By Your Side. (Sequel to Art Girl and Wolf Boy)

By Your Side. (10)

Archer's POV:

Around an hour and a half later, I walked back triumphantly, enjoying the sun on my fur but wanting to get back to my Phoebe at the same time. I ran through the forest, smelling all of the different smells but only concentrated on one. I had passed a blackberry bush some where around here...there!

I walked over and sniffed experimentally. Yep, those were definetly blackberries. Straining my ears to hear anything and sniffing the air, I quickly checked to see if anyone was around. Other than Phoebe's smell a few yards away, I couldn't really smell anything, so I quickly shifted and looked around for my shorts. Sliding them on, I picked a bunch of blackberries and walked out to the road again.

She was nowhere to be found. I gave a muted growl and followed her smell over to a nearby, deep ditch. The words died in my throat as I took in the scene.

She was curled into a halfmoon shape, her perfect mouth slightly parted as she slept. Her blonde hair was spread out on the almost too-long green grass and was collecting a mass of sticks and grass. She had kicked her shoes and socks off, and they were laying nearby, discarded uncaringly. Her hands were tucked under her head as if she were a child.

I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my face.

Trying very, very hard not to wake her up, I crept into the ditch on all fours, trying not to crush the berries at the same time. Darn it, this was hard. She wasn't even awake and she had so much control over me...

With immense concentration, I finally got to the bottom of the ditch, where the flat part was. Slowly, I rose to my feet and lifted a foot to take a step toward her--

"Did you get me any food Archer?"

I swore and rocked, flailing my arms around just to fall onto my backside with a hard 'thud'.

Rubbing my backside, I stood up and scowled at Phoebe, who was sitiing with this enormus smirk on her face. "Aw, don't look like that Archie. Only the best can sneak up on me. Your defeat wasn't that horrible."

I crossed my eyes at her and she stuck a tongue out at me. Which led me, of course, to look at her lips.

We locked eyes and I swallowed harshly, looking into the deep blue. She blushed a little and looked away.

The wind blew suddenly, picking up leaves and throwing them around. Her hair blew in the wind and almost as if she did it unconciously, her eyes fluttered closed and she turned her face toward the breeze. I sighed and watched her closely, standing up to walk in front of her.

Now was the time, if ever. I didn't think I could take it anymore. I had no idea how my dad even held out for so long on telling my mom.

I opened my mouth to speak, inhaling through my nose and exhaling slowly through my mouth, then froze. Phoebe turned toward me, her peaceful face becoming one of concern. "Archer? What's--"

"We need to go. Now." I grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, heading in the opposite direction, a heavy feeling in my stomach. I can't believe my stupidity.

The game was plentiful, but it was still lacking, and I hardly smelled any predators around. I guess I only smelled them because we were so close to a spot where the alpha had marked the land as his territory. Funny, how Phoebe was so near where he had marked so that I'd only be able to tell at the last minute. I strained my ears and kept a sharp eye out, tugging Phoebe along.

"Archer, what are we-"

"Quiet," I snapped, instantly regretting it because I felt the hurt like a kick in the gut.