IV. Grandma
Wolfrun's heart pounded in his ears. He stood behind the group, but he was still visible due to his height. Mrs. Hoshizora would see him straight away for sure. How would she react? Going off of what Miyuki said, she'd most likely be happy, if not a bit surprised. Nothing to worry about.
Then why am I so worried?
The footsteps came closer, stopping presumably in front of the thin, sliding door (what was with these Earth doors anyhow? No privacy! They were almost like paper!). Any moment now.
Sliding steadily aside, the door revealed the older woman, a warm smile on her face as she gazed into her granddaughter's eyes. Wolfrun had not actually seen her this close before, since his last encounter was at a fair distance. He swallowed, inadvertently creating a bit of noise. Mrs. Hoshizora looked up and saw the giant wolf man standing behind her granddaughter's friends, prompting a small gasp as she raised her hand to her mouth. She quickly recovered, however, her pleasant smile returning. "Excuse me girls, but I would like to properly introduce myself to your friend here." The small group parted, allowing the elderly lady to pass through. Wolfrun stepped back at first but willed himself to stay. He tried his hardest to repress all the negative feelings he had felt during their initial meeting.
Stopping in front of him, she bowed slightly. Wolfrun understood that this was some sort of human greeting, and he returned as best he could. "It's so good to see you again, Mr. Wolfrun. I'm sorry you had to leave so soon last time."
If she knew what really happened, would she be sorry?
"That's...I'm...good to see you as well, Mrs. Hozi...Hozishi..."
Crap! I forgot her name!
"It's Hoshizora, sweetie, but you may call me grandma while you're here." Her smile persisted. Was she ever not smiling?
"I'd...prefer not to." Wolfrun definitely did not want to get into the details of why he could not refer to her as "grandma".
"Ah, well then just call me Tae. I can call you by your given name as well, if you wish."
"My what?"
"Is Wolfrun your surname? Or is that your given name?"
"I-It's my name. My name is Wolfrun." How confusing. More human malarkey, no doubt.
"Oh, alright Wolfrun. It's a lovely name." She turned her attention to the rest of the group, focusing on Candy, who was still held by Yayoi. "And I see your other friend has returned as well. I don't believe I ever caught her name..."
Miyuki suddenly panicked. "B-but grandma, that's just a stuffed animal! Hahaha!" she slowly inched her way to where Yayoi was standing.
"Oh come now, Miyuki. How can you tell me that your little friend here isn't real while Wolfrun is standing right there?" Tae got to the fairy before Miyuki could snatch her up. "What's your name, little one?"
Of course Candy was a wound up ball of energy ready to burst at this point. "I'm Candy! And Candy loves grandma!" The small fairy shot out of Yayoi's arms and onto Tae, attempting to hug her with her tiny arms, and she hugged back as best she could, what with Candy being tiny and all.
All the girls laughed at the exchange, even Miyuki, who had relaxed a bit. Candy crawled on top of Tae's head and nestled into her hair. "While you get settled in up there, Candy, I'll go inside and get the food set out. You all arrived just in time, it seems!" She retreated into the house, followed by the five girls.
With everyone gone, Wolfrun was able to better smell the pleasant aroma permeating from inside, beckoning him in. He had to duck a bit under the doorway, but once inside the scent grew stronger, reminding him how hungry he actually was. He stumbled over a pair of shoes on the ground and remembered to remove his as well (and damn were they a lot easier to remove than his boots!).
Tae's house was fairly small, but that made sense for a single person living in the mountains. A short table sat in the center of the room with an oscillating fan keeping watch in the corner. Next to a television.
Okay I really need to see if I can get my hands on one of those.
Wolfrun approached the table, where the Precure were already sitting, chatting idly. They all knelt down on what looked like pillows. He circled the table to one of the empty spots next to Reika and Yayoi. He attempted to kneel down just as they were, but realized he still towered over the table. With a grunt, he maneuvered into a sitting position with his legs crossed. He released a sigh as he slid the bag off of his shoulder and onto the floor next to him. Yayoi started to giggle.
