Jealousy Can Be Flattering

Chapter Seven [In Editing]

The sound of thudding paws on the pavement met my ears as I leapt over the school fence. I landed roughly, jostling Desmond on my back. I ran parallel to fence and headed for the ovals. I made my way out of the school grounds and to the creek a fair ways down the road. In the dense bushland I stopped. I lay myself down and allowed Desmond to get off my back. I shifted back, unnerved by my nakedness.

"Where to now? Do you want me to take you to your den or stronghold or castle? Wherever it is that you people hide." I said.

"Just a few click's north of here we have a residence that we use as an outpost. I'll collect some weapons there, then take you to our main building."

I nodded. Sounds fair. He'd want to be able to boast about it when he killed the Alpha's supposed daughter. I shifted and crouched, waiting for him to climb on. I turned and began running north towards this residence of his.

~*~

The residence appeared rather plain and unassuming. Just a small, red brick, one story house in a typical suburb. I was lucky for the time of day, everyone would be at work, no one to see me. There was nothing that would mark it as odd or out of place. To a human. To a werewolf it reeked of a hunters scent. Typically, each person had their own unique scent, however, their affiliation causes that scent to alter. Humans tend to be very earthy, almost like an undertone of dirt or freshly watered soil. Wolves have an odd cross between roses and rain. Suitable I supposed, considering our mixed heritage. Hunters on the other hand have this foul stench of pollen and freshly mown grass. To a human it is a perfectly nice smell, but to a wolf it is a horrid concoction that leaves one in fits of sneezing. This was where the idea of hayfever came from. Desmond chuckled softly as he lay on the grass in front of the house. I had involuntarily begun sneezing the moment the scent his my nostrils and had thrown him off my back in the process.

I snorted and bounded across the street, out of range of the worst of the smell. I lay my head down between my paws as Desmond entered the house.

After twenty minutes my violent sneezes subsided and fade away. My body was just beginning to recover from the ordeal when a weight pressed on my back.

"Now, head west for two or three miles." He chuckled and continued, "If you start sneezing, we're there." He did a little half smile, then gripped my fur and kicked my ribs with his boots.

"YAH!" his elbows flailed comically. I turned my head and snapped at him. I was not a his prancing little Arab. He looked at me, wide eyed with fear. I rolled my eyes and went trotting off to the west. I hoped Joel hadn't caught my scent yet.

~*~

I'd been running and sneezing for ten minutes at this point. When would it end? Desmond gripped the fur in his right hand tightly and tugged. I veered to the right and headed straight for the mansion I could just see through the trees. At the front door, I was met with a lot of hostiles aiming weapons at me. Mostly modern semi-automatic's but a few held some slightly older models. Nothing absolutely rare though. Good, I'd hate to destroy a perfectly good antique.

Desmond straightened up and placed himself in full view of the hostiles, raising his arms in an "I'm not dangerous" sort of gesture. They lowered their weapons, but didn't remove their fingers from the triggers.

"This wolf is with me. I have made a bargain with her that only Our Fearless Leader may know of."

"Long may he live, that he may die!" The hostiles chanted.

"I request entry into this residence, that I may speak with Our Fearless Leader of a matter of great importance."

One man stepped forward from the crowd. "Our Fearless Leader accepts your request, so long that your companion will first return to her human form." I growled threateningly. Desmond eas one thing. A whole pack of hunters. Never.