She's Golden

Prologue Phase - The She-Wolf

The Waxing Gibbous Moon.

A full moon but not quite - there's that pesky one percent of invisibility that makes it seem like a shameless wannabe.  The Waxing Gibbous Moon on the left and the Wanning Gibbous Moon on the right get no respect because of that.  The Full Moon is what everyone wants - and anything less, even just one percent, is unacceptable.

But it's different for her.  It's always been her moon, her beautiful, shimmery moon up in the night sky.  Tempting her with tendrils of silvery light and a seductive glow, this moon has always called out to her, begging her to take a walk on the wild side, if only for a little while.

And she always answers.

The glow of the moon, the ever constant moon, the symbol of all that is natural, primal, savage, and beastly.  It's the constant reminder that even in this world of civilized manners, sophisticated technology, and designer clothing, there are those who are willing to eschew them all, strip down naked, throw themselves into nature, and release their inner beast.

Tonight is her night to do just that.

The Waxing Gibbous Moon as always been her phase.  Her mother told her that the moon was just like this on the night she was born.  Even though she cried due to the stress of childbirth, she still gave reverence to that beautiful moon, holding up her hands and cooing as if to give praise to her lunar mistress.

And now, twenty-eight years later, she stood before her moon, her lunar mistress, as bare as the night she was born, staring out into the lush, dark woods that spread out behind her loft.

Her woods.  No one elses.  Okay, maybe there were a few visitors here and there, but it was mostly hers.  She would mark a few trees to get that point across to everyone else - but that seems rather unsanitary and an injustice to those poor innocent trees.

Her deep, heavy breathing couldn't drown out the whispers from the forest - or the howling off in the distance.  There were quite a few others in town that shared this phase, and they were no doubt preparing for their inevitable frolick in the dirt, grass and leaves.  She pursed her lips and let out a howl of her own - seductive, feminine, playful.  Who knows, maybe she would play around if another came across her path tonight.  She was feeling a little playful tonight, and she only did this once a month after all.

But if any of those curious betas or angry alphas tried sniffing her ass, all bets were off.

The moon grew even brighter in the sky, and she knew it was time.  Her eyes, already richly golden, became more feral, hungry, wild, and savage, like the wolf.  With a nimble leap, she was on top of her balcony, soaring down to the wooded grass below.

Her paws hit the grown with a light thud - even with her brilliant hearing, she barely heard it.  She yipped happily, pleased that she was able to shift in midair this time.  She was getting much better at that now she willed herself to focus on the shifting rather than the landing.  Now that she'd weeded out the kinks, she'd know what to do next month.  She thought that maybe she hit the ground a little hard though.  There was dirt all over her pretty, snow white paws now, and she really didn't want to get dirty tonight...

Run.  Run.  Play.  Roll around in dirt.

She winced.  Didn't she just get through saying that she didn't want to get dirty -

Play.  Want to play!  Want to get dirty.  Want to play in my forest.  Now!

But...

Now!  My night - my wants.  Now.

She sighed, submissive to the demands of the beast within.  This was the night to give into the beast, and she was just along for the ride.  Even better, the forest smelled particularly wonderful tonight.  The combination of green, woodsy, and musky dancing with her olfactory sense made her tail wag in anticipation.  She could smell the water in the air too - ooh!  It might rain tonight!  That would make it even better.  Others of her kind didn't like the rain, but she loved it.  The rains were so warm and lovely, and it made washing the dirt off her fur easier to do.

We go now.

With one last howl, the arctic wolf with snow white fur and the heart of a woman burst into the forest.

Ready to play.

Ready to run.

Ready to get dirty.

And she wouldn't have it any other way - at least for this little while.

------

The time spent in the forest is never enough.

The phase is over, the invisible one percent of the moon becomes visible, and her time in the wild is over.  Now, it would be another thirty days before the wolf inside came out again into the world, ready to get herself dirty in the forest once more.

And thankfully, to avoid another night of potential butt sniffing by those who didn't know any better.

She didn't know when she got home.  All she knew now was that she was home, spawled out on her bedroom floor, drenched in salt water and caked in mud and tree clippings - ridiculously dirty, even for her.

She sighed, rising from the floor, recounting all of the things she needed to do today.  First, she'd need a shower - no wait, a bath, a bath was probably better.  And of course, it was Sunday, so it was laundry day.  Doing the laundry was vital for a woman like her.  If she didn't get those outside smells out, it would drive her up and wall, and the forces inside her would love nothing more than for her to have a slip up so it could have a little more time in the outside world.

No.  Once a month is enough, thank you very much. 

The house could probably use a bit a cleaning too, so she had that to do as well.  And Dominic would probably be calling her later on to hang out.  She remembered him telling her that he had a date with some cute boy toy he'd been stalking - yes, literally stalking as though he were a fox that stupidly wandered into a wolf's den - for some time now.  Good or bad, he'd probably want her to tell her about it, and that meant the usual trip to a burger joint for idle chit chat among other things.

All in all, quite the busy day.

She might have had fun frolicking as the arctic wolf with the vivid golden eyes, but now, it was time for her to go back to being Georgia Hinton, the lady known as "George", the ordinary woman with a not so ordinary secret.

But right now, she needed a shower.  Damn it, did she ever need a shower!