her pet

It was the last evening of summer break. Tomorrow was the first Wednesday in September and it would be her first day as a junior. Two more years until college. Olive sat on the back porch of her little farm house, her legs out stretched onto the table, a lit blunt in her hand. Her parents weren't home and it was the last bit she had left in her stash from her friends at summer camp. That and one her dad's beers and it was the best way to end summer break.

The sun was disappearing below the horizon, dark blues and purples creeping across the sky as they took out the light. The trees that lined her property looked like nothing more than towering black shadows, their creepy branches reaching out to her like hands, daring her to get lost in their woods. A loud, cold howl could be heard, somewhere close it seemed, and it sent a shiver down her spine, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up.

Olive wasn't a stranger to hearing wolves, spotting coyotes, seeing bears out in her back yard... None of it scared her anymore, even if it did put her on edge. Taking another drag, Olive held the smoke in her lungs for a few seconds, her eyes scanning over the dark woods. For a second, she thought she saw piercing blue eyes through the shrubs, and it surprised her enough to make her choke, causing her to exhale all the smoke in a coughing fit. What in the hell... Did she really see that? Sputtering and coughing a bit more, Olive held a hand to her chest and forced herself to her feet.

Whatever she saw seemed to be gone now... Slowly walking out to the side of her yard, where the woods were the closest, she tiptoed along the edge. "Hello?" It seemed almost ridiculous to think an animal would've had eyes that shined like little gems, but just as silly to think it could've been a person. It was her imagination.

A twig snapped off to her left and Olive turned in the direction of the noise. There they were again, gleaming blue orbs, crystal pools... That's all she could see. Slowly, crouching down, Olive moved along the trees towards the eyes. The closer she became, the sooner she could make out more of the creature. It looked like a wolf, only it seemed larger. A solid coat of dark brown fur, if not black. "O-oh my g-god-" Olive squeaked, quickly falling backwards on her ass as she looked up in awe at the creature. This had to be a dream, this couldn't be real... She felt the cold earth under her hands, little rocks scratching at her palms as she kicked herself backwards, terror filling her.

Henry had carried the guilt on his shoulders for months on end. All he could think about was how he had killed the girl that he had been sure was his soulmate - a moment of being weak during the full moon. That was all it had taken. If he had stayed in control, had buried himself in the basement just like every other night, then it would have been okay. It would have hurt a whole lot less because she would have still been with him.

The next morning, Henry had started to come to and the moment that he realized what had happened, what he had done, Henry had taken off. He had no clue where he was going but he needed to get away from the town before people discovered Clover's body, ravaged by a wolf in her own home. By her own fiance.

Henry hadn't shifted back to his human form since that day, resigning himself to a world of being an animal because that was all that he was.

What he hadn't been expecting was the trap that he'd stumbled into when Henry had been chasing a rabbit, starving and desperate for a meal. Henry had been so focused on the meal in front of him that he hadn't seen the trap that the rabbit had managed to avoid. Henry had howled when he hit the trap, halted in his steps. The only reason that Henry had managed to get out of the trap was because he was part human, partly able to focus on the trap and how to operate it to get out without having to chew off his own foot to be free.

Henry had limped along, no real intention of finding a place to call home But he'd caught the scent of cannabis and he'd headed straight for it. It was the only sign of help that he thought there was to be had. Henry couldn't even fathom the thought of shifting to human form to find help because how could he even explain a naked human with a broken arm, bleeding and twisted in a way that certainly couldn't be explained as a bad fall.

His gaze set on Olive and Henry had known right then and there that he wasn't going to try to get help from her. She reminded him too much of her. Henry limped over to a tree where he curled up the best he could, deciding that this was as far as he could go. His entire body went rigid when he caught sight of Olive coming closer. He whined when she was close enough that Henry caught sight of her and then Olive was throwing herself backward, terrified of the sight in front of her.

Henry didn't so much as budge, his eyes locked on her. Spook Olive any more and he knew she would go running back in the way she had gone.

Olive expected the monster to immediately attack. To rip her to shreds and chew on her bones. That was all she could think about as she stared ahead at the wolf, mouth wide open in shock. As far as she was concerned she was already dead, nothing more than the creatures next meal. But instead, the wolf hobbled backwards, curling up at the base of one of the larger trees in her backyard. Realizing it wasn't going to attack her, Olive could breathe.

Sitting up straight, she noticed the creatures breathing was all off and it's front paw was mangled, twisted and coated in blood. Ouch... Getting up on her feet, Olive dusted her butt off and carefully began creeping closer towards the wolf again. She wasn't even sure what she could do for him... Now within inches of the wolf, Olive reached out, but kept her blue eyes trained on his. "What happened, boy...?" Olive cooed, trying to make sure the wolf remained calm as she inspected the wound. The meat was all mangled, like he'd stepped in a bear trap. Olive winced, pulling back as she got up on her feet. "I'll be right back."

