The Animal Inside

Chapter 9

Brantley's POV:

Another storm was rolling in. And this one was gonna be bad. I could smell it. Feel it. Lila was antsy and nervous as the clouds rolled in. When the first clap of thunder hit, she screamed. Then slapped her hands over her mouth and looked at me. I stood from my spot and squeezed my way onto the couch behind her. She grabbed a fistful of my fur and snuggled in close. With her other hand, she grabbed her phone, and once again my own voicemail picked up. "Brantley! Brantley I'm scared!" She cried. I growled lowly. I hated that she was scared. I wanted to shift. To show her that I'm right here. But I didn't. I just growled again. "Relax big guy, you'd like Brantley. He's a good man. He always protects me, makes me feel better. Although he probably thinks I'm pathetic.." She trailed off on a sniffle. I sat up and cocked my head. Hoping she'd continue. "It seems like I'm always making a fool of myself in front of him. Tripping, or crying, or having a melt down. Typical Lila.. Making a fool of herself in front of the uber hot guy she's crushing on." She trailed off and shook her head. I grinned to myself, and leaned in, bumping my nose to hers. I nudged her to continue. "He's just.. Great. He's big, and warm, and he smells nice. Brantley makes me feel like nothing could ever hurt me. He's so protective. And jeez he's gorgeous. I mean... Crap. I'm rambling to a wolf." She chuckled at herself. I nuzzled her again and yipped. "You need a name. I can't just call you wolf. How about... Bob?" She asked me. I shook my head no and huffed. She giggled. "Nah, you don't look like a Bob. You look more like a Hercules, or Zeus." She suggested. I blinked at her. "Getting warmer. Ok, how about Orion?" She asked hopefully. Orion, the Hunter. I could deal with that. I nodded. She smiled brightly. When the thunder hit again, sweet Lila shrieked, and grabbed my jacket, holding it close like a security blanket. I couldn't stand watching her hurt anymore. I jumped off the couch and took a few steps back. Lila watched me intently. With a growl, I shifted. Instead of 4 paws and fur, I now saw my hands and feet, I slowly stood from my crouched position and chanced a look at Lila. My jacket had slipped from her fingers. Her eyes were wide and her mouth open. "Lila... Are you ok?" I asked cautiously. "Sure.... You've got a lot of tattoos...." Was all she said, eerily calm. Then she fainted. Shit, I thought silently and moved quickly to catch her. I tucked her in on the couch, shifted once more, and took off to retrieve my clothes from the woods. My wallet and phone was in my pants, and I wanted my boots.

After retrieving my possessions, I hurried back to the cabin, not wanting to leave lLila alone any longer than necessary. When I got there I checked on her, and headed to grab a shower. Once I was clean and dressed, I headed back to the living room and tugged Lila up into my arms. I carried her to the downstairs basement, hoping it would drown out some of the storm sounds. When I laid her down in the bed she whimpered. "Orion!" She called out, searching with her arms. I stepped out of sight and shifted. She'd been through enough already. I crawled into bed and she nuzzled into my fur, settling down. "I dreamed Brantley was here. That he was you." She sniffled and looked at me. Then froze. She quickly turned on the lamp next to the bed and got a good look at my eyes. "Your eyes.... They look just like... Are you.... Brantley?" She stuttered. I hopped off the bed, and shifted once again. Her blue eyes went round. But she didn't faint..