One Pup

Chapter 6 - Overwhelmed

---Felix' POV---

My routine has slowly changed. The days where I normally took a short walk had turned into days with long walks, often until I heard my mom call out in the distance.

I didn't want to leave the forest.

I didn't want to leave someone who finally, finally understood me. The wolf had kept to the same area, slowly appearing out of the dense shrubbery whenever I started down the trail. It felt...weird, to have a companion on these walks but nice as well.

Each day that passed, I grew more comfortable with the wolf, allowing it closer to me. I don't know why but being near the creature was soothing the nervous energy coursing through my body, calmed me down whenever there was too much input at once.

Right now it was walking ahead of me, pausing regularly to look back. His ears would perk, twitching slightly as I walked closer, pausing with twitching fingers when I heard a voice call out in the distance.

Mom... Time to go back.

The wolf seemed to understand our time was up, turning around to the beginning of the path with a whine. It caused me to pull my lips up in a smile, though doing so felt...odd. I hardly ever smiled anyways. Glancing down, I watched as the wolf's shoulders drooped, head hanging low.

Sad?

It wasn't up until now that I realized the wolf paused, standing at the edge of the forest to look down the trail. Almost as if contemplating if it should come along with me.

But I have to go now... Mom spoke about family coming over...

Already I could feel bile burning my throat at the mere thought of a social gathering. Lots of sounds, sights and scents all combined in one area while I was forced to stay. To try and blend in, acting as if I wasn't overwhelmed with each sound and gesture around me.

I stopped as I heard an odd and loud sound. My hands flew to my ears as I turned back, watching and listening carefully as the wolf threw its head back and howled loudly. Unconsciously, I had kept walking as it had stopped and now it seemed to sing its sorrow to the sky.

"..."

The song cut off as it lowered its head slightly, ears tilted back before he howled again. Shuffling my weight on my feet, I couldn't control the urge to mimic him, although a lot softer, voice scratchy and broken.

But the sensation! The noise was loud, intermingling with the wolf's howl but I could feel the force of it. Vibrating through my chest, ears and throat as it kept a steady pattern. One tone, prolonged and intermingling with the other's voice into a song that fit perfectly with the sensation.

Opening my eyes, I noticed the wolf taking a few steps to the forest before walking back. He had to go but didn't want to and neither did I. Turning, I let out a deep heartfelt sigh, hand reaching up to rub over my throat. It felt nice to speak with my wolf. Really nice.

I frowned to myself as an idea came to mind. He needed a name, something else than wolf. And I had thought of this a few times in the past but hadn't expected the wolf to linger, to come back to me.

But knowing it did and actually called out to me, something I knew wolves only did when they were in packs, made me feel like I belonged. My wolf made me feel good, safe and understood.

Milo... That's what I'm going to call him.

Milo...my wolf.

I blinked and jerked back, surprised that I had walked all the way back to the porch without noticing. Already my mother was standing there, her sister and brother behind her.