Fighting Fate (Moonlight Trials Series #2)

Chapter 2 – A wolf for a pet.

Chapter 2 – A wolf for a pet.

Jaspers POV

1 month later.

I started barking loudly to get Ivy’s attention, who was fast asleep on her bed, mouth wide open, drool falling out of her mouth. She was ignoring me. Boy, she could sleep through anything. I’d been here for almost four weeks now and still hadn’t figured out how to transform back into my human form.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed being looked after by Ivy and her family. They were nice and looked after me well. Ivy’s mum, once she had warmed up to the idea of having a wolf in the house, had started sneaking me cooked meals when no one else was looking. Ivy’s father would also sneak me toys and blankets when he didn’t think anyone would notice. I really enjoyed it here, but I was aching to be back to my human self and to get home to find my parents. The hope that welled within my chest that I would see my parents again, and they wouldn’t be upset with me was huge.

I barked again and Ivy finally stirred.

“What's wrong Jasper?” She asked, annoyed, but I knew she didn’t mean it. She just hated mornings. I yipped loudly and pointed my nose towards the alarm clock that she had snoozed over 10 times already. She squeaked and scrambled out of bed. “OH NO, OH NO, NO, NO!” She screamed. I couldn’t laugh in my wolf form, but I definitely grinned and laughed in my head. This was a regular occurrence for Ivy, being late for school. She told me it was because she worked her brain too hard and needed sleep and that school was boring.

I understood that! I had hated school and found it boring. I wondered what human schools were like. Maybe they were more fun.

Ivy was ready for school in 15 minutes. Her fastest record yet. I bounded into the kitchen with her to find toast already made. Two slices for Ivy and one for me that Ivy’s mum sneaked to me when she thought no one was looking. I ate it in one and licked my lips. I walked Ivy, who was smiling, to the door, her toast in her mouth. She hugged my neck like she had every morning since she found me, told me she would be back soon and then left.

I sat back, watching her run down the garden path. Usually, I sleep whilst I waited for Ivy to come back but today, I was full of energy. I barked at the door and Ivy’s mum absent-mindedly let me out of the door and into the garden. The most embarrassing part about being in my wolf form was that I had to pee in the garden, so this was a regular occurrence. I would hide behind the bushes even though I knew it was perfectly normal for dogs to do it, it just didn’t feel right. After all, I wasn’t actually a pet, no matter how much everyone thought I was.

Onyx? I asked, speaking to my wolf like I did every day. Can I become human yet?

I’m sorry little one, he answered. I’m still far too weak to transform back, plus I feel like we need to stay like this.

I wasn’t happy at the answer but decided that today I needed to go and explore. I was bored with staying in the house and sleeping my life away. I followed Ivy’s scent and found a small white building with a large triangle roof. I sniffed it and knew she was in there. There was a clock built into the high roof and the building smelt like fresh paint.

I nudged open the door to hear an old man speaking about something to do with writing and reading. I had no idea what it was and didn’t care. I slowly made my way over to Ivy, who was scribbling away and didn’t notice me. I nudged her leg, and she looked down and yelped in shock.

“Everything ok Ivy?” The old man asked.

“Yes, Mr Judge.” She squeaked back, trying to look normal. She looked down at me, and she didn’t seem happy. She sighed and asked the old man if she could go to the bathroom. He sighed but obliged and continued talking to the other students. She ran as fast as she could, and I knew I should follow her, but she wouldn’t want anyone to see me. When I entered the bathroom, Ivy was stood, crossed arms and very mad.

“What are you doing here?” She whispered angrily, and I dropped my ears and whined. I didn’t want her to be mad at me. “You really can’t be here Jasper.” She said in her angry tone again. I whined again and moved closer to her. I saw her face soften. “No… Do not try puppy dog eyes on me. I’m mad.” She said, trying to keep up the façade. I moved closer, whined again and when I saw her face soften, I smiled my wolfish smile with my tongue hanging out to the side of my mouth.

She sighed and looked up to the ceiling before dropping to one knee and stroking my fur, which I absolutely loved. Especially when she rubbed my ears.

“You need to go outside. Break time will be around 15 minutes. If you wait outside, then I’ll play with you there.” She smiled. I nodded, and she smiled, knowing I understood her. She left the toilet and looked back at me. “Don’t get caught!” She said and disappeared.

15 minutes later, I heard a bell and saw the 10 or 12 kids come running out onto the grass outside the white building. I popped my head out of some bushes and yipped loudly but quickly, knowing Ivy would hear me. She turned her head and dragged another kid over to me. I jumped out and wagged my tail.

“Jesse, meet Jasper.” Ivy smiled and stroked my ears again. Jesse seemed cautious of me.

“That’s not a dog Ivy.” She whispered angrily to Ivy. I looked at her with my head tilted. Obviously, I wasn’t a dog. “That's a wolf!” She hissed.

“I know…” Ivy sighed. “But I knew you’d be scared, so I didn’t tell you. He's just like a dog though…” She said and at this I looked at her and growled a little, causing her to laugh. “Not really a dog, Jasper, like one. You're friendly, not like other wolves.” This confused me as all of my pack was extremely friendly… well, mostly.

“He's friendly?” Jesse asked.

