Chase the Moon (On Hold)

Twenty Two

The warmth of the midday sun caressed my face as I tilted my head up towards the sky. I wished it never had to set, and that the moon never had the chance to lure out the beast inside of me.

In a perfect world, there would be no such thing as werewolves. I would've lived a peaceful childhood with my parents by my side every step of the way. They'd have been there to teach me how to drive. They'd have been there when I brought home my first girlfriend. They'd have been there when I graduated and went off to college. And most importantly, they would have been there.

But this wasn't a perfect world.

It wasn't all bad, though. Even though my parents were gone, I ended up being raised by a wonderful woman with supreme cooking skills, I made friends with some pretty extraordinary people, and even though I had a monster living inside me, I was still paired with the most beautiful girl in the world.

I guess I couldn't complain too much.

Sitting down at the base of a tree, I closed my eyes and rested my head against the rough bark. After letting out a deep sigh, I opened up my senses and took in the world around me.

The sweet melody of a bird in the distance echoed through the forest. I listened to its song and simply absorbed its joyful tune until it stopped singing and flew into the sky.

In its absence, my ears latched onto the gentle shush of the breeze as it swooped through the trees and leaves. As the wind picked up and died down periodically, I nearly convinced myself I was listening to the sounds of an ocean.

I was too far west for that, though. Maybe I'd take Amelia to the beach someday.

Switchings my focus to my nose, I inhaled and set about distinguishing the earthy scents of these woods.

I smelt the sweet scent of tree sap clinging to a nearby maple. I smelt the dampness of weighed down leaves on the forest floor. I smelt the dark earth beneath me, and somewhere close was the source of the fresh scent of running water.

I hadn't done this in a while. Just sat and took in the world through each of my senses. I'd nearly forgotten how calming it was. I'd nearly forgotten how much it grounded me.

This is what I really needed. A relaxed moment in the middle of the woods.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Crunch.

... Crunch.

I opened my eyes to the sound of approaching footsteps. I would've gotten up and left, but by the time the thought crossed my mind, a teenage boy was already stepping into view.

He paused when he saw me.

"I'm sorry," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking down at his tattered Converse. "I didn't realize anyone was out here."

"No, it's fine," I found myself saying. "What brings you out here?"

"I come here to think a lot," the boy said.

"Oh," I said. "Is this your land then?"

"Um, no," the boy replied, looking around at the trees. "This is all public property."

"Ah," I said, glancing around, too. "I can leave if you want. You have more right to this spot than I do, and I've been here long enough anyway."

"No that's okay," the boy replied, taking a seat by a tree a safe distance away from him. "You don't have to leave. What's your name?"

"Mark," I told him.

"Johnny," he told me.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too," he said, staring out into the trees. "So what about you? What brings you out here?"

"An inexplicable urge to walk 3000 kilometers," I replied honestly.

I glanced at Johnny to see he had both eyebrows raised high on his forehead.

"3000 kilometers?" He said with a tone of disbelief. "What is that? Like 2000 miles?"

"Something along those lines."

"How far are you? Where are you from?"

Shrugging, I said, "I'm from around Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. I've already reached New York City, but I came back this way because the buildings and people kind of make me claustrophobic. I just needed some fresh air, you know?"

"Yeah, I don't like the city too much either. There's way to much going on all the time and nobody really stops to appreciate life."

"Yeah," I agreed, thinking about all of the cars and people bustling about in the city.

"So why'd you do it?" He asked.

"What?" I pulled myself from my thoughts and looked back at him.

"Why'd you walk all this way? You can't just do something like that without a reason."

"Oh," I sighed and closed my eyes again, resting my head against the bark. I could hear the steady beat of his heart in his chest and his quiet intakes of breath. Finally, I answered his question. "For a girl."

"Damn," he chuckled. "She must be damned special."

"She is," I told him with a smile. "She just doesn't know it yet."

We fell into a comfortable silence then, and after a good while, I turned to him and asked, "So what did you come here to think about?"

Sighing deeply, Johnny glanced over at me and said, "I guess there's no harm in telling you since you probably won't stick around here long enough to tell anyone."

"My lips are sealed," I made the motion of zipping my lips and throwing away the key.

Sighing again, he looked out into the forest and began, "Have you ever had feelings for someone, but you don't ever make a move because you're afraid of rejection?"

Rejection. It was a powerful word in the werewolf world. It was one of the only ways for someone to break the mate bond. I prayed Amelia would never find out about it, because at this point, she probably would've used it.

"I don't think you have to worry about rejection, Johnny. I don't know a lot about you, but I'm sure any girl would be lucky to have you."

He sighed again and shook his head softly. "It's not that simple."

"Why isn't it?"

"Well, for starters, he isn't a girl."

"And?"

"Well, he's a guy..." Johnny trailed off, fidgeting with a loose string on his pants.

"I still don't see the problem."

"I don't even know if he's open to it."

"Love's not complicated, Johnny. If you tell him and he rejects you, then he was never meant to be with you from the start. You might feel sad for a while, but you'll pick yourself up and try again eventually. There's someone out there for everyone, and life has a funny way of bringing soulmates together. You just have to be patient until you find each other. Maybe this kid is your soulmate. Maybe he isn't. In the end, you'll end up where you need to be. Until then, all you can do is take risks. Put yourself out there. Otherwise you'll waste time sitting around and waiting for life to happen. I've been waiting a long time, and I'm finally taking a risk to go after what is important to me. Sometimes, it's worth that risk."

Standing up, Johnny brushed off his pants and said, "That's probably the most decent advice I've gotten so far. Thanks, Mark."

"No problem kid. You better get home before it gets dark."

"Yeah," he agreed, looking up to see the position of the sun. "Thanks again. Good luck with your city girl."

"And good luck with your guy."

After Johnny was out of his hearing distance, I closed my eyes again and sighed. The moon would be out soon, and with it, so would the beast.