Ice -- Wolv book II

5 - Stupid Idea

"Oh. Well, uh...great. Crap." I stared down at the stalk of grass. Anxiety crept into my body, and my heart began to beat a little faster.

I was going to have to shift.

I closed my eyes, remembering the pain I'd felt when I'd been bitten in my dream. When I'd changed into a wolv, back in Atikaki, I'd endured the worst pain imagineable. And now, I was gonna have to go through all of that again.

Nadie placed a reassuring lick on my cheek, and looked down the tracks. "I'll go get that plant. C'mon, Tara, let's go!"

I watched the two of them slowly saunter down the tracks, leaving me and Hutch alone. With every passing second, I grew more and more nervous of what was to come.

Maybe we don't have to do this. Maybe I can drive the thing without changing! It was a stupid thought, but I put my front paws on the door anyway, and tried to pull the door handle with my mouth. My teeth slipped on the metal, unable to gain and traction, and the door remained stubbornly closed.

Hutch chuckled softly at my predicament. "This was your idea, Humfrey."

"I know," I growled back. "But I liked it a lot better before I knew that I was gonna be the one to change back."

"It's not the same when you're the one taking the risk, eh?"

I scowled at him, and began pacing nervously. You coward. I stopped in my tracks and accepted the thought--I was being a coward. It was my idea.

It just scared the living crap out of me.

"Maybe we should just walk. We don't really need the truck, do we? I mean, it might not even start."

"Humfrey, you already sold your idea to me. Sorry, pup, we're doin' this."

I hung my head in defeat. "Oh, Hutch, what was I thinking?"

I wondered what it would be like to walk on two feet once again. To have no coat of fur keeping me warm; to have hands instead of paws, to have flat, blunt teeth instead of the sharp canines I'd grown accustomed to. And my tail--oh crap, my tail! I turned around and held my tail up to my face, silently mourning its impending lack of existance.

I really don't want to be human again.

"C'mon, what's takin' them so darn long?" I whined. The anticipation was killing me. I just wanted to get it over and done with.

Finally, I spotted the two of them walking back down the tracks. They carried a tiny mostoswehk sprout between them, using a long piece of grass as a rope. They each held one end of the grass, and the mostoswehk was draped over the middle. I wrinkled my nose as a horrible stench arrived with the two wolves.

Nadie dropped her end at my feet, and the tiny plant rolled on the ground before coming to a rest inches away from my paws.

"That stuff is toxic. We couldn't even touch it without throwing up." Oh, so THAT'S what that awful smell is.

I looked down incredulously at the sprout. And I have to eat that. I shot Nadie a terrified look. She looked back, clearly having no words to say.

I sighed heavily, feeling my stomach turn over.

"If I ever have another stupid idea like this...kill me. Please."

With that, I pinched my eyes closed and picked the plant up with my jaws. The moment I bit down, my mouth was flooded with a strange, bittersweet flavor. My tongue numbed as I swallowed a bit, and as I kept on chewing, my lips and nose began to tingle.