All Her Secrets

The White Wolf pt. 2 - Pigeon

A/N: This one was too long to put into one chapter, so I split it up into two! Enjoy!   

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     Collin took off, and I shook my head, laughing internally. 

So, so, SO, very whipped. But she makes him happy… 

    I rolled my eyes and jogged after him, following the sound of his crashing footsteps and occasional curses. Breaking away from his premade path, I wound around a few fir trees and arced back to Collin so I was caught up with him. We were close to the lake now, so I stopped and leaned against a tree and caught my breath. I was fit, but dodging underbrush and branches was much more tiring than a paved track or treadmill. Collin took a few deep breaths, and after a minute, we walked through the last few bushes to the clearing with the lake.

    A simple place, but still one of my favorite spots, after the branch bridge, the lake was just classically beautiful. Especially right now, with the overcast grey making the water look blue-black, like a bruise on the yellowing grass. The colors contrasted nicely, at least I thought so. Looking around, I didn’t see Abby anywhere, and when I looked at Collin, he shrugged. “She must’ve lost track of time too. I’m sure she’ll be here soon.”

    I walked closer to the lake, watching the little waves lap onto the gravel. Collin stood beside me in silence, his hand in his front pocket. Letting my hair down from the messy bun I'd pulled it into, I quickly ran my fingers through the long strands as a comb before tying it back into a ponytail. Looking around, I noticed how still the forest was today. Normally there would be birds chirping and flying around, but everything was silent. 

I guess a storm is brewing... 

    I fell into my own mind, staring at the gentle waves and ignoring the rest of the world. Nothing, in particular, came to mind, other than how I often forgot that Collin was several years older than me- and that he wanted to marry  The b***h. Sighing, I pressed my thumb into my temple and kept my eyes down.

    After a few seconds, I heard a twig snap behind us and saw Collin's head whip around. He was clearly hoping it was Abby, but when he turned back around his face clearly showed disappointment, so I signed 'What was it?'. Shaking his head and staring at the sky, he said "Nothing... probably just a bird or something." 

    I crouched down and grabbed two rounded pebbles, determined to get his mind off Abby. Handing him one, I signed 'Wanna see who can throw farther?' He shrugged and took a step to the side before flinging his stone out onto the lake. It only jumped twice before sinking and I giggled silently. Throwing mine and watching it jump three times, I smiled triumphantly. He laughed quietly, his easy-going smile back for the first time since the engagement conversation.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a white-furred animal come into the clearing, walking confidently toward the water's edge. Turning toward the animal, I gasped. It was a snowy white wolf. Jabbing Collin in the ribs, I glanced at him before signing 'Do you see that?' His head looked from my hands to where I was staring, and he gasped. The wolf looked up, its eyes connecting with mine and I felt a jolt- like someone had shocked me. "If by that you mean, do I see the large wolf that's staring at us right now, then yes." 

    I continued to stare at the beautiful wolf, its fur streaked with dirt and what I hoped wasn't blood. It walked into the water and bent its head to drink when I signed 'Girl or boy, what do you think?' 

    Collin used to study wolves, so he would know. 

    "Oh, no, that's a he. And probably an Alpha, or a Beta by his size. A beautiful wolf... I wonder, since he was brave enough to come out when we were here..." Collin's voice was slightly louder than the hush we'd been maintaining since it walked up, and I jumped slightly. He began to walk toward the animal, and I tugged on his arm, not wanting him to scare it away. 

    Collin only got about ten feet before the wolf snapped his head up and growled. I had stopped a few feet back, watching the interaction wearily. Collin raised his hands and took a couple of steps back, still standing in front of me before the wolf stopped his growling to bite at one of his paws. I waited until Collin stepped back to be next to me again before deciding to be bold. 

    'I'm going to go closer.' I signed before taking a slow step forward. Collin raised his voice further, saying "I wouldn't but I'm probably not going to convince you so go ahead. I'll be shocked if he lets you get any closer." 

    The wolf and I jumped at the same time, our eyes meeting and my heart racing. I could feel a blush spreading on my cheeks the longer we stared at each other, and I noticed how he took a step back and whimpered from Collin's voice. 

    Or maybe my staring. Turning slowly so as not to frighten him again, I widened my eyes as I lowered my hands toward the ground repeatedly, telling Collin to quiet down. Signing 'Sorry.' quickly, I nodded and turned back to see the wolf staring at me again. 

    My breath came fast, and I could smell the woods on his fur, a mix of pine needles, cold air, and dirt, along with something like tobacco and a bunch of other scents. 

What the Hell is wrong with me? He's a wolf. He is JUST a wolf. He shouldn't smell this good... or make my heart race... I must be getting sick or something. 

    I convinced myself that I was imagining things, unconsciously walking closer with small slow steps. My head was bent, looking at my feet, and slightly to the side as if I were showing submission to him. 

How do I know what this is...? 

    Beginning to freak myself out, my body reacted on autopilot. The wolf straightened his back and looked ready to bolt every other second, with the spaces between filled with determination. 

How can a wolf look determined? He's a wild f*****g animal! What am I doing? 

    "Pigeon I wouldn't-" Collin started before I showed him my palm, a silent signal of 'Shut up.' Noticing how close I was to the white wolf, about ten feet was left between us, I got onto my knees. Dry grass crinkled under my knees, poking me through my jeans as I looked through my lashes at the wolf. My head stayed as it was, my neck exposed. 

    One exceptionally long minute dragged by before I heard grass crunching, and I could see the wolf moving forward very slowly. As if he was expecting me to run. 

    It took almost three minutes exactly for him to stop, his front right side paw almost touching my knee. I closed my eyes, certain he was about to do something crazy...

    I opened my eyes, with his scent overwhelming my senses, and my hands tingling, I noticed that he had lowered his head. His nose was almost pressing into the ground, and my eyebrows raised in shock. Lifting his head very slowly, I stopped breathing as his icy, wet nose pressed against my forehead for just a moment and a half. 

    I raised my head and looked into his eyes, the same color as the skies above only a shade darker. They shined against the white fur, and I was taken with how beautiful he was. 

    We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, and I never wanted to look away. My hands buzzed with anticipation- I wanted to run my hands through his fur. It looked so soft, and I hadn't even realized that my hand and been centimeters from touching him until he broke our electric connection and backed away a couple of feet. 

    The spell now broken, I took several deep breaths and felt as though I was flying. My heart was pounding against my ribs and my entire body felt weak. My teeth chattered, and I felt like I was on fire, every single nerve ending firing off a million messages a second. I blinked several times, and watched in slow motion as the wolf glared at something behind me and began to growl. Fear overtook the joy, and I whipped around to see Collin standing only a foot behind me. My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and anger shot through me. 'What the Hell do you think you're doing?! I was fine, Collin! Ugh, you scared him!' I signed furiously as I stormed off into the trees.

I'm definitely getting sick.