Remember Me

Chapter 18

Ava

We meet outside of the garage at Moira's house. It's twilight, and she's home alone. Her stepmother went to town with a friend, and Nate went with Alec to one of his music gigs. Everything is quiet until the large wolf prowls into view. Her eyes look from me and Moira to the cage. She growls softly and approaches it.

I notice her tail is tucked and her neck in stretched out as she sniffs it warily.

She's becoming more wolf. I exchange a look with Moira and see she is thinking the same thing.

Lupa, meanwhile, is very carefully examining the cage more. She takes hesitant steps in, her ears swivelling from side to side as she takes in the noises around her. Moira looks worried. She tries to approach Lupa from the side, but she spooks. She scrambles out of the cage, her claws scratching the metal floor in her hurry.

Moira backs up fast, but Lupa is already across the street at the edge of the woods. Her brow is furrowed and she glares at Moira and I with glistening fangs revealed.

"What's wrong with her?" Moira murmurs to me, alarm showing on her face.

"The time of the year is making her more like a real wolf," I whisper back, afraid to make too many sudden moves incase Lupa gets even more scared and runs off. "It's making her start to lose control. It happens gradually, like I've seen her sometimes act more like a wolf than a human, but I think in September it speeds up a little bit."

"Well how are we going to get her into the cage?"

"Let me try. If you have any meat inside, go get it. We may have to trick her into going in."

Moira nods and heads inside. I take a step towards Lupa, who is just standing hesitantly halfway into the brush. As I approach her, she growls warningly and snaps her teeth. I pause, the action bringing me back to the first day I saw her as a wolf. I close my eyes, remembering her teeth digging into my arm, remembering the way she tossed me from side to side, remembering the pain. I take a deep breath and open my eyes again. Lupa has receded further into the shadows underneath the trees, her golden eyes flashing dangerously.

"Lupa," I whisper softly, "Come on, Lu, it's me. You know me. Don't you?"

The wolf growls and snaps her teeth again. Her eyes are wide and frightened, and her ears are flat against her skull. I try to submit to Lupa, but it seems to agitate her more. Her tail tucks and she whines, taking another step backwards.

No, wait! I call in my head. What was it Mel told me? I wrack my brain for the answer when it suddenly comes to me.

Never submit to a low ranking wolf. Thinking a low ranking wolf is a dominant one will agitate and confuse the wolf, perhaps even making it attack you.

I think for a moment and then get level with Lupa. It is difficult to not take on the belly up position of submission to this impressive she-wolf, but I fight my instinctive fear and steel myself as I straighten my arms and legs and raise my head. I puff out my chest and try my best at a growl, even though it is pathetic because I am human. Slowly, I rise to stand on two legs again, and keep my legs locked. I furrow my brow and try to bare my teeth at her. Lupa looks confused at first, but when I pretend to pounce at her, she whines and flattens herself to the ground. I stare intensely at her, taking a few steps until I tower over the grovelling wolf.

She whines and licks at my chin. I nod my head and turn around, walking towards the cage again. Moira has returned, and she sees the large wolf following me, her jaw drops. I make my way towards the cage.

I pause at the entrance and mutter, "Is there a back door on the cage?"

She nods her head and I crawl in.