#WAH Song of the Day

The thrill of the kill you feel is a sin

I lay with the wolves alone, it seems,

I thought I was part of you

The Wolf Series Novella: 1

Apparently, I have done too well in writing the adult characters in my YA novel that my readers asked me to write about how they met. One pair met when they were children; now they are wary allies. Another met as aggressive allies; now they are husband and wife. This is a (very) short story about the first pair, and I will continue to post short stories about them from childhood to their meeting again in the present before changing to the second couple. Consider it a prequel.

Connor eyed the eight year old girl who looked dainty and delicate in her white lace dress; looking as fresh and innocent as a new born baby. 

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Not that he minded hanging out with Mey, in fact some days, he preferred to hang out with her. With the guys, he didn't know whether it was because they were werewolves or because they were boys, there would always be a lot of grandstanding between them and usually over nothing. It's boring and exhausting.

Hanging out with Mey was never boring, although it did have its dangers.

Oh, he knew what she was up to. Unfortunately, he figured it out just a little too late. It was why, he was stuck in this ridiculous pink, mini-table, surrounded by flowers, dolls and delicate, fussy fripperies.

He scowled, well, at least there were cookies. But even the chocolate chip and pecan perfection in his hand was not enough to justify the embarrassment that he was feeling for being 1) a sap 2) a stupid sap 3) a ridiculously stupid sap. He looked at the cookie in his hand with disgust; not for the cookie but for the situation he was in. "I can't believe this."

Mey widened her dark eyes, she had been told that her eyes were her finest feature. Or so her mother had told her. "What do you mean?"

Connor straightened the stupid paper crown that he had to wear under threat of pain and humiliation, he was okay with the pain part but the humiliation? No, he had a reputation to maintain. "Why am I wearing this anyway?"

She rolled her eyes with all the affectionate disdain that all girls have for their deluded and deranged friends who happened to be boys. "I told you, you're the Lycaon and I'm having you for tea."

At the invocation of the Alpha King's title, Connor sat a little straighter, tilted his chin up a little further. "And why would your King accept your invitation? I have other things to do. I am a king after all." 

Her left eyebrow twitched, a sign that she was restraining herself from doing something violent. "That crown's too heavy for your head, isn't it? It's squishing your brain."

Connor hid his grin behind his cup of tea, then changed his face into a scowl when he put it down. "If you tell anyone that I'm sitting down on your tea party I'll--"

"You'll what?" She asked with a smirk. "I'm the one holding all the cards here, remember?"

Connor growled, "I can't believe I fell for that, and I can't believe you'd do this to me."

"All is fair in love and war." Mey pranced to the other side of the table and sat down, brushing her skirt in a way that Connor would describe as prissy. And smug, he couldn't believe how one gesture could deliver so much smugness. It was clear to him that she was very pleased with herself. And so she should.  

"I can't believe that you're blackmailing me when you were the one who gave me the idea in the first place."

Mey sniffed and picked up a cookie, carefully laying down a pink serviette on her lap. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You don't, huh? So you're not the person who hatched up a plan for the biggest, most elaborate prank in the history of our Pack?"

Mey tucked her tongue against her cheek and smiled. "I think you're confused. That wasn't me, that was you."

Connor glared. "Of all the sneaky, backstabbing--"

Mey batted her eyelashes at him. Her father told her it was impossible to refuse her anything when she did that. When Connor continued glaring and calling her names , she declared him hopeless and flipped her hair out of the way with her gloved hands. They were new and pretty. She paused to admire them. "Stick and stones, Connor."

Connor rolled her eyes  with all the scorn that boys had for their best friends who happened to be girls. "Why am I surprised that you would do this? It's you, you'd do anything to get what you want."

She smiled at him, her lips curling up at the corners like a cat. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is a bad thing when you betray your best friend in the process."

"Oh, like you wouldn't."

Connor's scowl disappeared into a stern expression that belonged on the face of someone older. "No, I wouldn't."

Mey raised her eyes from the calm surface of her tea, something about the way he said it, about the way he looked sent a chill down her back, raising the soft hairs on her nape. "You won't?"

He tilted his head, his eyes looked straight at hers and she felt a jolt as she maintained the eye contact. She had heard her parents talked about him, how he was going to be a strong wolf one day. He flashed his teeth in a grin. "You're my best friend. Of course, I wouldn't.

Mey stared at him as he tossed a cookie into his mouth and munched; a little voice inside her said, "my, what big teeth you have." 

Copyright © 2012 by D.F. Jules

The Wolf series song.

I was browsing youtube for new songs and I found this band. LOVE THEM. And hey, a lot of their songs fits my books from atmosphere to lyrics. 

