Wolf at the Camping

Trauma Bonding

However, he didn't have the time to answer his questions, all too soon she was back and he knew she was determined to go. "I guess we both need some fresh air. What do you say we take a walk to the edge of the forest?" he asked and she sighed softly. His wolf was ready to tear at him again if she declined. To the wolf he had only managed to alienate her instead of bringing her closer.

"I guess we could." she answered and he felt the wolf relaxing for a second only to be on his guard once again as she continued, "On the condition that you join me and my friends for lunch. It's only fair since breakfast was on you."

He look at her, his wolf rebelling inside, demanding he says yes. "I, I am not sure..." he started but didn't get to finish his sentence.

"Look, I know you could be an Alpha, i know I am young and inexperienced and probably... bring out all of your protective instincts. But you could at least give me a straight answer." she started moving towards the door.

His wolf couldn't take it anymore, "It's a deal!" he said and she turned around almost bewildered. His voice had become even deeper, rougher. The wolf had almost taken over his human half. "I was going to say, that I don't know how your friends will react, me being a stranger and a werewolf..." he tried to calm her, his voice again human.

She looked at him and he could see a future high-ranked wolf, she had potential to become a leader of her pack. "They know what I am. One of them is mated to a wolf. The other... she knows about us. You have my word as a member of the Old Oak Pack that if either one of my friends offends you in any way, I will accompany you back here and apologize for them."

He didn't expect such a formal promise, 'Well, let's go! What are we waiting for?' his wolf demanded and he smiled a bit. "Fine. Let me put on some shoes and we are out in a minute." he said and she nodded.

"How did you get that scar?" he asked as they walked towards the trees, away from the camping, he saw her glancing at him and thought she wouldn't answer.

"It's a memento from a fight." she said and it was clear she didn't want to explain any further. So, he just took a detour and asked something else instead.

"How can you keep your wolf under so much control?" this time she stared at him for a long moment before she tried to answer.

"It's not too hard for me. I think it's because of my bloodline. The elders in my pack believe that my ancestors were some of the first werewolves to have been born. I don't know, I think my human will plays some part as well." she said and he could do nothing but admire her. She didn't take her heritage as a pass to power, she had brains as well as beauty.

"So, is it true what some old wolves told me? Do some of the oldest bloodlines carry gifts that are passed down from parents to children?" he could see she wasn't comfortable talking about this subject either, 'Too bad. You will have to give me ome answers either way.' he thought smiling at her innocently.

"I don't know about others. My grandmother told me that we have a few 'gifts' that can be inherited. True dreaming and fast healing are the most common in my family. Some could stay a wolf for only a few hours on the full moon and a few in the old days were said to be able to talk to the dead of their pack." she said and blushed when she realized how many facts she had revealed already about her family.

"And which of those gifts do you carry in your blood?" he asked and watched as she debated between the truth or a lie of omission, "Some old wolves I have met told me once that someone who carries the scent of their fore-fathers usually carries most of their gifts as well. And you have a most unusual combination of scents." he stated trying to get her to tell him the truth, as well as impress her with his knowledge of the Bloodlines.

"I, It's true. I can return to human form after five to six hours at the full moon and I, I heal faster than others. Though silver tends to slow me more than any other wolf I know." she answered, her voice almost breaking at the last sentence. Something about silver was bothering her. He just wished he could make her open up to him.

"Those are true gifts. Fast healing could save your life, and last night I had to spend it all in wolf form. I can't say anything about dreaming though... but isn't it better to know what to expect? I'd consider my self blessed if I had even one of those gifts." he tried to make her look at him, to think of those gifts as what they could be. Her expression showed she didn't consider herself blessed, more like cursed.

His wolf had to know however, no matter how much he would have to push, he had to know, "How did you get that scar? It couldn't be last night. I would have smelled the blood. Was it that deep that it didn't heal with you shifting?" he watched her and her reaction had his wolf rebelling inside him, trying to take control and console her, tell her she was safe now.

"I, I had a disagreement with another pack member. it's a few weeks old." she said looking away from him and walking faster. "I think we should go back, lunch must be ready by now." she tried for relaxed but she kept walking faster towards the trees a few dozen feet further.

The wolf in him was considering the possibilities of what could make such a scar, and why it would heal so slowly. No matter how deep it was it should have healed by now... unless if it was silver... The wolf and human parts were in agreement, they would kill whoever did this to her.

"What kind of disagreement?" he asked and she looked at him again. They had reached the edge of the trees by now. They had stopped under an old pine. Her breathing had become labored and he knew it had nothing to do with the walk or the speed she had used to walk here.

She sat down, her back on the pines dark bark, "The fighting kind!" she said almost growling at him, "His mate left him, he was cruel to her. He thought, as I was the youngest in the pack that I would be... easy prey." she took another deep breath and he sat down beside her, wanting to touch her, hold her, but not daring to move an inch towards her.

"He wanted a replacement and thought I would be happy to oblige. He was wrong. The Alpha issued the Challenge. On the New Moon we fought." her breathing had returned to its normal pattern, he raised his hand to touch her shoulder when she looked at him and he dropped his hand, looked back at the camping,. "I was winning. He would have yielded, I knew he couldn't last much longer. As it turned out, he knew it too. He had a silver dagger, he stabbed me on my right arm." she had closed her eyes, was breathing deeply and he saw her fingers reforming into claws for a heartbeat, scratching the earth under them.

"I lost it! The wolf took over!" she said without him uttering a single word, but he knew that was what was hurting her most, not the stab wound, not the silver. it was the lack of control, the fact that she had given in to her wolf.

"As was expected..." he tried to say but the look on her eyes stopped him, her eyes had turned to a light amber, almost yellow. The wolf was staring at him and he felt the need to submit, before he could though she closed her eyes again, covering her face with her hands.

"Not expected! No! If the Enforcers were slower.... I would... He'd be dead now. I, she would have... I can still smell his fear , the sour odor that had the wolf in me... ready to strike, to kill, to taste his blood...." she flinched at the memory.