"Take a look at this Addison" Wyatt beckoned as he pointed to something on the forest floor.
Considering that she was a complete green horn when it came to hunting, Willa made Wyatt take her around their territory to show her some pointers before her trial. Or, more accurately, he outright volunteered to tutor her.
His student looked down and saw more than a dozen cloven hoof prints. "Whoooa, a herd must've passed through here" she commented. "Do you know what kind of ungulate made these?"
"Hey, nice observation about the animal type" he complimented before sniffing the ground. "White-tailed deer. They're pretty common around this area, and this was only small family. Five or six at most. They just passed by here not too long ago."
"Are you only able to tell how fresh the tracks are by smell? Because that miiiight be an issue for me" she confided. It was no secret that she lacked many natural advantages that the werewolves possessed. Though she did mildly impress Willa by determining the cardinal directions without using her phone before they left.
"It's the most effective way, but you can also tell by how flat the grass is. See how squished the blades are?" She nods. "If some of them were standing up, then that means it's been a couple hours since your target came this way."
"What if they walked on dirt?" she asked.
"An excellent question, my fine student!" making her chuckle. "Let's follow these and see where they lead" and they continue the lesson.
It was good thing she ate the lunch she packed and brought her water bottle before they left on this training excursion; she soon realized that any hunting trip could be a multi-day journey. But she was still going strong even after a few hours.
She was also beginning to see how they've managed to stay hidden all this time. Following the errant tracks of different animals into secluded areas would make them hard to find, let alone see.
Soon they come upon a dirt part of the path. "Here we go. You can also tell how heavy your prey is by the indentation. The deeper the mark, they heavier the prey. The fact that there are even tracks in dry dirt is a good sign they're fresh. Can you guess why?" he asked.
She thought for a few moments and replied, "Because they would've been swept away or covered up by other animals or the wind."
"That's right!" he smiled before instinctively reaching his hand out to ruffle her hair. Though he stopped when she looked at him strangely.
"Are…are you petting me?" she asked.
He immediately retracted his hand and sputtered, "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-"
"Wyatt" she spoke, silencing his rambling apology. "It's okay. I…I actually liked it" she confessed as a tinge of pink dusted her cheeks.
"Y-You did?" and he could feel heat rise to his face too.
"Yea, it felt good! No one has ever done that to me before, not that I can recall anyway. I just didn't think that you guys liked being petted. I thought it'd be an insult or something."
"Why would you think that?" he asked.
"Um…I just thought it…I didn't want to" she tried to convey but couldn't find the right words to articulate her thoughts.
Thankfully Wyatt managed to put the pieces together. "You thought you'd be treating us like dogs" he figured out.
"…Yea" she cringed.
He just smiled and replied, "Well, dogs are descendants of wolves. So if anything you're treating them how you would treat us." She absorbed his answer and smiled at him, grateful for his understanding. "Ready to finish the lesson?" and they continued walking along the trail.
Before long a small pond came into view. It teemed with aquatic life that remained hidden just below the surface, adding to the wonder of it.
"Coool" Addison awed and Wyatt chuckled at her amazement. It reminded him of his first time exploring their territory – his curiosity fully sated with every new sight and smell. He was beyond thrilled that he was able to share in this extraordinary experience with her.
"Seems our deer family was thirsty. This is another good hunting tip – stay by a body of water or a river. All animals get thirsty and have to drink water at some point."
"That makes sense" she agreed as she absentmindedly shook her green fighting shrimp water bottle.
"The downside is that it can be a loooong wait, but you don't use up a lot energy."
"So it's either get the food yourself or let the food come to you" she surmised.
"You got it" he replied, but his ears twitched and he suddenly went still.
"What's wrong?" Addison whispered when she noticed his abrupt stance change.
He didn't verbally reply but motioned for her to get low and keep quiet. He sniffed the air a couple of times and grinned. "Looks like lunch is being delivered" and he licked his fangs. "Stay here, stay silent and don't move" he whispered as his eyes turned yellow.
