City Wolves.

I studied the magazine for a while, trying to make sense of the words and images before me. Humans were complex. Especially females. They were expected to be everything. This would make it much tougher to live among them, but now I had a better idea of how to mingle with them. I could turn around and leave of course, but I came all this way to see this through. I want to explore, and I still feel safer here.

I just have to bathe. Wear the shirt. Acquire pants and shoes. Arrange my hair a bit. So I get to work on that. I follow the stream back till I find a good spot, wide and shallow. Warmed from the sun. I wade in and roll around. I bite mouthfuls of fresh, clear water and I paddle around a bit. I remember my purpose here, and I dutifully scrub everywhere. I extend my claws and use them to comb through my hair as I ring it dry. I play for a bit longer and drink before climbing up a wide branch nearby to dry in the sun.

Once dry, I slip back into the shirt and bend at the waist to secure my hair in a section of grapevine. I pull a berry from the vine with tooth that is tucked into my shirt and I bust it in my hands. I lean over the water to see my reflection as I dab the berry juice on my cheeks and lips as I seen pictures of the women doing in the magazine. Only they had a make up, not a berry. I'm satisfied though. Overall I appear more tidy. Now I need pants and shoes, but these cost money. I have no idea how one obtains the money.

So, I decide to resort to thievery. Afterall, where I come from the moral code is a short code. Take only what you need, kill only what you have to, and the strongest flourish. It often makes me uncomfortable, but it is instinct within us all that drives us to extremes to live. If swiping a few pieces of cloth double my chances of survival here, I'll do it.

I am stealthy as I weave among the brush and trees. The shirt hits at my knees and I try to keep it clean as possible because I need this thing. I clutch Remus' jar in my hand as I skirt the woods, passing the park to come up,, following the concrete path with the vehicles from afar. I keep going for a while, then I stop for apples from a nearby tree before continuing on.

Eventually I find houses. I sniff to smell for human presence, and I conclude that several of these houses are occupied. One though, farther off from the others looks very overgrown and vacant. I have to leave the woods to reach it though. I draw closer, watching studiously for any light, scents or obvious signs of life or recent occupation. After a long period of scouting, I make my move when I'm certain no humans are outside to dpot me.

I move briskly and I am soon at the door on backside, out of sight. The door doesn't open though, so I ram it with my shoulder just hard enough to force it open. Success! I scurry inside, and sit my things down. I'm in a house. A human house. The floor has a fake grass, short and plush and a dark blue in color. It's a bit dusty, but so cozy. I remove my shirt to keep it clean before I roll around in it. It is incredible! Alpha's cabin did not even have this! There are things here though that his cabin had, such as a counter top and cabinets, extra rooms. By smell, I can tell thst a human has not lived here in well over a year. That gives me hope that I could stay here for a while.

After enjoying the plush floor, I decide to explore the rest of the house. I go through the cabinets one by one, and each room too. I find a few odd trinkets, a few glass cups that seem so fancy I'm scared to touch them. I find empty bottles that have strong floral smells with hints of alcohol and it burns my nose. I do find clothing though. A long shirt with no sleeves. It is a yellow with thousands of small white dots. When I hold it up, it goes to the floor and covered my feet. I won't even need pants now.

I try the garment on, and spin around infront of the mirror in the tiny room attached. This will definitely help me navigate peacefully. I find a satchel of sorts which I place my belongings and jar in. I take my grapevine from my neck and I place the leftover berry seeds on the window sill to dry. I have seen luna do this in their cabin with seeds. I wonder if Remus would be proud of my seed saving and my tactics so far? I know though that he would have taken hide from my ass for even coming here.

I grow bored and curious after exploring the house, so I decide to try this new garment out and see if interacting and learning the humans goes any smoother when I look like them. My hair is tidy, I'm clean, and I am no longer nude. Surely all the basics are covered. If I'm going to live among the humans this closely, I need to learn how to live as they do. How to get lights, and water inside this house. How to obtain money should I need it. The best way to learn would be to observe as closely as I could, so what better way than this?

I stroll out of the house silently, and head straight for the woods. I hitch this giant shirt up to my hips to keep from damaging it. My satchel sways on my shoulder as I make my way away from the houses before leaving the woods and dashing to the other side of this path. I walk in the grass alongside it, and I notice the patterns this walkway has. White stripes, Yellow stripes, and occasionally little yellow dashes. Each side of this path has cars that go in one direction, the other side opposite direction. I try to remember this.

