Trigger

12

“I started volunteering at animal shelters,” Stormy said. “Saving little pups, cats, all kinds of animals that had been neglected. Then I started learning more about Mother Earth and how much she needed us to protect her.”

I admire that, the wolf said in her mind. Most humans aren’t willing to go outside their comfort zone, especially to help others who cannot help them in return.

Stormy nodded, smiling at the glance into her past. It was a time of great pain but also of great growth. She had learned early on that pain and growth often ran alongside each other.

The wolf and Stormy trotted forward, and Stormy wondered about the life of this enchanted being. He had been honest with her so far, so she decided to go for it.

“So, do you have a wolf mate, Snowflake?” Stormy asked. “A family?”

The wolf glanced back at her and spoke firmly.

I do not, the wolf said. I have always worked better on my own ... as a loner.

Stormy nodded, feeling great empathy for her companion. She started to think about all of the men in her life and how often they had fallen short of her standards.

“I don’t have a boyfriend either,” Stormy remarked. “My mother has tried many times to set me up with guys. But it has never seemed to work. There were so boring, wanting to talk about politics all the time or legislature that seem frivolous.”

Stormy listened to the easy sound of the stream and continued her confession.

“I think a lot of men are intimidated by me, or, at least, that’s what I’ve been told,” Stormy said. “Or they want to use me because of my mother’s reach as a senator.”

Snowflake shook his head.

Human males are a perplexing gender, he said. I would never claim to understand their methods of courtship.

Stormy sighed to herself. She guessed that she was going to remain alone forever and should probably get used to the idea instead of complaining about it constantly.

They decided to stop and camp out near the creek in a heavy clump of pine needles. She once again talked about her life, the wolf, maintaining a mysterious allure. She fell into an easy slumber, wondering if the wolf had placed some kind of spell on her.

Not that she minded at all.

Sometime during the night, Stormy woke up with a full bladder. She crawled to the backpack and pulled out a flashlight, not waking Snowflake, and retreated into the trees. She believed she was far away enough from camp for the wolf not to hear her do her business. Though why that embarrassed her, she had no idea. It wasn’t like he was a human.

After she stood and buttoned her pants, she heard a twig snap not far from her. She froze, swinging the beam of light around the area. “Snowflake,” she called out, knowing a predator such as a wolf wouldn’t make a sound in the forest. Had the others found her? How could they when they were this far away?

A man emerged from behind a tree. She gasped and turned to run, but a hand grabbed her arm.

“Get the f**k off me!” she screamed, yanking her arm.

Stormy was no damsel in distress, and she never wanted to be. But at that moment, she prayed Snowflake had heard her. Another man came from the shadows. She could fight off one, hell, maybe even two, but three caught her entirely off guard.

“Shut your f*****g mouth,” a man in a mask said.

He pulled her tightly into his chest, covering her mouth to shield her scream. Just as she breathed in to let out another yell, she heard a deafening howl. The men looked around and were welcomed by a violent surprise.

The wolf leaped onto one man, sending a spray of blood into the air like a smashed orange. Stormy let her teeth clamp down on the man’s hand who was holding her, tasting leather and blood in a rustic medley.

The man screamed and pushed her away, the flashlight falling and lighting up the small area. He lifted a gun from his holster and shot at her. She watched as the gun recoiled in his hand in slow-motion, the bullet coming directly at her. Then from the corner of her eye, a white flash came at her. Before she knew what was happening, Snowflake was flying in front of her and slammed into the man, taking him down in a frenzy of tearing skin and screams.

“Snowflake!” Stormy yelled.

But the wolf did not respond and merely continued ravaging the men who had attacked her. He destroyed the neck of the one who had held her with a loud tear, then turned to leap onto the final victim.

The man had managed to retrieve his gun and fired three shots into Snowflake. He whimpered in pain but leaped and shook the man’s throat back and forth like it was a toy.

The screams were silenced all at once, the serenade of the early morning fading into the melody of cicadas.

“Snowflake,” Stormy said his name again.

Flashlight in hand, she ran over to the wolf who was stumbling away. She followed him and watched him fall to the ground. “I’m going to take care of you,” Stormy whispered, pulling his head into her lap.

Tears rose in her throat as she held onto this wolf she had grown to love. It sounded strange, but love was what she felt for this animal.

Her fingers clenched onto the plush fur, her heart racing at the sight of bloody holes in the unconscious creature. Then, something disturbing and extraordinary happened.

Stormy watched as the bright fur began to fade away, slowly becoming nothing but a hairless dog. Then the snout and ears shrank, the limbs extending out longer in taupe-shaded skin. Stormy watched in confusion as the wolf she was trying to pull into her lap was suddenly a naked man.

Out of impulse, she shoved him away, sending him rolling on the forest floor. She tried to stand but stumbled backward, eventually ending up at a tree she could lean against. Her chest heaved with bewilderment.

“What the f**k …” she whispered to herself. He had curled away from her, and all she could see was the outline of his rippling body.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she remanded herself for admiring a naked man without his knowledge. Stormy took a step toward him, feeling her heart pound faster and harder like a drum. She touched his skin, which was soft and warm.

“Um, Snowflake?” she whispered.

He stirred slightly but did not open his eyes. Stormy wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling alone and lost. Who the hell was this man, and why was he hiding his identity as a wolf this entire time?