Leara walked along a path with a bag of groceries. Suddenly a potato fell out and bounced along the ground. She bent to retrieve it when a sudden movement caught her eye. She looked up to see a flash of fur and fangs coming at her. She let out a scream and dropped the bag as she covered herself with her arms. She waited for the feel of teeth in her flesh but it never came.
Cautiously she lowered her arms and looked to see a dog looking at her. A sad look seemed to cross its face before it took off. Leara looked for the dog then gave up. She began to gather up the spilled groceries unaware that the dog was watching her from a shadowed alcove. She finished retrieving the groceries and started back up the path. The dog had really scared her.
She pushed it from her mind as she reached her dad's old truck. She climbed inside and waited for him to return. She checked over the food and saw that none of it had gotten damaged from their fall to the ground. The dog filled her mind as she sat there. It had been runty and she could see the hint of ribs poking from its coat. She had never seen a dog with his coloring though.
It had been light reddish-brown and she remembered that it had yellow eyes. Eyes that looked more predatory than any dog's she had come across. She shook her head and grumped about it all being in her head. Dogs weren't that dangerous. It just had been hungry and she had frightened it off. That was what she told herself at any rate.
Toboe watched the girl from a distance. He felt his stomach protest but he ignored it. The girl had captured his full attention. He had never been that close to a human girl before. He slid behind the crate when the girl's father showed up. The man was carrying a large box and heaved it into the back of the truck. Toboe took that as his cue to leave. Maybe he would find Tsume. The grey wolf knew more about humans than he did. With that in mind, the small wolf ran off to find him.
He looked around the domed city until he found Tsume walking along a path high up. He made the climb in a couple of jumps and tagged after the wolf. He had learned to be quiet until Tsume acknowledged his presence.
"What do you want?" The grey wolf snarled.
Toboe let the hostility pass and replied, "What do you know about humans?"
"That they're a damned nuisance and are better left alone."
"But you run with a pack of them."
"I don't tag along like some mutt! I'm their leader and they follow without question."
Toboe looked away with a pursed expression. The grey always got his fur in a bunch when he mentioned the humans he moved with.
"Why are you asking anyway?" Tsume turned and eyed the young wolf.
Toboe felt his fur bristle with the close scrutiny, "None of your business!"
Tsume leaned away with a wolf smile that bared all his teeth, "You're right pup, it's none of my business you get killed over some humans."
He was about to retort but the grey was already gone. The young wolf fumed. What did Tsume know anyway? He was just a bully. Toboe leaned against a wall and scuffed his boot. He wanted the girl to like him. He found it a little strange because he had always wanted to be with his own kind. If the surly wolf, Tsume counted as such.
As he leaned there an idea formed in his head. Why couldn't he get her to like him? He could just be human around her. Then he ran into a problem. He didn't know her name or where she lived. Her family could be nomads who wandered from domed city to domed city. He thumped his head against his forearm and called himself three times the fool.
If he hadn't of been in such a hurry for a quick meal he might've learned something about her. He wandered along and kept berating himself. Then another idea came to mind. If she lived in this city then it stood to reason that she would return to the market again. He would just have to wait. But should he meet her in his true form or in his human disguise? The memory of her terrified face filled his mind.
Maybe he shouldn't meet her again. He paced in his indecision. On the one hand if he met her in his human guise he might slip up and she would discover that he was a wolf. But if he met her in his wolf form she could easily run screaming and he'd end up in huge trouble. He sat as frustration set in. Why did he feel compelled to make this girl his friend anyway? She had run off in terror and yet he couldn't help himself. Just something about her called to him.
He would find a way to befriend her. That was that.