Wolf Children 2

Chapter 2: Wolf Children

The growling was continuous, only growing louder and louder with each passing second. Yuki could only watch the wolf from a distance to make sure it did not try and approach them. Things could get dangerous very fast if the animal dared to make a move. 

Even if Yuki wanted to live her life as a human rather than a wolf, she wouldn't spare a second thought on alternating her appearance into a wolf if it meant she could protect her mother from pending danger.

"You should probably head inside, mom." Her eyes met with her mother's, who was expressing worry for her child. Of course, what mother wouldn't be concerned for their child in a troubled situation like this? It was only natural. Yuki didn't want her mother to get caught in the crossfire if things took a turn for the worst, though. However, Hana refused at her daughter's request, shaking her head in response.

Hana couldn't just leave her daughter to fend for herself, even if she were just a simple human. Just as she was about to say something more, the wolf scurried back off into the forest. Hana and Yuki exchanged looks of confusion.

"What was that about?" Yuki questioned, staring off into the pitch-black forest. "D-did it run away?" There were lots of questions running through her mind in that moment. One thing she was completely sure of was that it was a wolf. Not all wolves had the same smell to them, but they did somewhat share a familiarity with each other.

"Let's head inside for now, there's a chance of it returning," Hana says, sliding the door open. She walked in, Yuki following close behind her, making sure to shut the door on her way in.

"Say...do you think that wolf was a kindhearted one?" Yuki had noticed the sharp glare it gave the both of them a few moments ago, and this was one of the first things that came to her mind. "Perhaps it was just scared...?" She didn't know the correct answer to the question, all she could do was guess.

Hana shook her again, almost like this was a habit of hers now. "I don't have an answer for that, but I would like to hope so. It's best to think positive, don't you think?" Hana smiled a bit, trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah, you're right." She smiled and gave a slight nod. Her mother was absolutely right. However, even from the comfort of her mother's words, there was still a lingering feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. 'I just hope Ame will be alright.' With these words in mind, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. 'Ame is smart, I'm sure he can take care of himself...'

"I'm sure Ame will be just fine," her mother glanced over to Yuki with a loving smile spread on her face. It caught Yuki off guard, almost like her mother read her thoughts or something. Just then, Hana blinked a few times, "did I say something wrong...?"

"Oh, not at all! It's... just that I was thinking the same thing." Even if her and Ame drifted apart from one another, Yuki still wished for him to be safe.

Hana put her hand on Yuki's shoulder, "He'll be okay. I'm sure of it," Hana seemed to be confident about this, so much that it made Yuki surprised. However, she simply nodded and smiled, agreeing wholeheartedly with her mother this time. The reassurance from her mother made her feel more at ease. Mother's sure knew how to calm their children down, huh?

"Let's go to bed for now, it's getting late. You have to head back to the city tomorrow morning, right?" Hana headed over to the nearby closet, pulling out some blankets.

"Mhm, I do." Truthfully, Yuki wanted to stay with her mother a bit longer, even more now that a strange wolf was roaming around the area. It frightened her to think about it. "Mom, please be careful around here while I'm away," she pleaded as her mother came back with the blankets in her hands.

"Well, of course. I'm always careful, am I not?"

"Yeah, I'm just uneasy about that wolf from earlier..." It made her think about if there'd been other wolves close by.

"Don't worry, I'll be safe," Hana assured her. She then began placing out the blankets, standing up to retrieve some pillows from the same closet where she'd gotten the blankets from. Once she returned, she set them down on the ground. "Let's rest now, shall we?"

"Mhm," she answered as she took her spot in the bedding her mother made her. Pulling the blanket over her, she turned over to lay on her side. Her mother turned off the light. soon returning to her spot where she made a bed of her own. "Night, mom."

"Goodnight, Yuki," her mother's sweet, delicate voice reached Yuki's ears as she smiled.

After saying their goodnights, the two of them fell into a deep slumber. Only the sound of owls and cicadas made any noise after that. It was quite the peaceful setting. Surely, Yuki could catch a break from her nightmarish dreams and sleep in complete tranquility.

Or so she had thought.