Chapter 1: A Rough Night

            The night was crisp and damp. The damp spongy needle-padded dirt kept his footfalls muffled, he was nearly perfectly silent as he flashed through the landscape like a shadow. The perfect pallet cleanser for the noise and dirt of the city. Ara padded about sleek and silent. The smell of the rain seemed to become slightly sweet like there was some night-blooming Jasmine nearby. It had been far too long since he had taken his wolf form and just run. Changing in the cities was getting riskier and riskier with the tensions still high between humans and shifters. He sometimes wondered if there had been a time when the two races got along.

            Up on the next ridge, there was the distinct glow of a fire and the unmistakable rabble of humans. He felt giddy, maybe he would scare them, just a little. Maintaining speed, he shifted and flowed in the direction of the campsite. The smells of the forest soon became muted against smoke, beer, and pheromones. The fire disturbed the peace, and it made seeing difficult as his eyes adjusted to accommodate. Grouped around a fire, three men lounged in uncomfortable-looking foldable chairs. Loud, with some distasteful music playing from some overpriced speaker. The men trying to out-shout one another, and still be heard above the music. He slowed and began circling the situation stalking, keeping himself indiscernible next to the tree’s shadows.

           Headlights and the distinct sound of a vehicle with an inept driver announced itself. Another Jeep ground through the forest with no road and certainly no mercy, he found himself rooting for the tree branches slapping the paint. The lights came up from the hillside, blinding everyone and honking wildly, announcing their arrival. They were met by whoops and giddy yells. The loungers immediately got up to help unload. Ara blinked, it was hard to see well with the blazing light of the fire, but they seemed to be pulling something large out of the back. Was it an animal? Maybe they had been hunting and were actually going to eat their kill? This could be fun, maybe he could feast on something more substantial than badgers and skunks. They hauled whatever it was out wrapped in a dirty painter’s canvas spotted with multicolored paint stains. He could smell the remnants of construction and freshly cut wood. There was also a strong pinch of sour yogurt, the distinct smell of fear. Odd, considering all of these men seemed to be enjoying themselves and the animal was already dead, right? He thought logically and was slightly horrified at the thought of the pain of being cooked alive. The reality was way worse than his imaginary scenarios.

            As two of the men hauled it out whatever was inside started thrashing, and muffled shouts came from within. A female voice. Her arms were being held by one man and her single leg by the other, the free, naked leg kicking wildly. Her voice was worn like she had been screaming for hours, and her yells forced through sobs.

          “I like them with a little fight, but this one nearly got out of the back as we were driving,” one said boastfully, followed by joyful yells. The screamer continued to thrash, freeing one hand she swung down, and her head connected with the ground. The man snatched her wrist back up pulling hard to lift her from the ground. Ara breathed in, he could smell the jasmine strongly now, sweet and thick, with a subtle undertone of citrus, bergamot?  He shook off the distraction and circumvented the scene to where he was facing the men’s backs.

            The sheet had slipped off the woman’s face and he could see that she was gagged with a dirty rag tied around her head. Tears, stained her cheeks as her eyebrows pulled together in an angry expression. She continued to pull her arms and kick her legs, but she was slowing down. The men dropped her near the fire, she spun knocking the sheet off and tried to crawl away, one of the men grabbing her foot and pulling her back, almost leisurely, making her feel how easy it was for him.

            "Aint nothing out there for you except wolves," hearing this, the men all started to yip and howl like the animals they were. Showcasing like this was common among humans, they often had no clue when a shifter was amongst them, and they were rudely confident.

            Ara had seen enough. slinking into the light and the fire’s warm glow, he growled showing sharp white teeth. He was fast, the men could not keep their necks in time with his movements, and it was more the growl than his body that clued the men in. He crossed in front of all 5 men and smoothly chomped the man’s arm that was dragging the woman’s calf.

            It took a moment for them to react, and Ara wanted them to feel how comically outmatched they were like they had done to the woman. He snapped a different man’s hand, breaking bones like deflating bubble wrap. He tugged the arm forward and the man tumbled straight into the fire. He let off a satisfyingly high-pitched yell of surprise and pain but managed to roll away. Two of the men turned and ran clumsily toward the vehicles. One just stood dumbly staring at his friend who fell into the fire. The fifth man gained his sense and grabbed his burnt friend, the pair limping towards the backseat of the silver jeep.