"What're you on about?" Wolfrun stretched his arms out and yawned after asking.
Yayoi appeared startled at first, most likely due to Wolfrun's tone. He just tended to sound irritated a lot. Perhaps another factor that made people afraid of him? She quickly snapped out of it, however. "It's just...you're so BIG compared to everyone else at the table. I just thought it was funny. Sorry." She turned to say something to Miyuki, whose attention was then turned to him.
"Hey Wolfrun, do you have a zabuton?" she asked while craning her neck upwards as if trying to see the floor next to him.
"Huh?"
"A, uh, a cushion. To sit on." Miyuki raised her hands in front of her as if to squeeze an imaginary pillow.
"No, actually." Wolfrun had suddenly become aware of how uncomfortable he was sitting there. The floor was now unacceptable. He needed this "zabuton".
At that moment grandma Tae walked into the room, two plates in her hand. Candy jumped down from her head and sat on the table as the old woman addressed her wolf guest. "Oh, I'll have to go get you one. Hold on one moment, please." She set the plates down, revealing inarizushi and cobs of corn. "Miyuki, dear, would you please go fetch the tea and plates while I get Wolfrun his zabuton?" She disappeared as Miyuki got up and headed into the kitchen.
Wolfrun grabbed the nearest foodstuff, which happened to be some of the corn. He realized it was a bit too hot after sinking his teeth into it, but he did not care.
"Eh, guess we really don't need plates for corn on the cob." Akane followed suit, grabbing a cob, followed by Yayoi and Nao. "Wolfrun, ever have corn on the cob before? What human foods have you been missing out on?"
Wolfrun spoke with a mouth half-full of corn. "What, you think I've been eating leaves or something? I've eaten human food all my life." He went in for another bite before stopping. "Besides, what makes corn human food anyway? It grows and you eat it. Animals eat corn. Everyone eats corn."
"Got me there, big guy." Wolfrun snorted at the nick name.
Miyuki and Tae happened to step into the room simultaneously. Miyuki had fetched a tray for the tea, which also had cups, plates, and chopsticks. Tae moved towards Wolfrun and handed him a larger zabuton. "Here you go. This is the one Miyuki's grandfather used. It's a bit bigger than the other ones, but even that may not be enough..."
Wolfrun set the corn down and grabbed the cushion from Tae, slipping it beneath him, making a world of difference. He let out a sigh of contentment, tail swaying lazily. The apprehensiveness he felt before was seeping out. He returned to eating his corn.
Miyuki began to set the plates, chopsticks laying across each one. Once everyone was set up they began to pick out the inarizushi using the chopsticks. Wolfrun placed his own in his hands the best he could and attempted to emulate what the others were doing. It proved quite difficult though, as he could not get a grip on any of them. There were a few giggles and Wolfrun let out a frustrated growl. He gave up, putting a chopstick into each of his hands and spearing a few on each before depositing them onto his plate.
"Wolfrun." Reika's soft voice broke through his sudden desire to impale food. "Would you like me to teach you how to properly use chopsticks?" The look on her face was friendly, yet laced with concern.
"I know how to hold 'em. Just not so much the picking up the food part." He speared a roll and popped it into his mouth. "This seems to work for me."
Reika looked annoyed, an expression that did not sit on her face naturally. "It will not work for rice or noodles though. You need to learn this sooner or later. Here..." She held out her hand with the chopsticks. "You hold the bottom stick with your thumb and support it with your ring finger. Your index and middle finger will be used to hold the other stick, almost like a pencil. Hold it firm, but do not grip too hard, and try to make it so the ends are even." She looked back up at Wolfrun, who was simply staring at her. He poked another roll and put it into his mouth. She sighed, but the others found it quite amusing.
"Hey Wolfrun, you won't hafta use chopsticks if I make you some more of my okonomiyaki. You ate those things whole!" Akane pointed at him with the aforementioned utensils before using them to pick up some food.
