The Wolf in the Woods

Hunger

Walter and Elaine had been acting especially irritable.

Charlotte heard them mention something about the council meeting. She guessed it was the same one the visitors, Jacob and Greg had talked about the night they came over. The one where they were supposed to decide what to do with her.

So if anyone deserved to be stressed it was Charlotte. Instead, she was bored and hungry.

Elaine had been on her case since the night the caseworker came over and they had the argument. She didn't want her leaving the basement.

But Charlotte discovered that there was a cellar door leading to the outside. It was hidden behind a set of metal shelves. If Charlotte could move the shelves she would have more freedom to come and go undetected.

The shelves were much too heavy for a normal human to move but Charlotte could use her magic. The only problem was that it would be loud.

So she decided to wait until everyone was gone.

It took a while but finally, she got the opportunity! Danny was hanging out with friends and Walter and Elaine were headed into town.

Charlotte focused her magic in her arms and shoulders as she shoved the metal structure aside. It screeched loudly, sliding unwillingly across the cement floor.

With the shelves out of the way, the cellar doors swung open easily. Charlotte allowed herself to jump up and down in joy for a moment before rushing excitedly into the woods.

The snow that had been dumped on the town by the storm was beginning to melt.

Maybe she could find some wild berries!

Charlotte was pretty good at knowing which plants and berries were safe and which ones were poisonous. She didn't think anyone had ever taught her, so she attributed it to her witchy senses.

Charlotte planned to explore the area around the house and hopefully, find a few places where she could find food.

On the left side of the property, she found a small clearing. It wasn't far from the house, only a few hundred yards away.

Charlotte was pleased to discover a few Hawthorne plants growing on the edge of the clearing. Their red berries peaking out of the frost.

Smiling, she stuffed a few of the berries in her mouth and more in her pocket. They had a kind of sweet-tangy taste to them.

This was certainly a good find but there weren't many berries yet so she continued.

On the other side of the clearing, she found a green vine winding out of the ground. It was adorned with light fuzzy leaves. Charlotte wasn't sure what it was but she was pretty sure it was edible so she broke off a little piece and popped it into her mouth. It tasted earthy and a little bit oniony she thought.

Interesting. She would keep it in mind.

Finding nothing else of interest in the clearing Charlotte turned around to head in the other direction. She wanted to stick close to the house in case Walter and Elaine decided to come back.

There in the middle of the clearing stood the wolf.

"You again!" Charlotte exclaimed.

Could she not go anywhere without running into this beast?

Charlotte was surprised but she tried to shrug it off.

So what if the wolf was here? She would just take a longer way back, making a wide circle around the wolf.

Her efforts to avoid the animal ended up being pointless, the wolf followed her as soon as she left the clearing.

The other side of the property was surprisingly rocky. Charlotte couldn't find anything of use over there. Just rocks and more rocks. Oh and the giant wolf following her like a puppy dog.

Charlotte sat down on one of the larger rocks, grumbling to herself.

The wolf was looking at her curiously.

"You must spend a lot of time out here. Do you know where I can find some food?" She asked facetiously.

The wolf tilted its head then suddenly bounded off in another direction.

Great even the wolf didn't want to keep her company she thought.

Charlotte sighed standing up. She at least wanted to go down to the stream and get some water before heading back to her basement prison.

She had just started down the trail when the wolf showed up again. It bounded up to her, stopping a few feet away.

The wolf had something in its mouth. It tossed it at her feet before she had time to discern what it was.

As it dropped to the ground she realized what it was.

A squirrel.

A bloody dead squirrel.

"Ugh!" She exclaimed, jumping backward.

The wolf made a high-pitched noise. He was looking at her... expectantly? When she didn't move, he started to nudge the squirrel closer to her.

Well, she did ask for food...

'"Oh, er, I only eat cooked meat. But, um, thank you?" She stuttered.

The wolf huffed at her.

"Um... I'm going down to the river to get some water do you want to come?"

Was she going crazy? Probably.

Charlotte started down the trail again sidestepping away from the poor squirrel.

The wolf didn't move.

"Come on boy"

Apparently, that was all the encouragement he needed. The wolf trotted along after her.

"Good wolfy!" She praised.

"You were someone's pet once weren't you? Did they leave you out here when you got too big? I don't understand why people try to keep wild animals as pets. You deserve to be free." Charlotte said sympathetically.

She knew she was babbling but it was nice to have someone to talk to. Even if that someone was a wolf who didn't understand what she was saying.

"I was abandoned too. Well, not really but my parents died in a car accident when I was little. I guess that's a type of abandonment even though it was unintentional."

Charlotte dipped her water bottle in the river letting it fill will cool fresh water.

"Do you have any family? A pack? A mate?" She asked, taking a sip of water.

The wolf stared at her intently. His silver eyes were honestly stunning. The first time she saw him they looked really dark, almost black.

"If you had a mate I bet you would have really cute pups. Little fluffy things with dark fur. That would be adorable." She laughed.

*** GIO ***

Gio watched his mate in amusement. She was entertaining if not a bit ridiculous.

He had been annoyed when she didn't accept his food offering. It was a perfectly good squirrel!

No she-wolf would have turned it down. In fact, it was typical for male wolves to bring females food when they were courting but his mate was human. She probably didn't understand.

Gio was pleased, however, when she invited him down to the river. Not that he needed an invitation but it was still nice.

Her chattering was also somewhat endearing although he would never admit it.

He was especially amused when she started talking about his future pups. If he ever got out of this form maybe they could have some cute pups together.