Chapter Four

Welcome to chapter four of my Creation to Future story. I just wanted to preface the story that I am rating this chapter PG-13 for some adult content.
OK! On with the story! 

Joseph Thayer was tired. After all, no one reached their sixtieth year by being idle. His life was full of accomplishment. He had married a woman he loved and raised five sons, all of whom had wives and families of their own now.
He also had a daughter. He loved her more than anything. She brought joy to his life and he admitted to himself he would do anything for her, give her anything she wanted. Some children might become spoiled by the attention, but Meadow had such an amiable disposition no one would dare call her spoiled.
His love for Meadow was unyeilding and bitter sweet. The gods had demanded a payment for Meadow and so Mary, his wife and best friend, had been taken from him in child birth. He was a shell of a man for the time he mourned her death. Meadow would not have survived but for her brothers. When he finally held the baby two months later, he fell in love with her. He had wasted too much time on grief and vowed to cherish the last gift his wife gave him.

For she was a gift. And as he looked at her eighteen years later his love only grew. Soon it would be time for her to leave him as well. For a woman must find a man to love her like her father loves her. To create life from that love and raise a family and make a home. He was aware she already had a man she wanted to belong to. So once again he would have to find the strength to let go of that which he loved most.
"Meadow, when you are done there would you make us some lunch please. It seems like days since I have eaten?"
Meadow sighed. Her Father liked to tease that she was starving him.
"Papa it has only been a couple hours since breakfast. You couldn't possibly be hungry yet."
"Look at me my dear, I am nothing but skin and bone" he joked.

"If you are hungry I will make you lunch."
"Thank You my dear, you are too good to me."
"No Papa, you are too good to me" Meadow replied.

"Papa, after lunch may I go over to the Caine's house?" Meadow asked. "Ivah is having a birthday today and I have been invited."
"You have been spending a lot of time over there lately Meadow."
Meadow blushed thinking of Caine and the kisses he stole from her. How her heart beat faster in her chest every time he was near her.
"Yes, I guess I have. I am sorry if you have been lonely Papa." 

Joseph smiled. "No my dear I have not been too lonely. You may go to the birthday party.
"Thank you Papa." Meadow answered. "I'll go make lunch now."

As Meadow walked off, Joseph gazed into the western sky.
Clouds gathered over the water and were slowly moving towards land. They were thick, dark and ominous.
A storm was brewing. 

The next day Meadow came inside to start dinner and found her father resting in bed.
"Are you okay Papa?"
"Yes I am fine" he replied. "I was just taking advantage of the quiet."
"Caine came by to visit. He's in the pantry cutting some meat off for dinner."
"Well at least someone is feeding me" Joseph teased.
"Is it okay if he joins us Papa?"
"Of course Meadow, he is always welcome here. Let me get up and help you with dinner."
Meadow smiled. Caine had also come to dinner for another reason. After Ivah's party they had gone for a walk on the beach. As the sun sank into the water Caine had told her he loved her and wanted her to marry him. It was the most romantic thing that had ever happened to her. She had said yes, of course. They laughed together and shared a romantic kiss that seemed to last forever. A warm feeling spread inside of her as she remembered them. Now Caine was here to ask her father for permission.

As Meadow prepared dinner, Joseph told Caine a story about his encounter with the Black Wolf.
"His eyes burned yellow and seemed to hypnotize me. I had my spear aimed for his heart, but I couldn't seem to throw it. I was sure I was going to die. I closed my eyes to try and break the spell he seemed to have over me. When I opened them he was gone."
Caine's eyes were as wide as saucers. His father had also had a run in with the Black Wolf. The animal seemed to illude capture or death.
"That animal is dangerous Joseph. I am glad you were not hurt."
"It was stupid to have gone after him by myself" Joseph said. "I almost made my Mary a widow before my first son Thomas was born."
Caine had never seen the animal, but he had heard similar stories from every man in the town. An evil animal with black fur and glowing yellow eyes.
"Papa! Please stop telling that story. Meadow begged. "I am going to have nightmares for a week."

The conversation at dinner was lighter. It steered from fishing to bird watching to the best fertilizer to use for the garden. Meadow became anxious as she waited for Caine to ask her father. Half way throught their meal her wait ended.
"Mr Thayer,"
"Caine, please, you may call me Joseph."
"Joseph. I came to dinner tonight to ask your permission to marry your daughter. I love her very much and now that I have been named heir I will be able to provide for her."
At last the time has come for me to let her go, Joseph thought.
He had watched her grow into a beautiful woman and she would soon belong to another. He fought back the tears as he turned to his daughter.

