Chapter 1
I exhaled slowly; like the people in movies do at that exact moment they’re in paradise. This is no paradise, but it’s the closest thing I’ve had to relaxing in ages. I looked around the grassy meadow that surrounded me. Wild flowers popped up in random patches. The quiet, almost sleep-like trees were ruffled awake by the breeze.
This was my peaceful season. The cool summers here in Florence, Oregon were my times to fulfill my nature craving. I was free to hike, wander, and walk as far as I please. I knew the trails around here like the back of my hand. I wasn’t like most of the girls in my school. None of them would want to get dirt in their precious hair. “God forbid…” I muttered to myself. Though I didn’t get what was wrong with being woodsy, I usually didn’t dwell on it too much.
I sat up and looked, listened, to the nature that stood around me. I heard the song of a bird. But, then the bird’s fragile song was cut short. The noise was a sound I knew, a sound most people would have run from. I giggled at the thought of people running wild from something like this. This sound was the howl of the wolf, and I had always found it beautiful, somehow. I have always had some strange pull towards the wolves. They were beautiful creatures…nothing to be afraid of, if you don’t mess them up. You’d get angry too if someone annoyed you to your breaking point.
A squirrel ran up its tree in alarm, making the one tree stand out in all the others. In a weird, ironic way, I was suddenly happy for the tree, happy for me. “At least we have one thing in common,” I said out loud, “we both are one of a kind.” A huge grin spread across my face as I realized I was talking to a tree. Maybe the nature thing was getting to me.
I sighed, and started to get up. I would walk the trails tomorrow. I just didn’t have the energy right now. I suddenly found the hunger in me, which was a pain, and pulled me forward the whole 2 and a half-mile long trek towards home.
“MOM, I’m home,” I shouted into the house. I didn’t hear anything, and knew she must be out.
It seemed she knew I was coming home soon, because there was a steaming plate of pasta on the table for me, with a note.
“I’ll be back tonight, went out for some girl time. Enjoy!”
“I will,” I said hungrily, and sat down at the table. I took my fork in my hand, and ate a bite. I smiled. My favorite kind, with the cheese inside, was what I tasted. She must be making up for not being here.
After I finished my dinner, enjoying every minute of it, I climbed in bed with my laptop. This birthday present came in handy.
I signed on, and clicked on internet. With my camera in hand, I plugged it in. I thought it was time to upload the magical pictures of these beautiful wolves I found while hiking the trail a few days ago. I skimmed through them, finding the ones I liked, and waited for the file transferring to be complete.
I waited no longer then a minute, when the computer said I was good to go. I unplugged the camera, and went to the nature website I loved. I clicked “upload files” and picked a few good pictures to show. In the comments, all I said was “beautiful, ehh?”
After that, I couldn’t think of anything else to do, so I put the computer away and lay in bed. Mapping out my trails in my head for tomorrow, unconsciousness soon found me.
The sun was shining through my window, but another 60º-summer day was here. “Perfect!” I said with much enthusiasm. I sprang from bed (stubbing my toe in the process) and ran to my dresser. I decided that skinny jeans and a t-shirt were fine, along with my sneakers. I came down the stairs, and sat at the kitchen table. At the same time, mom handed me scrambled eggs. “Thanks, mom!” I said, and ate quicker than usual.
“What’s the hurry?” she asked.
“I’m excited to get out into the trails! It’s so beautiful out,” I said with a huge grin across my face.
“How did I know that?” she asked sarcastically. “I froze a water bottle for you; it’s still in the freezer. You can take it when you’re ready.”
“Thank you, mom. Oh, how was your ‘girl’s night out’?” I asked her.
“Oh, it was great! We went to the book store, and then got some coffee. Then we went out to this really great restaurant. I had a lot of fun.”
“I’m glad mom.” I paused. “Well, I’m off! Don’t want to miss an inch of nature today,” I said, while taking my water. “It’s going to be a great day!”
“Ok sweetie, have fun, and please be careful. You know I don’t really lik-“
“Yeah, I know. I will.” I cut her off, and then kissed her on the cheek. “Love yah, bye!” I said, and I started out the door.
The walk to the meadow wasn’t bad, it was peaceful, and the weather WAS great. I always started there because I knew how to get back to it easily. As I emerged from the trees, the meadow looked even more beautiful. I sighed with satisfaction, and then walked into the trees on the opposite side.
The forest was full of life. There was the scuffling of mice in the underbrush, birds calling out, and squirrels scrambling from tree to tree. The air smelled of nothing but grass and trees, and that’s how I liked it.
I heard the howl of the wolf again, but frowned. It sounded wrong…hurt…angry. The next noise put my brain gears in action: the sound of a shotgun.
I ran as fast as I could, pushing aside branches as I went. I felt like I was in those dreams when you think you’re going somewhere, but not fast enough. Like slow motion. I heard the barks of other wolves and knew I was getting closer. Another howl of pain threw me over the top.
Just as I was coming out of the forest, I changed. No, not even. I transformed. I looked down, and instead of hands, I saw furry legs, paws. I looked behind me, and saw a tail, angrily swishing from side to side. I didn’t look like a normal wolf though. I had slightly glowing blue marks in my legs, and on my muzzle.
Oh my gosh... I have a tail…what the heck?!?? I thought.
Just stay calm! Another voice inside my head said. I looked up to see another wolf staring at me, and realized he was the one talking to me in my head. We could talk like that?!
Are we going to help him?!
Yes...but this is your first time, isn’t it? You might want to stay back. You’re not well-skilled.
I obeyed; this must be the alpha male. I took a step back, but was angry when the hunter laughed and called me a coward. I sat, in the bushes where the hunter couldn’t see me, but I could see him.
The injured wolf sat with his paw held up, blood pouring from the wound.
I’m making a run for it…he said, well, thought.
Next thing I know, the wolf sprang, paw lifted, into the bushes and landed with a thud next to me.
“Ha, it’s a pack of cowards,” the hunter said, “let’s go. This isn’t fun any more.”
That made me scowl. Fun? I don’t think so. But I sighed. I looked at the wolf next to me. He nodded, knowing I meant for him to stay there. I took a long fern leaf, and ran to the nearest tree, rubbing the ends on some sticky sap. I came back to the wolf, and wrapped the leaf around the wound. Juices poured out of the leaf.
OUCH! What the heck is that???
The juices from the fern leaf are cleaning it. It should go away in a few seconds.
I smiled, and he did the same. He led the way back to where the rest of the pack gathered in a circle. I stood a little outside the circle, unsure of what to do, the alpha made a motion with his tail for me to join them, so I moved up.
My name’s Akira, welcome to the pack. I have never seen girls in the pack before…hmm. This should be interesting, the alpha said with a smug smile.
Dani here…And yes, it should be interesting. One question: how do I faze BACK?
Oh, erm…Dani? I wouldn’t do that in front of people…
It took me a second to grasp what he was saying...but then I realized. My cloths were ruined in the transformation.
Oh! Well, my mom’s out…I’ll go get some. I said, then I turned around and ran back home.
On the way back, I tested my new skills. Jumping, running, and yelping. It was actually kind of fun. I was so fast; it felt as if my feet weren’t touching the ground. Hopping over logs was the most fun, though, because sometimes I jumped really far, and was flying.
Wow…I thought.
Fun isn’t it? We don’t really know what our reason for existence is though. It’s kind of sad, sometimes we feel useless, the alpha male replied.
Just because we don’t have a reason, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be here. Why do humans exist? Is it simply just for the reason of being here? Who knows? I said back.
True that, he said, and I knew he would be smiling.
I finally walked up to my house, the back way, because our house leaned against the woods. At this moment, I was lucky my window was in the back, and I had left it open. Plus the fact our new house had no window screens. I changed back, and quite embarrassed, crawled through the window. I picked out another tee-shirt with jean shorts.
I stood in the middle of the room, frowning. How was I going to keep my cloths from exploding in my transformation? I could bury them…but they would get dirty. Unless I buried them IN something…I ran to the kitchen, and pulled out an old grocery bag. “It won’t get dirty in here!” I said, smiling at my creativity.
“Good idea,” a smug voice said from behind me.
I jumped and yelped, only to see it was Akira, leaning against the wall. “You could have knocked,” I muttered.
“Ehh, the window was open anyway. Why waste energy?” he said with a smile.