That got his attention. "Wait, seriously? You wanna make more for me? I really love your okonomiyaki!" It had been a long time, but he still remembered how delicious it was.
Akane chortled while trying to get her inarizushi down. "Well, it wasn't for you the first time, bucko. But yeah, if you love it so much I'll whip you up some more. Only if you describe to me, in glorious, painstaking detail, why you love them so much." She finished by leaning back and putting her arms behind her head for about three seconds before realizing it was an uncomfortable position, so she went back to simply eating her food.
Wolfrun laughed as well, although he was a bit embarrassed about how straightforward he was with his love of her cooking. "Whenever you're making them, I'll be eating them!"
Unbeknownst to Wolfrun, Tae had been watching him throughout the exchange. "You have such a lovely smile. I'm so glad to see it."
"Oh, uh. Thanks." He really didn't know where that statement came from. He hadn't even noticed that he was smiling.
"If you don't mind me asking, where do you come from?"
Miyuki interjected before he could respond. "Oh, grandma! I've already told you! He lives deep in the woods." She looked at Wolfrun and gave him a sort of pleading look. "And he's been gone recently. Because he likes to travel." She coughed softly after her explanation, her eyes still lingering on Wolfrun.
"Oh, well that sounds lovely! Where did you go?" Tae asked while lacing her fingers, placing her chin on top of them.
Miyuki leaned forward and looked at Wolfrun more directly, with a bit of worry. After a bit of a pause he answered. "Oh I, uh, I went to the...city." Tae continued to look at him expectantly. "And, I uh, ...I also went to the...the ocean." He punctuated this by taking a bite out of his corn.
"Oh. You were there for an entire year?" The older woman sounded confused, but she was still smiling.
"Yeah" he managed with his mouth full of corn. Maybe if he kept eating she would excuse him for refraining to speak.
"And people treated you well?" No such luck. Wolfrun pondered over how to answer.
Before he could respond, Yayoi burst out, "Wolfrun! Did you eat those noodles at my house?" He wasn't sure if this was a serious issue or if Yayoi had just looked for a way to change the subject. Either way, it worked.
"Yeah I did. They were pretty good."
"Wolfruuuuuuuuun!" her cheeks puffed out and she looked quite cross. "Those were for my mom! What am I supposed to tell her? That some big werewolf guy ate them?"
He shrugged. "I guess so. Hey, I wasn't about to starve to death in your house."
"Oh you would have been fine!" Nao piped in. "I swear you're like a big, furry kid."
Wolfrun responded to this by crossing his arms, closing his eyes, turning his chin up, and going "Hrmph", which everyone at the table seemed to find hilarious.
After the ruckus died down Yayoi sighed. "Alright Wolfrun, I'll take the blame for eating those noodles, but that means you have to do something for me, okay?"
"What do you want me to do?"
"I'll figure it out later. Deal?"
"...fine. Deal."
Adequately distracted, Tae seemed to notice that everyone had finished up their food, so she moved to collect all the dishes. "So what are you all going to do now? There's only a few hours of sunlight, after all."
"Oh yeah! Nao, I wanna show you that field I think would be great for soccer. You remembered to bring your ball, right?" Miyuki stood up to help with the dishes as she said this, only to be waved off by her grandmother.
"I sure do! How far away is it? We should get going before it gets too dark."
"Only about a ten minute walk. We'll be there in a jiffy!" Miyuki walked over to Wolfrun and put a hand on his shoulder. "Do you wanna play with us? We can teach you how. It won't be a formal game or anything. Loose rules."
"Ehh, I don't see why not. I've seen some soccer before. You just...kick the ball away from other people who are trying to kick the ball, right?"
Nao, who had retrieved her bag and slung it over her shoulder, approached him. "That's...not all you do, but I guess that's what it looks like to an observer." She looked around to all the other girls, who had started to get up and mill around. "So are we all ready to head out now?"
