An Outlandish Surprise

The sound of growling and fighting startled me after I had resigned to my fate. I was crying in the branches of the tree and hadn’t noticed the arrival of yet another, larger wolf. That was until I heard yelping come from below me. Looking down from my spot, I wondered if this new wolf would be the one to finish me off and if it would be a swift or slow death. What I didn’t understand was why the wolf was fighting the others. Wasn’t it part of the same pack?

I watched in shock and horror as the larger of the wolves fought the small group of wolves off. It seemed to take forever, but finally, it was the only one remaining. I wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, this wolf looked stronger, faster and likely had the jumping ability to get me from where I was sitting. On the other hand, there was now only one wolf.

I wasn’t sure if I could outrun it, but maybe I could distract it. Or maybe I didn’t need to do either and it would go after the other wolves and forget I was even here. As it paced up to the trunk of the tree and looked up at me, I knew that idea had gone out the window. I stared down at it, and it stared back up at me. There’s something about those hazel-brown eyes that almost seem familiar, but I don’t hold the wolf’s gaze for long.

“You can come down now,” a voice tells me. At first, I’m confused. I look left and right for Jay, but I don’t see him anywhere. Yet it was his voice that I just heard. I’m sure of it! “Where are you looking? I’m right here.”

I blink. Then, slowly, my gaze lowers back onto the wolf. It is sitting down and staring back up at me with a tilt of its head. There’s no way that wolf just spoke and is even less likely to be my husband. Things like that just do not happen! Unsure if perhaps I’m hearing things, I look around again, trying to find Jay.

A small sigh escapes the wolf before it says, “Gwen. Did you really not know? I’m a werewolf. I suppose this explains a few things, though I’m surprised you didn’t know.”

I look back down at the wolf. This time, I caught it talking to me. There’s no question about it now. This wolf might not look like Jay, but it has his voice. It knows my name, and it called itself a werewolf? Aren’t they scary beast-like humanoids that only turn on a full moon and pass on their curse to others from a bite?

The brown wolf seems to wait for me to gather my senses as I come to realise just what is going on. I shake my head slowly. “There is no way that this is real,” I murmur. “No way at all. Werewolves are just fairytales, horror movies, stuff like that,” I continue, my voice quiet and confused.

“I know this is all quite bizarre, but it is the truth. Please come down, and we can go back to the hotel,” the wolf begs gently. “I can explain more there. I promise.”

I shake my head. “This is a trick. I’m imagining things and you’ll eat me,” I mumble.

“I’d like to eat you in another way but,” the wolf jokes, though I’m not sure what he means by that. I shoot him a disapproving look if only to let him know I’m not in the mood for the jesting. “Alright, alright,” he complains. “Just come down, please?”

I sigh and figure if I’m going to die, at least this demonic beast seems to be polite about it. I scramble down the tree and land on the ground, my descent made softer with the aid of Jay-wolf’s body. Surprising only myself, he doesn’t attack at all. Rather, he leans his nose into my hand and offers it a gentle nuzzle of his face. I have to admit; the fur is so soft, it’s almost like down feathers.

“I’m glad I found you in time. I worried about you,” Jay-wolf tells me in his soft voice. “As my wife and mate, I thought I had lost you before we could bond fully,” he adds, though I still don’t quite understand what he is talking about. I have a feeling I’ll find out eventually, though.

With another sigh, I look down at Jay-wolf and ask, “can you turn back into a person? I don’t think the hotel will allow me to bring in a, uh, wolf.”

Jay-wolf shifts his paws on the ground anxiously before he drops a bomb on me by telling me, “if I do. I’ll be naked. Not that I mind, this is normal stuff for me. You, however, have had to experience none of this. I’ll try my best to be patient and explain things. Darnell said it was important I went slowly with you.”

I smile faintly. To hear Darnell was looking out for me was a pleasant surprise. “He is a good man… or is he a werewolf too?” I wonder out loud.

“Everyone back home is…” Jay-wolf tells me, gently as we both head through the dark park together. “Darnell is my beta… he is the second-in-command whenever I’m away, and the one who trains everyone to fight. He is also my best friend and cousin. We’re a family unit, much like the animal counterpart.”

I nod slowly. I think I can follow along if it is not too complicated, but I’m still unsure just how far this fairytale goes. At the very least, at least if I get into trouble, I now have a huge wolf-idiot to protect me. Right? Though I’m not sure I want to know how werewolves… procreate. Or anything else, for that matter. The very thought of it all has me shivering.

“Are you cold? I should have brought some stuff, but I had to leave my clothes near the park exit so I didn’t rip them,” Jay-wolf tells me. “I don’t want to risk leaving your side to get my jacket though… so hold on a little longer.”

Shaking my head slowly, I am just glad he can’t read minds. I would simply die of embarrassment at all the weird thoughts that go through my head sometimes!