FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 12

A rustling sound prompted Sophia to look up towards the opening to her den, ready to fight. Thankfully, a familiar scent reached her nose before the cause of the disturbance appeared and she relaxed, her tail wagging gently. Her stomach growled as she smelled the fresh game her mate was bringing and she whined softly. A sharp jab from inside her belly prompted her to shift her position. The little ones growing inside her took all her energy now and she hadn't been able to hunt in weeks.

Soon, though, they'd be placing their demands on her from the outside. Very soon...

The contentment of the dream faded to be replaced by physical discomfort. Sophia woke to find she was very cold despite the quilt, her lower back was aching and her skin felt like a thousand needles were poking her all over. Feeling very thirsty, she managed to squirm out from under the covers and immediately started shaking as chills washed through her body. She made it to the door and, with violently trembling hands, managed to get her robe on. Her shivering diminished, but didn't disappear entirely.

Opening her door, she walked the short distance to the bathroom, closed the door behind her and turned on the light. There, she shut the door and stumbled to the sink, leaning against it with her hands. Taking a shaky breath, she turned on the faucet and grabbed the bathroom cup before filling it and sucking it down.

After taking care of her thirst, she splashed some water on her face before looking at the mirror. Shaking her head, she tried to clear her blurred vision and focus on her reflection. She looked awful; her eyes were sunken and she was deathly pale where her face wasn't flushed. Fishing through their medicine drawer, she found a thermometer. To her complete lack of surprise, she had a fever.

Must have caught something, she shrugged and put the thermometer back after disinfecting it. I was out in the cold for a while last night too.

That's when her chill suddenly reversed itself and she started sweating profusely. Before her eyes, her face cleared up and went back to its regular complexion. Fumbling for the thermometer again, she saw her temperature had dropped back down to normal. Whatever had hit her had passed as fast as it came.

"What's happening to me?" she whispered to her reflection, before staggering back to her bed.

There, she subconsciously rubbed her stomach even as she tried to remember what the dream had been about. At least it was a good dream, I think.

Thankfully, the mysterious illness did not return the next morning or the days that followed. In fact, the strange new world she had found herself in was forced to the back of her mind by the mundane one as the holiday week brought new demands from school and work. Many teachers had decided to schedule tests or project due dates during the shortened week. For the grocery store, Thanksgiving meant it was the busiest it would be all year and she was scheduled to work every night and Thanksgiving morning. Between her job and school, she scarcely had a moment to think about Shadow or the approaching full moon. On the bright side, the other students were too engrossed in their own coursework to torment her.

On the morning of Thanksgiving, Sophia was rushing to get ready for another chaotic shift after getting scarcely eleven hours off since the last one. Several other employees were out of town and the front end manager had scheduled her for ten hours. On the one hand, that meant extra holiday pay, on the other she was completely worn out. Grabbing a comb from her desk, she happened to notice she had written a reminder on her calendar that she had circled and starred.

"ASK OFF FOR SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2!!!" it read, and had a little picture of a wolf head next to it.

Wow, I can't believe I had almost forgotten about that, she grabbed a post-it note. That would have been a complete disaster.

Quickly scrawling a reminder, she fixed it to her cell phone and threw both in the shoulder-bag she used when she didn't need to change. For a moment, she gazed at her reflection, yearning for it to have lupine features again rather than that of boring old Sophia.

What if I don't change? She touched her right ear, wincing slightly as her wrist reminded her it wasn't quite healed. What if I do..?

Sighing, she slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out of her bedroom.

"You doing anything for Thanksgiving?" Sandy, the other high school age cashier unlucky enough to be around on Thanksgiving, asked after their grueling shift was over.

"My dad will probably make a turkey loaf and mashed potatoes," Sophia shrugged as she fastened and picked up her bag, glancing at the note she had put in it. "You?"

"My mom usually makes a big meal," Sandy replied and then laughed. "I'm sure she's frantically cooking right now. Last year she overcooked the turkey almost to the point it was crunchy."

