The Little king

Scarlet grabs Ryan's shoulders, forcing him to pay attention. The panic he saw in his mother's eyes terrified him.

- Ryan, it's time to put into practice everything your mother taught you. The people I told you were looking for us found us.

Ryan starts whimpering and his mother holds him in her arms.

- You must be brave, my little king. You have to run and hide. You have to survive while I distract them.

- Mom, I don't want to go without you. Come with me. Let's run away together.

- You know that's impossible. They won't give up, and now that they've found our trail, nothing will stop them. They'll use their wolves to sniff us out and when they catch us, they'll kill us.

Ryan pressed against his mother's chest, sobbing. All his life, they had moved from city to city, changing their family name with each new destination, surviving as best they could, without a single friend, but always with his mother by his side.

- Ryan, are you listening to me?

Ryan looks at his mother and nods. Scarlet looks into her son's puffy eyes, and runs her finger over the pout he makes.

- Ryan, mom loves you very much. Never forget that. Now run away, hide, and don't make a sound or turn back, no matter what you see or hear. You know where my hidden survival kit is. Grab it and run. Don't stop until you enter some woods or forest. I taught you all I knew and could. My son survives. Try to forget the past, and when you're an adult, look for a partner, and make your own family. Remember, you are special. You are my son. You are a very special werewolf. There is no other like you in the world. The Moon Goddess has blessed you, and I bless you too, my little king.

Scarlet grabs her son's face in her hands and kisses him on each cheek.

- Goodbye my love – she says crying – now go, before it's too late, and remember, stay away from packs land and rogues.

Ryam grabs his mother tightly and she hugs him back. Both cry heartbroken.

A light flicks on over the tent door, causing Scarlet to startle and snatch Ryan from her arms.

- They're close. Bye my Love. Run.

Scarlet pushes Ryan towards the door. He squeezes his eyes shut trying to stop the tears, takes a deep breath and runs. He ran as if the devil himself were chasing him, until he reached the huge vat, where the fishermen dumped the remains of the catch and the guts. Disgusted, he enters the vat, covers himself with the guts, until the only smell in the air is that of petrified fish, and he waits.

Peering over the edge of the tub, he sees his mother run in the opposite direction, pursued by 2 faster men, who grab her and drag her back to the tent.

A haughty woman walks slowly towards them. Using his wolf ears, Ryan tries to hear what's going on.

- Scarlet, we finally meet. I was already starting to lose hope.

- Luna Stephany, why are you chasing me? I left the pack and never came back. I'm not a threat to you.

- Oh! Scarlet, dear. You know perfectly well that I cannot let you live. Neither you nor your bastard. By the way, where is he? His name is Ryan, right? – she says, sniffing the air.

- My son passed away many years ago. Scarlet replies.

Stephany laughs.

- You talk like you don't know that I can smell that bastard's scent impregnated on you. Do not worry dear. I will find him and kill him with my own hands. That bastard won't hide forever.

Scarlet tries to free herself from the hands that hold her. What she wanted most at that moment was to squeeze the neck of that evil woman.

Ryan watches in horror as the woman approaches her mother. She grabbed her face and kissed her on the lips, and immediately twisted her neck, killing her.

Ryam covers his mouth with his hands, holding back a scream. Tears flowed down his face, clouding his eyes. Without being able to do anything, he sees the men throw his mother's body into the tent, and set it on fire. The woman gives orders to the 2 men, like a snake spitting venom, turns her back and walks away, while the men start a search, looking for Ryan's trail.

Ryan doesn't know how long he stayed inside the vat, but it was already dark when he dared to come out. Reeking of rotten guts, he goes to the hot ashes of the tent and weeps desperately.

- Mom, I promise to do everything you said. I will survive and I will not try to avenge you. I don't promise to be happy, but I promise to try. Goodbye Mom.

Ryam takes a handful of cold ash, made up of leftovers from the tent and his mother's body, puts it inside a small bag he finds, and stuffs the bag in his pants pocket.

Without looking back, he ran out of there. He runs all night, until he reaches the river, near the place where his mother hid a backpack with the essentials for him to survive.

Ryan takes off his clothes and enters the river, washing himself. The smell would linger for a few days, but at least it wouldn't continue to attract flies. He takes the ashes out of his pocket and buries his clothes, and dresses himself in clean clothes. He shoves the ashes into his backpack and slings it onto his back with a groan. The weight was a lot for a 14-year-old human, but he wasn't human. He was a werewolf. He had shifted for the first time at the age of 12, when the norm for his species is 18. Even so, the backpack felt like it weighed tons. With difficulty, he advances into the forest, towards the unknown.