Love Encounter

Chapter Two: Shooting In the Woods

CHAPTER TWO

I wake up early in the morning not quite sure what time it is because I don’t have a watch. But by looking at the sun it looks like its about six o’clock. Perfect. I want to be home by at least seven but now that I can transform I’ll probably be home by six forty. I quickly pack up my stuff and push it into one corner, I won’t be able to carry that while in wolf form. I go back into wolf form this time the tingling is so I can hardly feel it. It’s like when you pull a prickle out of your foot, it hurts but its a good hurt. I on my feet and ready to swerve through the trees and feel the air brushing past my fur. 

I sprint for what feels like  ten minutes but in reality it was just over half an hour. As I approach the village I quickly change back into human form just in the line of trees before the clearing. I look at the gates hoping to see Ava and Scott or even Mum. But no one. It doesn’t matter I decide I’ll just go see Mum instead. I walk on the dirt road that separates to lines of houses. I get to my Mum’s cottage. I’ve always loved her front garden. The front wooden fence is lined with roses cream ones. With a dogwood tree as the centre piece.  

I walk up the path and knock on the front door three times. It takes a while but eventually I hear slow tired footsteps coming towards me. 

“Tell me who knocks on the door at 6:15 in the morning don’t you know the meaning of a SLEEP IN!” I hear her yelling. Oops a bit earlier than I thought. Suddenly the door flies open with a big whoosh.

“REAL-” She cuts herself off. And switches back into nice Mum mood. “Hey sweetie your home, how’d it go?” She asks.

“It was amazing! But can I come in first.” I say giving her a little nudge to invite me inside. It’s cold out here.

“Oh yeah sure, sorry sweetie completely forgot.” She says leading me inside. Mum’s house is basically like all the other cottages. Mum’s is one of the bigger ones so it has three rooms. A bedroom, a bathroom and and family room/Kitchen. Right now we are in the family room. All thats in it is a very old fridge, a raggy old checkered couch, a small circular table with a wooden chair and unlike others a small T.V on an old dresser. Altogether its nothing to special.

“How was your night? You didn’t catch a cold out in the cold did you? Did it hurt too much?” She fires worried sounding questions at me.

“Mum settle down. My night was everything I ever wished for. No, I didn’t catch a cold I feel fine. It hurt but it was bearable.” I say not trying to like I was being smart. “Well sorry Mum put I want to go and see Ava and Scott now bye. I love you.” I say retreating to the door.

“Bye honey.” I hear Mum say in the distance but I’m long gone.

I start half jogging half walking towards mine and Ava’s cottage hoping she’ll be there. I run for about five minutes before I see the numbers 189 on the front gate that is starting to fall apart. I look at our cottage and the garden is hideous. There are about three shrubs in there and they are all dead, leaving snapped twigs and broken branches over the ground. The only thing still alive is a eucalyptus tree in the far corner. I walk straight up the two metre path praying Ava will be in there. I walk straight in not even bothering to knock. It is my house after all. I open the door to find Ava asleep on the the top bunk, and on the bottom bunk all my stuff chucked on the dirty ground and Scott sleeping in it. Great. I go over to the table and knock the plastic plate onto the ground. Hoping the noise will wake one of them up.

“WHAT THE!” Scott yells. “Tilda!” He yells even louder. He jumps out of my bed. With only his australian flag boxer shorts on and throws a hug my way.

“Your back! How are you?” He asks squeezing me so hard I feel like I can’t breath.

“Fine. Fine.” I say sick already of everyone asking that.

“Ava, Ava wake up.” Scott climbs up the buck bed ladder and shakes Ava’s shoulders. 

“Leave me alone.” Ava says quietly in a tired voice.

“Tilda’s back.” Scott tells her to get her motivated.

“TILDA!” She yells jumping straight from the top bunk. She runs straight towards me and nearly knocks me to the ground.

“Hello to you to.” I say being sarcastic.

“Are you alright. No stupid question. You are probably sick of that question.” She hugs me again.

A week later

I'm running through the forest ears alert and eyes open. I can feel the cool night air brushing against my dark black fur that takes after my hair when not transformed. I'm so grateful i got a chance at this amazing life. Even though I have only been able to transform for a week I feel like I have been in this body for a lifetime. Ava’s beside me sharing this whole journey with me. When transformed Ava is even more beautiful than in real life. She has shining blonde fur with piercing blue eyes to match. BANG! BANG! Both of our ears twitch up, scared of the noise we just heard. We sprint to the source of the sound. BANG! A boy. With a gun. This is bad, he is shooting deers, birds anything. I look to see if I recognise him from school. He has dark brown hair about the length of his shoulders, with luring brown eyes. He’s wearing a blue tank shirt with some red pants that come to just above his knees. Ava and I step into the clearing where he stands, as soon as he sees us he immediately turns into a dark brown wolf and runs away. 

Both of us are shaken by our encounter with the strange teenage boy around our age.