The Wolf

The Wolf

The wolf surprised me. It seemed to just appear out of the thick fog. Based on the things I've seen in my life, it could have. I tried to stop in time, but as my feet stomped on the brakes, I knew it was too late. The thump made my heart skip a beat. The painful yelp froze my insides.

The car and I came to a stop. I got out to check on the animal. Normally, that's not a good idea, but I've been through worse than even a wounded wolf could do to me. Miraculously, the large, gray beast hauled itself up on three of its four limbs and hobbled off into the dark copse of trees along the side of the road. Underneath my roiling emotions, something inside me stirred. It was odd, yet familiar. I followed the wolf into the forest.

The sounds of the road were replaced by the sounds of the wild night life; crickets and owls and small skittering animals, all on the hunt for their evening meal. As I hiked further and further into the forest those sounds too stilled, waiting.

From my right came the warning. The growl was deep and full of the promise of viciousness. I turned to face the injured wolf.

I felt it then. Stirring deep inside of me, new, but familiar. And strong. Very, very strong. The growl came again.

I raised my right hand, palm up, my fingers slightly curled. Flame rose gently, poking between my fingers and lit both me and the wolf. He leaned against the trunk of a tree. His left back leg hung limp. He growled at me again.

"Dude," I said, "please. Be nice. I can't set your leg, if you're going to give me the a capella wolf serenade."

The wolf stopped growling and tilted his head at me. I approached him slowly. He watched me, trying to decide to let me help him or to rip my throat out. I hope he decided the former. I all ready felt bad for hitting him with my car. I'd hate to have to kill him.

I gently placed my free left hand on his rear hip. He whimpered, but tried not too. A soft green glow flowed from my hand and into his hip. I felt him relax a little as I eased his pain away. I shifted my weight as my hip began to throb. I gasped. The wolf looked at me sharply. His head tilted again, this time in surprise.

"Relax, dude, it's just a phantom pain." I grunted and shifted again. "I'm not the one who's hurt. It'll pass."

The wolf tried to relax, but couldn't. I think he felt a little guilty. I chuckled at him.

"Don't worry about it." I told him, "I know you didn't mean to jump in front of my car." I met his golden eyes with my dark browns. "The veil shifts too randomly. You couldn't have know it was going to deposit you on a dark, foggy highway."

The wolf blinked. I began to wonder if he had damaged his neck too, the way he kept tilting it at me. I chuckled again, despite the lightning in my hip.

"Yeah, I'm smarter than I look."

I turned back to his damaged hip. I stopped and frowned.

The wolf nudged me, asking me.

"What's wrong?" I verbalized for him. "Well, the thing is, I've never set a wolf's dislocated hip before. Human, even a goblin's once, but not a wolf's, I might cause more damage."

The wolf licked his muzzle, thinking. He knew that I knew that he really wasn't a wolf. 

"Well, you could shift," I told him, "It'll hurt, but I'll absorb what I can…"

The wolf nipped at me. He wouldn't have it.

"I don't mind. I've done it before…"

He nipped me again.

"Dude, it's really going to hurt," I emphasized.

He let out a short, but sharp growl. He insisted.

"Fine, but try not to pass out. The headache afterward will suck just as bad."

He tilted his head at me again. Then he shook himself. First at his head then down his back and tail. The wolf vanished. For a moment, there was nothing but a dark gray mass of fog. It roiled and bubbled think a miniature thunderstorm. Just as suddenly, it disappeared. The wolf, too, was gone.

In its place, was a man. He was tall, and built like an Olympic track and field athlete, definition without overdone muscles. He was moderately hairy too. Fine, white hair on his arms, legs and chest; it was soft, like a newborn puppy's. He was also naked, but I tried not to let that distract me. I managed. Mostly.

He lay gasping, clearly in pain. I place my hand again on his damaged hip. It glowed green again as I absorbed his pain. I grunted, but forced it aside. I'll let myself hurt later. I was busy right now.

His breathing slowed to normal and he looked at me. His eyes were still golden and didn't do much to hide the intelligence and wisdom behind them. There was a little bit of anger in there too.

"I told you not to do that." His voice was a deep bass. Sexy as hell, too.

I blew him a raspberry. "Dude, shut up." I was going to need both hands, so I tossed upwards the flame in my right hand. It coalesced into a sphere and hung in the air.

"You…Arrrgh!"

I had reset his hip. He panted, his shapely, hairy chest heaving. I didn't try to absorb any more of his pain. I just couldn't.

We sat there in silence, waiting for his pain to leave our bodies.

"You won't be able to shift again or walk on that hip for a couple of weeks."

"I know," he answered.

"My place is right down the road. You can stay with me while it heals."

"Why, wizard?"  Those two words asked a lot.

"Why not?" Those two words answered very little. Hey, it's not often a human gets one up on a creature of faerie, you got to take them when you get them.

He frowned at me. I admit, I smirked back. Ego, thy name is wizard.

We sat a few minutes more. Then I stood and picked him up. I frowned a moment and concentrated. There was a soft glow of light and a bathrobe wrapped itself around the fae.

"You humans and your modesty."

"Believe me, dude, it is not modesty." That was true. Believe me, I have no problems with hot naked men in my arms.

He chuckled at me as I carried him through the woods to where I had left my car, along the side of the road.

Before we were completely out of the woods, his hand gently grabbed my chin, turning my face towards his. Then he kissed me.

The kiss was full of everything I had ever felt, ever wanted to feel in a kiss. I think I may have been dizzy for a bit. At the least, my head did spin. Good thing I didn't drop him.

"I have never dated a human before."

"That's okay," I told him, "I've dated plenty of fairies."

END