Alice and The Rogue Wolf

Chapter 4

Jonathan

Words are too weak to convey the joy I'm feeling right now. I have been waiting patiently for Alice to wake and now she is not only awake but is deep in laughter with her head hoisted against my shoulder. Nothing beats the joy I feel, not even the sweet aroma flooding my nostrils as Mrs. Walker walks in with a steaming hot tray containing a plate with a stack of pancakes laced with maple syrups on the sides.

"That looks delicious," Alice exclaimed, sitting up to receive the meal. Hardly had her mum eased the tray onto the bed had she begun digging away into the plate's content not pausing to chew on the food.

"Easy there or it might get stuck in your throat," I teased, chuckling. The doctor had warned that when she woke up from her unconsciousness, her appetite and want for food would be high so seeing her consume the meal ferociously only brought me amusement and not one bit of surprise.

Me and Mrs. Walker pleaded for her to slow down on her food but our cries fell on deaf ears as she didn't pause until all the chunks of food were gurgled down her throat.

"Good morning, Miss Alice," Mr. Tanner announced his presence as he stepped in with Mrs.. Walker who had left to welcome him a minute ago. "I can see you're all good and strong, correct?"

I couldn't help but snicker at how the doctor sounded mechanically. His arms swung from side to side as he marched over with an air of professionalism to perform his usual check-up on Alice who had now sat up on the bed. To give them their desired pace, I vacated the bed and resided on the cushion I had slept on an hour ago.

Too many things flooded my mind as I stared into the vacancy. Alice waking up and not being able to recall, not one but three of her recent years, was bound to exact a great deal of work from me. I have to show her around, get her acclimatized with the salient changes that were made in the pack during her absence, and even teach her the new regulations she is required to be familiar with as the new Luna of their pack. That sounds to me like a lot of work! But I was willing to do it. Anything that would show her just how much I love her.

The sound of Dr. Tanner packing up his bag barged into my thoughts. He was done with the check-up and was announcing his results to three pairs of anticipating ears.

"Okay, Miss Alice. So far I have checked and can assure you that you are recovering from the accident at a fast rate. She is strong enough to get around and as long as she's fed properly and gets as much rest as she needs, there's nothing to worry about."

Hardly had the white-coated man exited the room, I looked over at Mrs. Walker and I could see her sigh in relief. I understood that seeing her daughter in this state must be ic and that was why I am all out to help both of them in the best way I can.

"C'mon, Jonathan ." Alice squealed, jumping off the bed. "Show me around. You heard Mr... Tanner. He said I could walk freely so you don't have to worry about me being a burden. Besides, previously he had told me that if I wanted to recover my memories back, I have to engage in some form of exercise, e.g walking. "

I was stuck for a moment. On one hand, was Mrs. Walker signaling me not to listen to Alice, and on the other was my excited lover trying to cajole me into taking her out for a tour of the settlement. I glanced indeterminately between mother and daughter before finally settling my eyes on Alice. I knew she didn't deserve to have her memories wiped away like that so I figured the best I could do was give her a routine tour as per her wish.

"She needs to rest, Jonathan. I knew you wouldn't listen to me but at least promise you'll take care of her," Mrs. Walker blurted out. I knew she was not in support of depriving Alice of rest but what was her opinion when Alice had already made her mind up?

"I promise I'll bring her back safely." And with that, I excused Alice to get ready before strolling out the door oblivious of a pair of brown eyes staring at us behind the bushes.

****

Alice

"Oh my God, this is such a lovely scene," I exclaimed as I sank onto the grassy bank of the nearby creek Jonathan had taken me to.

The banks were lined with shrubs and trees and a couple of rocks that led to its source, an enormous waterfall. What was more captivating about the place was the shimmery sight as the bright sun bounced off the water's surface. It was truly beautiful!

"I know right?" Jonathan replied, dropping down beside me. "We used to spend hours just lazing around out here when we were younger. And if the sun got too hot we would go down to that shallow part over there, and go for a cool swim."

I followed his outstretched finger and my eyes fell upon the artificially dug hole in which the water was still and safe for swimming. I tried to recall any moment I might have had here but as usual, nothing came up. Why did I have to forget to spend time in something so beautiful? With these thoughts came tears flooding into my eyes.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you by bringing you here?" Jonathan asked, wiping my tears with a flick of his thumb. It felt unusual coming from him but I played cool as it was comforting anyway.

"No, it's not your fault. I'm just sad at how helpless I am without my memories, " I confided, sniffling back tears.

"Oh, come on Alice. The fact that you're alive right now is all that matters to me. About your memories, well, we'll figure that out but in the meantime let's strive to create new and even more beautiful memories, alright?"

It sounded like a better idea to me. Even though the memories were important, I had to make sure I didn't focus too much on the past and lose sight of the beautiful present. I heaved a loud sigh and glanced over at the shallow pool. An idea popped into my head.

"Let's go swimming," I blurted out, standing up.

"What?!" Jonathan half yelled. "No! No! You're barely strong enough to be left alone and yet you want to go swimming. I don't think it's a good idea!"

"It's a crazy idea. Like crazy good," I replied, wondering why he was so tensed up about swimming. "We could just dive into the wall and when we are both tired, we get back. Come on! It'll be fun to reenact the old days. What do you say?"

Johnathan must have known that I was stubborn. Once I made up my mind to do something, it was super hard getting me to change my mind, well except my father told me to. The sadness began creeping in once more but I kept it out.

"Listen, Alice. You asked for a tour, I gave you. And now you want me to sit back or even worse, assist you in putting your life in danger? It's not possible. Even if it was, your mum would kid…" He trailed off and stood up in pursuit as I took off towards the pool.

I was getting agile so most of my athleticism was restored. With my full speed, I sprinted as fast as I could, dumping pieces of clothing on the route. My leather jacket was flung off, my boots were kicked off and I also disposed of my blue shirt and brown trousers, so by the time I lunged my full weight into the pool I was clad in only a brassiere and panties.

Jonathan shouted after me to stop but I paid no heed. Instead, I let the cold water wash off the heat that was coming off my skin pores. I swam in circles making sure not to swim far away from the water bank.

"Get out of that water now!" Johnathan ordered hoarsely as he tried to catch his breath.

"No!" I retorted teasingly. "But if you like, you could come to get me."

I knew my actions were provoking him and just as I expected, he was down to his shorts and splashing down into the pool. He tried to catch but I swam quickly and eroded his every move. The water was fun and we played around, splashing each other with water and having fun.

Thirty minutes and we were still bubbling about when I felt my breath freeze in my throat.

"Jonathan, Help me!" I screamed as my body sank deeper into the pool.