I sighed, rolled my eyes, and then pulled a lot of bags out. “For everyone else…” I said. Suddenly I felt thirsty. I went to the fridge, and pulled out my iced tea. “Want anything?” I asked Akira.
“No…thanks,” he said. He was studying me curiously.
“What?” I said, eyeing him suspiciously.
“You move swiftly…gracefully…like a wolf,” he said, and then smiled. “I’m surprised your mom hasn’t noticed by now.” Those words made me think. Mom! Does this mean she was a wolf to? Akira must have read my face.
“Yes, your mom was like us. My father new her very well,” he said with a smile.
“I thought you said…” I trailed off, deep in thought.
“That you’re the first girl wolf I’ve seen? Yes, which I’VE seen. My dad saw your mom all the time. He actually had quite a thing for her, they were best friends. He still loves her, you with no dad, I with no mom…oh, sorry,” he said, seeing I winced at the dad part.
“It’s OK,” I smiled, “I’m pretty much over it. Wow, we could have been siblings!”
“That would’ve been weird…Oh, we should get back to the pack. They’re going to think something happened to us,” he said suddenly, then ran to spring out the window, flipping in the process.
“Show off…” I muttered, and soon followed, bags in hand.
We ran through the forest, and he was right, I was more graceful. I could run without banging into trees, and tripping over every rock. I noticed how much more I could smell. I could smell every tree and plant, along with the others not to far out. My hearing wasn’t too bad either. I heard low murmurs coming from the north, where we were heading. I guessed this noise was the boys, too. We emerged into a small clearing, and all of the pack was there, only human form this time. I guessed they had gone to get cloths too.
“OK, I guess I should introduce,” said Akira. “This is Adrian,” he said, pointing to a shy, curly, dark haired, tan boy with piercing blue eyes. “Ean,” he said next, a pale boy, with green eyes and bronze hair. “Then Hikaru,” an Asian boy with black hair and brown eyes, “Ryan over there,” he said, and I saw a slightly tanned boy with hazel eyes, and brown hair. “Then you and I make six. It’s a normal sized pack really, but it just feels like more. Normally, packs consist of parents and their offspring.”
“I hope you’re not my father,” muttered Ean. I giggled. I looked at myself closely; I stood out from the rest. I had pale, pale skin, and straight, dark brown hair, chin length. I had a few lighter brown highlights scattered in there too, but I was short for 18. Then I finally got a chance to examine Akira. He was taller, leaner, then the rest. He had straight dirty blond hair, and blue-green eyes. I had never seen that color eyes before. It was beautiful.
Then something came to my mind. They were the same color of the markings I had in my wolf form. I decided to ask about it. “Hey, Akira?” I said. He looked up. “Why do I have those glowing marks on my fur?” I saw his eyes look shock for a moment, and then they went to normal.
“They…they mean your second in command. Just like mine are green. That means I’m alpha.”
“Oh,” I said. I guess it made sense, if you knew why the ranks had glowing color in their fur. Then I had a smug smile. I was second in command…
“No one knows why we have the markings; I guess it’s just to tell apart the ranks. They all have markings too,” he said, pointing to the rest of the pack, “but those are just like tattoos, there for show.”
“Hmm. Makes sense,” I said with a smile, but then my confidence weaned. “So…second in command, ehh? That’s pretty big.” I thought about the responsibilities I had to take on.
“Well, there are good sides...” he said, “The rest of the pack has to listen to your commands too. It’s good for the important stuff.”
“That does come in handy. Hey, do you think there are any other packs around here?” I asked.
“Not that we know of, we have investigated many times though,” he said thoughtfully. “Hopefully we won’t have any problems.” There was a long, piercing silence.
Then Ryan randomly spoke. “Hmm, I wonder if I could beat Dani in a race…” he said with a smug smile.
“I’ll race you, as long as you don’t cry when you’re beaten by a girl.”
Ryan simmered. “Alright then, from here to the meadow.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Akira sighed, but lifted his arms. “On your mark, get set…GO!”
We were off, and I was through the trees, ducking and missing every one by an inch. I couldn’t see Jasper through the trees, and I guessed that was a good thing. No need to get distracted now. I could see some light off in the distance, and that only made me go faster. I burst through the trees, not even that tired at all, and realized I was alone. “Yes!” I said to myself. I went and sat in the middle of the meadow. Just as my butt hit the grass, Jasper jumped into the meadow.
“HA,” he started, and then was cut short. He saw me sitting there, and got really mad. “OH, COME ON! YOU HAD TO HAVE CHEATED!!!!”
“What do you think I did, fly?” I said proudly.
“Bu-,” he said, and then sighed. “Fine…you win…” he grumbled.
“Bet I could beat you again in wolf form,” Dani said, shaking the challenge in his face, and he as about to take it.
Akira was suddenly next to me, his hand on my shoulder. “It’s getting late. Go home, and we will do the ceremony tonight at midnight.”
“I don’t think my mom will let me go…”
He just shook his head. “No, she’ll understand.”
I trusted him, and nodded. I turned around to go home, and he followed. “I want to say hi too!”
I just rolled my eyes and kept walking. We went on in silence like that until we were in front of the house, where I stopped. “What is it?” he asked.
“I…I don’t know what to say to her. ‘Hey mom, I got some wolfie business to do tonight, OK?’ I don’t think that will fly.”
“Well, I’ll come in, and, uh, you’ll see.”
So I followed him in, grabbing the not so hidden key we had under the mat (how original) and opened the door. She was there, bustling through the kitchen. “Hello sweetie.” She looked up. “Who’s our company?”
“Hello Mrs. Bayer, I’m Akira, Dan’s son.”
My mom eyes opened wide in shock, and she dropped the chicken cutlet she was working with. “Oh my…” she said. “So that means…you Dani…and…then…I need to sit down.”
I led Akira to the kitchen, and then sat down next to her, where she had her head in her hands. “Now you’ve done it…your going to give my mom a heart attack…” I muttered to Akira.
“No no…it’s fine. I just…wow. Time flies fast. I forgot…15 years old. Well, don’t be mad…I was going to explain it too you but-“
“Mom,” I said with a chuckle. She always over-reacted. “I’m not mad at all! I didn’t even really want to discuss it…I’m kind of hungry. Also, apparently I have some midnight ceremony to go too…?” I said, trailing off, and looking at Akira for an explanation.
“I think you know very well what she is talking about, Mrs. Bayer,” he said with a smile.
“Please, call me Leah. And yes, oh, do I remember that well. That was fun to see. I can’t believe it! My daughter, first girl to rank,” she said also smiling, with a hint of pride.
“I guess so!” I said happily. At least it wasn’t so tense anymore. “So…what’s for dinner, mom?”
“Leftover pasta. The chickens for tomorrow,” she said, pointing a finger to the fridge, as she got up and went back to her work
I sighed and went to the fridge. At least it was my favorite. I took it out and went to grab a bowl, remembering Akira. “Want some?” I asked.
“Meh…sure.”
“You’ll LOVE my mom’s cheesy pasta!” I said with fake enthusiasm. I got another bowl, splitting the whole thing between us. “Perfect.” Mom grabbed it and put it in the micro, and I went and sat while I waited. “So…what’s this ceremony all about?”
“Oh, you’ll see. It’s a surprise!” he said copying my sarcastic tone, and I laughed. Behind me, mom chuckled and rolled her eyes. The oven beeped loudly, and I took out our dinner. I set his place in front of him. He looked over it suspiciously.
“It’s not POISON,” I said, rolling my eyes. He laughed then dug in, as did I. We ate in silence, until we each were done. I got up, and put the dishes in the sink. I started down the hall, motioning with my hand for him to join me. He slowly got up and followed, and my mom winked at him. I rolled my eyes and held the door open for him. He smiled.
“Thank you ma’am,” he said.
“No problem, sir,” I said with a giggle. He plopped down on my bed, spread out across it.
“Only a half hour to kill,” he said, staring at the ceiling. I sat in the computer chair and spun. I stopped, and went on the nature site. “What’s that?” he asked, suddenly behind me.
“It’s a cool animal website,” I replied, and then remembered the pictures. I laughed.
“What?”
“You’re on here too!” I pulled up the picture. He looked shocked. I giggled.
“At least I look good,” he said coolly. I scrolled down to look at the comments, and gasped. “Huh?” he said, looking at it.
In plain black letters that seem to pop out at me, said 3 simple words that meant so much:
We’re here too.