            Ara’s fur was an imperfect black, scraggly, and mixed in with greys and silvers, but no one had mistaken him for a geriatric. The lights of the jeep overwhelmed Ara, causing him to hesitate to light his silver flecks like stars in a dark sky. The snap of the doors shutting jarred him out of the light-fueled hesitation. He lunged blindly forward, teeth sinking into the man’s arm that still held the woman’s leg. With a strangled shout, the man released the woman’s leg and Ara took that moment to shake violently. Current popping with each turn of his head, sounding like popcorn in a microwave. The man fell to his knees cradling his mess of an arm against his chest, standing ungracefully without the help of his arms. He dashed away towards the other vehicle. A shotgun rang out, adding deafening to the list of senses assaulted by this altercation. Ara could feel the sting of three pellets that had made contact but he was not much bothered, they were not silver anyways. He lunged at the gun holder, knocking him off his feet and his dinner-plate-sized paws pressing the man into the spongy undergrowth.  

            Amidst the chaos the woman had scrambled away, heading downhill. At first, she was on all fours on her back scooting away while glazed eyes watched the violent scene. Once the man was pulled far enough away from her she turned, stood up, and ran. Taking full advantage of the distraction to distance herself from the whole scene.

            Ara continued to snarl, but down at the man he had pinned, stepping carefully on the barrel of the shotgun and pressing it into the dirt alongside the man. The one with the noodle arm and the lucky unscathed man scrambled to the car, turning on the headlights, blinding Ara for the second time. He really did not like losing his senses during a fight, he made note though because it might be helpful in the future.

            Shifting his weight, and scratching like he was digging, Ara flung the shotgun into the night as easily as if it were sand. But retreated when the Jeep lurched at him, he really did not fancy getting run over. The last man that he had pinned clambered to the back and before he could properly close the door the jeep sped bumping roughly away. Ara watched as the 2 sets of lights one chasing the other and the both of them bobbing and blinking with each tree and hole. They interacted with the dirt road, turning faster than was wise, and sped away in a more graceful manner until the lights blinked out going behind a ridge.

             Shaking his head and mane Ara let out a huff to clear his nose from the dust, and the lights, and his still ringing ears. His mane jiggling slightly in a bulky lion way, before stilling and he stood blinking exaggeratedly. He paused for a moment thinking, enjoying the descending quiet. Deciding that it was better to shift and approach the woman as a man he trotted upwind of the fire, and shifted. With a few large bone-cracking noises, like the snap of multiple glow sticks, his shadow turned more vertical as he stretched up in human form.

            Snagging and rummaging in one of the forgotten duffle bags that were now strewn about. He pulled on some too-new Carhart khaki pants, and a plain black shirt. At least they knew what was tasteful, even better than the fool who overpaid for them and had not worn either much. Pulling the bag over his shoulder he trotted downhill with large almost playful leaps. Following the heady jasmine smell to the woman who had gotten about 300 meters away. Not bad, she could run when scared he thought.

            Jogging closer, he could see her stumble and fall, she could not see well in the dark and she was barefoot. Well, he was barefoot too, but he was not made of the same stuff to be fair. Falling to her knees after falling for the umpteenth time, she stopped to wipe her face and take a look behind her.

            She was ugly crying, heaving great gulps of air in, snot and tears spiderwebbing the foliage near her face. She was wearing a tight-fitting top, clearly meant to be an undershirt or sleep shirt. Her bottom was bare, except for a muddied pair of panties. Staying a few feet away, Ara took large steps to stand parallel to her on the hill, then slowly circled her to stop her from running further down the hill. Kneeling down, aware that his stature was not helpful in de-escalating a situation. His hands up, in a ‘here see my hands, they aren’t near to you’ kind of way.

            “It's ok, those guys drove off, and I don't want to hurt or scare you,” he said calmly. She made a small hiccup and looked at him startled. She settled deeper into the earth legs splayed out on either side of her. Quickly she sat on the ground hugging her knees to her chest.

            “None of this shit is ok” she snapped angrily at him, it would have been fierce had she not long strands of snot connecting her face and arm. Ara slowly took off the bag, and tossed it to her, like a person trying to catch a wild dog, and entice them with food. She snatched the bag and pulled it open, immediately blowing her nose and wiping her face with whatever the first thing was. She continued to dig about looking for anything to help her feel less naked.

            “That did not seem like a good situation. Are you hurt?” he asked, keeping his voice low and slow immediately wanting to whack himself, of course, they had hurt her, it had been painful enough to watch, and he had only seen that short bit, she could have been their captive for days before this.

            “What?” she looked up bewildered, wiping her nose and face on the back of her hand. She said in a rush, more to herself than for an answer. Ara stayed quiet letting her settle a bit more, taking deep breaths the last of her sobs leaking out in weak rushes.

            “I think it's best that I take you to a hospital” Ara supplied to the quiet. She squeezed her hands tighter, she was trembling. It was cold, mid-October and the pine forest was wet from the slow rain, and she was soaked and underdressed.

            “Ok, let's walk over to the fire, and get a little warmer, then we can think about what to do from there” standing he took a step towards her, she lurched forwards trying to stand but needing to brace herself against a tree. She was shaking so badly that standing straight was challenging.

