Wolf and Wishes

-15- You Know What Else Is Overrated? Rules.

Yes, we had also taken the time to come up with a Plan B.

I had been impatient the entire time Raven and Daring and Dexter had been devising statergies, thinking there was no time if they wanted to reach Hunter while he was still... alive. Now the Plan B might save his life.

We realized that Gossamer not knowing that Dexter and Daring knew of my particularly wolfy self might be an advantage, hence Plan B. If anything, Plan B is a better plan than Plan A, which was basically find, and kick the crap out of, Gossamer. Don't get me wrong, if everything goes well Gossamer will surely be running for the hills tonight- that is, if she can run at all. **Cue evil laughter 😈😈😈

Daring and I sprint through the alleways and backstreets of Hood Hollows. I feel strangely rejuvinated, being surrounded by my own kind, not like how I felt around humans. If we weren't on the hunt to find and save our friends from a manipulative, lying female dog (no literally!!) I would have howled. But, you know, we were, so there was strictly no howling coming from me. We had established a few ground rules so we wouldn't be caught, at least not easily;

1. Cerise, no howling (buzzkills)

2. Raven and Dexter, no staring lovingly into each others eyes and or kissing

3. Daring don't be such an arrogant idiot that Cerise goes marching into the woods and has her head torn off by Gossamer.

I'd said 'Thanks for the vote in confidence guys!' but nobody was listening so...

Anyway, Daring and I are running towards the centre of Hood Hollows, where they have this massive, ancient lookout tower that was used back in some war between wolves and some other species.

Eventually we run out of backstreets and we have to walk on the sidewalk, heads down, passing wolf after wolf until I feel such and urge to howl Daring has to clamp my mouth shut with his hand. I turn my head to glare at him. He smirks.

"Not my problem some people can't control themselves," he says winking. I bite his hand with my sharp teeth and he yelps, removing his hand from my mouth so I can speak.

"Careful Daring, before I go running into the woods and lose my head," I growl and Daring actually looks slightly alarmed. We return to walking towards the centre.

When we reach the watchtower, Daring insists I go first. I don't hesitate. Hesitation could be the difference between Raven, Hunter and Dexter surviving the night. Instead, I bound up the old steps two stairs at a time. Daring, however, slows down around the time we get to the second platform. I look upwards at the spiral stair caze and see we have at least five more platforms (sometimes I wonder if wolves simply want to be as close to the moon as possible). I know we won't make it up and down before my friends are killed if Daring is going so slow.

"Get your sorry ass up here Daring because so help me if I have to carry you up these stairs I will not be one happy wolf!!" I yell down at him. I realize that I practically screamed to the world I was a wolf, but luckily nobody seemed to be paying much attention. Daring hesitates before slowly moving up the stares, cringing every time he lifts himself higher.

Of course, I think to myself, of course. He's afraid of heights. At first I have the urge to flip out on him and tell him to suck it up so we can get to the top, find Gossamer's hideaway and save his little brother, but I stop myself. I know what it's like to be afraid, and this wartime tower did seem like it could topple over at any moment.

"Daring," I say softly. He doesn't look up. "Daring!" I say louder this time and he glances up at me. "Go down. I'll get to the top and try and find Gossamer. You stay down there." I point at the ground. He smiles thankfully and I imagine he would say something like 'Thanks Cerise you are so awesome!' but I'm already turning my back and bolting up the stairs, trying to make up for the time Daring lost.

When I reach the top, I have the most magnificent view of Hood Hollows and the forest, just this sprawling landscape. Everything seems so insignificant up here. I'm alone on the top platform (to my slightest alarm it sways a bit in the wind). It surprises me: surely you couldn't resist the urge of the moon calling you up the stairs. Maybe it was different for me because I'd hidden my true self for so long...

Then I remembered the moon. It was so pearly white, and huge. Unearthly huge. Bigger than I had ever sern it before, like it was eager to watch down on the world tonight, anticipating tonight's events. Suddenly my gaze moved from the moon back to town, and a fiery heap lying on the edge of Hood Hollows, arouns the size of my fist. Smoke rose up in the sky that blended with the clouds. Daring and I would never have noticed the smoke if I hadn't come up here. I soon realize what the fiery heap is: it's the dragon that I had last seen Dexter and Raven riding into the night sky on a mission to save their friend. I couldn't help but let out a long, sorrowful howl letting my friends know I was coming.

Rules are overrated.