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Just a Run
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THE MINIATURE WOLF What The Wolf Wants
He followed me back to town. I debated but finally drove to my place. I told him to go clean up in the kitchen while I took a super quick shower. I slid on some jeans and a tee-shirt before I came out.He was still in the kitchen.I grabbed two of Derrick's beers and led the way out the back door. I chose a seat on the curb on the far side of the empty lots. As long as we keep our voices down, we should be safe to talk."Here you go," I said as I held out a bottle toward him. "It might be wee early in the morning, but I think you and I both need this."He didn't say anything as he took it, still not looking directly at me."I want you to know I'm not mad at you or anything. You don't have any reason to fear me."I had a feeling I could say that a hundred times, and he would still piddle on himself."Why don't you start by telling me what a royal is and why you think I am one."He took the cap off his beer and took a long draught. He looked like he was about to cry. It was so stupid. T
THE MINIATURE WOLF Dad’s Visit
I called Dad. He was excited when I told him I'd met a wolf. I wondered how thrilled he'd be after I told him everything about the new wolf.I gave him the mile marker to stop at and told him to sniff around, that he'd figure more out that way than I could describe with words. I didn't want to go into detail over the phone, preferring to describe my encounter when we were face-to-face. I also told him about my date.I didn't tell him about the fight club. I knew it would come up, though.Work was still good. I didn't sleep. I kept my ear open. Any noise had me up. I didn't know if Lone Wolf would come back and bring company.I understand now why you didn't give out your home address. What if Lone Wolf told his alpha about me? What if the creep came and bit Derrick? I'd never forgive myself.I set myself some rules. If I ever met another werewolf, I wouldn't let them know where I lived. I'd keep them away from the reservation.I lay in the dark while my thoughts ran rampant. Dad was d
THE MINIATURE WOLF The Wolf Shows Out
I stood, waiting. Ed must have heard us talking because he came out of one of the rooms with Derrick. Ed rapped on the other doors as he came, and the other guys followed him to the living room. The half-dozen of them lined up along the far wall, ready for action.The basement door flung open. I was glad I wasn't blocking it as Mac had been.Mac shoved me out of the way, ran out the front door, and heaved into the bushes there. It didn't look like he was in a hurry to leave them. The second round of Mac throwing up in the bushes had all of the guys exchanging looks between Mac and me and Dad, who had finally come up from the basement.I threw Dad a questioning look.He shrugged. "I took my time. Maybe I should have gone faster."I shrugged back and grinned.I don't know how many times while watching a movie Mom, Dad, and I would shift. One hand, one foot, full shift starting in different areas of the body. It had been like a game of follow-the-leader, each of us matching the other's c
THE MINIATURE WOLF Wolf In The Smoke
I knew Dad disapproved of me grabbing Mac's bottle. Dad's philosophy, understandably, was one of choice. Mac stood in the doorway and looked as if he wanted to tear into me.I had a feeling it was my dad standing at his shoulder that kept Mac in place. He didn't need to worry, though, either of them. I'll give the bottle back in a minute.I dug through my saddlebags to pull out Auntie's jar of salve. I set it on the bike's seat. Auntie was a great herbalist and used a combination of essential oils and witch hazel that helped with aches and bruises. Then I dug deeper.I pulled out the brown paper-wrapped package Grandfather had given me. It was time.I heard Dad's sudden indrawn breath. He nudged his way past Mac but stopped after a few steps."You'll need a fire."Dad came over and took the box of wooden matches from me. He headed toward the back yard.I looked at Mac, holding out his bottle to him. The big man came over slowly. I could tell he was thinking about asking, but my dad's
THE MINIATURE WOLF Date Night
"Dad!"Derrick snickered as my dad fussed over me."It's a date, not the prom! You weren't this bad when I went to prom!""That's because your mother got to fuss then. Hold still."I tolerated his tugs on my dress shirt and his hand through my hair, knowing Dad thought Mom would do such things. I finally met with his approval, except for the one question he just had to go and ask."Did you grab some of the..."I rushed out the front door, then had to go back in to grab my keys out of his hand. Derrick was busting a gut laughing. I didn't bother risking any more of my dignity with a single word.I was glad Derrick had loosened up with my dad. When I went to put my pipe away after the smoke with Mac and Dad, the guys had respectfully parted for me. Mac poured the third bottle into the ground. I had urged Mac's men to go to him. Let them blame his crying on the previous two bottles of booze if they wanted to save some sort of face; I didn't care.By the time I was rubbing some of Aunty's
THE MINIATURE WOLF Yard Party
I woke Dad up with my vacuum in the living room."Does this mean the date went badly?""Mahina's coming over for dinner tonight."A long pause. The vacuum stopped. Dad had unplugged it."Son, it's not even six in the morning. Have you slept?"I shook my head no.Dad came over, putting his forehead against mine. "There's time. You need to sleep, Son. If you are anxious in your own home, how do you think Mahina will feel? You need to relax."Derrick chose that moment to drag himself out of his room, looking at me bleary-eyed. Apparently, I woke him up as well."Why don't you go for a run with Derrick? Pound some of that anxiety out with your two feet."Dad threw a look at Derrick. "If you don't mind? I'll put some coffee on for you."Derrick gave a yawn but nodded yes and headed back to his room to change."Son, it is the man experiencing tension. The wolf is fine; trust me. Keep yourself all man."I only nodded as Dad pulled the vacuum from my hands and wound up the cord.I thought abo
