ã€ŠPining for My Dear Lunaã€‹


 Prologue

    The classroom bustled with liveliness as the children flooded in through the doors, having returned from the cafeteria and playground outside. Smiling faces entered the classroom that was lushly decorated with drawings, posters, and stickers of pumpkins, turkeys, and congratulatory words used in the holiday of Thanksgiving.

    The children, some returned to their seats, while some wandered around the classroom to interact with their fellow classmates. 1969, the classroom of thirty two students was predominantly occupied by children of light complexions and varying, vibrant hair colors, but amongst them were also children of dark complexions and curly black hair. A sight increasingly common in the recent years. The children did not seem to mind the differing appearance of their classmates; they were all busy enjoying the few minutes left before recess ended. Truly, a harmonious sight to behold, filled with the vigor and na?vet¨¦ of the children, excited for the activities they¡¯d participate today in school, and when they return home.

    As the children played in the classroom, the front door slid open and in entered a middle aged woman. Looking to be around her mid thirties, she had pale skin and short brown hair curled towards her ears. She wore a modest, pink jacket while underneath was a long yellow dress, reaching her ankles, decorated with flower patterns. While one hand pushed the door, her other hand held a small stack of books with colorful cartoons on the cover. She was the teacher. With her entrance to the classroom, the children all returned to their seats, the prior commotion quieting down as they early looked up to their teacher.

    The teacher, Mrs. Johnson, gently walked to the blackboard. With a pink chalk, she wrote on it two big words: ¡°Thanksgiving Presentation¡±. Turning back to look at her class with a smile, she walked to her desk and gently placed the books on her desk as she sat down.

    ¡°I hope you all had a nice lunch, kids¡±

    ¡°You too, Mrs. Johnson.¡± The class chanted in unison. A routine exchange they did everyday.

    ¡°Now, I know that Thanksgiving is today and you kids must be really excited, but I hope you didn¡¯t forget the assignment I left you yesterday.¡± She spoke in a gentle voice.

    ¡°Does anyone remember what it was?¡± As soon as she finished speaking, a young girl raised her hand, eager to answer. With a nod of approval from Mrs. Johnson, the girl stood up.

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    ¡°We had to prepare a presentation for today about the person we¡¯re most grateful for!¡± She eagerly replied, then quickly sat back down.

    ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s correct!¡± Turning her attention from the young girl to the class, she asked with a smile. ¡°Now, does anyone wanna volunteer to go first?¡±

    The classroom erupted into a small commotion as the kids started asking each other what they were going to present today. Some would tease each other and try to let Mrs. Johnson pick their friend to go first, and some would play Rock Paper Scissors amongst themselves to decide who would go first. It was evident that the children all had something to present, and some were very eager too, but nobody wanted to be first.

    ¡°Seems like there¡¯s no volunteers.¡± Mrs. Johnson said with a small chuckle.

    ¡°Vicky, would you like to come up first to set a precedent?¡±

    At the sound of her word, the young girl, Vicky, who had previously answered Mrs. Johnson¡¯s question stood up once again, and confidently walked towards the blackboard. Just like her classmates, she had the youthful face of a 13 year old. A fresh look of maturity with a lively na?vet¨¦ that had not yet left, characteristic of children of this age. Unlike her classmates though, she had a spark of ambition and maturity in her eyes that few of her age had; a feistiness befitting of one who had great aspirations. She was one of the few children in the classroom that had dark skin, black eyes, and black curly hairs. Yet, unlike the other African American children, Vicky also had feature that resembled those of her white classmates: a thinner nose, a higher nose bridge, and almond shaped eyes typically seen on the faces of children born from white parents.

    A biracial child. A sight unique and seldom seen, yet increasingly becoming common in the recent years.

    Vicky stood before the classroom of students eager to hear her presentation. A small bit of nervousness crept up, but was quickly pushed back by her determination. She¡¯d wanted to tell others about the person she¡¯s grateful for, the subject of her presentation today, for a long time. Today, it was finally the chance. With a small inhale, she started her presentation.

    ¡°Today, I will talk about a person I am very grateful for. They are not my mom and dad, and they¡¯re not related to me by blood.¡± She paused. A few children let out a snort of confusion, while a few kids started talking amongst themselves, asking who the person she¡¯s grateful be if not her family. They were quickly hushed by Mrs. Johnson, who told Vicky to continue with an encouraging nod and a smile.

    ¡°But, even though we are not related, he is a part of my family.¡±

    ¡°This person is my dear Uncle Sunny.¡±

 Chapter 1 - What is Love?

    My Uncle Sunny is a werewolf.

    The warm morning sun shone brightly down the forest, creeping its way through the vines and bracken covering the entrance to a large wolf den, slowly inwards until it reached the nest, and finally landed on the face of the young puppy sleeping inside.

    Tasela wriggled beside the warm fur of his mother, trying to move away from the sun shining brightly on his heavy eyelids, so that he could sleep a little more. But alas, the morning sun had made its message clear, it was time to wake up. Reluctantly, Tasela open his eyes with a grumpy sigh, then slowly sat up. With a big yawn, he stretched his little body, then shook the dust off his fur, fully awake now.

    A growl sounded from his stomach. He looked back, and saw the flanks of the giant figure he had just been nestled in prior softly rising and falling. Since Mama was still as asleep, he¡¯d have to go fetch and eat by himself today. With his short little paws, Tasela trodded out of the den, passing through the vines and bracken covering the entrance, and reached the clearing.

    The morning mist had not dispersed yet, and the light of the sun shone through the trees into the clearing, letting wherever its rays touched shine in a beautiful, yellow glow. Some of his tribe mates had already woken up before him, and were walking around the clearing going about this day, greeting Tasela good morning if they passed by him.

    Tasela walked around the clearing, trying to find where the food pile was. After a few minutes of pacing, stroking, and sniffing, he couldn¡¯t find it, but he refused to ask others for help. He was a big boy now after all, and big boys don¡¯t ask others for help. He¡¯ll find the food pile on his own, and then he¡¯ll tell Mama how mature he was, so that she¡¯d praise him.

    With his little nose on the ground, trying to sniff for the scent of meat, he caught two faint, but familiar scents. Looking up, he saw two figures slowly walking towards the clearing from the trees in the forest. Despite the mist covering their appearance, he could tell who they where. They were his favorite persons, his big sister Nokomis and her friend Cypress.

    Filled with excitement, Tasela raced towards them as fast as his little paws could carry him, his fluffy little tail frantically waving. The two lowered their necks to greet him as they saw him approach. It was a long and tiring run, when he¡¯d finally reached them, he was panting and out of breath. Nokomis, who was holding a piece of meat, placed it on the ground to lick Tasela¡¯s face, her fluffy black tail waving in happiness at the cuteness of her baby brother. He struggled and protested under her sweeping tongue, but it only made her more persistent. Cypress chuckled at the sight, it was always heartwarming for her to watch the two siblings¡¯ cute interactions.

    Frustrated by his failed attempts to make his big sister stop, Tasela bared his teeth and tried to bite Nokomis¡¯ tongue. She easily dodged his attack, letting out a triumphant laugh as the sight of her brother, his tail held high, fur bristling, and growling in a high pitch with childish anger. He was adorable. This agitated him even more. How dare his big sister treat him like a little puppy, he was a big boy now!

    He looked up at his sister angrily. Being more than twice his age, Nokomis towered over him at almost three times his size. She was a muscular yet elegant wolf with a long, fluffy coat. Her pelt was black, decorated with a ring of silver and white hair around her neck and shoulders, and a white tail tip. Her eyes were sharp and energetic, with a green akin the color of leaves in summer. She looked very much like him, which was why Tasela wanted to be as cool as Nokomis when he grows up. At the moment, he barely even got close to the height of her belly fur, which annoyed him to no end since Nokomis would often use her size to tease him. He couldn¡¯t wait to grow up so he could annoy his big sister back.

    With a grumpy sigh, he turned to look at Cypress, who kindly smiled at him as she met his gaze. Cypress wasn¡¯t a wolf; she was a deer. She looked like any other deer, but there was a distinct kindness and feistiness in her eyes that he really liked. She was much shorter than Nokomis, only reaching to half the height of Nokomis¡¯ shoulder.

    She was rather new to his life. He¡¯d only met her last year after Nokomis introduced her to the tribe, but they quickly bonded to the point that Cypress was now his second favorite person behind Nokomis, even though Nokomis was kind of annoying. He was used to seeing species other than wolves in his tribe, so he was not weirded out or surprised that Nokomis brought a deer friend to the tribe. It was strange though that a little while before Nokomis introduced Cypress to everyone, she suddenly gained the ability to shift into a deer herself. He¡¯d only seen seen a handful of aunties and uncles in the tribe be able to shift into something that¡¯s not a wolf. He thought it was really cool, but he never knew why or how they could do it.

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    It was rather strange. From that day on, Nokomis and Cypress became almost inseparable too. He asked Mama and Papa why, but they only told him that he¡¯ll get it once he grows up. It¡¯s so unfair! I really want to know! Why can¡¯t they tell me! I¡¯m already a big boy now, why can¡¯t they just tell me already! He vented, unaware that he was puffing his cheeks. Just as he was lost in thought, a big paw pressed against his head.

    ¡°What ya thinking so hard about, little guy?¡± Nokomis asked with a teasing smile, charmed by her little brother¡¯s cuteness.

    Tasela shook off her big paw, and turned to Cypress.

    ¡°Big sister Cypress, why are you always going everywhere with big sister Nokomis?¡± He asked, his head tilted in curiosity.

    Cypress seemed to be surprised by his question. She smiled shyly and fidgeted a little, her short white tail waving rapidly. She turned to look at Nokomis, who looked back at her with a smile of amusement and wrapped her fluffy tail Around Cypress¡¯ flanks. This confused Tasela even more, why were they acting like this? Did he say something wrong?

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know.¡± Nokomis chuckled, bending her neck to nudge her nose at Tasela¡¯s muzzle.

    ¡°Come on, just tell me! Mama and Papa said I¡¯ll know when I grow up, but I really wanna know!¡± He howled in protest, his paws trodding up and down in frustration. The duo glanced at each other in amusement before letting out a chuckle at the sight.

    Nokomis quickly shifted into her deer form. Her head changed shape, her fur shorted and changed color, her legs slimmed down and restructured, and her tail shorted. For Tasela, transformations were always a sight to behold, too bad they never lasted long. They were always over in an instant. As a deer, Nokomis was still much taller than Cypress, or any other doe for the matter. She was slightly shorter than her wolf form, but was still much taller than even a buck. Compared to other deer, her pelt was also slightly darker in color, and her eyes were still sharp and green with a wolfish look.

    ¡°And I guess you also want to know why I can turn into a deer now?¡± She grinned in amusement.

    ¡°Yes, yes! Come on, tell me!¡± He exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement. Was she finally gonna tell him!?

    Nokomis chuckled softly. She pressed her flank against Cypress'' and turned to touch noses with her. After pulling apart, they both looked at each other with a loving smile. It was kind of fascinating to see. It was just like how Mama and Papa looked at each other.

    ¡°You see, Olathe and I are in love.¡± Nokomis explained, her eyes never leaving Cypress. Under her gaze, Cypress turned her head away.

    ¡®Oh shucks, Maple, you¡¯re making me embarrassed!¡± She exclaimed, playfully bumping her shoulder against Nokomis¡¯.

    ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t be shy. I know you enjoy it when it when I look at you like that!¡± Nokomis teased, moving her head closer to look into Cypress¡¯ eyes.

    ¡°Ahaha, stop!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s love?¡± Tasela asked with a tilted head, interrupting the couple¡¯s conversation. They both looked at him in surprise, a little lost at how to answer his question.

    ¡°Love is¡­..It¡¯s when you like a person really really much!¡± Cypress explained.

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of like how Mama and Papa are. They really really like each other and want to stay together forever.¡± Nokomis added.

    ¡°So am I in love with you, Mama and Papa? I really really like you all.¡± Tasela asked. Cypress let out a suppressed laugh at his innocent response.

    ¡°No, no. The love you feel for family and friends is different from this type of love.¡± Cypress explained, the smile never leaving her face. ¡°It¡¯s a special kind of love for only one person.¡± She continued, turning to look at Nokomis. Nokomis leaned her head down to rub her cheeks against Cypress¡¯. Cypress let out a contented smile, and reciprocated the action.

    ¡°Loving someone, and having them love you back is the best feeling in the world, Tasela. You¡¯ll know when you grow older.¡± Nokomis said. Her voice sounded so happy, like she was in the clouds.

    Tasela listened and watched in amazement, unaware that his little tail had started wagging rapidly behind him. Love¡­.He didn¡¯t quite understand what it was yet, but looking at how happy Mama and Papa were, and how happy Nokomis and Cypress were, it must be a wonderful thing. His lips slowly raised to a smile. He couldn¡¯t wait to grow up. He couldn¡¯t wait to understand and experience this wonderful thing.

 Chapter 2 - Love is Asinine

    He was born and raised in the forest, where he was taught to worship eternal love.

    The golden rays of sunset stretched across the forest, painting everything it touched a brilliant shade of orange and gold. A light, breeze blew across the green summer leaves of the trees, carrying with it a few golden leaves that had fallen from the branches. The breeze carried with it a sliver of coolness that contrasted with the hot air around it, signifying the looming arrival of autumn.

    In the fields of grass outside the forest was a large pond lush with life, half circled by the dense forest, half open to miles of grassland. During the day, it was a beautiful blue, surrounded by the expansive green forest and grassland. They were a vibrant green only found in the lively months of summer, yet now, everything was a shimmering gold from the rays of the sunset. As the breeze exited the forest, it blew onto the the pond and the grassland, sending ripples down the crystal clear water, and rustling the blades of grass. The rustle of the summer grass was melodic, almost like they were singing in tune a song of welcome for the arrival of fall.

    One by one, speckles of phosphorescent green started to rising from the grass, shining beautifully as they flew around. Fireflies. The last batch of the summer. Flying across the golden pond field, a firefly gently descended to rest on a blade of long grass by the water. Using its front legs to brush its antenna, it was completely unaware the grass around it had started to gently rustle. Suddenly, with a loud rustle, a giant wolf pounced out, it¡¯s claws stretched and mouth gaping. With a loud splash, the wolf landed in the shore of the water, the long blade of grass in its mouth. The firefly had escaped just in time from the clutches of the wolf.

    Tasela spit out the blade of grass in his mouth. He didn¡¯t want to kill the firefly per se, but he had wanted to catch it. He and his playmates had come to the field to compete to see who could catch the most fireflies. So far, nobody had much luck, so it didn¡¯t frustrate him too much that he''d lost another firefly. It did frustrate him though that the splash from the water had left his front paws, and some of his neck and belly fur wet. He didn¡¯t like the feeling of wet fur sticking to his skin.

    With a huff from his nose and a rough shake to get the water off, he turned towards the field where his playmates were. There were eight wolves sprinkled across the field, all either stalking or pouncing at a firefly. It was hard to make out who was who, as despite all of them having different fur colors, the sun had made everyone unanimously golden or brown. Even Tasela, who was a black wolf, now looked a golden brown under the sunset¡¯s rays.

    Raising his head, Tasela let out a small howl to draw everyone¡¯s attention, beckoning them. In unison, the other wolves raised their heads to look at him, then slowly trodded to where he was. They were all around the same age, with Tasela being the youngest one. Maybe it was because he was slightly taller than his playmates, and young wolves like him and them tended to look up to the tall adult wolves, but the pups all had a tendency to listen to Tasela. He was like a de facto leader of the group.

    The eight young wolves stood there, looking at Tasela curiously, wondering why he had called them over. One of them was missing. Including him, there were ten wolves in total. When looking at the field prior, he had just thought that she was somewhere out of sight. Now that he had called everyone over, it was strange to not be seeing the last member.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Chenoa? Has anyone seen her?¡± He inquired. The other pups shook their heads and shrugged.

    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s in the forest so she didn¡¯t hear you?¡± Sahale, one of them suggested. He was a sandy red wolf with dark brown ears and amber eyes, speckled with bits of sandy white fur along his neck and his back. Sahale was the second oldest member of the group, and the tallest pup after Tasela, yet he only reached to Tasela¡¯s chin.

    ¡°Should I go to the forest to look for her?¡± Sahale offered, an oddly lot of enthusiasm in his voice.

    ¡°No need. She¡¯d probably somewhere close around here¡ª¡± With a loud shriek, a small barn owl swooped down from a nearby tree, transformed into a white wolf midair, and landed on Tasela. Caught by surprise, Tasela lost his balance and fell on the ground. The white wolf had pinned him down, and was now looking down at him while laughing in triumph. He¡¯d recognize that laugh anywhere; it was Chenoa, the missing member.