"My mother used to make a big dinner or we'd go to my grandparents," Sophia said sadly. "We couldn't afford to travel this year."

"That's rough," Sandy answered sympathetically. "Well, I hope you have an okay rest of the day then. Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Happy Thanksgiving," Sophia murmured.

With that, Sandy hurried from the break room.

Well, that was nice, Sophia walked over to the request-off-book. Now to do my other task.

Asking off was hardly unusual or something that would elicit comment, but she was self-conscious about why she was asking off. By putting it in writing, it felt like she was sealing her fate. Time seemed to slow. Conscious of her own heartbeat and breathing, she picked up the pen and took a breath. Then she slowly and deliberately penned in 'Sophia Jones' under December second and third.

The moment passed, and time moved normally again. Dropping the pen, she left the break room as fast as she could.

Thanksgiving dinner at the Jones's was about as low effort as it could get. After a meal of prepackaged turkey loaf, instant mashed potatoes, poorly mixed gravy, packaged dinner rolls and canned corn, Sophia's father dished up a premade pumpkin pie. For the sake of tradition, they then spent the evening watching the traditional holiday movies that were aired. If Sophia tried, she could almost make herself believe everything was as it should be - almost.

Neither of them talked more than necessary, and the television couldn't dissipate the icy tension in the room or fill the emptiness in Sophia's heart. It also couldn't cover the smell of alcohol that permeated the room or keep her from noticing her dad's increasingly erratic gate or glassy stare as the afternoon and evening progressed. After what seemed like ages, her dad fell into a drunken stupor and any need to maintain the illusion of normalcy dissipated. After turning off the TV and putting away any food that had been left out, she escaped to her bedroom for the rest of the night.

The sound of a wolf howling pierced Sophia's dreams and she snapped awake. At first, she thought it had been part of a dream and was preparing to go back to sleep when she heard it again. It was somewhat distant, but unmistakable.

It's Shadow! She thought giddily. I'm sure of it!

Wide awake now, she jumped out of her bed and quickly threw some warm clothes over her pajamas. Quietly walking into the living room, she checked the chair where her dad had been. To her surprise, it was empty. After verifying he had managed to drag himself to his bed some time during the night, she hastily went about throwing some leftovers into a container. Breakfast could wait, she decided. It would be another hour before the sun rose and she dared not waste any more time than necessary.

Once satisfied she had everything she would need, she slipped out the back of the house and headed towards the foothills. It wasn't easy crossing the field at night; fresh snow had fallen two days before and her boots sank in the soft powder. Still, she persevered and reached the foothills as the first glimmers of daylight appeared in the eastern sky. There was a steady wind and her cheeks were getting numb.

Leaning against a tree, she caught her breath and considered where to go next. She hadn't heard any more wolf howls since she had awoken and was unsure of which direction to go. In the dark and under fresh snow, the terrain looked unfamiliar and she was unsure of how to get to their prior rendezvous spot. Shadow would be hunting this time in the morning and could be miles from where she was.

If only I could howl! Sophia took a sip of warm water. We'd be able to find each other in no time!

Continuing her trek, she started moving into the foothills. The darkness was lifting and she was able to see further as dawn approached. Spying a path through the trees to the summit of one of the taller hills, she made her way up. As she pulled herself up a particularly steep part of the hill, her right foot slipped and she felt a sharp pain in her forehead as it scraped against a nearby branch. Reflexively, she grabbed hold of a nearby rock with her right hand and let out a shriek of pain as her already injured wrist twisted. She held on, however, and kept herself from falling back down the escarpment.

Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain in her face and hand long enough to get her left hand on the rock and pull herself up. After scrambling to a more secure location, she let herself fall against a downed tree. Something wet fell into her left eye as her head throbbed. Reaching up, her forehead stung as she touched the painful spot and her glove came away with blood.

"Crap," she said aloud, frustrated.

Grabbing some snow with her left hand, she pressed it against her forehead. The sudden cold hurt at first, but soon the pain receded as the skin numbed. After she stopped bleeding, she gingerly placed her aching right hand on her lap. From the severity of the pain in it, she guessed she had reinjured it. She tried rotating it and nearly screamed.