"Is this your desire my dear? Do you wish to marry Caine?" Joseph asked.
"Yes Papa! I love him very much. I know he will be a good husband. You don't have to worry about who will tend to you. Caine has offered to let you come live with us too. I couldn't leave you alone here."
No, Joseph thought, no one could call this beautiful creature spoiled. He had been spoiled having her. Now he would let her go.
"That is very generous of Caine and his family Meadow, but I will go stay with your brother Thomas. A father doesn't not belong with his daughter and her husband."
"But Papa," Tears swelled within Meadow's eyes. She didn't think she would have to let go of her father to grab onto Caine.
"It is okay Meadow. We will still see each other." Joseph wiped a tear from his daughters face. "Tonight is a happy night Meadow. Do not cry and do not worry about me. Come, Caine. Let he hug my future son in law."

"Congratulations Caine!" Joseph exclaimed. "I am giving you a gift. I am giving you my daughter whom I have treasured all her life. Keep her safe and love her above everything else."
"I will Joseph, always. You will be welcome in my home always."
"Ah, thank you my boy. That is good to know."

"Are you happy Meadow?" Caine asked as she walked him outside.
"Yes Caine. I love you so much." She felt guilty about being happy when she had to leave her Father. "It's just I didn't think I would have to leave Papa."
"He is welcome anytime Meadow. We can go visit him as well."
"Yes I know" Meadow said.
Caine pulled Meadow closer and kissed her face.
Meadow felt her skin tingle as his hands ran gently up and down her back.
"I will come get you in two days." he whispered softly into her ear. 

Meadow brought her arms around Caine as he pulled her closer. Her breath caught in her throat as he slowly brought his lips to hers. Her bones seemed to melt as Caine deepened the kiss. A quiet sound of protest escaped her lips as Caine reluctantly let her go.
"Two days" he repeated and brought his lips to hers one last time. "I love you Meadow."
"I love you too Caine."
"Two days." she repeated to herself as she watched him leave.

As Meadow prepared for bed she dreamed about her future with Caine. She would be happy with him and his family. She would love them like they were her own family.
She was sad to leave her father, but she knew he would be looked after at Thomas'. He would visit often to play with his grandchildren.
"Children!" she exclaimed.
She had often thought about the children she would give Caine. A small part of her was afraid of child birth. She supposed that was only natural when her own mother had died giving birth to her. But she wanted to have a big family, just like Caine's.
She had been at Caine's house when Seth was born. Eve had given Adam four children. She hoped she could give Caine just as many, if not more, she thought smiling. Of course, she didn't know how that worked exactly, but she was sure someone would tell her. If not, she was sure she could figure it out.

They would also have more time to spend together. She liked to listen to him talk. He has so many ideas she thought. He told her about a game he was inventing called chess, about his idea to build shelters out of sturdier material than just wood. How he wanted to run his own trading post with the abundance of food his land produced. She hoped she would be able to help him build the world he dreamed about.
Rain started to gently fall outside as she thought about other things she liked to do with Caine.
She liked to kiss him. She smiled to herself, she especially liked to kiss him. She blushed a little as she thought about the last kiss they had shared together.
Thunder rumbled in the distance and the rain began to fall harder.
I wish that kiss could have lasted forever, she though as she was lulled to sleep by the sound of the rain. Soon they would have more time for that as well. She fell asleep as the rain continued to fall.

Meadow awoke not long after as thunder shook the house. As she woke up she took a minute to enjoy how the rain sounded hitting the roof. She started from the bed as lightening from the storm lit the room and thunder rumbled the house.
Meadow berated herself for not fully outgrowing such a childish fear of thunder. How would she be able to console her own frightened children in a storm if she herself were scared. Since she was awake she decided to go have a midnight snack and check on her Father.

She climbed down the ladder and found the room empty. Her father was not in his bed.
"Papa?" Meadow called out. A small tingling of fear began to grow in her belly.
He was probably in the toilet she thought. Or checking on the pantry store door. Sometimes it blew open in the rain.

 

Meadow opened the door to the house and looked outside into the storm.
"Papa! Where are you? Are you out there? Come inside it's raining to hard to..."
Meadow's throat clogged with fear. She saw his eyes first. They burned yellow and hot. They looked straight at her and she was paralyzed with fear.  

The wolf began to slowly walk towards her. She had to run, but she couldn't. She couldn't get her muscles to move. 

When Joseph saw his daughter being hunted by the Wolf he sprang from the pantry.
"Meadow! Run! Get upstairs now!" he called to her.
Meadow watched as the wolf turned it's attention to her father.
"Papa!" The words burned her throat.
"Go Meadow! Get upstairs!"

She watched in horror as the animal leaped onto her father. She couldn't be seeing what she was seeing. Darkness began to creep around her as the animal pulled her Father to the ground and she was helpless to stop it all.

