My Christmas Wolf

chapter 1 - call to home

Desiree pulled her camera out of her travel backpack and snapped some pictures of the sun setting behind Machu Picchu.

The dusty colors of the ancient ruins contrasted sharply with the vibrant colors of the sunset.

With a sigh she say down to look over her images and grabbed an apple for a quick snack.

"Hey sweetie, you might want to head back before it gets completely dark." A kind voice spoke behind her.

She turned quickly and met the eyes of the old woman, a small smile on her face,"Thank you, but I'm prepared to head down in a while. I am still hoping to get some night pictures for my journal."

The woman nodded and patted Desiree's shoulder. "Okay sweet thing, be careful! Oh and merry Christmas!"

Desiree's forehead wrinkled as she contemplated the date. Surely, it wasn't Christmas season? But, the dates matched up. It was definitely the holiday season.

Desi... It's been 7 years since we've been home. Maybe it is time to head home?

With a sigh she silently agreed with the voice of reason, also known as her wolf Sterling. It was time to go home. Probably well past time to head home, if truth be told. But she still wasn't sure if she really wanted to take up the responsibilities that were waiting for her back home.

But that was neither here nor there. She needed to go home. She'd had her fun and it was time to return home.

Once the historic site was cleared off humans and her pictures were acquired, Desiree quickly shed her clothes, folded them neatly and placed them into her backpack... Which was something she had created herself to stay on her back once she shifted into her wolf form, so she would never lose her belongings. She figured it out quickly after she lost her belongings more than once. And couldn't afford to buy a whole new set of clothing and equipment each time she shifted.

After shifting into her silvery grey wolf she descended down the mountain quickly and effortlessly. As long as she planned each outing correctly, traveling the world as a wolf was much easier... And cheaper... Than traveling as a human. No need for ground transportation, or even food most days. She could run and hunt to travel and survive most of the time.

After her quick trip down the mountain, she shifted back to her human form, quickly pulling on her clothes and headed to a hostel where she could rent a bed cheaply, and charge her camera, phone and computer before heading out the next day.

Plugging in her computer she ordered her flight tickets back home. The credit card her parents gave her years ago for when she was ready to come home, cleared the payment portion, and she would be on her way in the morning to Washington State, where her pack was located, hidden deeply within the Cascade mountain range.

She sent a quick email to her parents.

Mom and Dad,

Guess what? I'm coming home. My flight will be arriving at the SeaTac airport at 6:45pm tomorrow. I've attached the rest of my flight information in case anyone is available to pick me up. If not, I can always just run home. Hahaha!

Missing you guys more than you can imagine. See you really really soon!

Love Always,
Desiree

Satisfied with the brief, but important email, she figured If she heard back, awesome. If not, they were probably busy and would be doubly surprised when she arrived at the pack.

Excited to be returning to her home of origin, she struggled to fall asleep. Finally pulling out her phone and played a mind numbing game to calm her nerves.

~@~~@~~@~

Desiree woke before the sun rose and departed the dusty sleeping room. A quick shower and final packing resulted in her being ready to go before most people were even awake.

Walking through town, she realized it would be fun to bring back a few souvenir gifts from her travels for her family and friends.

Her remaining money she had earned during her travels quickly disappeared as she gleefully bought presents. There were plenty of other things she had picked up and shipped back home through the years, but these were specifically for gifts this time.

Her cell phone buzzed, alerting her to a new message. Typing in her password a small smile graced her face. Her parents had received her message and apparently alerted her childhood best friend know what was going on.

Bestie: I heard you're coming home. I'll pick you up at the airport today and we can discuss the diplomatic situation I had you attend to while visiting Peru.

She typed back quickly...

Hey bestie! I was glad to be of help during my travels. Can't wait to see you! It's been too long!

Bestie: Can't wait to see you later today. I can't believe it's been 10 years since I've seen you in person.

With that, she looked at the time and found her way to the airport. Time to start her long-overdue journey back home. A huge part of her was sad that her adventure days were done, but the other part was ecstatic that maybe it was time to start a new, different adventure.

Well Desi! Are you ready to be the wolf you were meant to be? I know I'm ready! I can't wait to have Christmas with our family!

I'm with you Sterling girl. I've missed home and I'm ready to go back.

Good, let's go take the werewolf world by storm!