Chapter 2
Akira and I moved briskly out of the room. “Mom, we’re leaving,” I managed to choke out, and then was out the door. She came after me, capturing me in a hug. I couldn’t help but smile. “I love you, mom.”
“Love you too, sweetie,” she said, and then kissed my forehead. “My little wolf.”
I rolled my eyes, and then hurried to catch up with Akira. “I don’t get it. I thought there weren’t any other wolves around here?”
“There aren’t. I think maybe they’re coming though…I’m not sure. I hope not though, sharing territories isn’t fun. It gets messy with scent lines…” he said, then trailed off in though. He looked into the starry night. I didn’t realize we were at the forest edge.
“What if they’re dangerous?” I whispered. I was suddenly scared. What if they attacked when we weren’t expecting it? What if they wanted our territory? Would we be driven out? Questions were thrown at my brain, the blood pounding in my ears.
“Calm down,” he replied softly, “I don’t think they would attack. It’s not normal for a pack to try and take over a bigger pack’s land…if we are bigger.”
“Oh…” I said, relaxing a little. “OK.” And with that, we started into the black abyss that was the forest. Even in the dark, my eyesight was crystal clear. Must be some wolf thing. I remembered the bag in my back pocket. “Should I change?” I asked.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Yes, you need too for the ceremony,” he said, and then I was alone. It stilled creped me out to be alone in the forest, even though at any second I could rip anybody’s eye’s out. I sighed, and pulled the bag from by back pocket. I quickly tore off my cloths, putting them in the bag, and fazed. I felt freezing, but I ignored it. I didn’t want to be late. I sprinted to the meadow, seeing as they are most likely to be there, and halted at the edge. It was empty. Where were they? Hello! Akira said from behind me, snickering. I jumped ten feet in the air, before smacking his shoulder with my paw.
Don’t do that! I exclaimed in my head. He laughed again, before continuing forward.
Come on…lets just do this… he said. What you need to do is come up to be, and put your cheek against mine. That’s it.
I nodded, and then walked down an invisible line towards him. I stopped in front of him, took a deep breath and touched my cheek to his. I flinched because of the cold, but then relaxed a little when I took my cheek away. “OOOOOOO,” the boys hooted in chorus.
SHUT UP! I growled at them.
OK, OK, said Akira, and now we howl. He started off, and then we all joined in. It gave me a giddy feeling, to be howling at the full moon. I felt wolf-like. Well, that was stupid, considering I was a wolf, but I kept on howling until Akira cut us off. I still heard howling, though. Hmm…I didn’t think it would echo- I started, and then stopped when I saw the dead panic in Akira’s eyes. It wasn’t an echo, it was another pack, and from the sounds of it, a larger pack. Why are they so close?! I howled in distress.
SHHH! THEY MIGHT HEAR YOU. We DON’T want to be confronted by another pack.
I sighed and was frozen until they stopped. What are we going to do? I looked around at the faces of the pack. They were all as mystified as mine. But then a rustle in the trees made us all freeze. I unwillingly looked, only to see one squirrel was brave enough to come out, and then turned when it saw us. I sighed in relief.
Dawn broke across the horizon, and I could tell Akira was thinking deeply. About what, I didn’t know. He finally sighed and turned to me. I think we should wait until they come to us. I know what I said about not wanting to, but it’s the only option. If we go over there, they’d think we were invading their territory and that wouldn’t be good.
I could tell he didn’t want to, but he was right. That was the only choice…Alright. I think we should be getting home. Its late…well, early, I thought with a grin. He smiled back, and then nodded. We all headed towards the forest to retrieve our cloths. As I padded silently through the greens, I thought about what the other pack might look like. As I was lost in thought, I could have sworn I heard a rustle near by, but didn’t think much of it this time. I didn’t smell anything, and it was probably just another squirrel. I picked my cloths up softly between my teeth, and ran north, towards my bed, which sounded comforting right now. I wanted to escape the world for a few hours.
When I finally came to my back window, I grinned and though a goodnight. I heard a reply from all of them, and then changed swiftly. Crawling through my window, I had a sense of de ja vue. I rummaged through my drawers, and found some old sweats. I put them on my cold body, and went to my mom. She was sleeping soundly in her bed. I smiled and went back to my own bedroom. I climbed into bed, and rest my head on my pillow. I sighed and turned my head to the window, and the last thing I heard before drifting off was a low, happy howl that didn’t sound like any of my own pack.
I woke up to a stream of light in my window. I opened my eyes and stretched my sleepy muscles. I heard voices in the kitchen. Usually that wouldn’t mean much, but it was only my mom and I in the house... Well, I thought so. I threw my legs over the side of the bed, and the springs groaned. I walked tiredly to the door, throwing it open in my haste and walking down the narrow hallway. As I entered the kitchen, I saw my mom making breakfast, and Akira sitting at our kitchen table. “Hello, sleepyhead!” they said in synchronization. I narrowed my eyes.
“Are you determined to live at my house?” I said to Akira. My mom flicked me with a ‘be nice’ look.
“Depends on what your mom is making for breakfast. I thought today was a good day to show up,” he said with a chuckle.
I rolled my eyes and threw myself at the chair. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. My stomach growled like a freshly started motorcycle.
I looked around the small, yet cheerful kitchen as I waited for the food, the scent drifting up my nose. The yellow walls went nicely with the blue curtains and wooden floors.
Akira noticed my studying, looking at me with an amused yet curious expression on his face. “Never seen your kitchen before…?” he said to me, one eyebrow rose.
I smiled sarcastically at him. “Soon you’ll be seeing it more then me.” He laughed just as my mom set breakfast in front of me, and I looked over the contents of my plate. Eggs and ham were piled in a heap on a roll. My eyes widened, and my mouth watered. Not torturing myself any longer, I took a huge bite. I smiled in deep satisfaction.
Once I had finished the whole thing, I started to think about what the other pack might look like. What the alpha looked like, second in command…I hoped I wouldn’t encounter them to find out. At least if we did, I didn’t want it to be aggressive. Then another question filled my mind. Could they hear our thoughts? That wouldn’t be good. “Hey, Akira?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you think the other pack can hear us?” I looked at him questioningly.
“I hope not. Any advantage they have over us wouldn’t be good. In the old legends, only packs could hear each other, unless one wolf from each pack touched each other. Then the packs were connected. I hope it’s true… but, you never know.” He gazed out the window, his face burrowed in deep thought, and I decided not to press him about it. But he was right.
What myths weren’t true these days? Were there any other mystical creatures she should worry about? It’s weird how I could live all this time without knowing one thing about these other species. Who knows what else this world was filled with? I slowly pushed out from the table, and got up. “Getting dressed,” I mumbled, and then walked towards my room. I closed the door quietly. Picking out comfortable cloths, I put them on. My eyes grazed over the window. A quick movement caught my eyes. A bush at the edge of the woods rustled. It could be wind, I thought. But why would only one shrub be affected? I suddenly had a strange feeling I was being watched, through hateful eyes. I shuddered, and then turned to the door to join my mother and Akira.
The wind felt good as it passed through my fur. I ran with much speed, and slowed at my destination: the lake. I lapped up the sweet water, and that confused me. It didn’t taste like water. It had always been too sweet. I didn’t think much of it though.
Two weeks had passed, and nothing unusual had happened. But when I went into my room, I had a strange feeling I was being watched, every time. It creped me out a bit. I looked up across the lake, and another wolf met my eyes. I jumped back and growled defensively. This wasn’t a wolf from my own pack. The wolf looked at me with apologetic eyes, which I found strange, and ran in the opposite direction. I straightened up, and cocked my head. Was he spying on me? I didn’t get why he would, all I was doing was drinking water. I decided to tell Akira.
I called him in my mind, and went through the scene with him. Well, he probably doesn’t mean any harm if he ran away. I don’t know, but be on the watch. I answered OK, and then started to pad into the water. Wadding through the shallows, I relaxed a bit. So he probably wasn’t the hostile eye that watched me from the bushes. Well, I thought someone was there. Maybe I was just going crazy. I pushed the thought out of my mind, and swam deeper. The water felt good.
All of a sudden, I squawked. At least that’s what I think you could call it. I lifted my tail, and a fish was wiggling from it. I heard a bark laughter from somewhere behind me. I spun around, and saw the same mysterious wolf sitting on the waters edge. I bit the fish, and it went limp. Swimming to shore, I stood in front of the wolf, and dropped the fish. I nudged it towards him. His eyes lit up, and he devoured it in a few small bites. Suddenly he had his paw on mine. Thanks.