Running inside, she disappeared for a few minutes, before returning with some peroxide and some bandages she could wrap it up with. It was all she knew to do, and if he was still around tomorrow after school, maybe she'd take him to the vet. She didn't really have the money for that, but maybe if she just dropped him off... Olive dropped on her knees back next to the wolf and looked up into his eyes. They looked pained, and even his jowls seemed to be turned turned downwards into a frown. "You're alright..." Olive whispered, pouring the peroxide along the wound, talking to him like she'd talk to any other cute animal. Setting the bottle down, she began wrapping the gauze around his forearm, moving slowly, afraid that any sudden movement might upset him.

@ castle.

Henry whined, her ears pressing back against his head as Olive neared his for the first time. His eyes were locked on her, following each and every one of her movements. She could reach out and grow violent and Henry said a silent prayer, hoping like hell that he could have the strength not to react to her own reaction. Henry could never hurt another human again, he hoped. He had made the wrong decision once before, he wasn't going to make it again.

Yelping as Olive poked around the wound, Henry nearly barred his teeth at her. Understanding her words, Henry couldn't help the way that his heart sank He was convinced that even though Olive said she would be back that she wouldn't return. Henry was a big, hulking wolf that he knew was larger than anything she had ever seen before. Henry exhaled, squeezing his eyes shut as he willed himself to relax. He would have to come up with some other sort of plan.

Henry was starting to fall asleep, exhausted and ready to give in to the sleep that was threatening to overtake him. He perked up when Olive reappeared, his eyes narrowing as he eyed the items she had grabbed. Gauze and peroxide. It wouldn't heal the broken bone but it was more than what he'd had before. What could he have asked Olive for? He was sure that most wouldn't have come back to help him.

He nudged against her hand when she had finished, remembering all too quickly what it felt to have a human interaction. He hadn't realized just how much he had missed it.

Olive looked down at his paw after it was wrapped tightly. It was clear the wolf needed attention that she didn't think she was capable of providing, but she'd do her best. Blood was already beginning to seep through the other side of the gauze in places and the look of pain on the wolf's face was enough to make her heart crumble. The large snout bumping against her hand was still just enough to make her flinch. Olive couldn't help but think about how this beast could easily take her arm off, if he wanted.

Gently reaching up, she scratched along his nose, up between his eyes and then ran her hand over one of his ears. Tilting her head to the side, she looked up into his blue eyes, glowing orbs that seemed to be just hovering in midair, little sparkles mixing with the different shades. Once again, she was mesmerized for a second before she forced herself away from him. "C'mon," she stood up and slowly started walking towards the house, patting her leg in an attempt to get him to follow.

Looking over towards the back door, she wondered if the doorframes were even wide enough to let beast pass. Olive watched the wolf shakily hobble towards her on three legs and when they were through the doors into her kitchen, Olive grabbed the phone and dialed an emergency vet clinic, one a few hours over in the city. Placed on hold, Olive turned around with her back pressed against the counter. Her eyes fell to the floor, where the wolf had decided to take up residence for the time being. Finally getting to a doctor, Olive explained the situation. "Yeah, this wolf was on my property, front leg is mauled and I think maybe broken? ...Yes. Thank you."

The vet couldn't do much more than send some pain medication to the pharmacy for the beast. To do anything more, they'd have to see him and Olive didn't know how she could afford something like that. "Well good news, boy," Olive smiled, setting the phone down on the table and scratching his head. Sitting down on his belly, the wolf's head still almost came to her waist. "Let's get you comfortable and then I'll run and get your medicine." She rest her hand behind his ears, guiding him from the kitchen, upstairs to her bedroom where she let him get comfortable on her bed.

"I'll be back," Olive told him, though she though she sounded a little silly talking to the wolf when it couldn't understand her. Weird that I haven't started sneezing yet... Olive had never had a pet growing up due to her allergies, so talking to animals was certainly something she never got used to.

The young girl returned about an hour later, her only option having been to walk to the pharmacy. Olive had folded his pill up in a slice of cheese, hoping that would be the easiest way to get him to take the damn thing. "Here, boy..." Olive spoke, a little timid as she approached her bed and slowly sank down on the edge of the mattress. "I'm sure it hurts, here, eat this," she held the cheese up to his mouth.

@ castle.

Henry melted against Olive's touch, his eyes growing a bit heavy as he blinked. He was content to sleep here, beneath the trees but just a few more minutes with human contact. That wasn't an awful thing to ask for, was it? Henry didn't think he deserved much more after what he had done. He forced back a whine when she moved, reminding himself that it wasn't her obligation to help him anymore. She had done more than most would have, he thought.

He jolted slightly when Olive patted her thigh, trying to get him to follow after her. He huffed, his head cocking to the side as he watched her. She took a few more steps before repeating the movement and that was when Henry decided it was safe enough to follow her. He pushed to his feet, his face scrunched slightly as he hobbled after Olive. Henry was doing his best to keep up with her but walking on three paws was never something he had been prepared for.

Plopping down on the kitchen floor, Henrylet out a low whine as he lifted his paw up so that he wasn't bleeding everywhere. The bleeding itself had slowed but he could still feel the way his wound throbbed with each beat of his heart. Henry groaned as Olive urged him back to his feet and he hobbled after her, coming to a stop in front of the stairs. He looked up to her, giving her a bit of a funny look before he pushed himself up the stairs.

