A Mother's Protection
by Damn'd One

Throughout history stories have been told, and composed of mothers who died in the attempt of protecting her children.  The spectrum of love, and devotion is wide, with two vastly separated poles and a menagerie of colored shades in between.  Yes; to what extent indeed, would a woman go to protect that which she carried inside her; Sharing her blood, life, and eternal love?  And also knowing she’s more then just a mortal woman? Yes; to what extent would a mother actually go to protect her young? 

Samantha was such a caring, loving mother from a lineage of such.  Raised in a back world coal town; and being only second generation in this nation Sammy was one of idealistic duality.  Having the wonders of a modern nation, but still taught the ancient ways from those who came from the ‘ old country ‘. 

But in reality coming from such towns are far from paradise.   So many novels, movies, and television series have been developed; depicting the utopian quality of such small town life.  But in truth such towns are far from the Mayberristic idealism promoted on the large and small screen.  Sammy learned of the price of this naiveté shortly after her marriage.  Unlike the love, and caring she was raised with; She lived the life of torment to an alcoholic, and abusive husband.  As with such situations the announcement of a coming child brought the hope of ending this pain; but instead brought on the greatest of crimes, and eventually the greatest of loving protection.

The beginning of the end came after returning home from work one evening; Sammy caught her husband Josh trying to have sex with their three-year-old son.  When the drunken Josh’s attention was suddenly drawn to his wife standing in the doorway screaming, he began to savagely beat her.  The shouting, and the sickening sound of flesh hitting flesh caused the neighbors to call the police.  But this time, unlike the past; it was not Josh’s police relatives who arrived; it was the State Police!

When they where separated and as a female trooper helps, and tends to Sammy and her son.  Two other troopers interview Josh.  With the sign’s of fresh, and past physical abuse it was not a long deliberation of what was going to happen. 

With Sammy cradling her newborn daughter, and her son hugging her from behind the Troopers announce the decision as Josh is spun up against a wall:

Mr. Johnson; Your under arrest!  You have the right to remain....”

“ Arrest!  Arrest for what?”

“ Spousal abuse, aggravated assault, Harassment, Voluntary deviate sexual intercourse and whole lot of others I’ll tell you about when we get to the barracks.... As I was saying; you have the right to remain silent anything you say will be used against you...”

“ You can’t arrest me!  Who do you think you are; you have no authority over me; I recognize only GOD’S law!!! You fucking bitch!!  You just wait till I get back... You just wait... You’ll wish you were never born!!”

“ THAT is enough Mr. Johnson!  You know you have the right to remain silent!" 

“ YES!!!” 

“ THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP; AND REMAIN SILENT!”

The female trooper takes Sammy to the district magistrate for an emergency Protection From Abuse Order; to keep Josh from returning and continuing the abuse.  Sammy is issued the order with the instructions to go to the courthouse for a permanent one.  For protection Sammy, and the children are taken to a safe house for the night. 

The courts made the order permanent and Sammy then moved back with her family.  Josh was released on his own recognizance awaiting trial.  As Sammy was consoled by her family, she was advised by her grand parents; “ Samantha; You know the old ways.  You have the sacred blood; Use them!  You must stop this; you must stop this mad man.  For your children’s sake you must no longer hide what you are; you must use the power of the wolf!”

“ Hurting me is one thing babcia (bapchya: granny).  He... will never... hurt our children!  I do not care who or what he and his family thinks they are; He will never hurt them!  He will die first.”

Due to Josh’s families influence the trial was postponed several times over the next several months; Hoping that it would die due to technicalities.  But the determination of Sammy, and the troopers was not abated:

“ Don’t worry.”  The troopers told her.  “ There will be a trial; And Josh will face trial for his crimes!  Our barracks commander has contacted the State’s attorney General, and the judicial conduct board over this.  Investigations have already begun; and the State Supreme Court has just ordered a change in venue.  Your ex-husband’s insanity, along with his families will end!  This we do promise!”

Finally a date for trial had been set; Josh’s family could not stop the eventuality of the justice system.  But time ran out for him; Destiny, nature, or whatever one would call it.  Justice was about to be carried out.   The day before the trial Sammy was tending to her daughter at her home when Josh crashes through the front door. Screaming, and bellowing through out the house demanding  “ His properties to be returned.”

As he comes into the parlor, She slams a lamp over her ex-husband’s head.  As he rolls on the floor from the pain she run’s out of the room, and grab’s her two young children; Running from the house, meeting the neighbor’s half way.  With tear filled eyes she pushes them into the arms of Mike, and Joan. 

“ Keep them safe; PLEASE, take them now!”                                                                   

“ The police are already on their way, hurry come inside with us!”

“ NO! This must end!  I told him he would die if he tried to hurt them.  Now he must pay the penalty.”

Samantha quickly turns and runs into the woods as her husband bellows curses from inside the house.  The two take the kids and run back to the safety of their house.

As she runs the words of her grandmother echo back to her; “ You know the old ways.... You have the sacred blood... You must protect your children....”

After running a great distance to the riverbank; the rocky shore jutting out into the slow moving water.  Out of breath, and heaving she falls against a large boulder.  Then she feels a sudden black envelope surrounding her mind.  Dazed she forces herself to focus the kaleidoscope of colors and shapes before her into meaningful forms.  It slowly dawn on her that Josh is standing over her.  Like a motion picture being played in her mind she watches as he reaches down, grabbing her by the throat; Lifting her up.

