The gentle wind, blowing through the trees that surround her, muffle her already silent footsteps as she walks to the creek that always babbles down the hill from her three room cabin. She touches each one as if she is greeting an old friend while her sister's old cat, Buttercup walks on the moss covered walkway ahead of her. He reaches the sitting area that overlooks the creek before she does, and jumps up into what had once been Mitch's chair. He is gone now, so it belongs to Buttercup.
She sets down her laptop on the stone table, and spreads her blanket on the wicker love seat in the sitting area that Mitch had surprised her with on their first anniversary. Spring is arriving, and her neck of the woods is waking up, but that also means it's still a little chilly out here. She is seeking that spring chill to help wake her up this morning. There are several benefits to being a widow whose husband died while climbing power poles to check on lines. The biggest one was after she settled with the power company; she never has to work again. She is content, for the most part, to be up here on the side of this mountain, alone. After all, she is in negotiations with two different publishers for her second novel that before Mitch died, she never would have attempted to write the first one.
She tries not think about how lonely she is.
She opens up her lap top, and goes to the last chapter of her second novel. She starts reading over it again so she can continue polishing it before she sends it to her editors, Stacey and Jennifer, to look over. Its only when Buttercup meows softly that she looks up. There, standing on top of the hill behind the cat, is the adolescent wolf pup that has been coming by. Sometimes she sees him every day, and other times it could be a week or two in between visits.
They lock eyes, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she knows that she shouldn't be looking at the silver timber wolf in the eyes, but she can't stop. And he isn't looking away either. She clicks her tongue, and is rewarded when he slowly wags his tail. She reaches into her pocket for the bag of bacon scraps left over from her breakfast.
"Come here pup," she softly calls to him. He answers her by coming down the hill but stops when he is within a couple of feet. "Come on," she says in the baby voice she has caught herself using when he comes by. "Its bacon, and I know that you like bacon."
She sees his nostrils flare and his sides expand as he smells her offering. She can also see his almost human like, Carolina blue eyes. He wags his tail again, comes closer to her, and gently takes the bacon from her hand. He swallows it in two bites, and sits down as if he is asking for more. She chuckles, and the wolf tilts his head and wags his tail. It's been so long since she has felt like laughing that the sound of it surprises even her. She smiles at her friend, and he opens his mouth and his tongue comes rolling out as if he is smiling with her.
"Yes, I have a little bit more for you," she says as she gives him another bite. He takes it gently, and this time he rubs his entire length against her. Then he turns and pants a happy sort of smile at her.
She slowly reaches out and scratches behind his ears, and he leans against her hand, still seeming to smile. "You just wanted me to pet you today, didn't you?" she asks. "You know, if any of your pack were to see you, they would probably tease you about getting a human to pet you, wouldn't they?"
He stills under her hand, like he actually understood her. He closes his mouth, and she is surprised that she misses his wolfie smile. He then looks around the woods, as if he is looking for someone. She gently cups his face, and rubs his ears again. "Hey, pup, I was only kidding. They wouldn't tease you. They would probably want me to scratch them too."
She can see the tension leave his body, and he smiles. "Why does it seem like you can really understand me?" she wonders out loud. His only answer is another bump against her legs. She doesn't take her hand off of his back, but he continues walking under her fingers, so they can trail on his back.
"You know it's been a year since Mitch died. I know that I shouldn't be up here on this mountain all by myself, but there is really nowhere else I want to be. I mean I'm only twenty-four. I should be doing anything but what I'm doing now." Buttercup meows at her from across the table. "I know, Bub. I miss her, too." She doesn't like to say the words out loud, it makes it more real that her sister, Prim, had died a year before her husband did. Tears run unchecked down her cheeks as she loses herself in the memories that haunt her young life. It isn't until she feels the love seat shift that she realizes that the wolf has jumped up beside her. She looks into his eyes, and about the time she starts to wonder how a wolf can have Carolina blue eyes, he starts to lick her tears. He gently licks her face, even though she is crying even more. She throws her arms around the wolf's neck, and sobs into his fur.
He doesn't move away, and she continues to hold onto him. She doesn't know how long she hugs him, but when she hears howls in the distance, he stiffens and shifts away from her. She watches him look toward the sound and he answers with a low growl deep in his chest. She pulls away from him, and he swings back to look at her with a whimper.
"Its ok if you have to go. I understand."
He licks her cheek again, and jumps onto the ground. He turns to look at her one last time before he bounds off into the woods.
Kpkpkpkp
He bounds through the woods still tasting her tears. He had told his father, the alpha, that he wasn't going to go to her today, but her sorrow still hangs heavy around her like a death cloak he saw one time in the family archives. When she first came to his woods, with her human mate, it was her laughter that called to him from across his woods.
He is still in his wolf form when he goes to the alpha's office. It's on the third story of the house where the majority of the pack lives. There are other members scattered about, and even the ones who live in town come by several times a week. He passes by a tall, blond haired man who looks at him crossly. "He's been waiting for you."
He growls back and continues on to the alpha. He hears voices in a heated argument and they are coming from the office before him. He only nudges the door open because as a future beta, his wolf needs to protect his alpha- even if it's from his own mother.