“Absolutely, come give him a stroke!” Jesse moved cautiously towards me. I wasn’t sure what Ivy expected, so I stood up and moved towards Jesse. “Just hold out your hand for him to smell!” I smelled her hand and looked at Ivy eagerly. Jesse laughed, probably because my nose was cold and wet. “Can Jesse stroke you Jasper?” Ivy asked.

“He won't answer Ivy”. Jesse folded her arms and looked annoyed. I looked at Ivy and yipped a sure and tilted my head towards Jesse for her to stroke. Jesse looked at Ivy in awe and confusion but dropped one of her hands to my head. “This is unreal, you’ve got a wolf for a pet…”

We spent the rest of break time playing chase. Most of the other kids didn’t want to get too close, but they were in awe that Ivy had a pet wolf. I smiled. If only they knew what I actually was.

6 months later.

I continued my routine for 6 whole months. Waking up Ivy, checking in with Onyx and then going to school to meet and play with Ivy and Jesse. Most of the class now knew I was Ivy’s friend and would greet me. I was also pretty sure the old man knew about me, but he pretended not to know which I liked, but I definitely caught him smiling at me a few times. I would sit outside the window in the bushes during the day and listen to the lessons that Mr Judge would teach. I was learning things I would never have learned with my wolf pack, and it was interesting to see how the human world worked.

At weekends, Ivy and I would explore the area around the village. She would tell me her plans for the future and what she wanted to do until then. She would try to teach me how to fetch balls, but that definitely wasn’t happening. She would read me stories and we would go for paddles in the stream where she had found me. It was fun. I loved spending all of my time with Ivy, but I was starting to get bored by not being able to talk to anyone.

One morning, Ivy was heading out for school and shouted that she would see me later, but this morning I shook my head, and she looked at me confused. I smiled at her, and she continued with her confused expression but headed to school. Today I wanted to go deeper into the woods. That previous weekend, when Ivy and I had paddled in the stream, I had smelt something, a scent that smelled remarkably like myself, another werewolf. I knew it wasn’t part of my pack, but it was another wolf, and they might be able to help me. I hadn’t been able to contain my excitement all weekend and Ivy thought I was just full of energy.

I trudged into the forest, and it wasn’t long before I caught the scent again. I bounded towards it and was greeted by a young boy with long dark brown hair and deep brown eyes. He stood up from his patch on the ground and looked shocked.

Erm Onyx? I asked, hoping we could communicate with him.

Ill try. Onyx said.

“What are you doing here?” A gruff but slightly scared voice asked. “Who are you?”

I wondered if you could help me. I answered, and the boy seemed confused for a moment. Could he hear me?

“With what?” The boy asked, confused. I explained everything to him as quickly as I could, not caring about breathing.

Oh, and my name is Jasper, my wolf in Onyx. I finished. The boy seemed to be mulling things over in his head and he sat back down.

“Sorry Jasper, I won’t be of any help. My mother is sick, and I haven’t gotten my wolf yet. We don’t have a pack to help us either and I only know of one pack around here.” He seemed to want to cry but held it in and suddenly looked serious again. “but maybe we can be friends?” He asked hopefully. I shook my head, yes vigorously.

What's your name? I asked in my head again.

“Tracker. It's nice to meet you.”

4 years later

I trudged lazily towards the school playground, sulking as usual. The sun was out, and it was warmer than it had been for a while. I was in a bad mood because it had been 4 years, and I was still a wolf. Onyx kept telling me we had a reason to be the wolf, but I couldn’t figure out why. What could possibly be the reason for this? 4 years of being a pet. 4 years with Ivy, sure, but a long time as a wolf. Tracker had started at the same school as Ivy now, so it was nice having three friends to play with instead of just following Ivy around. Tracker wasn’t friends with Ivy per se, but when he greeted me on his first day and called me by my name, Ivy had been suspicious and wouldn’t let him out of her sight around me. They’ve become fairly close and for some reason it irked me.

I was growing tired of this routine though and still had no luck with Tracker or Ivy and finding my pack or finding a way to transform back into a human. I wanted to go to school and play with my friends properly, not hiding out in the bushes, listening and learning instead.

I sighed and trudged slower to the school building. I didn’t feel like going today. Something felt different. I was 11 now and I wanted to learn, to explore, to speak, to find more friends and to play with Ivy and Tracker properly. Maybe this was the mental health that Mr Jude spoke about. Maybe my mental health wasn’t good because I couldn’t talk to anyone like he said to do. I stopped on the sidewalk and decided I wouldn’t go to school today. I was about to turn around when I suddenly began to feel faint. This was weird. My head definitely felt weird, and it was the brain that caused my mental health, right? I headed to the woodland, wondering if maybe the sun was too hot, and I just needed some shade. As I reached it, I started panting heavily. Yeah, it had to be the heat…

Onyx? I asked, worried, but he didn’t answer me.

That was weird, he always spoke to me. Why not now? There was a sharp pain in my head and a white light blurred my vision. My body felt light and airy as if I had started floating.

Tracker?! I shouted through the mind link, wondering if I was close enough for him to hear me. I feel weird… I think I need help.

I moved further into the trees so no one could see me, and I started seeing all the different bright colours now. I felt even more faint and knew I was going to black out at any second. I heard someone shouting my name and tried to turn to face them, but I couldn’t. I collapsed to the floor as darkness overtook me just like all those years ago.