warning: brief mentions of nudity, but nothing explicit.
**yawwnn…mmmm** The immortal bond between the Earth and the sun awakened the young alpha as its life giving rays filtered through the tiny holes of the stone sanctuary. Glancing upward, her blurry vision focused to behold the monumental mural of the howling guardians against the golden super-moon backdrop. Following their implied lead, Willa let out her own good morning howl. The ears of her pack-mates twitched in response to the tender sound. Yawns and growls were heard throughout the cavernous room as they stretched out their muscles, returning them to their limber state.
However, a few were determined to stave off the awakening process.
Everyone looked down and saw the pups sprawled out along the floor – still snoring away. Their protective circular arrangement folded onto their newly christened charge, becoming more of an oblong mosh pit. Seeing the pups still asleep didn't surprise the teens; they could sleep through ten of those earth shattering tremors without any issue. However they were surprised to see Addison still sleeping despite all the activity going on around her –especially given her skittish nature. It worked out in their favor though, they got to enjoy the absolutely adorable sight.
"Awww! They're so cute!" Wynter quietly gushed and everyone nodded at the sentiment.
A little smirk appeared on Willa's lips – even she had to admit that it was pretty cute; though she'd never say it out loud. Wyatt on the other hand let his admiring smile articulate the multitude of delightful adjectives running through his head.
"As pleasant as this is, I have to say it's a bit…weird" Willa whispered.
"Huh? How so?" Wyatt asked as he was taken out of his revering stupor.
"Even though this is her home now and I told her to stay, it's just…surreal. Having someone here that isn't a werewolf, being in our intimate space, and covered by the pups like its nothing. Like she was meant to be here" she elaborated and everyone hummed at that.
"Well, she will be soon enough" Wyatt fondly remarked.
"You're right" she agreed and her brother did a double take.
"I am?" he asked.
"Well, yeah. Whatever Addison sets her mind to, she typically achieves it. She's that stubborn, just like you" she explained, making him smile again. "Still, the pups would've been pouncing on everyone by now. We even woke up later than usual. I'm starting to think she put some kind of sleeping agent in those cookies."
"Not unless you count love as a sleeping agent" he grinned and she rolled her eyes at the mushy remark.
"Sooo, are we going to leave them be for now?" Wynter asked.
"For now. We'll deal with their pent up energy after we catch something to eat. Besides, I'm sure Addison's tired from training and dancing with us yesterday. I have to admit, she has a lot more stamina than I originally thought."
"She is full of surprises" Wyatt praised.
"I'll be very surprised if she can handle playing with the pups" she replied. "Alright, let's get ready. Wyatt, you're staying behind to keep watch" she commanded and he had mixed feelings about that.
While the thought of spending the morning with Addison put a small smile on his face, it quickly morphed into a sour frown when he realized that he'd be tackled and nipped by overactive pups. He let out a low growl, garnering some sympathetic pats on the back and encouraging thumbs up from his pack-mates. But in the back of their minds they were glad it wasn't one of them. It was a team effort to handle those pups. When they woke up early they were able to burn off some of their energy with play fighting. It also provided a nice warm up before the actual hunt. But now Wyatt was the lone solider going off to battle so to speak.
"Oh don't be like that!" Willa huffed. "Don't tell me my little brother afraid of some big bad pups?" she teased, making him growl indignantly. "Besides, if Addison can handle getting pounced on by me, she can handle them. And I know you'll be there to protect her if they get too rough. Plus, what better way to wake up than experiencing "affectionate gestures?"
Wyatt couldn't help chuckling at that. "True" he conceded.
"But you should wake her up though, just to get her from up under them. The last thing I want is for her to get accidentally scratched" and some of the wolves grimaced at that. It was always a point to put gloves on all the pups so they wouldn't accidentally hurt themselves or others. But sometimes they forgot and they paid for it. A few of them sported some scars from their wild, unconscious actions. "If she wants to go back to sleep she can" she added.
"Alright" he agreed and crouched down near her head. But just as he was about to whisper "Good morning" into her ear, that strange yet similar scent tickled his nose, making him yip. Now he knew for certain that his senses weren't playing tricks on him nor responding to his wishful thinking.
"What's wrong?! Is she hurt?" Wynter whispered.
"No. She…she smells like us" he revealed.
Willa quirked an eyebrow up and quietly deadpanned, "Well duh. She's sleeping in our den, in our pelts, surrounded by the pups. What'd you expect?"
