True Nature
Their laughter and banter waned as they climbed higher. Vince was bringing up the rear, which meant that it was his duty to keep a keen eye on their surroundings for any signs of evil beings following them.
Trees were scarcer and scarcer here, and the wind was blowing harder. Theodore walked with determination, showing no sign of tiredness. Jack, despite being the one being carried, seemed to have dozed off, his arms tightly wrapped around his alpha.
Their alpha. Vince touched his lips briefly. Theodore’s growing confidence was partly his ‘fault’, so he couldn’t help feeling a bit proud. Their efforts – his and Jack’s – were paying off. It was quite a sight to watch the cold and restrained alpha thawing under the gentle care of his companions. If Jack felt tempted to scratch Theodore behind the ears, Vince wanted to engage in a thorough licking session with the alpha of Whiteflame.
A slow and insidious enemy was creeping up on them. It was hunger, and Vince had to wonder if other foul forces were at play. They had just taken a meal break, but both the taste and consistency of their supplies appeared insubstantial. Jack had complained out loud that he was still hungry, and Theodore had put him in his place, scolding him like a parent would their child for being fussy about food.
Yet Vince had noticed the unsettled look in Theodore’s eyes. It had only been there for a moment and then gone. But it meant that the unpleasant sensation gnawing at his insides was no stranger to the alpha, either. It troubled Theodore, although he wasn’t speaking up, most likely struggling to make sense of it on his own.
Maybe things would get better once they crossed the heights of the mountain still looming large before them. The veil was close; so Jack’s cards said. They also said that mortal danger awaited them the closer they got to their destination.
***
Evil forces had to be at work again. Theodore set his jaw hard, fighting the impulse to grunt with each pang squeezing his stomach to the point that it felt like a tight ball. There was something familiar about his hunger. It reminded him of times that had long faded from his memory. It jolted him back into being something he hadn’t revisited for years. As a wolf and an alpha, he was born to hunt. But while he lived in Glasstone, mingling with humans, he had learned to suppress his hunting instincts. Not entirely, he had distilled them and transformed them into skills necessary in the human world, just as ruthlessly putting down his business competitors whom he simply viewed as enemies to be defeated. The fruits of that kind of hunt always left him dissatisfied and hollow on the inside.
And hungry.
As he was now. Jack’s complaints, despite what the field mouse believed, hadn’t fallen on deaf ears. But how could he go hunting – succumb to his true nature – when he had the semblance of a pack he had to protect now?
He stopped abruptly. His true nature. Of course. Had he gotten so used to the human ways that he no longer understood his wolf and his needs?
“What’s going on?” Vince called from behind.
Theodore turned abruptly, jolting Jack out of his sleep, as well.
“I have to go hunting,” he said.
“Hunting?” Vince narrowed his eyes. “What could you possibly go hunting for?”
The tall granite walls stretched upward on one side as far as eyes could see. To a human, they probably appeared smooth, but Theodore could see the small irregularities, the hand and footholds jutting out, narrow and short, but enough for the right animal to climb.
His wolf trembled with anticipation. But was it wise to give in to his true nature?
His wolf said ‘yes’.
“Take care of Jack. You two, get busy making a fire. There’s tinder in my backpack,” he began ordering his pack to organize.
“Are you abandoning me so soon?” Jack complained. His warm arms were around Theodore’s neck, reminding him of other things that were part of his true nature.
“We are all hungry. The food we brought with us won’t fill us,” he explained shortly.
“Are we going to eat a wild animal?” Jack questioned right away. “I’ve never done that. Will it turn me into a beast, as well?”
“You wish,” Vince teased the field mouse and hurried to relieve Theodore of his precious charge.
Jack jumped down on his own, stretched and yawned. “I’m doing so many things for the first time. Next thing you know, we’ll all be running through the woods naked, howling at the moon.”
Theodore couldn’t restrain a smile. His eyes met Jack’s, so big and wide, so pretty. “That is what you get for getting under an alpha’s skin, field mouse,” he teased, so unlike his usual self.
Jack’s eyes –if it was possible – grew even bigger. “Are we really going for the wild wolf thing?”
“What other kind of wolf is there?” Theodore asked.
“Are you really going hunting?” Jack changed tack. He looked a smidge flustered, which satisfied Theodore’s need to tease the hell out of the clairvoyant.
“Yes.”
“Then, let me do this.” Jack placed his small hands on Theodore’s large chest and leaned in. “A kiss for good luck.”
Theodore accepted it. No, he did more than that; he took Jack’s hands in his and kissed him back.
Then, shifting swiftly, he broke into a run. So free; he felt so free.
***
Jack fiddled with the protein bar, squinting to read the enormous list of ingredients. “Are you hungry, too, Vee?”
“As the saying goes, I could eat a horse,” Vince replied, carefully scanning the landscape around them with keen eyes, while crouching to start a fire as they had been instructed by their pack leader. Jack felt like he might just get used to all this talk of packs, alphas, and whatnot.
“Same here. I wonder what sort of goodies Theo is going to bring back.”
