PREVIOUS:
After enjoying the blissful feel of the ocean I hurried over to Kenna, the tire and dehydration that possessed me earlier seeming to be nothing more than a mere memory. Kenna looked to the brush of trees and smiled at me, “By the way, I won.”
“Won what?”
“The race!” she laughed and glanced back over to the collection of forests again.
“What’re you looking for?” I asked her, peering into the wooded area.
“Josh,” she gave me an apologetic smile.
CHAPTER 10:
I shrugged, deciding that I didn’t mind too much. We both stood there as the sky above us moved, concealing the light of the sun that would send my skin prickling with delight, and instead the cold air dug under my pores and pushed up goose bumps. It was only moments later that the large midnight wolf broke away from the trees, a solid contrast against the pallid sand. This time, fear didn’t bristle up my spine; I just waited as patiently as Kenna was, my mind drifting to a far off world where things were as conducted at the instruments of a symphony orchestra.
Kenna smiled, “Hey, Josh we beat you!”
He smiled a ridiculously wolfy smile and approached, bowing his head slightly.
“Oh really?” Kenna raised her eyebrows.
My eyes turned to Kenna, confusion consuming me, “What?”
“What?” She looked to me, her expression blank, revealing nothing of what she had been questioning.
I rolled my eyes, unable to find the will to carry a challenging conversation with Kenna, whom always seemed to back me into the corner. Instead, I found my attention dragged elsewhere in pure curiosity. To the fur of Josh.
I couldn’t help but conceal my inquisitiveness as I tried figuring out how his coat resembled satin. Kenna seemed to notice and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “What’re you starring at?”
My cheeks flushed and I pried my eyes away, “I…he looks fluffy.”
Kenna grinned and snickered, “He does! Why don’t you feel for yourself?”
It was my turn to laugh, “Pet him?”
“That’s one way to say it,” she laughed and Josh lowered himself, lying on his belly, seeming less intimidating without the height. His jade eyes fixed on the both of us, like he was seeing through us.
I felt the uneasiness build up again and I bit my lip, a frog rising high into my throat, but I didn’t want to reveal my fear of wolves. I didn’t wish to share my past, I wasn’t ready. So, I stepped forward and barely poked the thick hair.
Kenna made a throaty sound, as if she were scoffing and appeared right behind me. Her hands seized my elbows tightly and she lifted me onto the back of Josh. My lungs stopped working and I parted my lips to protest, but Josh rose to his feet and darted forward.
One second.
It took one second for a scream to form in my stomach, for my fingers to hold to the wolf, pulling myself forward, for the scream to be pushed back down my throat.
It took one second to adjust my weight and feel the fright slip away to astonishment.
The wind roped around my arms, whistling in the trees, and it tangled my hair, tossing it left and right. A smile lifted the sides of my lips and exhilaration ripped through me, a cry of glee finding its way up my throat. The sound of thunder shook the ground, making it tremble, making me tremble, making the trees tremble and vibrate.
YOU ARE READING
The Girl with the Red Hood
Roman d'amour"The wolves had shared many very special and cherished memories with the village people and my family. They watched us grow up. They watched us take our first steps. They watched us learn out first words and leave for school our first day. They watc...