"Yeah, just let me help grandma clean up." Miyuki once again attempted to aid the woman.
"Now now, dear, I am perfectly capable of doing this myself. Please, go with your friends."
"Alright. Thanks for the meal!" Miyuki moved over to where the shoes lay, followed by the others.
"Yeah, thanks a bunch gramma!" Akane seemed to have accepted Tae's invitation to call her that. The other girls and Candy all thanked her for the food.
"Yeah, thanks." Wolfrun then added. "Heh, makes me wish I didn't...could have stayed last time to eat." Thinking further about it, he wished he could somehow contact his past self. Let him know that if he dropped all the hostilities and had just relaxed for a moment, he would have been able to find the friends he so sorely needed.
Of course, I wasn't myself back then. Not really. He wouldn't have listened.
Tae's soft voice snapped him out of his hypothetical time traveling. "Well, I'm glad you were able to make it back, and I look forward to getting to know you more."
"Yeah, me too." His face felt hot.
Tae disappeared with the dishes and the group put their shoes on.
Reika brushed her hand over Wolfrun's back. "Wolfrun, when you said 'me too' in response to Mrs. Hoshizora's wish to get to know you better, you implied that you would also like to begin to know yourself more." She sounded serious, but her grin indicated that she was mostly joking.
"Sh-shut up!"
The group headed out the back door, where Wolfrun had encountered the Precure eating lunch two years ago. Seeing it again did not seem to upset him, though. They took a left into a partially wooded path as Miyuki lead the way.
And without warning, Candy jumped in front of Wolfrun's face. "Wolfrun seems very happy! Is Wolfrun happy?" Yayoi had delivered the fairy to his position.
Although the wolf's reaction to the small creature was usually annoyance, he responded with a grin this time. "Yeah, I am!"
"You seemed really sad in Märchenland. Candy is glad that the Precure were able to cheer you up!" She then jumped from Yayoi's hands onto his shoulder. This was the first time Candy had used him for personal transport (something she did often with other people, it seemed), so he was taken aback at first.
"Were you really that upset in Märchenland?" Yayoi had positioned herself to the left of Wolfrun after Candy left her grasp. Being the shortest of the girls, she had to really crane her neck upwards to look at him on the narrow path.
"There were good days. There were bad days. But most days were just...empty. I really don't wanna talk about it. Let's keep going."
Akane pulled up to his right. "Whatever you say, wolfguy. Just remember that we'll always be around to talk to ya." She playfully punched him on the arm. He flinched a bit, recalling the times she had hit him full force. Which reminded him...
"Hey, can you guys still transform? I saw that Yayoi still had her Smile Pact in her room."
"Nope." Akane's response was almost instant. "We all tried, but no dice. Seems all the power was drained with the defeat of Pierrot."
"Hey, I'm not complaining!" Nao was a few steps ahead of them, but had been listening nonetheless. "I'll admit, all that Precure stuff was pretty fun, and hell, we all met because of it, but I'm glad that we're back to just being regular teenagers again." She turned her attention forward and called to Miyuki. "Hey Miyu! How much further?"
"Ah, we just have to get up this hill! C'mon guys!"
The incline wasn't too steep, but it was long enough to cause some fatigue as well as a sense of accomplishment once the top was reached. Down below, a fairly large field could be seen, flanked by the forest. The setting sun illuminated the scene with a golden glow.
"Down there guys! Doesn't it look great for soccer?" Miyuki seemed proud of herself.
"It sure does! C'mon guys let's go!" Nao shot down the hill, the other girls following one by one.
Wolfrun stood and stared until Akane called back "Beat ya down the hill, big guy!"
Wolfrun looked to the fairy on his shoulder. She looked a bit worried. "What do you say, Candy? Think you can hang on?"
"Candy doesn't thi-"
"OH WELL!" Wolfrun took off, throwing Candy off his shoulder. She ended up grabbing onto his long hair. His long legs carried him swiftly down the path, first passing Yayoi, then Reika, then Miyuki. Akane and Nao were almost near the bottom, but he was determined to beat them. Or at least Akane. Seemed that their former rivalry had carried into their budding friendship as well.