She nodded and laid down until she was almost prone to the floor. She watched the werewolf slowly walk towards whatever he sensed on all fours, keeping his breathing low and meticulously avoiding dried branches and puddles.
She could feel her heart racing with every step he took. Then he started to speed up to a brisk trot and soon she lost sight of him in the trees. Her curious mind wanted to stand up and see what was happening, but the last thing she wanted to do was interfere with his hunt.
"GRRRAARRR!"
Guess she didn't need to see after all. She could hear frantic running up ahead as well as his barks and growls. But as quickly as it started, it was over.
Stillness pervaded the air – only the small, random splashes of the pond inhabitants could be heard.
"AAARRRRRRROOOOOO!"
She nearly leapt to her feet when his howl smashed through stillness; it even made some hidden birds scatter and fly away. Even though she had no idea what he said, her gut told her that it was okay to come out of hiding. She carefully stood up, being mindful of anything that could give away her position before ducking behind a tree.
She looked down at her light blue coordinated outfit and frowned at the state they were in. "…Really wish I'd worn darker colors" she thought, taking note of the deep grass and dirt stains – most of them caused by a pair of pouncing werewolves. Oh well, that's what washing machines were for.
She peered around the natural wooden pillar and scanned the area, trying to see his familiar figure. A gulp went down her throat when a few minutes passed by.
"Wyatt…where are you?" she whispered to herself. Thankfully her question was answered quickly when she saw him walking back towards her.
"WY-" she was about to shout his name but remembered that she was supposed to keep quiet.
Wyatt noticed that and internally noted, "She heeds commands to the T. That's crucial in a pack." "Hey! It's alright Addison, you can talk now" he waved at her and she sighed in relief. "Besides…I kinda did something I wasn't supposed to do" he confessed.
"And that was?" she asked as she emerged from her hiding spot. She noticed the state of his clothes. "If I came home like that…I don't even want to imagine how bad my parents would freak out. Or what they'd do" she thought when she saw all the smeared blood on him; he was still licking some of it off his lips.
He sheepishly scratched the back of his head with his blood-covered fingers and explained, "I shouldn't have howled like that. That was a pup mistake. If you howl after you catch your target, it'll alert any other predators nearby and they'll try to steal your kill. That's why I took so long; I had to eat pretty fast."
"Would you like some water?" and she offers her bottle.
He glanced at the pond next to them and saw a pair of frog eyes before they disappeared. "Yes please" he graciously accepted. Normally he didn't mind if an extra snack inadvertently swam down his throat while he drank, but he wasn't in the mood right now. Not to mention he wasn't about to pass up Addison's generosity.
She flipped the spout open and poured it into his mouth – waterfall style. After a few gulps he was satisfied. "Thank you very much."
"You're welcome. What did you catch anyway?" she asked when she saw he was holding something behind his back.
"This!" he proudly declared and held up the red-stained, half eaten body of a large brown hare. The catch itself was now nothing more than a hollow cavity of bones and muscles. "It'll make a nice clothing accessory don't you think?"
Addison couldn't hide her surprised, wide-eyed gaze, but at the same time she wasn't disgusted by it. If anything she was completely amazed and fascinated by his speed and ferocity. "You heard that hare all the way over there?!" she incredulously asked.
"Yep, sure did!" he beamed.
"I don't believe it…wow. Wow! That's just…GOSH! The way you took off like that, you were like ZING! And then that howl! I know you said you're not supposed to do it, but I felt something stir inside of me that made me want to join in too! And-"
Wyatt just chuckled as she continued to gush over and praise his hunting prowess, every sweet word filling his heart with pride. Even though he knew it was a natural thing that wolves do, he knew for a fact that had it been anyone else that saw him, they'd degrade that skill and treat him like a filthy beast.
"Okay I need to stop rambling now. Point is, you're so cool Wyatt" she finally finished.
