"You ready?"

I turned to look at Eliza, finding her attention solely focused on Mya. The sun was setting now; its colours fading beyond the horizon. The entire pack was gathering at the far end of the lake, the energy buzzing as they all wore enormous grins. I saw Asra stood at the head of them, tall and proud as he waited for the stragglers to gather.

The air felt... strange, but I shook it off to being nothing but a bad thought.

"Yeah. Let's go," Mya smiled.

Eliza gave me a once over. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the house with Olive?"

I nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure. I'm just going to swim until you come back. About an hour, right?"

"Okay, if you're sure." She shrugged. "Don't drown or anything."

They walked away after I gave them another affirmative nod, Eve already being promptly on time and waiting in the crowd. It felt warm tonight, that or the blood in my system was making me feel that way. I wrapped my arms around my bare torso in comfort, sitting myself on the blankets. Olive and a few other humans made their way back to the house, and I found myself all alone as the wolves chittered excitedly.

The energy grew almost palpable. Shrieking excitement came from the crowd of wolves as the last rays of sun kissed the horizon. Asra raised one hand, commanding the attention of all the wolves without even making a sound. A hush fell upon them. The only sounds were the swaying of fabrics as they impatiently jostled each other.

"Cardinal Pack, tonight we run under the new moon. Stay on course." He commanded.

I shuddered, pulling my knees tighter to myself as his words held a warning. The moment he lowered his hands, I watched with shocked amazement when the first wolves shifted. The multitude of crunching and popping bones caused my hands to raise to block out the sound. Fur of all different colours, patterns and shades sprouted from four-legged beings. Tails swirled and swished, ears elongating as fangs forced their way through wolf-sized snouts.

Once the entire, terrifyingly large pack had shifted, only one remained.

Asra stood tall amongst the beasts, his tall frame overpowering them even in his human skin. His dark eyes met mine from across the lake, huddled alone under the trees. His tongue darted out to lick his lips before his head bent towards his chest. I watched with a strange intention as his spine began to arch and snap, his head twisting as a large, dark snout elongated from his human jaw. His arms hung low, enormous paws dragging along the ground as his body lengthened and grew. All the while, dark fur sought the tepid air, covering his skin in a thick, heavy blanket.

I exhaled heavily when his wolf's head rose over the top of the others, dark eyes so dazzling and sharp as he found me once more. His wolf, although horrifying, did not make any move towards me, his eyes taking in my smaller frame with a quick glance. He dropped his gaze quickly, bending his head backwards to expose his throat. My breath hitched when a low, breathy howl left his snout, the air clouding above his head as the final rays of sun fell beyond the skyline. A chorus of appraisal followed him, the deafening and excited howls and yips of his pack eager to run.

Dropping his head back to the centre, he quickly bowed once before they all exploded into a run. The pounding of paws was loud, growing quieter as they disappeared into the trees until I was sitting there, all alone.

Sighing, I rested my head on my knees and basked in the loneliness for a while. My eyes stared down at the blue lake, watching the way it darkened before lightening as the sun rose. I could see the illumination of the moon's halo in the water and felt a deep urge to swim. Shredding the blanket from my shoulders, I stood from the ground and made my way towards the lake's edge.

I had been in here so much today, but something about the moon shining on the water's surface had me wanting to try it more. The water was still warm when I stepped into its shallow depths, a soft hum rumbling my throat as I walked in deeper. It felt like a buzzing of bees along my skin, a pleasurable tickle of heat.

Standing chest deep, I lifted my feet and began to swim. I started doing slow circles for a while, enjoying the way the water glided down my body. After my thirteenth lap, I stopped a little away from the waterfall. Eyeing it curiously, I followed the rock face to seek a pathway.

There, I thought. Along the right-hand side, opposite to where I first came in.

Swimming to the edge of the pool, I crawled my way out of the water before mindlessly wandering my way up the rocky path. I slipped a few times, my feet too wet for the slimy surface, but I caught myself before my head hit the ground. My knees and palms took most of the fall, but when I was twenty feet high, I didn't seem to think that was so bad.

"Wow," I breathed.

The view from up here was magnificent. I was as tall as some of the younger trees, but I could see things beyond the bushes and hedgerows that I couldn't from the ground. The wolf blood in my system gave me some incredible energy, and I hoped that this wouldn't be the end of this drug-induced buzz.

Sitting down, I slowly slid myself to the edge of the rock, being mindful of where the gentle stream cascaded into the lake below. I knew it was deep down there, having explored the depths on my own. I never got to the other side of the waterfall before I had Eve calling me in a state of worry that I may drown. But now I was alone.

I was... alone.

The gravity of the situation never dawned on me, truly, until now.

And it wasn't a bad thing.

God, I hadn't been alone in such a long time. Someone was always watching me or occupying everything I did in case I ran away, both back at Evermore and here.

I felt some of the weight move from my shoulders, relaxing them as I swung my feet aimlessly over the edge. The slow whooshing of the water beside me had me craning my neck further to see what else lie up here. Amongst the green and brown moss lay small daisies and water plants I had never seen before. Touching them, most of them were damp or slimy, and I recoiled from that feeling too fast.

They were pretty to look at, not touch.

Gazing up at the tiniest slither of moon possible, I sought the stars instead. The sky was clear, not a cloud to be seen. The brightest stars were beautifully out showing the others. My knowledge of stars wasn't great. Arabella always knew more than me, taking up an astronomy class with her friends at school.

I don't remember the last time I truly had a friend.

Perhaps what I had here was friendship? Even if they were odd and furry, perhaps I could truly call them my friends?

No, I couldn't. I didn't belong here. I had no purpose here. I was a human with nothing going for me except my... my ginger hair. Yep, that was it. They just wanted my hair.

