Little Wolves (gxg)

Chapter 9 - Princess

A/N: Pictured above is the Auden's wolf-dog
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I woke up in a real ugly mood this morning.

I should be happy, though. My dad got the job at the liquor store, I'm pretty sure Keating and I are on the way to becoming good friends, and I have a butterfly-inducing crush on the wild girl across the street.

But it's just one of those mornings where you wake up angry and annoyed and grumpy. When the box you reserve for tucked-away emotional baggage finally pops open because it gets too full. I guess it was good I was going for a run. Hopefully I'll be able to get my frustration out that way.

My pointer finger stung as I wedged my heel into the back of my running shoes. I hadn't bothered to untie them; I didn't have the patience.

As much as my body didn't want to move, I made myself. I went through a few stretches, then I trudged open my front door and headed over to the Auden's house.

I expected to have to knock and wait for Jo to get her wolf-dog, but to my surprise, the dog was waiting patiently on the front steps. It was laying down with its head rested on its front paws, which were crossed cutely in front of her. I smiled immediately.

The wolf's tail started, then she stretched for a long time, extending her butt in the air as her ears slacked. After she stretched, she stood up and happily trotted my way, tail wagging and mouth tugged up like she was smiling.

The Auden's house was dark inside, but it didn't keep me from gazing absently at it. A sting of sadness came over me when I realized I wouldn't be meeting Avery this morning after all.

I sighed as the dog reached me. "Hi doggy," I cooed, stroking my hand along her fur. "I'm having a rough morning," I admitted, talking to myself more than the dog, not that she'd understand me in the first place. She rubbed her side against my leg. "C'mon, let's go," I nearly whispered, motioning for the forest.

I was kind of in a trance walking towards the path in the woods. My head was in the clouds, not really paying attention to much other than how pretty the sky was. If anything could distract me, it would be the forest or simply a nice walk where no other people would be.

As long as I'm alone, I'm good.

The dog was pulling ahead of me. She looked back every once in a while, but I could tell she was itching to run already. It was very apparent once we reached the beginning of the trail because as soon as I stepped foot into the forest she took off. I let out a small laugh and started jogging at my own pace.

Watching the dog dart in and out of the bushes, playfully jumping at me once in a while, had a constant smile on my face. She was so cute. Like a little puppy playing with her favorite person. It made me wish my family had a dog.

Of course, something always has to ruin nice moments. A nasty little mayfly came and started buzzing around my head as I was running, trying to annoy and land on me. I kept swatting at it trying to send it away, but it annoyed me to no end. I had to stop.

"Ugh!" I huffed. "Get away!" I exclaimed to the fly. Just as I thought it had stopped, in a moment of peace, it came back. I let out a tiny, annoyed groan and shook my head, using my arms to swat at it above my head. The Auden's dog was looking at me with her head cocked, like this was funny or something. I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you wouldn't think it was funny if it were you," I grunted, starting my jog again. Even though the fly was gone, my mood was officially in the dumps again. Even a bird calling in a tree was now irritating me. The same call over and over and over and over. Shut up!