Sequel: Chasing the Moon ›
Pup Among the Big Dogs
Even as a Baby She was Wandering
When I woke up I was vaguely aware of the pain in my arm. I looked at where the slight pain was coming from and I saw tape wrapped around it. Who had tended to it? I shot up in the rather strange bed I was laying on. It brought a surge of pain, but I clambered to my feet and looked at the non-contemporary bed that looked like something that would be found in the yester-centuries. The room was old-fashioned as well and I marveled at it, feeling strangely at home in this out-of-date room. I cradled my arm and walked out of the room and into the main room of the house: it was just as odd as my room was (I call it that because from what I had seen it seemed as though they expected me to be unable to leave for some time, whoever they were).
"Hello?" I called softly, not sure I wanted anyone to hear me. Whether it was a good or bad thing, someone did hear me. I heard feet shuffling across the floor and a door opened on the opposite side as mine. A man that looked to be in his twenties walked out.
"Hello. So you're awake," he observed, looking me up and down. I felt very self-conscious and horrible since I found him attractive because he was obviously way out of my age range. "And I do think a thank you is in order."
"Why?" I asked him, thinking I should be the one thanking him for saving my hide when I had been shot because it was apparently him who had taken me in. I had never seen him in my life, so how was it that I had helped him in any way?
"For saving me from that man and his trap. I should have been watching where I was going and then you came and I treated you rather unkindly though you had done nothing wrong. And even still, you saved me, even threw yourself in front of a bullet for me. But that was unnecessary: it takes more than that to kill me." I stared at him as if he were insane.
"I've never seen you in my life, sir," I told him. He winced.
"You make me sound like I'm an old man. Sir?" he asked and I nodded. "I'm only sixteen." I looked at him in shock and he merely smiled. "And yes, you have seen me before. Excuse me, where are my manners? I'm Ian Black."
"Okay, Ian, I don't believe you are sixteen. If you're going to lie about your age at least make it reasonable."
"Would you like to see my birth certificate?" he asked. I nodded with a smile, so sure of myself.
"You have got to be kidding me," I breathed. He looked like he was as old as my step-brother! Oh jeez, what did he think when I hadn't come home? I only hoped he thought I had gone to a friend's house and didn't call the police or something. "Even still, I have never seen you and the only time I got shot was yesterday when I was protecting a wolf, not a human. And I certainly wasn't protecting you or I would surely remember you."
"What does that mean?" he asked. Maybe I should've worded my statement better.
"I just meant if I had saved your life and you were standing before me now, I would probably recognize you. But don't change the subject: I did not save you or anyone else. I saved a reddish-brown wolf, not a human." I looked at his hair and noticed that it was the same color as the wolf's fur. I shook it out of my head and he was smiling as if he knew what I had noticed.
"You did save me, though. I was trapped in that hunter's metal clamp and you opened it for me. As for you not saving any human, that may be true, but you did save me."
"What are you saying?" I asked, with accusing eyes. What kind of nut was he playing me for? "You are no wolf; I know what they look like. I'm not that stupid." Though I hadn't gotten very good grades in school either.
"Oh, I'm not a wolf now, but I can be," he told me, his eyes laughing with delight for some reason.
"Oh really now? That is impossible, or I would love to have that ability and surely I would know of it."
"Oh, the humans who raised you didn't know how to teach you to use that ability."
"What do you mean? What are you saying about my parents?"
"They were never your parents: they just found you when you had wandered away from home. You're true parents have been worried sick about you, their little Isabel." My eyes shot open in shock.
"What?!"
"Hello?" I called softly, not sure I wanted anyone to hear me. Whether it was a good or bad thing, someone did hear me. I heard feet shuffling across the floor and a door opened on the opposite side as mine. A man that looked to be in his twenties walked out.
"Hello. So you're awake," he observed, looking me up and down. I felt very self-conscious and horrible since I found him attractive because he was obviously way out of my age range. "And I do think a thank you is in order."
"Why?" I asked him, thinking I should be the one thanking him for saving my hide when I had been shot because it was apparently him who had taken me in. I had never seen him in my life, so how was it that I had helped him in any way?
"For saving me from that man and his trap. I should have been watching where I was going and then you came and I treated you rather unkindly though you had done nothing wrong. And even still, you saved me, even threw yourself in front of a bullet for me. But that was unnecessary: it takes more than that to kill me." I stared at him as if he were insane.
"I've never seen you in my life, sir," I told him. He winced.
"You make me sound like I'm an old man. Sir?" he asked and I nodded. "I'm only sixteen." I looked at him in shock and he merely smiled. "And yes, you have seen me before. Excuse me, where are my manners? I'm Ian Black."
"Okay, Ian, I don't believe you are sixteen. If you're going to lie about your age at least make it reasonable."
"Would you like to see my birth certificate?" he asked. I nodded with a smile, so sure of myself.
"You have got to be kidding me," I breathed. He looked like he was as old as my step-brother! Oh jeez, what did he think when I hadn't come home? I only hoped he thought I had gone to a friend's house and didn't call the police or something. "Even still, I have never seen you and the only time I got shot was yesterday when I was protecting a wolf, not a human. And I certainly wasn't protecting you or I would surely remember you."
"What does that mean?" he asked. Maybe I should've worded my statement better.
"I just meant if I had saved your life and you were standing before me now, I would probably recognize you. But don't change the subject: I did not save you or anyone else. I saved a reddish-brown wolf, not a human." I looked at his hair and noticed that it was the same color as the wolf's fur. I shook it out of my head and he was smiling as if he knew what I had noticed.
"You did save me, though. I was trapped in that hunter's metal clamp and you opened it for me. As for you not saving any human, that may be true, but you did save me."
"What are you saying?" I asked, with accusing eyes. What kind of nut was he playing me for? "You are no wolf; I know what they look like. I'm not that stupid." Though I hadn't gotten very good grades in school either.
"Oh, I'm not a wolf now, but I can be," he told me, his eyes laughing with delight for some reason.
"Oh really now? That is impossible, or I would love to have that ability and surely I would know of it."
"Oh, the humans who raised you didn't know how to teach you to use that ability."
"What do you mean? What are you saying about my parents?"
"They were never your parents: they just found you when you had wandered away from home. You're true parents have been worried sick about you, their little Isabel." My eyes shot open in shock.
"What?!"