Chapter 66

Shadow has been gone for a long time. Should I go look for him? For the hundredth time, Sophia tried to find a more comfortable position to sit in. He told me to wait here, but what if he’s in trouble? Maybe he got injured hunting? 

Her heart raced as she imagined him out in the wilderness, badly injured and alone. She searched the air for any sign of him but, unsurprisingly, couldn’t detect anything in the still air.

I’m being silly, it’s only been a couple of hours at most. How would I find him anyway? She closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves. He knows what he’s doing and is probably just having a hard time finding prey. It’s just so dark down here…

The last rays of daylight had disappeared almost two hours before, and no moon had risen to replace them. In the relatively narrow ravine Shadow had left her in, even starlight struggled to reach the bottom. Despite her changed eyes, rock was difficult to distinguish from shadow on the treacherous slope.

There wasn’t any moonlight last night either, but I had Shadow with me and it wasn’t THIS dark. It’s been a while since I’ve felt so blind out here. She tensed and bared her fangs as a branch snapping on one of the trees above echoed through the ravine. Calm down; it’s just a branch snapping from the cold.

An ache in her stomach reminded her she hadn’t had anything to eat since she and Shadow had shared the bit of lunchmeat she had brought. They had only moved off the bluff when the sun was just above the horizon. Soon after, Shadow had guided her to this narrow part of a draw where runoff had created a narrow ravine while he hunted. She soon understood why: few smells escaped… or entered. Unfortunately, it had apparently not occurred to the wolf that she wouldn’t be able to see either.

Why couldn’t I help hunt? Sophia tried to stoke irritation and indignation at her mate to distract her from the primal fears threatening to take hold of her. I can’t believe he thinks I still need protection. She jumped as a tree creaked loudly. Fine, maybe I do, but couldn’t he have left me somewhere where my nose and eyes aren’t useless? He better be bringing back a whole moose after all this.

The hair on her neck stood on end, and her ears twitched as they picked up a scraping noise. A few seconds later, the sound of something tapping against stone sent her onto all fours, teeth bared. Panic started to seize her as she glimpsed something big moving towards her from lower in the draw. The strange shape of its head looked like no animal she had ever seen, as its glowing eyes looked towards her. She frantically tried to pick up its scent, but nothing reached her.

“Shadow..?” She squeaked. “Help!”

The creature made a strange noise that sounded like a muffled ‘hurf.’ She tried to back away, but slipped and barely kept herself from dashing her face against a rock. With a snarl, she stabilized herself and prepared a desperate last stand.

Suddenly, the creature stopped moving, and she saw something drop to the ground from where its head was. Its head changed from something hideously lumpy and misshapen to that of a wolf.

‘Many Scents?’ came a familiar lupine voice.

Sophia nearly fainted from relief. Only the surge of her temper kept her from taking a nasty tumble.

“Shadow! You’ve left me alone here for hours!” She scolded petulantly, carefully getting onto her knees. “I was terrified something had happened to you! It’s cold and I can’t smell or see a thing! And I’m starving!”

Her mate whined apologetically, saying something about hunting and prey. He cautiously, but expertly, climbed towards her.

“Oh, you’re sorry?” Sophia continued to berate him as long-ignored fatigue caught up with her. “How am I supposed to learn to hunt if you go off by yourself? I know I’m not really a wolf, but I still want to be with you! I was so worried you had gotten hurt…”

She trailed off as Shadow reached her, and his familiar scent enveloped her at last. The wolf carefully made the few remaining steps and then nuzzled her cheek with his muzzle.

‘Love you,’ he rumbled, and Sophia’s anger evaporated.

It’s not his fault I can’t take care of myself out here.

“I’m sorry,” Sophia breathed, rubbing her face against him. “I’m tired, hungry, and I really missed you.”

‘... Have food …,’ Shadow told her, looking back down the ravine, and then rumbled something that sounded like a complaint about hunting.

He’s tired and hungry, too. 

“I think we’ll both feel better after eating,” Sophia commented. “We should eat before something else finds it.”

Shadow started down the ravine, and Sophia cautiously followed behind him on her hands and knees, feeling ahead of her before moving forward. It was a relief when the draw widened, and she could clearly see where she was putting her hands. A breeze touched her face, returning the sorely missed smells of the forest to her perception, and she inhaled sharply.