    Chenoa was a white wolf, with bits of light golden fur speckled across her back resembling a barn owl, and gray blue eyes full of energy and fighting spirit. She was the oldest member of the group, yet she was the shortest of them all. Originally, since she was older, she was the tallest of the group. Yet, as the years went by, everyone started to exceed her height, leaving her very annoyed. She loved to challenge Tasela to fights because he was the tallest of the group despite his young age. While Tasela was big, bulky and strong, Chenoa was small but very swift and agile. They always end their fights with a tie, but that never stopped her from continuously challenging him.

    Pinned down, with his head under Chenoa¡¯s paw, Tasela smirked. He knew what this meant, it was another challenge to a fight. With a quick turn of his head to bite at the paw pinning him down, which Chenoa easily dodged, he accepted the challenge. The duo rolled around the grass, jumping at each other and dodging attacks. The other eight wolves watched them spar from the sidelines, some laughing and some sighing.

    ¡°That¡¯s the third time today. Don¡¯t they ever get tired?¡±

    ¡°No wonder they¡¯re so good at fighting, they¡¯re at each other¡¯s throats every day.¡±

    ¡°I wonder how they¡¯ll be like when they become adults.¡±

    ¡°Probably the same.¡±

    The pups talked amongst themselves as they watched the match between Chenoa and Tasela go on, no winner in sight.

    ¡°Should we break them up? It¡¯s almost nightfall now.¡± One of the pups suggested, turning to look at Sahale. Just as the words left their mouth, a loud howl sounded from the forest. It was the adults from the tribe signaling for them to return.

    All seven of the pups turned to looks at Sahale, who sighed in return. In the beginning, Sahale would often intervene to break up the duo because he didn¡¯t want either one of them to get hurt. As their sparring sessions increased, Sahale¡¯s times breaking them up increased, becoming a tradition for everyone in the group to turn to him whenever they had to get Chenoa and Tasela to stop.

    Slowly, he padded towards them. The grass underneath the two was flattened from all the activity. With a sigh, he lunged at Tasela and pinned him down.

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    ¡°Hey!¡± Tasela protested.

    ¡°Ha!¡± Chenoa scoffed.

    ¡°Come on, the adults are calling us back.¡± Sahale said calmly, releasing Tasela and turning to walk towards the forest.

    The other wolves followed behind Sahale. Tasela got up with a grumpy ¡®hmf!¡¯ and followed. Chenoa surpassed him, her head and tail held high with a big grin as she hummed a song of victory. Just you wait, I¡¯ll get you tomorrow, he pouted.

    Chenoa transformed into an owl again and flew up to land on Sahale''s head, who welcomed her company with a wagging tail. Sahale and Chenoa were very good friends, but Sahale seemed to pay extra attention to her lately. He¡¯d often treat Chenoa with a bit more care than he would with Tasela. Tasela wondered if something was going on between the two.

    At the entrance of the forest stood a deer. A tall doe with a dark pelt and sharp green eyes. It was Nokomis, she was waiting for her little brother. The other wolves greeted Nokomis with a small nod or a smile, but when they passed her, some of them turned to look at her with a sad or pitying look. Nokomis didn¡¯t take notice, but she was aware of how they were looking at her.

    As Tasela approached last, being at the end of the group, Nokomis walked forward to greet her brother. She didn¡¯t need to lower her neck anymore to greet Tasela like she used to when he was a small pup, he was now much taller than those days. He wasn¡¯t an adult yet, he was barely adolescent in fact, but he was almost at the height of her chin now.

    ¡°There¡¯s so much grass on you. Did you fight with Chenoa again?¡± She asked softly, licking off some of the grass that had stuck to his fur.

    ¡°Yeah. Sahale broke us off today, but I¡¯ll get her back tomorrow.¡± He huffed.

    ¡°Anyways, how was you day, sis?¡± He gently asked.

    He looked as his sister. These days, it was hard to ever see her in her wolf form again. Nokomis used to be like Chenoa, energetic and full of spirit; she used to be the joy of the tribe. Now, the energy in her eyes had disappeared, replaced by hollow, bitter sadness. So much had happened to her during the years. He loved his sister very much, it saddened him to see her this way.

    ¡°It was the same as usual. I¡¯m glad to hear you had fun though.¡± She responded with a bitter smile, averting her eyes from Tasela¡¯s and changing the topic.

    ¡°Come on, I heard the elders are telling a story tonight.¡± She turned and started walking towards the forest. Tasela followed with as sigh.

    They reached the clearing after a while, the sun having already disappeared then to be replaced by the stars and the moon. Fireflies speckled the forest scenery, and crickets sounded from within the bushes. It was a peaceful evening, like always.

    Tasela picked up a piece of meat from the food pile and headed towards his playmates, who had huddled together at the center of the clearing. They chatted while enjoying the meal, feeling rested after a day of playing around. Beside them, in the very center of the clearing, was a large rock. It was where the alphas or elders who had something to announce would stand.

    Slowly, an elderly dark grey wolf approached the rock. It was Elu, one of the tribe¡¯s great elders. His muzzle and face was white from age, and it was harder to tell he was once a dark grey wolf as white fur started to grow along his body as well. He slowly ascended atop the rock, and looked down at the group of young wolves huddled beside the rock. With a small cough, they stopped their chatting and retreated a little from the rock, before sitting down to look at the elder.

    ¡°As some of you may have heard, I¡¯ll be telling you younglings a story today.¡± The elder spoke, laying down on the rock and looking down at the young wolves with a loving smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you pups have grown so much. You¡¯ll be adults in no time, rest assured.¡± Elder Elu looked into the distance.

    ¡°With adulthood comes many new experiences, some good, and some bad.¡± His eyes landed on Nokomis, who was listening from a distance. She averted the elder¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Say, have you pups ever heard the tale of how us werewolves first came to be?¡± The pups shook their heads in unison.

    ¡°It¡¯s a story I tell to every new generation of pups who reach adolescence, and yet I never seem to get tired of it.¡± The elder chuckled.

    ¡°Thousands of years ago, a divine spirit from the tribe of humans who live in this land, the Navajo they call themselves, met a wolf in the forest. The spirit fell in love with the wolf, and swore to love no one else. The spirit transformed himself into a wolf to chase for her love. The wolf eventually reciprocated the spirit¡¯s love, and the two lived in eternal happiness. Their children were born as wolves, though larger than any other wolves. The spirit blessed their children with the ability to understand other animals. Should they ever fall in love with someone other than a wolf, the child would gain the ability to shift into the species of their loved one. The spirit wished for his children to be just like him, to chase for their loves, and to love eternally.¡± The pups listened in awe, while the adults passing by smiled from hearing this tale again, remembering when they were once in the place of these pups.

    ¡°That is why love is a most sacred and beautiful thing. We werewolves love only one person our whole lives, unending and unconditionally.¡± The elder finished.

    Everyone smiled from listening to the story. Love is a most scared and beautiful thing. Having lived their whole life in the tribe, the pups had all seen how happily in love their parents were. They¡¯d seen how happily in love the other adults in the tribe were with their partners. They¡¯d even seen how some adults had partners from other species, and how happily in love they were with their partner nevertheless. What else could love be but beautiful and sacred?

    Amongst the crowd of smiling wolves, one pup frowned. Love. Eternal love. Unending and unconditional. If it is not reciprocated, is it not a curse?

    Tasela gritted his teeth. He¡¯d heard that other species don¡¯t love eternally like werewolves do, and he had seen first hand the pain it would cause if a partner had a change of heart. It was a pain he wouldn¡¯t wish even on his worst enemy.

    He turned to look at Nokomis, who returned a sad apologetic smile, as if knowing what was on his mind. Seeing his sister like this hurt him more than anything. It was all because of love, the very thing everyone said was sacred and beautiful. Because of love, a once energetic, joyful spirit was now cursed to forever live in pain, pining for someone who won¡¯t reciprocate her feelings. On top of that, there was Bidzii¡­.

    A low growl sounded in Tasela¡¯s throat. He shook his head at the memory of Bidzii. How could everyone be smiling at this story? Did they forget about Nokomis? Did they forget the pain she went through? How could they still worship love? He didn¡¯t understand, and he didn¡¯t ever want to understand.

    He knew how everyone looked at Nokomis. Whenever they passed her they¡¯d give her looks of pity. He hated it. He hated how they looked at his sister. He hated even more the fact that they knew the pain love could cause, yet they still chose to worship it. It was asinine.

    Tasela did not need love. He had his family, his sister, and his friends. That was all he needed.

    But Uncle Sunny did not want to fall in love with anyone.

 Chapter 3 - Troubled Newlyweds

    19 years ago, my mommy and daddy moved from their home to here because they weren¡¯t allowed to be together.

    The sun shone brightly in the sky, emanating the heated rays of summer. Amongst a vast grassland and crop fields was a road, not wide but not narrow. On it, a single car drove through, leaving a trail of dust behind as it went. In a vast no man¡¯s land, the car almost seemed lonely, yet the people in it were nothing but happy for the road to be empty.

    At the driver¡¯s seat sat a young African American man. He was rather tall and dark skinned, with short curly hair and soft gentle eyes. He was rather slim, but not devoid of muscle. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, his shirt slightly wet, and his forehead rolling with sweat from the head of the midday sun. He was a handsome young lad.

    Beside him sat a young white woman. She was beautiful and petite. Her short shoulder-length hair curled and stylized, but slightly messy from the heat and the long journey. Sweat trickled down her forehead, dripping down and drenching her long golden lashes above her azure eyes. Her face had a bright red blush from the heat.

    On the woman¡¯s hand was a small hand fan that she diligently waved in order to cool herself and the man down. She looked out the window; grass and corn crops stretched for as far as she could see. Everything was a bright green, with some starting their transition to gold for the approaching autumn.

    ¡°How much longer do you think till we arrive?¡± She nonchalantly asked.

    ¡°Should be soon. The mayor told me it was beside a forest.¡± He responded. He raised his hand to point at the distance.

    ¡°Look, I can see the forest now! We¡¯ll be there in no time!¡± He exclaimed. She turned to look at where he pointed. In the distance, there was a faint outline of trees. It was the forest.

    ¡°We can finally settle down now, Cassy.¡± He turned to look at her with a loving smile.

    Cassy returned the loving smile. We can finally settle down now. She repeated to herself. Finally, she could live in peace in a place far away from the watchful eyes of others with the man she loved, her husband, Joseph Wilson.

    <hr>

    Cassandra Taylor was born in a large town in Nebraska, to the richest family in the town. Being rich and pretty, life was fairly easy for her. She had servants that tended to her every need, while she focused on being a sophisticated and educated young lady. She had many friends, and never had a lack of boys trying to pursue her. She was the star of the town.

    When she was a teenager, the Second Great War started. On the year 1944, when she was only 14 years old, a soldier once tried to assault her on her way back home from school. Amidst the chaos and fear, the man was suddenly knocked from the back of his head by a thick schoolbook. It was a black boy who barely looked older than her. The boy fought the man, being overpowered due to their age and size difference. And yet, the boy always stood in front of her, shielding her from the man.

    Her servants reached her in time, scaring the soldier away. Cassandra never thought much about the colored people. Why would she? They were servants for her and her family. Even those who were not her servants, she never paid attention to either way. They didn¡¯t live in the vicinity of her house or school either, and they always made sure to keep their distance from her. Yet, looking at the tattered boy who fought bravely for the safety of a white girl he didn¡¯t know, a spark ignited in her heart.

    That was her first encounter with Joey.

    They crossed paths a few more times since then, and as the years passed, a friendship started to develop between the two. It was kept a secret of course, as she knew the backlash she¡¯d face from her friends, her family, and society as a whole if they were to be discovered. She was a rich, young, white girl after all, while he was young black boy from a modest background.

    From their friendship blossomed feelings of love. Cassy found herself enamored by by Joey¡¯s kind and gentle nature; his willingness to help those in need at any cost. The two started dating in secret, even more wary than before when they were just friends. They both knew that Joey would be lynched if the town were to ever find out about their relationship.

    It was hard to keep everything a secret though. Cassandra Taylor was the star of the town after all. She was under the scrutiny of everyone, especially now that she was at a marriageable age. People started to notice how close she was to a black man. Her good reputation started to crumble, rumors started to spread, and people¡¯s eyes started turning to disgust. The once long line of boys trying to pursue her for her wealth and beauty started to become a line of perverted men waiting for the chance to buy her at cheap now that she was no longer the star, to ¡®save¡¯ her from the rumors of her being a ¡®n****r-lover¡¯.

    Circumstances were hard for both of them, but the couple¡¯s love for each other stayed strong. Finally, one month ago, with Cassy being 20 and Joey being 22, the two decided to get married. They did so in secret, with only a priest that pitied them present. It was not ideal, but it was the happiest day of their lives for them both.

    Before the newly wedded couple could think of what to do next, Cassy¡¯s parents discovered their secret. They were enraged, furious that their daughter had not only dated a black man for so many years, but even married to him. They wanted him executed. Cassy was able to save her husband in the end, with the compromise of both he and her be banished from the town. As a last show of pity for the daughter they¡¯d raised for so many years, her parents left her a large sum of money and a car before permanently cutting ties with her. At dawn, away from the disgusted gazes of others, the two departed.

    They¡¯d been traveling for almost three weeks, away from their home in Nebraska to their new home in Utah. The couple did not know where to go at first, they just blindly drove. Anywhere far from people was fine. It was when they¡¯d entered the state of Utah that they¡¯d managed to get the pity of a mayor from a small town. The man offered them a small ranch, far from people, yet close enough to his town. The only condition being to not drag him in the mess should their marriage ever be discovered by the townsfolk. Aside from this, the mayor expressed his willingness to help them in secret should they ever need it. They accepted the offer, ecstatic and feeling greatly indebted.

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    <hr>

    With the forest in sight, Cassy and Joey soon arrived at the ranch, their new home. It was of modest size, not small but not big, with a porch at the front door and a small wooden cabin beside the house. Wild, unkempt grass grew everywhere. The house seemed to have been abandoned for many years, with dust and cobwebs everywhere. It didn¡¯t matter to them, this was a gift of kindness they¡¯d been offered, and that they might never receive again. Who cares if the house was rundown? It was nothing a bit of cleaning up wouldn¡¯t solve.

    Joey entered the house first while Cassy stayed at the porch, looking out at the beautiful scenery around her. The ranch was surrounded by wild, uninhabited grassland all around, with no sight of crop fields or sign of human activity anywhere. Around a mile from the ranch, at an ever so slightly downwards slope, was the forest, vast and dense, expanding for as far as she could see. At her left, a little more than a mile from her, was a large pond. It was surrounded half by the forest and half by the grassland.

    ¡°Cassy, dear, come in a second please.¡± Joey¡¯s voice sounded from within the house. She turned from the porch and started walking to where Joey¡¯s voice came from.

    ¡°What is it?¡± She asked, walking towards the living room. She stopped and looked at the room. It was a mess, there was dust and cobweb everywhere; the floor was full of dirt and animal dung, and the furniture was scratched and filthy.

    She gasped at the sight. Cassy had lived with servants all her life, never having to worry about doing any sort of chore, as everything was tended to by her servants. She had mentally prepared herself for life where she had to take matters into her own hands, but looking at the mess before her, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little helpless.

    Joey turned to look at her. He understood what Cassy was feeling. He was neither rich nor poor growing up, but he was accustomed to doing manual labor. He knew of Cassy¡¯s upbringing, so it broke his heart thinking of how everything must be right now for his beloved. He stretched his arm around her shoulder and brought her in to him, giving a delicate kiss on her head as his thumb caressed her shoulders in comfort. She relaxed a little under his embrace.

    ¡°I briefly checked the house. Almost all the plates and kitchen utensils are broken, and the cushions and mattresses are all unusable. We¡¯ll have to buy everything anew.¡± He gently spoke.

    ¡°Almost everything is unusable, huh? Guess we have a lot of grocery to do¡± She scoffed. Just then, a realization suddenly came to her mind.

    ¡°Wait, Joey.¡± She turned to face him, her face full of urgency and worry.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He asked worriedly.

    ¡°All the stuff we need to buy is too much for one person to carry. But, we only have one car, and, and we can¡¯t be seen together in public.¡± She mumbled. How could she only just notice this now?

    Joey looked at her in surprise. Cassy was right, how did he not realize this problem sooner?

    ¡°What, what do we do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a lot of trouble but, it seems we¡¯ll have to run multiple errands to town to fix this house.¡± Joey suggested, his gaze fixed on the tattered living room while his thumb caressed Cassy¡¯s shoulder to comfort her.

    Cassy looked out the window, the shadows were starting to lengthen, foretelling the arrival of sunset. ¡°It¡¯ll be night soon, guess we¡¯ll have to sleep in the car today.¡± She sighed.

    ¡°We still have time. We can buy some cushions or a blanket.¡± Joey looked down and met her eyes, tightening his grip on her shoulder. ¡°I can¡¯t stand seeing you in discomfort. Let¡¯s at least buy those today to sleep more comfortably.¡±

    A loving smile formed on Cassy¡¯s face. Joey was so sweet. The rumors, the banishment, and now the uncomfortable journey; because of her relationship with Joey, she had to endure numerous long periods of misfortune and suffering. But it was moments like these that reminded her why she never regretted staying with Joey despite all this. She loved him too much; how could she not love this gentle hearted man who cared so much about her?

