Lust For Blue - Kaylor

The Goodbye

The wolves cleanse their blood coated faces in the fresh downpour. As they shake themselves clean in the cool rain, Karlie uses her colossal wingspan to shelter herself and Taylor from the autumn weather. Este is the first to shift back to human form, her fur pinafore immediately drenching. Alana soon follows her action, but Danielle decides to remain wolf. She casts an uncertain, yellow eyed glance towards Taylor and then casually pads down a wet lane leading further into the forest, her ebony tail swaying behind her. Taylor feels uneasy by the discomforting exchange and squeezes at Karlie's arm. Karlie laces her fingers with Taylor's and remains stoic.

"Don't mind her. She isn't used to new people, that's all", Alana says with a reassuring grin and another shake of her soaked hair. But Este also seems to be scanning her eyes a little too fondly over Taylor - as if she's trying to find something out about her.

"How about we all go back to the den and wait for this weather to pick up?", Este suggests, hugging herself as water droplets trickle down her face.

Karlie is gracious towards the offer and Taylor isn't one to argue against - considering that the lot of them are turning into drowned rats the longer they loiter. With quick feet the group hurry to the unground home of the wolf sisters. They come to a medium sized door in the side of what looks like a small hill. The only features the door possesses is the handle - which is actually a square, wooden button; perfect for both human and wolf use - and a surname scrawled onto the surface

Haim

Este pushes the button and the door clicks open. Danielle is the first the leap in, still walking as a wolf. Este holds the door open for the rest of the group to hop inside - though it takes Karlie a little longer than everyone else since she struggles to fold her wings back, until eventually they evaporate behind her. She dives into the den and shakes herself spraying everyone with murky rain. Danielle copies, and her movements are much larger than Karlie's, leaving everyone even more soaked.

Taylor examines her new surroundings. She is astounded by how large it is and how she is able to stand up straight (even on her toes). What looked like just a cramped burrow from the outside is actually a fairly large room with two tunnels on either side leading elsewhere. The den is very quaint and homely. Little windows dug out from the hills earth provide a small but decent amount of light in the otherwise dim area. A coat rack with a few animal skins and coats hangs beside the odd front doorway. A fire place is nestled at one side of the room - answering all of Taylor's childhood questions as to where the 'smoke in the hills' came from. A single worn-out couch and two large, fuzzy mattresses that look like pet beds sit in the middle of the room.

Above the fireplace is a wooden plaque. On the plaque are three sets of deep scratch marks. Taylor wonders if this is some sort of werewolf code.

"It's our territory markings", Alana explains from the couch, noticing Taylor's curious gaze. She has changed her fur skin for what looks like a patchy, cloth nightdress. Este has done the same. "Take a look at the trees next time you're in the forest. We branch out all the way to the St Evangeline borders".

"It's so... intricate", Taylor comments.

"Alana, start a fire", Este says to her sister. Alana gets up and busies herself with hauling out logs from a basket beside the fireplace. She then exits through one of the tunnels, probably to fetch matches.

Danielle finally shifts into her human form - a dark haired girl with the same fixed stare she had as a wolf. Something tells Taylor that she isn't going to get to know Danielle any time soon. She sits in the protective presence of Karlie on the couch. Danielle slinks away through one of the tunnels, raindrops dripping from her wet hair and clothing in an almost daunting fashion. Taylor shakes the feeling away and settles deeper into the couch with Karlie's arm tenderly draped around her shoulders.