Wolf's Bane

Chapter 4 Pt. 2

Gage made a small playful, growling noise when he called her eating habits wolf-like. "Rawr" She giggled a bit before finishing off the last of her food. She was clearly enjoying the pancake.

Luna looked at Sam, surprised. She didn't want to bother him more than she already was. She couldn't help but just stare at him. She was trying to read him, to see why he wanted to do this. "We don't have much to cook, Sammy. You've already done a lot." Luna then looked at Gage, who seemed satisfied with her food. "Hey, Gage, go gather your dirty clothes, okay?" Gage nodded and ran to the living room to bag up the dirty clothes pile.

She then looked back at Sam. "Let's go to the matt, and we can think about it, okay?" She smiled a bit. She slowly began to comb her hair out with her fingers. She hadn't fixed it in two days.

With the last of the dishes done, Sam dried his hands on his pants and turned to Luna. "I just brought groceries. I'm sure, with the amount of food you just gained, I can muster up something good for you and Gage." A look of pure affection beamed from the boy's eyes. "Maybe I can make it, so you don't have to pay for laundry in a few weeks." He smiled warmly, took the still slightly full foam carry-out boxes, and put them in the fridge. Gage, having only eaten the pancakes, still had a lot, though Luna, not so much. This showed Sam that Luna thought of her sister more than herself. Just like a mother wolf. Sam chuckled softly.

Luna shook her head before standing up from her seat. There was no talking this boy out of it. It only caused her to smile as she watched him put things away. This was the first time she's seen her kitchen so clean or full of things she's never had. It soon hit her as she remembered some things associated with the kitchen. Her mother's old cookie jar was part of the now clean dishes, and some of the pictures hidden behind the dirty ones were now showing. Her smile faded as she saw these things for the first time in a long time. Disappeared into the paint was also a small red stain. It was pretty noticeable now, causing her eyes to dart away quickly.

She decided to move towards the living room where Gage was. All the clothes have now been put into two separate bags. "Good job Gage." She smiled at her sister, but her voice almost seemed to break. "You guys ready?" She then looked at Sam for a second. His features seemed to calm her nerves.

Sam could feel the distress return. The beast whined, and the goofy smile lowered to a thin line of emotionless. He didn't want to pry but had to know what was wrong. All in due time. Make her happy.

"I'm ready when you two are." Sam moved from the kitchen and entered the living room. Looking around, he spotted Gage's toy box finally and smiled. She needed new toys. Toys suitable for a child of her energy. He'd have to save up for that as well. Sam lifted both bags of clothing and draped them over his back. He wouldn't make Luna carry anything heavy; besides, she had a wild one to look after.

Watching the boy lift the clothes made Luna cross her arms and smirk. "You don't have to take both of those, you know. I can help." Looking at Gage, who was already trying to run out of the door, caused Luna to turn her attention. "Gage, you can't leave without us." She began walking to the door and opened it for her younger sister and Sam. "Come on, Sammy. Gage needs to run, apparently." She smiled a bit at Sam. "It's not too far, but at least let me take one of the bags."

Gage took off from the door. Luna knew she wouldn't go too far. She was found rolling around in the grass, giggling. This caused more stains to be put on her unicorn shirt.

Sam walked out the door and saw Gage rolling around in the grass. "Hey, whirlwind, try and stay clean." He passed Luna a bag before raising a brow. "I took both, so you didn't have to worry about dropping them to run off after the pup." He couldn't believe he had let it slip, but it was too late to fix the statement when he realized it. Please let that be a human phrase. God, I'm such an i***t. it

Luna picked up the bag with almost no effort. She just smiled at him and laughed a little. "I've been doing this for a while, Sam. Besides. Gage is pretty good about behaving outside of the house." She began walking toward the laundromat before giving a small whistle to her sister. Gage looked at her sister before she stood up and ran to follow her.

"Are you sure I can't play in the machine?" Gage was now walking beside her sister, holding her bandaged hand. She was a lot more gentle now that she knew it was hurt.

"No, Gage. Might have to get one for you just so you can play in it." She laughed a little bit before looking at Sam. She liked looking at him. She never really realized how much.

"We can still get ice cream, right?" Gage said as she lightly tugged on her to get her attention.

"I don't see why not. After we wash the clothes, okay?"

Gage jumped in excitement before she let go of Luna's hand to run ahead a bit. Luna just shook her head, amused.

Sam watched the two with amusement. Every now and again, he would change the bag to an unoccupied hand to give his arms a rest. It wasn't long before they arrived at the laundromat. Sam stopped at the door and gave a sneeze. Stepping back, he shook his head and looked at the planted foliage around the entrance. s**t, we can't protect her here. "Oh damn." He dropped the bag and walked another five paces back. Rubbing his nose with his right hand, he gave a soft smile. "Sorry, can't get near the front door. Allergies suck."

