Ocean Kisses

Bite

Doc POV

The realization hit me suddenly: maybe he didn’t even understand me. He hadn’t said a single word since I’d approached, and his reactions seemed more instinctual than anything else. Every move I made, no matter how small, drew his sharp attention, his eyes locking onto me with a mix of caution and mistrust. It was when I shifted slightly to offer him the granola bar that his growl returned—a low, warning sound that made me freeze in place. His wild, wolf-like ears pinned back against his head, a clear sign of unease.

Still, I carefully slid the granola bar closer to him before retreating to my spot by the fire, hoping he’d take it as a gesture of goodwill. I didn’t press him, just sat quietly and watched as he stared at the food, his expression caught somewhere between suspicion and curiosity. His sharp claws hovered over the wrapper for a moment before he cautiously poked at it, as though trying to understand what it was. After a moment of hesitation, he carefully picked it up, unwrapped it, and sniffed it cautiously.

I held my breath as he took a tentative bite. At first, everything seemed fine—his expression was neutral, maybe even curious. But the second he tasted the sweetness of the chocolate, his face twisted in visible discomfort, and he immediately spat it out. His reaction startled me as much as it seemed to startle him. He let out a sharp sound—something between a bark and a yelp—and before I knew it, his form shifted completely.

Where a humanoid figure had sat moments before, a wolf-like creature now stood. His transformation was seamless and natural, yet somehow shocking all the same. His fur was damp and matted, clinging to his frame in a way that made his skinniness all the more apparent. He looked so much smaller and more fragile in this form, his ribs faintly visible beneath his thick coat. My concern deepened as I realized just how much the cold—and perhaps hunger—had been affecting him.

Without giving me a chance to process what had happened, he darted away, leaping up the rock wall with surprising ease. He perched there, a safe distance from me, his glowing eyes still locked onto my every move. I could feel the weight of his gaze, watching, assessing. I raised my hands again, this time in a gesture of apology. "I’m sorry," I said softly, my voice almost lost in the crackle of the fire. "I didn’t know the chocolate would bother you."

He let out a huff in response—a short, sharp exhale that almost seemed like an annoyed sigh. It was clear he didn’t trust me, but he also didn’t seem like he wanted to leave entirely. His presence felt like a constant reminder that I was very much out of my depth here, sharing this space with a creature that defied everything I thought I knew about the world.

For now, I stayed where I was, giving him the space he seemed to want. I couldn’t help but chuckle softly to myself, though—a nervous, quiet laugh at the absurdity of the situation. "So," I muttered under my breath, "I’m stuck in a cave with a wild wolf-fish-human thing. This is going to be fun."

The wolf let out another huff from his perch on the wall, his ears twitching slightly as if he’d heard me. I wasn’t sure what he made of me, or what would happen next, but one thing was clear: this was going to be an adventure unlike any I’d ever expected.

The fire crackled softly, its glow dimming with each passing minute, and I started to feel the creeping chill of the storm outside. My concern grew as the flames flickered lower, casting longer, wavering shadows against the damp cave walls. We needed more fuel, or we wouldn’t last the night with the storm raging beyond the cave’s entrance. I glanced toward the wolf-like figure still perched on the rock wall. He was watching me—always watching. Every time I shifted, his ears flicked toward me, following the sound of my movements, though he no longer growled. That small change made me feel a bit more at ease, but his unblinking vigilance was still unsettling.