𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔦𝔠 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔟𝔢 𝔡𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔰, hosie

running wild, 7

Hope was running through the woods in wolf form. It was the first time since her wolf decided Josie was her ideal mate that she had been able to run free without the fear of ending up in a different town. Now that she understood what her subconscious had been trying to tell her, she was one with her wolf again.

She was a little nervous at first, which is why she had Penelope cast a boundary spell around the back acres. It gave her just enough room to test the theory, while still giving her room to stretch her legs. So far, she felt normal.

She felt the bond between her and Josie much stronger while in that form. She could feel that Josie was sleeping soundly in her room. Hope longed to be with her, but the tug that had plagued her while Josie had been in Europe was gone. She knew where she was, and she was certain that she was safe and sound. She even knew that Josie was dreaming peacefully.

Hope spent an hour chasing one animal after the next, never actually catching them, despite being able to. She just wanted to play tonight, not eat. She would have spent longer, but Penelope was waiting for her at the old mill.

She returned to the mill and gave a little howl to alert Penelope of her presence. She couldn't go any further until Penelope dropped the boundary spell. A few moments later, her friend exited the mill, with Hope's clothing in hand. "About damn time," she grumbled. She waited for Hope to change back, as per Hope's orders, just in case her wolf decided to make a break for it, then dropped the barrier spell. "I was beginning to worry you broke free."

Hope took her clothing and quickly changed. "Sorry, I wanted to run for a little."

"You back to normal?" Penelope asked.

"The bond's stronger when I'm in wolf form, but I don't feel the tug to go to Josie," Hope answered. "At least not like it was before we knew what was happening. I can feel that she is peacefully sleeping, which puts my wolf at ease."

"Is it weird being tied to someone else?"

"Yeah," Hope replied. "But at the same time, I feel complete. Like this is how it was always supposed to be. The stronger the bond grows, the more complete I feel."

"How is Josie dealing with it?" Penelope asked softly.

"She feels okay with it," Hope answered. "We haven't really talked about what it means. I think she's content with just exploring our relationship. The bond is a separate entity at the moment."

"What are you going to do for your date tomorrow?"

Hope smiled widely, "I convinced Dr. Saltzman to let me take her into town. A simple dinner and a movie. Like normal teenagers who aren't connected by a magical bond."

"How'd you manage that?"

Hope chuckled, "I enlisted Caroline's help. She's going to take us into town, and then go visit the Salvatores." She smiled as she thought about her plans for her date. She actually had this whole romantic evening planned but felt a little awkward about sharing the details with Penelope. "So, hey..."

"Don't," Penelope warned. "I told you we're good. You don't have to keep checking to make sure that hasn't changed, because it hasn't."

"I know, but still... I just want to make sure you're okay. You know, in a general, 'I'm your best friend and you just had your heart crushed, and I want to make sure you're alright because I love you and I'm dating the girl who crushed your heart,' kind of way."

"Say that three times fast," Penelope joked. She grabbed Hope's arm, halting their steps for a moment. "I'm okay Hope. I promise. I knew she was never going to take me back, but I got my hopes up. You though, you've been great, and I'm choosing to focus on our friendship and your relationship with her, rather than the past."