Delta Rae-Bottom of the River

If you get sleep or if you get none

(The cock’s gonna call in the morning, baby)

Check the cupboard for your daddy’s gun

(Red sun rises like an early warning)

The Lord’s gonna come for your first born son

(His hair’s on fire and his heart is burning)

Go to the river where the water runs

(Wash him deep where the tides are turning)

And if you fall....

And if you fall....

Hold my hand

Ooh, baby, it’s a long way down to the bottom of the river

Hold my hand,

Ooh, baby, it’s a long way down, a long way down

The wolves will chase you by the pale moonlight

(Drunk and driven by a devil’s hunger)

Drive your son like a railroad spike

(Into the water, let it pull him under)

Don’t you lift him, let him drown alive

(The good Lord speaks like a rolling thunder)

Let that fever make the water rise

(And let the river run dry)

This song reminds me of The Wolf series, most especially the Waerloga's before the Great War, how desperate and how dark their minds have become. Plus in the video, that kind of reminds me of the witch trials which also works with the title (bottom of the river) where witches were once drowned, the woman who is dragged out of her house turns the table on her captures which is also what the Waerlogas did.

Well, this song can be interpreted in many creepy ways. My take on it, which fits the Waerlogas is that they were fed up with what their 'Masters' were doing, most especially where they divide families and take their children away--The Lord's gonna come for your first born son--that some would prefer to kill their children rather than have them suffer. 

And if you were found out that you deprived the werewolves of a 'commodity' it would be taken as an act of treason, and if you try to run away, you'd be hunted down--the wolves will chase you by the pale moonlight.

...and yes, it is becoming clear to me that The Wolf series are getting darker and darker. 

Delta Rae-Surrounded

I was born in the state where my mother was raised

With the children of soldiers, the children of slaves

And it’s too much to take, the mind how it breaks

The lessons the stories the shame and the glories and all

They linger ’round

Foxes and hounds

Our souls are bound

To older ground

Fell in love with a girl who’s found love before

In the hands and the hearts of the people she wore

She’s all that I see, but there’s things in between

The fractures and fissures of all of the pictures we leave

They linger ’round

Foxes and hounds

They’re with me now

Can’t lay them down

And I feel it all around, I’m surrounded

And I feel it all around, I’m surrounded

And I feel it all around, I’m surrounded by ghosts

So we keep them at home, the secrets and bones

The voices we hear so we’re never alone

They tease and they taunt, comfort and haunt

My mother and father and so many I’ll never know

They linger ’round

Foxes and hounds

My hands are bound

And I feel it all around, I’m surrounded

And I feel it all around, I’m surrounded

And I feel it all around, I’m surrounded by ghosts

This song tells the story of Lei, in book 2: Wolf at Heart, feels as she dives into the Waerloga world, reading one journal after another, learning the pain and joy of her people. And she suddenly realizes how the fate of her people are now up to her. Now she feels the heavy responsibility of changing how the wolves treat the future Waerloga.

Delta Rae-Unlike Any Other

Here I am in this empty room

Miles away from you, if you ask me

I’d get in my car and I’d drive all night

I’m coming home to you, if you’ll have me

But no one needs to know

When you hold me, it’s unlike any other

I’ve been this girl so many times

Blurring all the lines like it’s easy

I can’t believe that I got this close again

Now I’m afraid to move, you might really see me

You don’t need to know

When you hold me, it’s unlike any other

No one needs to know

This song is very much Lycaon-Mey or Kai-Lei. It's a toss up. The song is wistful, romantic and sweetly sad. It echoes the feelings of both sides. 

Delta Rae-Fire

I, I got my eye on you, I heard what you been saying

These rumors you spread ’round, they burn me down like flames and

We used to be friends, but that ain’t true now

You ain’t got my back, you’ve shown me that so many times

When I need help

Can’t call for help

’Cause no one comes

So I’m calling FIRE

It won’t be pretty, I ain’t no girl cried wolf, I’ll bring this whole damn city

They’ll come from miles around just to see how you cut me down

We used to be friends, but that ain’t true now

You poisoned the well, now I can’t tell who’s on my side

When I need help

Can’t call for help

’Cause no one comes

So I’m calling FIRE

This is when Lei put her foot down and says, "No more nice" and shows her mean side. 

I love it when that happens. It's also shows that she couldn't depend on anyone else in the Lycaon's pack, she has only herself for the moment. That she has to earn her place by herself without anyone helping her. 

#WAH snippet

I was listening to my old playlists and this song played--

--and I suddenly have this image of Lei in my head and I just had to write it. This is the result. 