    She¡¯d seen the pain and self-loathing on his face whenever he saw her in discomfort during the journey. It was evident that he blamed all of this on himself. She tried with all her might to hide her discomfort and lessen his worries, but they both knew each other too well. In the end, it was just an endless cycle.

    ¡°Then should one of us head out now?¡± She suggested.

    ¡°Yes, we should.¡±

    ¡°One of us will have to go alone.¡± He declared a stern expression. ¡°It might take a while, but one of us will have to go back and forth alone to not raise suspicion.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go.¡± She offered.

    ¡°What? Cassy, you can¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Why? It¡¯ll be safer if I¡ª¡± Joey placed both his hands of Cassy¡¯s shoulder and and bent down to look at her at eye level, interrupting her. His stern gaze surprised her.

    ¡°Listen to me, Cassy, you can¡¯t go. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m white! It¡¯ll be much safer if a white person went alone than a black man!¡± She exclaimed.

    ¡°But you¡¯re a woman!¡± Cassy looked at him in surprise, clenching her teeth. Seeing her reaction, Joey let out a sigh and explained himself.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s unfair. But it¡¯s almost night now, it¡¯ll be dangerous for a woman to walk alone in town, especial a beautiful white young white woman like you.¡± He explained.

    ¡°Remember how we first met? I¡¯m worried something like that will happen again if you go alone, and I won¡¯t be able to protect you this time.¡± He continued, his eyes pleading.

    Cassy averted her eyes in anger, clenching her fists. She was angry that he was right. More so than that, she was worried that something might happen to him, and was angry that she¡¯d be utterly powerless to help him should something happen.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine! I¡¯m strong! I¡¯ll be able to carry more than you too.¡± Joey added in a cheerful tone. He noticed Cassy¡¯s expression and understood what she felt, so he tried to cheer her up.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be over in no time, I¡¯m sure of it.¡± He reassured her with a smile.

    ¡°You promise me you¡¯ll be safe?¡±

    ¡°Of course, honey.¡± He leaned down to gently kiss her forehead, then gently pressed his forehead against hers. Cassy sighed.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be off. It¡¯s already quite late.¡± He stood up, starting to pace for the door. Cassy saw him off to the porch, where she waved goodbye at him as he entered the car and left.

    She watched the car disappear into the distance, her heart filled with worry. She prayed that he¡¯d be back safe.

 Chapter 4 - His Coming Ceremony

    The morning sunlight shone brightly down the forest, its heated rays dispersing the mist and coolness of the night.

    As the clearing bustled with wolves waking from their sleep and slowly moving about the clearing, starting their day, a large wolf sprinted around the clearing. He was young, but taller and more robust than all of the other wolves around him.

    Tasela sprinted excitedly around the clearing, getting some annoyed glances from his tribe mates. He¡¯d woken up early at dawn, when the sky was still dark. He couldn¡¯t sleep, he was too restless. With all his fidgeting and tail wagging, he was kicked out of the den by his sister Nokomis for disturbing her sleep, and so he¡¯d been running around the clearing and the forest since then.

    A moon from today, on his birthday and the night of the full moon too, would be his coming of age ceremony, where he¡¯d finally become a full adult. He¡¯d waited so long, he just couldn¡¯t wait anymore. Since he was one of the youngest of his playmates, every time he saw the others celebrate their coming of age ceremony, it only left him increasingly excited for his own. At last, it was finally his turn in a moon.

    Tasela giggled at the thought of being an adult. He¡¯d been running around for hours now, but his excitement and energy just couldn¡¯t die down. His tail was wagging nonstop and mouth was in a wide grin.

    On his way to another lap in the forest near the clearing, he saw two of his playmates, Chenoa and Sahale. They each had a rabbit in their mouth, and were smiling at each other lovingly. Seeing Tasela approach, their smiles disappeared and were replaced by an annoyed eye roll or sigh.

    Tasela had been like this for half a moon now. It was like he just couldn¡¯t run out of energy. Every day he¡¯d wake up early in the morning and run around, howling and barking in excitement, but disturbing everyone else¡¯s peace.

    They understood his excitement, they¡¯d been there too after all, but it didn¡¯t ease their annoyance at his constant prancing and howling. The boy was large too, so the sound of his paws on the ground were especially loud.

    ¡°Tasela¡­¡± Sahale started with a tired sigh as Tasela ran past him and Chenoa.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Tasela stopped to a halt and looked back to see who was calling him.

    ¡°Ah, Sahale, Chenoa! Good morning!¡± He trodded towards the two with a wide grin, his tail wagging even more rapidly than it already was.

    Sahale had grown up a lot since his adolescent days. He was taller than a lot of his tribe mates, and was one of the few to be close toTasela¡¯s height. Yet, Tasela was still half a head¡¯s height taller than him.

    As for Chenoa, she¡¯d not grown much since her adolescent days. Tasela was already much taller than her in their adolescence, but with him having another growth spurt, he now towered over her, casting a shadow over her every time he stepped in front of her. Which of course, annoyed her to no end.

    Tasela¡¯s family were all big wolves. His parents were the alpha couple, with his mother even surpassing the size of many males. Their daughter Nokomis had inherited this trait, and was tall and muscular, with a size comparable to many males, just like her mother. It was no surprise that their son would be big too, but despite being born small, the boy was now taller and more burly than all of his tribe mates, with only his mother and few wolves like Sahale being able to come close.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you calm down a little? There¡¯s still a moon left till the ceremony.¡± Sahale let out an annoyed sigh.

    ¡°What do you mean? There¡¯s only a moon left!¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s been losing sleep because of you¡­¡± Chenoa pouted, letting out a tired yawn.

    ¡°Ah, sorry¡­¡± Tasela lowered his head in apology, before bouncing up and down in excitement again. ¡°I¡¯m trying to stay calm and all, but like, I just can¡¯t help it! There¡¯s only a moon left!¡±

    ¡°Nothing even changes that much when you reach adulthood. Don¡¯t get too excited.¡± Chenoa mumbled. Tasela flicked his ear in response, but didn¡¯t heed her words.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you find something to do in the forest for now. Maybe give everyone a chance to catch up on some sleep?¡± Sahale suggested with a sigh of defeat. It was nice to see his friend so happy, but he really wanted some peace and quiet.

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    Chenoa brushed her tail against Sahale¡¯s flank in agreement. They both looked at each other with a soft smile, and Sahale gently wrapped his tail around her in a semi-hug.

    Tasela watched their interaction. Sahale had a crush on Chenoa since they were still barely adolescents. Watching his friend pine for Chenoa, who was oblivious to his feelings, he¡¯d seen how much the feeling of ¡®love¡¯ affected Sahale¡¯s emotions. He¡¯d be stressed and anxious one moment, then happy and excited, then sad and dejected the next, all without much logical sense.

    With how many years Sahale crushed on Chenoa without her returning his feelings, Tasela was almost convinced that he might end up like Nokomis, alone and eternally suffering. It was almost like proof as to why Tasela didn¡¯t need love, and why he never wanted to fall in love with anyone. And yet, two years ago, just as Tasela was about to confirm his sentiment, Chenoa reciprocated Sahale¡¯s love. Since then, the two have been inseparable.

    It didn¡¯t dishearten Tasela though, seeing that his sentiments were disproven in this case. In fact, he was glad to see them so happy with each other¡¯s company. He still firmly believed that love, eternal love, was a curse. After all, if the feeling are unreciprocated, then one is left to suffer all their life. Even if it is reciprocated, unless the other party was a werewolf too, then there¡¯d always be the risk of them falling out of love. What then would be left of the one who can¡¯t change their heart?

    He didn¡¯t hate love per se. He liked seeing his tribe mates happily in love with their partners. It was especially reassuring for him to see if both parties were a werewolf, as then it would be a given that they¡¯d live happily ever after. He just thought that they were lucky. Seeing Sahale¡¯s years long crush on Chenoa, it only confirmed that. After all, what if Chenoa never reciprocated his feelings, would he just be doomed then?

    With werewolves only being able to love one person their whole life, the chance of loving someone and then having your heart broken for one reason or another was too high. Without the ability to move on, too, there was just too much to risk, too much to lose in this situation. You were forced to gamble with a high chance of eternal suffering for a low chance of eternal happiness. It was an unfair gamble of extremes that Tasela did not want to ever partake.

    Tasela blinked. He¡¯d gotten lost in his thoughts about love again. Growing older, he watched as more and more of his playmates and tribe mates found their love, so the concept of love often lingered in his head. He shook his head to clear of the thoughts.

    ¡°Speaking of finding something to do, Chenoa,¡± He approached Chenoa, who flattened her ears in annoyance, already knowing what Tasela was about to say.

    ¡°Are you free this afternoon? Wanna have a sparring session with me?¡± Ever since Tasela exceeded Chenoa¡¯s height many years ago when they were still children, she¡¯d often challenge him to fights. A test of strength of sorts. She was one of the best fighters around, so soon, Tasela became one of the only few who could handle a spar with her. She¡¯d still often challenge Tasela to fights, it was fun after all, but Tasela had been pestering her to spar with him at least five times a day for the past half moon, and she had grown tired and annoyed by now.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the morning to rest, so you have energy in the afternoon to spar with me! Aren¡¯t I nice? What do you say?¡± Chenoa looked as if she wanted to strangle Tasela.

    Sahale chuckled at Chenoa¡¯s reaction. He quickly stepped between them to rescue her from the evil Tasela.

    ¡°Maybe tomorrow. How ¡®bout you go hunt for some bunnies today? There¡¯s lots by the pond this morning.¡± He pointed to the two rabbits on the ground that he and Chenoa had been carrying earlier.

    ¡°Ah! The pond! Of course!¡± He exclaimed, before turning his head and sprinting to the forest. Sahale and Chenoa chuckled as they watched him go, then shook their heads as they picked up their rabbit and headed back to the clearing.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope he calms down after the ceremony.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Tasela sprinted through the woods, his large paws leaving loud thuds on the ground as his body made loud rustles while going through the foliage, scaring critters away wherever he ran past. The pond was his favorite place, how could he forget about the pond? He must¡¯ve been too focused on celebrating his coming of age ceremony.

    As he neared the pond, the scent of rabbits reached his nose. It was just as Sahale said, there were lots of bunnies by the pond this morning. He came to a halt and crouched down, slowly walking forward, ready to ambush his unsuspecting victim.

    As he drew closer to the clearing though, an unfamiliar scent reached his nostrils as well. It was a scent he never encountered in the forest, yet he had smelled long ago. Human.

    A long time ago, there used to be some humans living in the plains outside the forest, the Navajo people whose divine spirit they worshipped came to the forest and became the ancestor of all werewolves. In a way, the werewolves viewed these people as a spiritual kin, and would often interact with them. A few of the elders had human mates that came from the Navajo tribe.

    Tasela had encountered a few of these Navajo humans as a young pup, but not long after, foreign humans came and drove them out of the plains, building their own settlements on the land. In fact, not too far from the forest, there was one of these settlements. A town, he heard it was called.

    The human scent he caught seemed to belong one of these foreign humans. He followed the scent to its origin, it was a small house in the middle of the plains, near the forest and the pond. But why would he be catching the scent of a human here? This house had been abandoned for over fifty years. After the tragedy that happened to Nokomis, no humans came to this house anymore.

    The sudden rustle of grass carrying the strong scent of a rabbit interrupted Tasela from his thoughts. He decided to focus on the bunny first, and investigate on the human scent another day.

 Chapter 5 - First Encounter

    One day, when daddy went to town, he got in trouble and was unfairly put into prison.

    The dimly lit house brimmed with the warm aroma of food emanating from the kitchen. Cassy worked tirelessly away, preparing an abundant feast to commemorate the completion of the renovation of the house. She was not the best cook, in fact, Cassy was not a good cook at all. After all, she used to be the daughter of a rich family. She always had servants tending to her, so why would she ever need to learn how to cook? Despite this, she''d worked tirelessly the past few days, practicing the art of cooking despite Joey''s protests that she let him do it.

    Tonight was the night where she''d finally do something meaningful with the experience she''d accumulated the past few days. It wasn''t the best looking nor best tasting food, but it was made with heartfelt effort and love. After placing the last dish on the table, she sat down and eagerly waited for Joey''s return,fiddling her thumbs and fidgeting in her seat. She hoped Joey would like it.

    An hour passed; the sun had set and now the sky was fully dark.

    Two more hours passed; the food had long gone cold, but it was the least of her worries. Where was Joey? Why has he not come home yet? Cassy''s heart raced with worry as her mind came up with the most frightful possibilities of what may have happened to him. She decided to wait a little longer; Maybe he was just running a little late?

    Two more hours passed. The newly bought cuckoo clock rang, signifying the arrival of midnight. Joey was still not home. Cassy paced around the house. She feared the worst. What If something really happened? Would that mean that she was alone now? She was a fish out of water in an unfamiliar land, in a ranch in the middle of nowhere beside a forest sprawling with wildlife. She didn''t even have their car with her, Joey had used it to drive to town. She dared not venture to the rabbit hole of what is to become of her if something truly happened to Joey. She prayed and prayed that he be safe, the he be back in the morning.

    With a quivering heart, Cassy packed the food and placed it in the newly bought refrigerator. She hoped that Joey would be back right now and that it was just her over worrying, but it seemed clear at this point that he won''t be back today.

    I''m sure something small must''ve hindered him. I''m sure he''ll be back by tomorrow, and it was all a big hoax. She stopped in front of the stairs. He has to¡­..

    She collapsed onto the bed once she arrived at her and Joey''s room. Her body was exhausted, as was her mind. The soft and warm bedding sang a luring lullaby that further augmented her exhaustion and desire to sleep, yet she could not fall asleep. Anxiety had its firm grip on her, and so, after a sleepless night of tossing and turning, the next day arrived.

    Nothing.

    Another day passed. Nothing.

    The third day came. Still nothing.

    Something had definitely happened to Joey. He was not someone who''d break his promise or abandon her,so something had definitely happened to him.

    The last two days were a nightmare for Cassy. She''d spend the whole day pacing around the house, waiting anxiously for Joey''s return. The longer she waited, the stronger the dread in her grew. It was dread that something had happened to him, but it was also the dread of being left alone to fend for herself in the middle of nowhere. The nights were torturous, she didn''t get an ounce of sleep from all her worries and the sound of animals in the forest near the ranch. Particularly the howl of wolves, reminding her that the forest was teeming with fearful beasts that could eat her up given the chance. Now, it was the third day.

    Without the car, she''d be forced to tread miles along the road to reach the town, but that was the least of her worries now. She had to go to town to find out what happened to Joey.

    Just as Cassy was lost in her whirlpool of anxious thoughts, a familiar sound came from outside the house. It was the sound of a car''s engine, and it''s wheels running through the grass on the field.

    Could it be? Has Joey returned?!

    Without a second thought, she ran to the window to looka the car outside. It¡­.it was their car! Joey has returned!

    Cassy sprinted as fast her legs could carry her towards the car. Her eyes welled with tears of joy that all her worrying was for nothing, and that Joey was safe and sound.

    The car door opened, but instead of Joey coming out, it was a young woman. To make things worse, she seems to be the only one in the car. The woman looked younger than Cassy. She was a pretty red haired girl, slim and petite but taller than Cassy was, with an air of energy in her eyes that displayed her young age, around 16 years based on Cassy''s estimates.

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    Cassy''s mind was blank. She didn''t know what to make of this. Why was she and Joey''s car being driven here by this young girl? Where was Joey?

    The girl trodded towards Cassy upon exiting the car, her expression a mix of apologeticness and guilt.

    ¡°Are you perhaps Mrs. Cassandra Wilson?¡± She asked, right to the point without any greetings or polite Talk.

    ¡°Y-yes.¡± The question had caught Cassy by surprise. Her hand raised to her chest in unease.

    ¡°But¡­who might you be?¡±Her mind was a mess. There were so many questions that she wanted to ask, but right now this was the only one that came out.

    ¡°Mrs. Wilson, I''m so sorry!¡± The girl suddenly clasped Cassy''s hand with both of hers.

    ¡°My name is Angela McCarthy, ma''am! I''m the daughter of the mayor in this town,¡±

    ¡°Then you know that¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know about you and your husband''s special situation ma''am,¡± Angela suddenly clenched harder on Cassy''s hand. ¡°But that''s not what I''m here to talk about, Mrs. Wilson. Your husband, he''s been imprisoned.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Cassy exclaimed, the information hitting her so suddenly that she didn''t even know how to react.

    Angela looked down in guilt.

    ¡°He didn''t do anything wrong, ma''am. He saved me from being assaulted.¡± She muttered.

    ¡°I was being assaulted by a man from our town. It was dark, there was no one around that I could call out to help me. Mr. Wilson heard my scream and protected me, but he ended up beating that man.¡± This story was just like how she and Joey had first met. Her mind filled with dread as she started putting pieces together.