He sits quietly at the door while she continues to berate his father over something to do with her omegas. He jumps when his father, who has finally had enough, starts growling and transforms into his half man-half beast;. When the beast stands over his female, she bares her neck with a whimper. The alpha lets his human side take back over, and looks over to his son sitting by the door.
"Peeta, you went to see her again, didn't you?" his father, the alpha asks.
Peeta finally changes to his human form, and he stands, naked before his parents. Besides his brothers, he is one of the very few who can look the alpha in the eye. "She needed me this morning."
"Peeta!" his mother stretches. "Remember who you are."
He answers her with a growl, "I know who I am. I am your son, which means I am nothing but a pawn in your drama between the packs."
She stalks over to him and hisses, "You are the alpha's son, a prince among these wolves. That means you stay away from that human. You are going to marry Clove, the alphas daughter from the Brighton pack."
Ignoring his mother's comment, he turns to the alpha and asks, "Did you need me for something, Dad?"
"Yes, the alphas from the Johnson pack will be arriving later today. I expect you to be here to greet them and to eat dinner with us."
Peeta nods. "Is that all?"
"Yes, that's all."
Peeta turns and heads for the door, letting his wolf form take over again. He doesn't pay attention to his mother as she calls out behind him, but continues to go back to the corner of the woods where his mate sits, surrounded in a cloud of sadness.
Kpkpkpkp
The bells of the hardware store jingle behind her as she steps out onto the sidewalk. The spring sun, on her face is finally warm today, so she doesn't mind the walk down the block to the post office. She sees Madge Undersee outside of her flower shop sweeping the sidewalk.
"Hey, Katniss. How are you?" Madge asks as she stops sweeping to talk to her friend.
"I'm alright. It's a beautiful day."
"Do you want to come in for a moment? I just got some new annuals in—"
Before they could say anything else, the bells chime from the bakery next door. Madge smiles one of her easy smiles that Katniss has always been a little jealous of, and she turns to see who she is smiling at.
Standing before her is a tall young man, who stares back at her. He can't be more than fifteen or sixteen, with tousled, blond curls that are dusted with flour. Her eyes are drawn to his wide shoulders that is already developing some serious muscle under that layer of baby fat still covering him. Her gaze travels upwards, to what is going to be a very strong jaw line one day—when Madge breaks into her thoughts, "Katniss, this is Peeta Mellark. He just started working for the baker about a month ago."
Horrified that she was thinking those things about a teenager, she still takes the hand that he offers her with a shy smile. Before she can say anything, there is a strange warmth from where he touches her. It envelops her, wrapping her in a gentle hug. She looks up to meet his eyes, and gasps when she sees a set of Carolina blue eyes that somehow seem familiar.
Madge pats her on the back and asks, "Are you ok?"
Katniss pulls her hand away, and answers, "I'm fine." she looks back to Peeta. "It's nice to meet you."
She watches as the flush that starts under his shirt and travels up his neck until his entire face is beet red. He swallows hard and says, "It's so nice to meet you. You live in the cabin at the top of Wolf Laurel, don't you?"
"I do. It's a good place for me to get some work done."
She watches him swallow hard again, and his voice cracks when he asks, "What kind of work are you doing up there all by yourself?"
She tries not to think how he knows she is alone up there. "I've become a writer. I'm finishing up my second book."
She doesn't miss the way his familiar Carolina blue eyes light up. "I'll have to go look for your first book. What is it about?"
She smiles, a real, genuine smile that helps her lonely heart. "It's a modern Snow White tale. I think you will like it. I'll tell you what, I have to come back to town in a couple of days. I'll bring you a copy of the book by the bakery. How does that sound?"
He smiles, and to Katniss, it's like the sun has come out on a rainy day. "That sounds great." Something catches his eye on the sidewalk behind her, and he steps around her to pick it up. He straightens up, and hands her a bright yellow dandelion.
She has to blink back tears, because the little flower always reminds her of Prim and the crowns they would make when they were children. She takes a deep breath, willing her voice to be steady when she says, "thank you so much."
She looks back up into those eyes that she knows she has seen before, and it's Madge who interrupts when she says, "I have those plants you ordered for your father, Peeta. Can you come by after work?"
The spell is broken and Katniss looks away. "I've got to get going, Madge. Peeta, it is nice to meet you. I'll come by later with my book, ok? I'll see you in a couple of days, Madge."
"I'll see you then," he says. She gives him a shy smile and turns to continue her way to the post office.
Kpkpkpkp
Its two days later when Katniss steps out of Madge's shop and goes next door to the bakery. The bells announce her arrival, and a friendly voice calls out, "I'll be right out."
"You're fine." she answers as she steps closer to look at the baked goodness in the display case.
An older gentleman comes out with a tray of bread that he sets down on the table behind the counter. "Good afternoon. What can I get for you today?"
"I think I want some cheese buns," she holds out the book in her arms, "and I brought this by for Peeta."
The man's cheerful countenance fades. "He ran out of here yesterday saying that there was a family emergency then he called me this morning. There was a horrible accident and his entire family was killed."