Amora's POV: The Park

When I asked Ann about a place where I could get a cheap jacket, she directed me about a block away to a used clothing shop.

The outside looked like all the other surrounding shop fronts, the inside wasn't unique either: plain white walls, racks of clothes, hooks for hats and bags, a couple sets of shelves for shoes that had seen better days, and a small wooden counter on the left with a cashier behind it.

There were a few customers wandering around the shop, not really looking like they were trying to find anything specific. I searched the signs on the racks until I found the jackets. I ended up deciding on a thinner jacket. It was black and white plaid with a gray hood. It was a couple sizes too big but at least it would accommodate my baby bump when I got home.

The lady at the counter seemed young like me, early twenties, her smile looked a little fake. I declined the bag and receipt, I wouldn't need them, I was just going to wear it out the door. Jane, as her name tag was labeled, offered to cut the tag off for me. I hadn't even noticed it, maybe her smile wasn't so fake. I thanked her and waved as I left the shop.

Kya and a few pack members told me that bars were probably the best bet to find someone to mate with in the city if I wanted to go with as little emotional connection as possible. I wasn't sure if I could do that or if that was really the place for me but either way it was too early in the day for bars. Alcohol burned off too quickly in shifters and I wasn't one dancing either. I also didn't have a ton of money to waste so I decided on a more comfortable environment that would be free.

I stopped in front of an open double gate with "Maple Park" etched in the plate at the top of the gate. Finding a good spot under a tree, to keep the sun out of my eyes. I took a seat in the cool grass and pulled out a couple of granola bars I'd put in my pocket along with the bottle of water Ann gave me after I spilled my first coffee on the man's boots, "Just in case you lose your coffee again", Ann had insisted. My cheeks heat just thinking about how embarrassing that was.

I wish I was more confident and sweet like Kya, but I was just awkward and not great with showing my emotions to others, which made me come off as a life to some others in the pack. Only Riley and Kya were close enough to see the real me. Riley was like family, we'd met when I was 6.

When we got our wolves we were allowed more freedom in wandering the pack lands because we had our wolves to keep us safe and take over if need be. I was walking through some neighborhood on the other side of the pack when I heard laughing. I followed it to a tan house with a short white fence in the front yard. In there I saw a little girl, close to my age, with black braided pigtails, rubbing around after a rabbit in the yard. I remember staring. It was the strangest thing to me, it didn't seem to actually be scared of her. They looked to just be playing. Maybe it was just the shifter in me, but rabbits seemed like food. I had a lot of questions: "Where did you get it? How long have you had it? Why isn't it scared of you? Does it have a name? What's your name?"

She had it for about a month ago that point and it was only weary of her for a couple days. She seemed to have an affinity for animals. She'd named the, dirt brown, rabbit Polly. The girl's name was Riley. Riley told me she wanted to catch more rabbits until she had a whole farm of them, then she wanted to see them to the pack as pets. She looked so innocent and carefree that I didn't have the heart to tell her that most people would only see them as easy prey to feed their families. Right then I decided Riley would be my best friend and I'd talk her into keeping the rabbits for herself.

Coming out of my memories I noticed some guys playing basketball on a concrete court on the edge of the park. Curiousity got the better of mesk I hopped up and wandered over towards the court.

Riley and I used to play in school. They were much smaller teams due to shifters not needing a break like humans do during their games. I was a little better than Riley playing on a team, she just didn't get as rough as the rest of us. The school only introduced sports to get some energy and aggression out so we were less likely to "wolf-out". Most shifters were good shots because of our superior eyesight.

"I've never seen anyone miss so many baskets", I thought as I approached the fence around the court. A guy in a red cut-off headed down the court with the ball after the other team missed their shot. Suddenly a girl with cornrows down her head, wearing all black, popped around Red's side and snatched the ball right out of his hands. I smirked at how fast she was as she dodged through most of his team before she finally had to pass, or risk the ball being stolen. The man she passed to, took a shot. He missed spectacularly. I had to cover my mouth to hold back the snort of laughter that tried to escape my lips. The ball was taken back down the court but my eyes were drawn back to the guy who'd missed the shot. He looked right at me. When our eyes locked, I once again was mesmerized be those big brown eyes with green flecks and the one green streak at the bottom. As the heat rushed to my face, I turned and quickly walked to the east side of the park to a trail I had noticed headed straight into the woods. A perfect place to disappear.

I rushed through the trees, ditching the path. I walked until I was a couple yards from the trail, checking all my senses for any signs of humans. When I didn't find any I disrobed, put my clothes in my back pack and shifted, taking my pack in my teeth and tan back to camp. That was enough embarrassment for one day.