Keira opened her eyes and found herself staring into a beautiful pair of deep brown eyes. She jumped, frowning at Charlie.
"You really need to stop doing that." She said, irritated.
"I can't, you're so beautiful." He said, moving his eyes around her face.
Keira gawked at him. How can he be so bold! she thought. You told him he could do what he wished another part of her mind argued.
"Your father was a wolf, wasn't he?" he asked her.
"Yes, why?" Keira asked, a little mad with herself now.
"You look like one." he commented.
"Well, thank you I guess. Most people say I look more like my father than my mother." Keira replied, caught somewhat off guard.
"Yes, very much like a wolf. Except for your body, you have a thin waist and perfect hips. Very unwolf-like. But your legs are very long, good for running. Female wolves are usually lank and stringy, not so luscious. You have the best of both worlds. No female wolf would have such beautiful breasts." he mumbled, more to himself than talking to Keira.
Keira just stared at him. Hugging her covers to her chest, she sat up. Still shocked, she asked him to leave so she could change. She pulled her shirt and trousers on, all the while thinking about what he had said. I'm such a stupid idiot. I should never have allowed him to talk like that! She grabbed her bag and pulled on her shoes. She walked outside of the inn and met him.
"Hungry?" he asked her, as if nothing had happened.
"Very." she replied, following him to a pub down the street.
"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. You're just so… mouthwatering." he said, pulling a chair out for her to sit in.
"It's ok. I've had suitors before. Thought, they were less kind than you. Most of them just wanted to marry me because of who my parents are." she said, smiling a sad little smile.
"That's not right. You deserve someone who loves you." Charlie said indignantly.
"That's what my parents say to each of them." Keira replied sadly.
"You really miss them, don't you." he observed.
"Yeah. I've always lived with them, not being married or engaged or anything like that. Plus, my father and I would always go run together, especially when the moon is unusually big."
"Well, you're lucky you have someone to share it with. I'm sure his parent probably left him." Charlie said, his mood changing to something Keira couldn't quiet place.
"Actually, they were killed. Nobody likes a wolf." she said.
"Well, thanks to your dad, wolves are treated a bit better. Ever since the proclamation was announced, there have been hardly any wolf burnings."
"They still burn them! That's illegal!"
"Not if they commit a crime." Charlie said sadly. He perked up when their food arrived.
Keira looked his plate. It was covered in meat: bacon strips, sausage links, slices of ham. He had a few eggs off to the side, which he didn't even touch. They finished their meal and left, heading toward the road. As they walked back into the woods, Keira stopped and put hands on her hips. Charlie turned around, his face full of confusion.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing's wrong. I was just waiting until we got out of town to ask you something."
"Well, what is it?" he asked, a little concerned.
"Where you going to tell me that you're a wolf? Or were you just going to wait for me to figure it out."
"Well, I, umm…… okay, I'm a wolf. Is that better?" he asked.
"Yes. I wanted to make sure I wasn't just imagining that you acted like my father."
"Well, I'm sure you would have figured it out."
"Yeah, your looks were a give-away, too."
"My looks? What does that mean."
"Well, you have dark thick hair, long running legs, brown eyes," she listed off, keeping the fact he was somewhat hansom to herself.
"Well, I guess so. You look like a wolf, beside your eyes." he pointed out. "Where did you get your eyes from?" he walked over, stepping close to her and looking down into her eyes from his height.
"I don't know," she said. "Oh, and another thing. Your height. Most wolves are tall like you." She said, snapping out of whatever had held her in that brief moment.
"Well, maybe you're short."
"Maybe I'm normal, having a tall father and short mother."
"Maybe we shouldn't argue about this but worry about getting to the castle."
"Maybe," she said, trailing off. "Maybe you're right." And with that she walked around him and took off down the road.
They walked on in silence, Charlie behind her, watching her hips. She could practically feel his eyes boring into her back, but chose to ignore him. Her mother had told her how Wolf had acted when he was around Virginia, and Charlie was acting alarmingly similar. Keira hoped that it didn't mean the same thing for wolves now as it had 24 years ago, yet somewhere in her subconscious she was screaming in excitement. The possibility for romance excited her, having grown up in the land of princes and strange courting rituals.
Keira stopped walking and turned around, causing Charlie to practically run into her, though stopping right in front of her.
"Is Charlie really your name?"
"What?" he asked, caught off guard.
"Is Charlie your real name, or a fake one to cover up that you're a wolf."
"Why would I cover up that I was a wolf?"
"Just a hunch. I personally wouldn't want to get burned for getting a little mad with a pub owner."
"Well, that wouldn't happen, knowing who your parents are."
Keira threw her hands up in the air and stalked off. "Why do people always act like this just because of what my parents did 24 years ago?" she yelled over her shoulder.
Keira started running, trying to clear her mind. She kicked off her shoes and dropped her bag, pulling her hair out of its braid. She ran and ran, not really caring if Charlie was following her or not. She didn't care about anything at the moment, just the wind in her hair and the dirt under her feet. She splashed through creeks and streams, dodging low branches and thick bushes. All-of-a-sudden, Charlie was standing in front of her. She didn't have time to stop or swerve before he caught her in his arms. They fell to the ground, Keira struggling to get free. Charlie had a strong grip and didn't seem like he would loosen his hold. Keira stopped wiggling around. She tried to sink her teeth into him, but he had expected this and maneuvered her so she couldn't reach any veins.
"I'm sorry I was rude." he apologized.
"Yeah, me too."
"Hey, we're gonna be traveling together for a long time, so I think we should at least be friendly with each other."
"You sure you don't want something else!" Keira said, not able to help herself.
"I always want something else, that doesn't mean I'm gonna go get it."
"But you're a wolf!'
"So are you." he whispered in her ear, making her spine shiver.
"So what now, are you going to let me go?"
"Not yet. You're so warm, and it's almost winter." he said, smirking.
"And I suppose you want me to play hide and seek with you after you do let me go."
"Once again, I'd like that, but I can't force you to do anything. I don't want to force you to do anything. I want you to be my friend."
"Well, you could start by letting me go." she said. He released her and she stood up, brushing the dirt off her clothes.
"So, what next?" she asked.
"Well, we should probably go back a few miles that way to get your shoes, then start heading East toward the castle." he replied.
"Sounds fine. Lead the way."
"Can't you smell your way back?" Charlie asked.
"Remember, I'm only half wolf. I didn't get much in the way of smell. I can't usually do much tracking."
"Pity."
"Will you just get moving? It'll be dark soon and we should find a place to make camp."
Charlie led the way, keeping the pace brisk. They finally came back to the place where Keira had left her belongings. She checked to make sure everything in her bag was okay and pulled on her shoes. They headed east until it was night. They walked on, looking for a place to sleep for the night. The moon bathed both of them in warm white light. They found a clearing and Charlie went off to find some wood to build a fire. Keira arranged some leaves and lay down, making the wolf in her happy to be sleeping under the stars.
When Charlie came back, she had already drifted off to sleep. He crouched down next to her, covering her with a blanket. He brushed the hair from her face and smiled, caressing her soft pale skin. He built a fire, keeping watch over her sleeping figure.