Crossing my arms at my internal battle, I huffed.

That was it.

I was going to jump off.

I had to do it. I mean, I was up here and I sure as heck would not slide down the bumpy rocks to get back down. I had enough injuries for today, thank you.

Pushing myself to my feet, I swallowed as the lake grew distant. It was all brain trickery, and I shook my head to clear the thoughts. I'm sure I've jumped this high before. It's just been a few years.

Slowly shuffling forward, I look around the edges of the lake in case there was someone with a camera ready. No-one, of course, came to view this spectacular moment. Just sandy muddy lakebeds, the waterfall behind me, and the tiny slither of water at the far end where the lake continued into a river.

Oh, little mini river, how cute you are from up here...

Some of the river water brushed my ankles as I hesitated, the loudness of the fall growing closer as I neared the brink. Moving towards the edge of the rock, my toes curled around it. One more shuffling step and I would be over.

Wolf blood, better save me now.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly leaned forwards. As though guiding me, the water lapped up my legs, pushing my feet that centimetre further. My breath hitched as the free-falling motion caused my stomach to flip. My hair blew wildly, my arms arched above my head to prepare for entering the lake's edge.

It was over within seconds.

My body darted into the water with ease and I opened my eyes once I was under to stare up at the illuminating surface. A wonderfully warm buzz ran along my skin as I resurfaced, a laugh escaping me as the adrenaline coursed through my veins.

Oh, I missed diving. When Dad would take me swimming, we often stuck to the rivers and streams, but a few times when Mum wasn't aware, he would take me to the lake outside of the border and teach me to dive. The one noticeable lake we called Beehive because in the summer, the trees were full of bees and nests. It had a small three metre rock that Dad would first teach me to jump from before we moved to the taller six metre one. It was all good fun, back when I was a kid.

I miss him.

I sighed, falling back into the water. My head became engulfed in it until I slowly bobbed up to the surface. Keeping my eyes closed, I forced the emotions away. I couldn't let them surface now, not whilst I was under the amazing beauty of the moon and sky.

Prying them open, the treetops created a small window to the heavens that I gazed up at for ages. The water supported my limbs, as though I was lying on a bed at home. I slowly drifted around, the current of the waterfall creating small waves in the lake. It was amazing how this was here, how this magical lake came to be. How it belonged here with these weird-ass wolves.

Would I ever truly belong?

The thought caused my heart to sink and tears to build in my eyes.

No. No, no, no, no, no!

I huffed before pulling myself upright; the water rushing from my ears and leaving an itch behind. I pushed my hair behind my head as I tread water, rubbing my eyes to see better. What I didn't except, was the six foot tall, dark furred beast to be waiting for me when I reopened them.

My mouth ran dry as I made eye contact with him across the lake. I was still very near the waterfall, he at the far side near the barbeques where they all disappeared not so long ago. He was sitting on his haunches, intently watching me. There was no movement, no sign that he was alive except for the slow blinking of his eyes. If I was any sane person, I would be terrified at being looked at my such a large scary beast. But once again, his weird wolf magic had me on a way too comfortable leash.

I scowled at his prying eyes, pushing myself backwards until the waterfall's current brushed my back.

"What are you doing here?" I called, knowing he would hear me despite the deafening water.

His ears twitched, head cocking. Above the rushing of water, was the rushing of my breath as I fought to catch it. My heart pounded in my ears when he stood and strolled the perimeter of the lake. I watched his every move as he watched mine, only stopping when he was parallel to me.

He pawed at the ground, a gesture I caught pretty quickly. He wanted me closer.

I scoffed, shaking my head. "No thanks. Last time I was near one of you, I nearly lost my leg."

A small growl left his snout, his upper lip curling with dissatisfaction. He stood about three metres away and I took the time to observe him this close up. His eyes were not black, but in fact a deep, dark blue, much like the sky tonight. They sparkled with interest when he saw the observation I gave him. It must've fuelled his fire because he lifted his head and tail like a proud little puppy.

I snorted a laugh at his attempt to look good, oblivious to the fact he was a fierce predator. The wolf lowered its head, blinking cluelessly at me.

I wondered if Asra would understand me? How did any of this even work? Was Asra gone now?

Tilting my head, I ran my eyes along the rest of his body. Dark fur glinted in the starry night, large heavy paws sank into the wet mud. His legs alone must've been the same size as mine, his large wide body the height of my head. How were they so large? Why not a normal wild wolf size? Why so strangely humongous?

A small huff of breath left his lips, and I snapped my attention back to his face to see him gesture for me to get out. I crossed my arms and huffed dramatically. I mean, my skin was wrinkling and feels gross now, so I guess...

"Fine. But because I want to, not because you told me so." I grumbled.

A small bark of agreement had me jumping as I made my way out of the lake's edge. I surfaced close to him. The overwhelming musk of his fur matched what he smelt like as a human, only stronger. I tried to hide the hunger it made me feel by turning my back to him and walking around the lake's edge. The sound of his body shifting alerted me to the fact he was following, and a glimpse over my shoulder acknowledged that.

Reaching the place where my towel was stored, I bent down to pick it up, only to jolt in surprise when a large, wet nose found its way between my legs. I spun around, shouting my disapproval, my towel flying to hit the dog in the nose. He huffed a breath, falling onto his rear.

"Hey!" I shrieked. "Keep your nose out of my business!"

He didn't react, his tongue darting out to pant slightly before licking at his nose. He dropped his head to my height, sniffing intently as I dried myself, now facing him. I knew he was an animal, but damn, could he act a little more... I don't know, civilised?

Damn dogs.

******

Question of the day:
Do you like dogs? If so, favourite breed?

I love aussie shepherds, but every damn dog has a soft place in my heart.