Fangs and Fur

Chapter 61 - Kirstie

A/N: After a long journey...we've arrived at the penultimate part (and the longest I've written for this book). Thanks so much for reading! :)

(And thank you to my good friend for betaing! You don't have a Wattpad account, but you get a shoutout anyway.)

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The evening of November 15th:

Kirstie accepted the mug of tea Kevin offered her and sniffed it tiredly as she scanned the room. Everyone was sitting in a circle in Mitch's apartment, some crammed onto the sofa and others seated on the floor. Mitch was between his parents, cradling his sling. Scott was there, next to Avi, who was talking with his sister Esther in quiet tones. Kevin made tea in the tiny kitchenette and was distributing it to everyone. Mitch only owned two mugs, so nearly everyone was given a paper cup.

Kirstie sniffed her tea again and allowed herself a tiny sip. It was the first human beverage she'd ever consumed, so the taste was alien to her. She liked it, though. There was something comforting about clutching onto the warm mug, and the steam worked wonders on curing her headache.

Kirstie still felt sentimental from Avi's heartfelt reunion with Esther earlier. Though he didn't actually cry, Kirstie could tell Avi was tearing up with emotion. Since they'd met, Avi and Esther had been inseparable, sharing whispered fragments of old memories and filling each other in on the times they'd missed. Kirstie could tell that Esther was like Avi: kind and led by her heart. Kirstie wished she had family like Esther; she couldn't remember anything about her human father, the only member of her family that might still be alive.

Mitch had been given the all-clear to leave the hospital about an hour ago, and since then everyone had congregated here.

Kevin settled down against the wall next to Esther, a paper cup of tea for himself in his hands. With the beatboxer seated, the circle was complete. For a moment, everyone sipped their tea in comfortable silence. What now? Kirstie found herself wondering. It struck her just how very little she knew about most of the people in the circle.

Esther was the first to address the group as a whole. "So, I've been reunited with my dear brother, and I've met Kirstie and Mitch, but I don't think we've been formally introduced...?" she said good-naturedly, smiling at Scott.

"Hi, I'm Scott," Scott said goofily. Mitch grinned at him, and any tension in the room dissolved instantly.

"Okay, so, bear with me a second," Esther continued. "Scott and Avi, you guys are werewolves, right? At least partially."

"Yeah," Scott said, while Avi nodded.

Esther bit her lip briefly and leaned forward. "So, you can turn into wolves, right? Can you show us...?"

"Oh my gosh, Esther," Kevin chuckled. "That such a weird thing to ask!"

"I'm just curious," Esther said, smiling. Kirstie had to admit she wanted to see Scott and Avi transform as well. She'd only ever seen Avi in wolf form, and it was only once - the first time they met. Everyone else in the room leaned forward as well, interested to see the wolves.

Scott and Avi exchanged a glance and shrugged. "I don't see why not," Scott said. The two got to their feet and moved to the middle of the circle. They spaced themselves out a bit and, without further ado, transformed. One second, Kirstie was looking at two men; the next, two enormous wolves were crammed into the center of their circle. Nel and Esther gasped, and Mike jumped backwards in his seat. One of the wolves blinked its amber eyes and nuzzled Mitch's leg.

"Scott," Kirstie laughed, and the wolf looked innocently back at her. Avi rolled his golden eyes and sat back on his haunches. Esther reached out a hand as if to pet his pelt, but pulled back at the last second.