Wolf of the West

16.

    It was true that Rudy had said he went out for firewood, and he still promised himself that he'd bring some back. But as the sun slowly began to lower itself into the sky and turn the sky a shade of pink and lilac, it was evident that he had decided to get some space and take some time to himself.
    Rudy was pacing about in a field, his gathered bundle of wood was sitting off to the side. He paced and paced, running his hands through his hair and putting his hands on his hips every few seconds. Occasionally, he'd grow angry at himself as he watched the familiar dark ginger fur grow in on his arms, having to sit down and take deep breaths to get it to disappear again. As the freckled boy sat there, he glanced at a small patch of fresh flowers.
    "I... I can't bring those to him. He'd think it was weird and embarassin'. What am I even doin'? I can't love him like that. That ain't a thing— Because I like ladies too. Right?" He muttered to himself and let out a groan, holding his head in his hands. "Dakota'd probably win Will over anyways. I mean just look at 'em! Knowing about... plants and... and being so nice." He sneered in jealousy before catching himself in doing so, "Shit. I'm jealous. We ain't even know this guy and I'm jealous outta my mind!" He grumbled as he raised his head up. "'Sides. I don't want Will to deal with me forever. If I can't be cured, I ain't nothin' but just Curly. He don't deserve a creature like that." He felt his blue eyes water and he buried his face in his hand again.
    The boy sat there and cried into his clawed hands for a moment, unable to escape the stress and dread that continuously plagued his psyche. He truly didn't want Will to be in danger thanks to his lycanthropy, whether it be from himself, the mobs, or even the creature that was haunting him back at Dry Point. He even considered just leaving into the wilderness, but knew Will didn't deserve to be worried sick.
    So, he stood up and grabbed the bundle of small sticks and logs he had collected whilst pacing. His eyes trailed down to the small patch of flowers. He hesitated with a sigh, grabbing a small handful, deciding to walk back to Dakota's camp. As he walked, he mumbled small things to himself, going over what he would say and rehearsing it over and over again.
    "Will, I dunno how I'm gonna not lose my mind when I tell ya but, I think I love ya." He paused to wrinkle his nose and shake his head, "I don't want to seem like a loon but hey, I think I'm in love with ya." He paused before letting out a dramatic groan of a gag, knowing he didn't even know the correct words to say, let alone what he could say without freaking his friend out. As he approached camp, he saw the two sitting by the lit fire.
    Will sat close with Dakota, almost leaning on them. He seemed much more relaxed and less tense than when they'd arrived. "Yeah, I dunno how I'm gonna remember what herb does what, but I think I got a lot of it down for a first time learner—" He said, only stopping his sentence when he heard the crunching of Rudy's footsteps. He smiled a gave a small wave at the sight of his friend. "Oh, hey Rudy! It's been a bit since we saw ya, bud. You alright?" He asked sincerely, though it wasn't in the fussy, anxious tone he usually would have used.
    Rudy's freckled face seemed to flush pink at seeing Will sit so comfortably next to Dakota. "Huh? Oh, yeah I'm okay. I started explorin' so, my bad for being so late." He stated as he walked into the camp and sat the stack of sticks down. His ears burned red from the jealousy and embarrassment of seeing the two sit so close, even doing so much as to push down tears that threatened to spill until they weren't visible.
    Dakota smiled at his arrival, "Good to have you back. We were getting a bit worried about you. We are about to start dinner up." They informed him, to which Rudy gave a small nod. "Gotcha. Thanks for waiting' on me, guys." He told them genuinely, glancing down at the small bundle of flowers in his hand. Deep down, he felt the crack in his heart ache which made him decide to turn the other direction mentally. "I uh, found these flowers while I was out. Know what type these are, Dakota?" He asked as he held them out toward the traveler.
    "Oh! Those are bluebells, I believe. Very beautiful flowers." Dakota smiled as they looked at the small bundle. "If you'd like, I can braid some into your hair." They offered, to which Rudy gave a polite smile and shook his head. "Oh, no thank you. You two can just hold onto them if you want. Just thought they looked nice." He stated.
    "Aw, thanks! They're real pretty." Will thanked his friend as he held his hand out to take the flowers. "Speakin' of braidin', I have no idea how to. If you're feelin' up to more teachin' after dinner, I'm up for more learnin'." Will asked Dakota, seeing as he'd only grown up around men with shorter hair in his life.
"I would love to teach you." Dakota smiled happily at the thought of teaching Will on how to braid hair, handing the bluebells over to the shorter boy. "If y'all don't mind, I'm actually gonna hit the hay a little early. I'm pretty tired from walkin'." Rudy informed them, "But y'all can teach me to braid tomorrow." He offered as he walked over to where he decided he'd sleep.
    A look of concern washed over Will'a face as he delicately twirled the flowers in between his fingers. "Are you sure, Rudy? You haven't even eaten yet. You gotta be hungry, you've been gone all day." He said, not wanting his friend to have to go to bed hungry.
"Yeah, I'm positive— don't worry. I ate some blackberries I found in a little patch so I'm okay for right now." Rudy shook his head as he took a seat on the opposite side of the fire where he planned to rest.