Her brush moved again, slowly but sure in gentle strokes that calmed her mind. It was the middle of the night, she was exhausted but couldn't sleep. Her mind was too busy and her thoughts were too loud inside her head. So, she got out of bed and picked up her sketching pad. When that didn't work, she moved to canvas and paint. 

She didn't bother to turn on the lights, if she did, one of her Guardians would probably insist to check up on her and she'd prefer to be alone. So, she moved her easel closer to the circle of light that poured in from outside the window, took a deep breath and delved deep into herself.

Here, no, Lei’s paint-tainted fingers halted mid-air, there. 

She watched colors; bright and vivid, started to take shape, obeying her hands and her imagination. The painting was going to be one of the many that covered one wall of her room from floor to ceiling. The result of several sleepless nights on these last few months; always a scenery, always something vaguely shaped and richly colored; of places that reminded her of home. 

The wisteria-weaved arbor in the Blackwood’s home that almost look like the arbor in their old backyard.

The way sunrise tainted the tip of trees with gold just like it did on the last sunrise she saw with Colin and Channing. 

The dance and sway of bonfires against a dark line of trees; a memory of the camping trips she'd taken with her boys.

An open window, shaded by trees; one that they had used to sneak inside her room. 

She sketched and painted, pouring herself into the process of creation when she missed home, only pulling back until sweat soaked her skin, her hands became too heavy and her heart too bruised. 

Always scene and moments and places.

Never people. 

Those she painted in her mind as she closed her eyes and waited for sleep; Colin with his impish smile, Channing with his clear, beautiful eyes, Santi’s beautiful hands, Natasha’s dimples, Sierra’s back—

--but never Kai. 

No, never Kai. 

Copyright © 2012 by D.F. Jules

Eiji

Name: Eiji (funny things is, I already named the character Eiji, then researching for dreamcast, I realized there actually is a Japanese actor by the name of Eiji. Hey. It's fate)

Species: Werewolf

Pack: Lone Wolf, formerly belonged to the Alimiera Sangre Pack.

Rank: Potential Lycaon

Description: Fair, pretty, thin, wily, manipulative, creepy smart. Arms tattooed with old fashioned irezumi. Looks deceptively harmless, vicious in a fight but Eiji is more brain than brawn. Despite his thin frame, he eats like a werewolf but never seemed to gain weight. Unlike most werewolves, he is immune to silver. He is easy to talk to, a good listener and is one of the Lycaon's spies. 

Nathaniel

Name: Nathaniel
Species: Human
Decription: Blond, green eyed, bronzed skin. A free spirit, Nathaniel lives like he's going to pretty much die tomorrow.

Then she saw a hint of gold.

She pushed against the car and focused her eyes. She saw him; tall and long limbed, he walked with a smooth long-legged gait that seemed to give the impression of laziness. But Lei knew better, she had seen him climb over sails with a steady swiftness that was mind-blogging.

SongMix: A Heart that Can't Be Broken is Not Worth Anything

The Honey Trees-Wake the Earth

"You hold fire in the night

In safety of this radiant light we’ll warm our lungs and tame our eyes"

Her ears caught a snort and a snuffle; the sound of heavy breathing from her left. From her right she caught the glint of amber eyes and the white mist of breath.

Spending a night deep in the woods wasn’t Lei’s idea of fun, as was doing her homework by firelight and sitting on a stretch of tarp, freezing her butt off. She was good outdoors and knew how to survive in the woods if she had to, and she knew this stretch of land like the back of her hand. But still, it wasn’t her idea of fun. Not really. 

But that’s what you do when your best friends are werewolves.

Wolf at the Door-Chapter 1

Van Morrison-Just Like a Woman

"But lately I've seen her, ribbons and her bows have fallen from her curls"

Her eyes were always watchful, not so much when she was around him and his brothers but they knew she was always watching, taking mental notes and filing things in her head. Sometimes, he could actually see her noting away lines and shapes and forms, choosing and waving away colors, saving all the details down until she could come home, retreat to her room to finally put it all on paper or canvas. It fascinated him, her mind. How she saw the world.

Sometimes, he had wished for an artistic bent of his own, just so he could show her how she looked in a certain light, like now, as she stepped away from the shadows of the trees and to the shafts of light that danced across the dark, nakedness of tree barks and the gold, red and brown of dry leaves that carpeted the earth.

Wolf at the Door-Chapter 9

Chelsea Lee feat Jason Reeves-Perfectly

“You are perfectly lovely, perfect for someone other than me. Baby, I’m letting you go.”