THE MINIATURE WOLF Forest Fire
Derrick and I were heading from one kind of fire to another.The party had ended well. The fire pit had been a huge success. There was enough firewood stacked behind the old shed to last all winter and half of the next summer.Chani had taken a liking to Derrick, at least for the night. The two of them had spent some time kissing. With Dad acting as a chaperone, you can be sure nothing else happened.Dad did swap out a few drinks from our younger guests, giving them a fresh can of coke. I grinned, thinking that no one could make a better guardian at a party. Wolf nose could smell the alcohol easily. Wolf hearing would know if anyone snuck off. It made me realize how easy Dad had been with me on occasion, saying nothing about a few of my teenage exploits.I could bet Dad got little sleep that night, patrolling the tents. He gave his truck keys to Running Elk when they headed out Monday morning.Derrick and I were in a truck now. It was heading in the opposite direction, though. We had
THE MINIATURE WOLF Man-instinct
I was drawn to my bike. Some people were nearby but no one was too close. I sniffed the air. Something told me I was safe to shift. I dressed out of habit. I slid on the heavy yellow jacket that identified me as someone helping to combat the fire.There were noises, words. I knew what they meant. I headed over. Someone had been hurt using a chainsaw. I picked it up. It was easy to spot the man in charge, yelling directions to various workers."Where?" Again, my voice came out using wolf sounds to make human words."You know what you're doing with that saw?" He had his hand on my arm as he yelled the question over the noise around us.I nodded.He pointed me in the right direction. There was a line of men cutting down a row of trees. The idea was to keep the fire from jumping from treetop to treetop, so it wouldn't spread further.I worked with the men a few hours before we pulled out. Someone took the chainsaw from me. I went back to my bike. I could picture Derrick in my mind. I kne
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THE MINIATURE WOLF Lobo
Jacob hung around for a while. When I had a few moments he and I would discuss the different moves the fighters used. We were interrupted by some shouts from upstairs.Someone opened the door to the basement to holler for Mac when a big dog snuck down. I had to laugh when I saw the yellow wolf with the black back. He sniffed around, easily avoiding the hands that tried to nab him."My fault," I laughed, "I bet he heard me howl earlier. I'll get rid of him for you Mac.""If you can catch him," said Jacob as he watched the four legged intruder make a circuit around the basement."Easily done," I said. "Clear the steps please," I hollered out, "and every one hushed."I stalked him, giving some playful whines and barks, acting like I did at storytime. I huffed, moved toward the steps, then added some more wolf sounds. Lobo came over and I herded him up the steps with another playful growl."I'm surprised to see you here," I told him once we were outside and out of view. He shifted in the
THE MINIATURE WOLF Special Training
I was going through life with a permanent smile on my face these days.Winter had set in. Everyone had gone home during the holidays, spending vacation with their respective families.Derrick had flown home to Maine, complaining because he wouldn't be able to bring back a suitcase full of seafood. I think he was getting tired of elk. I did laugh helplessly when two big boxes full of frozen seafood arrived. We split the cost of a small chest freezer as a Christmas gift to each other. He was looking forward to a clam bake in the fire pit.The wolves had long gone their separate ways. They stayed in contact. Arctic was now the proud father to a set of twins, one boy and one girl, the mother doing fine. Old Grey often came to visit dad. Our living room became his winter home when he wasn't out and about. Lobo ranged around, unable to not travel. Businessman had left us his card, and I had promised to come visit him in the spring.Cherokee actually invited dad and I to come to their pow-wo
THE MINIATURE WOLF Glimpse To The Future
I stirred from my spot stretched out in the back of Mahina's car. Derrick was driving my bike back."Hey, how are you doing up there?""Good."Uh-oh. I had the impression Mahina wasn't thrilled with me right now. I climbed over the seat, stretching before buckling myself in."I really appreciate you putting up with me this weekend.""It's ok.""Nice of you to say so, even if it really isn't ok. I mean you come out here because you're worried about me, then I foist you off on my cousin and you get cornered by my grandfather."Anna said he was kinda brusk with you," I said sympathetically. "You should see him with my dad. Sometimes I think Grandfather doesn't realize it's different from me, even though it's the same," I finished thoughtfully."What do you mean?""Hmm, it's the part of my family history no one really talks about, and to be honest, part of it is a conversation that normally would wait for that moment in a relationship where someone asks the other how they feel about havin
THE MINIATURE WOLF Omega (2)