"Not like that!" he bit back in a hushed tone. "Like she really smells like us! She has our scent! Check for yourself" he urged.
Willa internally groaned but did what was suggested to her. She leaned down near Addison's neck and inhaled. Immediately her eyes widened. "See? I told you! She really is one of us!" he whispered.
"So that's why!" Wynter quietly exclaimed.
"That's why what?" Willa asked.
"I thought my nose was acting funny yesterday because I could smell our scent on her too. But I figured it was the cookies making her smell weird" she explained.
Still, Willa wasn't fully convinced; she knew for a fact that they were the only werewolves around here. Not to mention she was human. It was impossible…yet she had it. Even if it was muted with a sugary cookie coating. Well…there was only one thing left to do to confirm whether or not this was legit.
"Good thing she's asleep – she'd probably freak out for sure" she thought.
Willa effortlessly contorted her body so as not to disturb her or the pups and leaned her head down near Addison's pelvic area. With a few deep inhales the answer was crystal clear. "…No way" she uttered as she stood back up. "She really does have our scent."
At this point the pack couldn't contain their curiosity and leaned down to smell Addison as well; all of them had the same wide-eyed reaction. In the midst of their own smell investigation, a blue light caught Willa's eye. "What the?" It was as fleeting as a field mouse but it drew her attention to the inert stone around Addison's neck. At first she was going to chalk it up being a reflection of the sun's rays, but at this point everything needed to be thoroughly investigated. She turned her irises yellow to focus on it and let out a tiny gasp. There was a slow, minuscule pulse emanating from it.
"What're you looking at?" Wyatt asked when he noticed her eyes shift back from her wolf out.
"…I'm not sure, but there's definitely more to white hair than meets the eye. And nose in this case."
"I still can't believe she has our scent" one wolf whispered.
"I know right?" another one agreed.
"How's it that we didn't notice this before when we first found her?" Wyatt wondered.
"Well, we were preoccupied y'know – what with trying to find our moonstone and all" Willa reminded. "And our senses were dulled a bit due to not being at full strength."
"Right…that makes sense" he agreed and everyone nodded at that.
"But Addison is quite the anomaly. She's a human, but smells like a wolf. Not to mention she didn't change into one when she put on a fully charged necklace" one wolf summed up.
"I know, it's definitely a mystery. But we'll figure that out later. For now let's get dressed, it's a little chilly out there" she replied and everyone quietly walked over to their cubby holes, grabbed their clothes and walked out of the sleeping area to the main area. "Wyatt, I'll need you to sweep the corridors and shake out the pelts once they wake up."
"You got it big sister" he replied.
"Thank you" she smiled. They gave each other a little fist bump before she left to catch up with the others; some of them were already dressed.
"Hey Willa? When do you think our fur will finally grow in?" Wynter asked as she put her vest back on over her shirt.
The alpha stroked her arm, feeling the fine black hairs that covered it. "Hopefully soon" she answered.
"I hope so too. Don't get me wrong I like our fashion style and all, but there's nothing like being free y'know?"
"I know exactly what you mean" Willa agreed. Soon everyone was ready. "Alright. Wynter, Willow, Rwylo, Wen and Wei, head toward Yunjo fields. Willie, Warren and Row, you're with me and we're going to Tillamook ravine" the alpha commanded and the pack howled at that.
"Sounds like they left" Wyatt noticed as the faint echoes traveled to the back of the den, not disturbing the sleeping occupants one bit. If anything they cuddled closer together, making him grin. "I'd better start cleaning" and left them be.
The pack's cleaning regiment was about as strict as any military base. Having a clean, organized area made things easier for sure, but it also got rid of any insects that decided to make their den their home too. Especially spiders. Just one little egg could result in never-ending itching torture. Same thing went for small rodents. Sure it made for a convenient snack, but fleas and ticks weren't partial to any one animal – if there's blood, they will feed. "At least all the chrysanthemums will be in full bloom soon" he thought. That was one good thing about the humans being in their former territory. They brought that foreign flower with them and their ancestors discovered it helped repel a myriad of insects. Needless to say they gathered as many buds as they could and planted them all around whichever den they were in at the time, preserving the seeds to upkeep the floral shield for generations. Still, there were always a few bugs that bypassed the barrier and Wyatt was dead-set on eliminating them.