  Dakota looked a tad confused, but understood that rest was important, especially if he had been hiking around all day. "I'll get you a blanket. Are you sure you aren't hungry? I can always save an extra bowl."
"An extra bowl'd be nice. I might wake up in a while, actually." He muttered as he took a rolled up blanket from Dakota and scooted a log over to rest his head on.
Will still felt worried for his friend, but he figured he just needed space like Dakota suggested. He wanted to tell him about the talk he and the traveler had earlier once Rudy had gone, but he also figured he shouldn't bring it up until the ginger was starting to feel a bit better, and was wanting to talk. Maybe it'd make the conversation go smoother. "Alright, well goodnight, Ru. I'll be up for a little bit longer, so I'll be here if you wanna talk." He offered, giving a small wave goodnight to his friend.
"Yes, please feel free to join us if you decide to. But goodnight." Dakota gave a small nod of his hat to Rudy, to which he gave a small nod and a wave back to them.
   "Thanks, y'all. Goodnight." He told them softly before curling up on his side, resting his head on the log and pulling the blanket over himself.
  Dakota gave a small glance at Will, "Is he often like this?" They asked softly, wanting to make sure Rudy was doing alright. As they awaited the answer, they started to open up a can of corn and unpacked a small cloth from their bag which held dried meat.
Will shook his head no, eyes lingering on his friend to make sure he was really okay, but then he turned to Dakota. "No, never. I don't know what's happening." He said stressfully. His anxiety began to bubble up, and he wondered if Rudy had overheard their conversation and was upset because he knew.
"He may just be going through something. Especially after something as scary as a fire that you all barely escaped from. If he feels better, I'm sure he'll join us." They stated as they looked over at Rudy, who had forced his eyes shut and was attempting to sleep. The sounds of the crackling fire drowned out their soft voices, but Rudy knew they were speaking.
    Dakota turned their head as they watched the sun slip down into the mountains in the distance, letting out a soft sigh. "One day spent already. It feels like it just started." They muttered to themselves as they stirred the pot.
Will followed their line of vision out to the setting sun and let it (as well as Dakota's reassuring words) soothe him. He relaxed his shoulders. "Yeah. I kinda wish it could've been longer. Not that any of it was wasted or nothin'. It's just nice." He said, though he wasn't entirely sure why he felt that way. It was a hard day, but a good one that was full of self discovery and relief. Maybe, he thought for a moment, it was because he just didn't want to part ways with the traveler.
"I agree. Tomorrow is a big day. I've got to pack up and head South so I can rejoin my family." Dakota let out a peaceful sigh, "A life of travel and adventure is fun, but your roots ground you, and they can make you homesick. You know?" They cracked a small smile at Will a they rejoined him on the log.
    Rudy felt himself begin to slip into slumber, finally getting some rest as he was eased by the fire's crackle. His eyes began to burn, which he must have realized was smoke blowing in his direction, to which he turned over. The burning didn't cease. He felt his jaw begun to ache which made his watery, burning eyes shoot open to look up at the sky. His heart shriveled and sank as he was met back with a glowing, round moon. "O—Oh no, W—Will??" He cried, tears flooding his eyes as he felt his entire body be bathed in a searing heat, making him sit on his knees and hunch up.
    Will opened his mouth to reply to Dakota, but he quickly shut it and turned around when Rudy called his name. "Yeah, Ru?" He asked, though his eyes widened as soon as he saw how he was sitting. "Oh no." He uttered out as he looked to the rising moon, feeling his heart start beat in his throat. He immediately shot out of his seat and jogged to join him, kneeling beside his friend. "Rudy, we gotta go somewhere else, we can't be here for this— Shoot—!" He paused realizing that Dakota was with them and that they may not have enough time to get Rudy away. "Dakota this is gonna sound loony, but you gotta get somewhere safe too, anywhere else and as fast as possible."
Dakota rose to their feet, trying to see what was going on as they furrowed their brows. "Wh—Why? What's happening? Is he alright?" They asked, beginning to approach the two.
    Rudy felt the tears flood over his eyes and down his cheeks, letting out sobs as his hands began to shift and pop. The familiar taste of blood filled his mouth as his teeth began to grow sharper and rearrange. On one hand, he cried from the agonizing pain of his transformation—on the other, he couldn't fight the jealous, brokenhearted tears that just flowed down his face, only fueled by embarrassment.
Will only flinched at the sounds and cries erupting from his friend, though he had no idea it was from anything other than the transformation. Nonetheless, he put his arms out to block him from sight, figuring Rudy wouldn't want to be seen. "He's gonna be fine, Dakota, but I don't have time to explain to you, I-I just need you to go, run, please!" He said, beginning to grow panicked over the situation. He didn't know what he'd do if Curly hurt Dakota. He didn't know if he'd be able to let that go. He only hoped Dakota understood the severity of the situation.
    Rudy couldn't stop crying no matter how hard he tried, his thick, curly fur tearing through his already torn clothes and his feet snapping and reforming into human-like paws. His sobbing and crying turned into whimpers and yelps, digging his clawed hands into the earth around him as his tail extended and grew from his vertebrae.
