The morning after I woke up in a haze. It was still quite early, but the sun had woken me up with it's warm sunbeams lightly touching my skin. Mica were still asleep next to me in the sofa and since we had fallen asleep late into the night that meant that I had slept approximately 4 hours.
I lay there for a while, everything was calm as I studied some lost particles of dust dance in the air. My head was all groggy and every thought was slow. Maybe we should have gone to bed earlier.
Mica mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over to the side. The cat let out a loud meow in the kitchen, he would probably not be quiet until he got something to eat, so I decided to get up against my tired dizziness. With a mug of coffee in my hand I went to push Mica up from the sofa, but she only growled at me until I started to seriously kick her so that she would get up. Finally, she was up and about with the hardest scowl that I had ever seen on her face.
Neither of us talked, we were too tired, so we just stood and sipped on coffee and listened to the faint sounds of the outside world and the cat's soft paws on the carpet. Suddenly a knock sounded at the door, which startled both me and Mica. I put my mug down to get the door, since I knew Mica would not go get it. A pust of air blew in through the door when I opened it, only to reveal Erik standing there on the porch. A smile lit up my face as I saw him and I took two steps forward to hug him.
As I stood on my toes, my arms around Erik's neck and my nose at his throat I felt like the safest person in the world. I felt his arms sling around my waist and squeeze me hard against him.
"Mornin' Liam."
I mumbled something incoherent back and he just chuckled. I leaned out and took his hand to lead him into the house for my feet were turning cold.
"Why are you here?" I asked him.
"I have plans for today, a surprise." He answered with a wink of his eye at me.
"Oh, how fun! Should I grab some stuff, or..? Oh, right, I haven't eaten anything yet, damn it!"
"Just take him." Mica hade come up behind me and was now rolling her eyes at my babbling. She pushed me against Erik and shared what seemed a tired look with him. I stumbled but found myself in Erik's arms again.
"But my stuff, Mica. I need to get my bag and clothes and everything!"
"I'll give it to you tomorrow, Liam. Just go and have fun now", she stood in the hallway like an unmoving rock and I could bet lots on that she would not let me through in the near future.
I didn't have more time to argue, because Erik picked me up at the waist and carried me out to his own car. He stuffed me in the passenger seat and went around the car to the driver's seat.
"I can walk myself, you know." I said while staring hard out the windshield as the car drove forward. My arms were crossed and I almost felt like a five year old.
"I know that you can walk, but it's much more fun to carry you. And to see that pout on your face."
"I'm not pouting!"
He just chuckled and turned his face forward again so that I saw the side of his head. His ear was bare on this side, but full of silver rings on the other. That made me wonder, why had he even gotten those piercings? Sure, they were attractive, but many people thought they were a bit much. Maybe it was just part of his rebellious act.
Outside the car the streets were empty because people usually slept in on days like this, and soon the town changed to green and brown leaves outside the car-window. I tried asking Erik where we were going, but he denied every question with an amused smirk on his lips.
"You are whinier than I had thought, Liam."
That shut me up. We arrived a few minutes later at an open, empty parking lot, except for only a few enthusiastic hikers, for we were in the middle of the woods. Erik leaned over my side to push open the car door and then got out himself. It was chilly outside, there were still a thin mist in the air that clung to my clothes fast. I hugged myself and went to the open trunk of the car, where Erik stood.
He was taking out some different boxes filled with what looked like food out of a backpack. My tummy grumbled to remind me of how hungry I was, which Erik apparently heard, since he sent me a pointed look.
"What? You didn't let me eat any breakfast!" I grumbled at him.
"Come sit here", he pointed to the edge of the trunk.
I sat down on the cold floor of the trunk and looked up at him with a questioning look. He opened one of the boxes of food, picked up a small bit of chicken and held it in front of my lips. I reached up to take it from his hand but he just swayed it away with his other hand. My head finally caught up with his intentions, he wanted me to eat from his hand again!
"For real? Not this again! I'm not going to eat from your hands!" My voice rose together with the redness on my cheeks. There weren't many people in the parking lot but it was still embarrassing. It wasn't that I thought that I didn't like when he did that, or i don't know, but it was still embarrassing when he would do it in public.