I'm not worried about my lack of shoes, my feet are unseen with this garment, and my feet are tough from years if climbing and running. Vehicles pass by me and I study each one as we observe eachother. Some appear curious as I am, some are males who scan me top to bottom. Remus had always told me that was rude behavior and to avoid males who do that.

I finally come to the area I had first ventured upon arriving. The park! I had never even seen the sign. That area is the park. I pick up bits of information from signs as I go along. Some have numbers, others names followed by the word street. These are streets, not paths! I knew better. Kita had told me of these. I make my way onto the edge of the streets before the fronts of the buildings and I duck into the first one I see.

I catch some look inside. The people seem warmer towards me now, compared to earlier. I smile brightly at them, careful not to roll my lip too high to further expose my longer canines. A few approach me and offer remarks about the dress, or the weather. I did not know I was actually wearing a dress. I do not take anything upfront, as I have no money. I do manage to steal a bag of jerky undetected though, which I inhale after exiting the store. It's delicious. It's everything Kita had promised about human foods, soft and seasoned. Seasoning other than salt for curing was rare for us.

I savor the last morsel, wishing for more when I feel eyes. I quickly sniff to find that while I had been enjoying my snack, I had let my guard down and another wolf had entered the premises. He was large, not quite as large as Remus and his human had a scar on it's jaw. He was bronze, with light messy curls and striking green eyes. His chin had thick stubble and was squared. I stiffened under his gaze and I backtracked quickly, weaving a sloppy pattern to lose him in the throng of people lining this street.

I bolted into another building with at had strong flamboyant scents hoping to mask my own. I make my way to the back, listening sharply and sniffing for the male. I pick up a jar of the scented concoction and inspect it. I move it to my face to figure out how it works and to my horror it goes off right into my nose and eyes. I sneeze and whine, shaking my head frantically as a human woman rushes towards me.

"Listen, I'm trying not to judge but if you are that stupid then your ass shouldn't be in here. That's expensive perfume-" Perfume?! "You are going to spill it. It costs more than you. Now leave!" I am on edge now. I can't see or smell well, a predatory male is lurking and now this female is shouting at me.

"I'm sorry. I'm not from here. Where i am from we do not have such things." I try to reason.

"Great. A foreigner. Leave!" She shoves me and I lunge for her, claws extending on instinct and I lacerated her face as I flee. I didn't mean to hurt her, and I know I have failed miserably, but it is our nature when we are attacked to defend. I would have done the same to anything that meant me harm.

I am out of the building, and into the street as I retreat. I need to find water, and I need to leave here. I try to watch for the wolf as I make my way back to the stream behind the park. Once I am there I dip my head into the water and shake it beneath the surface to wash the offensive burning spray from my eyes. I sigh as a bit of relief comes to me and I lay on the bank with my face close by the water, should I need to dip again.

Movement catches my attention, and I snap up onto my fours and watch the reflection of a group in the water. I roll my eyes up to meet them. Several males, and double the number of females watch me. These wolves are much bigger in stature, and have much more weight than I. Even the females are sleek and healthy with strong bodies and round curves. Something I've lost much of in my journey. I would do well to handle one female alone, there's no chance of me surviving this group.

"Hello." The older male speaks to me. I simply tilt my head and watch him, nerves mounting. "I know you are not native here. I have not caught your scent before. Let me introduce us, we are the city wolves. You are one of us,, or dead. Lone wolves do not last here. They are a threat of exposure to us. You have the good fortune of being female though, so I'd like you to come with us."

"No. I do not trust you." I grit through my teeth.

"There is safety in packs. Food. Increased chance of surviving, and comfortably."

"There is also danger. I have seen first hand how this has went wrong for many." I have no doubt that they would lie to me to lower my guard and kill me.  There isn't a trustworthy bone in this male's body. His eyes are too shifty, he does not hold contact when he speaks. The other's have too high of adrenaline and too wide of smiles, to a point of a sneer.

"The thing is, you don't get to decide. You either come along, or you die. You are a measly scruff of a wolf, even the smallest among us would kill you. Come along."

"I don't believe you heard me. I said no."

"Then you leave me no choice." He sighs and he turns to the wolves that flank him. At the first twitch of a muscle, I must be ready. Offense, not defense. I cannot take on a pack. I must do enough to distract so I have ample time to flee. Otherwise, I die here.