Three Brothers

Three brothers, one nightmare, together they would bring light. That's what everyone had said. They were always close growing up, each grew distant when two of the brothers moved to the city.

Steven grew up around small town of Greengate. It was quiet and each resident had something to hide. Steven lived outside of Greengate and wanted to learn exactly [i]what[/i] was being hidden, that's when he met Elijah Callahan. He was rather separate from the otherwise tight-nit community. Something made him different and Steven could feel it.

The two met when Steven, who had managed to sneak past security and the towns perimeter, came across Elijah while he was reading. He inquired upon the subject. Elijah began to explain that it was a story of old. A tale of glorious heroes, charming damsels, and ferocious beasts. They were ten. The book was large and intimidating for their age group, yet Elijah read it casually. Steven began to have Elijah read it to him.

One day Elijah could not read with Steven, as he was meeting a friend. "Kevin! There you are! Are our fathers speaking about business as usual?"

Kevin nodded with a bored expression. "What'cha got?" he said, pointing to the book, then noticing Steven.

It wasn't long before the three children were causing mischief all over town, but there were nights when there was a very strict curfew, and both Elijah and Kevin acted strangely. One day, at the age of thirteen, Steven stayed past the curfew, hiding, to see what went on.

Luckily for him, Elijah found him. "What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed!"

Steven wasn't sure what was going on, but the tales from the book filled him with excitement rather than fear. He had always been plain, boring, and no one paid attention to him. He wanted excitement, no matter the cost.

"We have to get you out of hear, to safe-" the boy was cut off as a creature, straight out of a horror movie, quickly leaded onto him. He fought back trying to push it off of him and did surprisingly well, but he was small, there wasn't much he could do.

Elijah yelled for Steven to run, but he didn't, instead he grabbed a loose board from one of the alleys and tried his best to fend the creature off. This, however, only made it worse. The creature turned to get a taste of its next meal. It swayed slowly over to him, almost arrogantly, seeming to exude terror. Steven was filled with fear at this point, he dropped the board as the adrenaline induced bravery left him.

Fearing the end, Steven began to cry. Why didn't he run? Why didn't he scream? He didn't know. He was paralyzed. The creature lifted its monstrous arm to drag its talons across him and end his puny lif- There was movement! From the side, a fox? It was the size of dog. What could this be? Wondering if it as coming to help the creature or him and he friend, he glanced over. Its arrival ending the spell of fear and despair he was under.

The small creature was quick, moving in and out of the beasts reach, biting it and harrying it at every turn. Soon the monster, demoralized at this annoying fox, fled. The fox quickly moved over to Elijah. Steven was unsure about how to proceed, but was made even more unsure as the fox quickly began to seem like liquid, the fur disappearing as it shifted to a vaguely humanoid shape. It was Kevin! He was a fox! A kitsune? Was he really a trickster spirit fox?

"Steven, why are you still here? Hang in there, Jay. You'll be alright." he examined the wounds and saw them to be bite wounds, he grimaced.

"What was that? It was huge! And how did you do that?" he was excited. So excited, in fact that it took several moments to realize how badly injured Elijah really was.

"That was a werewolf. The most common form of Lycanthrope. I'm a fox, except unlike all but a few people in this town, I'm a Noble. It means I was born this way and have control. I just hope we can get someone to help. Father taught me how to get along without adults, said it was important, I guess this is what he meant." This entire discussion was happening as Kevin ripped pieces of his shirt to form make-shift bandages.

"If that was a werewolf, then doesn't that mean Jay will be too?" he looked as excited as he was worried.

Kevin finished, stood up and turned around. "This isn't a game. The people around here go through pain, fear, suffering. This is all caused by this curse. It [i]isn't[/i] a good thing."

They managed to slip inside a house that wasn't occupied. Kevin said it was a safe house. They threw blankets on Elijah, keeping him warm throughout the night. When morning came Kevin slipped out to get help. Elijah was taken to the local doctor, where his injuries were treated.

When the boys asked if he was cursed, the doctor would not look at them. He simply said he would be alright. That was an answer in and of itself.

Steven, for breaking curfew, and his family were told to leave, so they moved to the city. Kevin had given out the secret to humans, he and his father, Mr. Andrew Ward, were also asked to leave. To this day the Ward family is allowed to consult with the denizens of Greengate, but they may not hold residency there.