Werehuman

Dumb not Blind

We were dry by the time we made it back to camp that afternoon. Casey and Keith seemed to have made up at least for now. She was draped over his shoulder and they were murmuring to each other while looking at the map from earlier. I hoped that this wasn't because we were going to attack Katie's pack tonight.

"Conor!" Keith shouted, gesturing to me. "Get over here."

I spared a worried glance at Brian and Daria before hurrying to obey. Keith nodded for me to sit down.

"Casey and I have been talking," he said. "She will accompany you to the farm tomorrow to meet this human family of yours. If they are truly in danger, then you'll stay until the matter with this other pack is resolved."

I let out the breath I had been holding with an involuntary smile.

"If they're not in any danger, then you're coming back here," he continued. "You are a member of this pack, unexpected or not. I'm not going to risk you losing your head and bringing the authorities down on us. It's hard enough being a werewolf in the twenty-first century without dealing with the police as well."

"I've never bit anyone," I promised. "I've never hurt anyone."

Keith chuckled. "I don't know how you talked me into this, Casey. This boy is barely qualified to protect himself, let alone a family of defenseless humans."

Casey noted me with a smile. "Conor, will you show him what you showed me this morning?"

"Will I get in trouble?" I asked.

She shook her head. Keith didn't move, at least, not until I changed and pounced over the table, pinning him to the grass below. He blinked at me in surprise. I immediately rolled off and changed back to human, hoping that Keith wouldn't be angry. Any pack member who had seen my pounce was frozen; all of us were watching Keith. He started to laugh as Casey helped him up. I retrieved my shorts. All around me, the group relaxed. I didn't like to think about what would have happened if I had upset Keith.

"Wow," he grinned. "You even warned me and I didn't have time to flinch. You are a fast son of a bitch, aren't you?"

"I guess," I answered with a shrug. "I've never had anyone to compare myself to. I'm not as strong as you are, not as large. I have to have something going for me."

"That you do," Keith agreed. "You make a pretty scrawny wolf, Conor. Someone should feed you more."

"I eat," I protested. "Everyone says that I'm too skinny; humans are just...fatter is all."

"If you say so," Casey observed. "We'll leave in the morning. That way if we come back tomorrow, we'll have time. Will you be fit to run then?"

"If I eat this evening, yes," I answered. "Dawn or later?"

"Oh, definitely later," Casey laughed. "I'm not a morning person, Conor."

"Thank you," I told Keith.

"Don't thank me, thank Casey," he answered. "Though I'd have to be blind and dumb to see you don't want to be here."

"Thank god you're not blind," Casey teased.

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