**OLD DRAFT**Protectors: Book 1 of Protectors **OLD DRAFT**

Chapter 10

Phantom and Jade sat in the woods together. After the wolf had chilled the forest with his deep haunting howls he settled next to Jade. She held a fistful of his fur in her hand and let the heat of his body float up her fingers and into her palm. The bond between them felt stronger, surer somehow, and after a while Jade realized she was crying.

                It wasn’t a sobbing sort of cry that came from haunted remorse, but rather an overwhelming sense of peace, one of comfort. She was so content and full that she felt her heart and chest might burst. This wolf, this creature next to her was with her, always. He had her back now, and she had his. The reality of that continued to hit Jade in a new way every day. She had left her home, everything she had ever known because she had finally accepted that she would rather be alone and free, than filled with company but bound by law and tradition. But yet, here was a wolf. Nothing made sense anymore; nothing had gone how Jade thought, and every day she found she had to cope with that in new ways.

                “We should probably get back.” The wolf pulled his head off the ground and looked at her, ears perked forward. His eyes were so bright Jade had no doubt why people created legends about them.  While she had grown accustomed to them, she knew for a fact everyone else was unnerved. She stood and brushed off the pine needles and dirt that had collected on her clothes. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and took a deep breath to collect herself. Phantom stretched and sauntered back toward the town, and Jade followed after him.

                When they emerged out of the woods Jade was surprised to see that there was still a good amount of activity around the town. As they approached closer to a group of three men Jade slowed down to listen to their conversation when the word ‘wolf’ was spoken.

                “I’m telling you it was a wolf. It spooked the cattle; I nearly had a meat grinder with them all in the pen together. I’m lucky none of them got killed.”

                “That’s ridiculous; we haven’t had wolves in this area for ages. I’m telling you it was just a dog.”

                “What sort of dog howls like that?”

                “Wolves travel in packs anyway; I only heard one.”

                “That’s why it was howling. I’m telling you it we should get some people together and kill the thing before we find someone or something dead in the morning.”

                “Stop being so paranoid Walter…” The man’s sentence trailed off when he caught sight of Jade and then Phantom. She looked at the man and then looked down at the wolf next to her and then back to the man. Instantly she regretted slowing down to listen to their conversation.  Jade knew it would only be a matter of time before Phantom stopped looking like a large dog and more like a wolf. Already grew fuller, stronger, and larger. He was filling out and looked less and less like a domesticated creature with each passing day. It helped immensely that he followed Jade around everywhere, people saw what they wanted to see, and when he was with Jade they saw a dog. But these men wanted to see a wolf, they had heard the howling, and even Jade could see that her presence wasn’t cutting it.

                She swallowed and picked up her pace, she really shouldn’t have slowed down. “Wait just a moment there ma’am.” The one who had trailed off his sentence called out to Jade from across the small road. The Inn was so close, its door was lit with lanterns on either side, and she simply had the desire the sprint the remaining short way. But logic outran her instinct; she would only look guilty if she ran. Play it off Jade, you don’t need a town rioting against you, and you’ve done nothing wrong.