"That's fine." He answered with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Wow, I didn't think it would be that easy to shut you up."
Then the look on his face turned mischievous and he threw the delicious bit of chicken into his own mouth.
"Wha- Stop! What the hell!"
He leaned over to my ear, close enough to give me chills, and whispered; "You are not getting my mom's appetizing chicken if you don't cooperate, sweetie."
His words burned with satisfaction and melted me into a puddle. My eyes turned down to the ground and I couldn't think, much less talk. How is it possible for a person to be this persuasive?
I growled lowly, so did my stomach. I was so hungry!
"Okay, fine! Do what you want, I need to eat!"
He smiled a genuine smile for the first time and brought a piece of chicken up to my mouth again. I chewed it hesitantly at first but when he continued to give me pieces I ate them a lightning speed. The box was emptied too fast, fast enough that I was still considering licking the chicken juices off Erik's fingers. Although, that would probably make him way too pleased with himself.
I reached up with my hand to check if there was anymore in the box with chicken and remembered just then that my nails were painted. I immediately pulled back my hand, but it was too late, Erik had seen them. I put both of my hands deep in my hoodie-pocket anyways and turned my eyes down to the ground.
Why would I have to have painted nails today? Couldn't I have remembered to take the polish of this morning?
In the middle of my self-pity Erik bent down, grabbed my hands and pulled them out of my pockets against my will. I lifted my eyes and met his confusedly, what was he doing?
Slowly he held up my right hand and put one small kiss on each of my painted nails, while holding my gaze. It was a small gesture, but enough to melt my heart. Each and everyone of his kisses held a confirmation and love that I had never experienced before. I meant that he accepted me for whoever I want to be or for whatever I want to try. It meant that he never would shame me for exploring myself.
Erik happily put the box back in the trunk of the car and put on a backpack. I rose from the edge and went after Erik, who had started walking towards the forest. I still had no idea what we were going to do, but I really hoped it was not hiking, because that would definitely get boring.
"Where are we going?"
"Hm... You'll see in just about five minutes." Erik answered. Of course he would keep it a secret, why had I even expected something else? A giggle slipped out of me, it felt so typical for Erik to be this annoying.
Five minutes later we were standing in the middle of the green leaves far from the parking lot. You couldn't see anything else than green and brown leaves and trees that were just about to let their leaves fall down to let the winter come. Erik turned around and met my gaze, suddenly I was very aware of how alone we were.
"Have you lured me out here just to kill me?" I asked him with raised eyebrows. This would be a perfect place to kill somebody.
"Oh my god, no! Why would I bring a backpack if I wanted to kill you? It would be much easier to just hid your body here."
"What is the backpack for then?"
"Our clothes."
"What?" My face was drained of all blood as my head tried to understand what he was saying.
"Oh, calm down. Don't look so terrified, we're just going to shift."
"Oh!" I let out a laugh.
He motioned at my body so that I would start to undress.
"Well, turn around!" So indecent!
I undressed when he couldn't see me and stuffed my clothes in the backpack, then I went completely still and quiet so that I could shift. I clenched my eyes shut and opened them far closer to the ground than before. Suddenly I could hear and smell almost everything again, it felt good to be back in my wolf. I barked at Erik's back so that he could understand that I was done.
He turned around and met my gaze with an appreciation one of his own and started to undress and then put his clothes in the backpack. I quickly averted my eyes to sniff at the leaves around me instead.
Erik's wolf shape was really something else. His fur was black as the night with almost blue streaks of hairs in it. His eyes still held the same brown colour, but had a wilder and more raw sting to them. If someone would to compare our heights the would probably laugh, the difference in size was extreme. I am not exaggerating when I say that he was probably two times my size.
I walked forward two steps to sniff his nose and he leaned down to meet mine. There was an unusual gentleness in his eyes as he took in my scent, something that I had not seen there before. I backed up and took a bouncing step in a random direction, hoping that he would lead the way.
