Riley ii

She had woken up but kept her eyes close still, trying to hear the background noise. As usual, they were all about fun, no somber mood even though she was out of it.Trying to recall what had happened, she remembered her mother's voice. So she has cared after all. She opened her eyes, expecting to see the umbrella of leaves over her only to get her eyes hit the rough plain colored surface. It started her, making her eyes roam to around.Where they in a rocky house with no roof? She had pondered."Oh mine! She is awake." A voice had said and it clicked. That voice sounded familiar.Soon, the owner of the voice was hovering over her, her mouth producing more questions than statements. Looking at her mouth move, Riley could finally place where she had heard this voice from. It wasn't her mum's voice after all but this woman's. She didn't look familiar at all, they were one big family of rogue with different irritating characters, probably the reason they were being excommunicated from their respective pack."Are you okay child?" She asked, her teeth were discolored."You look battered." "Where are we aunty?" Riley had managed to croak."Oh you need water Dear." She had said instead and ordered for one. "You were full of bruises, did you get beaten?" She asked Riley whose head was lowered and she stared at her from her lashes."The poor girl was left behind during the run." Some one else answered. A man who looked tattered as if he was actually insane.This was something Riley hated, why do her species have to be blessed with an extraordinary hearing? Butting their head into conversations that has nothing to do with them. But this ability was something she would later come to appreciate in life, eavesdropping and laying out schemes."Oh mine! And her mother?" She asked the man but a loud hiss was heard instead.Even Riley had to turn her head alongside numerous persons towards the direction of the hiss. It was her mother, sitting pretty on the stone-cold floor with her legs crossed while she leaned on a smooth rock, her eyes were closed. Riley finally figured out that this was a cave, they could have found it in the same location they stopped at, or moved again to another location – The life of rogue werewolves. "You are the Queen of heartlessness, aren't you?" She asked her mother and Riley was beginning to get touched, at least someone genuinely cared for her.

"She is just as good as not having a daughter." Someone else said among the group."What happens if she had died?" The woman was beginning to get agitated but her mother vowed to remain put like a stone without emotions."Imagine if don't get a junior to run our errands…" A lady hidden somewhere dark in the cave said some mumbling were heard. Mumblings of approval."Exactly my thoughts!" The woman added slapping her hand on her lap. At this, Riley fully looked at the woman she was about to idolize in her heart. Her eyes was at the verge of watering. Nobody saw her as a child, maybe a teen. They all saw her as a slave and a valuable commodity to be owned.At this point, her physical injury didn't matter to her anymore, the burden her heart bore was more than enough to shut out any physical pain. She watched them talked about the possibility of her death and how they would have to go through the pain to adjust themselves to doing all the household chores. She watched her mum be less concerned and only spoke in whispers to the man from earlier. She could not get to eavesdrop on their conversation with her special ears no matter how hard she tried.Soon she burst into tears so loud that it stopped every conversation and actions going on, even that of her mum's. They went quiet and still as if paying respect to the dead, she cried till the lady who rescued her had to pat her to sleep.When she woke up after that incident, Riley vowed to herself never to shed a tear about her situation. She killed every seed of hope planted in her heart about her mum ever coming to accept her, she refused to let hatred take the place of the destroyed hope. In fact, she refused to have emotions. This was her decision.It wasn't easy at first but soon she got used to it, mechanically running errands without showing any symptom of tiredness. Avoid her mum unless it was really necessary that they meet and even when they do, she never looked at her, not even into her eyes. It went on for a while till it was decided that they quit the running and move into the city occupied by humans, there they can blend into the crowd and the unnecessary chase would stop.Few days before their planned migration into the human city, they ran out of food and other necessities again that they needed to sneak into a nearby pack to get them. Suggestions were made that they remained in their wolf form, at least then, they wouldn't need to live like the humans do and depend on their animalistic side to survive but this was opposed by the majority.What if they took that method, what will happen when it was time to go into the human city? Would they not stink chasing the humans away from them? Or wouldn't they feel so faint to even continue the journey into the human city? Suggestions were tumbled, looking at it form both sides. Supports were given, opposition made. Decisions were taken, then re-taken, dropped aside to make new ones till they finally decided it would be wise to go as a group and in disguise into the nearest pack to get their necessities.Going as a group would stun their target and it wouldn't b easy to take them all down. It would also leave no chance for the lazy ones to stay back and only enjoy the fruit of others labor.When the question about how to cover up their smell was asked as the werewolves belonging to other packs can easily sniff out a rogue, it was decided that they would move in shamelessly and expect whatever outcome they got. While all these was going on, Riley had other plans in mind and this one time, she decided not to be hidden."What happens if we are caught alive?" She asked and this question made all eyes turn to her. This was the first time they heard her voice in a while and the audacity she had in asking without permission stunned them.Riley looked back without flinching and before she averted her eyes, it met with that of her mum's. The intensity was high.