Animalistic

4

The burning in my shoulder lessened to a dull beating, it was there, god I was so aware it was there, but it was barely there. After a few more moments of lying there the rushing of the crowd begins to die off and I spring up, taking off after the crowd now several yards ahead of me, there was no way I was getting marked and lost in these damn woods. My legs burned, but I eventually caught up to the group as they approached the pack house, coming to a halt. As I shifted through the crowd searching for the triplets, the whispers around me were painfully loud and obvious.

"Did you hear that cry?"

"Yeah, sounded sensual."

"Oooh I bet something dirty was going down!"

"No way, not this early in the week.

"If it were third day I'd believe you."

Shit, I was too loud. And no one can shut up about it, when I finally found my friends I realized they couldn't either. "Oh, how romantic, must have been love at first sight!" Audri exclaims.

Her sister throws her a disgusted look "More like a bit of scandalous situation gone wrong, bet they'll be regretting it tomorrow." Yeah, I was regretting it now and I didn't even have a choice!

"You both could be wrong and it was two guys fighting over a mate."

"Yeah no, that was not a cry of pain, that was a cry of pleasure." Audri tossed her head and gave a little eyebrow raise, prompting Savannah to put a paw over her face to silence her. "HEY!" I couldn't have arrived at a better time, waltzing up just as the Alpha howled for our attention, keeping my friends from asking any questions and letting me formulate an excuse in my head.

"Males please follow me, Females will follow my wife, we will escort you to changing rooms where you can comfortably turn back." With that the Alpha walked to the left side of the house, the males following suit. The girls turned to take me in and I was glad I had rubbed my wound against the ground, covering the blood and bite mark with dirt to make it seem as if I had just fallen instead of forcefully partaking in any marking.

"Hey Jas, where ya been? I thought I saw you on the run back but you weren't anywhere near us." Audri, Savannah and I along with the rest of the females follow the Lady Alpha to the right side of the house.

"Yeah, you were there one second then gone the next." Savannah eyes me curiously and I feel as if I was going to break right then and there.

"Well, I tripped, fell down and got the wind knocked out of me. I'm not all that good at runs, you should know that." I reply, thankfully keeping my voice from its usual high pitch when I lie.

"Did you hear the cry or see anything while you were down?" Audri flipped herself into full gossip mode as we approached temporary, individual changing rooms lined up across the side of the house. We enter lines for each of the rooms and I shake my head.

"I mean I heard it, didn't see anything though." It wasn't a complete lie, I still don't know who marked me.

"Too bad, I would kill to know who would mark so early on!" An awkward laugh tumbles out of me as we approach the changing rooms and I give small retort before entering. I was glad to finally be alone and given the privacy to transform back without others around to see my mark. The small wooden structure seemed sturdy enough to keep my chatty friends out. I mean it wouldn't be that bad to let them know...actually, knowing Audri, it would be pure torture. They'll find out eventually. I'll tell them...Just not now, not until I have more information.

The mirror against the wall of the house captured my transformation from a muddy reddish brown wolf to a dirt smudged small tanned girl with long orange hair and crystal blue eyes, freckles dotting her nose and shoulders along with large canine sized piercings along side those freckles. My hand runs over the bite along the top of my shoulder, close to my collar bone, wincing at the burning sensation still present. Back in my human form, the bite looks much larger, deeper, and more noticeable. Turning to the rack of spare clothing I see a few tank tops in my size, but those would not be contusive to hiding my mark, so I find a white T-shirt in a much too large size, fitting me as a short dress, almost completely covering the shorts I pull on under it. Spinning to make sure I haven't bled through any parts of the white shirt, I check myself over, sighing at my familiar face, vacant of the magic from my mother's makeup. Satisfied with my reflection, I exit the small room and see both Audri and Savannah waiting near the edge of the house, talking lowly about something I approach and they both suspiciously shush each other.