Luna looked down at the plants before sighing. She realized what was going on while watching her sister waiting around. "My sister is allergic to them too. Don't worry. I'll be back." Luna picked up the other bag of clothes before walking inside. Gage watched her walk inside before running over to Sam. "You like my sister." She said before giggling and poking his leg. She then suddenly tugged on his shirt. "She's asking if we can go inside the back door. Come on, Sam." She said before she began dragging the boy into the back alleyway of the Laundry place.

His eyes were directed toward the child before he smiled widely. Perhaps Luna and Gage did understand his phrases, but he couldn't be too confident in that knowledge. "I do like your sister." He finally said as they entered the alley. The fact that Gage had heard Luna inside caused the wolf to dance. Perhaps he could teach this pup more of the world she was missing out on.

Sam took Gage's hand with the flowers far away, led her through the back entrance, and followed his nose to find Luna. The other scents were overwhelming, but it was easy to find the earthy scent under floral and 'fresh linen masks.' Reaching Luna, Sam tapped her shoulder and let go of Gage's hand. "You called?"

Luna jumped slightly before realizing it was Sam and his sister. "Oh good." She laughed a little bit before moving over to where she had put her clothes. It was in the far back corner of the building. This is where she usually stayed to avoid people. Sometimes she'd even catch up on her napping on the bench. Gage was jumping around excitedly as she ran to the corner and helped her sister load some of the clothes. This was Gage's favorite thing to do. This gave Luna a chance to hang out for a second. "Kid gets overexcited about everything."

"Hey, at least she is eager to help you." Sam gave a shrug before looking around the nearly empty building. A few people stood around as they waited for the machines to finish. Sniffing the air, Sam realized that most people here were humans. It was now that Sam started to feel caged. The beast whimpered in his head, looking at Luna for comfort.

Her form always seemed to calm any emotion or insecurity he had. Even after having woken up a couple of hours ago, she was tired, but Sam understood why. Tending to a pup, even a human pup, must have been exhausting.

Luna handed Gage money to put into the machine before looking at Sam. She noticed how he was acting a bit off now that they were inside. "Are you okay? You don't have to stay." She smiled a bit before getting upset at the thought of him leaving. She liked having someone around her age to talk to.

How could he explain his anxiety to her? Would it break the rules if he told her his secret? Sam gave an inaudible groan before shaking his head. "I'll be alright, just a bit out of my comfort zone here." He sat beside her now on the bench. His hand took her own as his blue eyes watched the nine-year-old with the large machinery.

Luna looked down at his hand for a second before looking at Gage. Not that she was sitting down and not having to watch the child alone, but she realized how tired she was beginning to feel. Luna rubbed her eyes with her free hand before looking around the building. She was mainly looking for anyone that might want to mess with her if she did fall asleep. "Hey, Sammy? Thanks for feeding us. It was nice." She looked at him for a minute before looking back at her sister. Gage seemed interested in the turning machines and stuck her face onto the glass.

"I'm happy to help Luna." He breathed as if he would continue speaking, but a hushed whisper came later. "You are my moon, after all." Giving a sigh, he smiled as Luna's attention went back to Gage. It seemed the kid had found her own type of entertainment in this white asylum building.

The clicking of a machine turned off brought Sam's attention back to his hand and Luna's. He would have to tend to the washer if she dazed off, but he didn't want to move. The clothing would have to be dried.

"Gage, choose us a drier." He spoke softly to the child as he opened the washer and pulled out the clothing load.

Luna watched as Sam got up to deal with the washer. Gage didn't take long to find another large machine to play with. "I want this one!" She smiled a bit as she jumped around like a hyperactive monkey. Luna only smiled before catching herself and nodding off. This was the first time she didn't have to deal with clothes much. She didn't want to fall off the bench, so she tried her best to stay upright. "Don't forget your money, Gage." She said the statement quietly as she rubbed her eyes again.

Gage watched the clothes go into the drying before she stuck some of the quarter into the machine. She then returned to the washer to fill it with the next load.

Sam chuckled at the hyper-child. He looked back at Luna and smiled. "If you're tired, take a nap. I'm sure Gage and I can get this done." He had seen her, not once, but twice, rub her eyes. He knew she was exhausted, and with a full stomach, a food coma was the next step. "I'll wake you when we're done."

Luna watched Gage for a few seconds before finally giving in and nodding slightly. She didn't want to leave her sister with a stranger, but something about him made her trust him more than anyone else. She leaned her back against the wall and was asleep faster than she intended.

Gage looked at her older sister before looking back at the spinning of the clothes. "Nap time." She said, and she continued to find entertainment in the washing machine.