Candy still hung from his hair, screaming with what seemed to be horror as well as excitement. Near the end of the hill there was a large rock to the left of the path. Wolfrun adjusted his course there. At his current pace he would never make it in time. But...
Why the hell am I doing this?
Once he was in front of the boulder, he leaped up on it, using it to propel himself up and over the two other girls, who did not even notice him until he crashed onto the ground in front of them.
"Oh my gosh!" Nao was startled by his sudden arrival while Akane just burst out laughing. Wolfrun had landed mostly on his feet, but his momentum had ultimately lead him straight onto the ground. Candy had miraculously managed to hang on.
Akane barely recovered from her laughing fit to congratulate him. "I gotta give it to ya! You won that one! I didn't think you'd be that determined to be honest. I was mostly jokin about racing!"
Wolfrun was in a strange lying/sitting position on the ground. "That's one!" He held up his right arm and extended his index finger. He was a bit winded. "One time I've beaten you!" He slowly rose to his feet and dusted off his clothes. "I had to get at least one."
Once everyone had gathered again they headed out into the field. Nao stopped the group as they reached the center, dropping the ball onto the ground and resting her foot on it. "Alright, there's six of us, so that means we need to come up with teams of three."
"What about Candy?" The fairy had relocated to Miyuki's arms and looked worried.
"She's right. We need to find a way for Candy to play." the girl holding her was adamant.
She's about as big as the ball...
Reika voiced her concerns. "I am not sure that would be safe for you, Candy. Soccer can be quite a physical sport. We do not want you to get stepped on." Candy responded by looking sadder.
"We can't just leave her out! I know how that feels, and I would never do it to one of my friends!" Yayoi passionately spouted. "Candy, you can be on my team, okay?"
"Alright, alright, the teams will be a bit uneven, but we can work with it. And Candy, if at any time you feel scared or you get hurt, just tell us, okay?" Nao then stood apart from the rest of them and pointed at Akane. "You will be captain of one team and I'll be captain of the other, okay?"
"Ugh really? This is the kinda stuff they do in school." Akane sighed, but went to stand next to Nao nonetheless. "And now we're gonna pick our teams, right?"
"Yup, you got it!" Nao turned her attention to the gathering in front of her. "Wolfrun, you'll be on my team. You can be goalie, since that's a pretty simple position to wrap your head around."
"Um, alright, sure." He stood there for a second until Nao beckoned him over.
"Since we don't actually have any goals, we'll have to improvise, of course. I've got stuff in my bag for that."
"Okay." Wolfrun did not know what she was talking about.
"Alright, my turn." Akane rubbed her chin to emulate deep thought. "Well I'd be a fool to pass up Yayoi and Candy, since that would give me more players on my team." The two of them walked over to Akane, followed by Miyuki.
"Miyu, she didn't pick you yet!"
"Pff. I know you're gonna pick Reika! The two of you have known each other since, what, birth?"
"More or less." Reika wore her trademark warm smile and moved to join Nao and Wolfrun.
"Alright, I'll set up the goals." Nao reached into her bag and pulled out four small, bright yellow cones. She set two of them on the ground about four meters apart and handed the other two to Akane. "Alright Wolfrun. As goalie, you have to try to stop the ball from getting between those two cones. If the ball comes towards you you can pick it up, kick it, whatever. Just get it away from the goal. You said you've watched soccer before, so you must have a basic understanding of what's going on." She patted him on the arm and walked over to the others.
Wolfrun digested all the information he was given. It seemed easy enough. Stop a ball. How hard could that be?
Apparently, pretty damn hard. Once the game was underway Wolfrun realized that the small black-spotted sphere was really difficult to keep track of. Whenever Akane managed to break through the defense, she sent the ball soaring past him and in between the cones.
