The Late Bloomer

Chapter 3- Homesickness And Panic

Okay Piper, you can do this.

One. . .

Two. . .

Three. . .

HEAVE!!!

"Ugh!" I grunted with the effort of trying to roll the wolf over. An effort that was short lived, thanks to HIM. I just couldn't focus when sparks flew every time I made contact with his fur!

Also, I was weak. So there was that to consider. . .

Tears pricked my eyes. "Come on," I whispered miserably. "Please get up. I can't do this by myself." I knew I should go get help, but I couldn't bring myself to leave him. What if he died while I was away? What if another animal found him and dragged him off? What if he got up and LEFT ME?

No, he would come home with me or I would stay here with him. And seeing as how I was lost, half naked, and phone-less. . .

I guess I'm staying here.

Plopping my butt onto the ground, I just let the tears fall. Looking at the bloody scraps of fabric (a.k.a. my pants) that I'd pressed against the wounds made my heart ache and the tears flow faster. His breathing was shallow and labored. I knew that if he was a werewolf, the wounds would already have healed, so I came to my own conclusion- this was a regular animal.

Which made my reaction to him all the more confusing. I felt comforted by his presence, frantic about his current condition, incredibly emotional at the prospect of losing him. . .

Hold up, Piper. You keep calling it a "he", but do you actually know if it IS one?

I sniffled as the thought occurred to me. I hadn't actually checked, but if I was gonna patch it up and make it my pet, I should probably know the gender. . . Right?

Right.

Here goes nothing-

I ran my hand down the length of it's body, wishing I could ease the creature's pain. I could almost feel it- a dull throbbing in my side. Three places that pulsated painfully- scattered along my ribcage. The feeling grew in intensity the more I focused on it. . . I winced.

But the pain didn't keep me from noting how the animal's heartbeat steadied under my palm, or how every breath had become deep and methodical, almost instantly. Every muscle I touched went lax.

So it likes when I pet it. I'll remember that for later. . .

I shook my head. FOCUS, Piper! Boy or girl? You need to know what kind of collar to get. . .

So I located a hind leg, grasped it, and lifted.

Woah. WOW. Okay, um. . .

Definitely male. One hundred percent big boy.

"Piper!"

"AHHHH!!!" I dropped the leg and screamed, whipping my head around to see Danny and Bri, standing with horrified expressions on their faces.

I swear my cheeks caught fire at that moment.

"What happened here?" Danny whispered, eyes darting between me and the wolf.

I stuttered in embarrassment. "I was just- just. . . Uh. . . I was checking for-"

"Did you do this?" He sounded stunned and confused. I felt the same way.

"NO! No, I would never-" Glancing back at the wolf, I was sure my face showed the revulsion I felt at just the thought of harming such a beautiful creature.