Alpha & Luna

Chapter 1

              I’m running through the forest. From beneath my paws, I feel the leaves crunch on the forest floor and hear the sounds they make on this cold autumn day. From about a yard away, I can hear the sounds of birds chirping and rushing water from a nearby waterfall. As I run, I lift my nose into the air and inhale as deeply as I can. I love the smell of the woods in the morning.  The scent reminds me of my father. He used to always go out for runs that would sometimes take up to hours and he would always come home smelling just like this.

            “Faster.”, my wolf whines.

             So I run faster until I reach the waterfall. There, I transform back into my human form and slowly walk into the pool. The water here is surprisingly warm for this early in the day but I don’t questions why or how. Its always been like this. This waterfall is my oasis from the world. For years before my father died, I used to just run early in the morning this same trail and never did I spot this pool of water. Then my father finally passed away from the cancer and for a long time I stopped running at all. But one day, while I was sitting on my porch, the breeze blew and I caught the scent of the forest that reminded me so much of him.

              So there on the spot, I transformed into my wolf and went running through the forest. As I ran, the smell of my father encased me and it felt like he was there. Silently, watching me and protecting me just like he always used to. Memories of him started to re-surface and emotions that I had locked away from myself came rushing back at me. Things that I didn’t even know I had forgotten about were revealed to me. I remembered my dad trying to teach me how to ride a bike. I remembered him accidentally setting the meats on fire when he first tried to grill. And as my mind was preoccupied with the barrage of memories I spied the pool through an opening in the trees.

                   I slowly padded up to the lip of the water and looked around me. Through my wolf’s eyes, I could see the true beauty of my surroundings. The trees were tall and bent slightly at an angle so as to block the sun in the sky and it gave the illusion of privacy. The waterfall was not very big but the water cascading down from it was clear blue and with my accurate eyesight, I could almost see to the bottom of the water. Fishes and other sea creatures could also be seen swimming through the water. And at that exact moment, I instantly fell in love. And ever since that faithful day, about a year ago, I have been coming here every morning to think and just be alone.

                    Shaking the memories from my head, I stop when the water reaches mid-thigh and slowly slide into a float. I start swimming slow easy strokes to wash away the sweat from my run. Then I dive head first into the water to try to get as close to bottom of the water bed as possible. When I resurface, the hairs on the back of my neck instantly stand up and I feel a sudden awareness take over.

                    My wolf starts to growl and whine.

                    Together, my wolf and I scan the forest around us. I sniff around me and catch an intriguing scent. It smells almost delicious to me and I feel a sudden fluttering in my stomach.

                    Immediately, my wolf starts to howl.

                    I’m so confused as to whats happening. My wolf has never acted this way before. I try to ask her why but she completely ignores me and continues to howl excitedly in my head. The sound of the howls in my head are so loud that they start to give me a headache.

                    “ Shut up.”, I say to my wolf. But she just continues howling away. By then the fluttering in my stomach has intensified and the tantalizing scent has gotten stronger. I know whomever it is, is getting closer. So I swim to the lip of the pool and heave myself out and as I’m standing up naked on the water bank, I hear the rustling of leaves from the bushes opposite the water behind me.