Look at Me

Bloody sky…
Deepening shades of red melted into each other in a massacre of color as the sun made a last ditch attempt to stay in the sky. But of course, it sank eventually sank defeated into the horizon.
Darkening forest…
After the sun went down, the forest tuned into a twilit labyrinth of bruised purple and deepening shades of black. Trees stood like magnificent watchmen raising their arms up in worship of the coming night. When Hayden stepped under the eaves of the oaks that bordered the woods, he looked back. Paige and Terry were still there. He gave a self-conscious half-wave and then stepped briskly into the undergrowth to finish undressing.

***

It all seemed just a little over dramatic…
Really, why were they walking into the woods? To be abducted by aliens? Would she see a bright light and little green men marching toward her? Ooooh! Maybe E.T. would show up. [Insert Heavy Sarcasm]
Terry crossed her arms and rocked back on her heels. She impatient and [kind of] afraid at the same time. It was really pissing her off!

***

It was hard to change into his other self... Hayden was nervous, cold, and the last thing he felt was peaceful. He tried to clear his mind and become completely calm, but that was almost impossible.
He tugged one hand through his hair. It felt greasy and unwashed and [Not for the first time] he wanted to chop it completely off. As he looked at the damp forest floor it created a black fringe that blocked his vision though, and he remembered sometimes it was better not to see or be seen. Sighing in frustration, Hayden finally sat down on the ground. Okay, it wasn’t quite a soft as it looked…
Then he thought of her.
Her smile…
Her grace…
Her absolutely adorable freckles…
He thought of the peace he felt when her arms were wrapped around him and how it felt to say, “I love you” and really mean it.
And then it happened…he slipped into his other shape.
The first thing Hayden noticed was the smell. It was familiar, but different in some way. He raised his nose and stepped tentatively closer to it. The scent was musky and earthy and…
He followed it out of the edge of the woods into the field. It would have been difficult to see in the high grass even if it weren’t dark but since it was…
Hayden instinctively moved closer to where he knew Paige and Terry where. The nervous tension rippling through him, made the shape he’d achieved difficult to hold.
Then he heard Paige’s voice. She was whistling and shouting, “Come’ere babe!”

***

The old conservation area had seemed like a great idea. It was abandoned so no one ever came there. Right?
Wrong. The wildlife protection guys that wore dorky tan mock police uniforms still existed and they patrolled the area. Apparently, it was a popular hangout for teenagers who wanted somewhere private to smoke pot, have sex, and light things on fire. Or at least that’s what the game warden standing in front of Paige was telling her. He’d pulled up, in a car almost as run down as Terry’s, seconds after the boys disappeared.
He was a pleasant looking older man with mustache worthy of an Italian villain in the sixteen century. He’d smiled and politely asked them what they were doing.
“Um…just walking our dogs,” Paige had stuttered, as she prayed Terry would just keep quiet.
He cocked a suspicious eyebrow up as he looked around. [For boys and reefer.] Then he said kindly enough, “You might want to call em’ in ladies. It’s getting awfully dark and this is protected land.”
Paige looked in the direction Hayden had gone in and did the only thing she really could. She whistled and called for her “Dog.”