December's Moon

1| DECEMBER

| DECEMBER |

December slammed a fist into the heavy punching bag. His knuckles collided with the thick leather, and a jolt of pain ricocheted up his forearm.

"Shit!" He snapped his hand back and shook out the wave of shock spiderwebbing through his bones. He'd timed his hit wrong. Again.

Panting, he gripped the swinging bag between both hands and steadied it in front of him. He rested his forehead on the warm surface as his heart pounded against his ribs. Sweat dripped from his nose and chin.

It had always been his habit to wake up early for training. That way, he got the gym to himself. No one else was around to see him struggling with stupid shit like this. Even though there was still a day before school started and almost no one was back on campus yet, he'd kept the habit up all summer.

Staying here while most of his classmates were gone got lonely sometimes, but he had nowhere else to go. He wasn't really alone, either. He had his dog. Besides, it was easier for him to focus with no one else around. He'd been preparing for this tournament his entire life. Now, it was only a few months away, and he could not afford any distractions.

December released the bag as he rolled out his neck and stretched his arms. His muscles ached, and his entire body shook from his workout. It was time to call it a morning.

"Iris." He held his left hand to his side, palm facing out. The sound of claws clicking against the polished wood floor echoed through the gym. He smiled when the familiar brush of his dog's cool, wet nose tickled his skin. The tension in his back and shoulders relaxed as he ran his fingers through her fur.

Iris pawed at his leg lightly. He rubbed her between the ears, and her tongue licked the side of his hand. "Let's get out of here," he said.

A few footsteps and clicks of nail against polished wood later, they reached the door. A breath of cool, morning air hit December as he slipped out of the small campus gym. He held the door for Iris before letting it slam shut, the sound echoing hollowly around them.

In the distance, crickets chirped. The last few cicadas of the dying summer croaked and whined. Other than that, the morning was silent.

December pictured in his mind where they were and where his dorm was. Then, he visualized the small trail on the side of the gym that led back to the woods.

For a moment, December considered shifting to his wolf form and going for a run with Iris. He wanted to feel the cool rush of the early autumn air through his fur and hear the crunch of the leaves beneath his paws. Most of all, he wanted to watch the trees pass by—running in a body he was comfortable in—but he knew he needed to train his human form more than the wolf. He needed to learn.

"This is a stupid idea, I know," he told Iris as he snapped the leash around her collar. He rarely ran in human form, but practice was the only way. He scratched her neck gently, her soft fur warm between his fingers. "Up for a run?"

Without a second's hesitation, she took off, leading the way by the leash.

The jog around the gym was easy. The ground was smooth and firm beneath the soles of December's shoes. He placed each step carefully as Iris led them down the hill, across the soccer field, and to the entrance to Welwick Woods, the forest that surrounded Cypress Pass Academy.

A large, waist-high rock blocked the gap in the damaged metal fence that divided campus and the woods. December climbed over it, allowing himself to slide the small drop to the ground on the other side. He didn't even need to wait a second for Iris to tug at the leash again. The gap between the fence and the rock was just wide enough for the black lab to squeeze through.