Xavier and the Wolf (Legends of Pinewood 1)

24. You take the hint, and try again with the right guy

I thought I knew who the wolf in front of me was. But now that James had abandoned me and the wolf wasn't giving any more signs of recognition, I was starting to doubt my initial assessment. Maybe this wasn't a 'friendly' wolf. Maybe it wasn't even Aquila.

Shit. Were all werewolves human-friendly, or at the very least not hostile towards humans? I'd never asked Aquila or Boris.

"Uh, Aquila?" I asked the wolf carefully.

I held my breath until the wolf literally nodded. He yipped as he dogtrotted my way. When his snout was suddenly all up in my face, the thought he was going to bite flashed through my mind one last time. But Aquila gently nudged my shoulder with his wet nose and took all my remaining doubts away.

"Jesus Aquila, don't scare me like that," I scolded him. "Or the other people from this town for that matter."

I got another nudge and a soft growl in response, which made me chuckle. Aquila was so close to me now that I could literally count his teeth, but it didn't scare me anymore. In fact, few humans would ever have an opportunity to be this close to a wolf, so I should take advantage of the moment.

"Uh, is it alright if I touch your fur?" I asked.

Aquila tilted his head to the side, then he ducked and pressed his cheek to my hand palm. His fur felt a little coarse under my palm, and very warm. I let out a chuckle. It was strange imagining that this was Aquila because if he was a human, I'd never be petting him like this. But Aquila allowed everything I did. He just stared at me as I slowly brushing my fingers through his fur, even when I touched his back next.

"So, it really is you?" I asked Aquila one more time.

Aquila barked and shot me a look as if saying 'yes, stop asking.' I smiled and continued studying his face and his body. I obviously didn't look between his legs, but I did give his tail a playful tug. My eyes felt on his paws next. I noticed Aquila had five toes instead of four, like other wolves. That could be a good way to distinguish the werewolves from regular ones, if they gave you enough time to look at them that closely. I used to never see wolves up close, especially not in town.

Then it hit me. It was strange that Aquila was just chilling on the road.

"Wait, what are you doing here, anyway?" I asked. "You said you'd be at the bonfire!"

Aquila barked.

I crossed my arms. "I don't speak wolf. Turn back into a person."

Aquila let out a low growl that almost sounded annoyed as he turned and dove into the bushes. I waited impatiently for Aquila to reemerge, but before that happened, two sets of hasty footsteps approached me on the road.

"He's there!" James yelled. He came running down the path with Boris right behind him. "The wolf was right here too!"

Great, Aquila had been the one causing this mess, and I was left to deal with it. I already felt a mild headache coming up as James and Boris both reached my side.

"Oh thank God, you're okay!" James called out with clear relief after he gave me a quick once-over and confirmed I wasn't injured. "Did the wolf leave?"

Boris stood behind James, holding back a smile at the question. He didn't say a word, and I knew he only came along because else James would get suspicious.

I was less amused than Boris and pressed my lips together. I knew Aquila wasn't dangerous, but James hadn't known that. He'd dashed and left me to get eaten by the big bad wolf. "Yes," I bit. "The wolf is gone, and I'm fine. And I see you really got my back."