Dickhead

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She was exhausted by the time they made it into the centre of Shade's territory. Which was hardly related to the long journey. She had been travelling like this all winter, in deeper snow and colder weather. Maybe she was exhausted because they had gone at the pace of human legs instead of running all as wolves - paw pounding, guns blazing. Still, she wasn't about to complain. She would rather go along at a snail's pace then look that monster in the eye. 

"You can stay here," Shade said without looking at her. "The rest of the cabins are just north of here." 

This 'cabin' wasn't really a cabin, not in the traditional sense. It wasn't made out of logs for one but covered in siding which was a greyish-blue colour. The trim was black around the windows and the deck was stained and orangish brown. It was small, smaller than the one Judd had let her use but it was crisp looking. Different.

She didn't like it.

"There are clean clothes in the dresser I think, they should fit you and the water takes a minute to get warm." Shade glanced at her over his shoulder. The tattered t-shirt he had on was nearly too small. It seemed to cut at his arms like a rubber band stretched too far. 

"I'll send someone to get you when there is food ready."

She slipped past him, careful not to brush her reddish fur against his torso. Her feet padded up the stairs and when she turned around, Shade and the rest of the wolves were gone.

She blinked once, twice, and pushed open the door with her muzzle. 

The modern feel of the space was so strange to her. She had spent the past 6 months bounding around the continent as a wolf. Before that, Judd's territory had been filled with rustic cabins and natural wood. Her parent's territory had been much the same. It blended into the forest, becoming one with the trees. Every pack she had seen was the same and Neira had seen a lot.

This, however, was strange. So fucking strange.

The cabinets in the small kitchen were white, the countertops a shiny grey. The floors were a deep walnut and the little sectional sofa was sleek, grey with too many fluffy looking pillows. There was a rug on the floor under the couch, a blueish tribal pattern looking thing. And no walls. 

It was open - bright and open. The bed was under a window, the light pooling on the fluffy duvet. There was a glass shower, and a large claw foot tub that looked like it had been shaped out of concrete. The whole thing was modern and grey with cool colours and somehow cozy. 

She made sure the door was closed and locked before shifting. She started a fire in the fireplace and turned the faucet on the tub to scolding hot. Neira waited for it to warm before dipping her human toes into the water. 

She all but barreled in. 

The heat was delicious, the warmth of the water and scent of the bath salts she had dumped into it warming her. It was like she had forgotten what it was like to be warm. It had been so long since she'd had a hot bath or even a shower. 

Even under the water, her body looked sickly. Hunting alone was never easy, and in the winters in the north, it was damn near impossible. She hadn't eaten in the two days it had taken to get here, she didn't want Shade's pitty food. She didn't want to eat with these people as wolves, not as a pack. 

She had a pack. 

Shadow lingered under the bed, its tendrils looping around the floor.

"I don't care if this was a terrible idea, it was worth it just to have a bath." Neira dipped her head back, letting her auburn hair fall into the water. It was too long for her liking. She would need to cut it.

That water is hot enough to boil your skin off.

Neira smiled, "you're just jealous you can't feel temperature."

All she got back from it was a disgruntled noise, like a huff, if such a thing could huff. It never said too much, always kept relatively quiet but the more time she spent with it in human form the more it seemed to say. Even if it was only snarky comments.

It never answered any real questions. Where did you come from? Why are you here? Do I call you Casper?

Actually, it had answered the last one by throwing a stick at her head. 

"What do you think they will have for supper?" Neira asked mostly to herself. "I'm starving."

You're always starving.

"And you're always chastising and rude," she glowered at it over the rim of the tub, "But I didn't know we were stating the obvious."

Well, in that case, you're always stubborn, grouchy and starving.

"Dickhead," she snapped. "Hey, here's a question. Are you technically a dude? You talk like one."

There was a pause. How in the world do I talk like one?

"Because everything that comes out of your mouth sounds stupid as hell," Neira barked back.

There was another long pause. Are you a dude too, then?

"You're such a fucking douche," Neira snapped, "Do I look like a dude to you?"

There was another long pause.

"Don't answer that."

Shadow chuckled, or what could have been a chuckle as Neira pushed herself out of the tub. It had turned a strange dirty colour. Neira dried herself off with a towel and padded over to the little dresser. There wasn't much in it. A pair of baggy sweats, a hoodie, socks and by the door a spare pair of sneakers. She put them all on, glad to not have to worry about her filthy clothes in her backpack. The sweats were too long and the shoes were almost too big but the hoodie fit near perfect.

It had the logo of something across the front of it in a language she didn't know. French maybe? It looked to be from a university.

She turned towards the sofa, Shadow was in that weird outline of a wolf. He was standing on the bed or seemed to be, his paw's weren't quite touching the duvet.

I'll be back.

Neira watched the shadow form leap off the bed and pad over to the wall where he disappeared.

She sighed, alone again. So she fell onto the couch in a heap and stretched out like a cat, her boney hips hidden by the sweats. She wished she could sleep. 

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