Davina And The Dire Wolf

Gumbo

After a beautiful day spent in the garden, Davina and aunt Carly stepped back admiring their work. They smiled at one another in approval, wiping the sweat from their brows. “I think it’s about time to go start a pot of gumbo!” said aunt Carly. As they made their way inside, Davina stopped to smell her favorite rose bush. The roses were so dark red they appeared almost black, but the smell was sweeter than any she’d ever smelled before. These were old roses passed down from older generations and must be priceless.

Aunt Carly got to work on the stove making a roux for the gumbo while Davina sat at the small table and helped prep the ingredients. Davina chopped okra, celery, pepper, and onions while the two got caught up and talked. Conversation always made the cooking time go by faster and they always had much to talk about after missing one another. The whole house smelled absolutely heavenly. Davina’s mouth watered at the thought of the delicious gumbo. No one made it quite like aunt Carly!

Aunt Carly asked, “Devina, have you noticed any changes lately? Do you think your wolf will come soon?” Davina said, “I hope so, but I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary as of yet.” She frowned. Aunt Carly studied her expression and said, “Don’t worry your pretty little head, your wolf will come when it is just the right time! I’d bet my bottom dollar it’ll be any day now! You know tonight is a full moon..” Davina smiled hopefully.

Aunt Carly changed the subject and said, “So what are your plans for when you turn eighteen?” Davina went blank for a moment. “Well, I think I’d like to train and become a pack warrior..” said Davina. Aunt Carly smiled and said, “You know I was once a warrior too!” Davina looked at her questioningly. “I didn’t do it for long though, when I met your uncle I had a change of heart. I didn’t want to be away from him all the time. I missed him too much.” aunt Carly said. Davina smiled. She loved how much her aunt Carly and uncle loved one another.

She didn’t mind hearing the stories about her uncle. She knew aunt Carly must have missed him dearly. Aunt Carly said, “You know, one day you’ll find your mate too, Davina.. When you do, it’ll be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Some people get lucky and have a wonderful mate, like your uncle and I. He was a mighty fine man! Others.. are not so lucky.” She trailed off. She knew aunt Carly must have been thinking about her sister Jolene.

Davina decided to distract her and said, “Do you believe in true love, aunt Carly?” Aunt Carly’s eyes sparkled and she said, “Yes I do young one, but I don’t think that it’s what some people think it is. True love is grounded and solid. Your true love is someone you can feel safe with, always. You won’t get bored very often because it’s easy to keep one another company. It feels as natural as rain. That’s not to say you’ll always agree with one another, but you’ll always be able to compromise and come up with a solution. Your true love will put your comfort above his own desires. He’ll notice you even when you’re not looking. He’ll be more than a mate, but a best friend.” Davina secretly longed for all of that. “What would it feel like to be loved like that?” she thought. She could only day dream for now, because getting far away from Richard was first priority. Securing a future away from home needed to be her main focus.

“It sounds like a beautiful dream.” Davina said. “Can we listen to some records before bed?” she asked aunt Carly. “Of course. I think the gumbo should be right about done now too.” said aunt Carly. She loved to play the old records in the antique record player, and aunt Carly had a generous collection. They listened to music while they enjoyed a nice piping hot bowl of gumbo over rice. By the time they were done with dinner, they were as full as ticks!

Happy and cozy, they turned off the record player and watched television until Davina could barely keep her eyes open. “I think I’m going to head to bed now aunt Carly” she said groggily. “Alright then I love you hunny.” replied aunt Carly. She hugged aunt Carly and kissed her on the cheek, then went to the room she slept in when she stayed with aunt Carly. The bed was soft and warm and aunt Carly always kept nice clean smelling linen on the beds. She opened the window to let in some fresh air and changed into a loose tee shirt and underwear and sank into the soft mattress.

The curtains fluttered with a gentle warm breeze, revealing the peaceful night sky. She gazed at the stars and the moonlit clouds until her eyes felt heavy, watching a cloud pass over the bright full moon. As the cloud passed by slowly revealing the moon in all it’s glory, the moonlight began to seep into the room. Davina had nearly fallen asleep when suddenly, the warm caressing breeze turned into a tingle on her skin. The hair on her legs began to rise and she subconsciously pulled the covers over her, brushing it off as goosebumps.

Then the hair on her arms followed suit, causing her to toss and turn uncomfortably. She started to feel hot, really hot. She kicked the covers back off. The entire bed was now lit with the glow of the moon. Suddenly the tingling on her legs and arms turned into a burning sensation. Davina’s eyes shot open in horror.