"Thank you Addison. That means a lot to me" he adoringly smiled. "Mind telling my sister that the next time you see here?" he joked, but all joviality disappeared when he saw her enthusiasm dim. "Hey…what's the matter?"
"…Wyatt? Do you think I'm in over my head with this? How am I supposed to catch anything the way you do?" she asked.
"Hey, it's alright. You just do the best you can and catch what you're capable of" he replied.
She sighed dejectedly. "…Doesn't seem like I'm capable of catching a whole lot. If anything for that matter. I am human."
"And? That hasn't stopped you from doing amazing things nor these trials despite all the odds against you. Are you going to give up now?" he challenged as he crossed his arms; dangling the carcass in front of him.
He was right. What would've happened if she didn't go to the wolves when they were at the old Seabrook power building despite all the life threatening risks? She didn't question what felt right to her then, why should she start now?
"No way!" she refuted.
"That's the Addison I know!" he smiled, glad to see that fire reigniting inside of her. "Just remember, you're the first human to even attempt the alpha trials. That's an incredible feat in and of itself. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that you're going to be the first human to pass them." She smiled at that. "Though if it were up to me, helping retrieve our moonstone would've been more than enough to make you part of the pack…but…"
"I know, I'm not a werewolf. Not yet anyway" she winked and that made him grin.
"C'mon, let's get back to the den so you can grab your bag and I'll take you home."
"Okay" and they started to make their way back.
"Y'know, we wolves aren't picky eaters. So long as it's meat, we're good. I mean we eat fruits and vegetables too, but we have our preferences" he explained while taking another bite out of his kill.
"Any kind of meat huh?"
"Yep. It could be anything from elk, to fish, to even lizards."
"You guys eat lizards?!" she asked disbelievingly.
"Sure. Or any reptile for that matter. Give me a gray rat snake and I'll be happy" he affirmed.
"Heh heh…yea. We'll see" she nervously replied. She didn't mind reptiles, she just didn't want to mess up and grab a venomous one by accident. "Guess I'd better get a fishing rod" she thought.
After a while they reached the den. But when they walked inside there was no one around. "Where is everyone? Are they sleeping?"
He chuckled and replied, "No. You can hear a den of sleeping werewolves, trust me on that. We're quiet hunters, but not quiet sleepers."
"…Oh! That's why the pups didn't wake up when you guys were howling earlier" she realized.
"I think the pups just turn into rocks when they sleep" and that made her giggle. "Anyway, they should be finishing up hunting for dinner right about now, and Willa's watching over the pups while they play."
"Gotcha."
"Wait here and make yourself comfortable. I'll be back in three wags of a wolf's tail."
"Okay" she chuckled as she watched him go down the corridor. Soon her sight was back on the paintings and various runes. She touched one of the walls that had an image of a group of howling werewolves on it.
"…Soon" she whispered.
She was so enraptured by the images that she didn't hear footsteps creeping up behind her, as well as silent snickering.
"GRAH!"
"AAH!"
"OOW!"
"What'd I hit now?!" Addison thought before looking around until her eyes landed on Wyatt.
"W-Wyatt?!" she exclaimed when she saw him knocked on his butt.
"Oooww…oooo…that's a mean right hook you got there" he complimented as he massaged his cheek.
"Oh my god, are you alright?!" she asked as she kneeled down next to him.
"Yeah…I'm fine" he assured as he moved his jaw a bit to make sure it wasn't broken. "In hindsight that probably wasn't the best idea. I'm sorry I startled you."
"It's okay, but jeez! You're just like your sister" and she helped him stand up.
"Heh…yeah. Definitely can't make fun of her getting decked anymore. Mostly. Can you do me a favor and keep this between us? Pleeease?" and he put on his best puppy wolf pout. The effect was instant on her heart.
"And here I thought that was just a cartoon dog thing. Well…dogs are descended from wolves" she thought before the power of the pout made her cave in. "You got it" she promised.
"Oh thank you" he sighed in relief. "But I gotta say, you're pretty fearless. Almost all the humans we've encountered ran away when they heard us growl."
