Chasing Wolves (completed)

Chapter 8 Meg-Elaine

Chapter 8

Meg-Elaine

Three weeks later

Eli comes out from the trees, now in human form wearing the shorts I carried, and smiles as he starts walking towards where I'm sitting in our spot beneath the willow by the stream. Now that it's the end of spring our secret meadow is blanketed in a billion tiny multi-colored flowers and soft dark green grass. As he walks closer he bends down and picks a single purple flower, looking ridiculously cute as he holds it out to me once in front of me. He's such a big bear of a man, and the fact that he has a tiny flower between two of his fingers is just a complete juxtaposition.

I take it from him with a smile and he sits beside me, wrapping a huge arm around my shoulders as I snuggle deeper. We sit here in companionable silence for an unknown amount of time, not even caring that the sun's almost completely set, just listening to the slight breeze rustle the leaves and birds singing to each other.

Suddenly something comes through the underbrush not too far from us and we both go on high alert. Eli snarls just as I bounce up to a half-crouch and reach for my katana... clutching nothing but air as I remember that I left it back at the church. I panic, suddenly realizing that the sun's now completely down and that it could be a Werewolf. He's apparently thinking the same thing because he grabs a stick and snaps it in half, wielding the two prices as if daggers as he stands protectively in front of me.

All of this happens in a second and in the next I just about want to strangle Romulus as he comes out of the cover of trees and reveals himself. Eli snarls at him, more in exasperation than actual anger, and he just stares back blankly before pivoting and walking back where he came from. He disappears and we settle back into place, nerves still buzzing but slowly calming, and he starts to speak for the first time in who-knows-how-long.

"After Lanny's funeral he finally confided in me how they met- right before he stopped talking." I look at him, surprised that Romulus would actually tell someone, and that that someone would then tell me (although they are close friends and I'm his might-as-well-be girlfriend).

"Apparently when he was on his own he was bored one day and decided to run near a neighborhood. It's actually really fun, really scary, but fun. You have to make sure you aren't seen and if you are you have to run for your life or hide. We've played it innumerable times... Anyway, so he was doing that one day and he heard howling. He went to investigate and found Lanny being beaten by her stepdad. He saved her and let her tag along, teaching her how to be a Wolf. After a while she finally told him what had happened before he showed up.

"Apparently it was her first Shift and, since she was grounded, she was forced to Shift in the house. Her mom was at work and her stepfather found her, over reacted, and started beating her. Apparently he'd been really nice until then but then something just snapped."

Eli's quiet for a moment and then continues, "Romulus and Lanny have been together for nearly eight years now. After what happened with Romulus' mom, she's been his only family for a really long time now. He's never been one for dealing with grief and this..." He devolves into silence and I try to comfort him, wrapping his arm that's around my shoulders in a hug. He squeezes my shoulders back and I suddenly think of something.

"Back when I was still a full-time Hunter, whenever someone from our group would die those that were closest to them would go on a sort of... killing spree. It's rather therapeutic and maybe it'll help Romulus cope." He's silent for a moment and I can barely see his face in the dark, let alone read his expression. "Well?"

"I think it might work. We all have a debt to settle with those Werewolves and this will help give everyone some closure."