A Kink in the Tail

Chapter 9 - Target

The birds in the branches of the towering eucalyptus exploded from the canopy when two huge wolves slipped from the water and stood on the bank shaking off the water from their thick fur. One was white with grey paws and one was as black as pitch, with blue sparkling eyes. Wolf, the larger of the two jumped a fallen tree and disappeared into the bush followed closely by Constantine's wolf. Sporadic howls could be heard, moving further away and spreading out in different directions.

....

A couple of hours later it was Constantine's white wolf who made his way out of the scrub first, It cautiously scanned the area to make sure there were no humans in the area. Twigs and leaves poked out of his white fur and his grey paws were blackened with mud.  A little while later came Wolf. He leapt out from the thick stand of banksia trees, landing heavily on all fours, a mass of black tangled fur. They let out a chorus of howls, like some kind of weird duet before rolling in the grass and dirt one last time, leaving their scent behind. 

Wolf didn't know when he would be able to be in his true form again or run free and made the most of the feeling of the dry prickly summer grass scratching his back before having to return to clothes, cars, take-away food, jazz, social media and all the trappings of civilisation.  Just thinking the word made him want to turn around and go back the way he'd come and disappear into the shadows.   They walked lazily into the lake and lay in the cool water, their heads bobbing in and out as they snapped at the shimmering ripples and slapped down their huge paws on the guppies that got too close....anything to put off the inevitable.

A few minutes passed and two humans slowly emerged on the opposite side of the Weir and quietly got dressed. They sat on the grassy bank enjoying the pleasant tiredness they both felt. The air was thicker than before and Constantine lifted his head and sniffed. "We better get going there's a storm coming."

It was the way it usually went, a hot sticky day and then a thunderstorm, with lightning loud enough to wake the dead. As if Heaven wanted to purge itself of the heaviness.

Adam sighed. "We could always stay here." His voice was mellow and held none of the usual arrogance. His skin tingled, he hadn't felt so relaxed in months. "I sometimes wish Wolf  would just stayed in the bush. It would solve a lot of problems. Maybe that's what we should do."

Constantine drank the last drops of cold water from his flask and for a moment looked like he was seriously contemplating the idea. "Hmmm... I can see the news report now. "Two wolves were seen in Mulengow National Forest. Rangers are now hunting down these non-native predators. Next idea Einstein."

"OK maybe not." Adam lay back on the thick grass. He really didn't want to go back. Constantine was already on his feet and pulling on his backpack.

"I'm going." ...and he was off. Adam grumbled and started following him at a leisurely pace.

The sky was turning grey and the air was unpleasantly heavy, the walk back felt longer. Constantine kept up a steady pace while Adam dawdled behind.  Adam was trying to work out how to bring up a delicate subject without hell breaking loose. He and Constantine had gone several days without wanting to rip each other's throats out and he wanted it to stay that way. After a while, he spoke loud enough for the werewolf to hear.

"Almost from the time we arrived here, I've been planning to run away." He waited for a response. Adam was sure Constantine's wolf hearing picked up what he said even though they were a fair distance apart.   He watched as Constantine slowed down until they were only a few paces away from each other.

"I'm not surprised." Constantine's voice reached him. Adam was waiting for an angry lecture about his family responsibilities,rules and all the crap he regurgitated every time they argued.  Constantine remained quiet, eventually, he said. "I would have done the same thing in your shoes."