    ¡°Ms. McCarthy, that man, was he of white skin?¡± Angela looked up. She understood from Cassy''s face, voice, and this question that Cassy already understood the situation.

    ¡°Yes, ma''am. The man ended up reporting Mr. Wilson to the sheriff¨C"¡±

    "Then what''s going to happen to Joey?! What punishment did they give him?! Don''t tell me they¨C¡± Tears started to well up in Cassy''s eyes. Her mind whirled with images of all the ways Joey could be punished, each worse than the other. A black man had beaten a white man, the townsfolk would never let that slide.

    ¡°Ma''am, please, calm down! Mr. Wilson will be fine!¡± Angela''s hands clenched harder, trying to calm Cassy down. ¡°He won''t be punished!¡±

    Cassy calmed down instantly. Of course she was glad that Joey won''t be punished, but how could that be? How could the townsfolk have let such a thing go?

    ¡°My father helped him out ma''am. I''m the mayor''s daughter, remember?¡± Angle put up a reassuring smile.

    ¡°For beating a white man, Mr. Wilson would''ve been lynched or tar and feathered, but because he had saved the daughter of the mayor, my father made sure that his only punishment would be prisontime.¡± Cassy felt her suspended heart relax. This was the best possible outcome. Nothing would happen to Joey. She smiled in relief. Seeing this, Angela then looked down in anger.

    ¡°But unfortunately, ma''am, that man was let free unscathed, even if he had wanted to assault me.¡± She muttered through getting teeth. She raised her head to sternly look at Cassy''s eyes.

    ¡°Ma''am, if you ever go to town, please be careful of this man. He''s a repeat offender in our town. From now on you''ll be a lone woman ma''am, please be careful.¡±

    ¡°Who is he, Ms. McCarthy?¡± Cassy inquired, the seriousness in Angela''s voice unsettling her.

    ¡°He''s Bill Johnson, around 5 ''10, 35 years old, balding brown hair, and a big beer belly.¡± She grit her teeth. "He''s a truly disgusting man. Ugly, perverted.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you for the warning, Ms. McCarthy.¡± Cassy looked down. ¡°By the way, how long will my husband be in prison?¡±

    ¡°5 years, ma''am.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­.¡± I shouldn''t be feeling sad. 5 years will pass in no time. At least he''s safe. That''s all that matters.

    Seeing Cassy''s sad expression, Angela pulled out from her dress pocket the thing she''d been carrying on her this whole time, an envelope.

    "Mr. Wilson had asked me to bring this envelope to you, ma''am.¡± She handed Cassy the envelope.

    Cassy carefully opened the envelope and read it. In Joey''s beautiful and neat handwriting, it read:

    Dear Cassandra,

    I am so sorry that I couldn''t come back today. You must''ve worked hard to make a whole banquet to commemorate the renovation of our house. I''m sure it must have been delicious. You are a delightful cook after all. I''m just deeply regretful that I won''t be able to taste it.

    As you might¡¯ve heard from Ms. McCarthy, I''ve been put in prison due to my actions. I do not regret what I did, because I know it was the right thing to do. Seeing a young woman crying for help as a man tries to assault her, it reminded me too much of the first time we met. Without a second thought, I''d already jumped in.

    I know you always tell me not to be so rash and to be careful, and please believe me when I tell you how I long to be home now, hearing you scold me about it as usual, but alas it seems I will have to wait 5 years for that day to come. So in the meantime, please collect all the laments you have for me; I''ll be delighted to hear them all once I come back.

    Cassy, my dear, I am so sorry for leaving you alone. I dread to think how hard the next 5 years will be for you. No amount of me apologizing will ever make it up to you. The McCarthy family have promised to help you as best as they can during this period, so I pray that God may be on your side, and that things won''t be too difficult for you.

    Please don''t come visit me at the prison. As much as I wish to see you, I know in my heart that this will be sure to raise the suspicion of the townsfolk. It is not me that I am worried about, but you, my dear. I do not wish to create further trouble for you. If you wish, you can write me letters occasionally. Ms.McCarthy has promised to act as a messenger for us, to which I sincerely thank her for.

    That is all. Again, I am so sorry, Cassy. Good luck, and don''t forget that I love you so much. I shall patiently wait for the day in which I can see you again.

    Yours,

    Joseph Wilson

    Tears dropped on the paper as Cassy read through the letter. Her body started quivering as he covered mouth with a hand, trying to quell Her sobs. Angela handed her a handkerchief, unsure how to comfort her.

    After Cassy had calmed down a little from her sobbing, a car drove to park beside the car Angela had come in. It was the mayor¡¯s car.

    The mayor came out to show his condolences as well, and Angela excused herself to leave with the mayor. Cassy thanked them as she saw them off, her heart heavy.

    Cassy sighed heavily at the reality of her situation now. She had to be alone by herself for the next 5 years. It will be hard, but it won''t be impossible, she assured herself. She''ll survive. It was just 5 years, it''s not that long.

    Despite this, no matter how hard she assured herself, she still felt devastated. Even If 5 years was not that long, it was not short either. Tears started falling down her cheeks again as the feelings of helplessness and despair gripped her heart.

    Cassy started strolling around in the field to calm herself down. She headed for the pond, thinking that maybe the water might clear her head. A clear head was the thing she needed the most now.

    Time flew as Cassy sat at the pond, looking over the water, and feeling the wind blow on her hair. She didn''t know how long had passed. It felt long, but it also felt short at the same time. The sun had changed position from when she arrived. It was not sunset yet, but the shadows were showing the first signs of elongating. She was not sobbing anymore, but her face was still wet. A tear droplet would still occasionally slide down her cheek as she sat there, looking over the pond.

    It was tranquil. Her mind was blank as she sat there, simply enjoying being there. She was tired of thinking, and just wanted some peace of mind.

    Suddenly, several bushes and foliages rustled, catching Cassy''s attention. She turned to where the sound originated. From the forest, emerged a giant black wolf, its bright amber eyes fixated on her.

    Just as mommy was left alone, lost, scared, and sad, she met Uncle Sunny for the first time

 Chapter 6 - The Giant Wolf

    Mommy was scared of Uncle Sunny at first

    Upon the sight of the giant black wolf emerging from the forest, Cassy immediately sprung to her feet in fear. Only standing up did she realize just how massive this wolf was. It towered over her; it must''ve been almost 2m just at shoulder height alone. If it were to raise its head, then it''d probably reach two and a half meters.

    This thing was a monster. And now, This monster slowly padded towards her with its piercing eyes fixated on her.

    Cassy''s blood ran cold. She stood in her place, shivering. She did not know what to do, her mind was blank with fear. Should she run? But what if her suddenly running away agitates the wolf and it starts chasing her? Should she play dead? What if the wolf just considers her easy prey and eats her? Her mind raced and her heart felt as if it wanted to beat out of her chest. With every moment she stood paralyzed in fear, the wolf padded closer to her.

    It didn''t take long before the wolf had reached her. She was still paralyzed. Although the sun was shining sideways from them, the sheer size of this beast felt as if it cast a shadow over her.

    The wolf bent its neck to her height. It took a few small steps forward as it started sniffing at her in curiosity. With each step forward, Cassy took a step backward, trying to distance herself from the beast. She backed away step by step, until a rock behind her foot tripped her and caused her to fall down on the grass. She let out a whimper of surprise and pain.

    The wolf stopped, as if surprised by her fall. Cassy looked up in fear. The wolf was now directly in front of her, with its neck raised and head tilted down to look at her. Due to the lighting, She could not see the wolf''s face well, but it''s amber eyes were shining eerily bright. It was as if the grim reaper was standing before her.

    Is this how I''m going to die? She gulped, tears starting cascading down her cheeks like waterfalls. She curled herself into a ball, her hands raised to shield her head and face, as she trembled and whimpered in fear.

    Suddenly, the wolf took a step backward. Cassy peeked through her arms. The beast''s ears were flattened, and it had an uncertain look on its face. After a moment of hesitation, it turned around and started trodding back to the forest.

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    Cassy uncurled herself from her protective ball and watched the giant wolf leave. Fear had not left her completely, But it was being replaced by bewilderment and relief. The wolf left the moment she curled herself up in fear. Did it¡­.perhaps not want to eat her? Was seeing her in fear perhaps what made it leave?

    The wolf stopped to look back just once, before sprinting and disappearing to the forest. Cassy sat there, staring in that direction for a while. Her mind was blank, unable to process what had just happened. When she snapped out of her trance, she immediately sprang to her feet and raced to the house. She didn''t want to imagine what would happen if that monster regretted leaving and decided to come back.

    Tasela trotted back to the tribe, reminiscing about what had just happened.

    Just earlier in the day, he''d come to hunt bunnies again near the pond, when he smelled the scent of the foreign human again and decided to investigate, just as he''d promised to do a few days ago.

    He located it to be at the pond, and thus he walked there to check. It was a woman. She looked different from the Navajo humans he''d seen as a pup. Her skin was light and pinkish, and her hair was short, curly, and golden, shining brightly under the rays of the early sunset. Her eyes were a beautiful blue, but based on the scent of sadness emanating from her, her reddened eyes and the tears on her face, he guessed she must''ve been crying about something.

    Curiosity had gripped the young werewolf¡¯s heart, and he padded forward towards her. The woman stood up at the sight of him, but didn''t do anything. He started sniffing her after he''d reached her. He wanted to know who this human was, why she was here, and also why she was crying. The woman had a soft, warm, and comforting scent. Despite the scent of fear that was starting to emanate from her, she smelled kind of ...sweet. It made him want to take a few more sniffs, unaware that the human before him was fearing for her life.

    Suddenly, the human tripped and fell on the grass, taking Tasela by surprise and halting him in his steps. She looked up at him, and quickly curled herself up in fear, whimpering and trembling, now radiating the piercing scent of fear that covered all other scents. It was clear to Tasela that this human was afraid of him.

    Tasela took a step back, unsure what to do. He did not intend to scare her, he just wanted to investigate her sudden appearance. Seeing her in this state though, it was clear that he had to call off his investigation, at least for today. He turned around and started heading back for the forest, turning back to look at her once before continuing his return.

    I guess I''ll just have to investigate from a distance then. He decided.

 Chapter 7 - Watchful Beast

    But his curiosity for her made them meet more times.

    Two weeks had passed since the incident by the pond. On the first few days, Cassy was mortally afraid to leave the house unless absolutely necessary. She was in constant paranoia from that monster lurking in the forest, that it might jump out at any moment and eat her. It didn''t help that she felt herself being watched everyday, and at nights she''d sometimes even see a pair of amber light bulbs shining brightly from the forest, staring at her. It was clear that that monster was constantly watching her.

    Already emotionally beaten by the knowledge that her husband will be imprisoned for the next 5 years, and starting to feel his absence and missing him, the added paranoia from the monster in the woods watching her only made Cassy''s days a waking nightmare.

    Lately though, she noticed a curious thing. Despite being under the constant watch of that beast, whenever she''d turn to where the gaze was coming from, the beast would stop looking at her and run away. It fueled the idea at the back of her head that maybe¡­.the beast didn''t want to harm her.

    The last two days, she''d felt a little courageous and wanted to test her hypothesis out. She started leaving her house more, and would also stay outside for longer periods of time. It was all within the vicinity of the house of course; a 5m radius to be exact. The beast''s gaze would be even more intense whenever she was outside, sometimes even threatening to burn a hole through her back.

    Despite this, Cassy never felt any sign of aggression coming from the beast. As usual, whenever she turned to look in the beast¡¯s direction, it''d either hide or run away, on rare occasions holding eye contact with her for a second or two. This strengthened Cassy''s hypothesis.

    Today, Cassy had decided to do something absolutely risky and crazy. She was going to approach the beast. She figured that, if the beast doesn''t intend to harm her, then it''d be good to know better what that thing is, and hopefully befriend it. Though shaking with nervousness and fear, she was confident that she was right.

    She ventured to the porch. Immediately, she was met by the gaze of the beast. The moment they gazes met, the beast looked away and started scurrying into the forest.

    ¡°Wait! Don''t go!¡± The beast halted and turned back to look at her. With a deep breath, she stepped down from the porch, and started walking towards it.

    Tasela looked at the woman in bewilderment. What was she doing? Wasn''t she scared of him? He knew that she refused to come out of her house the last few days because she feared him, that''s why he''d hide whenever their gazes met, so that hopefully she wouldn''t be too freaked out by him.

    It was interesting to see her venture out a little more the last two days, but what was going on right now? Why did she call out to him? And why was she walking towards him right now? In spite of all the questions Tasela had, he patiently watched as she slowly approached him. He was curious to see what she was up to.

    The woman stopped a short distance away from him, at the entrance to the forest. She stood there, watching him, almost seeming like she wanted him to come out. With an amused huff, he walked out of the forest.

    The beast emerged from the forest and started padding towards her. It was the first time since the incident at the pond that Cassy had gotten to see it out in the open, not covered by trees or foliage. She had almost forgotten just how massive this thing was. How was it possible that a wolf grew this large? No, is this thing even a wolf?

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    The beast stopped about three meters from her, its neck slightly lowered, its tail held low, its ears turned away from her, and its eyes bright with a friendly and also worried glint to them. It almost seemed as if the beast was cautious to approach her, not because it was scared of her, but because it didn¡¯t want to scare her.

    With another deep breath, Cassy raised a shaking hand, beckoning the beast to come closer. Her heart was racing, her adrenaline was rushing. She could very well be wrong about everything, and the beast will now bite off her hand and then tear her to shreds, but something about its behavior convinced her that this beast was friendly.

    ¡°Y-you won¡¯t hurt me, right?¡± She mumbled, her voice shaking. The beast slowly walked closer.

    It stopped just in front of her, and lowered its head to sniff at her hand. Cassy didn¡¯t have a chance to observe the beast closely before, but now that it was standing right before her, she realized that despite its gigantic size, the beast was a beautiful wolf.

    The beast was tall and wide; despite being covered by a thick coat of long black fur, she could tell that it was very muscular. Its jaw and underbelly were a beautiful shade of silver gray. The inside of its ears, the fur at the back of its thighs, and the tip of its tail were also that shade of silver gray. The nose, ears, back, and paws of the beast were a darker shade of black than the rest of its body.  The fur around its eyes were dark gray, and above them was a pair of silver colored eyebrows, akin to those she¡¯d seen on some dogs. The most beautiful part of this beast though, was probably the ring of silver fur around its neck, and the silver stripe on its back, above and in between the shoulders.

    The beauty of this wolf was almost ethereal, but what brought this work of art to life though, was its eyes. The wolf¡¯s eyes were round and almost puppylike. They were a fascinating, fiery amber, bright and clear, gleaming with intelligence. Cassy could not fathom what this beast was, it just could not be a normal wolf. It was simply impossible. She had heard tales of mythical spirits living in forests and mountains that acted as the lord and protector there. Could this beast before her be one of those mythical spirits?

    While the wolf continued to sniff at her hand, Cassy tentatively raised her hand to try to pet it. It was in part because she was in awe of its beauty, but it was also in part because its fluffy fur seemed just so alluring.

    The moment Cassy¡¯s hand landed on the wolf¡¯s forehead, it flinched and jumped back in surprise, causing Cassy to lose her balance and fall down in surprise as well. The beast looked down at her, its tail raised, ears pricked, eyes wide, and fur standing up, making it look even bigger than it already was. The air stopped for a moment, with neither of them moving while looking at each other.

    Fear started to arise in Cassy at the thought that she might¡¯ve accidentally provoked the beast and now it was angry at her. Her fear quickly dissipated though, as she saw the beast, after a moment of silence, raise a paw to its forehead, to the area she had just touched. It rubbed its paw on its forehead a few times, then put it down to stare at her in disbelief before suddenly, it turned around and sprinted into the forest, disappearing into the vegetation and shadows, leaving Cassy alone to watch it go.

    She looked at the hand that she¡¯d just used to touch the beast. What just happened?

    Tasela raced through the forest, his mind swirling in confusion. What just happened? Why was he running? He came to a halt, panting. He raised a paw to the area the women had just touched again.

    He remembered sniffing her hand, enjoying the comforting scent she gave off. It wasn¡¯t mingled with the pungent smell of fear like last time, so he could better tell what exactly she smelled like. It was warm, soft and comforting like he remembered, and just as he¡¯d thought, she truly did smell kind of sweet. This time, he was even more drawn in by her scent, could that be why he lost awareness of his surroundings and was surprised by her touching him? But then, why did he react so strongly? Why would he spring back like that from a mere touch?

    He continued to rub his paw on his forehead. Was it because she was a human? But, although it was long ago when he was still a pup, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s the first time a human ever touched him. Even if that was the case, why did he run away? Was he scared? Was he angry? Just why did he run away?

    Tasela¡¯s mind was a mess. His heart was beating fast, and his emotions were unreadable. What just happened? Why is he being like this?

