Fighting Instincts

Chapter Two - Meeting Others

I snarled, giving into the wolf for once, hoping to be able to get the upper hand and get away. I would use any means necessary, even if I had to give into the monster I carried to do it. The wolf leaped and covered his body with mine, growling before snatching the scruff of my neck in his powerful jaw. I growled in displeasure, a part of me wanted to whimper, but I refused to show fear. Pulling away added more force to the bite, so I stilled. The pressure lessened slightly, as if awarding good behavior. I growled again.

“Now, now,” a voice called slowly from behind. I couldn't see the source as the black and gray wolf above me blocked anything more than his fur and grass from my view. “We aren't going to hurt you.” I snorted loudly. “How about you shift, so we can all talk?” The man offered. I could feel my eyes roll. “Zen,” the man stated, as if giving an order.

The wolf above me let his jaw loosen, and I took the chance to bound to my feet and jump out of the way. My front lowered to the ground. Hind legs ready to pounce and hackles raised. It was the best I could do to communicate to man, and wolf, to back off. Only I felt the presence of others when I focused on the area. About a half dozen other wolves surrounded me. Damn, I thought. The only relief was this man was not one of the men who had chased after me.

“Hey,” the man was speaking slowly, my wolf could hear amazingly well, but human language was a bit off in this form, “change back. We can talk, then you can go home."

I did the only thing I could think to do to communicate I wasn't unwilling necessarily. It wasn't like I wanted to be in this form. I whined and rubbed my nose with my paw. I settled on my belly and whined again.

“I think she's stuck,” a second voice said.

I looked up and around. The half dozen other wolves were watching me closely. A couple tan wolves to my right, almost identical in size and color. A wolf of various gray shades on the smaller size was nestled closely to an almost pale gray. There were two behind me. I knew from a quick glance one was a peppering of black grey and white and the other was dark grey. Both average in size. Which meant the new voice was that of the wolf who had caged me earlier. The black beast who resembled a statue more than a wolf.

“Are you stuck little one?” the first one asked slowly. The man was well-built, muscular, with messy brown hair and blue eyes. If I had a type, this was definitely on par.

As much as it killed my pride to admit, I sat on my hunches and then gave a short nod.

“I can help you,” blue eyes said as he stepped forward.

He placed a hand out, palm up, and I almost immediately tried to sniff it, as if I were a dog. I barely moved my head before I had stopped myself. I didn't need to smell this man, it didn't matter. Slowly, as if afraid I might bite him like a savage, he reached forward until his hand touched the top of my head. He took a quick inhale before breathing out the order “change.”

It was all my body needed to begin contorting. The shift was agonizing. I felt each stretch, break and movement more than ever before. I cried out, but stifled it as best I could, knowing I had many onlookers. I wasn't sure what was normal, and what wasn't, I couldn't let anyone see a weakness. I laid, panting on the ground, ready to pass out, but forced myself to move to sit, when my human mind clicked into place and the first thing I noted was the naked bodies of the two men in front of me. I immediately twisted my legs to cover my lady parts and crossed my arms over my chest. My ample breasts were still very visible, but the important parts were covered. I lowered my eyes, as if the grass was very much deserving of my attention.

"A little shy, are we? Zen have someone go get the car. Bring something to cover her up, I suppose."

Zen, It had to be the second man's name. I saw his bare feet walk to my right and out of my peripheral. I also noticed movement in front of me and the first male speaker came closer after backing away when I was shifting.

“What's your name, little one?”

“I'm not little,” I snapped with annoyance.

“In size perhaps, but you are in age.”

“Oh, well sorry for being young, suppose that makes me stupid too,” I replied with a sharp stab. I wasn't sure what was wrong with me. I wouldn't usually treat a person so harshly, but I couldn't contain it.

“Looks like you have a fiesty one on your hands,” a man chuckled. I flinched when I caught myself trying to look up. I recognized the deep harsh voice as Zen from when he had spoken earlier.

“Perhaps I wouldn't have to call you little one if I knew your name,” the one I was appointing the leader spoke as if he hadn't heard Zen.

"My mother said I shouldn't speak to strangers. You haven't exactly introduced yourself. Seeing as I was here first I think it is only right you tell me who you are.”

“Little one, you're on my pack territory, therefore I was here first, and my father before him.”

I looked up, and then regretted it and looked back down. It was hard to look into someone's eyes when they stood above you and your eyes had to roam over a very trained body. I took a deep breath and tried to think over the situation. I didn't need these wolves finding out who I was and where I lived if I couldn't determine their intentions.

“I'm sorry,” I said calmly. "I wasn't aware, I... I got stuck as a wolf and I just couldn't make my way home until I got back to normal or one of the neighbors might have spotted me and...” I stopped. Why was I rambling? A confident, strong, truthful person didn't need to stammer and ramble like an i***t. “I would be happy to just be on my way home now, and I won't make this mistake again.”

"Neighbors? Do you live around humans then? Are you a rogue?” Zen asked, his tone seemed harsher than before.

"No fair, I was told I couldn't live with humans until I gained control of my wolf. I have control, and you still won't let me live in the city," a new voice snapped. A young sounding one. I peered over my shoulder to see a woman pouting at the darker gray wolf. She was naked but, at least as a woman, it wasn't half as bad. The fact she was not shy about covering up around the other two men was a bit concerning. Did she not care? Her husband should be the only one seeing her body and yet not only were the two men in front of me able to see her, but who knew how many of the other wolves were male.

The gray wolf beside her gave a short grumble and the woman crossed her arms over her chest in frustration rather than humility. "I wish mother was still around. I am sure she'd say something about your overbearing need to protect me from the slightest threat. If you could, I am sure you'd kill the sun because I got sunburned this summer."

There was a slight snorting chuckle in response to my left and I knew another man had shifted as well. All the more reason to revert my eyes to the ground and study the way the grass was entangled in itself.

“It's not funny,” the woman snapped.

“Can we get this over with?” another voice drawled, and I saw the mixed grey wolf next to the snorting man was a woman. She was very angular in her facial features, with sharp cheek bones and a short pixie cut. When she looked at me I felt cold, clearly she didn't like me. Fine, I wasn't here to make friends. Yet it wasn't like I was the reason she was being held up from... well whatever she was doing. So why was her animosity being directed at me. Get over yourself already, what are you? The princess of some faraway land, and just like that, I was judging people without getting to know them. Another strike against my upbringing and it wasn't even lunchtime.