Wolf in the Big City

Chapter 23 - Park

To say I was a little bit disappointed would be to throw a wet blanket over the whole thing. Because as I stepped through that portal, I was expecting to see a fantastical place filled with floating islands and huge, Disneyland-esque castles and flying dragons.

But no. All I got was Central Park. Except not really.

The moment I stepped through, I was in wolf form. Or rather, partial wolf form? And Evelyn was in her fox form. But what I saw made me stop in my tracks. Because I'd never seen the place this green or this vibrant before. Or this full of life. I felt her hand leave mine as she let me walk forward to take in the sights.

It's like there was a sheen in the air, some sort of filter that saturated the colours a bit more than what I was used to. Everything was so colourful and bright. Like a painting or a photograph. But it was also so much more than that. It felt...

...like home.

The sky was an azure blue, dotted with clouds that looked like huge cotton balls in the air. Past the shady spot where the gateway was, the grass was emerald green and the trees a warm shade of brown. Not only that, the air here smelled fresher. Cleaner. Almost like there was a barrier around this spot that prevented all manner of pollution from dirtying the air.

And, of course, there were quite a few interesting sights here. As I waited for Evelyn to step through, I watched a centaur trot by, not unlike the one I saw at the hospital. And he wasn't alone either; I heard a female voice call out that made the guy stop in his tracks. Turned out his companion was one too, when I saw her amble up to him. They chatted for a moment, then they both broke out into a leisurely gallop up the path.

I heard footsteps in the fallen leaves behind me, reminding me Evelyn was at my back. Golly, she was even prettier like this than when I'd seen her in the hospital. The scrubs didn't do her justice. Flowing snow white fur, those same gorgeous eyes, the way she just fit into that blouse with the shoulders cut off, her blue jeans and sandals despite the fur and tail. I knew I'd fallen in love with the right woman.

She tugged on my sleeve and jerked her head at the clearing, a cheery smile on her face.

"C'mon, sleepyhead! Don't want the sandwiches to get soggy, right?"

"R-right, yeah. Sorry, I was just...transfixed by all the pretty."

"You mean the park or me?"

"Both. You more so."

Evelyn chuckled and prodded my forehead with her index finger, which made me yelp.

"Goober."

"Hey, you know I'm telling the truth, Evey. You can't deny it, especially when you look so...foxy."

She scrunched her face up in that irritated frown she always made when I told horrible puns, scoffed and walked ahead of me. The way her tail followed her hips was hypnotising, but I shook myself out of it and followed her. It was so strange. This entire space felt more homely than anything I'd ever felt before, even though it was just Central Park. I hefted the basket on my arm and hastened my steps to catch up with her, all so I could hook her arm around mine.

Evelyn led me further into this fantasy wonderland. It felt like a dream, the way the trees and grass around me seemed to be a little more saturated in colour. A cool, crisp breeze wove its way through my clothes as I watched some manner of winged, four-legged creature fly overhead. A mix of a bird and some sort of large cat? Didn't know what that was, but I was too entranced by the scenery to care. It all felt so surreal, yet I knew my senses weren't lying to me. Just another thing to unpack later, though.

I was here on a date. With my most favourite woman in the world by my side.

Eventually we reached her favourite spot. Across the field there was a glade of trees that sheltered a little clearing next to a walking path. And underneath that tree was where I knew Evelyn loved to sit and relax on her days off. But here, in this version of the park, the tree was filled with bright purple flowers. Some of them were losing petals in the breeze and I could smell a strange, lavender-like scent mixed with something sweet and something like citrus-y at the same time. I'd never smelled anything like it before.