"Papa! No!"
Lightening filled the sky as Meadow watched her Father struggle with the wolf.

Joseph yelled out to his daughter as he struggled with the animal
"Meadow! Get inside NOW! Run Meadow! Get upstairs!"

Her Father's plea broke Meadow's trance. She turned around and ran back inside.
"Oh god! Papa!" she screamed as she dashed to the ladder.

She jumped onto it and climbed as fast as she could. Her muscles seemed to be weighed down by some unknown force.

When she reached the top of the ladder she crawled on the floor towards the far corner of the room.

 

She backed her back up against the wall and waited. She waited for her father to come up the ladder and tell her he was alright and that everything was okay.
"Oh god Papa! Why is this happening?"
She waited. The seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours. She waited but he didn't come.
She was alone, her Father was gone and she was alone. Caine would not be here for two days. She was alone.
"Papa" she whispered. "Don't leave me." Tears fell from her eyes and her body shook as her heart accepted. Her Father wasn't coming. She shook with grief as tears streamed from her eyes.
"Caine, I need you." she whispered and let the tears flow freely.
When she was spent. When there were no more tears to cry, Meadow laid on the floor and fell into a fitful sleep as the rain continued striking the roof.

 

Caine forced his body forward. He had spent the last two hours fighting his way to Meadow. The wind and the rain did its best to stop him, but he fought against it. All he thought about was Meadow. Something was wrong. He had to get to her and nothing else mattered.
When he reached Thayer land he didn't slow his pace. A heavy darkness seemed to settle upon him and his urgency to reach Meadow grew stronger. When he turned the corner to her house his heart sank. He was too late.

Joseph Thayer's body lay broken in the mud.  

"Oh god! Meadow!"
He called her name as he ran toward the house. Panic and fear plagued his mind. All he could she was her body broken and bloody. He had to find her.
"Meadow!"

 

Meadow woke with a start. She heard the front door of the house open. Something was inside.

Caine pushed the door of the house open. He was frantic to find her. The fist level was empty.
"Meadow! Where are you?"

"Caine. He came." she whispered. "Caine! I'm here!"

Caine flew up the ladder and grabbed Meadow and held her tight."
"Oh god Meadow, you're alright. Are you alright?
"Yes, yes I am. You came, I called you and you came." Meadow said.
"Meadow what happened?" Caine asked. "Your father..."
"My Father! Caine you saw my Father?"
Hope blossomed in her heart. Was it possible her Father was still alive.
"Where is he?"

"He's gone Meadow. I saw him in the garden. He's...dead."
"He's dead!?"
She did not think she had anymore tears. Her head accepted what her heart already knew, her Father was dead. She buried her face into Caine's neck and let the tears fall freely.
"He's dead" she repeated.
"I'm so sorry baby." He held her as her body convulsed and her tears poured down her face. He held her until she was limp in his arms, physically exhausted by her sorrow. He had been to late to save Joseph, but she was safe now and he would keep her that way.
"Meadow, what happened?" her asked softly. "What happened to Joseph?"

"It was the Black Wolf. The one with the yellow eyes. It was coming after me. Papa..."
The words caught in her throat as the images of the horrific incident filled her head.
"It leaped at him. He told me to run. I couldn't move. It was...Horrible!"

"Oh god Meadow!"
Caine pulled her to him trying, by only the power of his will, to soothe her sorrow and his fear. He kissed her with the ferocity of all he was feeling. He could have lost her forever, that was all he could think.
"I could have lost you." he said as he continued the savaging of her mouth.
Meadow's body began to vibrate. She had never been kissed with such fervor. Up until then Caine's kisses had been sweet, soft, wonderful. This kiss was not sweet, or soft, but it was wonderful. A different kind of wonderful. She poured herself into the kiss, happy that the pain in her heart and the fear she felt began to loosen in Caine's arms.
Caine's head was swimming. She tasted of strawberries. Her skin felt like rose petals and she smelled like spring. He was drowning in her. He wanted to take her now, right here. He wanted to pretend like they were the only two people left in the world, but he couldn't. Not now. 

Reluctantly Caine pulled away before his desire for her could outrace his reason and responsibility.She was too emotional and he was too high stung. They needed rest.
Outside the rain fell lightly. The Storm was dying.
"Caine?" Meadow barely breathed the words out. She didn't want him to stop. She wanted him to keep kissing her, she wanted to be close to him, she wanted...something more.
"We need to go to sleep now Meadow. Caine said. "We are both exhausted and we have a lot to do tomorrow."
He released her.
"Go get in the bed. I will pull the ladder up so nothing can get up here."
Yes she was tired, but now that she was not in Caine's arms she was afraid again. "Will you stay with me Caine."
"Yes." Caine sighed. "Yes, I'll be right beside you. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Outside, Joseph opened his eyes. There was nothing.
He stood up and looked around. There was nothing.
Suddenly his whole body burned. He tried to scream but no sound escaped his mouth. Fire seemed to be shooting through his body, changing him.
There was nothing. Only the call of the moon and the need to feed. 

