by Maxi MacNair
A lone wolf led the pack. He had dark fur and even darker, almost black eyes. He walked up to the door, seemingly boasting with confidence as Arthmael stepped out and put his hand up to signal to Zoey to stay behind him. When the wolf with the black eyes was just a few feet away he transformed, turning into the man from the store. A few other wolves transformed, recreating the crew that had terrorized her and the small mini-mart earlier. Zoey gasped, and she wondered why his eyes were slightly different from the human-like eyes she had seen so far in these other wereshifting beings.
“What do you want Leikos?” Arthmael growled, taking another step forward, standing his ground and making sure Zoey was shielded by his body.
“You have something I want.” The man who was just called Leikos chuckled, looking past Arthmael’s huge frame at Zoey with a sinister look in his eyes. Arthmael growled back, trying to assert his dominance over the smaller man. The pack of wolves tightened their circle, surrounding the couple even more. If they wanted to leave the farm, they would have to fight their way out.
“She’s not leaving with you.” He uttered through gritted teeth as rage started to build inside of him.
“Oh… I think she will.” Leikos then grinned and turned back into his wolf form, quickly lunging forward. The change happened in a blink of an eye and Zoey was pushed back as Arthmael put up his human hands and caught the wolf around the neck while he gritted his teeth and shifted into his massive bear form. Liekos was tossed back as Arthmael finished his physical change, and then the two charged toward each other. The circle of wolves closed in around them and one in human form stepped over and grabbed Zoey by the arm.
“Don’t think about running away before we’re finished with your cuddly little teddy bear friend.” He said to her while he was watching the fight.
Zoey watched in horror as the two creatures fought a bloody battle against each other. As fur and teeth blurred together, Zoey was afraid for Arthmael, but her survival instinct started to kick in as well. She knew what was going to happen if Leikos won, but she also wondered what was going to happen if Arthmael won. In the blur though, she couldn’t discern who was winning and she just prayed that Chris or Arthmael, or whoever it was that she just made love to, would make it out alive. She felt the grip on her arm tighten and turn clammy as a yelp was heard coming from the circle. Zoey assumed that there were some rules she didn’t understand that stopped the others from rushing the huge bear that obviously had the advantage over the quicker yet much smaller beast.
The wolf pack stayed in tight, allowing the alpha to fight his own battle as they watched on. Every now and a then, one of them would snap at a bear heel that got in range, or a paw as it was brought back to strike a blow, but none of them charged in to attack. Zoey wondered what was going to happen though if the wolf in the middle of the circle lost. Suddenly a larger yelp sounded throughout the farm. Arthmael’s huge paw had finally landed a flush blow to the head of Leikos sending him tumbling to the ground and quickly he pounced before he stopped rolling opening his powerful jaw to latch onto the wolf’s neck. The farmyard was deathly quiet and Arthmael was moments away from crushing the neck and the life of Leikos. The alpha tried to struggle, but he seemed too weary from the battle, and the dark black eyes started communicating a look of fear.
“Arthmael stop! Don’t kill him!” With the alpha still in his mouth, he looked back at her. “He… he doesn’t deserve to die.” She whispered softly. She pretended that the alpha whimpering like an injured animal was too much for her to take, which in most circumstances would have been true. Secretly though, she wanted nothing more than to see the giant bear crush the wolf’s neck for what he and his group tried to do to her.
Zoey knew about the psychology of pack animals though. Once the alpha wolf was dead there was no telling what the rest of the pack was going to do. Most likely, they would all charge at the same time, and there was no way one bear could take on the whole pack at the same time. It would be chaos and carnage. More than likely, the one holding onto her arm would be at her neck the moment the pack no longer had an alpha to follow. Cut off the head and the body dies was mostly true with pack animals, but no one ever talks about how much the body violently flails and spasms before finally going cold and dead. Arthmael seemed to sigh as he gently let the alpha go. He looked around at the circle of wolves and morphed back into his human form. Leikos howled and Zoey could hear an answer from wolves in the distance, and in an instant the wolf morphed back into human form.
“I submit then Arthmael. This human can be yours, but you can’t protect them all.”
“You know that you are hunting beyond your territory Leikos.”