He reached the room that served as the cleaning closet and grabbed the straw broom as well as the duster – a large stick with green contour duck feathers and pelt strips tied at the end of it. He sharpened his sense of sight by wolfing out and got to work. Thankfully there were only a couple of small spider webs in the lit corridors and just the usual dirt and leaves tracked in from being outside so he finished up rather quickly. He shook out the duster, put the cleaning materials back in the closet and went back into the sleeping area to check on them.
They were still snoring away.
He stretched his arms up, hearing some cracks along his spine before scratching his head. "Hmmm…I wonder if I should wake them up now – it's almost mid-morning. The longer they sleep, the more hyperactive they'll be. But if Addison's this tired…I guess a few more minutes couldn't hurt." He settled his internal debate and walked back over to his original sleeping spot. He got on all fours and pawed the pelt underneath him for a bit until it was fluffed up to his liking. But just as he was about to close his eyes, a startling **SNARFF!**made them shoot open. He pushed his upper body up and saw the pup with a now messed up faux hawk smacking his lips together.
"GRRRRMMMMM!" he growled as he stretched out all of his limbs, inadvertently nudging some of his pup-mates. It was like domino effect; one by one the rest of the pups arose from their slumber. Wyatt quickly got up, ready to help Addison in case they decided to get too rough. But it didn't happen – they just yawned and stretched like the teens did. That was such a relief to him. However all that gentle pawing gradually woke her up too, so he backed up to give her some room.
"Hmmmm" she stretched out and her vision focused, allowing her to see Wylie's bright-eyed face as well as the rest of the beaming pups. "**yawwwnnn**Good morning" she smiled.
Wylie greeted her with her own high pitched howl and the rest followed suit, making Addison giggle. She sat up and the pelt slid off her upper body. "How'd all of you sleep?" she asked.
She got a round of "greats" and "amazing" for an answer. "I'm glad" she smiled.
"What about you Addy? Did you sleep well?" Wylie asked. "I did, thanks to all of you. I felt really safe with all of you surrounding me" she explained, making a couple of the boys puff out their chests a bit.
"You got it Addy" the pup with the faux hawk replied.
"Yeah! You're part of team Run B&B now and we got your back" the pup with the braids added with a thumbs up.
"Run B&B? That's new" Wyatt thought while still being inconspicuous; he was completely invested in the interaction taking place.
"What does B&B stand for?" Addison asked.
"Bark and Bite" they answered.
"Ahh, right. I should've guessed" she sheepishly replied. "Though P&B would've been more appropriate" she thought. And they proved her right when all of them pounced on her. They licked her face and shoulders, inadvertently tickling her. Once again her laughter was as infectious as a catchy melody – Wyatt couldn't help but chuckle as well.
"H-Hey cut it out! T-That tickles!" she laughed and Wyatt was surprised when they actually heeded her command.
"…Wow" he marveled. Normally it'd take him or Willa stepping in to get them to back off. The fact that they already respected her authority spoke volumes of how high they regarded her. "Heh, leader of Team Run B&B. What other surprises do you have in store?" he mused to himself.
"Hey Addy! Do you want to play?" Wylie asked. "Yea! Let's play!" the rest of the pups chimed in.
Sensing the possible danger in their levity, Wyatt stepped in and made his presence known. "Hold on pups, we'll have plenty of time to play after everyone comes back from hunting. In the meantime Willa wants us to shake off the pelts."
"Okay" they replied and got off of Addison.
"Good morning Addison" Wyatt smiled as he fully entered her line of sight.
However her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and her voice got caught in her throat when she saw that he was nude. She quickly glanced down at herself and realized that her shirt was still off to the side! She was topless in front of him! In front of the pups! For all this time! "CRAP!" she internally screamed and quickly covered her chest with her arms.
"What's wrong Addy? Are you cold?" Wylie asked when they saw the sudden movement and felt the anxiety rise within her. It's no secret that animals are very perceptive to emotions, and having hers flip from complete bliss to absolute terror felt like a swift punch to the gut; even Wyatt stumbled a bit from the mental whiplash. The pups took initiative and covered her with a pelt. "Betta?" the youngest one asked, but Addison was still a stuttering mess.
"Holy crap! I'm naked in front of Wyatt! In front of the children! What's wrong with me?! Why didn't I wake up earlier?! They probably think I'm weird! What if they think I'm…ugly?" were just a small sample of the rampant, poisonous thoughts speeding through her mind. She tightly closed her eyes and started shuddering, even though she wasn't cold.