I nodded. Looking over him, I gasped. He was beautiful. His full, gleaming coat ruffled in the breeze, his eyes a turquoise color. He was studying me, with an expression like mine, as if he thought…
I quickly pulled my paw away, looking down with a blush. I heard him laugh again, before waving his tail and running into the forest. I stared after him, and then finally raced through the forest, but in a different direction. I knew where I was going. A place I went whenever I needed peace and quiet…
I reached the cliff top, and sat down while the breeze buffeted my fur. My eyes traced the sky, the setting sun, colors, and clouds. I wrapped my tail around my paws, and watched as the sun slowly slinked down into the blanket of the horizon.
My mind slipped back to the encounter with the wolf, my thoughts…A howl of rage and a hint of sadness, or betrayal…That’s when I realized all that was being sent right to my pack. I groaned at my clumsy self, just as a wolf jumped from the bushes, and I scented Akira. I turned to look at him. His lip was curled back in the beginning of a snarl, his nostrils flaring.
What did he do?!
It’s OK, I replied. Nothing aggressive.
Oh, he said with a sigh of relief, and told me to take a break.
The edge of the lake lapped the shore, making a peaceful sound. I was curled up on a bed of moss, because facing my mom was the last thing I wanted to do. I was sure Akira would have called her by now, and they would all be there, trying to convince me to come back. It was sad not to be able to go home, afraid of what might lie there.
I looked up at the beautiful night sky. Each star was unique, twinkling in there own breath-taking way. The trees ruffled in the slight breeze, and the crickets sang a nighttime song. I could hear the scuffling of little animal paws within the underbrush, and that made me hungry. I quietly got up and sniffed around, putting my paws down as lightly as I could. A plump squirrel caught my senses, and that was all I could concentrate on. Slinking into the darkness, I pounced, paws outstretched. I yowled in shock when my paws met others, and the prey-stealer bit the neck of the squirrel. I scowled at them, but didn’t mind much. Just as I was about to turn to stalk more prey, I finally realized who it was. It was the stalker wolf that kept ending up where I was!
Once again the beautiful eyes stunned me, fur and tail…everything about him was so perfect. Even his grin amazed me. I sighed at the satisfaction of seeing him again, but this time free. He touched me to say something, and then pulled back, cocking his head. I pushed my paw to his. Dani. He smiled. Suddenly he whipped around, and bit something. Then he looked back to me and dropped it at my paws, and I saw it was another squirrel. I grinned at him and waved my tail in thanks. His answering smile was like god compared to mine.
I took small bites, and finished a little while after him. I put the tip of my tail to his paw. I think I am going to sleep now…
OK. You look like you need it…by the way, my name is Taylor, he said with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes, and turned back to my bed. I pulled it so it was beside the water, in case I got thirsty. I curled up with my tail over my nose, and closed my eyes. I didn’t look up to see where he went, because soon the tiredness droned upon me like a bomb. I shifted once before going into an un-settling sleep.
Chapter 3
I woke up to a hand prodding me in the shoulder, quite roughly, I would say. I groggily rolled over, to find Akira’s face staring at mine. I jumped up and took a pace back. He was in human form. “We found no pack. We tried and tried. This wolf must be a loner…” he said. “Maybe you should stay away.” But my piercing gaze told him I thought otherwise. Could I last so long without seeing the perfection that Taylor was? After I thought that I hoped no one was listening. Akira looked like he understood. “It’s not a good idea…that’s the final answer.” He said it firmly, and I knew I had to listen. He WAS the alpha. I got up and followed him as he started to walk. As we passed Taylor with in the woods, and his human form was even more shockingly beautiful. I found myself stopped in my tracks. I smiled, and his answering one was more then I could bear. Akira nudged me forward, nodding politely to Taylor.
When I got home, Akira went around front so I could faze back and crawl, once again, through the back window. It had become a habit of not sneaking in or out, but of privacy issues. I chuckled to myself. I grabbed a jeans and t-shirt regular combo and went to meet Akira back in front. Mom was out job-hunting, so the house seemed lonely as I let him in. I got him and I both bottles of water, and he took a huge swig, while my sip was tiny in comparison to his, so we both giggled. “Hey, wanna spend the night with all of us sleeping in the meadow? We do it often, it’s fun,” he said, and I was suddenly very enthusiastic. I immediately said yes, and he smiled happily. I went to grab a sleeping bag, and he guffawed loudly. “We’ll be in WOLF form,” he clarified.
“You could have told me…” I mumbled, stuffing it back in its closet and slamming the door.
“Oh come on, it was funny. I did that the first time someone suggested it to,” he said, and I felt better I wasn’t the only one who made the mistake. “Lets go meet up with the others.” And then we were out, our water bottles on the counter being the only evidence we were there. As we ran we tried to outdo each other with leaps, speed, spins, anything to do. Then when we finally got to the meadow, we were laughing to hard our stomachs hurt, and we collapsed in the grass next to the rest of our pack. We watched the clouds for a while, not getting bored. The moment was perfect some how, like it could never end, and I didn’t mind. I could tell the others sensed it too. This made me even more excited for tonight’s adventure, as I closed my eyes, savoring this time.
When I padded into the familiar meadow in wolf form, I saw everyone was already there. I smiled to them all, and they all replied the same. I was not nervous, more anxious. What would we do? We mostly just play some games, like a slumber party! He said, answering my question. I rolled my eyes, but didn’t understand what he meant by games. Considering he didn’t reply, I figured I’d find out. It was about 11:30, and we all decided to take a quick wink of sleep before the party really started. I yawned in agreement and curled up on a cushy patch of grass. Just as my eyes closed, I thought I saw a star fly across the sky, and smiled.
I was woken up by a hissing sound. I sprang up, but everyone was asleep. I was puzzled. Who was calling my attention? I heard it again, and looked to the source of the noise, only to find it was Taylor, in wolf form, with a lopsided wolfy grin on his face! My face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning, sneaking a peak under the tree. I ran to him, excited that my chance to get to know him better was coming true. Hey, he said, placing his paw on mine and the grin on his face widening. I smiled back and when he waved his tail for me to follow him, I did. I had a feeling I would follow him anywhere right then. The way the moonlight shun on his piercing, ice-blue eyes took my breath away. His fur was white, with blue marks along his back that almost looked like a spine. His tail had blue on it too, where his fur hung down on the bottom. It looked as if he had dipped it in a large puddle of paint, very original. I didn’t realize we were there until his eyes met mine, and he caught be looking at him. I looked away and would have blushed if I were in human form.
He brushed his tail to my ear, light but he made me shiver on contact, just enough to say that he wanted to get to know me better. I put my tail on his paw. I agree. So…this might be personal, but where is your pack? A look of distress and sadness took over his beautiful eyes and I immediately regretted asking.
My mom and I got separated in a wild forest fire started by those idiot humans, and when I went looking for her afterwards, all I found was burnt grass. I could understand why she had left me, to save herself, and I’m not mad about it. Just disappointed. And so I went off on my own, hoping to run into her one day. He looked around at the trees, dancing slowly in the night breeze. I felt sadness for this young wolf. That reminded me.
How old are you? I asked.
18, and I’m guessing you are too, he said when my face lit up. He chuckled to himself. I rolled my eyes, pushing the dirt with my free paw. You know, the way the moonlight shines upon your fur makes you look…beautiful, he said. Looked down.
You too, more than you could imagine…I mumbled back. He smiled sweetly. I suddenly heard panic in the back of my mind, and I was lucky the pack could only hear what I wanted them to. I had heard legends saying otherwise.
Dani, where are you?! Akira said, distress hinted in his tone. I told him I was getting a drink and would be back in a second, and he sighed in relief.
Gotta go…I whispered to Taylor, and hid nod mirrored my eye’s sadness. We said our goodbyes and promised to return before I left to face my pack again. When I got back, it was around 2:00. Akira was waiting silently, the rest of the pack around him with sadness in there eyes. W…what’s going on?? I asked.
Nothing. Just didn’t know where you were.
Oh, OK. So what are we doing? Truth or dare? I smirked at him, mocking his “sleepover”. He rolled his eyes.
No, we have races.
that's all I have so far
it might mess up at some points, it's unedited.
