Star-Crossed | Boy x Boy

𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒍𝒂

"Alright," barked Abby. "Close your eyes, dig your fingers into the soil, and block out every sound but forest and my voice. Got it?"

I did what she told. I was crouched on the forest floor in a small clearing we had come across on all fours, trying to listen to everything that Abby told me to do. I could feel Wolf at my stomach already, threatening to claw its way out. It was eager to be at the front, the one controlling the body. I felt a flicker of anxiety in my belly, but tried to ignore it. I couldn't shift if I was scared. 

Abby's boots crunched on the dead leaves as she stood in front of me like a coach watching their kid do push-ups. The dirt was soft beneath my fingertips as I dug them into the slightly damp earth. The grass around me was slick was morning dew and sent shivers up my legs from the cold, prickly feeling. A cool breeze blew past me, ruffling my red curls. I looked up at Abby blankly, waiting for her to say something.

Abby tapped her chin. "Hmm. Can you feel your Wolf?"

I nodded vigorously. "Definitely."

Abby frowned and crossed her arms. "Shit. This is a lot harder than I thought. I guess Aster was the one that showed me and my sister, so you may just have to wait until the full moon when he plans to take you somewhere."

I sat back on my heels, disappointed. I didn't want to admit that I wasn't too keen on Aster showing me anything, but I held my tongue. I fanned my face, wiping beads of sweat off of my face. My stomach was in a turmoil, like Wolf was actively clawing at my organs and shredding my intestines with sharp claws. I thought I might throw up. "Jesus, it's hot," I panted, slipping my shirt off and tossing it to the ground. I laid back on the wet grass while Abby chuckled at my discomfort.

"That's definitely the Wolf. It knows you're close to letting it out," she crowed.

"Doesn't sound very pleasant," I whined. 

"It's not, not at first. But eventually you and your Wolf will start getting along on most things. You just have to counterract the bloodthirsty urges once or twice a day and you'll be fine. Wolf is a wild animal, but you have to be the zookeeper."

I nodded. "That makes sense."

The bushes rustled loudly. Umbridge pushed his way into the clearing, a pissed-off look on his face. Abby's eyes widened and my mouth dropped just before Umbridge saw me and took off. I rose to my feet and dodged his first lunge, staggering to the left and just narrowly missing being grabbed and thrown off balance. I stayed upright, and watched Umbridge as he tried running towards me. 

Abby shouted something, but before I could make out what she was saying I met Umbridge's gaze and dropped to the floor like a rock. Umbridge's foot drove into my side as he flipped over me and landed with a hard thump on the ground. Before he could regain his bearings I grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back like they did in cop shows, my knee driving into the small of his broad back.

"Holy shit dude, you are just an angry guy, aren't you?" I wheezed, trying to catch my breath.

Umbridge wriggled beneath me, shouting out curses and swears, but I held him there. I looked up at Abby, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement. "Hah!" she cried. "That was fucking awesome! Umbridge you got beat again. You know what that means, you can't fight him anymore!" she laughed aloud. 

"Shut up Abby!" Umbridge spat. "I can still fight you!"

"Please, Amber would rip your throat out, and you know it."

"Goldie can suck my dick!"

"Hey, language! There are newbies around."

I couldn't believe they were having some sort of playful banter while I had Umbridge pinned down. I stood up, letting the wolf go. He made a jab at my feet, but I hopped away before he could knock me off balance. I dusted a few specks of dirt off of my stomach and picked up my muddied T-shirt. "Damn it. My mom's going to be pissed. She's going to ask if I was wrestling in the woods, and I have to tell her that I wasn't!" I pointed my finger accusingly at Umbridge. "You owe me a cup of laundry detergent."

Umbridge sat up on his knees. "You're not... you're not going to finish the fight?"

Abby snorted. "It is finished. He subdued you."

"Yeah, but, isn't he going to like beat me up?"

Abby walked over to me and patted my shoulder. "Nah, newbie's not like that. That's why he and Aster get along so well. I'm pretty sure I heard talk of m-a-t-e," Abby whispered. I glanced at her. I'd already forgotten the letters she listed off. My head was swimming from lack of breath and I couldn't keep up a single train of thought. Whatever it was it couldn't be that important because Umbridge was grinning too.

"I see, I see," he said. 

Abby pulled me into a side hug, sending shivers down my body. I pulled away after only a few seconds. "You did it newbie!" she cheered. "Now you're a middle-class wolf for sure! Umbridge can't fight you again, and if he tries to I want you to kick his ass for real this time. Once you shift, your Wolf will be way more bloodthirsty than you are now. Can't you feel the anger already? The full moon is coming up."

I nodded meekly. Trust me, I could feel it.

Umbridge stood up and dusted mud and grass off of his hands. "I guess I should probably thank you for not kicking the shit out of me like anyone else would've. I was planning on tearing you apart, but I guess that was only because I hadn't met you yet. Neither of us had a reason to hate each other, I suppose, so... are we good?"

I held up my finger. "Only if you apologize to Suki."

Umbridge rolled his eyes. "Deal."