Phoenix Drop University- Freshman Year

Chapter 23~ Summer Part One

Aaron's pickup roars as both him and Aphmau drive down the road, camping supplies in the bed and there suitcases stuffed carelessly in the back. Aphmau asleep, curled up in the passengers side with her tail swaying gently off the seat.

Aaron hums along to the radio, tapping his fingers in the steering wheel, it's only a few miles to the campsite, and he finds himself excited to get there, him and Aphmau, the entire summer, alone, in the woods.

He blushes, his first thought of bringing her all the way out into the hills and mountains of Tennessee was so she could learn about her own instincts, and be comfortable with her new form before they went back.

He drives down an old dirt road, kicking up dust and gravel as he made his way to the campsite, right next to a large creek that runs into the Ohio river.

He kicks off the ignition, sighing and closing his eyes for a moment, knowing that the air will be entirely different.

He smiles and pets Aphmau's head to stir her slumber, she yawns cutely a looks up at him, her tail wagging and ears laid back in a grumpy grogginess.

"Hmm? Are we there?" Aaron chuckles before nodding his head, he had stopped hiding his ears and tail, everyone knew now, there is no point.

"Yeah babe, we're here, you're gonna have to get up." His ears get pink as he says this, after what happened at the school he wants to be closer as a couple, the only problem was her mother, who barely let him see her as is.

"I can't believe you talked my mother into letting me go with you. How did you do it?" She asks, sitting up in her seat and stretching, her tail getting stiff and ears straight,

"Well...."

"No. You are not taking my daughter to some random place halfway across the country!" Sylvanna crosses her arms and glares up at Aaron who is both taller and stronger than her.

"Sylvanna, she needs to be comfortable in her form, and she needs to get out of the house, I know you didn't ask for this, but if you don't let her get out, she could hurt someone by accident." He tries to reason, he knows this is a losing battle, but he really wants to spend the summer with her. And it's not like he's lying, she could hurt someone if she doesn't know what she's doing.

"You are the one that did this to her! How can I trust you won't tarnish her even further?!" He feels his blood boil in his chest, but he has to keep his cool.

"Is there something wrong with being a werewolf?" He asks, and suddenly Sylvanna gives him an apologetic glance, one he was not expecting

"N-No, there's... I just realized how that sounded, look, I know you are her friend, and I know you did it to save her, just prove to me you won't try anything." Aaron sighs to himself, not sure how to prove anything, because he wasn't sure if he'd try anything or not, that all depends on her.

"I wouldn't do anything without Aphmau's permission, I.... I love her to much for that." Sylvanna's face goes pink, then purple, then all the color drains out of her face.

"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Sylvanna avoids his eyes as he feels a blush creep up his neck and onto his cheeks.

"Yes." Is all he can manage to choke out before Sylvanna sighs in defeat.

"Fine. She can go, but I expect a call from her when you get there."

"Let's just say she's seen my true colors." Aphmau cocks her head but Aaron quickly changes the subject.

"Come on, let's get this tent set up before dark." He climbs out of his old, black pickup, pulling the container that holds the tent over his shoulder.

Aphmau slides out of the passenger side and sniffs the air, she still had no idea which scent was which and her ears rang from the sounds of the forest.

She takes their suitcases out of the back seat and lays them next to where Aaron is laying out the tent, birds chirping around them.

"Ugh. Everything is a thousand times louder than it should be." She rubs her ears until she feels a hand stop her.

"That's why we're here, I'm going to train you, and your first lesson is to help me set up this tent." He smiles and nuzzles their noses together before turning back around and snapping two tent poles together.

After an hour and an incident where a pole flew back and crushed Aaron's soul as well as his crotch, they have the tent up.

Aphmau lays a quilt on the floor of the tent and then the single air mattress that takes forever to fill up, while Aaron goes and collects firewood.

It takes around two hours for them to set everything up, but once they do they lay by the fire, looking up at the stars.

"Hey Aaron?" Aphmau asks, she's next to him, cuddling up to his chest, she can hear his heartbeat, and it's calming, almost putting her to sleep.

"Hmm?" He hums in response, enjoying the feeling of her body pressed against his.

"How did it feel... when you first transformed...?" Aaron winces, his first transformation was incredibly painful, as your bones have to break in half in order to accommodate the new form.

"It was painful.... But I didn't have anyone helping me." Aphmau felt his move a little faster at his answer, and she curls into him.

"When I transform... will it hurt?" Aaron doesn't answer this, just pulls her closer and Aphmau takes that as a yes.

"How much?" Aaron meets her eyes, the buzz of the night around them, and the fire flickering and dancing on there faces.

"It feels like someone is taking a hammer to your insides, and it burns...for days, sometimes weeks." Aphmau is suddenly scared, the full moon is tomorrow, and that's when her first transformation will take place, because she is a pure werewolf, just like Aaron now.

"I'm terrified, I don't want it to hurt..." Aaron looks her in the eye and smiles kissing her nose and growling softly into her ear.

"I will try to make it as painless as possible, I'll be there with you, okay, I'm not going anywhere."

She nods and looks up at the stars, feeling their tails interlock, she purrs into him, falling asleep in his arms.