Little Wolves (gxg)

Chapter 18 - Front Winds

Jo was on the other side of the door before I could even open it half way. She pushed me aside and ran to her son. Avery ran down the steps soon after. She didn't even look at me as she ran by. I knew there were more pressing issues at hand, but at the same time, Avery not acknowledging me didn't help the hurt I already felt.

I hurried over to the three of them and hesitated to speak up.

"Do you need any help? Can I do anything?" I asked. I knew they heard me but none of them said anything. Jo's ears pulled back like an annoyed dog and it made me glue my mouth shut. Avery still wouldn't look at me. She was holding her brother to sit upright while Jo wiped off Logan's mouth and began to undo the bandages on his arm.

"You know what, dear?" Jo began. I raised my eyebrows, expecting her to ask for my help. "Why don't you go on home?" My face fell.

Oh.

I looked toward Avery and held my gaze on her for a while. I knew she felt me staring. I could tell by the way she tensed as soon as my eyes landed on her, but she still didn't look at me. My stomach flipped. Did I do something wrong?

"Okay. No problem," I said quickly. I hesitated, then turned and headed down their driveway.

I thought of going home, but with what happened this morning I didn't want to. So, I walked into the woods without a second thought.

Barely a foot into the forest path opening, I immediately felt this warm, healing energy touch my skin. The trees resonated and hummed this gorgeous song that filled my lungs with invigoration. It lulled me into a peaceful state, urging me to take my shoes off and connect with the Earth.

The dirt was cold and slightly damp from the morning dew. I curled my toes and squeezed the mulch between my toes. It felt raw and refreshing and calmed my nerves. I placed my shoes at the foot of a large redwood, but as I was turning away, something caught my eye.

Sticking out from the backside of the tree was the sleeve of a black t-shirt. A wave of anxiousness hit me as the scent of the shirt reached my nose. I blinked a few times when I realized I could smell the shirt even though it was a good distance away. Is this how powerful the Auden's sense of smell is?

I carefully stepped into the fallen needles off the path and pulled Avery's shirt out of the pocket of the tree. I suffocated my nose with the scent of her, inhaling deep and long with the fabric against my cheeks.

I wished so powerfully for things to be simpler.

I wished my dad didn't hate the wolves. I felt so much resentment and rage towards him for not allowing me to find out if I was one of them or not when I was little. The ache I felt in my bones my entire life wasn't because something was broken within me. It's because my whole life I've been missing a part of me that's impossible to live without.

It's not fair.

I slipped my own shirt over my head and stuck it into the tree hole, then put on Avery's shirt instead. I felt jittery as I was swallowed by her scent. The negative feelings towards her washed away, but left an emptiness knowing she was ignoring me that made my heart feel hollow. Could this be it? Could it be over?

I started walking towards the lake Avery had showed me the other day. I wanted nothing more than to sit by the water and watch the pretty sky pass me by.