“ I’ll show you punishment for your sin; Bitch!  As scripture states: Wife be submissive to your husband; a father is held over his children!”

He reaches back and the right cross connects to her jaw.  Sprawling her out onto the rocky ground.

“ When I am finished here; I will show those two brats how to respect their father.  Just as scripture dictates; they will learn obedience to ALL of my desires, and demands!  But then you ain't going to be here for that! But don’t worry; your family will be right along with you!”

Now all the malice pent up over the years, bellows up from Her soul.  Her children, the innocents.  The love of a mother; the need to protect the young, suddenly emanate in her soul.  Her mind resounds her grandmother’s plea; “you have the sacred blood...  You must protect... As the wolf protects.”    Now there is no stopping; No alternatives, the old ways will now be necessary.

The heat of the transformation flows through Samantha’s body.  She turns quickly from the ground; and looks at Josh with all the hatred and ferocity of the animal.  Josh, now holding an empty bottle stops dead in his tracks.  As he looks into the changing eyes of his wife.  The blue eyes now replaced with the wild vengeful eyes of the wolf.  Her moans of transformation slowly giving way to deep-throated growls.  Her teeth elongating.

In mid stride Josh stops, and starts to back away tripping over a log.  His eyes wide in fear at the transforming vengeance before him.  Sammy stands on elongating feet; tearing her dress away as gray/black fur sprouts from her body.  Her body... growing, stretching, becoming more muscular; the sound of stretching skin and bone.  The sound like wood being slowly bent to the breaking point.  Uncontrollably she jerks her head to the sky, as her face elongates into the muzzle of the wolf; Letting out with a blood-curdling howl of wrath and anger.

Now fully transformed she slowly walks over to where Josh is laying in wide-eyed horror; a heavy wet stain growing around his crotch.  In a feeble attempt of bravery he swing’s the bottle at the now fully transformed Samantha.  With clawed hand, she easily stops the arc, and pulls the bottle from his hand.  In a return arc the bottle splinters on the side of Josh’s head. 

As he rolls away, he grabs a narrow log, and stands up; now totally insane he charges at the woman/beast screaming bible quotes.  As he would a baseball bat he swings the log, at Samantha’s canine head.  She reaches out effortlessly, stopping it in mid air.  With her clawed hand she slaps him upside the head.  This time almost severing his head from his shoulders.   Sammy slowly walks to the incoherent man as he lies on the rocky ground; but he does not succumb. He picks up a large rock, and tries to throw it over his head, as he lies on the ground.

She grabs it with both hands, straddling him.  Her animosity, and retribution burning into the doomed man.  Josh looks into her eyes; the drool dropping onto his face.  With deep growls she buries her fangs deep into his throat.  With rapid succession of claws, and bites that followed reduced the once human to nothing but shredded, and torn flesh. 

When it is over and Josh lays shredded, and broken Sammy walks to the creek, and kneels onto a moss bed; tired, in both body and soul she transforms back to human.  And passes out.

“ Samantha... Samantha can you here me?”

As Samantha slowly awakens, she forces herself to focus on the image before her.  Slowly the troopers face comes into view.  Remembering her nakedness she covers herself; Finding a blanket already over her.

“ It’s OK now.  It’s me Trooper Scevinski; everything will be OK now.  Just lay back, the paramedics are here and will tend to you.  Do you remember anything ma’am??”

Sammy puts her hand to her blood stained head, closing her eyes trying to remember the events.

“ Running here... Josh slapping me... OH MY GOD; Josh!  I... I...”

“ Josh is dead, an animal of some sort.  But it is over now.” 

The trooper stands up, and let’s the paramedics tend to Samantha.  As he walk’s to where a group of troopers, and crime scene people are huddled over a bloody, shredded body.

“ Well Mike? What did she say?”

“ Getting hit; then nothing.  He must have walloped her good sarge.  Then ran into the pack of wild dogs that haunt this area.”

As the State Police troopers watch, the crime scene people take pictures and measurements of the torn body the two look out onto a small wooded islet in the river.  On the shore looking back are several large, and wild dogs.  Staring back at the Law People.

“ Sarge, do you think they know something we don’t?’

“ Steve... Right now... I ain't even going there!  Just... let it drop... let it end here!  All I know is that justice was finally rendered.  And let’s just leave it as such.”

The days of recovery where long.  Sammy and her family knowing the truth, that justice was indeed carried out.  Josh’s family power was broken as the State’s investigation claimed their freedom.  The long years of tyranny ending, and the community slowly returning to some type of normalcy.  Sammy sits in her family’s home, rocking her daughter, watching her son play with his grand father.  Thinking; “Yes the blood is in me.  As in them; they will learn the ways that I have tried to disown.  They will not have a life as mine, they will not fear.  This I swear!”

Author’s note:  The above story is somewhat fictional.  The names are.  If you are the victim of domestic violence, or abuse of any kind please seek help.  If the locale police are unable, or unwilling to help contact the telephone operator.  HE/SHE will connect you to the proper authorities, and shelters.  Also they can be found in the blue page government section of you telephone book.