“Our territory. We used to own wherever we walked. I never agreed to give the humans any land, and now we hide in the smallest corners of the forest because of the land the humans claim as their own. You should know Arthmael. You walk freely in our land. You can sometimes hear the sound of humans from your den the same as us. You and your kind have lived in harmony with us as long as our stories reach, and now you hide and sneak through life just like us.”
“I do what I must to survive the same as you, but the human female has nothing to do with your survival. You are only using her for your anger and revenge.”
“At least we still have a pack. What about you. You talk about survival. When was the last time you saw one of your own kind. How many years since you have even seen your own father?”
“Enough Leikos. Do you have anything new to say? I have won according to the laws. Is this going to be war? Will you signal the pack to attack? Or are we finished with our little disagreement over this human?”
Leikos said nothing but got up onto his feet. There were deep cuts on his neck where the teeth of the bear had sunk in. He bowed deeply and jumped back into wolf form before running away. The rest of the wolves had no choice but to follow suit, disappearing into the nearby forest.
Zoey took a deep breath. She rushed to his side and hugged his neck, burying her face into his chest. As she did, however, she found herself sticky with blood. He was badly hurt.
She pulled back and noticed the countless wounds on his body, many of them quite severe. She wondered how he was still standing. Chris looked at her with pain filled eyes, collapsing onto the ground and unconsciously morphing back into bear form. Her eyes went wide as she feared the worst.
“Chris! Arthmael! Hold on!” Working on pure adrenaline, she scavenged the farm looking for something that could help her. She was about to return empty handed when she found a kit in the back of the barn used for treating some of the larger animals.
She brought it back to the bear who was struggling to breathe, his body weak with loss of blood. Zoey worked fast, opening up the kit and pulling out the materials she needed: bandages, thread, needles, and various other instruments. She remained focused as she patched him up, wrapping bandages tightly around his more shallow wounds and stitching together the deeper ones. She worked methodically until every one of his injuries were accounted for.
She was now covered in his blood and a layer of her own sweat but as she looked down at him she sighed in relief. He seemed to be breathing a little better now. The bear looked up at her for a moment, and walked into the barn. She followed him and sat down beside him, placing his large head on her lap. Her fingers gently ran through his thick fur as she was petting his head.
“It’ll be okay. You’ll be fine.” She whispered, looking down at him, praying that her words would remain true. He seemed to nod his head and closed his eyes back up, falling asleep as he allowed exhaustion to overtake him. Soon enough he was slumbering, and his deep heavy breaths soothed Zoey as she rested her own head onto the rising and falling bulk that was keeping her warm. Zoey chuckled slightly, continuing to pet his head.
Chapter 7
Eventually, Zoey fell asleep beside the bear. It was warm near the large creature and she smiled in her sleep as she cuddled against his warmth. Shortly after she fell asleep the sun
appeared over the horizon, announcing the start of a new day. By the time it was at its highest point, the rays shined through the hole in the roof, making her hide her head from the sun.
Nonetheless, soon it was too bright to keep sleeping, causing her to open her eyes and look around. At first, she was confused seeing the old farm house. She scrunched up her face, trying to remember what had happened when suddenly all of last night’s events came rushing back to her. Her eyes went wide and she sat up quickly, looking for Chris, but she was all alone.
She got up, turning around in place, trying to find him. “Chris? Arthmael?” She called out the last name in a meek voice. Where had he gone? Had he abandoned her? She walked through the door, worried. Making her way outside, she shaded her face from the sun, sweeping the area. Still nothing.
Zoey called out, louder this time, “Chris!” The surroundings remained quiet and she frowned as anxiety crept up inside of her. Glancing to the left she spotted his bike, making her feel a little better. Surely he wouldn’t have left without his bike.
“Morning.” Zoey spun around quickly at the sound, her eyes growing large as she looked at Chris standing there shirtless, looking as if nothing had ever happened. There wasn’t a scratch on his body. Zoey was amazed.
Suddenly she ran forward and wrapped her arms around him. He was surprised, but did the same, holding her close to his body. She looked up into his dark, but warm eyes as she stood on her toes and kissed his lips. He was somewhat stunned but quickly kissed back, pulling her even closer to his body, until their hips were pressed together.
“How are you healed from last night already?”
“It’s the forest. There are certain plants and trees that have healing powers for things like me.”
“The ly… lycan as well?”
“Well sort of, but it is different for them. Their healing has more to do with the pack and…” He went silent. “You remember when I mentioned that there is a lot you don’t know. This is just one of those things. I don’t know if we have time to go down this road right now.”