To say that he crushed her to him was an understatement; he practically pulled her on his lap and wrapped his body around her, as if he could squeeze all the pain out of both of them. Leaving her would hurt so much; he’d probably have to either be drugged or tied down and kept a close eye on for the first few weeks so he wouldn’t try to come back. But, this was for the best, not only both of them, but for the Pack. 

The distance would do him good. It would do both of them good.

When she sighed and tucked her head underneath his chin, her small but strong hands pressing against the back of his T shirt, he dipped his head and pressed a kiss to that soft spot on her neck, that wayward curl of hair brushing against his cheek.

She curled herself deeper into his arms.

He pulled her in closer to his body.

Their chests colliding as they each took a deep breath. 

Wolf at the Door-Chapter 15

Jason Reeves-I Can't Imagine

“If I touch your skin,

I'm afraid I might just sink in

And I'll kiss your lips; the taste, the magic that you been hiding”

He cupped her chin, waited until her slanted brown eyes looked into his. Her brow furrowed and her mouth pressed into a tight line, as if she wanted to swallow back her words. His thumb touched her lush bottom lip, stroking it until it softened and parted slightly. Her breath smelled like blueberries and tea, and her hair cascaded around her shoulders in dark waves. There was a delicate vulnerability in her eyes as she stared back at him and his heart rolled slowly inside his chest. 

And before he knew it, he had one hand curled around her neck. Before he could even think, he was stepping closer and leaning down. 

And there, in the middle of the street, under a moody grey sky, Kai kissed Lei.

And there, on the pavement, in front of watchful eyes, as a dozen streetlights flickered to life, Lei kissed him back.

Wolf at the Door-Chapter 18

Christina Perri-Arms

"You put your arms around me and I believe that it's easier for you to let me go"

“We can take other spouses, love other people, but a mate? A mate comes once in a life time.” He turned his head to look at her more fully and gripped her hand tight. “This comes once in a life time.”

Lei felt her heart squeezed and twisted at the plea in his expression, but she kept her hand limp in his. Disappointment flared in his eyes, the corner of his mouth drooped as his head fell back to the pillow, turned slightly away from her. A lump appeared in her throat and she valiantly ignored the voice inside her—one that grows stronger each day—that whispered about how good it would be to have him, to keep him for herself, to make him completely hers. 

And the determination that she had forged with each step that brought her here dwindled with every second of silence between them.

“I’m sorry, Kai.” She said quietly.

He stayed quiet and kept his face away from her. She saw the muscles of his jaw moved, saw his throat worked as if he was trying to keep himself together. Her eyes heated up and she blinked away tears. It threatened to overflow when Kai squeezed her fingers, as if he knew she was upset and was trying to comfort her. 

“Do you want me to go?” She whispered, she was afraid to speak too loud, afraid to disturb the tension between them. 

“No.” His voice was hoarse and he coughed once to clear his throat. “Stay.” He turned to her, his face once again clear but for his eyes that ran a gamut of emotions. He shifted and opened his arms. “Come here.”

Wolf at the Door-Chapter 34

The All American Rejects-Heartbeat Slowing Down

All we had written, well, it's been erased

Something that I had to do

I cut you deep, you're bleeding through

You're every single shade of blue

I'm staring right in front of you

Lei let him go and literally felt her power fractured, the binds she surrounded him with fell away from his Wolf and coiled back deep inside her; once again silent and still. Kai rolled away from her as if he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. His complexion pale, and considering the actual color of his skin that was saying something. His skin shone with sweat and he looked wild, his Wolf still in his eyes as he stared at her from the other side of the bed. His breath was fast and harsh in the tense silence between them. “I can’t believe you did that.”

Exhausted, the power had taken a lot from her, she took a deep breath. It was only then that she noticed that she was trembling all over. She knew he deserved an explanation but she was getting dizzy. And really, what could she say? “I’m sorry.”

Kai just stared at her, and it killed her that he didn’t look angry like she had expected; anger she could handle. But it was betrayal and hurt and disbelief that took turns showing on his face.

Wolf at the Door-Chapter 34

Christina Perri-Tragedy

“If you could envision the meaning of a tragedy

You might be surprised to hear it's you and me”

Lei couldn't help it, she tensed; her fingers lacing and unlacing together. She took note of the silence in the room and her heart beat hard against her ribs as she waited for his answer. 

“I accept, Lycaon.” 

As if drawn by a magnet, Lei’s eyes moved to look at Kai. His expression was wooden. His eyes staring straight ahead, not acknowledging anyone or anything. As if he was trying to pretend that he wasn't there at all, that this wasn't happening. 