"C'mon Wolfrun, you're a big guy! Use those long legs!" Akane was obviously having a good time with this.
When the ball was not threatening Wolfrun's personal space, it was out in the field where the girls juggled it around. It all looked confusing and exhausting and he honestly did not mind being excluded. Candy weaved in and out of the girls' legs and hit the ball full force with her body to move it. Quite the spectacle to behold. Wolfrun was entertained solely by watching the small creature fling herself every which way.
Opposite of him, Yayoi held the same position of goalie. She seemed to be a bit more successful than he was, but a few kicks flew by her.
How is she doing better than me? She's like, half my size.
Wolfrun started thinking about how long one would have to practice soccer in order to play it competently. Was he supposed to stand before a barrage of soccer balls flying at him for hours on end just to be able to be an adequate goalie?
Stupid human game.
"Aye! Head's up, spacey!" Akane once more. Wolfrun looked up, seeing a whirling blur of white and black headed straight for him. His arms moved up to protect his face but ended up catching the ball in the process. The Precure cheered and clapped. This was silly.
Wolfrun groaned and set the ball on the ground and took a few steps back. Everyone else stopped celebrating his accidental catch and began to move back, anticipating the imminent kick. He stared at the ball, then his foot, and back at the ball again. He moved backward some more until he was about six meters away from it. He had something planned.
"Ultra..." he took one more step back, but stayed tense. The others continued to predict where the ball would land.
"...Wolfrun..." all the potential energy within him was ready to be released. Yayoi looked worried.
"...special..." he released himself from the previous pose, making his way towards the ball in a jog which soon became a short sprint. The girls all tensed up.
"KIIIIIIIICK!" his foot connected with the ball, sending it rocketing into the sky with unbelievable velocity.
Akane started to laugh while Nao shouted "Are you kidding me?!" as it flew over the treeline. Wolfrun simply stared at the point where the ball disappeared, honestly impressed that he was able to do that.
There should be a sport where all you do is kick a ball reeeeally far.
"Wolfrun, you're coming with me." Someone grabbed his arm and began pulling. Nao had closed the distance between them very quickly.
"Huh? What?"
"You kicked that ball, my only ball, by the way, so you're gonna at least help look for it!" She led him towards the woods. "You all stay here, we'll be right back. It couldn't have gotten too far."
"I'll come too!" Miyuki joined the two of them as they passed by her.
The forest wasn't too dense. One could see inside fairly far before the trees became too thick. However, with dusk approaching, it was likely not to stay that way. The three of them entered and began to prod around. Wolfrun sniffed the air.
"Oh, can you, like, smell the ball? Are you gonna track it?" Miyuki was suddenly in front of him, gazing up with bright eyes.
"N-no. It just smells nice here, I think." For some reason he felt too embarrassed to reveal that searching for the scent of the ball was exactly what he was doing. He continued to sniff and caught a whiff of grass, sneakers, and a strange, synthetic scent. Must be what the ball was made of. He moved toward the scent, leaving the other two to search fruitlessly.
The ball hung precariously between two branches. With a bit of a leap, Wolfrun was able to dislodge it and catch it. He returned to Nao and Miyuki, who looked at him in surprise.
"Oh, you already found it! How did you-"
"You DID sniff it out, didn't you?" Miyuki interrupted Nao quite loudly.
Wolfrun simply stated "No" and exited the forest. The sun had dipped under one of the hills and the field faded from gold to blue. The others had gathered around Nao's soccer bag, chatting. The owner of the bag gathered up the makeshift goals as Miyuki and her wolf companion joined the group.
Yayoi appeared surprised. "Wow, you guys found that pretty quick! I was sure it would have flown straight into Mrs. Hoshizora's backyard! Wolfrun, that kick was so amazing!"
"Yeah, too bad we weren't playin on a full-sized field. In an actual game that woulda been something else!" Even Akane was impressed with Wolfrun's ridiculous kick.
"Heh, well, it was really more trouble than it was worth." he said while rubbing his arm. He realized then that he was not apt at receiving compliments.