            “These pines have sweet bark. They say each one is different, but all are some kind of sweet, like vanilla or cinnamon. Take a second and smell, it will help” he said gently. He had read somewhere that using senses in a moment of trauma could be helpful.  She bent her forehead against the bark, taking in deep breaths it seemed to help her recover slightly. Taking another deep breath in, she stood again more steadily than before. If she thought his advice was weird or unwarranted, she did not show it.

            Turning to face the hill, she took a step, immediately sliding on the muddy undergrowth, making exactly no progress. Ara reacted by grabbing her upper arms, stopping her from toppling over. His chest and her head were about the same height, Ara was tall and intimidating on the best of days, and even standing downhill he was keenly aware that his everything would be scary for her. 

            "I can't even walk right" she muttered sobbing again, becoming more and more hysterical. He did not know what to do, he held her out like an adult who did not know what to do with a poopy baby. She was clearly wallowing and not at all focused on moving. Ara shifted his weight feeling uncomfortable, certain that physical contact with a man was probably not welcome at the moment.

              "Um it's cold, and that's a bit dangerous so, I am going to touch you ok?" He knew it was not right to not wait for an ok, but given her state responding to anything was not likely. Setting her on her feet, only for her to drip down like a fountain that had been switched off. There had been a scratchy blanket in the duffel that some knob head thought would be a good idea to pack, taking up half of the space. Extracting the army green fabric, he wrapped her tightly hoping he could avoid any skin-to-skin contact as if that would make this any better.

            Bending easily using only his arms and not his hands he scooped her up as if he were a forklift. One arm under her knees and the other behind her back. She did not make a single sound, she had gone totally silent and stiff. He was careful to place his hand on her arm, keeping his fingers stiffly together like she was a horse that would mistake his thumb for a carrot. Squeezing lightly so she knew that he was not trying to touch her body more than necessary. Standing straight, he slowly and smoothly began picking the way back to the fire.

            Setting her down in one of the chairs, she sat staring without blinking slackly facing the fire. She had run lines down her cheeks where the tears had washed away dirt and washed down makeup. Leaving her statue-like state Ara rummaged about the camp and found another discarded backpack with spare clothes.

            “Oh, score” he muttered to himself, unearthing a red puff vest, plain jeans a few shirts and a pair of boots, with several poorly washed socks stuffed inside.

            “Here, see if any of this will stay on you. I know it’s weird, and probably horrifying to have to wear abusers’ clothes, but you need to stay warm it’s too cold for you.” He tossed the bag next to her chair more roughly than he had before, but it shook her out of her stupor and she pulled the pack towards her, rummaging robotically, her face still frighteningly stoic.

            He sat on the ground slightly behind her, face decidedly aimed into the forest she could dress. After a few silent moments, she huffed and curled back into the chair. She had taken off what could not be salvaged and threw her own soiled garments into the fire. She had put a long sleeve under a t-shirt, and the jeans that were cuffed significantly, she gave off a 1940s paperboy look. She put two pairs of socks on each foot. The boots were impossibly big so she left those next to the chair.

            “Thank you,” she said into the cold night air. Sounding as vulnerable as she was. Swallowing heavily as her voice hitched with a sob. Ara was in a strange position; clearly helping her was the right thing to do, but now how did he go about this without freaking her out more and getting himself into any entanglement? Wolf-human relations were highly electric at the moment, and there was not one being who did not have an opinion on the matter. Now that she was out of immediate danger, potential political clashes were the next thing his mind went to. Another problem however was his attraction to her. He had caught her smell even before he had seen the fire. He had good senses, but not that good. It meant that they had high compatibility, and while for many wolves this was cause to celebrate, for him it was not. How Inconvenient he thought to himself.

            “Um,” he paused. He had not known anyone to have compatibility with a human, it happened but not in his actual sphere, not that he knew many of his own kind. Plus, the more glaring problem, how was he to get them to a hospital, or someplace not outside?  He went for a run, not preparing or expecting to encounter anyone else. This part of Oregon was heavily forested and quiet, its why he liked it. Not that the wrench in his plans was something to compare to her night, but the point was that he was unprepared.

            “Hello?” she said nervously, trying to egg him on to finish whatever thought. He just fell back onto manners, weird to deploy them now after such an intimate encounter but it’s what he settled on.

            “Hi, my name is Ara,” he said as neutrally as he could, she looked over her shoulder at him squinted, and blinked into the dark, trying to capture what he looked like. He stood, and her head followed him like a kid seeing the Eifel tower for the first time. He came to crouch in front of her, extending his huge mitt-like hands.