Lei’s heart skipped a beat when Kai stood suddenly and fear slicked her throat when he just stood there, his sudden movement catching all their eyes. She waited of him to say or do something but he merely turned away and left the room. His brothers aimed sad, hurt looks at her before following him. 

No one commented on Kai's abrupt leaving, they all knew what prompted it better than she ever could. 

So, her powers of persuasion worked. 

He’d be safe. The Pack would be safe. She and her mother would be safe. Bone-melting relief rushed over her body. 

She never knew that relief had such a bitter aftertaste.

Wolf at the Door-Chapter 38

Continue to Part 2: SongMix: A Heart that Can't Be Broken is Not Worth the Tears

Copyright © 2012 by D.F. Jules

Snippet

Because all of you have been so patient, encouraging and awesome. I thought I'd give you a snippet from one of the last chapters. Something between (gasp) Kai and the Lycaon.

“How does it feel?”
Surprised by the question, and angry too, Kai had to take a moment to squeeze his hold on his Wolf. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. How does it feel? He couldn’t find the words to explain the constant shift from being crazy mad to aching emptiness. He felt like his body was taken apart and put back wrong, like his soul was ripped apart. “It…hurts.”
“Do you hate her for doing what she did?”
That was an easy question. “No.”
The Lycaon’s dark eyes moved over his face. “Is that really your answer, or the effect of the mating?”
“Mine.”
“Why aren't you angry?”
For a second Kai was ready to give up on this conversation but then he saw something in the Lycaon’s expression that told him that he wasn't just spouting out meaningless questions; this question was actually important to him. He supposed that the Lycoan was worried about his state of mind, of what would happen if he saw Lei again. “I saw her face…after. She’s hurting, too.”
The Lycaon’s mind went sideways, Kai’s words taking him back to when Mey had exercised her powers on him.
—dark brown eyes glimmering with tears, anger flushing her cheeks, her voice sliding inside him, rolling under his skin; insidious and angry…and hurt—
It took a while for him to see the hurt underneath the anger, it took a while for him to forgive her. To understand. To regret.
He watched the boy who had figured out in moments what he took years to do and felt…shame.

Arthur Ulfric

Name: Arthur Ulfric

Species: Werewolf

Pack: The Black-Hand Pack

Rank: Lieutenant

Description:

He was tall and slim but packed with slender muscle like a gymnast and moved like a dancer. On first glance, the man looked young, but he wasn’t. There were small lines on his face that showed his age and a light in his eyes that told people he had lived a century of life. His hair was brownish gold, his eyes were a yellowish green and his skin tinged with gold. Not for the first time did the Lycaon think that Arthur looked more like a lion than a wolf, but that was what he was, a werewolf and one of his best elite soldiers. He was also one of wolves that had made him who he was today; Lycaon, the Alpha King.

Arthur appears in chapter 39 and will have a bigger role in book 2. He is one of the few wolves that The Lycaon trusted most; the wolf had trained Connor to be Lycaon when he was still one of the potentials.

He will be the one who will train Kai as per the Lycaon's orders.

Blogs MOVED

This is my laziness talking, since I'm starting a new story for NaNoWriMo, and it is my habit to upload a chapter into a blog, I realized, hell, why so many blogs when I can just put it in one? Duh.


So, this is my attempt on being more organized. I can sense the impending migraine a month away. Wish me luck!!

To those who wonder why I name this blog Inside MadHatter's Hat, well, I often call the inside of my head as my very own Wonderland where I skip-a-long inside my very own world not unlike Alice...but I relate more to Mad Hatter than the blond, blue eyed girl. *shrug*

Connor Wuithall (The Lycaon)

Name: Connor Wuithall
Species: Werewolf
Description: Dark skin, dark hair, amber eyes. Tall and big. One look and you know he's "somebody". Powerful and dignified and stately.

The Lycaon is just somebody that gets attention wherever he goes. He's crafty and sneaky and almost feline-like in mindset which is odd since he's a werewolf.

He exudes power and grace like other people exudes perfume, and he's confident in himself, he knows what he can do and has nothing to prove so he rarely feels the need to throw his weight around.

There's no doubt that he's a puppet master, growing up with Mey who is the best of the best of puppet masters, made sure of that but at least he's subtle about it and never saw the purpose of rubbing it in other people's noses. Which Mey often likes to do.

He has qualities that makes him not only a good ruler but a shrewd ruler, what's dangerous about him isn't his power--though he has that in loads--but his brain which is as sharp and fast as his claws.

He is a man of quiet passion and simple delights; like most wolves (and most men), he likes the out-doors and likes to kick back with a beer and a burger but as a politician as well, as Alpha King, he can rub shoulders with the best of them.