"Great going Sophia," she scolded herself. "Now what are you going to do?"

Hungry, alone and not knowing what else to do, she used her left hand to ease her backpack off as best she could, wincing every time she had to move her hand. Seeing her phone, she grabbed it and was unsurprised to see she had no reception where she was. Throwing it back into her backpack, she grabbed the food container and managed to get the lid off. The contents were a jumbled mess now - and cold - but they were edible.

She had just finished the container when a canine-like whine startled her. Snapping her head towards the noise, she saw Shadow standing there looking at her, concerned. His ears were down and his body was tense, as though he was ready to spring into action.

"Shadow!" She exclaimed, her prior misery forgotten.

The wolf came over to her and gently nudged her right arm, which she was holding against her stomach, and let out another whine.

"I'm okay," she reassured him. "I don't think it's broken."

Affectionately, she scratched his head, marveling at how magnificent he was. His winter coat was thick and almost seemed to shine in the early morning light. Despite her injuries, she felt happy and safe. The sting of the wolf's tongue licking her forehead shook her from her reverie.

"Hey, that hurts!" She exclaimed recoiling and feebly trying to hold him back.

However, he persisted and she relented. To her surprise, the pain quickly lessened as he cleaned it. After a minute of licking, Shadow backed up, satisfied. He looked at her and whined quietly while swiveling his ears.

"You want me to come with you?" Sophia asked him. "Well, I guess I can't stay here. Give me a minute."

With her left hand, she stowed her empty food container and zipped up her backpack. Careful not to jostle her right hand, she slowly got to her feet. Shadow's ears perked up as he saw her get to her feet and strap her backpack on; his tail wagging excitedly.

"Alright, I'm up," she told him. "Where do you want to go? I'm not going to be able to climb anywhere - up or down."

Shadow turned and took a few steps before turning the opposite direction. He sniffed the air before giving a little yip and looked at Sophia expectantly.

"That way?" she asked, and couldn't help smiling. "Okay, but I'm trusting you!"

Shadow started moving and Sophia followed, being careful to keep her injured wrist steady. The wolf guided her through the trees over the crest of the hill. He was careful not to move too fast and would frequently check behind him to make sure she was keeping up. Even more impressively, he avoided brush that he could have readily passed through, but would have stymied her. She had to admit, she couldn't have asked for a better or more caring guide.

After what felt like ages, they arrived in a small, gently sloping gully that separated the lower foothills. To her surprise, a small stream of meltwater flowed freely down the middle of the gully. Shadow quickly walked over to the stream and lapped up some of the flowing water. Taking the cue, Sophia worked her backpack off and retrieved her water bottle. With her handicap, Shadow finished well before she did and patiently watched as she satiated her own thirst. Once she was finished and had managed to get her backpack back on, he yipped to get her attention and started winding his way up the gully.

Despite knowing she should probably head home and tend to her injuries, curiosity and the desire to spend more time with her furry friend got the better of her and she followed. The footing was treacherous and she had to carefully feel what was under the snow before she put her full weight down. Still, they steadily made their way up the streambed. A couple of times, Shadow stopped to carefully sniff the tracks of other animals that visited the stream, showing particular interest in some of the smaller tracks. However, he invariably would turn his nose away and continue on.

A few hundred feet up, they reached the next level of foothills and the surrounding land plateaued, forming a valley. There, the stream slowed enough to be covered with a thin layer of ice and the companions crossed at a particularly narrow point. The trees in the valley grew in stands where soil had built up.

Damn, my phone is in my backpack, Sophia slowed, taking it all in.

