Werewolf's Humanity

Elizabeth, Part 2

Of course, Night Sky had immediately exempted him from his chores for Elizabeth's sake. The pack always rallied when someone was sick, and if Elizabeth wanted some fresh air, they would get her outside as quickly as possible before she could change her mind.

They stored their clothes in a backpack and shifted at the woodlands' border. Elizabeth donned the backpack since it was too small to stretch over Sammy's shoulders, and off they went, loping through familiar in-roads worn by their many forebears until the trails diminished and the woods thickened. They ran, they gallivanted, they hunted. Well, Sammy hunted, catching five rabbits (a new personal record) and giving two to Elizabeth. She even managed to catch one of her own, though the process left her panting for breath and after she gulped it down, the two went to the river for a swim. After their brunch, Sammy heard Elizabeth laugh before she nipped at his tail and took off down a divergent path. He stuck his arm out, hooking onto a modest pine and using his momentum to twist himself around it, saving himself the trouble of a sharp turn, and took off after her. Soon she was in his sights, but she launched herself onto a fir and rebounded, reversing her trajectory and flying over him.

"No fair!" he shouted as he skidded to a halt, twisted around, and went after her again. But she was nowhere to be seen. Sight, however, was one thing to a werewolf--smell was another. He followed her trace towards a thicker pine several yards away, but by the time he realized she had climbed it, it was too late. The branches above lurched and suddenly she was straddling him, grabbing fistfuls of his mane and riding him bareback. He roared and tried to buck her off, but her grip was tight.

It was then that he noticed the smell of water. The river was nearby. Grinning wickedly, he took off towards the smell of running water. By the time she realized what he was doing, it was too late. He lurched onto two legs, grabbing hold of her so she couldn't jump off, and launched them both into the water.

She spat a stream of water at him when they resurfaced. "Good job, now you got our clothes wet!"

"Relax," he said. "It's a waterproof bag."

They swam, they splashed, they came close to drowning one another more than once. Their ideas of fun in the water would have given a professional lifeguard a spontaneous peptic ulcer.

It was almost noon by the time two soaking-wet werewolves emerged from the river and retreated into the shade of a large tree. Only the barest hints of fall were starting to stake their claim on the land. The stubbornest insects still buzzed in the trees, birds cried in the airs above them. The grass still held a lush green color, only showing a wisp of yellow here and there like white in a middle-aged man's hair. But the oppressive heat had lessened, so Phoenix shifted back into his human form, releasing a small torrent of water underneath him as the fur retaining it receded into his body. Elizabeth followed suit, laying her head down on his belly.

"I needed this," she said.

"So did I," he said, in a show of solidarity. He fought back the urge to ask her how she felt. Sammy tried not to let her think about her depression, but help her think about anything but that. Things had gotten worse for her since she had lost her job at the hospital. A few too many sick days, a few too many minor mistakes. Once she was strong enough again, she would probably move back to her parents' and look for work in Louisiana. He knew their days together would soon come to an end. Which was why he was determined to make the most of them now.

"Heard from your parents lately?" he asked, eventually. Keep the conversation flowing, don't let her sink back, but don't push her too far...

"Yeah. Nothin' much going on there. My brother's having another kid."

The way she said it, it was a good thing only on the most obvious level.

"Hey, you're gonna make a great mom someday. I've given you a lot of practice."