Winter was coming to an end, something that was already beginning to show in the changing weather. Cold had been gradually receding, giving way to a warmer, spring-like temperature, and that had made the snow melt, dressing the landscape in a radiant greenness. There were still a fewpatches here and there, in areas that were usually in the shade, but almost all of the white blanket had melted. The vegetation, nourished by the humidity and heat, had begun to grow vigorously, covering itself with tender sprouts as bright as emeralds. The birds had also entered the season, beginning their courtship songs and the construction of the nests where they would raise their offspring.
That afternoon Sofia and Dave had gone for a run in the woods. Since it was warmer than when they started that routine, they were both dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. It was the first time Sofia really looked at his body, at least what he was allowing her to see, and she couldn''t say that she disliked it. Both his legs and arms were strong, with hard but harmonious muscles, without being exaggerated like those of bodybuilders. Every time he put his foot on the ground his calf would show under his skin. However, the boy had a considerable amount of body hair that made him look more adult than he really was, even when such hair was blond. Sofia couldn''t help but wonder, not without blushing of course, what he looked like under that t-shirt that was too wide to let her appreciate a bit of his pectoral musculature.
“Huh? What are you thinking about now?” asked the young man, catching her again gazing at him.
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“Me too,” he replied, smiling, and again it was that wide, spontaneous and sincere smile that made butterflies sprout in her belly.
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“Yes, I can play,” said the boy, blushing a little. “It''s still at my parents'' house, and I''d like to get it back when I pass the public exams and find an apartment to live in. I want part of my old life back. That''s why I get anxious, because I’m risking a lot in these exams, but I was risking more with the path of destruction I was leading. I''m not suited to stay locked up in a house, it feels like a cage and it stresses me out. I need open spaces where I can breathe and....”
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“Yes, ever since I decided to join the Civil Guard I''ve known what I wanted to do. You?” Sofia asked.
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If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
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“Oh, it''s you two. I was looking for Kissy, my cat. I usually take her out so she''s not always cooped up in the house. She always goes into the plants and I lose sight of her, but she doesn''t usually wander off. I haven''t heard her in a while and I''m starting to get worried, because she''s never done this to me before.”
Sofia and Dave exchanged a meaningful look and nodded at the same time. There was no need for words, they both knew how dangerous the forest could be, and what they had to do. They were, after all, going to be cops, and in theory, helping others was going to be their duty. Disliking Lola was no reason to deny her help when she needed it, even if there were too many rotten apples who took advantage of their position in the law enforcement corps.
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Dave nodded, and after agreeing on the areas they would each comb, they dived into the forest where he broke into a run as fast and quiet as a deer. Sofia took Lola in the opposite direction. She seemed like a completely different person, so worried, so small, as fragile as the stamen of a flower. Her haughtiness and pride had been reduced to nothing by the worry of not knowing if her cat was allright, and that was something Sofia could empathize with because she would feel the same way. They belonged to different worlds, but there was always something that was able to bring two people together, no matter how different they were.
“The moon is full tonight, I think. Do you believe those things Rodrigo says?” Lola asked in a whisper.
Sofia rolled her eyes. Rodrigo had become the new class freak, and all because he was becoming more and more vocal with what he called the White Wolf or the Ghost of the Forest. Now he was obsessed with the ideaof showing everyone that this being was a real werewolf, and to do so he had set up some photo-trapping cameras and went into the woods on full moon nights. Obviouslt, neither the cameras had captured anything, nor had the cinanthrope appeared, because the fool was being vocal about his plans, and was telling them to the very same werewolf he wanted to capture. Naturally she couldn''t tell Lola any of this.
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The cinanthrope turned tail and, still barking so they could follow him, began to run. Sofia and Lola did the same. The creature was nothing more than a flash of white in the distance, appearing and disappearing among the tree trunks, and if it hadn''t been for his barking Sofia would have lost him a while ago. It was clear what he was trying to do, let himself be seen as little as possible so that he simply looked like a big dog. At first sight, a cinanthrope on all fours was not very different from a mastiff, but a closer look revealed details that were not consistent with a simple canine.
After a while of following the cinanthrope through the forest, they reached a place not too far from the path where the undergrowth was thicker. The animal pointed at something on the ground at his feet before disappearing into the vegetation. As Sofia and Lola approached, they saw that there was a Siamese-colored cat lying on the ground next to a dismantled snare. She was wearing a pink collar with a little heart on it, and perhaps that was why she was still breathing, albeit with some difficulty.
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