Bloodfang

Moment of Truth

Ricky

Feeling more anxious than usual, Ricky wandered aimlessly around his bedroom. A glance at his tablet told him it was almost midnight. He never stayed up this late but he had the proverbial ants in his pants tonight. He felt restless and worried. Despite all of the care he had taken of the wolf and the seeming healing of his wound, the wolf continued to lay, unawaken on the basement floor His water remained untouched. Ricky did not understand why. Other than the wound, the wolf seemed perfectly healthy. As for the wound, it looked remarkably well. It was not infected. It no longer bled. It barely appeared to be a scab. 'So what was the problem?' Ricky asked himself. 'Was it possible that the wolf was in a coma?'

Ricky wished he knew what was wrong with him. He worried he had done something wrong but he didn't have a clue what. He had spent a lot of time with the wolf this week, as much as he could when his uncle wasn't home.

His uncle, determined that Ricky have a good time, had arrived home early every day since the wolf had arrived. Ricky knew, if not for the comatose secret hiding in the basement, he would have been thrilled by his uncle's time and attention.

He wasn't complaining either. He was having a great time with his uncle though the subterfuge he was engaged in did distract from the fun. Many times he had almost confessed everything to his uncle but it seemed every time he started to, a now familiar voice in his head convinced him it was not a good idea. So he had continued to live a sort of double life. One that by day sat in the basement chattering non-stop to a sick animal and by night played card games and board games with his uncle. The secrecy was exhausting!

He had also picked up some chores in the last few days. To prevent his uncle from finding the wolf in the basement, Ricky had taken up doing the laundry. His uncle had seemed very appreciative of Ricky volunteering to do this chore which in turn made Ricky feel a bit guilty. He hadn't offered to help only out of the goodness of his heart. To make up for that Ricky had also volunteered to vacuum the swimming pool and take out the trash. He hoped that made up for any unavoidable dishonesty on his part.

Uncle Steve had also introduced him to a couple of his closest friends. Their names had been Gary and Clara Stuttle. They had been Uncle Steve's friends since high school. Clara was a sweet, middle-aged woman with greying blonde hair and green eyes while her husband was a nice man with a thick head of brown hair and bright blue eyes that shone with playful mirth. The couple had been high school sweethearts who had later married after college. They had told Ricky several hilarious stories about his Uncle Steve that had made Ricky giggle. They had also shared stories of his uncle's bravery, loyalty, and compassion. It had made him see his uncle in a new light. It had made Ricky love him even more. That growing affection made the deceit he was perpetuating against his uncle a little more of a bitter pill to swallow.

Despite that one dishonesty, Ricky made sure every other minute he spent with his uncle was as truthful and as sincere as he could make it. He deeply appreciated his uncle's invitation for the summer and he would do everything he could to show him that appreciation.

During the day, only after his uncle left for work, did Ricky spend time with his wolf. 'His' wolf. Ricky had started thinking of him that way. Ricky talked to him and stroked him, and watched over him. He felt bonded to him. Silly, especially since the wolf had not opened his eyes since the first day, but Ricky did not care. There was something about nurturing a vulnerable being, harboring him, lying for him. He was no longer just a wild animal to Ricky nor was he Ricky's pet. He was just... his.

Every day since the wolf had entered his life, Ricky would make his way carefully down the wooden basement steps to visit his wolf. Ricky always approached him carefully. Only when the wolf did not open his eyes would Ricky attend to his wound. The speed with which the wolf healed had astounded Ricky. As of today it was no longer bleeding and would no longer require bandaging. The water bowl had also, once again, remained full today. Ricky's fears that the wolf could be suffering from dehydration had grown.