Ooh, I wonder what Shadow brought… She sniffed towards the lumpy form of whatever her mate had dropped. Wow, that’s strong, but I can’t tell what it is… A couple of yards away, she could finally distinguish body parts from each other. Oh, he brought two animals.

Getting to her hands and knees, she examined what she could now see were two distinct bodies. Tangled together were a grey-furred vole and something that looked like a weasel of some kind, the latter having white fur and an especially pungent odor.

Too bad, the weasel is kind of cute. But it’s still meat. Sophia sniffed their stiff forms in disappointment. This isn’t enough to feed one wolf, let alone two. The smell of Shadow’s saliva was prominent in their fur, and both smelled of dirt. But it’s something.

Shadow padded around the meager offerings, making the sounds Sophia already knew meant ‘vole’ and then a different series of sounds she assumed referred to the weasel. He sat down across from her and rumbled something that sounded apologetic about the limited faire.

“It’s okay,” Sophia said, trying to sound reassuring. “I’m just glad you found something.”

Going hungry is a real possibility out here. She shivered. As is starving.Shadow can’t just go to the fridge whenever he’s hungry; Candice does have a point there.

“You should have them,” Sophia told him, nudging both towards him with her nose. “I can get something when I go back.”

Shadow stared at her for a moment and then rumbled insistently, ‘… For you ….’ She got the distinct impression he was offended.

He spent all that time and energy for me. Shame ran through Sophia, and she lowered her head to avoid his eyes.

“Fine, but you’re eating too,” she told him firmly. “I’ll pick, though.”

I haven’t tried that one yet. She looked at the weasel curiously.

Grabbing the limp form by its long neck with her small fangs, she lifted it up and dropped it into the snow in front of her. Then, she very deliberately pushed the vole towards Shadow. He asked her something that Sophia had no trouble guessing the meaning of.

“Go ahead,” she assured him. “You need it.”

Wasting no time, the wolf bent forward and enveloped the entire vole in his muzzle. Bones snapped audibly as he chewed, the rodent’s tail flopping around as it hung from his mouth. Finally, he closed his jaws and swallowed it in one large gulp. He licked his muzzle clean and watched her expectantly.

Poor guy, that’s barely anything. I’ll have to bring him something tomorrow.

Bending forward, she sniffed her chosen meal, memorizing its smell. Finally, she put her gloved hands on opposite sides of its long body, opened her mouth, and sank her fangs into the thick white fur of its taut stomach. After a bit of gnawing and pulling, she had worked through the skin and had torn off a bit of lean muscle. Glancing up, she saw Shadow had lain down on his stomach and was watching her— when he wasn’t keeping an eye on their surroundings.

“This is good,” She appraised after swallowing. “Really tough, but the flavor is interesting.” Bending down, she took another bite before commenting, “I still like deer the best, though.”

She went silent as hunger took hold of her. Her mouth was covered in gore when she looked back up. Shadow gave her an approving look.

Poor Candice would have a heart attack if she saw me like this. She licked viscera off her lips. Speaking of…

“Oh, I promised Candice I’d spend the early afternoon with her tomorrow.” The sound of bones snapping was audible as she bit down hard on the weasel’s lower ribs. “She wants to take me out for lunch and then shopping as part of the whole convince me to be human thing. So, I’ll be out here late again.” Crunch, crunch, swallow. “I think she’s taking me for pizza.” She licked her lips and chuffed, “I guess it’ll have to be meat lovers, just the meat, please.”

And any seasoning, especially garlic. A large portion of the weasel’s remaining abdomen disappeared as she took a big bite. Bleh, best not think of that while I’m eating.

It took her another twenty minutes to consume as much of the weasel as she could manage. Meanwhile, Shadow, apparently reenergized after his snack, launched into what she soon gleaned to be a retelling of his hunt. She listened intently as she ate, piecing together what she could. After consuming what she was able, she snuggled into Shadow as he finished her leftovers. Her stomach was far from full, but she felt much better than she had.

“Thanks for dinner, my big, strong wolf,” she murmured and offered her face for him to lick clean. “You know, I should invite Candice for deer sometime so she can meet you!” Sophia chuffed as Shadow’s tongue tickled her cheek. “Think she’d take me up on it?”

Later the next day, Sophia found the dinner invitation idea a lot less funny.

