Waiting For August

Part 5~Meeting my Mate

Later that afternoon people started to head home. Trixie's parents had arrived to pick her up, but she was hesitant to leave. She wanted to stay the night and collect eggs in the morning. I had to promise she could come collect the eggs on Monday and that I wouldn't touch any until then. Russ had warned that we might not see egg production for a few days, until the girls settled into a routine in their new home.

When everyone was gone, I decided it was finally time to meet my new neighbours. I went around the side of the house to the only side not surrounded by porch, to the covered stairs that led down into the cellar. The basement was unfinished with a dirt-packed floor, and there was only a single dim bulb to light the area. It was much cooler here and made a great storage area for all the produce we collected. Looking at all of the many bushels, I realized I was going to have to do some serious canning before it got too cold. There was some rough shelving here and stacks of empty baskets that we used when collecting. Taking a small basket, I threw in some apples and pears, along with a pair of squash and some sweet potatoes. I retraced my steps and closed the doors before retrieving one more item; the pine branch I had promised Naomi that I would get rid of. I had tossed it atop the compost pile, and it was still resting there.

I stepped through the fence which divided our properties and made my way to the front door before knocking. The person who answered was a tall thin woman in her late forties, perhaps early fifties. She had dark eyes and sharp features, and her burgundy dyed hair was piled up high on her head. She was dressed in a red jumpsuit which was low-cut and seemed to emphasize her height and slimness. Her eyebrows darted up when she saw me, and she immediately stepped out.

"Well, well. A handsome wolf at my door and here I am all dressed in red."

I opened my mouth, but my voice caught in my throat. Really? What the fuck? How was that any way to meet someone. I decided to ignore the strange greeting.

"I thought I would return this," I said as I passed her the decorative branch, "and I thought you might like some produce."

She looked at the branch, confused, before she narrowed her eyes. "Where did you get this?"

"It was left on my doorstep. Look, I feel we may have gotten off to a bad start and I was hoping that maybe we could put it all behind us and start over."

"How so?" She was looking at me blankly.

"Well, the branch, the dolls, the ceremony or whatever that was in the woods. I need it to stop."

She looked at me like I was an insignificant pest which she needed to swat. "I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about. I do however know that it was you who wasn't minding their business the other night."

I sighed. I wasn't looking for an argument. "I was hoping to make peace, but if that's not possible, I'm going to have to ask you to respect boundaries and keep off my property."

"Your property? I assure you I have no interest in your smelly little farm or your lousy little pack. In fact, if anyone is trespassing, isn't it you?"

I had to take a step back. My wolf was ready to tear her a new one, and for once I tended to be on board. I took a deep breath and set the basket down on the porch. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you." I left quickly. Any hesitance on my part would have probably seen me in handcuffs. I didn't look back until I reached the fence. When I did, I saw that she was gone, along with the basket. At the very least it wouldn't go to waste.

***

"I have eggs! I have eggs!" Trixie was beaming, her cheeks flushed pink as she showed me four good size eggs that she had in her basket. I was down in the stable and had just finished mucking out the final stall. My usual helpers had a trip to the dentist, so Jackson's boys weren't here to help. I had heard a rumor that braces might be involved.