Book2 Chapteri
I can’t continue anymore, so I put the phone down. It’s just too hard on my soul.
Maybe it was two in the morning before I cried myself to sleep only to have Cash wake me up with a “getup” grunt.
I change into some workout clothes and running shoes. I really have no idea what to expect from him.
Meeting him at the breakfast table, it’s just us up in the early morning dawn. Both our eyes seem puffy and red. I wonder if we have been crying over the same wolves?
“We’re going to run to the training facility.” That’s all he says as I follow him outside
The high pines shiver in the freezing wind, and the world seems still asleep as I try to keep his pace. The sky blushes in the softest of pinks and blues as the sun cracks through the night. The moon slowly fades away. The air outside seems virgin young, pure and clean.
The briskness pushes itself inside my nose, stinging with its burning cold. The skin side is not used to running this fast for this long and is slowly lagging behind Cash
I think he slows his pace slightly until I catch up with him. He doesn’t say anything, we just run silently together, each in our own world of thought. A chipmunk scuttles around the base of a tree. If I were in Wild form, I could have had it between my jaws already.
Soon I think Mother Nature’s winter cloak will be thrown away for spring’s green dress.
The crunching sound of each step we take echoes in this soundless morning, even the wind seems to have a certain quietness about it.
My thighs are burning by the time we enter this grey–sided building, nothing fancy to it. Four walls and a high–pitched tin root.
A group of very young juveniles are already inside waiting, milling about, talking amongst themselves.
“Hi, Cash.” All the juveniles are smiling up at him, revealing how much they like this male wolf. He smiles back at them, the only smile 1 have ever seen on his face since meeting him. It makes him look beautiful for a minute until I remember how ugly he can be.
Their curious eyes fall on me. I don’t hide behind Cash; I stand tall, meeting everyone head on and looking them in the eyes.
These are baby wolves who don’t pose any threat to me.
“Everyone, this is Rya. She’s going to be training with you all for a while until she learns the basics.” They have open mouths in shock.
“Is she her?” a male juvenile asks Cash.
“Yes, that’s her.” Now all eyes are on me, rolling over my body, assessing everything
The males, all with their shaved heads, regard ine, smelling deeply. They can’t seem to stop staring as the females do the same. Lifting their noses high up, not being discreet. Taking my scent in and breathing it out. A low murmur of excitement is rippling through this
crowd.
“That’s her…look at her eyes, they freak me out…she’s really pretty… why is she training with us?”
“All right, everyone, let’s begin.” Cash takes a step in the front, and everyone follows his instructions. I stand at the back watching everyone on what to do. He leads them in their morning stretch, getting their muscles ready,
Cash goes through the motions, guiding these young ones in routine after routine, sparring with them gently. His sinewy V–shaped body moves in fluid grace, he’s sure–footed with every move he demonstrates.
I think he likes it. He has a lot of patience while working with these novice learners, giving them high fives when they do good, a gotta try harder next time if someone laps out. The sparring is rough and raw. No one holds anything back
It’s my turn to go against the youngest shifted juvenile here. He’s skinny, without the fullness another few years will bring to his body. His voice even cracks as he says hello to me.
“What’s the rules everyone?” Cash’s voice booms over the noise.