ℂ𝕆𝕌ℕ𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾 𝔻𝕆𝕎ℕ

9 / 24

A/N: Finally caught up! This will be a quick rewrite of my one shot 'Camping' from Writetober 2022.

You had always known that Marcus wasn't your brightest friend in many aspects. While it never made you look down on him, you still ended up questioning many of his choices. However, where Marcus may not've been the most book or street smart, he lived to go camping.

He was a seasoned camper, he knew exactly where all the best spots were and how not to get lost. He had bookshelves full of plant and animal guides. So it made absolutely no sense for him to just drop of the face of the Earth while out camping.

You gripped your flashlight tighter as you and a group of volunteers made your way through the forest. They were all yelling out his name, something you refused to do. While you wanted to find Marcus, you knew for him to be missing something had to be dreadfully wrong. You didn't want to purposefully attract the attention of something or someone who had managed to hurt Marcus.

"This is why I don't hang out with other girls. You care too much about your 'pretty' voice to help find your own friend." The 'pick me' girl of your friend group, Kira, complained. You had no idea why she'd even come, if anyone disliked her more than you did, it was Marcus. Kira tended to treat Marcus like he was stupid or like a child and he hated it. You two often shared side eyes whenever she started to talk.

You didn't respond to her, scanning the tree line with your flashlight. You froze when the beam landed on a giant gray wolf. It was almost as big as you, staring you down with big golden eyes. Your fear didn't even match the level of horror you felt when the wolf stood up. It towered over you, standing straight up on it's hind legs.

Kira screamed and the wolf lunged at her. Your fight or flight kicked in and soon enough you were backing away through the trees, leaving Kira behind. You clicked off your flashlight, hoping you could find a river or some dirt to try and mask your scent in case the wolf was tailing you.

Instead you saw a glow through the trees. Hoping you'd stumbled across one of the camping grounds you pushed yourself harder until you'd reached the clearing. Instead you found Marcus, perfectly alive and unharmed, sitting by a small fire. He almost smiled when he saw you but you saw his gaze flick over your shoulder.

Whirling around you jumped as you saw the wolf. You tumbled to the ground, landing hard on your butt as you scooted away, closer to Marcus and the fire. Marcus approached you, helping you sit on a flat rock beside him.

"He isn't gonna hurt you." Marcus whispered. The wolf dropped back down to all 4 paws but you didn't stop staring at it in fear. "If he was going to hurt you he would've done it already. I thought the same thing when he took me here."

"T- took you? Marcus what's going on?" You whimpered. You were scared out of your wits and exhausted, you couldn't keep going on adrenaline forever. 

You flinched when you felt an arm wrap itself around your shoulder, pulling you in close. Looking beside you confirmed that it wasn't Marcus. You slowly turned your body to see a man with golden eyes, holding you close as he sniffed at your hair. Then he turned his head and sniffed Marcus.

"Mates." The man said. He sounded rather content as he held you both close. You really wished Marcus could've picked some different hobby to excel at.