He doesn't get angry, doesn't feel the need to because what he is usually deter other people from pissing him off but be careful, if you try your luck on him, he hits you back thrice as hard.

WATD song of the day

Oh Land-Wolf and I

And you are the wolf and I am the moon

And in the endless sky we are but one

We are alive in my dreams, wolf and I

PLAYLIST FOR CHAPTER 34

Due to the very emotional content of chapter 34, I had a special playlist for it and I thought I'll share:

Harper Lee-This Is The Sound that A Heart Makes When It's Breaking

Remember what it feels like to wake up in bed alone again

Haunted by the things you said; the times you rarely once made sense

Seo In Gook-Broken

Sleeping At Last-Quicksand

Slow down, you're all words

And love is made of yarn.

Scissors, a slip of the hand, a slip of the tongue;

God knows I meant no harm, I meant no harm

Gary Jules- Falling Awake

You never get to choose

You live on what they sent you

And you know they’re gonna use

The things you love against you

Butterfly Boucher-A Bitter Song

It's not fair, I found love;

It made me say that.

Get back, you'll never see daylight;

If I'm not strong, it just might.

Kate Havnevik-Timeless

Timeless; love is a cure.

A promise, still so pure.

Rise like the tide, no need to hide.

Fearless, just like before; 

Oh, here we go

They're all waiting for a cure.

Sleeping At Last-Turning Page

I surrender who I’ve been for who you are

Let Go Sailing-This Rope Is Long

Joel & Luke: Love's To Blame

It makes me ache that we had to break

That even though I knew your heart so well 

We're strangers in different places though we live a mile apart

My best friend's gone my world has been torn

Plumb-Cut

I'm not a stranger, no I am yours

With crippled anger and tears that still drip sore

A fragile frame aged with misery

And when our eyes meet I know you see

Natalie Walker-Walking Dream

I cannot stumble here, I am safe inside my head

When I wake up I'll forget, I'll come back to my mess

WATD Song of the Day

Of Monsters & Men - Dirty Paws

Her dirty paws and furry coat,

She ran down the forest slope.

The forest of talking trees,

They used to sing about the birds and the bees.

The bees had declared a war,

The sky wasn't big enough for them all.

The birds, they got help from below,

From dirty paws and the creatures of snow.

WATD Song of the Day

Of Monsters & Men - King and Lionheart

"You're a King and I'm a Lionheart."

This song reminds me of Mey and the Lycaon

WATD Song of The Day

First Aid Kit-Wolf

Wolf mother, where you been?

You look so worn, so thin

You're a taker, devil's maker

Let me hear you sing, hey ya hey ya

Wolf father, at the door

You don't smile anymore

You're a drifter, shapeshifter

Let me see you run, hey ya hey ya

Holy light, oh, burn the night, oh keep the spirits strong

Watch it grow, child of wolf

Keep holdin' on

When I run through the deep dark forest long after this begun

Where the sun would set, trees were dead and the rivers were none

And I hope for a trace to lead me back home from this place

But there was no sound, there was only me and my disgrace

Wayward winds, the voice that sings of a forgotten land

See it fall, child of wolf

Lend a mending hand

WATD Song of The Day

Radiohead - The Wolf At The Door

WATD Song of The Day

Linkin Park - Castle of Glass

WATD Song of the day

The Black Key's Howlin' For You reminds me of my boys: Kai, Colin and Channing. 

Mock up of The Wolf Series Cover- still in progress

created by Stacey K Wall

The same artist who made TOUCHED covers.

#WATD song of the day

Lovers- An Army of Lovers Cannot Fail

We slept under your mother's quilt and drew pictures on paper bags
Of birds we'd seen in Tennessee the time we lost our map
But there are bears in the balcony in the drunken dream I had
They climbed up there; they came for me and left only the whiskey glass.

I'll love you, baby, but I know you don't understand
When the highway takes me, I ain't coming back
The best I've slept in a long time is when I was in your bed
But tonight I'll whisper 'goodbye' as you lay there.

If they send the wolves, I'll join the wolves and I'll return some day with my teeth sharper and my blood hotter.
I'll be the dog by your grave with a hanging tongue and a ribcage and a chewed-up tail
Howling with my last exhale
An army of lovers cannot fail.

Poetry: Tight

It's funny how my mind works sometime.

I was working on my Camp NaNoWriMo novel and I wondered where the title: WOLF AT THE DOOR came from. 

I do that sometimes, I like to read underlying meanings in my own writings and lo and behold, I actually found something amusing.

The title was actually a line from one of my poems....and even more awesome, the sentiment of the poem could be taken as the voice of Lei's mother, Mey.