            “Hello, my name is Jane,” he could scent the slight sourness of yogurt, she was frightened, but she reached out timidly anyways. He was right, everyone always falls back onto manners. His hand totally engulfed hers, and she felt like she was shaking his pointer finger, for that is all that fit into her palm. He did not shake but merely gave her hand a warm squeeze, while making eye contact. She had dark blue eyes. They were spiderwebbed like broken glass, and slightly too big for her face, giving her an alien quality. The webbing was denser around her pupils, like cloud tufts backlit by the moon. She had pale skin, the complexion of a redhead, and freckles across the bridge of her nose. Although it was hard to differentiate between freckles and dirt given her current state.

            Hopefully, she had encountered his kind before, he felt himself silently hoping. There had been a push at educating humans in culture and in wolf norms, but if she had gone to a school with one of those programs, she also might not have reacted positively. So many humans had formed opinions, and no matter the interaction it would solidify whatever the foundation was. Neither of them was old enough to have memories of the great war, but everyone knew someone who had some experience that informed their unwavering opinion. Pushing that thought away, he inhaled and tried to explain in a way that would keep her calm, still hunkering so that she was sitting taller than he was.

            "I don't know if you have met anyone like me before, or what you know about us, but we need to change from time to time and run about. Lucky for you I chose tonight and right here" He cocked a half smile, watching her still face. 

            “I totally did not expect to be helping a damsel in distress. You are going to have to give me some direction here as to what you need me to do and how.” He looked nervously into her stormy eyes, trying to sense if he had done anything to make her uncomfortable.

            “You saved me, and now you are giving me the space and grace to determine how I get saved? Here I thought gentlemen were good and dead” she said, it almost sounded sarcastic because of how honest his actions were. Her compliment caused him to blush. At least it was dark and she could not see him well, but comments like these would make ties that much harder to cut when it came time.

            “Ah, maybe you have not met one of my kind then? We aren’t all snarling beasts, although if you had asked one of those… Assholes, I am fairly certain they would think so. Usually, people have met one or studied us in schools some packs have representatives and educational visits. We don't hide, but given the way things are right now, I assume many of us keep to ourselves because it’s easier,” He was trying to lead her gently for some reason the word Werewolf felt like a word bomb and he was trying to avoid frightening her at the moment.

            “I did meet a Shifter, when I was small, one came to my elementary school. I remember being very excited, but the parents overshadowed everything. All I can remember was them yelling, and some had signs and stones. I could not even tell you what he looked like because all I can remember were the protesting humans” She had used the word Shifter. Word choice was an easy and fast way to declare your politics subtly, the term Shifter was the current ‘correct’ phrase for his kind or the one that both species had agreed on anyways. There was a whole summit about the topic, and having a standard unbiased word was decided on by those who knew best. She was declaring herself on the friendlier side of politics by calling his kind Shifters. Either she was an activist, or she was just afraid of making him angry either reason was fine by him.

            “Thank you. Really, thank you, I don't have anything other than words just now, but you saved my life, or at least my immediate future. I will be grateful for you for the rest of my life, and you have shone a pretty great light on how to negotiate hard circumstances with kindness and grace," she blushed and looked away. Embarrassing speeches still gave her rosy cheeks, but he deserved the praise, her embarrassment be damned.  They sat and silently watched the flames turn to embers as the fire had finished consuming all the fabric from what she had been wearing before.

            “I am thinking about this, and I think the easiest and fastest way for us to get out of this situation would be for me to carry you in my other form. We are a long way from anything, and I am faster that way,” he peeked over at her.

            "Ok, that's fair. Is that ok? I feel like I remember something about riding a Shifter being super taboo" he did actually smile this time, his teeth glinting menacingly. She was somewhat educated, which would make this easier. 

            “You are right, it's totally taboo. But, honestly, no one will see it. Plus, I think its taboo just to help separate humans a bit. You know, like make us seem less animal." He had once shifted in an alleyway to get out of a fight and he can still remember the terror on people’s faces as they dove away from him hysterically.  The image of Shifters being dangerous and out of control was ever-present.

            “I think that your other form would be more comfortable for me actually. Given that I was just … by men” she said sending him a weak side smile. Even if it was weird for society, what was important right now was getting into a safer spot.

            “Have you ever carried a person before? Should I try and make a halter or something to hold onto?” she was thinking about how she would hold on. His ears were out of the question, but there wasn’t really anything else she could grip.

            “I have never carried anything, well I carried things in my mouth but... never mind” he shifted his eyes away, not wanting her to see his face and imagine him biting an animal or carrying some kind of prey.

            “Let's use some of these shirts and you will have to tie them around us yourself.” He said hands out in front of him in an ‘I’m sorry’ pose. Of course, he could not tie with paws. He stood straight and slowly walked into the darkness of the woods to shuck off his clothes and turn back to his wolf form.