Henry settled down on Olive's bed, relaxing into the mattress almost immediately. His ears pressed back against his head as he listened to her promise to be back. How long was she going to be gone? Henry wished he could ask but he could only imagine how scared it would make Olive if he shifted here and now.

---

Henry had been on the verge of sleeping for the better part of the last twenty minutes but he jerked to being fully alert when Olive stepped into the room. His eyes dropped to the piece of cheese in her hand. He inched forward, sniffing at the offered cheese. He pulled back to look at her, his snout scrunching before he reached back out, taking it in a hesitant fashion. Looking from side to side, Henry huffed before he inched to the side of the bed, trying to squeeze into as small of a space as he could so that Olive could have the space to relax.

Olive was relieved when the wolf just took the cheese. A bit reluctantly, but she'd been told by the pharmacist multiple ways to try and get her dog to take the medicine. Olive didn't really feel like correcting the woman that it was more...of a wolf, but regardless. The cheese trick worked and that was all that mattered. Her paranoia was through the roof, being fried out of her head and finding a wolf and then bring forced to have that weird conversation with the pharmacist... Olive was ready for bed.

Looking down at her king sized bed, it looked more like a twin with the beast resting on it, even if he was pressed back up against the wall. "That should have you feel better soon..." Olive gave the wolf a little smile, before walking over to her closet. Pulling off her clothes, Olive dumped them in the hamper and came back over to the bed, in nothing but her dark purple lace bra and panty. Pulling back the sheets, she noticed how the wolf seemed to making as much room for her as possible, how he actually seemed to be looking at her... It was weird, like the wolf just knew what was going on. It sent a shiver down her spine as she crawled under the blankets.

It felt like lying next to a space heater. A thin layer of sweat was already beginning to form along her chest, sides and back from being near him. Kicking the covers down to her feet, Olive shifted onto her side and barely glanced up at the wolf. "If you're going to attack me, wait until I'm asleep so I at least don't know about it, yeah?" She mumbled, her eyelids heavy, trying to be funny to herself as she reached out to run her fingers through his fur again. It still hadn't set in that tomorrow she had to return to school... The frown grew on her face as she thought about that hellhole.

@ castle.

Henry felt a lurch in his stomach when Olive started to undress. His head whipped to the side as he closed his eyes, trying to give the young girl as much privacy as he could. Even in his daze, Henry knew that he couldn't stay here forever. Olive had no clue what he really was and he could only imagine what would happen come the next full moon. The longer that he stayed in his animal form, the harder it became for him to turn away from his instincts.

Huffing at Olive's joke, Henry gave the tiniest shake of his head. He understood what she'd said and he nearly was ashamed of the comment - he had attacked Holly in a position where he had lost control. Henry didn't want to so much as fall asleep near Olive because what if he awoke and didn't remember what had happened until it was too late to stop him from lashing out?

Henry lifted his gaze to Olive and he simply watched her, scenting the air for a moment before he recognized that something was bothering her. Olive was anxious about something beyond him, at least it seemed to be like that. He shifted around, until he rolled onto his side and set his head on her lap. It was a bit much, Henry knew but he would only be here for another day or two, at most. Henry couldn't stay here much longer but he could take some sort of comfort in Olive's presence, couldn't he? He hoped that if Olive started to pet him, it would also serve to help calm her own anxiety.

The next morning, Olive woke up with a face full of fur. Her face scrunched up as she pulled away, spitting the hair that'd been in her mouth out and running her tongue over her dry lips. She was pressed right up against the wolf, her hands lost in his coat from where she'd been scratching and petting him throughout the night. Her first reaction would've been to jump out of bed, startled, thinking the whole thing had been a nightmare. But it wasn't. And the wolf hadn't so much as drooled on her, let alone attacked her. Olive never had any pets due to her allergies and it just seemed so wild that this big furry brute wasn't sending her into a sneezing fit.

Olive rolled on her side, pressing herself into the mattress as she looked into those same blue eyes. Something was weird about them... Pushing herself up, she just scratched his head and headed for the bathroom. After showering, getting dressed and grabbing her bag, she stood in the doorway and looked at the poor thing. What would her parents say if they found this beast in her room... "Uh... I'll ...be back, I have to go to school..." She felt so stupid telling the wolf where she was going. It raised it's head and seemed to be staring right at her, as if he was actually listening though...

Shutting the door on him, she hurried downstairs and ran to catch the bus, not wanting to be late on her first day.

---

School, just how she remembered it. Eight hours of grueling torture. It being the first day, Olive thought it would've went by pretty quickly. Kids would be nice, everything would be fine... No. Some of her classes were messed up, she had no one to sit with in the cafeteria during lunch and her locker was right next to Kelsey's. Olive hated Kelsey and at the end of the day, when she opened her locker and conffetti paper shreds spilled out everywhere that all read different insults, she knew who had done it.

But the day was finally over. Pushing her bedroom door open, she noticed her bed empty. Her heart sank, immediately wondering where the wolf could've gone. No broken windows, no claw marks anywhere... Looking towards the bathroom, she found him curled up in there on the floor.

"Lonely?" She asked, letting her backpack drop off of her shoulder.

@ castle.