"I take back what I said the first time we met. I never could have been more wrong."
"Oh, and what would that be?"
"Every thing about you - every thing you do, or say, or even when you scrunch your nose when you don't really like something - just ma...
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WHEN I WOKE UP, I had no idea where I was. The only thing I knew was there was an incessant yipping right next to my ear. Wrenching my eyes open, I tried to take note of the most important parts. The sky was dark, so night had fallen. The air was still quite warm, so it wasn't too late into the night. The scent of rain had washed away, meaning that the rain and the wind had stopped shortly after I had fallen asleep; figures. And again with this fucking yipping. Grunting, I stood up and brushed the dirt off my body. Looking over the mass of leaves and petals, I made out a small fur ball, wagging its tail happily as it looked up at me. I could hardly see its little pink tongue, and I knew from the sound that the little guy was panting as cheerfully as he was wagging.
That innocent, adorable expression on his face made it impossible for me to not grin back at him. "Well hello there, little guy," I giggle, pushing my way out of the tall plants so I can bend down and play with him. He leaps into my lap, licking at any open skin he can find. "Aren't you just the cutest," I grin, playing with him for what feels like hours.
Sighing, I finally stand up anad brush myself off. To my surprise, the little guy begins to follow me. I hadn't seen a collar on his neck, nor a tag anywhere on him. He just continues to yip and yap merrily along, trailing right behind my feet. Never too close for me to step on him, he copies every moment I make to the best of his ability. When I speed up, so does he. When I slow down, he does the same. And when I stop or change direction in attempt to shake him off, he just continues on, seeming all too content in my company.
It seemed odd, but it felt like he was meant to be here with me. It seemed like he was supposed to find me, to be with me. So I shook it off and made my way back to Billy and Jake's, opening the door wide to smell of food on the stove. "There she is!" Billy cheers at the sound of the front door. "Where were you?"
"I was on a-" I get cut off by the little guy skittering around the room, yipping happily. "Walk..." I trail off.
"What the fu-"
"Language," Billy and I tease Jake at the same time. When Billy's attention gets diverted to the furball, Jake slyly flips me off. I can only respond with a sassy wink back in his direction.
"Now who is this little rascal?" Billy asks, rolling over to him with a smile on his face.
"I don't know," I answer honestly. "The little guy just found me in the forest and followed me back. He refused to leave me." Billy looked up, his eyes wide and his hand hovering over the dog's head.
"Did he now?" Billy asks, a seemingly large grin splitting his face in half. "Does he have an owner?"
"Not that I know of," I shrug.
"Looks like we oughtta keep him around then, eh?" Billy asks, rubbing Furball's head as it tries to get as close to Billy as possible. "So, what do you wanna name him?"
"Me?" I ask, shocked. Billy lets out a little humored laugh.
"Yeah, Josie. You're the one he's attached to!"
"Uh, I mean," I trail off. "I dunno. I wasn't really considering keeping him around. I wanted to try and see if I could find his original home."
"Awe, c'mon Josie," Jake chuckles, looking down at the floor. "Look at that little face. How could you say no to that?" All three of us look down to Furball, whose innocent eyes are staring up at me hopefully. He begins to let out a little whine. Sighing, I look over to the two men in the room who are trying to hold the same expression as the dog.
"Alright, fine," I mutter, throwing my hands up. All three boys--including the dog--being to cheer. I can only laugh briefly. "You're ridiculous," I giggle. "Why do I feel like the parent in the rooom?"
"Cause Dad and I are the same maturity," Jake laughs out, running away as Billy chases him, trying to knock Jake in the ankles.
"Boys," I say quietly, smiling fondly and watching the father-son pair in front of me mess around. "Right buddy?" I ask, looking down. Furball just yips back at me, a happy look on his face.
<>
I couldn't fall asleep. I was tossing and turning. I was trembling in fear. It was windy outside, and I didn't know if it was from me, or if it was supposed to be that way. Every voice in my head was screaming that I was a freak of nature. So at about 5 in the morning, after countless hours lying in a small twin bed, in the room of a girl I hadn't had the priviledge of talking to in years, I finally sighed and sat up.
Shoving myself off the bed, I grunt when my feet touch the lukewarm floor. Furball stirs a little bit but quickly settles back down, his snore sounding more like a quiet but rhythmic whistle. I stumbled into the kitchen, refraining from turning the lights on in fear of waking someone up. "Just get up, Josie?" Billy's voice asks me from out of the darkness. I let out a not-so-quiet yelp, jumping around and clutching a hand to my chest.
"Jesus, Billy!" I exclaim, not caring that I'm a little loud. Jake slept like the dead. "You scared the hell out of me!"
"Sorry," he offers, continuing to chuckle. "So you just get up?"
"More like never went to bed," I return. Billy flicks on the light and gives me a worried expression. "I dunno, just couldn't sleep."
"Josie," Billy sighs, seeming almost upset. "Josie, I know." My heart rate elevates, and blood rushes to my ears.
"Know what?" I ask, trying to be oblivious.
"Don't worry Josie, you're okay," Billy reassures. "I know you want some answers, and I wanna try and give as many to you as I can."
"Answers?" I ask, my interest peaked as I start to brew a pot of coffee. Billy takes in a deep breath before he starts.
"You're something called an Elemental," Billy begins. "There's not much, but your kind is typically tied to a particular land. For you, it's most likely the Quileute Reservation. You seem to have the strongest effect when you're here."
"Wouldn't be so sure about that," I mutter, memories of every fire flashing before my eyes. Billy only chuckles knowingly. My eyes are wide though, and I could swear that I've never been this wide awake at five in the morning before. I'm soaking in every word Billy tells me, ingraining it in my mind.
"Tales tell that there is typically one elemental with each generation of shifters. The gift may appear with the presence of shifters, but it may happen without shifters as well," he continues. "Your power is drawn from nature and pure life. But it's also driven by emotion. So when you feel an emotion to an extreme, there will likely be a coordinating disaster of sorts." Again, I can almost feel the heat of the fire on my back as I yelled at my sister. "Of course, as you gain more control, these flare ups will die down."
"So... so how do I do that?" I ask him timidly. "Gain control, I mean."
"An old friend of mine lives in Wyoming," Billy offers. "As soon as we get that car running for you, I think it would be best if you went out to see him for a few weeks." I nod, taking it all in.
"And the dog? Do you know why the dog followed me home?" At this Billy smiles.
"That's your familiar, I believe," Billy informs. "They're meant to serve as your companion and your protector. They warn you from danger and all that."
"Oh. Neat." I note, unsure of what to really say.
"Yeah," he nods. "Cute little rascal, ain't he?"
"Sure is," I laugh. "Well, looks like I've got a great pet."
"Two, I think you mean," Billy corrects.
"What?"
"Jacob," he shrugs, making me laugh so hard I nearly cackle.