‘Many Scents … sick …?’ Shadow asked anxiously, his form just a dark outline against the snow and lodgepoles half a dozen yards away.

“Sorry, I’m so late,” Sophia apologized as she walked over to join him. “Lunch didn't sit well with me, but I’m feeling better than I did earlier.”

I must smell sick; he didn’t try to surprise me today. She carefully got to her hands and knees, careful not to upset her bloated midsection too much.

Even in the dark, Shadow’s concern was evident as he quickly stepped over to her and sniffed her. Instead of initiating their usual ritual of licking each other’s faces, he protectively wrapped his body around her and put his head on her shoulder. She winced as a sharp pain wracked her stomach.

‘... Weasel bad …?’ He whined guiltily. 

Sophia accepted his physical support and leaned against him. “No, it wasn’t the weasel,” she reassured him. “It started after I had pizza with Candice. I ended up leaving early.”

I don’t get it; I didn’t have any tomato sauce, and I’ve been eating bread and cheese before today. Was it the seasoning in the meat?

Shadow lay down while staying pressed against her. ‘... Here …’

“I’m okay, really. It’s just my stomach,” Sophia told him, and then blushed as she audibly passed gas. “And I might be a little gassy.”

Please let the runs be over.

After removing her backpack, she carefully got onto her side and curled up next to him in the shadow of a pine. The outer rim of her ear ached briefly as she yanked her hat off. Pushing her shoulders into his side, she lay her head down on his forelegs. 

“At least you don’t have to worry about feeding me,” she joked, rubbing her stomach. “I don’t think I could eat anything if I tried. Unless it’s grass, for some reason, I’m really craving grass right now.” She turned her head to look up at him and touched her nose to his when he reflexively looked down at her. “You really don’t have to be so protective, though. Just give my stomach a few minutes to settle, and I’ll be up for anything.”

Don’t you start… A sharp cramp racked her bowels as they audibly gurgled. 

Shadow’s ears twitched as Sophia pulled her legs into her stomach in an effort to suppress the discomfort. Despite the cold air, she could feel a bit of sweat forming on the back of her neck.

“Okay, maybe more than a few minutes,” she amended sheepishly. “It’s nice to just snuggle anyway. I probably shouldn’t have come tonight, but I missed you too much.”

God, I want some grass.

Bending his nose down, he sniffed her mouth for a few seconds. ‘... Smell … bad food … stomach ...’

Ah, my breath must smell off. Another cramp roiled her abdomen, and she clenched her sphincter muscles tightly.

‘... Eat …’ he rumbled, although she didn’t know what he thought she should eat. ‘... No … buried ….’

“I’m fine,” she insisted stubbornly and then chuffed. “I just feel bad for Candice. She’s trying so hard to convince me that I should stay human, and then I get food poisoning. It’s weird, though, I’ve been eating wild animals without any problems, but get sick eating pizza.” Sophia paused to eat a bit of snow. “It did taste a lot different than I remembered. Maybe it was contaminated?”

Damn it, I’m thirsty. She took a larger mouthful of snow.

“Before that, she took me to a few stores that I used to enjoy. I couldn’t bring myself to admit shopping isn’t much fun for me anymore,” Sophia sighed regretfully. “There was this one shop, the fragrances were so strong, I couldn’t even make myself go in.” She chuffed and rubbed her cheek against the bottom of her love’s muzzle. “Too many scents for Many Scents.” 

Ohhh, my insides are really starting to hurt again… 

 “Despite that, everything was okay until we went for pizza,” she continued. “I ordered a Meat Lover’s, of course. I didn’t think Candice would ever stop laughing after I asked for extra meat. She was one to talk, though, ordering extra vegetables.” Trying to ignore the rapidly rising discomfort in her stomach, she looked back up at Shadow. “Candice feels awful about all this. If I’m feeling better tomorrow, she wants to take me for ice cream since we have the day off.” Sophia squeezed her legs into her stomach as stabbing pain hit her. “Ohhh…”

‘ … You … back … Two-leg place …’ Shadow nudged her gently. ‘... Sick …’

He thinks I should go back to the Two-Legs…

“I’m not that sick, really!” She protested desperately and started to push herself up on shaky arms. “In fact, I’m ready to…”

Oh no… Her eyes widened as her stomach twisted, and she felt something squirt.

Next to her, Shadow let out an exaggerated sigh.