“I doubt he went shopping, so no sweets for you,” Vince teased him.
“Funny,” Jack said while taking out a pack of gummies from his backpack and staring at them with unconcealed disgust. “I don’t feel like digging into this at all. Am I changing into a wolf, Vee?”
“I have no idea what’s going on,” Vince admitted. “But for us to be hungry like this after stuffing our faces with the supplies we brought with us… isn’t normal.”
Jack pondered for a bit. “Or maybe it is,” he said. “I mean, we’re getting closer to the veil but at the same time you know, things are evolving between us?”
“You don’t have to question that. I do think, too, that we are making progress. I believe Theodore is starting to see us as his pack, regardless of how slim this pack might be.”
Jack stretched and stared at Vince’s hands. “Is it hard to make a fire? Theo showed me once, but I was a bit distracted.”
Vince chuckled. “Distracted by staring too much at our attractive alpha?”
Jack moaned for show. “Well, he is. You can’t argue with that, can you?”
“Of course not. Here, let me show you. Unless you’re also getting distracted by me, as well.”
“It’s not a competition,” Jack said. “You’re both awesome. And I’m so hungry,” he complained, throwing the gummy pack back into his backpack. “Wait, Vee. You know what I was thinking?”
“I won’t know until you tell me.”
Jack scooted over and began watching Vince’s hands. “If we’re all starting to act like wolves, or if we’re turning into wolves, drooling over every mountain goat – by the way, do you think Theo is hunting one of those beauties? Well, they are pretty handsome, but I’m hungry so--”
“Jack, what were you trying to say before you started contemplating the changes in your appetite?” Vince interrupted him.
“Ah, right. We are becoming animals, Vee, animals. Do you understand?”
“Not really. And calling werewolves animals is a bit unfair. They’re just as human as the two of us.”
“It’s a figure of speech. A metaphor or a simile or whatever; I did bad in school, so don’t take my word for it. The thing is…” he hesitated for effect, “we might get in the mood for other things as well.” He gave Vince a suggestive look, pursing his lips and batting his eyelashes.
“Are you having a seizure?” Vince joked.
“Vee,” Jack complained, “this is me at my most seductive.”
“Really? I think you’re at your most seductive when you don’t try at all.”
“You are so pulling my leg. Don’t tell me that I’m pretty the moment I wake up with my hair sticking up everywhere and--”
“And your sleepy droopy eyes and your naked butt and the way you wiggle to get close--”
“You do pay attention,” Jack gasped. “I’m so impressed. Do you believe Theodore notices all of those little things?”
“For a guy as skinny as you, that butt is no little thing,” Vince countered. “I’m sure Theodore notices at least that about you.”
Jack snickered. “He’s an ass man.”
Since it looked like there was nothing for him to do while Vince took care of starting the fire per Theo’s orders, Jack reached for his cards. What had the Moon meant when she told him he wasn’t alone?
Maybe the cards held the answer. No one said he couldn’t – or shouldn’t – read the cards in his own interest.
A strange scent tickled his nostrils, making him sneeze. “Can you smell that, too, Vee?”
“What?”
Jack stood up and looked around. “It’s the sort of smell that would normally turn my stomach, but right now… damn, I’m so hungry.”
Vince stood, too. They saw the big white wolf approaching at the same time.
Yep, there was no doubt about it. That was a dead goat Theo was carrying in his big muzzle.
And Jack was so, so hungry. Despite feeling pity for the poor goat.
***
His restraint deserved a commendation because his wolf didn’t deserve one. Theodore had had to fight his beast’s need to feed in order to bring the spoils of his hunt to his pack. But he understood so much more now. His entire body felt stronger, and all his senses were heightened. Yes, he had been born for this, and being trapped in that city of glass and stone had fortunately not dulled his senses, despite crushing his spirit every day.
Seeing the consternation on his companions’ faces cooled his head instantly. He shifted into his human shape. “I will take care of skinning and preparing the meat. Guardian, you made the fire. Good. Has Jack behaved while I was away hunting?”
The field mouse sputtered, unable to find his words right away. “Really?” he finally exploded, “Is that the first thing that pops into your mind when it’s about me? That I misbehaved?”
With freedom coursing like quicksilver through his veins came a sudden – liberating, too – need to play with the field mouse and tease him until he surrendered completely.
“You are known for your quirks and on-the-spot, impulsive decisions. As long as you’re in my care, misbehaving is not allowed,” he said gamely.
“I did not misbehave,” Jack protested. “Vee, tell him!” He turned toward the guardian, waiting for help, as usual.
“He was good and behaved exemplarily,” Vince replied. “Like a little lamb.”
“Lamb. That’s cute,” Jack agreed. “Wait,” he added, “how much do you like lamb, Theo?”
Not even the way Jack called him by that nickname could annoy him right now. “I think lamb is very tasty,” he said, trading a quick glance with Vince, who hid his smile by turning his head.
Jack gasped in outrage. “You’re not allowed to eat me. There, you have a whole goat to yourself. Eat that. I promise I won’t ask for a piece.” Even as he said that, he had to wipe his mouth.
