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3

I called Brandon Tuesday morning, hoping he wasn't asleep as I listened to it ring. On the third ring, he picked up.

"Hello?" His voice came over the device.

"Hey, Brandon, what are your plans for today?" I asked.

"Not much, just enjoying my time off. I didn't have any plans."

"I took the week off, do you wanna do something?"

"How about we go for a run?" he suggested.

"Um..." I hesitated, running isn't one of my favorite activities, or at least it never had been before. "I'm not all that into running, Brandon, you know that."

He laughed softly. "I don't mean going running, Nick, I mean go for a run."

"I'm missing the distinction," I was confused.

"A run is what we call it when we shift and run, play, or even hunt in our animal forms."

"Hunt? Why on earth would we want to hunt?" My confusion became distaste. I don't really mind the concept of hunting for food, but I have a hard time with the skinning and butchering.

"For the skill of it, sometimes for the fun of it. There's a thrill to running down your prey that you just don't have anywhere else. Plus, it's good to know how to do it, should you someday need to."

"But do you... eat it... raw?" My disgust at the idea was clear in my voice.

"You can, but you don't have to. It isn't as bad as you might think. As a wolf, it's natural."

"If you say so," I was willing to take him at his word. "I'm okay with going for a run, but can we skip the hunting part?"

"Sure, if that's what you want. You know where the Hot Well Dunes hot tub is?" he asked.

"Of course. Who went to high school around here and doesn't?"

"Let's meet out there. In say... an hour? Don't forget to bring something to eat if you don't want to hunt," he reminded me.

"That works, I'll meet you there." The rural location would be a good place for a pair of wolves to run around in broad daylight without being seen. I stopped by the grocery store on my way out of town and grabbed several pieces of fruit. As I was headed for the drinks aisle, I noticed cans of meal replacement shake on a shelf and grabbed a few, guessing that between the two, I should have enough for today.

I made it out to the secluded hot tub with ten minutes to spare. I parked in the small clearing before getting out of my car and wandering around. As I looked around, I noticed little had changed in the years since I had last been here. The parties here had been a blast. I wondered for a moment if the teenagers still party out here, or if they've moved on because the cops had discovered it? That was nighttime entertainment and the place was empty in the light of day. I didn't even see the usual evidence of a party hotspot, so it had probably become known as a party spot and kids had found somewhere new.

In less than five minutes, I spotted the dust from Brandon's car and wandered over toward the cement in-ground hot tub to avoid the worst of the dust as he pulled up. The tub was in good shape for being more than thirty years old; the water was always warm without being too hot. It was crystal clear from being continuously fed from an artesian spring nearby, and overflowed into a cooler pool downstream, cleaning out any debris that might blow into it in the process.

After Brandon parked and the dust started to settle, I headed back toward both vehicles.

"Hey, how are you?" he unfolded from the small car.