The Last Wolf

His face was warm and inviting as he poured this pungent concoction into an old metal mug. The steam brought the aroma of cinnamon and ginger with a hint of something my nose couldn’t quite name. My fingers slowly, carefully, wrapped around the mug before I noticed the steam was drawing me in. Dr. White River chuckled as he poured another mug for himself.

“That is an old remedy my people used to cure the ailments of a rough night.” His words were soft and clear even though the smile that made his skin seem more like wrinkled leather never faded.

“I-“

He cut me off quickly, “you must drink a few sips before you speak.” A stern look crossed his features causing me to want to follow his instructions. “Your throat is scratchy, eyes burning like the sun, and you can most likely smell the blood on the roast I put in the oven just before you arrived.

I shook my head, not wanting to think about blood, but as I held the cup to my lips and took a long sip I realized there was a strong metallic scent filling the room. I could almost taste it on the tip of my tongue…I sipped the warm drink praying it would take the awful taste from my mouth.

“I am right,” he questioned after a long sip from his own cup. I nodded. “Do not fear, child, it should pass quickly. Last night was your first, after all.” His deep almost black eyes bore into mine.

“M-my fa-first?” My voice was gruff, but my throat no longer felt like it was being sanded down by thousands of carpenters at once.

His smile returned, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, “deep down within your soul you know what I am talking about.”

“I tried to sneak out through the window…” I trailed off as I placed the mug on the table before slipping my fingers from the cooling metal. I turned my hands over studying my palms then my knuckles. “There were paws when I reached to unlock the window.”

“They were yours,” he nodded in confirmation. “You woke up in dirty clothes with those smears on your face.”

“Smears?” I thought I got the dried crust off my face, but I didn’t know I had…

He placed a small squared hand mirror in front of me, letting my see my own reflection. Dirt covered my chest, the strap of my tank top barely held together by a thread, and there were dark crimson smears all over my mouth. “You ate well, at least.” He nodded his head before getting up from the table. There was a large bowl by the sink that he filled with warm water while getting a rag from a cabinet.

“Ate?” Shock was beginning to sink in. Something happened to me last night, and those awful auburn paws weren’t just a bad dream.

“I will have to wait to see exactly what from the bones later, but yes, you ate.” He sat the bowl in front of me. “Clean your face while I check to see if I have anything you could wear home.”

“I can’t go home,” I half shrieked while putting the warm water on my aching face. My father would kill me!

“Your parents have called me several times during the night. I assure you, they will understand, but you must go home.” The stern look crossed his features for a moment before he left the room. I cringed at the thought of my father’s words. My daughter is not a...demon!

“Do they…” I trailed off trying to find a way to word my thoughts. White River seemed to know all of this information about what happened to me last night, but did he share any of it.

“No, child,” he answered as he entered the room with a small white t-shirt and black sweat pants. “They think you simply ran away, but they couldn’t understand why you ran while you were so sick. Put these on in there,” he pointed to a door to our left.

“Where did you get-“

“They’re my niece’s. She stays with me from time to time, so I keep spare clothes around for her.” His eyes were cold and shifty. I knew the clothes didn’t belong to his niece; I was afraid to question him.

“What did you tell my parents,” I asked before walking into the room.

“That you needed air, and wondered off,” he called over the running water. I heard the bang of a cabinet closing as I tied the draw string on the pants. I nodded in response while slipping the shirt over my head. “Are you finished yet?” I walked out of the room tugging the shirt down; it was just a little too short.

“I will take you home after I call your parents. They will think you spent the night here after I found you late last night.”

I nodded, “Can I go outside while you make the phone call. I’m starting to feel cooped up.”

“You are going to feel like that a lot now,” he warned before opening the door enough for me to slide out, “I’m going to leave this open in case you need anything.”

I slipped out of the door feeling the soft grass and dirt between my toes. The sun broke through the trees in a small spot a few feet in front of the hidden door. I sauntered towards it lifting my face to meet the warm rays of the sun. My arms spread like wings as I started to spin slowly, a grin filling my features. A sigh escaped my lips as I stopped spinning, dropped my arms, and enjoyed the warmth.

My ears buzzed with the sounds of the flying insects parading around the trees and flowers, and picking up small words of White River’s phone conversation. The skin on my arms still felt dirty; I could go for a hot shower. I was about to let my sore legs give out beneath me when I heard a low growl. It was distant but unmistakable.

My eyes darted between the trees as my body easily slipped into a predator’s stalking position. A rumble was building the in base of my throat. “Whose there!” I yelled keeping my eyes on the dense trees. Something sparkled in the darkness. I saw two startling grey eyes peering through the bushes.

Stopping my legs from moving me forward was no longer my decision because they wouldn’t stop no matter how hard I tried. I didn’t want to see the animal those beautiful eyes belonged to, but something drew me in. “Dahlia?” White River called. I nearly screamed.

“There’s something in the bushes,” I turned to look at him as I pointed. When I turned to confirm that there was something there, it was suddenly gone.