Story 1: Recovery part 1

The Fangson family was the perfect household for Orin had, not even his own family was like the Fangsons. Gabes and his wife Sharean treated him like a part of their little home. Their two children Feaira and Jimson let him play with them and tell them stories if he felt like it. The whole house acted like he was a long lost relative or friend that had came home.

Orin learned that he was seriously poisoned with dark magic thanks to the Blood stone and how he was finally released from it. Sharean told him that he was close to death many times and if he hadn't been found by Gabes when he was, then he most likely would have died. She also informed him that when he was in the worst of his illness he accidentally harmed her causing Gabes to want him out of there home. That was the yelling and arguing Orin remembered hearing before he woke up. Apparently Gabes not only wanted Orin out, he took him by the leg and started dragging him out of the house. In the process, hurting Orin’s right side when he accidentally pushed him into a sharp corner. While there relationship was rocky, Gabes now was perfectly fine with Orin. With Sharean being pregnant with their third child Orin understood why Gabes acted the way he did. 

Part 1

Orin awoke breathing hard with sweat trickling down his body. He looked around in the dark room as the images and voices in his nightmare began to fade. Morning was close, he could hear the birds outside already singing their songs, and the air felt light and wet. Orin moved out of his covers and walked quietly out of the room the Fangsons had given him. It was originally going to be Sharean’s baby’s nursery, but they were kind enough to lend it to him as the baby was still unborn.     

He opened the outside door and walked out word breathing in the new day air. Orin moved his hand through his hair and gave a sigh as the nightmares still were fresh in his mind. Despite being on the mend, Orin felt that he was suffering mentally. He had horrible nightmares about what he was forced to do when he was a fallen werewolf. The worst was when he would re-live what he did to his brother and Sera. It was horrible to sleep, but being awake didn’t help either. It had been so long since he was in control of his mind that it was hard to tell what his thoughts were and what was someone else’s suggestions.

He moved to a wooden bench that sat at the end of the house. It looked out to the east of the canyon. The bench was at the perfect location where it could see beyond the walls of the ravine as the sun rose. He sat on the bench with his arms resting over his knees trying to clear his mind. He closed his eyes and started to think of something happy, it was so long since anything truly joyful happened to him; he feared he couldn’t remember anything good anymore. Orin’s mind wandered to his time as a fallen werewolf. He was standing with other fallen werewolves as a group of murderous people stood around him. Orin’s heart began to race as the fallen wizard that had control over him for so long, walked in front of him and grinned. You want to kill everyone. He said very calmly. Orin grinned and nodded in agreement. “I do.” He snarled. Suddenly flashes of people’s horrified faces moved over his mind and the sounds of their screams echoed loudly in his head. Orin opened his eyes and looked at the light coming from the rising sun while breathing hard. He clenched his fists and tried to relax himself. “I’m not there.” He whispered very quietly. “He’s dead, he can’t make you do anything anymore.” He tried to reassure himself.

“Can’t sleep?” Sharean’s voice asked behind him.

Orin turned to see her standing outside the opened door. She had soft brown hair and golden brown eyes, her skin was a light brown, and she had a comfortable but worn-down dress on. Orin could hardly see a small bulge on her stomach which showed that she really was pregnant.

Orin sat up and smiled nervously. “I didn’t wake you did I?” He asked feeling sorry if he had.

Sharean smiled and shook her head. “No, I heard you get up because I’ve been awake for hours.” She explained.

“Are you okay?” He asked feeling concerned about what Sharean just expressed.

She laughed slightly and nodded. “I may not be showing just yet, but this little one can kick.” She explained patting her stomach gently. “Plus the morning sickness is kicking in.” She moved over to the bench and sat next to him smiling kindly. “Makes me wish I was a werewolf.” She joked lightheartedly. Orin gazed at her with confusion not understanding what she was saying. Sharean frowned slightly and shook her head. “Werewolf mothers don’t get morning sickness when their pregnant.” She explained with slight annoyance in her voice.

“Oh,” Orin stated completely unaware of that fact.  

“By the Great One,” Sharean said shaking her head. “Both you and Gabes are werewolves and neither of you knew that. Men really are clueless.” She stated still sounding annoyed.

Orin rubbed the back of his head and smiled with slight embarrassment. “Sorry,” he told her trying to make it up somehow.

“Don’t be sorry about it,” Sharean said dismissing his apology. “All men may be clueless, but it gives pregnant women like me something to gripe about.” She explained with a smile. Orin chuckled and looked at the slowly raising sun. His mind came back to the horrible images in his head. Sharean’s smile faded and she gazed closer at him. “I know the look of gilt,” she told him kindly. Orin's gazed turned to her with slight worry coming over his eyes. She gave him a slight smile. “Before I met Gabes I was a servant to a gang of Eanawly. They made me do things that were awful.” She explained looking down at the ground her eyes becoming sad. “While I know that they made me do it and I had no choice, it still haunts me.” She turned her gaze back to him and smiled again. “You don’t have to say what happened, just know that anyone who wants to change for the better can find peace.” She told him gladly.

Orin nodded and looked to the ground also. He watched a small ant move over the cold ground. “I was forced to kill my brother and the only woman I ever loved” he stated sadly. He looked up at Sharean who had a shocked look over her face. “I can still see their faces in my head, the confusion in Colton’s eyes, and the sadness in Sera’s.” He expressed.

Sharean gazed at him for a second before looking to the rising sun. “I watched my father murder my mother, while I strangled my younger brother.” She said quietly still looking out at the brightening day. Orin looked at her with concern. She turned to him and smiled a little, but there was no happiness in her eyes. “I had no control of my actions.” She said softly. “The Eanawly that had my family captured found we were trying to escape, he decided to punish my father and I since we were the strongest.” Sharean nodded slowly and rubbed her hands together while shivering visibly. “It was a few weeks after that when Gabes found me and rescued me.” She said sighing deeply.

“I’m sorry,” Orin told her shaking his head and looking back at the ground.

“I know you also weren’t in control of yourself,” Sharean said to him gently. “Gabes told me of the blood stones effect on werewolves, I’m sharing what happened to me to express that in cases such as this, your actions don’t define you.”

Orin shook his head sadly and sighed. “How can you live with it?” He asked her feeling nervous of her answer.

Sharean frowned a little and sat back on the wooden bench. “All you can do is live, until you die.” She said with a serious sound to her voice. “It will haunt you, but you will live through it.”

“I don’t know if I can.” Orin said still looking at the ground. “The pain is too much.”

Sharean was quiet for a while as the day became lighter. Clouds hung over the sky and seemed to be motionless. Sharean sighed and cleared her throat before slapping her hands over her lap. “Gabes should be up by now.” She said. “Come on,” she expressed looking at Orin with a smile. “You need something in your belly.”
To be continued....