The Turn of a Page

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

            So recently things had been going a bit weird, but after a fair few weeks Baz and I had sorted out our problems and were back on track. The other four had no idea about what had happened but they had picked up on some differences between us now and again, even Charlie; it took some work but Baz eventually got him off his back (though not when they played around outside in the sun).

            Baz had become a little clingy, in a sort of sense, as he kept his eyes on me whenever he could; he started to really dislike the times we were apart in school (when we had different subjects or when one of us was free and the other wasn’t).

            It took awhile to reassure him that I was keeping as far away from the drama studios as I could; which was true and whenever I caught a glimpse of Cayleb around I soon made myself scarce and wandered off in the opposite direction. It was the same when I saw a wolf that had a very similar hue to Cayleb’s, it put me on edge and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end in case it was him (I always hoped it wasn’t).

            Right now, we were once again sat on the field; the weather was still warm and my friends and I were bathing in the sun’s warmth. I was lying with my legs stretched out in front of me, my head was resting against Baz’s chest and he lay behind me stretched out, paws over his nose to keep it out of the heat. Now and again, I had to pin his tail down as it swished into my face; the soothing beat of his heart and breathing soon sent me into a daydream state as I sat reading one of my favourite novels (I had taken up reading again to try and pass the time away now I wasn’t in the play).

            My eyes trailed over the dry pages, taking in the story as it slowly unfolded; as I came onto one rather good part the words were obscured by a shadow that came from something over my shoulder. Averting my eyes and turning my head, a large greenish brown eye was staring back at me; I smiled instantly and raised my head to stroke him between the ears before we both settled back down again.

            ‘You know when she does that it looks as if you’re her dog?’ Derek said from the other side of our staggered circle.

            I felt Baz raise his head and shoulders and looked over at him, he didn’t growl or bark but I had a suspicion that his ears might have either be pricked up or were laid back warningly; in any case, he was definitely looking at Derek in some sort of way that meant he should shut up. Keeping my head bowed as though I was still reading, I lifted my eyes up and stared in Derek’s general direction and saw he was staring at me (or Baz) in the same sort of sniggering look.

            A few minutes later, without any hint, Baz stood up. Front legs first, then shoulders and chest, his body stretching in the process as he got up onto all fours. Meanwhile, I fell backwards and lost my page in my book.

            ‘A nudge would have sufficed,’ I pointed out. He simply put his nose to my cheek before running off around the field. I watched as he ran, admiring how his mane and tail trailed behind in the air; sometimes I wondered how fast he was compared to other male wolves in the school. He was certainly a little larger or broader than some of them (independent of human sizes and builds). Anyway, he was soon back by us and had jumped the last few metres clearing Charlie as he still lay asleep on his back with his legs tucked into his body. Trotting the last few paces over to me, he dropped his head and rested his chin to my chest; I wrapped my arms round his neck and buried my face into his mane, though it was a bit tickly. ‘You know I was wondering.’ I started to speak my mind. ‘But who’s the fastest in the school?’ He lifted his head and sniffed while shaking his head, then poised himself looking very proud with one leg off the ground and his stance very strong as though he was listening for something at the same time. ‘You? Ok, you are fast, but the fastest? Hmmm.’