Sheep made a slow, thoughtful nod."Ok then. Here's an amazing thing. The omega can have a special relationship with the alpha. See, the omega isn't going to attack his leader. If it's just the two of them, the alpha can let his guard down, be himself, not be vigilant one hundred percent of the time. Same with the beta. They can relax and be friends with the omega. They'll keep him in his place but might tolerate more from him than others will."I watched him, but more I smelt him. This had long been my specialty, gauging emotions."You've seen this?" I asked, knowing he was comparing what I said with the human interactions he had seen."Yes."His one-word answers slightly amused me."That's not all an omega does. The omega is usually the one who instigates play. Among wolves, what purpose does play serve?""Teaches skills."I smiled. Two words! We were working our way to a conversation."The omega will also break the tension. He might try to play with the alpha to distract him. If a
THE MINIATURE WOLF Omega (1)
A domestic! Sheep didn't disappoint me. I could have laughed.I didn't wait, especially since I knew roughly what he was going to say and had given some thought to how to handle his ignorance. It was one reason I made sure the shy one didn't bolt.I lunged across the fire, knowing neither Sheep nor Lone Wolf would expect it. The force of my body slamming into Sheep moved both of us away from Lone Wolf. I kept myself completely human. I soon had Sheep pinned where he couldn't move.Sheep needed to have his alpha's hold over him broken. He needed to be overpowered by the authority of another alpha, or he would never be able to stand up to the warped alpha who controlled him. Most of all, he needed to understand the driving dynamics of his city pack.Sheep shifted under me. If he thought I hadn't fought this way, then he was crazy. I don't know how many times as a kid, mainly when we fought during my early teen years, Dad had me pinned no matter how I shifted. I learned.I put leverage o
THE MINIATURE WOLF By The Fire
We ranged around our kill for a little while, even after allowing the other pack to come in and finish it off. I wanted those who had never encountered real wolves to see some in action."Don't pay attention to the alpha right now," I told Sheep. "Watch the ones off to the side."I pointed out how they were jockeying for position, hoping to grab a bite from the carcass. The alpha was dominating it right now, gorging himself."He has a pregnant mate holed up in a den somewhere," I explained to Sheep. "He'll eat until he can't hold anymore, then go back to her and regurgitate so she can eat. Not my favorite way to eat a meal, but she'll eat without risking the future of the pack."We watched them for a while. Businessman was intent on listening and watching. Lone Wolf laid down relaxing, but his ears stayed up, testifying to his attention.Fake dawn had me leading everyone back toward the Pointe. I felt tired but good. I gave a wolfish grin to Lone Wolf running at my side. He grinned ba
THE MINIATURE WOLF True Pack
"Think of your motorcycle," I told Lone Wolf. "When you drive you remember what you see and keep looking ahead. More to remember as a wolf, but same concept. No, keep your head up, focus in front of you."Lone Wolf was trying. The true wolves and the shy one had gone off to see if there was any prey nearby. The rest stayed back with me, ranging in a large field, waiting for the true wolves to herd anything they might find our way. Old Grey was lounging around somewhere.While real wolves would chase prey to weaken it for days if needed, I had a human life that didn't allow for a prolonged hunt right now. I had Mahina waiting for me. If they didn't find anything nearby they would just come back.Real wolves also grew up learning how to work together. The businessman, Lone Wolf, and the young wolf Sheep had never hunted before.I was still laughing over Sheep. He stayed away from me. He kept to the outskirts, away from any conversation where anyone would address him.Old Grey had risen
THE MINIATURE WOLF Wolf Spirit
Everyone reacted at the same time. There were growls and bared teeth. Dad moved to one side, Cherokee to the other. Arctic and Lobo were also moving to take points to surround the odd couple.The shy one had been too caught up in the joy of the group howl to realize what had happened. Old Grey merely sighed and moved to block the shy one so he couldn't leave the pointe in a panic without pushing the old wolf out of the way.Businessmen were actually the only ones who shifted to humans."What the hell are you doing that for?" he asked the young wolf in confusion. He looked around at the reaction from the others, at a loss for what to do.I couldn't react at first. I knew Lone Wolf wasn't in any real danger. I finally stalked over to center myself in front of Lone Wolf and his companion. I rolled my shoulders, trying to decide whether to stand as man or stay wolf.My intense gaze caused Lone Wolf to make a decision of his own. He moved. It took me a moment to figure out what he was doin
THE MINIATURE WOLF Wolf Pointe
It was fun running with Dad again, shoulder to shoulder, along a path we'd scratched out of the forest over the years. Even wild wolves followed this path on occasion. The pointe had a great view and the sound from there, well, you could hear and be heard for miles.Dad and I weren't the only wolves in the woods tonight.I could tell from the scents in the area that the wolf sent to represent the Arctic Wolf had been around for the last few days.The old grey was laying on the stone of the pointe. When I looked at him I saw only a wolf.There was another smaller wolf, friendly and unafraid, sitting on the trail. His coat was more yellow with black on its back and tail."A Mexican wolf," said Dad in surprise, shifting to speak. "Rare in the world these days. Hola, Lobo," Dad said, greeting him in Spanish.When I looked through Spirit Wolf's eyes I could see others gathering.The shy wolf I had seen hiding, not wanting to be found, had come despite his fear. He was ranging at the edges
