered quickly. He did not want any interruptions.

“Have a pleasant visit then,” the girl said with a smile.

“Let’s just walk around and admire the birds, until I notice something,” Garett told Raul in a low tone of voice.

“Alright,” Raul agreed. “As long as we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves with all the whispering.”

They walked around listening to the lyrical bird sounds for longer than half an hour, because the place was very big. “I think we should call it a day and go do our homework now,” Raul suggested. They were far from the other guests.

“I definitely sense something very important here,” Garett responded. “It almost feels like a cry for help.”

“Hello, gentlemen,” a familiar sounding voice came from high up in one of the trees.

Raul looked up instinctively and scanned the tree with his eyes, until he saw Graham, the eagle which had flown him across Uzzah on the previous evening. He was observing them with keen eyes.

“Hello, there,” Raul responded. “Come down so that we can chat.”

Garett looked at Raul curiously.

“Do you know him?” he asked.

*

After Raul left with Garett, Margaret was relieved that at least he had a friend who would be there for him on the day when they as parents would have to tell him about his history. She can’t believe how everything was normal until last night.

Margaret looked through the window of the production room at the trees outside and recalled the incident.

She was sitting in the television lounge by herself, after the children had gone to bed. Reese was out on a business trip and she had not accompanied him because she had been tired from extra work in the perfumery. The servants had also retired for the night. There was music playing softly on television and it made Margaret doze off.

She was awoken by a sudden chill coming through the window. She sat upright and was ready to go and close it, when she saw a white wolf with its back turned towards her, right there in the room with her. Before she could scream, the wolf stood upright on its hind legs. Margaret began to shudder as the creature then seemed to change shape right in front of her.

Her voice froze inside her throat. The wolf was changing into a fully clothed man. Margaret’s mouth was covered with her hand and she continued to stare as the man turned around slowly and she realized that it was her husband. After that everything went black.

*

When Reese leaped through the window in wolf form, he did not see Margaret sitting in the corner of the television lounge. He was totally shocked when he heard a whimper and then saw her sitting there, passed out, with her head resting on the back of the chair, sideways. He knew then, that it was time to tell the truth, even though the very thought of it had him trembling inside with fear.

He walked over to Margaret and held her up. “Margaret, wake up!” he urged, as he patted her lightly on her cheek.

Margaret opened her eyes slowly and then stiffened immediately when she saw Reese in front of her.

“Hush, dear,” Reese whispered as he placed his finger across her lips before she could let out a scream.

“What just happened?” Margaret asked, bewildered by what was happening. “Was that you…Did you just transform from a wolf?” she stammered. Everything seemed so bizarre now. It felt as if she was in a dream.

“Quiet, my dear. I will tell you everything,” Reese said. “But come, let me first get you some brandy.” He then linked his arm through hers and guided her to their private lounge, where there was a small liquor cabinet. He took out a glass and poured out a small amount of brandy, which he offered to his wife.

As Margaret began to sip on the drink with a dazed expression on her face, Reese commenced by speaking to her in a story-telling kind of tone. “Margaret, there is something which you have to hear from me, first of all. I am sorry that I took so long to tell you this, but it has been extremely hard for me, because I truly love you.”

This was how she had discovered that her husband was indeed a werewolf. Thinking about it now, she realized that her hopes and dreams for her sons would have to change. How would Raul take this as the eldest? She couldn’t imagine what it would do to his self-image, because he just enjoyed being with his friends and doing school projects in his bedroom, for hours on end, like any other normal teenager.

Margaret knew beyond the slightest shadow of a doubt, that she still loved Reese as her husband, and that she would never wish him any harm. She was also a fiercely protective mother to her four sons, even though at the present moment she could not even bear the thought of him touching her. He would just have to continue sleeping in the guest suite which he had used the previous night, Margaret decided.

“What to do now?” she asked herself with a heavy heart.