Was the field mouse drooling? Theodore pulled him close and examined him.
“What?” Jack asked, leaning back until he was about to topple over.
Theodore caught him and steadied him, his nose already picking up the scent variations Jack’s skin released depending on the clairvoyant’s mood. There was something strangely familiar about the way Jack smelled, and it wasn’t anything Theodore had experienced lately. This, too, threw him back into the past.
“Jack here has a theory that, as your pack members, we might also be developing wolf-like traits,” Vince explained in a patient tone.
That was it. Theodore hesitated, caught between the anxious, anticipatory feeling of having returned home, which could only be an illusion, and the fear that what was happening was playing tricks on him.
“Yeah,” Jack started babbling, “I mean, I would’ve never have imagined before that I could eat a poor goat someone had hunted. All the meat I eat comes in guilt-free packaging.” He sniffled. “And now I can’t stop thinking about how juicy this animal’s meat is going to feel in my mouth. I’ll cry, too, but I’ll eat. Oh, yes. I’ll eat.”
Theodore didn’t recognize it at first. It burst out of his chest… was it laughter? Was he… laughing?
Jack stared at him in disbelief, and even Vince forgot about what he was doing to gawk at him.
“You will help me skin the animal and then we will eat,” he decided and pulled Jack along with him.
“But I’m delicate and dainty, like a little flower,” Jack protested, giving him little resistance, however.
“You may be all that, but I bet the part of you that’s like a little flower still wants to eat. Am I correct?”
In the background, Vince was snickering to himself.
“Vince, you make sure you have the fire ready. We’ll have roast tonight. Come, Jack. You must learn to earn your keep,” he teased the field mouth further.
“But I’m already doing that,” Jack moaned. “I’m reading the cards for you, and I’m like basically your GPS device out here in the mountains where people get lost all the time. You know you won’t need to be rescued by helicopter with me around.”
“Come on, I know you’re eager to learn new skills. Weren’t you complaining just the other day that you have no outdoors skills? This is your chance to learn.”
“Yes, that may be true, but do I need them? Where else but here will I ever apply the knowledge of skinning a dead animal? Oh, Theo, what’s gotten into you? I liked you better when you were cold and didn’t want to touch me. Wait, no, I didn’t mean it like that. But I mean… has something good happened that I don’t know about? Or Vee?”
Something had happened. And it was all good. Theodore was discovering himself out here, in the mountains. Whatever lay behind the veil had to give him these powers. The lands of his pack… could it be they had arrived?
***
Jack couldn’t say he didn’t love how carefree Theodore seemed, but he had to keep himself in check. As Theo explained and made him pull at the tough skin and fur, making him experience a deep satisfaction at how easy it did come off, he had to focus on stopping his mouth from getting wet.
It wasn’t like he wanted to take a bite out of the raw flesh spread out before his eyes, but he wasn’t far from it. Damn, this whole transformation thing was rattling him big time.
He was concentrating too hard on his work to notice the way Theodore was looking at him. But when he raised his eyes, wanting to express his satisfaction in a job well done, the longing in the alpha’s eyes surprised him.
“Are you all right, Theo? Look, I did okay, didn’t I?” It unnerved him slightly to see all that raw emotion shining in Theodore’s eyes.
“You remind me of my pack,” Theodore said softly and straightened up.
He busied himself with washing the meat and placing in on large clean leaves. But Jack needed to learn more now. Although this was an alpha, powerful and in charge of a huge beast like his white wolf, Jack felt he needed to handle him gently.
“What do you mean?” he asked softly in return.
Theodore didn’t meet his eyes.
Jack knew he had to be careful, but he also needed to press on. “Something is bothering you. You are happier than I’ve ever seen you since we met, and I know that’s not that long... argh, I’m not good at being serious. How do I remind you of your pack, Theo?”
Silence stretched between them, testing Jack’s patience. He was about to try again, when Theodore started speaking.
“I can feel my pack nearby. I know they are dead, but I feel them as if they are alive. And all the pain in my heart is gone, which means that something wicked is trying to trick me.”
“You’re scared,” Jack said, without thinking.
Theodore threw him a sharp look.
Jack moved nearer and touched the alpha’s arm. “It’s okay. I mean, I know this must all be new to you, but I have a lot of experience in being scared. I could teach you a trick or two. Like, for instance, when the third foster family took me in--”
Theodore grabbed him so fast, Jack yelped.
“Are you an orphan?” he asked.
Jack shrugged. “Ah, I guess it didn’t come up before and I didn’t think it was important. It was a whole thing, me getting passed from family to family, and no one seemed to like me much, so--”
Theodore pulled him close, violently so. Jack made a show of choking, but it didn’t last long because of how completely his Theo hugged him. He had no choice but to hug back and accept that there were actually people in the world right now who liked him very much.
TBC
@Derek - I do like the idea of balancing out the trio... they need each other, and, at the same time, they must be what the others need.
@Mark Mortland - I like building characters who are inherently funny, hence Jack :) And his glitter of hope!
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