Wyatt's heart ached when he sensed the panic within her. He whined full of regret, for he knew why she was acting like this…and that he was the cause of it. It didn't dawn on him that his nudity could be uncomfortable for her because she just looked so at ease with the pups. But whether she had their scent or not, she was still raised as a human. He knew they were very self-conscious about their appearances, especially when it came to other people seeing them nude.
The pups looked between him and Addison, desperately trying to figure out where this sudden tension came from. Wyatt grabbed a pelt and wrapped it around his waist before stepping forward. The pups moved out of the way and he crouched down in front of her, being mindful to give her some space. "Addison" he spoke but she flinched and didn't make eye contact. Another guilt-coated dart pierced his heart and he whined again. "I-I'm sorry."
When she heard him speak with such a defeated tone Addison instantly opened her eyes and met his gaze. And what she saw in those copper eyes rocked her to her core; she couldn't prevent herself from letting out a small gasp.
Shame.
A forlorn look that she herself displayed numerous times for many years whenever she had to put on that dreaded wig to conceal her natural hair. Sure her white hair was out in the open now and had been deemed more or less acceptable…but the scars remained. The uplifting pep talks she would give herself in the mornings, complimenting her looks and strength, could only go so far before that spark was snuffed out by the aceys or some other jerk. Though her friends were always there to support her and reignite that spark, the fact remained that she was still always the odd one out.
But with the werewolves, it was different. They were the ones who made her feel normal – like she belonged. Sure she was perceived as this destined God-send at first, but when that turned out not to be the case, they didn't reject her. They still treated her like one of their own and it was an absolute honor to be associated with such a proud, self-assured community. But to see that look on Wyatt's face was wrong on so many levels. It should've never appeared, but it did…and it was all her fault.
She didn't even know where to begin fixing damage her bodily response caused, but Wyatt kept talking, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I swear I didn't!" His hands hovered near her and she desperately wanted to lean into his touch as she did so many times before, but her body was still frozen in fear, in ingrained judgement, in her own insecurities cultivated by condemning human hands.
He sighed and retracted his hands, bunching up the pelt above his knees. "I-I'll put my clothes on right now." When he uttered that last crushed syllable, something inside her snapped. She wasn't about to start growing damaging weeds in his mind like the others did to her. She was not stooping to their level, inadvertently or not. Her stuttering vocal chords started moving coherently and she shouted, "Wyatt NO! Please don't!"
The vulnerability yet strength in her voice stilled everyone. The prominent blush that was already there got even redder when the double implication of what she said caught up with her. "A-And I didn't mean it like that!" she quickly backtracked and took a deep breath to get her thoughts in order. "What I mean is, I'm sorry. I'm the one being inconsiderate…and just down-right silly. This your den, your territory. Please please please don't change for me. Your uniqueness is what makes your community so amazing" and that managed to put a small smile on Wyatt's face. But she wasn't done. "All of you have been hiding for who knows how long, trying fit into the human world practically overnight to try and find your moonstone. You were put in a difficult position in having to come out of your comfort zone and confront your biggest fears. …What kind of person would I be to make someone feel inadequate in their own home?" she silently asked as her shoulders slumped in the very shame she was trying to dispel.
Wyatt was completely slack-jawed; he couldn't believe what he heard. In that moment he remembered that fleeting thought that entered his mind when Addison praised him after catching that rabbit. Granted the prawn may have dissipated some of the prejudices against werewolves, but if people were to see them now…would those prejudices return? He hoped not, but the possibility was high. Yet once again Addison exuded profound compassion and discernment beyond anything he'd ever experienced before. His stomach felt like there were a million jumping grasshoppers in it and his body immediately responded in part to the sincerity that came out of her. He quickly pulled her into a tight yet comforting embrace. He felt her stiffen up as their bare chests touched – her heart beating just as fast as his. He hoped against all odds that she'd forgive him for his outburst, but he needed to have his say. Through a shaky voice he whispered, "You have no idea how much it means to me to have you say that…to feel normal with someone else other than my pack. Addison…thank you." He sucked back in a shuddering breath and leaned his head down into the crook of her neck, taking in their shared scent to ground himself.
Addison could feel tears pooling in her eyes when she heard his confession; even the wolves weren't immune to insecurities. Wyatt felt her un-cross her arms and return the embrace with just as strong of a grip. She rubbed his back and whispered, "Believe me, I know what it feels like. I had to hide my hair for eleven years…even in my own home. But I couldn't live a lie anymore. That was the ultimate disrespect to myself. And I didn't want to do that to you. But I did…and I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to! I just…**sigh** more bad habits I guess."
