Cottage, Meadows and Moors

Dawn realized that she may have involuntarily transformed for the first time. She whimpered, "It's going to be alright. Don't worry. Only two more days, only two more days."

The ship had survived the fury of the Water God.

For the next two days Dawn would take four pills at a time to prevent fever. It helped to a great extent. She would often snap at Cole for even thinking of going outside. If they hadn't stepped out, perhaps she wouldn't have transformed. And now the entire staff was on a lookout for the wolf. The sailor had come again in between his duty time that day. "It seems we have managed to chase the wolf but I am not hundred percent sure. Our search team combed through the ship and there was no animal. However, you don't come out. If the beast is still there, it might attack you. And if anyone of you is harmed, you will get discovered. So, do not come out, okay?"

Dawn nodded and said in a breathy voice, "Okay." She had no plans on going out of the room.

For the next three days, the siblings didn't step out of their cabin. The conversation was minimal and the two kept silent. Cole had repeatedly said sorry to his sister. Dawn had given him a watery smile and tried to mask her fear. But her unease only grew and she hoped that she didn't transform in the room. What would happen to her brother if that happened?

In order to keep her body's temperature under control, she would spend a long time under the shower much to Cole's amusement. For the next two days, things seemed under control.

When the ship docked, with the help of the sailor, they stepped out in the end to avoid any attention. The children headed straight to the address given by Alvarez to Bradford, Yorkshire, in a cab.

Once in Bradford, the siblings went to the flat as instructed by Alvarez. When the cab neared the location, Dawn noticed that the area was sparsely populated. Small cottages were built at far distances. It was as if they were not cottages, but small farmhouses that were surrounded with vast expanse of land. Some of the land was cultivated while most of it wasn't. Rolling moors were in every direction.

"That's your place," said the cab driver bringing the car to a halt in front of a plot of land where a small cottage was built. Contrary to what Dawn was assuming that she would be holed in a flat in a colony, according to what Alvarez had said, this was beyond her expectations. It couldn't be any better. Seclusion was what Dawn wanted, especially in her current condition.

It was a very tiny cottage, located on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by a vast expanse of meadows. There was a freshly painted white wooden fence all around the house. With no other construction around it, it looked cozy and ideal. Excited, Cole jumped out of the car and ran towards the gate. For the first time in the last ten days, Dawn felt better. She paid the cab driver and walked after Cole.

"Our home!" Cole screeched like a bird. He opened the gate and stepped in. "It's too small," he said as his face dropped. He was so used to living in a mansion.

When Dawn was thinking about how to get hold of the keys, the house's old caretaker opened the front door and greeted them.

"Welcome!" he said with a smile on his wrinkly face. "I am Arawn. Your uncle Alvarez had called and informed me of your arrival." He gave the keys to her.

Dawn smiled and took the keys. Cole had already dashed inside. As she walked in the house, Arawn said, "I had given all the hopes to see the owners again."

Dawn stepped in the house, a smile forming on her lips. The house was small, with only two bedrooms, a kitchen and a dining—enough for them to stay comfortably. Dawn thanked her mother and father for buying the house. Little did they know that it would be used by their children and that too for hiding.

She walked to the window and drew the white gauzy curtains. She noticed the tall green grass of the meadow rustling in the breeze. A narrow brook was flowing in the distance. Its water was gurgling around the weeds that throttled its flow. The wild flowers that covered several patches of the meadow were a cacophony of colors consisting of pale lavender lilacs, buttercups, daisies wrapping their stems around tall scarlet poppies and wild asters. Sweet fragrance wafted through the wind as the flowers danced as though choreographed by the soft breeze. The meadow looked peaceful that afternoon. And that's what Dawn needed—privacy and seclusion to collect her thoughts and ponder on what happened in the last few days that changed her life to this extent.

Cole impatiently removed the covers from the furniture.

Over the next week, with Arawn's help, Dawn and Cole fixed things around the house in order to make it livable. He helped them with the basic necessities. "Your mother was a lovely lady," he remarked on the day everything was settled and they were sitting on the porch. "I see that you resemble your mother a lot," he chuckled as he chugged his beer. The siblings were sitting on a wicker swing.

Dawn gave him her dimpled smile and said politely, "Thanks for helping us around, Arwan."

"Oh! It's no problem at all," he replied. After a pause and finishing half his beer can, he said, "If you ever explore these meadows, don't go further in the east. There's a small hut which stands there as an indication boundary to not venture further."

"Why?" Cole asked. His childish brain became eager.

Arawn's grey eyes stared in Cole's black ones, "The village folk say that strange beasts walked those lands long back. So none of us go that side," he shrugged. "There have been instances when people have gone missing." His gaze shifted to Dawn and bored into her. "Whatever happens, never go there."

Cole's eyes bulged in wonder. He leaned in front. "What kind of beasts?" he asked.

Arawn's eyes narrowed. "I don't know. Maybe, mythical— Just stay away from there," he answered in a clipped tone.

Dawn flinched. "Don't worry Arawn, we won't go there. There's a lot to do. And first and foremost I need to look for admission to a college for me and school for him."

"Okay, okay," he replied. "The nearest college is an hour away from here however, the school is closer." He left saying that if they needed him, they could always call him.

That night when Dawn was researching on the Internet about school admissions for Cole, her mind wandered to Arawn's warning. She got up to look out of the window. It was dark and eerie and she couldn't shirk off the feeling of being watched… She curled her hands across her arms and rubbed her skin. Her life had turned upside down—from a mansion to a small cottage, from being a human to being a werewolf—

Outside, the wind howled through the night and a creature raised its head.