I exhaled slowly; like the people in movies do at that exact moment they’re in paradise. This is no paradise, but it’s the closest thing I’ve had to relaxing in ages. I looked around the grassy meadow that surrounded me. Wild flowers popped up in random patches. The quiet, almost sleep-like trees were ruffled awake by the breeze.
This was my peaceful season. The cool summers here in Florence, Oregon were my times to fulfill my nature craving. I was free to hike, wander, and walk as far as I please. I knew the trails around here like the back of my hand. I wasn’t like most of the girls in my school. None of them would want to get dirt in their precious hair. “God forbid…” I muttered to myself. Though I didn’t get what was wrong with being woodsy, I usually didn’t dwell on it too much.
I sat up and looked, listened, to the nature that stood around me. I heard the song of a bird. But, then the bird’s fragile song was cut short. The noise was a sound I knew, a sound most people would have run from. I giggled at the thought of people running wild from something like this. This sound was the howl of the wolf, and I had always found it beautiful, somehow. I have always had some strange pull towards the wolves. They were beautiful creatures…nothing to be afraid of, if you don’t mess them up. You’d get angry too if someone annoyed you to your breaking point.
A squirrel ran up its tree in alarm, making the one tree stand out in all the others. In a weird, ironic way, I was suddenly happy for the tree, happy for me. “At least we have one thing in common,” I said out loud, “we both are one of a kind.” A huge grin spread across my face as I realized I was talking to a tree. Maybe the nature thing was getting to me.
I sighed, and started to get up. I would walk the trails tomorrow. I just didn’t have the energy right now. I suddenly found the hunger in me, which was a pain, and pulled me forward the whole 2 and a half-mile long trek towards home.
“MOM, I’m home,” I shouted into the house. I didn’t hear anything, and knew she must be out.
It seemed she knew I was coming home soon, because there was a steaming plate of pasta on the table for me, with a note.
“I’ll be back tonight, went out for some girl time. Enjoy!”
“I will,” I said hungrily, and sat down at the table. I took my fork in my hand, and ate a bite. I smiled. My favorite kind, with the cheese inside, was what I tasted. She must be making up for not being here.
After I finished my dinner, enjoying every minute of it, I climbed in bed with my laptop. This birthday present came in handy.
I signed on, and clicked on internet. With my camera in hand, I plugged it in. I thought it was time to upload the magical pictures of these beautiful wolves I found while hiking the trail a few days ago. I skimmed through them, finding the ones I liked, and waited for the file transferring to be complete.
I waited no longer then a minute, when the computer said I was good to go. I unplugged the camera, and went to the nature website I loved. I clicked “upload files” and picked a few good pictures to show. In the comments, all I said was “beautiful, ehh?”
After that, I couldn’t think of anything else to do, so I put the computer away and lay in bed. Mapping out my trails in my head for tomorrow, unconsciousness soon found me.
The sun was shining through my window, but another 60º-summer day was here. “Perfect!” I said with much enthusiasm. I sprang from bed (stubbing my toe in the process) and ran to my dresser. I decided that skinny jeans and a t-shirt were fine, along with my sneakers. I came down the stairs, and sat at the kitchen table. At the same time, mom handed me scrambled eggs. “Thanks, mom!” I said, and ate quicker than usual.
“What’s the hurry?” she asked.
“I’m excited to get out into the trails! It’s so beautiful out,” I said with a huge grin across my face.
“How did I know that?” she asked sarcastically. “I froze a water bottle for you; it’s still in the freezer. You can take it when you’re ready.”
“Thank you, mom. Oh, how was your ‘girl’s night out’?” I asked her.
“Oh, it was great! We went to the book store, and then got some coffee. Then we went out to this really great restaurant. I had a lot of fun.”
“I’m glad mom.” I paused. “Well, I’m off! Don’t want to miss an inch of nature today,” I said, while taking my water. “It’s going to be a great day!”
“Ok sweetie, have fun, and please be careful. You know I don’t really lik-“
“Yeah, I know. I will.” I cut her off, and then kissed her on the cheek. “Love yah, bye!” I said, and I started out the door.
The walk to the meadow wasn’t bad, it was peaceful, and the weather WAS great. I always started there because I knew how to get back to it easily. As I emerged from the trees, the meadow looked even more beautiful. I sighed with satisfaction, and then walked into the trees on the opposite side.
The forest was full of life. There was the scuffling of mice in the underbrush, birds calling out, and squirrels scrambling from tree to tree. The air smelled of nothing but grass and trees, and that’s how I liked it.
I heard the howl of the wolf again, but frowned. It sounded wrong…hurt…angry. The next noise put my brain gears in action: the sound of a shotgun.
I ran as fast as I could, pushing aside branches as I went. I felt like I was in those dreams when you think you’re going somewhere, but not fast enough. Like slow motion. I heard the barks of other wolves and knew I was getting closer. Another howl of pain threw me over the top.
Just as I was coming out of the forest, I changed. No, not even. I transformed. I looked down, and instead of hands, I saw furry legs, paws. I looked behind me, and saw a tail, angrily swishing from side to side. I didn’t look like a normal wolf though. I had slightly glowing blue marks in my legs, and on my muzzle.
Oh my gosh... I have a tail…what the heck?!?? I thought.
Just stay calm! Another voice inside my head said. I looked up to see another wolf staring at me, and realized he was the one talking to me in my head. We could talk like that?!
Are we going to help him?!
Yes...but this is your first time, isn’t it? You might want to stay back. You’re not well-skilled.
I obeyed; this must be the alpha male. I took a step back, but was angry when the hunter laughed and called me a coward. I sat, in the bushes where the hunter couldn’t see me, but I could see him.
The injured wolf sat with his paw held up, blood pouring from the wound.
I’m making a run for it…he said, well, thought.
Next thing I know, the wolf sprang, paw lifted, into the bushes and landed with a thud next to me.
“Ha, it’s a pack of cowards,” the hunter said, “let’s go. This isn’t fun any more.”
That made me scowl. Fun? I don’t think so. But I sighed. I looked at the wolf next to me. He nodded, knowing I meant for him to stay there. I took a long fern leaf, and ran to the nearest tree, rubbing the ends on some sticky sap. I came back to the wolf, and wrapped the leaf around the wound. Juices poured out of the leaf.
OUCH! What the heck is that???
The juices from the fern leaf are cleaning it. It should go away in a few seconds.
I smiled, and he did the same. He led the way back to where the rest of the pack gathered in a circle. I stood a little outside the circle, unsure of what to do, the alpha made a motion with his tail for me to join them, so I moved up.
My name’s Akira, welcome to the pack. I have never seen girls in the pack before…hmm. This should be interesting, the alpha said with a smug smile.
Dani here…And yes, it should be interesting. One question: how do I faze BACK?
Oh, erm…Dani? I wouldn’t do that in front of people…
It took me a second to grasp what he was saying...but then I realized. My cloths were ruined in the transformation.
Oh! Well, my mom’s out…I’ll go get some. I said, then I turned around and ran back home.
On the way back, I tested my new skills. Jumping, running, and yelping. It was actually kind of fun. I was so fast; it felt as if my feet weren’t touching the ground. Hopping over logs was the most fun, though, because sometimes I jumped really far, and was flying.
Wow…I thought.
Fun isn’t it? We don’t really know what our reason for existence is though. It’s kind of sad, sometimes we feel useless, the alpha male replied.
Just because we don’t have a reason, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be here. Why do humans exist? Is it simply just for the reason of being here? Who knows? I said back.
True that, he said, and I knew he would be smiling.
I finally walked up to my house, the back way, because our house leaned against the woods. At this moment, I was lucky my window was in the back, and I had left it open. Plus the fact our new house had no window screens. I changed back, and quite embarrassed, crawled through the window. I picked out another tee-shirt with jean shorts.
I stood in the middle of the room, frowning. How was I going to keep my cloths from exploding in my transformation? I could bury them…but they would get dirty. Unless I buried them IN something…I ran to the kitchen, and pulled out an old grocery bag. “It won’t get dirty in here!” I said, smiling at my creativity.
“Good idea,” a smug voice said from behind me.
I jumped and yelped, only to see it was Akira, leaning against the wall. “You could have knocked,” I muttered.
“Ehh, the window was open anyway. Why waste energy?” he said with a smile.