    It must be because of her. She must¡¯ve done something to me, that¡¯s why I¡¯m acting so weird now. Something is up with this human, I have to watch her more closely. She might be a threat to us; she¡¯s one of those foreign humans after all.

 Chapter 8 - Testing Waters

    A week had passed since that fiasco with the beast. Cassy was pretty sure now that it didn¡¯t mean her any harm, so she was no longer afraid to venture out of the house, or even go around the field and maybe even go to the pond. The beast¡¯s scrutiny of her had only gotten stronger since then. What changed though, was that it¡¯d no longer hide or run away whenever their eyes met; now, it would just stare back at her, sometimes resulting in a staring contest on who would look away first, one she had yet to win. The beast would no longer hide in the woods far away to look at her either. Sometimes it¡¯d just openly come out into the field to stare at her, but of course, even if the distance had closed in, it would still keep quite a distance from her.

    She did try approaching the beast a few more times, or try calling it over, but the beast refused to come close like it did the first time.

    Cassy looked out the window, the beast was standing out on the field, held in a staring contest with her again. She found it all quite amusing. Her days alone on the ranch were pretty lonely and boring, so having the beast around did bring some entertainment to her life. The beast reminded her of a stray kitty she once fed in her childhood. The cat would never come close, but it would always follow her, and would stare at her as well. It would only ever approach her if she had food on her hands.

    Wait. That¡¯s it! Food! Maybe it¡¯ll come if I offer it food! With her mind set, she quickly headed for the kitchen. She rummaged through the fridge for anything that might stimulate the beast¡¯s appetite, something big, ideally, since the beast was massive, until she found the perfect candidate. Voila, it was the turkey leg she bought yesterday at town.

    Grabbing the turkey leg, she ventured to the porch. The beast had not moved an inch from its position earlier, it was still standing on the field staring intensely at her. She raised her hand to wave the leg around in the air, trying to catch its attention.

    "Come here, uh, um, wolfie? I have some food for you!¡± She exclaimed, trying her best to convince the beast to come to her. The beast flicked its ear, but did not move.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want some turkey? It tastes real good!¡± Cassy waved the turkey leg around some more. The beast¡¯s tail started wagging ever so slightly, but it still did not move. It was clear now that luring it over wasn¡¯t going to be an easy task.

    ¡±I¡¯m gonna eat it if you don¡¯t come over!¡± She started pretending to eat the turkey leg. ¡°Oh it¡¯s so delicious! I¡¯m gonna eat it all!¡±

    Tasela watched in confused amusement. What was this woman doing? Of course he knew what turkey leg was, but why was she offering it to him? And what¡¯s with all this tomfoolery she¡¯s doing?

    He wanted to do as she said, just to see what she was up to, but what if it was a trap? What if she¡¯d do something to him again and make him all weird? Already he was acting a bit weird these days, watching her all the time and constantly thinking about this strange human. He hesitated, his curiosity at war with his logic.

    After a while of unsuccessful convincing, the woman¡¯s arm drooped, and her posture slumped. It seemed like her arm had grown sore from all that turkey leg swinging. She looked defeated.

    ¡±You¡¯re really not gonna come, huh?¡± She grumbled.

    Something in Tasela stirred. He didn¡¯t like seeing her like this. But why?

    Before he could reason why, he started walking towards the woman. Maybe it was because his curiosity had won, or maybe because he pitied her, or maybe it was something else. He didn¡¯t know, he just knew that going over to her would make her happy.

    Cassy watched as the beast slowly walked towards her. It worked. This beast really was like that stray cat, how cute.

    The closer it got, the more Cassy was in awe again at the size of this animal. The beast stopped in front of the porch stairs. It was absurd, even if Cassy was standing on the porch, which was half a meter above ground, the beast still towered over her. Her and the porch''s height combined had only reached the height of its shoulder.

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    The beast looked down at her, its ears were facing away, and its tail was lowered but slightly wagging. It oddly looked a little apologetic.

    ¡°Ah, here! Have some turkey leg!¡± Cassy raised her arm again. The beast looked at her for a second, then lowered its head to eat the turkey leg. Truthfully, she was scared that the beast would be a rough eater, and might hurt her by accident. Those giant fangs in its mouth were no joke. To her surprise, it was really gentle. With its fangs, it gently pinched the turkey leg from Cassy¡¯s hand and dropped it to the ground, then bent down to eat it from the ground.

    Did it do that on purpose? Did it do it out of consideration for me?

    Cassy felt kind of moved. She tentatively reached out her hand again to try to pet it, hoping that this time it won¡¯t react so strongly. The beast flinched when she placed her on its head, but quickly relaxed and continued eating. Cassy smiled. This meant that it was ok with her petting it, right?

    She stroked the fur on its forehead. The fluffy fur swallowed her hand with how thick and long it was. It was unbelievably soft and warm, almost like petting cotton candy. It was hard to resist the temptation to rummage her hands all over its fur, but her conscience told her not to. She didn¡¯t want to risk angering the beast; she had to take it slow. Cassy promised herself to give it lots of pets in the future once she got closer to it. She saw that the beast started wagging its fluffy tail as well; did it also like being pet by her?

    The two stayed that way until the beast had finished with the turkey leg. Cassy retracted her hand as the beast raised its head. It stared into her eyes, then took a step forward, which was onto the first stair of the porch. Another step, followed by another. The beast kept moving forward, until it was now up on the porch. With each step forward, Cassy took a step backward. She didn''t know what was going on, but she felt a little uneasy. Although she had grown closer to the beast, they were not close enough for Cassy to be sure that she was completely safe around it. The beast¡¯s tail had stopped wagging, and its face was expressionless, making it hard to tell what its intention was.

    Cassy kept backing away as the beast approached, until her back hit the wall. Now she had nowhere to go, but the beast was still walking forward. Her heart started racing with fear. She looked up at the beast; its neck was now bent so that its head was at the same height as Cassy. The beast¡¯s amber eyes were staring into hers, unwavering. It finally stopped when it had cornered her to the wall. The air fell silent for a moment, as the two stood still in their positions. Cassy looked away, but the beast was still staring at her.

    Breaking the silence, the beast closed in on her, its muzzle reaching her neck. Cold sweat started dripping down Cassy¡¯s neck. This was too close. Did the beast feel that the turkey leg was not enough, so it now decided to eat her as well? She was cornered, nowhere to escape, she was one bite away from losing her life. She shut her eyes tightly.

    The beast took a few sniffs, then suddenly, taking Cassy by surprise, ran its tongue through her cheek.

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Before she could react, the beast had already backed off. It stood before her, wagging its tail while looking down at her. It let out a huff. Suddenly, its ears pricked and eyes widened as if realizing something. The beast turned around and left, sprinting to the forest.

    Cassy¡¯s legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor. She placed a hand over her cheek, and sure enough, it was still moist from the beast¡¯s tongue. Did it just¡­.lick me?

    She felt dumbfounded. She didn¡¯t know what to make of this. So then, does that mean that it likes me? It at least means that it won¡¯t hurt me¡­..right?

    <hr>

    Another week passed. As always, nothing much changed.

    On the day following the turkey leg incident, the beast had given her a gift. It was an ordinary morning that day. She¡¯d gone out to the field for a walk, when she saw the beast sitting by the shore of the pond. It turned to look at her hearing her footsteps, and stood up.

    It bent its neck down to pick up something from the ground, but Cassy couldn¡¯t tell what it was due to the distance. The beast then started trotting forward; it halted at around 5 meters from her, dropped the thing in its mouth, and quickly sprinted back to the forest, where its eyes shone brightly as it stared at her from within the shadows of the trees.

    It was a dead rabbit. Strangely, there were no signs of injury on it. Its body was still soft and warm, signifying that it was freshly killed. She understood that this was a gift from the beast, probably as a thank you gift for the turkey yesterday.

    She thought that this would be the start of interesting things to come, but after the rabbit gift, nothing happened in the next few days. At most, the only thing that changed was that the beast would start wagging its tail whenever it saw her. Nevertheless, it still always kept a distance from her.

    There was an interesting observation she made over the past few weeks, though. The beast seemed to really like going to the pond, particularly the shore of the pond that was encircled by the forest. It almost always watched her from the woods near the pond, or would stand at the field near the pond to watch her.

    The beast must have a den somewhere within the woods, since it would sometimes leave for periods of time and then return to watch her again. Cassy wondered if someday she could surprise it by waiting for it at the pond.

 Chapter 9 - Fallen in Love

    The night glimmered with stars as the bright full moon slowly climbed up the sky. The nightlife of the woods started to wake up. Crickets started their nightly melodies, fireflies started rising from the grass, owls hooted, and the undergrowth rustled with the scurrying of small critters.

    The tranquil serenity was disrupted by the loud running and panting of a giant wolf. Tonight was the night of his coming of age ceremony. Tasela could not contain his excitement. The whole day, he¡¯d been running laps around the clearing of his tribe, barking and howling in excitement. By the time the moon reached the highest point in the sky, the ceremony would start and the elders would announce him an adult. He woke up at the crack of dawn, disturbing everyone¡¯s sleep, and had been unable to contain his excitement. He¡¯d been thrown out of the tribe by noon though because everyone protested against him, so now he was to roam around the forest till midnight.

    He¡¯d been so busy the last moon that he¡¯d almost forgotten about his coming of age ceremony. That human woman living at the house on the fields had somehow taken up all of his attention. He¡¯d told himself that he was keeping an eye on her and investigating her, but in reality, he¡¯d learned close to nothing the past moon.

    Something was definitely up with her. She definitely did something to him, there¡¯s no other way to explain the strange things happening to him. He lost understanding of his emotions whenever it came to her; even now, he still couldn¡¯t tell what he felt towards her. His heart would beat faster when he watched her, especially so if her eyes met his. Her smell as well, for some reason it started growing sweeter, to a point that it started developing a strangely alluring effect.

    This strangeness increased that day she offered him that turkey leg. Why did he lick her? It was as if he¡¯d been bewitched back then, before he could realize what he was doing, he was already pacing forwards. At that moment, he just felt a strong emotion. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but when he came to, he¡¯d already licked her on the face. He ran away in surprise.

    Tasela ran his paw through his forehead. Back then, when she ran her hand through his fur, it was not the first time someone licked him or petted him on the forehead. His tribemates used to do it all the time when he was younger, but why did it feel so special when that woman did it? It was almost kind of¡­.tingling? He didn¡¯t want to admit it, but deep down, he started wishing that she¡¯d pet him again.

    He gave her a bunny to thank her for the food. It was to keep things even, Tasela reasoned. So then, why did he go out of his way to spend all morning hunting the plumpest rabbit he could find, and why did he kill it without spilling blood, when biting through its neck could¡¯ve saved him so much more time and trouble?

    Tasela was becoming strange. He couldn¡¯t understand himself anymore. He kept his distance from her when he watched her to protect himself from whatever magic she was casting on him. But why was he still watching her? He could very well just leave her be, since she didn¡¯t seem to be of any threat. And yet, he just couldn¡¯t. Even the night before, if it weren¡¯t for Nokomis reminding him that today was his coming of age ceremony, he might¡¯ve just forgotten about it altogether and gone to watch that human again.

    Everything was too confusing. Tasela shook his head. He needed to clear his mind; he had to be clear minded for the ceremony tonight, the very ceremony he¡¯d been dreaming of his whole life. Nothing was allowed to ruin tonight for him, especially not that confusing human woman.

    Tasela headed for the pond. The pond was his favorite place. It would always bring him solace whenever his mind was a mess. He¡¯d just sit there and watch the ripples of the water for hours, without a single thought in his head. It was just, soothing.

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    As he approached the pond, an unexpected scent wafted to his nose: a soft, warm, and comforting sweet scent. It was the scent of that human woman. That can¡¯t be, why would she be here so late in the night? It¡¯s almost midnight, it¡¯s dangerous for a helpless human like her to be wandering around near the forest.

    An influx of worries suddenly raided Tasela¡¯s mind. He quickened his pace to a sprint, worried. But why was he worried? What did it matter to him whether she was alright or not?

    He emerged from the forest, panting. The woman was sitting serenely at the shore of the pond, on the half that was encircled by the grassfield. The moon¡¯s reflection on the pond shone brightly, coloring everything in a beautiful, ethereal silver. She was looking into the distance, her curly golden hair slightly ruffled and gently waving in the breeze. She seemed so tranquil; the glow of the pond and the light from the night sky accentuated her features. She was¡­.beautiful.

    Beautiful? No, why would he be thinking that? This is the strange human that had been tormenting him the past moon. And yet, he was entranced. Somehow, her scent seemed especially sweet tonight. He wanted to get closer to her.

    The woman turned around upon sensing his presence. When she saw that it was him, she smiled brightly. It was such a beautiful smile; it was a moonlit smile that seemed to be blessed by the divine spirits. Tasela felt his heart skip a beat. His mind went blank, and for a moment, he felt lost in her smile and her enchanting sweet scent.

    ¡°You really came!¡± She exclaimed, standing up and brushing the grass off her dress. She started walking forward, her smile never leaving her face. Tasela took a step back. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, but it was starting to scare him.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you all day, so I thought ¡®hey! Since the wolf really likes going to the pond, why don¡¯t I try waiting for it there tonight!¡¯. And so, here I am, haha.¡± She stopped a small distance away from him. She tilted her head and raised a hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, looking into the distance.

    ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t expect that I was observing you as well, huh?¡± She turned back to him, a tint of meekness coloring her bright smile.

    Tasela¡¯s heart was beating out of control. Why? Why was he suddenly feeling such strong emotions for this human? What was going on with him? Why was he suddenly feeling so allured to her? The angelic melody of her voice threatened to deafen him, the beauty of her smile threatened to blind him, and the sweetness of her scent threatened to drown him. Tasela was scared. He felt something start to surge from his throat. It was as if some words were trying to escape him, but he did not know what.

    ¡°I know you might be confused why I¡¯m here.¡± She looked down shyly.

    ¡°I just¡­.felt really lonely today. It gets lonely out here, alone on this ranch. I guess I got too used to your presence the past month. It felt a little empty, you know?.¡± She fidgeted a little in awkwardness, maybe because she felt awkward talking to herself, or maybe because the things she was saying were a little corny. She would never know, she would never imagine what the beast in front of her was feeling.

    Every word, every movement, every expression pulled at Tasela¡¯s heartstrings. He was entranced, bewitched; he felt himself sinking, with no way up. He felt queasy, his body was heating up. He started losing his breath. The feeling in his throat grew stronger. Something was trying to escape him.

    ¡°Um¡­.So, I guess what I¡¯m trying to say is that,¡± The woman fidgeted shyly, her hand playing with the strand of hair she¡¯d tucked behind her ear earlier.

    ¡°I missed you.¡± She raised her head, showing him a loving smile.

    Time stood still for Tasela. It felt like an explosion. Everything he¡¯d been feeling up till this moment increased by tenfold. It overwhelmed him. This smile, no, this woman, she would be the death of him. He lost his breath. At last, the feeling that had been building up in his throat finally escaped him in a small whimper.

    ¡°Luna.¡±

    At last, on the night of a bright full moon, Uncle Sunny fell in love with mommy.

 Chapter 10 - The Ruined Ceremony

    It was chaos. Tasela could not comprehend anything. This woman, this situation, himself, everything. All he knew right now was that everything was a mess, and he was scared.

    Seeing his tenseness, the woman stepped forward, her eyebrows slightly raised in worry.

    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± She cautiously raised a hand, as if wanting to pet him. Tasela took a step backward to evade her. He was mortified. He feared he might lose himself if she touched him.

    Cassy watched the beast before her in worry. Its ears were flattened on its head, its fur was bristling, its tail was tucked between its legs, its breath was heaving, but most of all, its eyes were wide with fear as it looked down at her.

    What could have scared a giant beast like it so much? Did it feel unwell? Did she do something to scare it? Judging by the way it was looking at her, it really seemed like the beast was afraid of her, but why?

    She took a step forward. If the beast truly was scared by her, then she wanted to comfort it, and reassure it that there was no need to fear her. But, every step she took forward, the beast took a step backward. With every attempt she made to pet it, the beast moved aside to evade her.

    ¡°Um, did I do something wrong? Why do you look so scared of me?¡± She retracted her extended hand and held it by her chest. She felt kind of hurt.

    ¡°I¡­. thought we had gotten a little closer¡± She whispered, half to herself, but half towards the beast. The beast flinched. It took a small step forward. It raised another paw but stopped, as if hesitating another step forward.

    Suddenly, with loud grunt, it turned around and dashed into the forest, disappearing into the shadows of the night, leaving Cassy alone at the pond to call out for it

    The night glimmered with stars as the bright full moon reached its highest point in the sky. The nightlife of the woods was wide awake. Crickets sang their nightly melodies, fireflies danced above the grass, owls hooted, and the undergrowth rustled with the scurrying of small critters.

    The tranquil serenity was disrupted by the loud running and panting of a giant wolf. Running through the woods, the rhythm of its four paws soon blended into the orchestra of the night.

