Feral

28

No. This outfit wouldn't do, she didn't like it, not to mention her whole body felt like it was on fire and everything was sensitive to touch. This was the longest she'd ever gone without shifting.

She blamed it on not shifting for a good moon.

She hadn't a good reason for not shifting. She'd wanted to, but not alone.

It was becoming harder for her to ignore the way she felt about Damien. She'd been alone for so long in the wild, with no hope or deisre for a mate, and then he entered and turned everything upside down.

She had to see him. But she didn't know how to get to him, there were no open woods beyond Katherine's home, so shifting and finding his territory wasn't an option.

She had to wait.

Katherine came back every day when the sun begins to fall, so that's all Shae had to wait for.

At the present, to quell her boredom and to ignore her itchy skin, Shae was attempting to read one of the many books katherine possessed. It was called The Davinci Code. She couldn't quite comprehend some of the things in writing, like what Katherine had called dialogue, which is the written conversation between characters, it was difficult to read.

Nonetheless, she persisted, she circled things in the book that she would ask for clarification on later.

He skin still bothered her, and her hands had begun to cramp and twinge with pain.

Time crawled by, andshe nearly forgot about her aches.

By the time Katherine arrived home, Charlie in tow, Shae had gone through a third of the book, hardly understanding the use of accents and the biblical terminology, but grasped the basic plot.

She was excited to see Katherine, because it meant she could see Damien.

"Shae! Go out some clothes on!" She had forgotten her lack of dress as she made herself known to the woman.

"They're making my skin itch, I can't, besides, I want to go to Damien," Shae told her.

"Now? Isn't it late? And you can't go almost naked" Shae shrugged.

"I want to see him," Shae persisted.

"Very well, I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. Go put on clothes-yes, you have to, we don't need you getting arrested before you see Damien for public indecency,"

That was easy enough. Shae threw on a loose tunic before walking out of the door. The tunic rubbed her already raw skin, it wasn't pleasant.

Katherine took a few minutes, having to grab Charlie and his things.

"I did some digging after we ran into Damien, he owns a lumber mill in the next town over, so I'll take you there and we'll ask around,"

Shae just nodded, too busy trying to calm her irritated skin by fanning herself but to know avail.

She noticed her fingernails had lengthened, they hadn't been this way since before she lived with Katherine, she had to learn how to keep her nature instincts under control.

Time flew by as they drove and Shae got more fidgety.

Once they arrived in the town where Damien lived they had to find him, his lumberyard had closed early for the day, so that was a no go.

Since hoth women were feeling hungry, the local restaurant was on the menu for tonight. 

The place was spacious, they got a booth in the middle of the restaurant, and a high chair for Charlie.

"Well, this is going to be harder than I thought, can't you sniff him out or something?" Katherine asked.

"No, there's too many scents here for me to focus on one," though she could smell that he'd been here, just not recently, his scent was pungent compared to the humans around here.

For food she ordered a steak, rare, the only way she could eat it. She gave her broccoli to Katherine. Even after moons of choking it down, she could only do just that and avoided the green vegetable at all cost.

"I could just drop you off on the hiking trail here and you could shift and find him that way," Katherine said, and then added, "It may be better, or rather, less awkward than asking around for Damien."

Shae couldn't argue with her logic.

"Y'all trying to find Damien?" A woman who had been passing mist have heard that part of their conversation.

"Yes, we are, can you help us?" Katherine asked in a polite manner. Shae wouldn't have been so polite.

"Yeah, he and his cult live off of the old county road. Hikers make the mistake of trespassing his land and never return. Last year there was this beast in the forest, several hunting parties went after it, claimed it was a woman and wolf. Ridiculous if you ask me," Shae looked away at the last comment. She had caused this place a lot of grief, but it had been for her pack.

Now that her pack was gone, she felt guilty for her actions against the humans. Perhaps it was due to her understanding of their ways now, before, she'd only known to fight, provide and protect. Those instincts were there, but she understood so much more...She desired so much more out of life.

"Thank you for the information, we appreciate it very much," Katherine said in response. Shae just nodded and smiled. After the woman left Katherine said, "it was a bit rude of her to be listening in on our conversation, but nice that we got what we needed, no?"

"I agree," Shae responded.

They finished their food in good time; Charlie picked at a couple of fries from her plate. The small boy had been fed prior to Katherine coming home.

The food had satiated part of the itch in her body, but not all. Her claws were still making themselves known and her nature wanted its freedom.

They were on their way again in the car. This time, it was more than her nature that was wanting free. Her heart felt ready to crawl from her throat.

They did as that woman said and found the place.

"It looks like an out of place gated community," Shae didn't understand what that was and Katherine dismissed her puzzled face.

"This is where I leave you, and before I forget, give this to Damien in case you want to return, its my address," she handed Shae a slip of paper.

"I will come back, my house is not here, it is with you," she told Katherine. In her heart it was true, and while  Shae longed to have the freedom katherine's place didn't allow, there was no question about it. She would return home.

"Be safe," Katherine called as Shae entered the Gate.

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WHOO I updated. Kind of a crappy chapter. I've been swamped to my ears with exams and essays from college. And I now have a job on top of it all, so updates will be a little on the slow side from here on out until this baby is finished.

Thank you all so much for your support by reading and reacting to my book, it means so much to me.