"Will you take Alison to your house or will you be staying in our house for the full moon tonight?" Alex asked me around noon. That was around the time that they were forced to shift. They'd have to stay as wolves until the same time tomorrow. Alex had prepared by taking care of her farm work as soon as she could. Allen had closed the salon today, since he wouldn't be able to work. The hairdresser went next to his wife and whispered something into her ear. She nodded.
"I think I'll stay here for now," I replied, "I don't want Alison to be too far from her parents."
"Sounds good," Allen looked me in the eyes, "Make sure to take very good care of her. She's your responsibility for now. Got it?"
"I think she knows what she's doing," Alex told him, "She's done this before, honey. Everything will be fine. We'll still be here. Even if we are stuck in our wolf forms."
"Can't help being too careful."
"I know. It's about time. Let's shift."
"Alright."
I closed my eyes for a few seconds. When I opened them, I didn't see two humans. I saw wolves, one blood red and the smaller one orange. The red wolf huffed at me before sliding himself under the bed, his fluffy tail the last thing I saw. Alex rubbed her face against my leg before joining Allen under her bed. That was their hiding spot until they were able to be human again. It was a very good spot. Unless someone looked under it of course. But I usually locked the door to their house whenever I leave.
"You two going to hide under there the whole time?" I teased, "Making sure that I don't see you two being lovey-dovey?"
That was followed by a brief bark of annoyance and a whine. I gave them a cheeky grin before going over to Alison's crib. The baby had fallen asleep around ten, so I didn't know how she'd react. Sometimes when the full moon happened, she would miss her parents and I'd have to comfort her until she stops crying. It was terrible the first time it happened.
"Hey there, Alison," I cooed when I saw that the baby was awake, "Would you like your bottle?"
Alison stretched out her arms, "Goo Goo!"
"Good girl," I lifted her up and patted her back softly, "You wanna go on a walk with me? I'm not sure where Mama and Papa put your gloves."
Allen poked his head out and pointed to the closet before disappearing back under the bed. I heard rustling as I assumed that they were trying to get comfortable. I knew how tight that space could be for even one person. I frowned and went over to get Alison ready to go. But I wasn't fast enough and she started to cry loudly. I turned around to see Alex shoot from her hiding spot and circle the crib. She placed her head down so that the child could feel her fur. She tried not to flinch as hands dug into her fur and tugged it a bit. The distraction kept Alison busy until I could find the bottle. Once everything was settled, I took the child outside. It was a nice day out, the sun hitting me lightly. But there was still a bit of wind.
The town square looked empty, since Rod was busy as a wolf. I didn't know where Neil was. I've seen him open up the shop when Rod can't, but this was a bit weird. The lights in his house were off, so I don't think he was home. He wasn't the type to go to bed early. So maybe he went somewhere.
"Gah," Alison squeaked, stretching her hands out towards the forest area. I didn't know why she wanted to go there of all places. I let out a sigh.
"You want me to carry you there?"
She seemed to nod at clenched her hands together. I let out a shrug and carried her to the woods. The snow was a bit high, so I would have to be careful not to drop her. I didn't want to think about what her parents would do if I let that happen. She was in my care, so I couldn't let her get sick out of ignorance. But I frozen when I saw what was in the woods. It was a large animal. If it attacked me, Alison and I would be in danger. I held the child closer to me as I figured out what it was. It must have heard my footsteps.
The yellow-furred animal turned around with a growl, its red eyes narrowing and teeth flashing. It was a wolf. Was it wild? And how would it react to a pack of werewolves. Would it feel threatened? Alex never told me how real wolves react to her and the others. But I couldn't think about that. It looked like it was ready to leap!
"Good boy. Don't bite me please," I chanted softly, backing away slowly. Alison wiggled in my arms, trying to make me get closer to the animal. But I wouldn't let it harm the baby.
"Doo!"
The wolf growled at me one more time, before turning and running away into the mountain area. I wanted to chase it to see where it went, but I had more important things to to. I walked back to town, but the wolf wouldn't leave my head for the rest of the day. There was something familiar about that creature, but I didn't know what. The way it made me feel? I am definitely going to ask Alex about it as soon as I can. Maybe she knew something about it. But if it had something to do with the pack, then maybe I shouldn't worry about it. Surely they would be able to deal with it.