Here's the poem:

There are wolves at the door dear heart, wolves at the door 

Close the door, close the door. Tight.

There are shadows in the light, dear heart, shadows in the light. 

Close the window, close the window. Tight. 

There are monsters under the bed, dear heart, monsters under the bed. 

Close your eyes, close your eyes. Tight. 

There are tricksters in the world, dear heart, tricksters in the world 

Close your heart, close your heart. Tight.

 Copyright © 2012 by D.F. Jules

3

A/N: Be warned. All chapters are NOT proof read.

Sierra took one look at her face and snicker, “You got caught sneaking in by your mom, didn’t you? I told you, mothers know everything.”

“Yeah,” Natasha nodded. “It’s like their super power.”

“Stop, I do not want to talk about my mom, right now.”

“Okay.” Sierra’s blond head bobbed in tune with Natasha’s brunette one. It’s scary the way they did that, but both of them have been friends since they were practically in the womb—both of their mothers are also best friends—and being friends for so long they had picked up habits from each other, and finished each other’s sentences. It was kind of freaky really.

Lei joined them on the bench and scowled at the grass stains on her shoes. “It’s not like she hasn’t got time to get used to it. I mean, we’ve been going camping for years. I have no idea why she’s making it such a big deal now.” 

“Probably because you’re all grown up, dear.” Natasha said while fixing the barrette on her shoulder-length hair. 

“What does that mean?”

“That you’re a high school girl going out camping with three high school boys. One has to wonder what you guys are doing out there.” Sierra pitched in with a wicked grin. She laughed and lifted her hands in a pacifying gesture before Lei could blow up at her. “Not that we’ve ever wondered. We know what’s what ,but other people? People who don’t really know how you guys are with each other?” She shrugged. “We’ve all grown up camping or hiking or sailing or fishing, there’s nothing else to do around here. I go hiking with my family but even I quit ever since I started high school.”

Natasha scoffed. “You mean, after you’ve grown boobs and boys start paying attention to you?” 

“Yes, exactly.” Sierra admitted without shame.

“I like the woods. And I like their company. And I don’t care what other people think. They could think we do ritual sacrifices and orgies for all I care. I’m not stopping just because other people can’t seem to mind their own business.”

Natasha patted her shoulder. “Good for you, sweetie.”

Sierra sipped on her thermos of tea before sliding Lei a look. “So, no orgies?”

Lei rolled her eyes but grinned. “No orgies.”

“But what do you guys do?”

She shrugged and picked out a slice of apple from the container on Natasha’s lap. “We talk, tell scary stories, and roast marshmallows. We hang out.”

“But that’s what you always do and you can do it here. You don’t need to hang out in the woods.”

“I like the woods. We like the woods.”

“It’s scary and there are bears and wolves.”

Lei sucked on her apple slice. “No, really?”

“Yeah, my brother saw one a couple of weeks ago. Said it was huge.” Sierra’s eyes went wide and her arms gestured wildly.

“The bear or the wolf?” 

“Both.”

“Tell me, did he see a little boy with them, possibly a panther and an orang utan?”

Sierra scrunched up her eyebrows. “What—there’s no way—“ 

Natasha grinned. “Did they dance and sing songs?”

It took a few seconds but Sierra finally got the Jungle Book joke. “Oh, ha. Ha. Very funny. I’m being serious, guys.”

“I know and I love you for caring, but you don’t have to worry, we always stay close to the camping trails and we know all about the dangerous critters and what to do if we meet one. Besides, can you see any bear winning against Channing?” Lei pointed and watched as her two friends found Channing’s wide shoulders across the quad. 

“It's possible that Channing can win against a bear.” Natasha conceded.

“Is it just me or is Channing growing even bigger since I saw him last week?” 

Lei ate the last of the apple slice. “I could never tell with Channing.”

Both girls made thinking noises as they watch her three boys.

“So, tell me again how it’s possible that you’re always around three of the hottest guys in school—“

Sierra cut Natasha off. “In town.”

“—and are still just friends with them?”

Lei groaned. “Really? This again?”

“It just boggles the brain, is all. I mean look at them.”

“Seriously, Lei. Look at them.” Sierra poked her in the stomach.

“I’m looking, I’m looking. Sheesh.” Lei rolled her eyes and stifled a yawn. “What am I looking here?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the rippling muscles, the mane of glory, the rock-hard abs?”

“The sexy smile, the come hither eyes, those hands—“

“That butt.”

“That—“

“Please, stop. I just ate.” Lei couldn’t help but laugh at the affronted look on their faces. “Besides, if you guys like them that much, why don’t you ask them out?”