He gradually separated himself from her but still kept his hands on her shoulders. He took in her puffy countenance and tears marks on her cheeks. He could feel himself getting emotional as well but on the opposite spectrum. He was just so moved by the concern she showed for him that he couldn't help getting a little misty. "Addison, you could never disrespect me. Even with your crazy howls" and he licked her tears away, tickling her a bit.
"R-Really?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Really" he replied, making her smile. They hugged each other once again – their earlier shame vanishing in an instant.
Sensing the tension dissipate the pups pounced on top them and licked their faces, making everyone giggle.
"A-Alright, a-alright! There's still a j-job to be done" Wyatt managed to say in the midst of his laughter and pups got off of them. He stood up first then offered his hand out to her. She graciously accepted the assist and stood up too. He didn't miss how taut her shoulders were from still being shy about her appearance, but slowly and surely they relaxed as her nervousness disappeared.
"Wyatt" she spoke.
"Yes?"
"I meant what I said" and she glanced down at the pelt around his waist.
"…Are you sure?" he hesitantly asked.
"I am" she assured with such conviction that he couldn't help but relax.
"…Okay" he agreed and undid the loose knot holding it up. It fell to the floor without a sound, letting his body be on full display once again. Her eyes couldn't help but roam over his muscular physique, taking note of the rune tattoos on his arms and legs; not to mention a couple of scars on his tan skin. Wyatt smiled at her modesty when he noticed her eyes glance up from time to time before reaching the pelvic area of his body, even though that part was mainly obscured by newly sprouted fur.
"Your body is stunning" she sincerely complimented, making him blush.
"Thank you. Your body is quite lovely as well" he praised while continuing to admire her own athletic build underneath her supple skin. Her blush returned and she clasped her hands behind her. She shuffled in place, a little bit embarrassed but happy nonetheless. "Y'know, in our pack we view and treat our bodies like a sacred temple. Allowing others to see it is a sign of complete and absolute trust" he smiled.
Her eyes widened when the implication of what he said clicked in her head. She looked at the pups and they smiled at her too. She started to get choked up again and she knew she was sounding like a broken record when she whispered, "R-Really?"
"Yea Addy! You're really nice and pretty" Wylie assured as she hugged around her midsection; the rest of the pups followed suit with the littlest one grabbing her leg.
"T-Thank you" she managed to speak, her voice nearly overcome with emotion. She wiped the budding tears out of her eyes and affectionately rubbed each one of their heads. "All of you look absolutely darling too" she praised, making most of them giggle.
However the pup with the braids scoffed and replied, "I ain't darling. I'm cool! See?" and he let her go and flexed his little biceps. Addison had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from cooing at how adorable he was being, even more so when the pup with the faux hawk and another caramel-colored boy with a nicely trimmed black faded hairstyle with a white patch on the back of his head started having a flex-off.
"You're right, my mistake" she amended. The rest of the pups let her go so she could crouch down. "May I feel your muscles?" she asked.
The boys didn't need to be asked twice and all of them held out their arms. She gave each one a gentle squeeze and complimented, "Wow! I bet you guys can knock out a bear with one punch!"
"You know it!" the boy with fade agreed, making her chuckle.
Then something occurred to her. "Y'know, I haven't had the chance to learn your names yet." She looked to Wyatt and asked, "I-Is it alright if I know their names? I mean I know Wylie's because of…mitigating circumstances. But I understand if I can't until I pass the trials."
"Of course you can know their names, and everyone else's for that matter" he chuckled. "What were you going to do in the meantime if you couldn't?"
"Give you guys nicknames I guess" Addison shrugged.
"Just like Big Mama!" Wylie said.
"Who's Big Mama?" she asked.
"One of the elders. Her name is Usawa Stoneclaw, but everyone calls her Big Mama. She gave everyone in the pack a nickname" he explained.
"Really? What's yours?" she asked.
"I'll tell you later, I promise. For now, pups! Go on ahead and introduce yourselves" and they heeded his command. The pup with the faux hawk went first. "My name's Wylan Howlfitz and I'm Wylie's little brother."
"Could've fooled me" Addison thought when she saw the noticeable height difference; he had at least four inches on her.
The boy with the braids pointed his thumb to himself and said, "And I'm Kraw Oakpaw."
"Heh, K.O. would've been a perfect nickname for him" she internally grinned.