Nao soon arrived to deposit her stuff into her bag, which she then threw over her shoulder. "Alright gang, time to head back."
Up over the hill and down once more, they headed into the woods that lead back to Tae's house. And Wolfrun felt good, despite still feeling hot from the now absent sun. He was happy and content. He was in the company of people who would call him their friend and likewise. Of course, he understood that Akaoni, Majorina, Wolfun, and Red were all his friends too, and considered him one as well. But the excitement of having new friends and actually doing things with them. It felt good.
I feel good.
Of course it wouldn't last.
Miyuki snickered next to him. He had not even noticed she was there until now.
"Hm? What's so funny?"
"Nothing. It's just that." She giggled again and then nudged him. "Red and the Wolf, heading through the woods to her grandma's house."
Wolfrun felt like ice and his stomach turned as he clenched his fists.
Let it go just let it go. Let it go let it go let it go let it go let it go it's fine it's fine it's fine just let it go let it go let it go let it go it's fine I'll be fine just let it go I can't let it go.
"JUST!" his sudden bark alerted everybody else, stopping them in their tracks. He grabbed his head and squeezed. "STOP! JUST STOP IT DAMMIT! I'M SICK OF THIS CRAP! I'M NOT HIM, I NEVER WAS HIM, I NEVER WANTED TO BE HIM!" He felt himself start to fall over but he extended a leg out to prevent it. He removed his shaking hands from his face. "I'M NOT SOME CHARACTER WHOSE LIFE IS JUST...WRITTEN OUT IN SOME BOOK!" By this point Miyuki and the others had retreated some distance away. "I SHOULD HAVE ENDED THIS WORLD WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE! WOULD HAVE SAVED ME A WHOLE LOT OF PAIN!"
Shit. That was too much.
His own words seemed to have snapped him out of his rage, as he steadily drew his gaze to meet the Precures'. They all looked terrified. Of him. They were scared of him, no doubt. Just like when they first met.
Nothing has changed. This is just who I am. No amount of acting nice is going to stop it. I'm a horrible monster who can only bring pain.
He stepped backwards before turning around and walking briskly down the path. The walk turned into a run when he heard the voices behind him. He couldn't bear to listen what they would say to him. He needed to get away from them.
He made it to Tae's house fairly fast at the pace he took, which in turn tired him out quite a bit. As did his previous tirade. He put his hands on his knees and panted as he stood in front of the small house. Now what?
Tae seemed to have taken notice of his presence, as she opened up the back door soon after he arrived. "Hello, Wolfrun! Did you run all the way here? Are you all having a race?"
"No, no, it's just...I'm just..." He regained what was left of his composure. "I'm tired. I'm really tired. Is there anyplace I can sleep?"
"Why, yes, of course! I just finished setting up the sleeping mats in the guest room. It's fairly cool in there and I have the fan on, so you should be quite comfortable, even with all of your fur! Come in, I'll show you. Are the girls coming soon?"
"Yeah, they should be."
"Alright then." She smiled sweetly at him. She did not know what he had just done. He took his shoes off by the entrance and followed her into the room where six sleeping mats laid.
"Thank you, Tae." He wanted desperately to seek comfort from her, but he knew he did not deserve it. He would probably end up hurting her anyway. He began to remove his pants, causing an "oop!" noise from Tae, who quickly slid the door shut. Good. He folded the pants and placed them next to one of the mats, which he then slipped into, pulling the thin blanket over him and curling into the fetal position.
All he could think about were their faces. His shouting. The pure anger he felt. Now replaced only with a hollow feeling. He laid there with his thoughts, eventually merging with the bed and disappearing. He no longer felt corporeal. He thought he heard more voices outside at one point, but he no longer understood the language. The door opened, maybe. A hand on the shoulder he no longer had. It retreated after it realized he was not there.
The barrier between sleep and consciousness was indistinguishable, but he drifted off nonetheless.