CatBoy[ON HOLD]

Chapter 8

Hana awoke to Maeko sleeping still beside her. Carefully, she got up and walked outside. As she passed the other villagers, they whispered about her. She didn't care, as they respected her from her bravery.

She walked into the guards hut, nodding to the two guards, Rusty and Willow. They were the two best guards in camp.

She walked into the back room, lighting an oil lantern. On a center table sat papers, from maps to battle plans.

Hana shuffled through the papers, finding a blank one. She grabbed a pen and a bottle of ink, then sat down.

She drew a sketch of Maeko, his sleeping face soft and calm. No one knew of her ability to draw so well.

She shaded the drawing, and then took it to a drawer she used to store her pictures. She put it next to the drawing she had made of the standoff between Maeko and the wolf.

A few hours later, Hana had gone back to check on Maeko. He was sitting up in the bed, staring at the ceiling. His head slowly turned as she walked

She was silent. Maeko opened his mouth and uttered the first word he had said in a while.

"Hana."

Hana's eyes widened, her mouth Breaking into a smile. Suddenly, he leapt out of the bed and jumped into her arms.

Hana and Maeko stood there, arms wrapped around each other. "Hana. I... I love you."

Hana hugged him tighter. "I love you too."

They pulled apart. Maeko looked down, his cheeks red. "I.. I'm sorry for how I've been the past month. I've not been a good friend."

Hana shook her head. "No. You are a good friend. I understand that you were hurting. I've been through it before." They both sat down by the fire.

"My mother, my real mother, not the one I lived with, she... she died when I was only 6. I still lived with my pack then. My father hated me. He said I was just a stupid mutt. That my mother was dumb to love me. I ran away. My step-mom found me and took me in. Memories of my former life as a pack-member faded as I become more human. But it never left. I am not a human and will never be one." Hana rocked back and forth, her eyes seeing another time.

Maeko was silent. How similar were their timelines? Both their parents had died or hated them. Now they were alone. But they had each other.