My Love but Not My Mate

Chapter 21

‘...’ – speech in wolf form

“...” – speech in human form

Chapter 21

   As it was still raining through the night, I had decided to take Blake into my cave (or the cave Tyson and I used when we were together). At first he found it a bit foreboding to be inside; he complained that it was a bit too claustrophobic but I soon assured him that he would get used to it once he was settled down and comfy.

   It was strange for me too, to be back in one of the caves that had many unhappy memories; but this time it would be completely different and I could now place some newer, happier ones around it (and the others). The last time I had been in this particular camp, and cave, was about two years ago and at the time, everything seemed normal and unchanging from all the years before. In an instinctive moment, I almost shifted my form until I saw Blake padding around next to me and soon changed my mind before hopping on to the bed of hides and curling up with my tail wrapped around me.

   ‘It smells... peculiar,’ he said, hesitating.

   I quickly sniffed the air around me and noticed the old familiar smell of myself and Tyson; my top lip curled up. ‘Yeh, that musky smell is Tyson’s scent.’

   Bobbing over, he sniffed the swirling air around me that I had disturbed when I sat down. ‘And that more flowery, subtle scent is yours.’ His wolfy chuckle settled gently on my ears and I hummed from deep within my chest as he meandered his way around the rest of the cave looking at the walls and his tail brushing on the dusty floor below his claws as the clicked on the stone.

   The swirling dust reached me and I sneezed about three times before turning onto my other side and settling down again. ‘Blake, please come and sit down. You’re making it dusty in here.’

   ‘Sorry. When was the last time you used this place?’

   ‘We have many. The last time I remember being in this one is about two years ago.’ He finally finished sniffing about and came over to join me; lying down opposite me in almost a mirror copy, but instead of his head being behind his curled tail, he had it stretched out so his nose was a couple of inches next to my cheek. Closing my eyes, I drifted off and let him sleep too.

*****

   Another month passed and I was slowly losing focus of how long I had left of being pregnant as well as how long I had been with my family; Blake kept reminding me and remaining patient with me if ever I got agitated by the smallest of things.

   Right now, I had an annoying itch on my right side and no matter how much I nipped at it or scratched it with my hind paw it would not go away.

   ‘Uh! Just go away!’ I shouted as I rubbed my side against a tree. Blake was lying down nearby and watching with his head resting on his forelegs which were outstretched in front of him. ‘Why won’t it just go away?’

   He chuckled which I snarled at. ‘Calm down. I’m sure if you just relax then it will go away. And you’d best stop soon before you start scaring the baby.’

   ‘Oh the baby will be fine, but I won’t if this itch doesn’t go away soon,’ I stated then once again started gnawing at the problematic patch of skin. That wasn’t working so I finally resorted to wriggling in my side in the dry soil beneath me (the weather had warmed up again and the ground was now cracked and dusty). ‘Grrr, Blake, this isn’t helping either,’ I complained to him.

   Sitting up, he scratched behind his left ear with his back leg before stepping over and leaning over my head. ‘Look, stop paying attention to it and it will disappear.’ I rolled fully onto my back. ‘Give yourself a break, and the pup. It’s probably traumatised after all that.’ My top lip curled up, but I remained silent. ‘Let’s go for a walk, maybe a dip in the river will help you cool off.’ He stepped away and I flipped onto my front before joining him in a light jog off towards the river.