    Pada-pada

    Pada-pada

    Tat-tat

    The rhythm was broken by the shift from the running of a four legged beast to the running of a two legged being.

    <hr>

    The clearing bustled with excitement for the coming of age ceremony that was about to take place. The alpha couple sat atop the gathering rock, awaiting their son''s arrival. A group of nine young wolves sat together beside the rock, waiting for the youngest member of their group to arrive. Lastly, Nokomis, who always remained in her deer form these days, sat at the entrance in her wolf form, tail wagging in excitement. She knew how much her baby brother had been waiting for today, so she wanted to be the first to see his adorable little smile, and to welcome and congratulate him when he arrived.

    The foliage near the entrance rustled loudly, and the scent of the star of tonight''s ceremony drifted into Nokomis¡¯ nose. Her brother was back.

    She jolted up in excitement. Noticing Nokomis¡¯ excitement, all the tribe members looked towards the entrance. The sound of rustling and the scent grew stronger. Any second now the star of the ceremony would show up and rampage around, even worse than he''d done the past two moons, or this morning, but for tonight, it was welcome.

    As everyone looked at the entrance in anticipation, a tall, naked human man came out from the foliage. The clearing fell silent, as everyone stared at the human in shock and bewilderment.

    The man was in shock. He was heavily panting, and his whole body was frantically shaking, as if he was about to fall down any second. His face was pale, as if he''d just seen a ghost, and his eyes were looking at the crowd in fear and despair, pleading for help.

    After a moment of stillness, the human fell to his knees, his hands on the ground. He desperately looked up at Nokomis, with tears starting to gather in his eyes.

    Nokomis looked at the human standing before her. Despite being a human, his scent belonged to that of a werewolf. The man had wolfish eyes, a signature trait of a werewolf. Nokomis would recognize those eyes anywhere. They were round, puppylike eyes of a bright, fiery amber color.

    It was clear to everyone in the tribe who this human was, it was just a matter of who would break the silence first.

    "...Tasela?¡± Nokomis broke the deafening silence at last.

    ¡°S-sis¡­¡± Tasela stuttered in his new voice, it was hoarse and high pitched, evident that he was not used to using it. He grappled onto her fur, his hands trembling as he tried to find solace in his sister''s fur.

    ¡°Sis y-you have to help me. I-I don''t know what''s going on, please, you have to help me!¡± He muttered rapidly, stuttering and taking deep breaths at an irregularly fast rate. He was hyperventilating.

    ¡°Tasela, you have to calm down first. Take a deep breath.¡± Nokomis ordered, raising a front leg and placing it on his back like a hug.Tasela''s mumbling grew increasingly rapid and incoherent, and his hyperventilation worsened.

    ¡°T-that woman at the lake, she did something to me. I lost control of m-myself, all of a sudden everything is overwhelming. I r-ran away but then I turned into a h-human. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening sis, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tasela, CALM DOWN!¡± Nokomis snarled, the echo of her voice extending through the clearing. The clearing fell silent once again. Although Nokomis used to be quite boisterous, she was never one to snarl at someone, with such volume and aggression at that, especially not after the events she suffered a few years back.

    The snarl broke Tasela out of his trance. He looked up at his big sister in surprise. Nokomis pulled Tasela closer to her in a comforting gesture, letting him bury his face in her fur.

    "Tell me what happened.¡± She said softly but sternly.

    ¡°There''s a human that moved into the house of that old hunter, sis.¡± Nokomis flinched. Strong emotions started to surge in her, but she clenched her teeth to calm them down. Right now, Tasela''s issue was most important.

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    "I''ve been watching her over the past moon. I told myself it was because she might be a threat to us, but after our first encounter, it was evident that she was harmless.¡± Tasela clenched onto Nokomis¡¯ fur. The tribe all listened with utmost concentration.

    ¡°I knew that she was harmless, but I kept watching her. I kept convincing myself that she might be dangerous because she made me feel weird. I started getting closer to her over the month, and the closer we got, the more I became stranger. I keep thinking about her, I keep going to see her. And just now¡­¡± He gulped.

    ¡°Just now, at the pond, I met her again. She smiled at me, and¡­.she said that she missed me. I felt like I was drowning, so I ran away, but now¡­.¡± Tasela''s grip on Nokomis¡¯ fur tightened. He looked at his human fingers in despair.

    ¡°Sis, I don''t know what''s happening. You have to help me¡­¡± He pleaded with a quivering voice, his body starting to tremble again.

    It was clear as day to everyone in the tribe what the situation was now. No, they already knew the moment Tasela entered the clearing, they just wanted to know how this happened.

    ¡°Tasela, do you really not know, or are you just pretending to not know?¡± Nokomis asked sternly. Tasela flinched at her words, he retreated from her hug to look up at her.

    ¡°W-what do you mean, sis?¡±

    ¡°Tasela, you''ve fallen in love with a human.¡±

    It was like lightning had struck him. He felt dizzy, like he was about to faint. He tried his hardest to stay up with his hands standing on the ground. He looked down in despair and denial. Nokomis extended her paw again, ready to comfort her brother in case he started hyperventilating again.

    ¡°No, that''s impossible. I can''t be¡­¡± Tasela muttered. Nokomis sighed. She looked back at the tribe. They all shared the same unsure look on their faces.

    It was no secret how much Tasela resented the idea of love, so it was almost ironic seeing that has fallen for someone. They were worried he wouldn''t take it well. If he was any other person, the tribe would congratulate or cheer him on, as was customary, but with Tasela, nobody knew what to do. They all looked to Nokomis, as they all knew how much the boy looked up to and relied on his elder sister.

    ¡°Tasela, think about it carefully.¡± She softened her voice to sound as comforting as possible. ¡°Did you give that human a bonding name?¡±

    Tasela looked up. In an instant, he recalled the lessons the elders had taught him and his friends when they were young. If a werewolf falls in love with someone, they will give the person they love a unique name that nobody but themselves are allowed to call. If that person reciprocates the werewolf''s love, then they will give a bonding name back to the werewolf as well. The bonding name is exclusive to the bonded pair, and serves to tie the destinies of the two together forever.

    He recalled the names his tribemates called their significant other. Nokomis¡¯ name for Cypress was ¡®Olathe¡¯, and the name Cypress gave in return was ¡®Maple¡¯. Chenoa and Sahale had a name for each other as well, ¡®Agisa¡¯ and ¡®Nayate¡¯. His parents had one for each other too. The more he recalled, the more in despair Tasela felt.

    ¡°What name did you give her?¡± Nokomis pressed. She knew her brother too well to understand that his silence right now meant yes.

    ¡°I¡­.I called her Luna.¡± He whispered. Suddenly, he jolted up with an agitated face.

    ¡°It can''t be right! That name just appeared by itself! I didn''t choose it!¡± He exclaimed. There must be a mistake. How could he be in love with that woman when such an important thing like the bonding name was not even deliberately chosen by him.

    ¡°Tasela, we don''t choose the names. The moment we fall in love, it just appears in the spur of the moment. It''s the same for all of us.¡± Tasela looked around the tribe in disbelief, and but despaired to see the nods some of them would give him. The truth was crashing down on him, and he did not want to accept it.

    ¡°N-no, still, something has to be wrong. I can''t be¡­¡± He muttered weakly.

    ¡°Then let me ask you one last question. Do you want to see her again and be by her side?¡± Tasela fell silent. The answer was yes, and that was exactly why he felt so lost and helpless.

    ¡°I don''t want to be in love, sis. It''s scary.¡± He mumbled, tears dripping down his face and landing on the ground. Nokomis pulled him tightly to a hug, trying her best to comfort him. She knew better than anyone why Tasela hated love so much, it was because of what happened to her, and she felt guilty for it.

    ¡°Don''t be scared, it''s really not that bad.¡± She awkwardly patted him on the back with her paw.

    ¡°I-I''m scared, what if I end up like you? I don''t want to¨C¡± Tasela paused, realizing what he just said. He looked up at Nokomis, but she averted his gaze with a hurt expression.

    ¡°Ah, sis, I''m so sorry, I didn''t mean¨C¡±

    ¡°It''s been a long and eventful night. I''m sure we still have lots to discuss, but let us move on with the ceremony while the moon is still at the peak of the sky.¡± Cawked a crow. It flew from the gathering rock towards the two siblings, and as it landed on the ground beside Nokomis, it shifted into a slender, sleek black furred wolf. It was their father who came to Nokomis¡¯ rescue. He placed his tail on her back in a comforting gesture, and gave her a reassuring nod. She responded with a meek smile.

    ¡°Tasela, join us now at the gathering rock.¡± Their mother ordered, sitting atop the rock, her figure tall, stoic, and commanding. Her expression was soft, as she sympathized with her son''s situation, but her eyes held a silent fire, as if berating him for hurting his sister.

    ¡°Come now.¡± Their father signaled, turning around to head to the gathering rock, with Nokomis following beside him. He turned his head to make sure Tasela followed as well. Tasela slowly got up from the kneeling position he''d been all night. His legs were shaky due to still feeling emotionally overwhelmed, but also because he was not fully acclimated to them yet. His friends came to his aide to act as physical but also emotional support.

    Chenoa offered him her shoulder to lean on to keep his balance. Tasela put a hand on her shoulder, and slowly walked forward. Chenoa slowed her pace down for him. She turned to look at her friend. He looked absolutely miserable.

    ¡°You know, I find it so annoying that you''re still taller than me even after you shrinked as a human.¡± She scoffed, trying to cheer him up. The other friends took this as a cue to join in and try to lighten his mood.

    ¡°Anyone can grow taller than you, Chenoa. You''re a midget.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°Plus, Tasela''s really tall as a wolf, ¡®course he''d be tall as a human too.¡±

    ¡°To think you''ll even shrink some more when you get old. My condolences, Chenoa.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®when¡¯ she gets old? She''s already old. Right, grandma?¡±

    ¡°Shut up ¡®bout my height you all! I used to be taller than all of you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, back when we were still pups.¡±

    The group bantered with each other as they slowly approached the gathering rock. They hoped to cheer Tasela up a little, but sadly it didn''t work. He still looked miserable and lost in his thoughts. They unanimously turned to Sahale, who was the mother of the friend group, for help. Sahale awkwardly bumped his shoulder on Tasela''s, who turned to look at him tiredly.

    "Cheer up, kid. I know what you''re scared of, but maybe things''ll go well with you and that human?¡± Sahale put up a friendly smile. Tasela did not respond, he just furrowed his eyebrows.

    "Plus, remember back when I was still crushing on Agisa? You were so scared of everything that could go wrong. I mean, you were honestly more worried for me than I was for myself!¡± Sahale exchanged a quick glance with Chenoa. Tasela smiled at the memories.

    "I really shouldn''t have wasted so much time worrying for you. You two are so lovey-dovey glued together now that it makes me wanna vomit.¡± Tasela scoffed. Chenoa and Sahale both laughed. The others smiled in relief hearing that as well, it meant that their cheering was working.

    "That''s my point, though! Everything worked out fine in the end, didn''t it?¡± Sahale bumped Tasela''s shoulder again with a bright smile.

    "Try to be more positive, kid. Everything will be fine, we''re all rooting for you.¡± Sahale cheered.

    "Yeah, and it''s not like we''ll just stand by and watch your ass get rejected. Come and ask us for advice any time.¡± Chenoa joined.

    "Yeah, cheer up Tasela, a mopey face doesn''t suit you.¡± "Things might go better than you expect!¡± the others joined in.

    Tasela smiled in gratitude. He was still feeling distraught by the new turn of events, but the cheering of his friends greatly helped him cope with the situation.

    Once they arrived at the gathering rock, the ceremony started, with all the members howling in felicitation. Atop the rock, at the center of everyone''s attention, stood Tasela, still in his human form. He wasn''t in the mood for the ceremony anymore, his mind was absent. It was a tragedy, truly. The ceremony he''d been looking forward to his whole life, ruined by the very thing he hated the most. For others, the ceremony was just an age and identity marker, but for him, it was an extreme turn of events that would either make or break his life, and in Tasela''s eyes, it was the latter.

 Chapter 11 - Undeniable

    The sun descended down the sky, its weak light painting the sky a majestic deep red and purple. The water of the pond gently rippled as the breeze blew upon it. By the shore of the pond, surrounded by trees, sat a lone black wolf, its fur colored dark red by the sun''s fading light.

    Tasela looked across the water, lost in his thoughts. It had been a moon since his coming of age ceremony, and all the chaos that ensued that day. The past moon was torture for him. He never had peace in his mind, it was a constant loud mess. He had too much to think about, yet after a whole thirty days, nothing in his head had cleared up the slightest.

    Despite how much he relied on the pond to clear his mind in the past, he had avoided coming here at all costs during the past moon. It was the place where he met that human for the first time, and the place where he¡­.encountered her on the night of his ceremony. With his mind still a mess, he didn''t want to, or have the courage to entertain the idea of meeting her again, even if by chance. Despite this, for some reason, he couldn''t resist the urge to come here today. Maybe It was because he really needed some peace of mind, or maybe, as much as he didn''t want to admit, he wanted to be closer to that woman. Tasela did not know. He had long lost grasp of himself.

    For the past moon, Tasela had tried to live his life like he used to, before all of this mess started. He avoided the pond, he avoided going near the fields, where there was a chance he may catch her scent, he avoided thinking of her, and he avoided using his new gained human form. He wanted to pretend none of this had happened, and hoped that by doing so, his feelings for her would diminish and hopefully vanish. Begrudgingly, the cruel reality was that the more he avoided her, the more he fixated on her. Thoughts of that woman overtook his head, and he found his feelings for her growing rather than weakening.

    Tasela looked at the ripples before him. The red in the sky started to fade, and the light of the sun dimmed. Werewolves love only one person their whole life, unwaveringly and unconditionally. The words of the elders echoed in his head. Just two moons ago, he was living his life to the fullest, carefree and happy, but now, he was cursed by the burden of his feelings for another. He was still so young, with a long life ahead of him, was he now doomed to be pining for that woman for the rest of his life? To forever devote his heart and soul to her? He didn''t want to, it was overwhelming. It scared him.

    It was just so ironic. For so long, he''d been scorning and evading the concept of love, and yet, it only took one moon, no, four encounters for him to succumb to it. It was like fate had played a cruel joke on him.

    If he was any other werewolf in the tribe, falling in love with someone would be a happy thing, something to cheer and dream for. If he were any other werewolf in the tribe, he wouldn''t be so tormented about all this. As much as Tasela scorned the worship his tribemates held towards love, he couldn''t deny that he used to be one of them too. As a pup, seeing how happy his parents were, and how loving Nokomis was with Cypress, he wanted nothing more than to find his own happiness with someone.

    Yes, he used to be like that, until he witnessed the tragedy of his sister unfold before his eyes. The very tragedy that deeply struck his soul and left him fearful and spiteful of the concept of love. The very tragedy that left Nokomis a bitter husk of her former self, forever grieving for someone who will never come back. He blamed all of it on Cypress, his once innocent heart filled with adoration for her now turned to spite. Yet, despite all this, his elder sister never blamed her.

    Tasela could not fathom why. Cypress was the cause of all of Nokomis¡¯ suffering, the suffering that she''d only be released from in death. Why did his sister not hold any grudge or bitterness for Cypress? Just why was she so forgiving of her? Nokomis had explained that it was because she loved Cypress, but Tasela never understood this explanation. How could this emotion called love cloud her judgment so much?

    A new fear started to arise in him. Now that he had fallen for that woman, would he become the same? If he were to be hurt by her, despite the pain, would he be as accepting and forgiving as his sister was with Cypress?

    Suddenly, a familiar soft, sweet scent caught his nose by surprise. It was that woman. The scent was strong, she must be nearby. He had been too lost in his thoughts, or else he''d have caught the scent much earlier and left the pond, but now it was too late. Before he could react, the foliage beside him rustled and out emerged the very person he''d been evading this past moon.

    The woman was panting, and her cheeks were flushed from the running she must''ve done to come here. Her hair was messy, and the loose strands on her forehead were wet with sweat. She was slightly slouched, with a hand on a tree trunk beside her to catcher her breath. Despite her visible tiredness, her eyes were gleaming in joy.

    She was breathtakingly beautiful, so much so that he couldn''t take his eyes off of her, and that scared him. All the evading during the past moon had been for nothing. Nothing had changed. No, it might''ve gotten worse.

    "It really is you!¡± The woman exclaimed in joy. Her smile radiating like the sun.

    Fear gripped Tasela''s heart. He jolted up. He had to run away. He wasn''t ready to face her yet. He had to avoid her at all costs, even if it meant never coming to the pond again.

    "It''s been a whole month. I thought I''d never see you again.¡± She took a step forward. Tasela took a step backward. He turned around to run away.

    "W-Wait!¡± She called out desperately.

    Tasela halted. He knew he should ignore her and continue running away, but something within him made him stop. Maybe it was the desperation in her voice.