I sighed, rolled my eyes, and then pulled a lot of bags out. “For everyone else…” I said. Suddenly I felt thirsty. I went to the fridge, and pulled out my iced tea. “Want anything?” I asked Akira.
“No…thanks,” he said. He was studying me curiously.
“What?” I said, eyeing him suspiciously.
“You move swiftly…gracefully…like a wolf,” he said, and then smiled. “I’m surprised your mom hasn’t noticed by now.” Those words made me think. Mom! Does this mean she was a wolf to? Akira must have read my face.
“Yes, your mom was like us. My father new her very well,” he said with a smile.
“I thought you said…” I trailed off, deep in thought.
“That you’re the first girl wolf I’ve seen? Yes, which I’VE seen. My dad saw your mom all the time. He actually had quite a thing for her, they were best friends. He still loves her, you with no dad, I with no mom…oh, sorry,” he said, seeing I winced at the dad part.
“It’s OK,” I smiled, “I’m pretty much over it. Wow, we could have been siblings!”
“That would’ve been weird…Oh, we should get back to the pack. They’re going to think something happened to us,” he said suddenly, then ran to spring out the window, flipping in the process.
“Show off…” I muttered, and soon followed, bags in hand.
We ran through the forest, and he was right, I was more graceful. I could run without banging into trees, and tripping over every rock. I noticed how much more I could smell. I could smell every tree and plant, along with the others not to far out. My hearing wasn’t too bad either. I heard low murmurs coming from the north, where we were heading. I guessed this noise was the boys, too. We emerged into a small clearing, and all of the pack was there, only human form this time. I guessed they had gone to get cloths too.
“OK, I guess I should introduce,” said Akira. “This is Adrian,” he said, pointing to a shy, curly, dark haired, tan boy with piercing blue eyes. “Ean,” he said next, a pale boy, with green eyes and bronze hair. “Then Hikaru,” an Asian boy with black hair and brown eyes, “Ryan over there,” he said, and I saw a slightly tanned boy with hazel eyes, and brown hair. “Then you and I make six. It’s a normal sized pack really, but it just feels like more. Normally, packs consist of parents and their offspring.”
“I hope you’re not my father,” muttered Ean. I giggled. I looked at myself closely; I stood out from the rest. I had pale, pale skin, and straight, dark brown hair, chin length. I had a few lighter brown highlights scattered in there too, but I was short for 18. Then I finally got a chance to examine Akira. He was taller, leaner, then the rest. He had straight dirty blond hair, and blue-green eyes. I had never seen that color eyes before. It was beautiful.
Then something came to my mind. They were the same color of the markings I had in my wolf form. I decided to ask about it. “Hey, Akira?” I said. He looked up. “Why do I have those glowing marks on my fur?” I saw his eyes look shock for a moment, and then they went to normal.
“They…they mean your second in command. Just like mine are green. That means I’m alpha.”
“Oh,” I said. I guess it made sense, if you knew why the ranks had glowing color in their fur. Then I had a smug smile. I was second in command…
“No one knows why we have the markings; I guess it’s just to tell apart the ranks. They all have markings too,” he said, pointing to the rest of the pack, “but those are just like tattoos, there for show.”
“Hmm. Makes sense,” I said with a smile, but then my confidence weaned. “So…second in command, ehh? That’s pretty big.” I thought about the responsibilities I had to take on.
“Well, there are good sides...” he said, “The rest of the pack has to listen to your commands too. It’s good for the important stuff.”
“That does come in handy. Hey, do you think there are any other packs around here?” I asked.
“Not that we know of, we have investigated many times though,” he said thoughtfully. “Hopefully we won’t have any problems.” There was a long, piercing silence.
Then Ryan randomly spoke. “Hmm, I wonder if I could beat Dani in a race…” he said with a smug smile.
“I’ll race you, as long as you don’t cry when you’re beaten by a girl.”
Ryan simmered. “Alright then, from here to the meadow.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Akira sighed, but lifted his arms. “On your mark, get set…GO!”
We were off, and I was through the trees, ducking and missing every one by an inch. I couldn’t see Jasper through the trees, and I guessed that was a good thing. No need to get distracted now. I could see some light off in the distance, and that only made me go faster. I burst through the trees, not even that tired at all, and realized I was alone. “Yes!” I said to myself. I went and sat in the middle of the meadow. Just as my butt hit the grass, Jasper jumped into the meadow.
“HA,” he started, and then was cut short. He saw me sitting there, and got really mad. “OH, COME ON! YOU HAD TO HAVE CHEATED!!!!”
“What do you think I did, fly?” I said proudly.
“Bu-,” he said, and then sighed. “Fine…you win…” he grumbled.
“Bet I could beat you again in wolf form,” Dani said, shaking the challenge in his face, and he as about to take it.
Akira was suddenly next to me, his hand on my shoulder. “It’s getting late. Go home, and we will do the ceremony tonight at midnight.”
“I don’t think my mom will let me go…”
He just shook his head. “No, she’ll understand.”
I trusted him, and nodded. I turned around to go home, and he followed. “I want to say hi too!”
I just rolled my eyes and kept walking. We went on in silence like that until we were in front of the house, where I stopped. “What is it?” he asked.
“I…I don’t know what to say to her. ‘Hey mom, I got some wolfie business to do tonight, OK?’ I don’t think that will fly.”
“Well, I’ll come in, and, uh, you’ll see.”
So I followed him in, grabbing the not so hidden key we had under the mat (how original) and opened the door. She was there, bustling through the kitchen. “Hello sweetie.” She looked up. “Who’s our company?”
“Hello Mrs. Bayer, I’m Akira, Dan’s son.”
My mom eyes opened wide in shock, and she dropped the chicken cutlet she was working with. “Oh my…” she said. “So that means…you Dani…and…then…I need to sit down.”
I led Akira to the kitchen, and then sat down next to her, where she had her head in her hands. “Now you’ve done it…your going to give my mom a heart attack…” I muttered to Akira.
“No no…it’s fine. I just…wow. Time flies fast. I forgot…15 years old. Well, don’t be mad…I was going to explain it too you but-“
“Mom,” I said with a chuckle. She always over-reacted. “I’m not mad at all! I didn’t even really want to discuss it…I’m kind of hungry. Also, apparently I have some midnight ceremony to go too…?” I said, trailing off, and looking at Akira for an explanation.
“I think you know very well what she is talking about, Mrs. Bayer,” he said with a smile.
“Please, call me Leah. And yes, oh, do I remember that well. That was fun to see. I can’t believe it! My daughter, first girl to rank,” she said also smiling, with a hint of pride.
“I guess so!” I said happily. At least it wasn’t so tense anymore. “So…what’s for dinner, mom?”
“Leftover pasta. The chickens for tomorrow,” she said, pointing a finger to the fridge, as she got up and went back to her work
I sighed and went to the fridge. At least it was my favorite. I took it out and went to grab a bowl, remembering Akira. “Want some?” I asked.
“Meh…sure.”
“You’ll LOVE my mom’s cheesy pasta!” I said with fake enthusiasm. I got another bowl, splitting the whole thing between us. “Perfect.” Mom grabbed it and put it in the micro, and I went and sat while I waited. “So…what’s this ceremony all about?”
“Oh, you’ll see. It’s a surprise!” he said copying my sarcastic tone, and I laughed. Behind me, mom chuckled and rolled her eyes. The oven beeped loudly, and I took out our dinner. I set his place in front of him. He looked over it suspiciously.
“It’s not POISON,” I said, rolling my eyes. He laughed then dug in, as did I. We ate in silence, until we each were done. I got up, and put the dishes in the sink. I started down the hall, motioning with my hand for him to join me. He slowly got up and followed, and my mom winked at him. I rolled my eyes and held the door open for him. He smiled.
“Thank you ma’am,” he said.
“No problem, sir,” I said with a giggle. He plopped down on my bed, spread out across it.
“Only a half hour to kill,” he said, staring at the ceiling. I sat in the computer chair and spun. I stopped, and went on the nature site. “What’s that?” he asked, suddenly behind me.
“It’s a cool animal website,” I replied, and then remembered the pictures. I laughed.
“What?”
“You’re on here too!” I pulled up the picture. He looked shocked. I giggled.
“At least I look good,” he said coolly. I scrolled down to look at the comments, and gasped. “Huh?” he said, looking at it.
In plain black letters that seem to pop out at me, said 3 simple words that meant so much:
We’re here too.
