Paws

Running, even from something, always gave her a sense of freedom and control. The physicality of running, the rhythmic breathing, the footfalls and swinging arms created a cadence. And then there was the exhilarating sense of running together in a pack that was so different from running alone.

Ever since Ethan had been bitten and had accepted the change, she had loved taking him out with her on her own runs. Running for her, was the best remedy, and best way to control the urges and instincts of her kind. When you were physically exhausted, one rarely thinks of ripping out someone else’s throat. 

‘Wait up!’ Ethans voice ran through her mind. She glanced back, her pink tongue lolling out of her muzzle. Her paws dug into the soft loamy ground as she stopped to wait for her mate.

The scent of a squirrel in the trees above her made her pause. She sniffed the air delicately. This was the farthest they had run together. From the slightly wet and salty tinge to the air, she thought they were pretty close to Lake Superior.

With Ethan getting stronger, they could go farther. They had to avoid the cities, of course, and stick to the unpopulated areas. But thanks to the popular culture “rediscovering” nature there were more nature parks and trails they could follow or even cut through. However, when they did come near people, mostly by chance, they managed to avoid detection just because they were moving so fast; and the fact that most people didn’t want to admit to seeing a chest high wolf running around.

The crunching of leaves and twigs underfoot announced that he had finally caught up. She turned as a deep brown, almost black wolf padded up beside her. He was only a little taller than her, but he was broader than her as he came to stand next to her.

‘You really need to work on being silent.’ All she had to do to communicate with him was think. It was as easy as breathing. Because of their pair bonding, and the fact that she was the alpha female in the pack, she could project her thoughts into the minds of the other pack members. Most mated pairs could only do so with each other, but she was a new breed altogether.

‘Oh stop, you’ve been doing this wolf thing for a lot longer than me!’ The voice that rang through her mind sounded like the man Ethan was when he wasn’t a wolf. It was deep, and smooth with a little twinge of humor to it.

‘Yes, but there is something to be said for “natural instincts”.’ She gave him as much of a smile as a wolf can give. Her white canines were in stark contrast to her light reddish brown fur. His brown eyes were the same as when he was human, and she could see them laughing in response.