Her attention was diverted, however, when Shadow suddenly stopped a few dozen yards from the stream and crouched. Slowly, she inched forward to see why he had stopped and then saw tiny imprints in the snow. There were two sets of paws - two long ones interspaced with two smaller prints. She immediately recognized them as those of a rabbit. Recognizing Shadow was hunting, Sophia stopped approaching the trail and watched

After sniffing them for a few moments, Shadow started following them with his nose to the ground and his tail out. After a dozen paces, the wolf raised his nose and crept forward. As he approached a clump of boulders and rocks. Suddenly, he darted forward and a light brown furred rabbit darted out of the stacked rocks in a blur. Unfortunately for the rabbit, his hiding spot didn't provide many escape routes and the wolf caught a hindleg as it tried to get past. Panicked, the rabbit started squeaking loudly, but Shadow refused to let go.

The wolf dragged the rabbit over to the rocks before briefly letting go. Free for an instant, the rabbit tried to escape, but Shadow had it trapped between the rock and his body. The wolf's head bent down and Sophia saw his muzzle snap tight on the rabbit's neck. Shadow raised his head and partially turned towards her, giving her a clearer view of his prize. Horrified, yet fascinated, she watched the rabbit struggle in vain as the wolf crushed its neck. The bunny immediately went limp.

Shadow dropped the now dead rabbit and then picked it up by its back. He turned and proudly trotted back towards Sophia with his prize. When the wolf came up to her and dropped the rabbit at her feet, all she could do was stare in shock. When she didn't move, Shadow nudged the rabbit towards her with his muzzle, his tail wagging.

"You want me to... have it?" Sophia asked him in shock. "Thanks, I guess."

The wolf raised his head and his ears perked up.

"You can have it though," she told him, feeling slightly queasy. "I'm... not hungry. Thank you though."

Shadow dropped his tail, but after a moment he crouched down and started biting at the rabbit's fur. Sophia walked a few feet away and stood, watching. It wasn't long before the wolf had removed the skin and began tearing at the meat underneath. Despite feeling a little sick to her stomach, Sophia couldn't help watching as the wolf quickly consumed his prize. Before long, there wasn't much but blood, skin and bones.

Maybe... maybe I can do without the hunting, Sophia watched Shadow start to lick the blood off his coat.

"I... have to pee," she told the wolf. "Be back in a moment."

In truth, she really did have to pee, but also needed a moment to collect herself. She also felt a bit weird about the idea of going to the bathroom in front of the wolf. It was a strange feeling, the need to be modest around a wolf, but there it was. Stepping behind a tree, she lowered her pants and squatted before relieving herself.

It's just nature, she told herself. Eat or be eaten.

After finishing up, she stepped back around to where Shadow was waiting. He had finished cleaning himself and was patiently watching the tree where she had gone behind.

"Was it good?" she asked him.

Shadow stood and wagged his tail contentedly. She walked over and crouched in front of him, scratching behind his ears with her left hand.

"Glad to hear it," she smiled. "I need to get home to take care of myself. Besides, I don't have any more food for myself. The full moon is next week though and we'll have all night together!"

Shadow gave a friendly whine, turned and started leading her down the mountainside.

"What happened to you?" Sophia's dad asked the next morning after they had both gotten up.

"I... uh, hit my head on the counter after standing up to get a pot yesterday," she lied, self-consciously touching the bandage she had put on the gash in her forehead with her left hand.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, it was no big deal," she told him. "I bled a bit and that was all."

"Forehead wounds can certainly be nasty," he commented and then went back to eating his breakfast.

The next several days went by slowly. The intensity of school and work returned to normal levels and Sophia found herself staring at the clock more often than not. Her right hand ached and, while she was able to get out of volleyball again, her writing and drawing suffered. The school nurse told her to get off work, and take it easy - and to be more careful when standing up. Alas, not working was not an option and all she could do was hang onto what the weekend promised as she suffered through her shifts. The grocery store required a doctor's note and a school nurse didn't count.

Still, it helped pass the time. With drawing an exercise in frustration, she found herself pacing her room when she was at home. Each night, she could feel it, the pull of the moon getting stronger. By Wednesday night, she could feel her skin tingling as she trudged home from work under the moonlight. By Thursday afternoon, all doubts of what was happening were dispelled as the intense cravings returned, stronger than ever.