Finding The Keys

Chapter 41 (*)

*Maki*

We, meaning, Raven and I, spent the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening trying to teach Raven how to walk like a human. By around dinner time Raven could stand on her own and take a few short steps before almost falling to the ground.

"Walking like a human is weird!!" Raven says as I help her out to the car, she stands by the back door to the car, and waits for me to open it.

"Raven you can ride in the front seat of you want. You are not a large wolf at the moment so you will actually fit in the front seat." I say opening the driver door to the car, "just walk around to the other side using the car as a brace to keep you upright."

"Oh okay..." Raven says, quite confused but soon she made her way around to the side of the car and to the passenger side door.

There is a long pause, then Raven speaks up, "Umm....Maki how do I open the door?"
"Oh sorry!" I say quickly getting out of the car, the go around to the other side and show her, "like this!" I opened the door.
R

aven carefully got in the car using her new human body carefully. She sat down and nervous looked around her tail flicking nervously.
"Raven it's okay, it's just like a normal car ride." I say placing my hand on her shoulder.
Raven looked down at her hands, "but what will the others think of me?..."
I was shocked, "Raven, have you seen us! We are the most mix-match family ever! You apart of this family and you always will be!"
Raven looked up at me eyes wide and then that's when a saw it. Tears dripped down her pale human skin, but she was smiling, "family... That's a word I haven't heard in a long time."

*Time skip*

We drove the way home in slience. Raven played with her tail in the passenger seat while I pulled into the driveway to the apartment.
"Raven you ready to go inside?" I ask, by now it was very dark out, as it was late August. So the late summer winds blew softly rattling the leaves that are starting to change. 
"I am not sure...." She states, her tail being poofy with fear. 
"Rave it will be fine, only we live in our apartment remember. We don't live with everyone anymore."
"

Oh yeah.... I forgot...."
"Come on let's go," I said shutting off my car, "I bet your hungry"
We get out of the car and Raven follows close behind me as I unlocked the door to our apartment on the 1st floor. I take off my shoes at the door and so does Raven. But her shoes are way too small and don't fit her anymore. "Maybe that's why you had trouble walking...." I say as Raven rubs her red feet, "Tomorrow we'll go get you some new clothes. For now I think you will fit in mine."
"Okay, thank you Maki!" Raven said smiling as her ears twitch slightly.
We spent the night talking about Raven's past, she didn't remember much so soon we were going to bed.
The next morning I woke up to find Raven curled up in her dog bed, cuddling her tail. I smile softly and put a blanket over her, "Silly, you can sleep in the bed" I mummbled heading to the kitchen to make breakfast. I make eggs and bacon which are Raven's favorite, and not that hard to eat in human form. Soon she is peeking into the kitchen where before she would sit until I was done with cooking, as she was scared of most things there.
"Raven it's okay, nothing in here is going to hurt you," I say as her as she carefully makes her way into the kitchen, "just don't touch the pan on the stove, it hot still." I warn her.
"Okay," she says softly, readjusting her thick black frame glasses onto her face better. Today was Saturday so there was no school today.
I set the food on the table and Raven sits down by her bowl waiting to be fed.
"Raven you can come sit at the table, I know being human takes some getting used to but it's okay"
Raven awkwardly stood up and took a seat at the table.
"Hey Maki?"
"Yeah Raven?"
"I remembered somethings last night... While you were asleep..."
"Really? What do you remember?" I ask.
"One of the things is that I remember how old I am..."
"How old do you think?"
"21, like you."
"So how long do you think you were you stuck as a wolf?"
"A long time...."
"Well it will come back eventually"
"Maki... That's not what I ment"
"What?"
"I don't think I have ever actually been a human"
"Raven I don't understand what you mean"
"I don't think I was born human Maki. I think I was born a wolf."
"Could be that's why you don't remember how to walk or anything..."  I say as I grab a peice of bacon, eating it as Raven gives her response.
"I think I lived so long as a wolf because I am some strange magical hybrid.... Which means, if my memory serves me right, each year I lived as a wolf. Leads to just about 3 and a half years in my human form." Raven says hugging her long black tail.
"So your actually only about 6 years old..."
"Yes..."
"Most wolves only live 6 to 8 years in the wild... But in captivity, the oldest one lived to be 17...  So the average life span is about 10 years... So that puts you at..." I pause doing the math.
"35. It's likely I will only live to be 35." Raven said her tail swishing back to behind her back.
"Raven..... That's only 14 more years..."
"Yeah I know," she paused looking down then back up again, "but I would have died this past winter if it wasn't for you, and I get to spend these next 14 years with you and my new family I be forever grateful for the people who saved my life that day"

*Raven POV*

There was one thing I kept from Maki that I remembered last night. I close my eyes briefly as Maki leaves the room to go change and find me something to wear. I softly whisper something out loud, "Could he still be alive? Could Hatchet still be out there?"
Hatchet, he was my whole world, I could only faintly picture the tiny white wolf pup. In my memory, I placed him down next to the female wolf that would raise him like her own while I dissapered out of his life. In turn saving his own, Hatchet's two siblings had died when they where only a few days old. Hatchet didn't remember them to my knowledge. Soon the picture of Hatchet in my mind faded. Leaving me with two haunting questions. One, was Hatchet still alive and two, how would the others react to finding out I have a son.