"You forget that I ran away too when you first came to the school…though I think I was just swept up in the chaos."
"You were, and you didn't run very far anyway. Not to mention you still talked to us. Plus, don't you remember that you didn't run away when you saw Willa howl?" he countered with a smug grin.
"I remember" she lightly laughed; after all she accidentally decked Zed the same way. "Seems like I have a bad habit of hit first, ask questions later. Which isn't a bad thing, but it isn't typical like he said. When did I get so defensive?" she thought before a lock of her white hair moved over her shoulder. She noticed it and lightly ran two of her fingers through it.
"…Right, that's why" she realized.
When she wore her wig, there was always that threat of being exposed and it scared her to no end. No wonder she developed such a harsh retaliation whenever someone unexpectedly touched her. She was actually surprised that made friends with that kind of tendency.
She was so lost in her despondent thoughts that she didn't hear Wyatt calling her name until he finally yelled, "ADDISON!"
"Hu-Huh?! What? What is it!?" as she frantically looked around.
"Whoa whoa hey. It's just me" he assured before gently putting his clean hands on her shoulders. He felt her tense up a bit before relaxing. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice obviously laced with worry.
"Yeah! Yeah…I'm fine. **sigh** …sorry about that. Just…lost in thought I guess" she explained.
He stared at her for a moment; it was clear that something was weighing on her mind and he had a hunch it had something to with her hair, given that she was fiddling with it before she shut down. But he decided not poke at it – the last thing he wanted her to do was close herself off completely. For now the best thing to do would be to get her back in the familiar surroundings of her home.
"It's alright" he assured. Taking a risk he decided to ruffle her hair again – but she didn't tense up. Instead she slightly leaned into it. He smiled at that and thought, "She might not be a werewolf, but she certainly has the soul of one."
After a few seconds he stopped his caresses, much to her disappointment; he could've even swore he heard her whine a little. He walked over to the corridor entrance and grabbed her bag where he set it down at. "Shall we?"
"We shall" she replied as she took her bag and followed him out. Along the way he shows her various landmarks so she could find her way back to the den.
"And that's the main way to our den" he finished as they came up on the dilapidated gate that separated the forest from Seabrook.
"There's more than one?" she asked.
"Yep, but I can't tell you because…y'know"
"Got it" she remarks as she swipes through all the pictures she took of the landmarks. "I promise I won't show anyone these" and he nods at that.
"Remember, when you get to claw rock you're halfway there."
"Claw rock…" and she finds the picture of a boulder that looked like it was a testing site for a massive battle ax. "And then you make a left?"
"Correct" but then she started chuckling. "What's so funny?"
"N-nothing. I just thought we'd have that whole confusion of word definitions when it came to right" she explained.
"…Huh?"
"Y'know. If you had said right, I would've taken it as I was supposed to go right at claw rock, but you actually meant I was right" she clarified but he was still confused.
"…Never mind, it had to happen to make sense. Anyway thank you for showing me the way."
"Of course. See you around Addison" he smiled.
"See ya Wyatt" she smiled back and gave him a hug.
He was taken aback for a brief second before reciprocating it in kind. However something caught his attention that made his eyes widen. "Wha?"
But before he had a chance to confirm his suspicion, she got out of his hold and started jogging back home. "BYE!" she shouted while waving to him.
He meekly waved back and watched her disappear into the trees surrounding the town. "…No way…there's no way. The necklace didn't work. And yet…" but his confounded thoughts were interrupted when he heard a howl from the pack, telling him they've returned with dinner.
He howled back, letting them know he was on his way home. "…Maybe my nose was reacting to my wishful thinking" he whispered to himself before getting on all fours and sprinting off.
Not bad for a first lesson. Wyatt is a great teacher and an even better friend. It was interesting doing research on the diet of gray wolves. How will Addison fare? Not only with hunting but also her own personal issues? Stay tuned to find out.