Natasha grimaced. “I don’t know. They’re kind of—“

“Intense. And they’re very—“

“Exclusive.”

Lei scoffed. “No, they’re not.”

“Lei, have you ever seen them with people that are not in their inner circle? They’re a fairly close-knit group, you know?”

Natasha pursed her lips in thought. “They are very particular about who they’re friends with.”

“Are you calling them snobs?”

“I don’t mean it that way. They’re perfectly nice, especially to us since we’re friends with you, it’s just that I don’t think they’ve ever made a new friend. They’ve always hung out with the same kids, you know?”

Lei did know, as she also knew the reason for it; those kids were werewolves, those kids were pack. In the 240 students studying in Greenlane High School, 27 of them are pack kids and they stay close together as a sub-pack should. 

Lei took a sip out of Sierra’s coffee. “Their families have been friends since forever so it’s only natural that they hang out together, like you guys.”

Sierra and Natasha did a ‘that’s possible’ shrug and moved on to more interesting matters; gossip.

Lei kept her ears on them and her eyes on the crowd across from them. She caught Channing’s eyes who grinned and started miming much to her amusement. It took her a while but she finally guessed what he was trying to show her; of himself wrestling a bear. She scowled and tapped her ear; they had talks about them listening into her conversations. 

Channing shook his head and pointed to Colin who put on his innocent face; batting his ridiculous long lashes at her. 

Lei crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. 

Colin finally managed to look contrite before scratching his tummy; the motion lifted his T-shirt to show off his so called rock hard abs. The grin on both Colin and Channing’s face told her that they had been listening to everything she and her friends were talking about, but before she could figure out how to sign her displeasure, Kai had reached out his arms and hit his two brothers’ behind the head with the flat of his hands. And it was no love tap either.

The sub-pack snickered as Colin and Channing rubbed their heads. Lei grinned and blew a kiss to Kai who winked back at her.

She looked back to her friends only to see them watching her. “What?”

“Seriously, just friends?”

Lei groaned. 

“At the very least, with Kai.”

Lei groaned again. 

“I mean, it just doesn’t make any sense. It’s not natural.” Sierra shook her head and took a final gulp of her coffee. 

Lei repressed the urge to say, ‘no, it’s Supernatural’. “We’re just friends, guys. I know, it’s a shock for both of you but boys and girls can be friends. Deal with it.”

“But speaking of Kai—“

“No, no. No more questions.”

“Is he a monk or something? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him on a date, or with a girl unless it’s you. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him…you know.”

“Maybe he’s gay.” Lei quipped quickly.

“He’s gay?” They repeated with a good dose of shock, dismay and disappointment thrown in for good measure. 

And since she saw both Channing and Colin started laughing like crazy, she quickly backtracked before they told Kai what she said. “No, of course not. He’s just very private, that’s all.” And he only dates werewolves.

Sierra pursed her mouth. “I guess that’s admirable.”

“Is keeping secrets a habit with you guys, I mean, it took, what, four months for you to tell us you’re not a virgin anymore?”

Lei didn’t look at the werewolf table, not even when the sound of a resounding crash echoed in the quad and drew everyone’s attention. She was too busy gathering up her things and ushering her protesting friends into the school.

The school bell rung. 

Lei grimaced at the thought of the classes she would have with Kai for today. It wasn’t like she intended to keep it a secret forever; she just thought that it was none of their business. Not that they would ever see it that way. To the werewolves, to the pack, everyone’s business is everyone’s business. And it’s not like she was ashamed of it, instead, she kind of cherished her first time, it was sweet and romantic... in between the pain and embarrassment. But she had chosen well for her first time. Nathan was respectful, fun, experienced and gentle and they were friends which made the experience even more special. 

Every summer, Lei and her mom spent time in Newport with Mey's old friend, Meine. Nathan was the boy next door that befriended her. He was athletic, energetic, loud and flamboyant. His motto was “go big or go home’ and that spilled over all aspects of his life. Blond, green eyed with golden skin, he was everything her boys were not. It was… refreshing. 

They spent their days with his friends, spending hours sailing; enjoying the smooth motion of the sea and the stinging of the salt air against their skin.

Yeah, her first time would always be special as Nathan would always be special to her…which was why she didn’t want her boys to ruin it for her. Not that they would, but, boys were often weird about sex, especially when a girl that they cared about was involved. 

And she’d rather like Nathan just the way he was. With his head on his shoulders…and alive.

Lei nodded to herself, yeah, I’m going to them that it’s none of their business and they’d just have to deal with it.

Copyright © 2012 by D.F. Jules

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