    "You ran away like this last time too. Are you still upset at me?¡± Cassy tentatively took a few steps forward. The beast stood still.

    "Did I¡­perhaps do something to make you angry?¡± She mumbled, taking another step forward. The beast flinched, but still did not move.

    ¡°Is there anything I can do to make amends?¡± Cassy felt a little awkward. She knew that she was talking out loud to herself. After all, the beast before her was an animal, it¡¯s not like it understands what she¡¯s saying. Even if it did, it couldn¡¯t reply to her anyway. She was just trying her best to persuade the beast to stay.

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    Tasela stood frozen in place, his heart racing, and his mind swirling. Every word she spoke pierced his heart. If only she knew the torment he¡¯d been experiencing because of her. I¡¯m not angry at you. It¡¯s not your fault, there¡¯s nothing you can do to fix this mess. He thought to himself in response.

    ¡°I thought we were on friendly terms¡­but I guess I misunderstood.¡± She murmured. She knew that she and the beast were not friends. After all, she was scared of it up until the last encounter, but the fact that their interactions were without aggression, and she even petted it, she thought that meant that there was a budding friendship between them.

    Seeing how things were now, it made her sad. Not so much because the beast didn¡¯t seem to like her, but more because her only company in this lonely ranch was distancing from her.

    ¡°I know it was only for a month, but I got so used to your company. After you left and didn¡¯t come back that day, I realized for the first time just how¡­quiet it gets around here.¡± She continued, her hands slightly gripping to her dress.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any friends or family with me. It just¡­gets so lonely out here, and scary too, on this little ranch in the middle of nowhere.¡± The grip on her dress tightened. The beast flinched again, but still did not move.

    ¡°I know I¡¯m being unreasonable, but¡­.Even if you don¡¯t like me, can you come back to visit me sometimes? I¡­I don¡¯t want to be alone.¡± She pleaded in a hushed voice. Silence.

    Tasela shuddered. It was hard enough as it was to avoid her the past moon, even more right now after he¡¯d met her again. How could he still ignore her after hearing her pleading him with such fragility in her voice? As much as he wanted to deny it, he missed her as well. He wanted to visit her, to accompany her, to be with her, more than she could imagine. Hearing her say that she missed him as well filled his heart with joy.

    As much as he had tried to deny it, reality hit him at that moment. Tasela had to admit it, he was in love with her. He feared love; he feared the tragedy that befell upon Nokomis would happen to him too; he feared to be doomed by it. But, at that moment, a glimmer of hope surged in him. What if, just what if, things won¡¯t end up like he feared? What if there was a future of happiness to be had with her?

    ¡°Ah, what am I doing? I should just stop talking to myself and go home. Why did I even come out here anyway.¡± Cassy looked away, scratching her head. The silence and inactivity from the beast made her realize just how awkward the situation was. She was monologuing to herself and even getting all emotional over it. It made her feel foolish.

    Just as Cassy turned around, ready to walk home, the cackling of grass and dead leaves sounded behind her. She turned around to check the commotion. The beast had finally turned to face her, and was now slowly padding towards her. Its tail was drooping, ears were tilted back, neck was bent down, and its eyes were looking down at hers with an unreadable expression.

    Her heart started beating, not in fear, but in hope and a tint of joy. Did the beast perhaps understand her silly little monologue? Was it walking towards her to make amends?

    Since they were not far apart, it didn¡¯t take long before the beast stood before her, towering over her as always, but right now, it felt as if she was the one towering over it. With its head and neck bent downwards, it took a submissive stance. Its eyes were fixated on her, full of undecipherable emotions.

    Tasela looked into the woman, no, Luna¡¯s eyes. He finally admitted his feelings for her, and now, instead of running away from them, he decided to take a risk and face them head on. Luna did not reciprocate his feelings for her right now, but if he tried hard enough, maybe one day she will.

    With an uncontrollable surge of emotions, he placed his head on her shoulder, burying her face under his fluffy fur. He was quivering from nervousness, but at that moment, this was the only thing he could think of to do.

    "Will you ever love me back, Luna?¡± He whispered, his voice coming out as a soft whine. He was talking out loud to himself, knowing that the other party doesn''t understand, just like she had been doing earlier.

    Luna, as if to respond to his question, raised her hands and circled them around his neck in a hug, before softly stroking around and playing with his fur.

    ¡°You''re so fluffy.¡± She commented, her arms moving around more. She started emitting the scent of joy, and her movements grew more vigorous. He knew she didn''t mean anything by it, but the gesture warmed his heart. He indulged in the sweetness of the moment, and rubbed his furry head against her face. It was a simple but significant moment that he will forever remember.

    The moment was cut short by the hoot of an owl. Tasela was brought back to his senses, and realized how late it was now. The sun had completely set, the sky was now dark, with the moon crawling up, and stars glimmering in the sky. The forest wasn''t safe at night, he couldn''t let Luna stay here for too long.

    He stepped back, pulling his neck out from her embrace, then lowered his head to lightly nudge Luna backwards.

    ¡°Ah! What''s wrong?¡± Cassy asked, taking a few steps back from the beast''s push. It raised its head and looked to a distance behind her. She turned around to look in that direction, and saw that it was looking towards the house.

    ¡°Are you telling me to go home?¡± She asked. In response, the beast used its head to gently push against her back, making her stumble a few steps again.

    ¡°But I just got here. I don''t want to go yet.¡± Cassy turned around to protest. The beast stared into her eyes for a moment then huffed, as if in amusement, then lowered its head to continue nudging her backwards.

    "Why do you insist I go back right now though? Do you not want me here?¡± She tried to argue with the beast. The beast took a step back in surprise at the question. It shook its head and wagged its tail slightly, as if to respond to her. Nevertheless, she still couldn''t understand why the beast wanted her to go home so badly.

    ¡°What if I go home right now and then never get to see you again?¡± She asked jokefully. With how they made amends just earlier, and how friendly their interaction was right now, Cassy assumed that she and the beast had grown closer. This probably meant that the beast would visit her again, but there was still an underlying uncertainty. The one before her was a wild animal after all, she could never be too sure what went through its mind. She didn''t think it likely, but what if it truly did never come back again?

    The beast, as if to tell her not to worry, huffed and sat down with a wagging tail. Its neck was bent down so that they were at the same eye level. She took a step forward and placed a hand under its chin, and with the other hand stroked the fur on its muzzle. The beast''s ears pricked and its tail wagged more vigorously. Its eyes stared intently into hers.

    ¡°You promise you''ll come back again?¡± She asked. The beast let out a soft whine in response. She didn''t know if the animal truly understood what she was saying, or if it was actually responding to her, but she took that as a yes.

    Cassy let go of the beast''s muzzle and turned around to face the house. The sky had grown quite dark now.

    "I guess it is pretty late. I probably should be heading back home.¡± She commented.

    ¡°Hope to see you soon then. Good night!¡± She turned back to wave her hand, then started heading home with a quick pace. The beast sat in place, watching her go, leaving after confirming seeing her enter the house.

 Chapter 12 - A Suitable Gift

    The morning sun slowly started to crawl up the sky. The morning mist settled in the forest, creating a serene imagery. Birds started singing their morning songs, and life in the forest started to wake up, ready to face another day.

    The clearing bustled as the werewolves started waking up and going on their daily routine.

    Tasela''s eyes opened with a start. He''d been awake, tossing and turning all night long, unable to sleep thinking about the events that just occurred, and yet at some point, he fell asleep. He jumped up, feeling restless and eager to do something. The sudden movement caused Nokomis to let out a soft groan from beside him.

    Tasela, not wanting to disturb his elder sister''s sleep, quietly stretched and padded out then den. Nokomis couldn''t catch any sleep at all last night due to his constant movement, and Tasela felt guilty for it, especially since she''d taken his torment without a word of complaint. He decided to hunt a bunny for her as an apology.

    Bunnies could be hunted anywhere, there was a great abundance of them in the forest after all, but he still went to the pond to hunt them. ¡®There¡¯s more of them at the pond¡¯, ''the bunnies there are bigger¡¯, ¡®they¡¯re easier to catch there¡¯ were all excuses he used to make two moons ago for why he''d come here. After he''d come through with his feelings last night, he had to admit it, he simply came here because Luna''s house was near the pond.

    Arriving at the pond, he turned to look at the house. It was a lonely existence in the endless grassfield. It stood atop a low hill, like a small castle overseeing the forest and the pond.

    It was not obvious in the forest due to the trees covering the light, but staring out at the grass field, Tasela realized just how early in the morning it was right now. The sky was still slightly dark.

    From his extensive observation on Luna a while ago, he learned that she was not an early bird. The first signs of movement were always after the sun was fully up, and the sky was brightly illuminated. Seeing as how it was only early dawn now, Luna was obviously still asleep and won''t be waking up anytime soon, and Tasela had no intention of waking her up. He decided to focus on his task of bunny hunting and come back later.

    <hr>

    After a quick hunt, the young werewolf came back with three bunnies in his mouth. A crow perched on a tall tree near the entrance cawed at him. Without needing to look up, Tasela already knew who it was. It was his father, who was doing his daily morning sunbath, greeting him good morning. With a ¡®good morning¡¯ in return, he continued his journey back to the clearing. He went to his and Nokomis¡¯ den to drop off the biggest one of his catch, gently placing it right in front of her so that she can eat it after she wakes up.

    Tasela was not sure what to do with the two that were left. Nokomis has a small appetite, so it''s not like he could give all three to her, and he himself was already full from eating his share at the pond. It was still quite early at the moment, so he couldn''t give them to Luna either, because they won''t be as fresh anymore after a few hours. Plus, for being so small, he doubted that she would be able to finish two rabbits.

    The more he pondered, the more Tasela got lost in his thoughts. If not these two rabbits, what was he going to give to Luna when he went to visit her? Another rabbit? She didn''t seem that thrilled the last time he gave her a rabbit, does that mean that humans don''t like eating rabbits? What do humans like? What would be a suitable gift to give her when he goes to visit her later? Would Luna even like a gift? Was it too soon to be visiting her? She said she hoped he''d visit soon, but was today too soon?

    Tasela lowered his head in defeat. Humans were an allusive species to him. He''d only met some when he was a pup, back when the Navajo humans used to live on the plains outside the forest, but they''ve been long gone for a century now. It''s not like he was particularly close to them either, he only knew a handful of them because they were the mates of some uncles and aunties in the tribe. It didn''t help that Luna was a foreign human too, he had no idea whether the foreign humans and the Navajo humans were alike or different, she was the only foreign human he''s ever interacted with.

    He let out a sigh. I know I said that I''ll try my best to make her like me, but where do I even start?

    Just as Tasela was lost in his abyss of thoughts, a movement across the clearing caught his attention. From one of the dens in the tribe, a red fox came out, and was slowly padding towards the pile of prey at the other side of the clearing. It was Uncle Chamomile.

    Seeing the fox, an idea came to Tasela''s mind. Uncle Chamomile was a red fox mated to one of his tribemates. A red fox was different from a human, but maybe it could be useful to ask him for advice on interspecies romance. A bunny would be perfect as a thank you gift too.

    Determined, Tasela padded towards him. "Good morning Uncle Chamomile! Are you heading to the food pile?¡±

    "Hm?¡± Uncle Chamomile turned to see who called him. "Ah! It''s you, kid. Good mornin¡¯. Was just gonna go grab something for me and Yarrow. I see ya got a successful hunt this mornin¡¯ eh?¡±

    "Yup! I was just wondering what to do with them too. Would you like one, Uncle Chamomile?¡±

    ¡°That''d be real nice of ya, kid. Was just craving for some rabbit right now.¡± Tasela lowered his head to place one of the bunnies in front of him. Uncle Chamomile wagged his tail in gratitude.

    "Say, kid, you look like you wanna ask me something. Shoot up.¡± The fox was always sharp at reading others¡¯ expressions.

    "I guess I really can''t hide anything from you, Uncle.¡± Tasela joked. He looked away in awkwardness as he continued. "Um, so, I was wondering how you and Uncle Atsa got together..¡±

    "So ya finally decided to make a move on that human?¡± Uncle Camille interrupted, catching Tasela off guard.

    ¡°Wai-Ah, what, pfft, No?? I¡­.¡± He lowered his head in embarrassment. "Yeah¡­¡±

    Chamomile snickered at Tasela''s reaction.

    "Good for you kid, you finally stopped moping around like a depressed ghost.¡± He teased.

    "Wait what? Tasela you finally decided to go after that human?!¡± A loud voice interrupted their conversation.

    Tasela dropped the bunny in his mouth, with it making an audible thud as it landed on the ground, and turned his head, feeling embarrassed and annoyed. He knew too well who it was, it was his beloved nemesis Chenoa. She was the last person he wanted to find out about his new resolve, since he knew she''d make fun of him to no end.

    Beside Chenoa were two short furred, golden brown and white wolves, with each a grey and a golden eye. They were the twins, Doba the elder sister and Mato the younger brother. They were members of his friend group. All three of them were carrying a small animal in their mouth, and were now looking at him wide-eyed. Just great. Three of them heard me.

    "Chenoa, do you know how much I hate you right now?¡±

    "¡¯Course I do, that''s my charm.¡± Chenoa stuck her tongue out teasingly, ¡°But Tasela, I can''t believe I wasn''t the first one you told such breaking news to, I''m hurt.¡± She dramatically put a paw on her head. Tasela flattened his ears in annoyance.

    ¡°Still though, how come you suddenly changed your mind?¡± Doba asked, much more calmly than the white wolf beside her. All four of them looked at him in curiosity.

    "I ...went to the pond yesterday and met her there. And I guess I just, decided to accept it, uhhh, yea.¡± Tasela explained, flustered.

    "Is that why you''re asking Uncle Chamomile for dating advice?¡± Mato asked bluntly.

    ¡°I''m not asking for dating advice! I''m just¡­asking how Uncle Chamomile And Uncle Atsa got together because I was curious!¡± Tasela rambled. It was hard enough to admit his feelings to himself, but he never imagined admitting it to others would be this hard and embarrassing. He turned to look at the fox for help, but all he got was a look of amusement. Chamomile was really enjoying seeing Tasela so flustered.

    "Don''t think I can help ya much kid. Yarrow fell for me first, started giving me gifts every day, we became friends, was a little hard to accept everythin¡¯ at first but eventually we got together.¡± Camomile sat down and scratched his ear with his hind leg.

    ¡°Maybe try giving her gifts every day like Yarrow did?¡± He suggested.

    It was what Tasela wanted to do, but now that Camomile confirmed that the strategy works, he decided to do it. But now the question was, what should he give?

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°What sort of gifts did Uncle Atsa give?¡± Tasela inquired.

    ¡°Mostly rabbits. After he learned that I liked rabbits, he hunted them for me almost every day. Occasionally other things, but you get the gist.¡± Foxes like rabbits, so Uncle Atsa obviously made a good choice of gifts. The question still remained, what do humans like?

    Seeing Tasela''s silence, everyone understood what he was thinking. Doba stepped forward.

    "How about asking around some more? Surely someone can give you some useful information.¡± She suggested.

    "Why not try asking my mom? Maybe she knows something about humans.¡± Chenoa suggested as well.

    ¡°Our father as well.¡± Mato added, with Doba nodding.

    Tasela looked at Chenoa and the twins. How could he forget? They were children of interspecies couples. Chenoa was the daughter of a barn owl, while Doba and Mato were children of a bald eagle. Children of interspecies couples are born with two forms, their wolf form, and the form of their non-werewolf parent. It was a subject of envy to have another form, especially more so if a werewolf born with two forms gains a third one by falling in love with someone from another species. It just so happened that Mato was one of these lucky ones, his partner was a cougar. It was a pity though that the grandchildren of interspecies couples don''t inherit the forms of their grandparents.

    "I don''t think I should go interrupt your mom right now. She''s probably just gone to sleep.¡± He replied to Chenoa.

    ¡°Oh, right. I forgot she''s nocturnal. Oops.¡± Chenoa chuckled awkwardly while everyone looked at her speechlessly.

    "You birdies are all so silly. Must run in your blood.¡± Chamomile jokes, looking at Chenoa, then at the twins, then stopping at Tasela. He stretched his back, then picked up the rabbit Tasela had placed in front of him.

    "I''ll leave you kids be, Yarrow is probably starving right now.¡± He started padding back towards his den.

    "Birdies?¡± Tasela was confused. He understood why Chamomile would call Chenoa, Doba, and Mato birdies, but why was he included?

    "Birds of a feather stick together.¡± Mato jokes.

    "Literally.¡± Doba commented.

    "Maybe that''s why we''re besties.¡± Chenoa grinned at them. They told her to shut up in unison.

    "Why did he call me a birdie?¡± Tasela was still pondering that question. It was now his turn to have everyone turn to him with a speechless expression.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? I can''t turn into a bird.¡± Tasela said defensively. Their expression only grew stronger.

    ¡°Did you seriously forget your grandmother is a crow?¡± Chenoa blurted out at last.

