His Funny Little Wolf Girl

Ch. 10: Bath Time

(Aaron’s POV)

When I got upstairs, I was surprised to find Blake standing in the hallway outside my parents' suite. He looked over at me at one point and shrugged before saying, “I’ve knocked three or four times. No answer.”

That had me frowning. There’s no way my Mother could’ve taken the wolf-girl someplace, it would’ve been too strenuous, too dangerous. We’d already drawn more than enough attention just by bringing her here earlier today. Mom wouldn’t take more chances of making Dad angry like that.

“Have you checked to see if it’s open?” I asked as I reached for the knob. “No. I’m not a wolf with a death wish.” I just chuckled at that because everyone knew better than to interrupt my parents' alone time. Though the minute the door swung open, my laughter stopped.

I didn’t know what to make of the loud, painfully sad howls coming from inside. It sounded like someone had just lost the love of their lives or something. I rushed inside, frantic to find the source, the reason. Blake was right on my heels as we made our way through the suite towards my parents’ guest room.

The howls were getting louder and louder as we grew closer and with them, we were beginning to hear whimpers and soft, muffled voices. That is until I pushed open the bedroom door and the muffled voices became frantic orders.

“Alicia block her! Don’t let her get away!” Someone cried out, only for another female voice to growl back, “I’m trying Grace! She’s just too slippery!”

“Less bickering, girls, more bathing!” My Mother ordered as I slowly pushed open the bathroom door to find no less than seven women attempting to control the she-wolf who was in the soaker-tub with sudsy shampoo plumed in her hair to run down into her eyes which were wide with fear, a pathetic look on her cherubic face, and those long, sad howls that were coming from somewhere deep inside of her as she struggled to get away.

I couldn’t stand to see her like that. So, with a heavy sigh, I backed out of the soaking wet bathroom which had puddles of sudsy water all over the place, and toed off my shoes and socks, then dropped my pants and stepped out of them. As I stepped out of my pants I pulled off my T-shirt and dropped it into the pile of clothes, then approached the tub in my boxers.

“Hey. Hey. Easy.” I began in a soothing voice, my hands held out palms up so she knew I meant no harm. “No one is hurting you. No one is going to hurt you. We’re just cleaning away the dirt, that’s all.” As I spoke, I got into the tub with her and sat on the side, then gently placed my hands on her shoulders to hold her in place.

The poor Omegas who’d been helping my Mom looked like they’d just survived a war. Every one of them looked exhausted, their hair was a mess, their clothes were soaked through to the bone, and they were all out of breath.

“There we are now, Daisy. See? Nothing bad.” My Mom cooed as she used a cup to pour water over the she-wolf’s back to get some of the soap from her hair.

I looked at her when she called the she-wolf by that name and said, “You named her? Mother, why would you do that? She’s just a stray. You name her, and you might as well set her up in her own quarters! We’re not supposed to be keeping her! We’re just protecting her until the rogues move on.”

“Aaron, don’t be silly. The child needs a name. And she can stay as long as she likes.” My Mother’s answer caused my stomach to pitch. Wonderful. Now what am I going to do?

I had no time to think about this new development because the she-wolf was still whimpering. She obviously didn’t like bath-time. Oh well. This was something she’d have to learn to tolerate if she stuck around.

(Daisy’s POV)

These fur-less wolves were trying to kill her!

She had to get away, she just had too! No wolf ever did this strange thing with the water. Water was for drinking, not for wearing! And it tasted funny too! Icky! Badder than sick water. And sick waters can kill! Sick waters make wolves sick because they sit on the ground too long and get bad things in them. We stay away from the sick waters! We do NOT play in them!

I howled and howled, but they wouldn’t let me out of the sick waters. “Oww! She bit me!” I didn’t understand the sounds she she-wolf made, but she was holding her paw where I’d tried to take a piece of her, so I snapped my jaws in her direction again and she cowered away.

So I took aim at another wolf and snapped at her too. And when she jumped back, I saw my chance and tried to leap from this tiny pond. But there were too many of them, and they held me in the water as I went back to howling.