Chapter 2
Akira and I moved briskly out of the room. “Mom, we’re leaving,” I managed to choke out, and then was out the door. She came after me, capturing me in a hug. I couldn’t help but smile. “I love you, mom.”
“Love you too, sweetie,” she said, and then kissed my forehead. “My little wolf.”
I rolled my eyes, and then hurried to catch up with Akira. “I don’t get it. I thought there weren’t any other wolves around here?”
“There aren’t. I think maybe they’re coming though…I’m not sure. I hope not though, sharing territories isn’t fun. It gets messy with scent lines…” he said, then trailed off in though. He looked into the starry night. I didn’t realize we were at the forest edge.
“What if they’re dangerous?” I whispered. I was suddenly scared. What if they attacked when we weren’t expecting it? What if they wanted our territory? Would we be driven out? Questions were thrown at my brain, the blood pounding in my ears.
“Calm down,” he replied softly, “I don’t think they would attack. It’s not normal for a pack to try and take over a bigger pack’s land…if we are bigger.”
“Oh…” I said, relaxing a little. “OK.” And with that, we started into the black abyss that was the forest. Even in the dark, my eyesight was crystal clear. Must be some wolf thing. I remembered the bag in my back pocket. “Should I change?” I asked.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Yes, you need too for the ceremony,” he said, and then I was alone. It stilled creped me out to be alone in the forest, even though at any second I could rip anybody’s eye’s out. I sighed, and pulled the bag from by back pocket. I quickly tore off my cloths, putting them in the bag, and fazed. I felt freezing, but I ignored it. I didn’t want to be late. I sprinted to the meadow, seeing as they are most likely to be there, and halted at the edge. It was empty. Where were they? Hello! Akira said from behind me, snickering. I jumped ten feet in the air, before smacking his shoulder with my paw.
Don’t do that! I exclaimed in my head. He laughed again, before continuing forward.
Come on…lets just do this… he said. What you need to do is come up to be, and put your cheek against mine. That’s it.
I nodded, and then walked down an invisible line towards him. I stopped in front of him, took a deep breath and touched my cheek to his. I flinched because of the cold, but then relaxed a little when I took my cheek away. “OOOOOOO,” the boys hooted in chorus.
SHUT UP! I growled at them.
OK, OK, said Akira, and now we howl. He started off, and then we all joined in. It gave me a giddy feeling, to be howling at the full moon. I felt wolf-like. Well, that was stupid, considering I was a wolf, but I kept on howling until Akira cut us off. I still heard howling, though. Hmm…I didn’t think it would echo- I started, and then stopped when I saw the dead panic in Akira’s eyes. It wasn’t an echo, it was another pack, and from the sounds of it, a larger pack. Why are they so close?! I howled in distress.
SHHH! THEY MIGHT HEAR YOU. We DON’T want to be confronted by another pack.
I sighed and was frozen until they stopped. What are we going to do? I looked around at the faces of the pack. They were all as mystified as mine. But then a rustle in the trees made us all freeze. I unwillingly looked, only to see one squirrel was brave enough to come out, and then turned when it saw us. I sighed in relief.
Dawn broke across the horizon, and I could tell Akira was thinking deeply. About what, I didn’t know. He finally sighed and turned to me. I think we should wait until they come to us. I know what I said about not wanting to, but it’s the only option. If we go over there, they’d think we were invading their territory and that wouldn’t be good.
I could tell he didn’t want to, but he was right. That was the only choice…Alright. I think we should be getting home. Its late…well, early, I thought with a grin. He smiled back, and then nodded. We all headed towards the forest to retrieve our cloths. As I padded silently through the greens, I thought about what the other pack might look like. As I was lost in thought, I could have sworn I heard a rustle near by, but didn’t think much of it this time. I didn’t smell anything, and it was probably just another squirrel. I picked my cloths up softly between my teeth, and ran north, towards my bed, which sounded comforting right now. I wanted to escape the world for a few hours.
When I finally came to my back window, I grinned and though a goodnight. I heard a reply from all of them, and then changed swiftly. Crawling through my window, I had a sense of de ja vue. I rummaged through my drawers, and found some old sweats. I put them on my cold body, and went to my mom. She was sleeping soundly in her bed. I smiled and went back to my own bedroom. I climbed into bed, and rest my head on my pillow. I sighed and turned my head to the window, and the last thing I heard before drifting off was a low, happy howl that didn’t sound like any of my own pack.
I woke up to a stream of light in my window. I opened my eyes and stretched my sleepy muscles. I heard voices in the kitchen. Usually that wouldn’t mean much, but it was only my mom and I in the house... Well, I thought so. I threw my legs over the side of the bed, and the springs groaned. I walked tiredly to the door, throwing it open in my haste and walking down the narrow hallway. As I entered the kitchen, I saw my mom making breakfast, and Akira sitting at our kitchen table. “Hello, sleepyhead!” they said in synchronization. I narrowed my eyes.
“Are you determined to live at my house?” I said to Akira. My mom flicked me with a ‘be nice’ look.
“Depends on what your mom is making for breakfast. I thought today was a good day to show up,” he said with a chuckle.
I rolled my eyes and threw myself at the chair. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. My stomach growled like a freshly started motorcycle.
I looked around the small, yet cheerful kitchen as I waited for the food, the scent drifting up my nose. The yellow walls went nicely with the blue curtains and wooden floors.
Akira noticed my studying, looking at me with an amused yet curious expression on his face. “Never seen your kitchen before…?” he said to me, one eyebrow rose.
I smiled sarcastically at him. “Soon you’ll be seeing it more then me.” He laughed just as my mom set breakfast in front of me, and I looked over the contents of my plate. Eggs and ham were piled in a heap on a roll. My eyes widened, and my mouth watered. Not torturing myself any longer, I took a huge bite. I smiled in deep satisfaction.
Once I had finished the whole thing, I started to think about what the other pack might look like. What the alpha looked like, second in command…I hoped I wouldn’t encounter them to find out. At least if we did, I didn’t want it to be aggressive. Then another question filled my mind. Could they hear our thoughts? That wouldn’t be good. “Hey, Akira?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you think the other pack can hear us?” I looked at him questioningly.
“I hope not. Any advantage they have over us wouldn’t be good. In the old legends, only packs could hear each other, unless one wolf from each pack touched each other. Then the packs were connected. I hope it’s true… but, you never know.” He gazed out the window, his face burrowed in deep thought, and I decided not to press him about it. But he was right.
What myths weren’t true these days? Were there any other mystical creatures she should worry about? It’s weird how I could live all this time without knowing one thing about these other species. Who knows what else this world was filled with? I slowly pushed out from the table, and got up. “Getting dressed,” I mumbled, and then walked towards my room. I closed the door quietly. Picking out comfortable cloths, I put them on. My eyes grazed over the window. A quick movement caught my eyes. A bush at the edge of the woods rustled. It could be wind, I thought. But why would only one shrub be affected? I suddenly had a strange feeling I was being watched, through hateful eyes. I shuddered, and then turned to the door to join my mother and Akira.
The wind felt good as it passed through my fur. I ran with much speed, and slowed at my destination: the lake. I lapped up the sweet water, and that confused me. It didn’t taste like water. It had always been too sweet. I didn’t think much of it though.
Two weeks had passed, and nothing unusual had happened. But when I went into my room, I had a strange feeling I was being watched, every time. It creped me out a bit. I looked up across the lake, and another wolf met my eyes. I jumped back and growled defensively. This wasn’t a wolf from my own pack. The wolf looked at me with apologetic eyes, which I found strange, and ran in the opposite direction. I straightened up, and cocked my head. Was he spying on me? I didn’t get why he would, all I was doing was drinking water. I decided to tell Akira.
I called him in my mind, and went through the scene with him. Well, he probably doesn’t mean any harm if he ran away. I don’t know, but be on the watch. I answered OK, and then started to pad into the water. Wadding through the shallows, I relaxed a bit. So he probably wasn’t the hostile eye that watched me from the bushes. Well, I thought someone was there. Maybe I was just going crazy. I pushed the thought out of my mind, and swam deeper. The water felt good.
All of a sudden, I squawked. At least that’s what I think you could call it. I lifted my tail, and a fish was wiggling from it. I heard a bark laughter from somewhere behind me. I spun around, and saw the same mysterious wolf sitting on the waters edge. I bit the fish, and it went limp. Swimming to shore, I stood in front of the wolf, and dropped the fish. I nudged it towards him. His eyes lit up, and he devoured it in a few small bites. Suddenly he had his paw on mine. Thanks.
