Mates May Meet (Completed)

Sherrie Thro and William Whitley *

Sherrie Thro woke to the sound of birds chirping. She snuggled deeper into the warmth of fading sleep. She didn't want to wake up. She wanted to sleep, to dream and delay breakfast for just a little longer.

Shut up, she told the birds silently. The birds ignored her silent demand. Stupid creatures, she thought. But it was too late for Sherrie. She was already to alert to get more sleep and she knew it.

Slowly she pushed back the covers. The clean, wild smell of the forest greeted her, bringing farther away from the world of sleep.

She sucked in the smells of morning. Husky shifted lower, away from the encroaching air, brushing her leg with her warm furry body.

"Not a chance, girl. If I have to get up, so do you." Reluctantly, she emerged from the warmth of the sleeping bag. Watching her was almost like watching a butterfly emerge from a cocoon. First her head exited the grey fabric, then an arm. She paused for a minute and then another arm pulled free from the confines of the dull looking fabric. She blinked, rapidly. A single, extended yawn was stifled under her fingers.

She lifted up the fabric, peered into the dark folds and laughed. "Whatever, you lazy mutt."

Husky sniffled and rolled. Her body had left a warm spot she intended to take advantage of as she went back to sleep.

She walked around the simple camp. A alcohol soaked cotton swab made quick work of getting a fire started. She changed clothes, put on water to heat up over the fire, checked her cellphone. She unplugged it from the car charger and went back to the fire.

Okay, she admitted, it was a bit cool. October was coming in successfully. She answered the text from her mom, then her dad. She ignored the text from her ex.

Breakfast consisted of two granola bars, an apple and coffee. She even had dog food, water and some treats for Husky.

She glanced over at the small tent. Husky's nose was the only thing visible under the sleeping bag.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Sherrie made her tone as excited as possible. Husky popped her head up, stood, with half of her body still under the sleeping bag, and wagged her entire body. "Alright come on, girl." Sherrie tapped her palm on her hip.

Husky ran from the tent, dragging the sleeping bag with her.

Sherrie straightened up the camp, zipped the tent, locked her car and grabbed the leash while Husky ate.

She knew that she should have Husky on the leash but the dog was well behaved and Sherrie needed the leash to make a fire wood carry.

They spent the next two hours walking the woods, collecting firewood and taking it back to camp.

Husky got distracted by a rabbit and stood at the base of a large. She growled at the roots, pawed at the ground and was determined to get the creature. Sherrie watched her dog make a fool of it's self. The rabbit had been smart. It had gone in the hole Husky was guarding but it had escaped from another hole by the tree only five feet away.

Sherrie shook her head. "Come on, Husk, it's gone."

Husky looked at her, back at the hole, whined and joined her with one last longing look at the tree.

"Next time, girl, next time." She gave the dog a reassuring petting, after handing Husky a treat from her pocket. She picked up the firewood sling, shifted it to a more comfortable position.

Sherrie could barely see part of the tent through the trees when Husky froze. Sherrie frowned. "Come on, girl. We're almost home." Sherrie shifted the wood.

Husky growled at the camp. But Sherrie couldn't see through it the trees. Only a small portion of the tent roof was visible.

"Husky, come on. This stuff is heavy."

Husky took a small step back with a menacing growled.

With an irritated grumble, Sherrie lowered the wood to the ground. She released the wood from the leash.

"What is your problem?" She grabbed Husky's dog collar. Husky whinned, looking in the direction of the camp. Sherrie grumbled and clipped the leash to the pink collar. "Come on, Husky."

The dog obeyed, reluctantly.

There was only one oddity in the camp that Sherrie could see. Three feet from a perfect fire sat a really good looking man on a log. He didn't look up. Just took another drink of coffee from Sherrie's metal cup. However, the oddest thing about him was the fact he wore hiking boots, black jeans and no shirt. No shirt.

Granted, it was October, it was warmer than usual, but it was still chilly. Even that close to the fire, that he apparently stoked and fed, he'd still find a chill.

"So... Are you going to join me or not?" The man asked with out looking at her.

Husky growled but the sound ended with an odd note. The man chuckled softly. He took a deep breath and turned to her. "I'm William Whitley. Come sit, talk, relax. I promise, you're safe."

Somehow, his promise allowed her to relax even though it shouldn't. "Yeah, well, isn't that exactly what a psycho would say?" She asked lightly as she moved forward.

Husky readily closed the space, pulling the leash from her hands, but Husky lowered her body to the ground as soon as she was within two feet of the guy. She yipped, rolled to her back and waved her paws in the air.

"Hello, beautiful. What's your name?" He asked as he reached down and scratched her belly.

"Husky. Her name's Husky." Sherrie blurted out. Husky usually disliked men. She had already bitten two. But she never had a problem with women.

He looked up. Sherrie's heart skipped. His smile was real. You could even see it in his eyes. "And your name?"

"Um... I'm Sherrie Thro."

"Nice to meet you, Sherrie. I hope you don't mind but I hope to share your campsite. My car is about a quarter of a mile up trail."

Sherrie nodded. She didn't think she'd mind at all. If Husky liked him then he was welcome here.

The End

AN...

For those of you who don't understand the subtlety here... Sherrie is human and William is Lycan. She is his mate but it's not like you can just drop that bomb on someone you just met. So he's going to take it slow, get to know her and eventually she'll know it all.
Asha