Zoey wanted to know, but she also just wanted to keep kissing him as well. She knew it was strange that she wanted this, but it also felt like the most natural thing in the world.
“You alright?” He asked, looking at her bright red ears in curiosity. Her scent slowly made its way up to his nose, subtly driving him wild again. There was no denying that she was doing something to him. His bear roared inside of him, prompting him to make a move. He sighed softly, running a hand through her hair.
She tilted her head at him, wondering what was wrong. Was he still hurt? Concern appeared on her face as she was about to say something. Chris interrupted her, however, by picking her up and pressing her against the wall, kissing her neck as she began to moan.
Her legs wrapped around his waist as her arms slung around his neck. He grabbed her by the hips and pressed them closer as his lips went down to her collarbone, kissing her gently. Her fingers curled into his hair, making him smile.
“Oh Chris, I don’t understand what’s going on right now. I mean Arthmael…I mean, what am I supposed to call you?”
“I just made up the name Chris that one day you asked me. Arthmael is my name though.
“How about Art, or Artie…”
“How about Arthur if you must use something but my real name.”
“Okay, I can live with Arthur.”
“Well then Arthur I was just thinking...” The fear for her job and all the stresses of her life suddenly flooded back to Zoey. Making her stop what she was going to say. She braced for how hard she expected it to hit her, but for some reason, as she looked into Arthur’s eyes, the stress seemed to just wash over her. For some reason, the future that had been derailed for her didn’t seem as important as it once did. With a chuckle, Arthur kissed her back before carrying her over to his bike.
He set her down and placed his helmet on her head, once again snapping the straps together, careful not to pinch her delicate skin. He leaned down and kissed her cheek before sitting down in front of her.
“Now, let’s get you home.” Zoey smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist before finally telling him her address. He nodded his head and shot off, getting back on the road. This time, there were no wolves to follow them.
As they rode home, Zoey frowned. What was going to happen once she got off this bike? The fear of losing him crept into her mind, making her heart tighten with pain. She didn’t want him to go, but at the same time, she knew she couldn’t force him to stay. She held onto him a little tighter, cherishing what could’ve been the last moments she had with him.
Soon enough, Arthur pulled up in front of her home. The loud rumbling of the engine of his motorcycle was sure to draw the attention of the neighbors. He looked at the empty driveway and raised an eyebrow.
“You live alone?” He asked, killing the engine and getting off, helping her off the bike. She shook her head, still looking a bit sad. He noticed that and gave her a quizzical look.
“My parents are in Florida right now. You mentioned that there is a lot that I don’t understand about you and the world I saw last night. Well, let’s just say that there is a lot in my world that you just don’t understand as well. I just got back from college, and am in a bit of a transitional phase if that means anything to you. So until they come back I live alone.” He nodded his head looking at her. He looked nervous somehow, which is a look Zoey hadn’t really seen on him before.
She took a deep breath and found the courage to finally ask him, “Am I going to see you again?”
He looked like he was thinking about what to say next.
“How about I stop by your work again sometime. I promise to stay for a little while longer than usual.”
“Yeah, but I don’t know about that job. Do you really think I can just show up for my next shift. Remember the state of the store that we left. What am I going to do. Roger is probably freaking out right now.”
“Don’t worry about Roger. I’ll explain everything to him for you. We have something of a history.”
“So that’s just another one of those things I don’t understand yet I guess right?”
“I’m sorry, but yeah. If you want to see me again though I should warn you that the more you understand the less likely your life is going to stay the same as it is. You’ve seen things most humans are never meant to see. I’m afraid that even now, as long as you are here in town you won’t have the choice to keep your life the same as it was.
“I need the change Arthur, and I’ll ask it again. Will I get to see you again now?”
“Yes”
“Then whatever happens I’m okay with.”
Arthur smiled an unsure smile. He looked happy and relieved, but also worried at the same time. He leaned in and kissed her deeply for a moment before getting on his bike and speeding off down the street. Zoey gave a wave to the neighbor across the street and walked into the house. Somehow, when she walked into the giant mess and clutter, her life seemed much bigger than this problem was. Zoey couldn’t figure out though if this was her life shifting away from the string of bad luck she had been given, or something that was fated to become more of the same.
The End
Appendix:
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