I nodded. Looking over him, I gasped. He was beautiful. His full, gleaming coat ruffled in the breeze, his eyes a turquoise color. He was studying me, with an expression like mine, as if he thought…
I quickly pulled my paw away, looking down with a blush. I heard him laugh again, before waving his tail and running into the forest. I stared after him, and then finally raced through the forest, but in a different direction. I knew where I was going. A place I went whenever I needed peace and quiet…
I reached the cliff top, and sat down while the breeze buffeted my fur. My eyes traced the sky, the setting sun, colors, and clouds. I wrapped my tail around my paws, and watched as the sun slowly slinked down into the blanket of the horizon.
My mind slipped back to the encounter with the wolf, my thoughts…A howl of rage and a hint of sadness, or betrayal…That’s when I realized all that was being sent right to my pack. I groaned at my clumsy self, just as a wolf jumped from the bushes, and I scented Akira. I turned to look at him. His lip was curled back in the beginning of a snarl, his nostrils flaring.
What did he do?!
It’s OK, I replied. Nothing aggressive.
Oh, he said with a sigh of relief, and told me to take a break.
The edge of the lake lapped the shore, making a peaceful sound. I was curled up on a bed of moss, because facing my mom was the last thing I wanted to do. I was sure Akira would have called her by now, and they would all be there, trying to convince me to come back. It was sad not to be able to go home, afraid of what might lie there.
I looked up at the beautiful night sky. Each star was unique, twinkling in there own breath-taking way. The trees ruffled in the slight breeze, and the crickets sang a nighttime song. I could hear the scuffling of little animal paws within the underbrush, and that made me hungry. I quietly got up and sniffed around, putting my paws down as lightly as I could. A plump squirrel caught my senses, and that was all I could concentrate on. Slinking into the darkness, I pounced, paws outstretched. I yowled in shock when my paws met others, and the prey-stealer bit the neck of the squirrel. I scowled at them, but didn’t mind much. Just as I was about to turn to stalk more prey, I finally realized who it was. It was the stalker wolf that kept ending up where I was!
Once again the beautiful eyes stunned me, fur and tail…everything about him was so perfect. Even his grin amazed me. I sighed at the satisfaction of seeing him again, but this time free. He touched me to say something, and then pulled back, cocking his head. I pushed my paw to his. Dani. He smiled. Suddenly he whipped around, and bit something. Then he looked back to me and dropped it at my paws, and I saw it was another squirrel. I grinned at him and waved my tail in thanks. His answering smile was like god compared to mine.
I took small bites, and finished a little while after him. I put the tip of my tail to his paw. I think I am going to sleep now…
OK. You look like you need it…by the way, my name is Taylor, he said with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes, and turned back to my bed. I pulled it so it was beside the water, in case I got thirsty. I curled up with my tail over my nose, and closed my eyes. I didn’t look up to see where he went, because soon the tiredness droned upon me like a bomb. I shifted once before going into an un-settling sleep.
Chapter 3
I woke up to a hand prodding me in the shoulder, quite roughly, I would say. I groggily rolled over, to find Akira’s face staring at mine. I jumped up and took a pace back. He was in human form. “We found no pack. We tried and tried. This wolf must be a loner…” he said. “Maybe you should stay away.” But my piercing gaze told him I thought otherwise. Could I last so long without seeing the perfection that Taylor was? After I thought that I hoped no one was listening. Akira looked like he understood. “It’s not a good idea…that’s the final answer.” He said it firmly, and I knew I had to listen. He WAS the alpha. I got up and followed him as he started to walk. As we passed Taylor with in the woods, and his human form was even more shockingly beautiful. I found myself stopped in my tracks. I smiled, and his answering one was more then I could bear. Akira nudged me forward, nodding politely to Taylor.
When I got home, Akira went around front so I could faze back and crawl, once again, through the back window. It had become a habit of not sneaking in or out, but of privacy issues. I chuckled to myself. I grabbed a jeans and t-shirt regular combo and went to meet Akira back in front. Mom was out job-hunting, so the house seemed lonely as I let him in. I got him and I both bottles of water, and he took a huge swig, while my sip was tiny in comparison to his, so we both giggled. “Hey, wanna spend the night with all of us sleeping in the meadow? We do it often, it’s fun,” he said, and I was suddenly very enthusiastic. I immediately said yes, and he smiled happily. I went to grab a sleeping bag, and he guffawed loudly. “We’ll be in WOLF form,” he clarified.
“You could have told me…” I mumbled, stuffing it back in its closet and slamming the door.
“Oh come on, it was funny. I did that the first time someone suggested it to,” he said, and I felt better I wasn’t the only one who made the mistake. “Lets go meet up with the others.” And then we were out, our water bottles on the counter being the only evidence we were there. As we ran we tried to outdo each other with leaps, speed, spins, anything to do. Then when we finally got to the meadow, we were laughing to hard our stomachs hurt, and we collapsed in the grass next to the rest of our pack. We watched the clouds for a while, not getting bored. The moment was perfect some how, like it could never end, and I didn’t mind. I could tell the others sensed it too. This made me even more excited for tonight’s adventure, as I closed my eyes, savoring this time.
When I padded into the familiar meadow in wolf form, I saw everyone was already there. I smiled to them all, and they all replied the same. I was not nervous, more anxious. What would we do? We mostly just play some games, like a slumber party! He said, answering my question. I rolled my eyes, but didn’t understand what he meant by games. Considering he didn’t reply, I figured I’d find out. It was about 11:30, and we all decided to take a quick wink of sleep before the party really started. I yawned in agreement and curled up on a cushy patch of grass. Just as my eyes closed, I thought I saw a star fly across the sky, and smiled.
I was woken up by a hissing sound. I sprang up, but everyone was asleep. I was puzzled. Who was calling my attention? I heard it again, and looked to the source of the noise, only to find it was Taylor, in wolf form, with a lopsided wolfy grin on his face! My face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning, sneaking a peak under the tree. I ran to him, excited that my chance to get to know him better was coming true. Hey, he said, placing his paw on mine and the grin on his face widening. I smiled back and when he waved his tail for me to follow him, I did. I had a feeling I would follow him anywhere right then. The way the moonlight shun on his piercing, ice-blue eyes took my breath away. His fur was white, with blue marks along his back that almost looked like a spine. His tail had blue on it too, where his fur hung down on the bottom. It looked as if he had dipped it in a large puddle of paint, very original. I didn’t realize we were there until his eyes met mine, and he caught be looking at him. I looked away and would have blushed if I were in human form.
He brushed his tail to my ear, light but he made me shiver on contact, just enough to say that he wanted to get to know me better. I put my tail on his paw. I agree. So…this might be personal, but where is your pack? A look of distress and sadness took over his beautiful eyes and I immediately regretted asking.
My mom and I got separated in a wild forest fire started by those idiot humans, and when I went looking for her afterwards, all I found was burnt grass. I could understand why she had left me, to save herself, and I’m not mad about it. Just disappointed. And so I went off on my own, hoping to run into her one day. He looked around at the trees, dancing slowly in the night breeze. I felt sadness for this young wolf. That reminded me.
How old are you? I asked.
18, and I’m guessing you are too, he said when my face lit up. He chuckled to himself. I rolled my eyes, pushing the dirt with my free paw. You know, the way the moonlight shines upon your fur makes you look…beautiful, he said. Looked down.
You too, more than you could imagine…I mumbled back. He smiled sweetly. I suddenly heard panic in the back of my mind, and I was lucky the pack could only hear what I wanted them to. I had heard legends saying otherwise.
Dani, where are you?! Akira said, distress hinted in his tone. I told him I was getting a drink and would be back in a second, and he sighed in relief.
Gotta go…I whispered to Taylor, and hid nod mirrored my eye’s sadness. We said our goodbyes and promised to return before I left to face my pack again. When I got back, it was around 2:00. Akira was waiting silently, the rest of the pack around him with sadness in there eyes. W…what’s going on?? I asked.
Nothing. Just didn’t know where you were.
Oh, OK. So what are we doing? Truth or dare? I smirked at him, mocking his “sleepover”. He rolled his eyes.
No, we have races.
that's all I have so far
it might mess up at some points, it's unedited.