I smelled the wolves before I saw them. The wolves from before. The nice smelling one and the other one. Maybe they will help me again.

I thought the nice smelling one was going to help me, but then he got in the pond with me and started making those odd sounds again. His voice was soothing, though I didn’t understand him. But he was in danger now, too. And I was scared he might get sick and die from being in the sick waters. I kept whimpering, hoping he would understand, but he just kept looking at me and holding me.

Then, I don’t know what happened, but the pond dried up and all the sick waters went away! He did it! He chased away the sick waters and saved us! If I had my tail back I’d be wagging it now!

I know! I’ll wag it anyway. Maybe it’ll grow back if I do.

“Well. That was a chore. Why don’t you girls take fifteen minutes and go dry off? We can get this after. When you return, be ready for round two, hair brushing.” The nice smelling she-wolf made those noises again and all the other she-wolves made an even stranger noise that sounded sort of like they were in pain.

“I get why they’re groaning. She’s not exactly cooperative, Mother.” The nice smelling wolf made the noises and I smiled at him. He was the only one I trusted. He was the only one who kept saving me from the other fur-less wolves.

“Her name is Daisy, dear. Learn to use it and she will too.” The she-wolf used her paw to point at me, so I looked down then back at her. “We’re going to work on getting her to say names once we get her walking, so I want her to be accustomed to hearing the sound of her own name being attached to her.”

I watched the way the she-wolf made those sounds and tried to move my muzzle the same way. This fur-less form still felt strange to me and there was a lot left for me to learn about it. But watching them and trying to do what they do might help.

“Mother, she barely knows she exists at the moment. I suggest we stick to simple things, like standing and taking a bath without going into a full-blown panic.” The nice-smelling wolf made the noises now, so I tried to move my muzzle like he did. But nothing came out.

“Uhh, guys? Don’t look now, but I think she’s trying to mimic you guys.” The other one was making the noises now and, for some reason, they all turned to look at me. That’s when the she-wolf made a funny sound, like she was huffing, only she was drinking in air instead of pushing it out.

“Oh gracious! You’re naked!” I had no idea what was happening now, but the she-wolf moved fast and got a pelt, then tried to put it around me. I watched her, curious about why she was doing that, and when she was finished, I gave the pelt a tug with my paw, and it fell on the ground.

“No sweetie, leave the towel alone.” Came the noises again, always with the noises. This time she was making the noises as she put the pelt back around me. I tried to pull away, but she's a strong wolf and held me still while she put it around me again.

As soon as she looked away again, I reached up, trying not to be noticed and looking anywhere but at the she-wolf as I tugged the pelt free and let it fall on the ground again. She didn’t notice. But the nice smelling wolf did, and his muzzle did that pretty thing it does where the corners lift.

“Okay, Daisy. Since that seems to be what my Mother has named you. You need to keep this towel on. Towel… on…” he made the noises and was moving the pelt all around, then wrapped it around me the way the she-wolf had and stepped back again.

I moved, not liking how it felt, and when I thought he wasn’t watching, I reached up to pull it off again. He was watching. When I reached up, he put his paw over mine, and made the noises again. “No, Daisy. Keep it on.”

I whimpered, but put my paw down. “She listens to you better than to anyone else.” The she-wolf made the noises as I whimpered again. I didn’t like the way this pelt felt. I couldn’t move right with it around me.

I was looking at the ground and the way their paws held them so stray on their hind legs. And just like that, I was more curious about how they did that than I was upset about the pelt. So I tried to do what they were doing. Only when I put my paws on the ground and picked my b*tt off the pond, my paws went out from under me, and I went sliding across the ground.

My eyes went wide and fear passed through in a quick rush but then left me feeling free. I’d lost my pelt somehow and was just sliding over the ground until I was stopped by the cave sides. It was so much fun I turned around and pushed away from the cave side so I could slide back over to the other wolves.

I didn’t know they had followed me to the cave side, so when I went back I had to lean down so they couldn’t catch me. That was so much fun I didn’t even wait to do it again, I just went sliding the other way, away from the other wolves, while letting the happy noises come from inside me.