He let out a bone chilling howl and then the werewolf ran into the dark night.

"Caine, did you hear that? It's the wolf, it's come back to..."
"Shhh, your safe Meadow. He can't get up here, your safe with me."

Caine, pulled her closer. In the warm protection of Caine's arms her fear subsided and she drifted off to sleep. 

Caine woke up tired and agitated. Sleeping next to Meadow all night had been torture to him. He felt like string pulled too tightly that was about to snap. It took every ounce of his will power not to wake Meadow up with soft, slow kisses and love her the same way.
He sighed and got out of bed. There was a lot to do this morning before they made their way back. The first thing he needed to do was move Joseph's body so Meadow wouldn't have to see it. They needed to pack what they could carry and return to his home. She would be safe there. He and his Father would return later for Joseph and whatever else they couldn't carry.
Caine lowered the ladder and climbed down. As he walked outside he looked around at the physical damage the Storm had caused. Nothing seemed to have escaped it's wrath unscathed. He turned the corner of the house and stopped. 

 Joseph was gone.

"Where is he?" Caine asked himself.
Maybe he wasn't dead, Caine thought. Maybe he managed to pull himself somewhere safer. Caine searched the grounds for any trace of Joseph, but there was nothing.
A horrible realization came to Caine. Joesph had been pulled away by the Wolf. The idea made him sick. Then the guilt replaced repulsion.
He should have moved the body last night. He should have, but he couldn't have left Meadow. She had been frightened and vulnerable. He could not have left her that way. Now her father was gone and she would never be able to say goodbye, and it was all his fault. What was he going to do, he thought. She was still too raw to be told.
His father would know what to do. He would get her home where she would be safe and then figure out what to tell her later.

 

When he returned to her room she was already awake. She looked as fresh as a flower on a spring day. At least someone got some rest, he thought bitterly.
"Good Morning." She seemed to almost sing the word.

"Did you sleep well?" Caine asked.
"Yes."
"Good." His voice sounded harsher then he meant it to. "Meadow we need to go. I need you to pack up your things. We need to get back to my home as soon as possible."
"I don't have a lot. The food..."
"Just pack what you can carry. I'll bring my Father back for the rest later."
"Okay." she said meekly. He was being very curt with her. She wondered if there was something wrong. "Are you okay Caine?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, I am just very tired baby. Please hurry I need to get you somewhere safe."

Meadow was a little sad to leave and anxious to get to Caine's. This had been her home for eighteen years and now she was leaving it forever and there would be no warm farewell from her father,
"Caine may I see my Father before we leave? Just to say goodbye."
Guilt once again overcame Caine. She would not be able to say good bye to her father and it was all his fault. The thought repeated in his mind and in a panic to respond, Caine distorted the truth.
"I don't think that is a good idea Meadow, He was badly injured. You should wait until the burial ceremony to say good bye to him.  

An hour later later they were ready to leave.
"Are you ready Meadow?" Caine asked tenderly. He knew he had been to harsh with her this morning. She had survived a terrible ordeal and all he was doing was taking his pent up frustration and guilt out on her.
"Yes, I'm ready. I just wish...I could see him again."
Caine could not stand the guilt eating at him. He felt compelled to tell her, but knew she could not handle another emotional blow. He needed all the strength she had to get her home.
"I know baby. We need to go, it isn't safe here."
In the distance Caine heard the howl of a wolf. Meadow's face became white with fear.
"Caine!"
"We need to go." Caine repeated and grabbed her hand almost dragging her to the path home.

Ivah woke up that morning to the sound of nature. She listened to these sounds and waited for some clue about Caine's fate. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the sounds she heard. Birds were singing, the wind blew throught the trees, the waves breaking on the beach and the fairies laughing. She smiled as he saw Caine and Meadow, hands joined, making there way home. He was coming home and he was coming home a man.

Ivah gasped as another vision filled her head. The wolf stood upright and faced Caine. Meadow was behind him fear on her face. Ivah could feel the hunger the animal felt, the hate in it's heart.
Ivah quickly opened her eyes and sprang from the bed. She had to find her father. Caine, was in trouble. 

 

 

 

 

This seems like a good place to end the chapter. Here's a picture of Tina and Jillyson/Twozaks with their man Sawyer from Lost!
Hope you enjoyed reading chapter four. Don't forget to rate it.
No CC by me!
TinaG once again made some awesome pictures for my story. THANKS TINA!