Behind Lies A Wolf

Four

After leaving the diner I walked around the woods surrounding my new home. It was the best way I could think of to soothe my anxieties.

'I can't believe you actually agreed to meet with them tomorrow, considering how badly you wanted out of there.' She was right, but I am more compliant in real life than I am in my head, I couldn't refuse for no reason.

Tomorrow is the full moon. Their senses will be even more heightened. It was sheer luck I went by unnoticed today. "What do I do?"

'Do what creatures have been doing for millennia and mask your scent.'

"Will that really work?"

'It will work against the inexperienced human half.'

"And the wolf half?" I asked uneasily.

'You needn't worry. I picked up on a few things during that lunch date of yours. Their wolves will keep your secret, I will make sure of that. It's not like they look to their wolves for guidance anyways, so I doubt their wolves would out me.'

"Can you speak to the other wolves?"

'No, they are locked away, they can only look through the bars. However, I can sense certain things, but we can't converse.'

"Oh." Was all I said. Part of me felt sad, like a great injustice was being done. Being persecuted for simply being what you are. And the only reason the humans feel this way is because it is what they were told to do. I stopped feeling sad and started feeling angry. I had no way to vent my anger but to run. I must have run almost an entire mile before I got back to my shack of a house but still felt my anger lingering.

'You humans are so turbulent with your emotions.'

I ignored her and decided to kill the time by attempting to make my set up more homey. I arranged rocks between trees to make act as a border around the back and sides leaving the front open. I placed citronella tiki torches around the barrier, hoping that would be enough to keep the mosquitos at bay. I swept away the pine needles and threw down a tarp, it was as good a home as I was going to get right now.

After I finished several hours had gone by and it was evening.

'How about you let me run free now, child?'

"No." I said. I wasn't mad that she called me child even though it was probably her intention to talk down to me, I was just a kid after all. Once I had all my shit figured out then I will be worthy of being an adult. "If I let you run around the woods all night I will be too exhausted for tomorrow night's change."

'I understand.' She told me. I have only had a few conversations with her and yet I knew that her amiable reply would scarcely show itself again. 'After all, if you're tired, I'll be tired.' I think she was trying to cover up any speck of kindness she showed with an excuse.

"Then why even ask?" I shot back at her.

Her face twitched in equal parts anger and embarrassment after hearing my sudden challenge to her. 'If you must know,' she started angrily, 'the nearing full moon is beckoning me forward. Even a wolf has no control of their shift on a full moon. I couldn't stop it even if I wanted to, the call of the moon is too strong.'

"Oh." I said, defeated. She had a comeback for everything and I can't fight her on a subject she is well versed in. She raised her head triumphantly. "Let's just eat, read, and go to bed."

'Well aren't you fun.' She said, getting the last word in before I started on my mundane evening.

----------------------------------------------------