    Tasela''s response was immediately written on his face. Oh crap, I really did forget.

    How could he forget such an important and obvious thing? Even though he doesn''t see his grandparents often because they don''t live with the tribe, he still had the existence of his father to remind him every day. Somehow, Tasela had gotten so used to seeing his father shift from wolf to crow that he forgot where his father even got that ability to begin with, which was unbelievable because he''d just greeted his father a few minutes earlier. It was especially embarrassing because he and Nokomis¡¯ black pelts were inherited from their grandmother. How could he also forget the innumerable times he''d cry to his dad or his grandparents about wanting to be a crow as a pup.

    His friends shook their heads. It was agreed that the youngest in their group, Tasela, was big in size but not exactly big in brain. Tasela barked at them, taking offense to their gesture.

    "I''ll leave you guys now. You better reflect on how much you''ve offended me.¡±

    "Yeah, sure.¡±

    "We won''t miss you.¡±

    "Off you go, birdy boy.¡±

    With a huff, Tasela picked up his rabbit and left. Partially because he didn''t want to embarrass himself further in front of his friends, but more so because he''d decided to visit his grandparents. His grandmother was a crow; crows lived in close proximity to humans, so she probably could give him more useful information about humans than the other uncles and aunties in the tribe.

    His grandparents¡¯ den wasn''t too far away from the clearing of the tribe, so he arrived in no time. It was a den, but unlike a normal wolf den, it was decorated to the brim with colorful flowers and other shiny things they''d collected over the years.

    The elderly couple were having a peaceful chat when he entered. His grandfather was laying down with his paws tucked underneath his chest, while his grandmother was nested on his flank, rising and falling as he breathed. It was an amusing sight.

    Despite his grandfather being a small werewolf, the size difference between them was still quite drastic. The two turned to face him as soon as they heard his footsteps.

    "Tasela! So good to see you this morning!¡± His grandmother cawed.

    ¡°I came to bring you breakfast.¡± Tasela smiled, gently placing the bunny in his mouth in front of the elderly couple.

    "Have you eaten yet? Why don''t you share some with us?¡± His grandfather suggested.

    "Oh no no, it''s ok, I already ate a lot earlier.¡± Tasela insisted. It was hard to go against the universal grandparent instinct of wanting to feed their grandchildren.

    "How''s Nokomis doing? Haven''t seen her in a while.¡± Grandma asked.

    ¡°She''s the same as always. I''ll tell her to come visit you when I go back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. I was just starting to miss her cute little face.¡±

    ¡°How are things with you and the human, my boy?¡± His grandfather chimed in.

    "I¡­.¡± Tasela was hesitant to say the truth, in part because he was embarrassed, in part because of fear for the ocean of questions he was about to get once he told them the news.

    He took a deep breath. Get it together. I''m here for their help. How are you going to succeed if you''re this easily scared, Tasela?

    "I decided to pursue her.¡± Both of their faces lit up at the news. Before they could ask their never ending questions, he quickly continued. "I wanted to ask for some advice, if that''s ok.¡±

    "Ask away, boy.¡± His grandfather cheered, while his grandmother stayed silent, beak open and eyes gleaming with anticipation for gossip.

    ¡°Um, I guess my first question is how you two came together?¡±

    His grandfather turned to the crow, knowing full well how excited his partner was to tell the story.

    "Oh, I remember it like it was just yesterday! One day I saw a beautiful golden wolf, and I told myself that I must have this treasure. It took a lot of convincing, but in the end I successfully made him mine.¡± She cawed. Her partner chuckled, the tip of his tail wagging lightly.

    "Grandma, isn''t that a little too superficial?¡±

    "Can''t help it, child, I like shiny things.¡± She cawed, turning to look at her partner with adoration, who in turn looked away shyly.

    Tasela looked at his grandfather. Despite his age, it was clear that he was quite a beauty in his youth. With golden fur and fiery amber eyes, he really did look like a shiny treasure.

    ¡°Such a shame that neither your father nor you kids inherited the beautiful golden fur.¡± She cawed sadly. Her partner chuckled lightly.

    ¡±Grandma¡­.¡± Tasela felt kind of embarrassed.

    ¡°Children these days, so squeamish.¡± His grandmother chuckled, fluttering her wings up to land on Tasela¡¯s muzzle. Her sudden action caught him by surprise.

    ¡°You look impatient. Do you have something else to ask?¡± She asked, her eyes staring so intently into his that he felt they were piercing his soul.

    ¡°I guess, um, what did you do to convince grandpa?¡± Tasela asked, tense.

    ¡°Are you asking for advice on what to do to win that human over?¡± Her intense stare continued. The question¡¯s directness had him by surprise.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡­Y-yeah¡­.¡± Tasela looked away. If he didn¡¯t have fur, he¡¯d be sweating profusely.

    The crow let out a series of loud, grating caws. It was her way of laughing, just unfortunately they weren¡¯t too pleasant to the ear.

    ¡°Oh, you siblings are adorable! I still remember when Nokomis would come to me with the same problems in the past too.¡± She said after recovering from her bout of laughter. Tasela¡¯s tail wagged in embarrassment.

    Suddenly, his grandmother flew towards a wall behind them, picking a purple flower that had been put there for decoration with her beak. She flew back to land on Tasela¡¯s forehead, placed the flower in the fur beside his ear, then flew back down to nest herself on her partner¡¯s flank.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say I know much about humans. From what I observed though, I think that they like shiny and colorful things. The females seemed to really like flowers though.¡±

    ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll like it if I give her flowers?¡±

    ¡°Give it a try, boy. You never know.¡± She cawed

    Seeing that their grandson didn¡¯t look convinced, the golden wolf joined in.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that Elder Makawee is away on her travels at the moment, she¡¯s the best person to help you.¡± He started. Tasela sighed in agreement.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember too much, but I recall that her mate used to regularly give her flowers because he said it was customary in the Navajo tribe for males to gift females flowers.¡± He recounted in a soft tone. Tasela listened intently with pricked ears. His eyes glistened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t work yourself up too much over it though, child. Keep her company, give her your heartfelt gifts, and she¡¯ll start warming up to you.¡± He smiled lovingly. The crow nodded in agreement. Tasela smiled in gratitude in return, his tail excitedly wagging from side to side.

    Tasela¡¯s heart raced. He was grateful to have come to his grandparents for help. Their advice was more than they had asked for, and now, he had a clear idea on what he needed to do.

 Chapter 13 - Flowers for You

    Uncle Sunny started visiting mommy more often.

    The rays of bright morning sunshine shone through the curtains and landed on Cassy''s face, stirring her from her sleep.

    Slowly, she opened her eyes, but quickly shut them tight again after being blinded by the sunlight. Groaning, she sat up, her sleepiness all gone after staring into the dashing sun. With a quick stretch, she got out of her bed and made her way towards her usual morning routine of washing up, then going down to cook herself some food.

    A small difference today, though, was probably that instead of cooking breakfast, she might have to cook herself lunch, as she''d slept till midday today.

    She''d been unable to sleep all night long, thinking about what happened the night prior. The giant wolf that had kept her company (albeit from afar) during her first month alone on this ranch, who''d later run away and disappeared for a month, had finally come back. Not only so, but they made amends, and the wolf promised to come visit her often (at least that''s what she interpreted), and now, she just had to eagerly wait, with fingers crossed that it actually will come back.

    With how the wolf had run away last month, seeming as if its life was being threatened, and then disappearing for so long, she was almost sure that she''d done something to anger it. Cassy didn''t think much of its disappearance at first, she was just slightly sad, but she was sure that it''d come back after a few days. It''s not like they were close either, so what was there to be really sad about? Yet, as the days went on, it became clear that it had left her for good, as no matter how hard she looked into the woods or the pond, she couldn''t even catch a glimpse of it.

    Cassy had grown so accustomed to the wolf''s watchful gaze, that now that it was gone, she realized just how alone she was. It reminded her too much of Joey. Be it the wolf or Joey, she and them only shared a short time together on this isolated ranch, and now they were gone. Cassy didn''t realize just how much she''d taken their company for granted, and now, she was being punished to learn the lesson.

    Now that the wolf came back though, she promised herself that she''ll cherish every moment she had with it.

    Reaching the kitchen, she took out from the refrigerator some vegetables and beans to make a simple stew. She was hungry, and she wanted to eat as soon as possible. Swiftly, she cut the vegetables, threw them into the boiling water, added seasoning, then started stirring.

    The process of stirring the pot while waiting for the food to cook was slow and frankly, a little boring. Cassy raised her head and looked out the window to entertain herself. The sight was as usual, bright sunlight, a field of grass, then a forest a little distance away, but the corner of her eye caught something unexpected in front of the porch. With a double take, she realized that it was the wolf. Not only was it sitting there staring at the door, for some bizarre reason, it was holding a bunch of flowers in its mouth.

    The moment her eyes landed on the wolf, it noticed her gaze and turned to face her, its ears pricking up and its tail wagging rapidly. Cassy swiftly cleaned her hands on her apron and ran towards the front door. As she opened the door, she was greeted by the giant wolf, whose body language seemed so happy that it resembled more a dog than a wolf. Despite the mouthful of flowers, the corner of its mouth was visibly upturned, like a smile, and its eyes were gleaming.

    "What are you doing here, wolfie?¡± Cassy asked, walking forward, descending down the porch steps until she stood in front of the big creature. Its tail wagged more excitedly as she approached.

    ¡°And why do you have so many flowers in your mouth?¡± She smiled in amusement.

    As if to respond to her question the wolf lowered its head till they were at the same height. It lightly nodded, and stretched the flowers.

    "Are you¡­.giving these to me?¡± Cassy asked, taken aback. The wolf nodded again, and stretched its neck out a little more, with the tip of its nose lightly tapping her hand. Its eyes were gleaming so brightly that it felt like they were blinding headlights. Even if she never owned a dog before, she''d seen their puppy dog eyes at work. That''s exactly what was happening right now, only it was a hundred times heavier on her conscience. It looked like she''d hurt the wolf''s feelings if she didn''t take the flowers, and she didn''t have the heart to do that.

    ".....Ok then¡­.¡± Cautiously, Cassy stretched her arms forward to grab the flowers. She was almost certain by this point that the wolf wouldn''t hurt her, but being so close to its large mouth still unsettled her slightly.

    Surprisingly, the flowers, despite the large quantity, were in very good condition. They were ordered well, like a bouquet at a flower shop, and all of them were beautiful, fresh wildflowers in full bloom, with not a single one of them having traces of withering or bruising. The wolf had also been delicately holding them in a way that ensured they''d be mostly dry from its saliva.

    "They''re beautiful, thank you so much.¡± Cassy smiled, looking at the armful of flowers she was now holding. The wolf frantically wagged its tail and let out a soft whine in response. Its face seemed even more happy than a few moments ago.

    Looking up at the wolf in gratitude, Cassy noticed a peculiar little thing nested in the fur beside its left ear.

    "Is that¡­a flower on your ear?¡± She asked. The wolf followed her gaze in surprise, then lowered its head again so that Cassy could see clearly. It was a small stem full of vibrant forget-me-not flowers.

    "Why do you have flowers on your ear, wolfie?¡± She amused. How the creature managed to put it there was beyond her, but the sight was oddly cute. "You look so pretty with them, you know?¡± She ruffled the fur on its forehead.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Looking into the bouquet of flowers in her embrace, Cassy picked out a lushly blooming yellow thchrysanthemum and placed it beside its right ear.

    ¡°Here, another flower to make it even.¡±

    The wolf raised its head in surprise, trying to look at the flower newly placed on its head. It raised a paw to gently touch it after realizing that it can¡¯t see.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re even prettier!¡± She chuckled.

    The wolf stared at her in shock, then quickly swooped down to shower her hand in affectionate licks.

    ¡°Ah, wait, no, stop!¡± Cassy took a step back from the force of its enthusiasm, as well as tried to evade the creature¡¯s tongue. It was nice to see the wolf so happy and all, but she really didn¡¯t want to get her hand dirty from its saliva.

    After what seemed like an eternity of fighting and licking, the beast backed off, sat down, and panted with its tongue out and the corners of its mouth turned to a smile. Its large fluffy tail wagged uncontrollably while its eyes watched her with oozing adoration.

    ¡±Gee, you really like that flower, huh?¡± Cassy wiped her now wet hand on her apron. The wolf let out a soft whine in response. Cassy sighed in defeat.

    Suddenly, the wolf straightened up, as if remembering something. It lifted its giant paw and ran it across its left ear, making the flower entangled in its fur fall to the ground. Crouching down, it gently picked it up and offered it to Cassy.

    ¡°Huh? Are you giving me this flower?¡± She looked at the wolf in surprise. She thought that this flower was important to it, that¡¯s why it was wearing it on its ear. But now¡­ it was giving it to her?

    The wolf nodded, its eyes gleaming with earnestness.

    ¡°But¡­.why?¡± The wolf responded with a whine and stretched its neck out a little more, using its puppy dog eyes to attack her conscience again.

    ¡°Ok, ok, I¡¯ll take it, stop looking at me like that.¡± Cassy reached out her hand, and the wolf gently placed the flower onto her palm.

    Immediately, Cassy noticed something off. This flower, it wasn¡¯t real. Its stem was made of a thin wire wrapped in paper, while the forget-me-not flowers were made from fabric.

    How did you get your hands on a fake flower, wolfie? Don¡¯t you live in the forest? Cassy raised her head to look at the wolf, perplexed.

    The wolf¡¯s ears flattened and its eyebrows raised as it looked back at Cassy with a pitiful expression, as if asking ¡®do you not like it?¡¯

    Cassy sighed, she placed the artificial flower with her bouquet of wildflowers in her embrace, then stretched out her hand to pet the wolf¡¯s soft head. There¡¯s so much I don¡¯t know about you.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, wolfie, I really like it.¡± She smiled. The wolf livened up again after hearing her say that.

    It seemed pretty clear now that this enigmatic creature was quite fond of her. Thinking back, it never once showed any aggression, she¡¯s the one who¡¯s been on edge the whole time. Now, seeing how it even went out of its way to give her pretty gifts, and gets so happy whenever she praises it, it made her feel a little indebted to it. She wanted to give something in return, but what can she give to this enormous wild wolf?

    ¡°Ah, wolfie, please stay here for a moment. I¡¯ll be right back!¡± Cassy exclaimed, storming back into the house. A brilliant idea had come to her.

    While she stayed home, bored out of her life, she¡¯d found a book at the town library about making objects out of folding paper. Origami, apparently it was called. Since then, she¡¯s been spending her free time practicing this art of paper folding.

    She placed the bouquet of flowers in an empty vase, then came out of the house with a few sheets of paper and her book. Luckily for her, just yesterday she¡¯d found the tutorial on how to fold a paper flower. What better thing to give back to the wolf than a beautiful paper flower after all the flowers she received?

    Kneeling down on the grass, with the book open beside her, she put her skills to work. The wolf looked down at her in curiosity as she slowly folded the paper according to the steps written.

    After a few failed attempts, a slightly crumpled, but decently looking origami flower came to be. She stuck it to a stick made of rolled up paper as a stem, and the process was done. Cassy stood up and proudly held up the origami flower. It wasn¡¯t the most beautiful thing, but she was proud of it. The wolf let out a soft bark to cheer with her.

    ¡°Wolfie, can you lower your head for a second?¡± The wolf obeyed.

    Carefully, she placed the origami flower in the fur beside its left ear, where the artificial flowers had been earlier.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s not as pretty as the flowers you gave me, but I really hope you like it.¡± She smiled meekly.

    The wolf gasped, then stared at her in awe, almost dumbfounded. It remained in that position as if frozen in time, while its glowing eyes seemed to be speaking a thousand words a second.

    Before it could do anything, a loud hissing sound came from within the house. The stew, she¡¯d completely forgotten about it!

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, wolfie, let¡¯s call it a day here! I need to go now!¡± She scrambled up from the grass, frantically picked up the papers and the book, then started sprinting into the house. ¡°Hope to see you again soon!¡±

    Tasela sat in position for a while longer. His heart pounded so hard it threatened to escape his chest, but his mind was blank. He was still processing what had just happened.

    He was already overjoyed when Luna accepted his flowers, and even gave one to him. But just now, the flower she put so much effort into making, it was a gift made especially for him. It was a mutual gift.

    His grandparents were right. Humans really do like flowers. This flower Luna made, does that mean that she was starting to accept his feeling?

    Accepting¡­.my feelings. A giggle escaped his mouth as he thought about Luna returning his feelings. Images and scenarios of him and Luna together started to emerge in his mind, a future filled with love and happiness, a future so far that he already started imagining their pups, and the names he¡¯d give them. The more his imagination ran, the more he felt agitated and flustered, and the more he innocently giggled.

    If he tried hard enough, and Luna finally reciprocated his love, then the future he was imagining might just become a reality. The very thought of it excited him to no end. Now that he knew flowers worked, he vowed to bring even more flowers for her tomorrow.