The Mouse and The Wolf | Gay BxB |

22. Battle Cry

I had no idea how long I was sleeping, but the next time I woke up, the other kids were already asleep. It was dark outside, but when I sat up and looked at the door, I saw lights in the hallway. I peered at the alarm clock on my bedside table. It was only twenty minutes past nine, so I stood up.

Then I realized what woke me up. The wolf was outside! I hurried to the window and looked out, trying to see him. It took me a moment, but I finally spotted him in our yard, hiding behind a toolshed. I smiled when I spotted him.

Thankfully, I was still fully clothed, so I didn't need to waste any time on getting dressed. I sneaked to the door. I assumed Mrs. Bundt wouldn't let me out this late, and after what happened earlier, so I had to be careful not to get seen.

I stepped out of our room and made sure the hallway was empty, before I started making my way to the front door. I managed to get all the way down, and close to the front door, but then I heard voices in the kitchen.

Mrs. Bundt and Miss Washington were chatting quietly in there, talking about a show or something. I couldn't get past the kitchen without being seen, so I had to find a hiding place and hope they would soon move somewhere else. Thankfully, Miss Washington seemed to be getting ready to go home for the day. I just wished the wolf would wait for me a little longer.

There was a closet under the stairs behind me. It was used to store cleaning equipment, so it was a perfect hiding place for me. No one would start cleaning so late in the evening. At least I hoped so. I waited in there until Miss Washington finally left around ten minutes later, and Mrs. Bundt walked her to the door.

"Come on..." I whispered when they exchanged their goodbyes. I was getting restless and worried that the wolf would leave and never come back.

I opened the door just enough that I could see Mrs. Bundt. She closed the door after Miss Washington, but instead of leaving, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. I sighed, when she started typing without moving away from the door. I sighed even harder when she put the phone over her ear.

"Hi, honey," I heard her speak just a moment later. "Are you alone?"

Those words peaked my interest.

"I was right," Mrs. Bundt continued with a lower voice, and she turned around. I closed the door hastily, but I could still hear her words. "Yeah, that's right... Oh, I'm sure... I saw it..." She was silent for a moment, listening to her... husband? Then, she let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I tried to remove it, but it's holding on real tight. I have no idea where he got it from, but it's a nasty one. No – Annabel is with him now."

I just stared at the door without understanding a word she said. I couldn't tell if she was talking about a rabid rodent or a bad virus and I had no idea who Annabel was, so I assumed it was a personal matter of hers, and none of my business.

If only she could step away from the door....

"You mean Cedric?" Mrs. Bundt suddenly said. "No, he's still locked up... But there's someone else. He refuses to tell me his name, but I think – yeah, Echo, definitely. He didn't like us poking around... Honey, I'll be just fine without her. I'm a big girl."

I gave up trying to understand her conversation. It was making my headache even worse.

"Anyway, he's safe for now, but we need to do something. I can't remove it all by myself. If you have time, could you please ask around if anyone has seen or heard anything weird. It shouldn't be so strong, so... Yeah... that's exactly what I'm worried about..."

Remove what? This was getting way too confusing for my poor head. I just wanted to go see the wolf already.

"Great, thanks! I'll see you in the morning. Love you! Bye-bye."

Finally, she hung up, and with a heavy sigh, she started walking to the other end of the hallway, where their office was. I waited until she closed the door, before I tiptoed my way to the front door.

The wolf was still waiting for me when I ran across the yard.

"Hey, you," I said and stopped a few steps away from him. "You came."

The wolf wagged his tail and walked to me. I sat down and wrapped my arms around his neck as carefully as I could and took a deep breath.

"I hope your day was better than mine," I muttered.

The wolf let out a silent whine as a reply.