Dakota hesitated, seeing a flash of dark curls from behind Will and grabbing a hold of his hand. "You have to be safe too, Will. Come on, we both need to go!" He ushered him with alarmed eyes, not wanting to leave Will behind.
    Will seemed hesitant about leaving Rudy. More than hesitant—he didn't want to leave Rudy. But he was also terrified that Dakota would be hurt if he wasn't with them. "It's gonna be okay, Rudy! I'm just gonna get 'em somewhere safe!" He called to his friend as he broke into a run alongside Dakota, in hopes he could still hear his reassurance.
    Rudy's head shakily rose up, vision blurry from the pulsating headache and the tears still flooding his vision. He watched as the two ran off into the woods, feeling a deep snarl erupt from his chest and throat. He cried out as his skull snapped, along with his vertebrae popping one by one and stretching out to elongate his back. He hung his head as his muzzle pushed out of his face, scrunching his eyes shut as more tears dripped off of his freckled cheeks.

    "What was happening to him?" Dakota asked as the two ran, holding onto their hat with one hand so the wind wouldn't knock it off as they ran.
"He's—" Will hesitated to tell Dakota, knowing Rudy was embarrassed of it and wasn't fond of letting people know. But Dakota had done so much for them, and now they were in danger because of it, so Will decided that they deserved to know. "Rudy's a lycanthrope— The moon's full so he's in the middle of turnin' into this huge wolf lookin' thing. We call it Curly." Will explained the best he could, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to see if Rudy had gone after them yet. Will wished they'd tested to see if he could climb trees, but the fifty-fifty chance also happened to be one of life or death, and Will couldn't take that.
    Meanwhile, Rudy felt himself slip into unconsciousness, his body collapsed on the ground as it panted heavily. His now golden eyes opened with a deep snarl, though the tears never stopped flowing. It seemed that the wolf itself was crying. Curly stood up on his hind legs and let out a raspy, booming howl of anguish.
Dakota opened their mouth to respond but was cut off by the piercing howl. At first, the traveler thought it was a joke—the howl proved them wrong. They felt their heart sink into hype pit of their stomach as they looked back at Will. "H—How—" Their mind could hardly wrap around the new information.
A look of pure panic washed over Will's face over the sound of the ear piercing howl and he pushed himself to run faster no matter how bad it hurt his chest and his healing ankle. "D-don't think about it, just go! I've n-never heard him sound so mad before—!" He said, desperately hoping that Curly would get distracted and eat something else—anything else in the forest. A deer, a bear, whatever; just not Dakota.
    Dakota trusted Will's words, pushing themselves to run further. Their chest began to heave from the lack of air and exhaustion from the physical exertion.
    As the two ran further into the woods, the wolf instantly picked up the scent of them and let out a deep growl. He dropped back down on all fours and sniffed the dirt where they had run through. His golden eyes locked onto the forest ahead, letting out a loud snarl as he launched himself into the undergrowth. The scent only seemed to get closer and closer, the wolf's jaws dripping with saliva and gnashing angrily as he ran. Soon enough, his focus was locked on the two in the distance just up ahead.
    Soon enough, Will could hear the loud thumps of Curly's large paws thundering after them and he desperately raked his mind for a plan. He was shorter and his ankle was injured, so he knew for a fact he was slowing Dakota down.
    "Okay, Dakota, this is gonna sound crazy, but he's never attacked me before so I'm gonna stop and try to get him away from ya, so when he gets close enough I want ya to veer off and get to the most dense part of the woods you can find and get as far away as possible, okay?" Will tried his hardest to explain the plan while gasping for air.
    The traveler hesitated, but trusted Will. "Okay— be safe, Will. Please. I'll catch up with you." They panted as they continued to run off into the forest, leaving Will behind with the werewolf.
    Curly's jaws opened in a pant, eyes focused on the two as he realized one of the figures was slowing down. The wolf growled in response—he didn't slow down for one second.
Will took in a big breath of air and ignored the growl in hopes that Curly would recognize and at least spare him, or maybe even be busy enough shredding him to forget about Dakota. So he skidded to a halt, whipped around, and braced for impact. His arms were held outward, though he knew they'd be too feeble to do much. "Curly, p-please—!" He begged, praying to god for a miracle that he knew in his heart wouldn't come.
Curly was mere feet away from Will by the time he had turned around, the tears still ever-flowing down his cheeks, jaws open. His large paw raised up and swung down from the side, thunderously slamming into the small boy to force him aside, though his claws barely scraped the skin. Once he was out of the way, the wolf continued to run at full force after the traveler.
Will gasped as his body was sent hard into the ground, letting out a cry in pain when his head smacked into a rock. He felt pain shoot through his skull upon impact and felt the sharp edges of it cut a gash into his forehead. He immediately made an attempt to get up and call out to his running companion, but his head reeled, and blood dripped down his brow line and he began to see stars. With shaking knees, Will felt his eyes roll back as he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.