Erik took the backpack in his mouth and started jogging in one direction and I followed him with happy steps. After a while Erik broke into a slow sprint and I took that as a sign that we were far away from civility to do as we pleased without risking getting caught. I felt the energy spread into my legs and ran that fastest that I could, and at the same time daring Erik compete with me.
He accepted the challenge and set off too. He was obviously faster than me though, and when I felt my energy running out I let out a bark loud enough to scare the birds in the trees, and accepted the loss.
The thick forest soon opened up to a more open area. It was like a glade, a nice overgrown field with high grass looking like it missed the summer's warmness. A chilled wind blew from somewhere and shook the grass for a bit and I could hear a low, pouring sound from a small stream. The glade had a distant feeling to it, like we were the first people to ever visit here and would also be the last. It was unmoved, untouched and beautiful.
The sound of Erik dropping the backpack could be heard behind me and suddenly it was tackled from behind. Adrenaline shot through my body before I could think and my instinct told me to immediately go into fight mode. As a rolled around my claws and jaw was prepared for a fight, only to realize that it was Erik who had jumped me.
I playfully went after him as he scurried away from me, knowing that I was going to get revenge for that. I buffed at him and pushed him to the sides as he jumped around over the empty, overgrown field. He barked loudly when I wasn't fast enough to catch him, as if he was laughing at me, so I grumpily gave up and laid down in the grass.
He came over to me after a while and laid down close to my side, with a paw over my up-turned stomach, and put his nose into my neck. After a while he started to groom my fur, which lead to the best feeling in the world. He was so close to me, probably the closest that I had ever held someone else.
The feelings that he could cause me to feel were beautiful. It almost felt like he could take care of me like no one else could. Like he could understand me by only seeing my gestures and being in my presence, we didn't even have to say words.
The glade was quiet until we had to leave. I didn't want to, though, because I loved the place. All through the time that we had been there, I hadn't thought about anything else, and that made me calm in some way. But as it got darker I knew we had to head back, otherwise mom and dad would get worried.
The wind blew colder as we jogged in the direction of the parking lot. It was going to be dark outside by the time that we were back in the town.
Suddenly a surprising scent hit my nose, and I stopped to see where it had come from. Around fifty meters away from me and Erik stood two other big wolves, one dark brown, almost black, and one silver grey. It wasn't odd that there would be other wolves from our pack out here, since the whole area was out pack's territory, but the surprising thing was that the darker wolf had the exact same scent as George.
I immediately started going in the other two wolves directions. When I came up to them George met me with an excited greeting and the other wolf, whom apparently was Emilia from the pack, also made as to say hello. I noticed that George didn't act as usual, though, he was much more closed of than normally. His tail didn't wiggle as much and he didn't bark or anything.
I soon felt the tension, which had to be why George wasn't his usual self. Erik came up next to me without greeting George or Emilia, he was just looking at George. I seemed as if they had a staring contest, or they were probably speaking over the mind link.
I just remembered the thing that Mica had said yesterday, about how it was possible that Erik could have hit George on the pack-dinner. The thought that this may not be the best interaction between George and Erik entered my head.
Either of them must have said something upsetting, because suddenly Erik released a low growl and George bent down a bit and tensed his body. Something clearly wasn't right between the two big wolves.
Hey, guys, what the hell? Emilia said though the mid link for all of us to hear.
Erik's eyes shifted a bit over to her, which made him calm down a bit and he collected himself again. I stayed quiet, so that I wouldn't accidentally rile either one of them up, and waited out their dispute.
After a moment they seemed to have calmed down a bit and I released a breath that I didn't know that I had even held. Erik turned his head over to me and studied me for just a moment. I still had no idea what the two other wolves had talked about, but I hoped that it wasn't something upsetting for either of them, even though it probably was.
And stay out of my things.
Erik's voice could be heard over the mind link, his words were obviously aimed at George. I didn't know what that was supposed to mean, but Erik had already turned around and was waiting for me to come, so I didn't question it.
I hurried after Erik and didn't really have time to say goodbye to George and Emilia. I didn't ask Erik what all that was about on the way back. It just felt like it was something he didn't want to share, so I wouldn't pry.
_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello again! Hope you enjoyed this!
It would for real make my day if you voted on this chapter :)