"My name is Trew Rivertail" a little boy quietly spoke. He had a few freckles on his cream-colored cheeks and shoulders. He had dazzling green eyes and curly brown hair with the signature white spot on the right side of his head.
"Aww...he's as gentle as a lamb" she smiled.
"My name is Gnaw Rawro" the pup with the fade said. "And this is my little sister Nawnu" and the little wolf waved at her; Addison smiled and waved back.
"I'm Wanda Yipfern and it's nice to see you again!" a mocha-colored girl introduced herself. She was one of the bigger pups along with Wylan and Kraw. Her loose, curled hair was parted down the middle and tied into two cute little side puffs, her white streak on the left side.
"Nice to see you again too" she replied, recalling how she not only danced with Wyatt when she first came here, but also hung out with Zoey. "You're Zoey's friend too, right?"
"Yea! Actually she was talking about possibly being pen pals – writing letters to each other. I told her I would…but I remembered we don't have any paper or pens. And I don't know where she lives either."
"Say no more. Consider me your personal postal person! I'll bring paper and pens and I'll take your letters over to her whenever I can" Addison replied.
"Really?!" she squealed.
"I promise" and she crossed her heart.
"Thanks Addy! Oh, I should make her a gift too, right? Is that something pen pals do?" she asked.
"You can send whatever you want, so long as it's not dangerous" she explained.
"Cool! I'm gonna get started!" Just before she could run to wherever she was going Wyatt said, "Hold on Wanda, we still have to shake out the pelts remember?"
"Oh yea, right" she sheepishly scratched the back of her head.
"Here, I'll help too" Addison offered.
"Thank you Addison" Wyatt smiled.
"Just let me grab my phone so I can text my parents once we're outside." She went over to her bag, took it out and turned it on. "Wow…I slept in pretty late" she thought when she saw that it was almost 9am. She stuck in her pocket and said, "Ready."
"Cool. Just pick up as many as you can" he instructed.
"Got it" and everyone grabbed some and took them outside the den entrance; the only cloth still on the floor was her folded shirt.
They put them in a pile on top of the rocks proceeded to shake out each one. Some of them were pretty big and it required Wyatt and Addison's combined assistance. Kraw thought it'd be cool to bounce around on top while they did that so he hopped on.
"Woohoo! Yeah! This is awesome!" he laughed.
Wyatt didn't have the heart to scold him, especially since Addison was laughing as well. He was more surprised that she had the strength to do it. Soon everyone got a turn on the makeshift wave trampoline. In no time at all they were done.
"Great job everyone!" he praised, and they gave each other high-fives.
"Hey Wyatt? What exactly did we shake off anyway? Just dirt and dust?"
"And bugs" he added.
She gulped and instinctively she looked over her body, expecting to see swollen red dots. But there weren't any. "Don't worry, we typically don't get bugs in our den until summer. And even then it's not a lot thanks to the chrysanthemum" and he pointed to a few yellow and magenta flowers near the entrance. "It repels insects."
"Huh, I didn't know that" she commented.
"Yea. There'll be way more flowers than that, but it doesn't keep'em all out; some bugs are resilient. We'll give them a real washing later" he said.
"I see. But then why do you have little uncovered holes in the walls of the sleeping area?" she asked.
"They're not uncovered, they have clear sugar-pine sap over them. It's porous enough to allow fresh air through, but sticky enough to keep bugs out so we can have little windows" he explained.
"Such ingenuity" she marveled.
"That's nothing, wait til you see the rest of the den. In fact, let's give you a tour! After all this is your home now too" he grinned and the pups agreed.
"Yeah!" "C'mon Addy, we'll show you where we keep our treasures" and they started tugging on her hands.
"Okay okay" Addison laughed. "I just need to send a message my parents really quick."
They let go of her hands so she could take out her phone and text them. Thankfully she had a couple bars of service. Good morning mom. Good morning dad. I'm awake and safe.
A few seconds later she hears a **PING** That's such a relief! When will you be home? her mother replied.
In a couple hours. My friends want to show me around their home. she responded.
Ok. Text when you get home. and that was that.
"Huh…that's surprising. I'd thought she'd put up more of a fight and insist I come home this instant. …Maybe they're saving their energy up for a long lecture" she internally groaned. "Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." She turned the phone off and stuck it back in her pocket. They gathered up all the pelts and put them back in the sleeping area, laying them all over the floor like before.
"Shall we?" Wyatt asked and offered his hand.
"Let us shall" she smiled and placed her hand in his, melding perfectly together.
