WAIT WAIT WAIT! BEFORE YOU GO ON READ THIS:

(AHEM) as some of you might have noticed, the third chapter was like uber confusing . the reason for this is because I accidentally uploaded the wrong chapter from a totally different story ;p so go read that so you know what went down before you continue this. Thank you! :D

a thanks to my two compandres who pointed out the oddity of that chapter Hatsu Yukia and gameGIRL14. :D thanks guys!

the bread and beer quote from like chapter 2 belongs to hatsu xD

Chapter 5

Red thrashed in her sleeping bag back and forth. Faces flashed in her mind, haunting her dreams. Jack's voice echoed in her head, smiling faces, scarred by blood pouring from their bodies, corpses slumped over. A flash of fur, a squeal, flames.

The smell of death.

He, who loomed over like a shadow. Red looked up at the figure, knowing who he was the instant she laid bleary eyes upon him. He looked normal, like any other person. He wore a dark chocolate T-shirt over muscular arms. Black hair fell over one eye, draping down pale flawless skin. Bare footed, he stopped in front of her, bending down to look in her eyes. Red stared, mouth agape. His lips formed words, barely audible. "You're lucky girl, not many mortals get to see upon my face then live to tell the tale." He reached in towards her parents, withdrawing something flowing, transparent with a blue-ish hue. They were in the shape of humans. The nameless man looked down at her, lifting a finger to his lips. As blackness overwhelmed her, Death faded away with the souls in his arms.

Red's eyes snapped open. A scream felt raw on her throat, however it never made its way out. Gasps came from her. She placed a hand over her sweaty forehead. It felt cold, wet from her nightmare. She licked her lips, trying to moisten them again. They felt chapped.

Her mind alert now, knowing she wouldn't be able to get back asleep for a while, she exit the tent, soothed by the cool air brushing against her. Red tensed instantly when the howling of wolves synchronized beyond the trees from the forest. Boingo's words continued to linger within her mind, even after all these years, "Oh you know, bears, mountain lions, and saber tooth tigers, but mostly wolves. . . mostly wolves."

Red felt the hairs on her arms prickle. Frightened for only a moment, her arms crossed over her chest to make her feel more secure. She looked out at the dwindling fire. Deciding it would be best to place some logs back on it, she reached for some wood.

"Leave it."

Wolf's voice jerked her. Red jumped, forgetting he was on sentry duty. Her eyes tried to make out his figure in the darkness without any luck. "How'd you know I was here?" she asked, still scanning the inky blackness.

"I have ears you know. You were making a racket coming out of your tent."

Red couldn't recall making that much noise, "But-"

"My ears are better than yours you know."

"Oh yeah?" Red shifted weight to her other foot, her pajama bottoms brushing against her legs softly.

"Yeah. Just now you moved your weight to your left foot."

Red paused, "How did you. . ."

"I told you," now she saw the reflection of his eyes directed at her, a gleaming yellow. He must have turned his head towards her. "I can hear better than you."

She took a couple hesitant steps forward. "What about eyesight?"

"Pretty well, yeah. I can smell you too."

"I probably stink huh?"

"A shower would be desirable."

This earned a laugh from her. Wolf flicked his ear, pleased by the sound. He loved the way she laughed, though he would never confess this. The sound of her laughter had feeling in it too, it felt so light, joyous, relaxed.

"So what do I smell like when I've had a shower?"

"Try clean."

"That's a start." Red continued to hesitantly step near him, towards the glowing yellow eyes. "But really what do I-ahh!"

Without realizing it the girl tripped over a rock, stumbling forward. Reacting on instinct the canine jumped forward, bending down to catch her so she collapsed against his chest. Red felt herself relax a little when his arms held her. "You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she gasped. She straightened herself, feeling her face flush in embarrassment when she noticed her hands on his chest. Red stepped back, hoping he couldn't see her blush. "But really what do I smell like?"

In the darkness she could barely make out his figure; it shrugged, "Normal human smell I guess."

"Which is. . .?"

Wolf paused, "It's, kind of hard to describe it. Kind of, refreshing I guess, like water. It's different though for each human."

Red smirked, knowing she caught him in her trap. "Each one is different? Then what do I smell like?"

Grateful for the cover of the night, Wolf's ears flattened back against his head, feeling a little defensive at this question. He didn't want to admit it, but he loved the way she smelled, like fresh dew in the moonlight. He flared his nostrils, catching her scent again. A lingering scent of dirt rubbed from her too. She probably would smell better after a shower when they finished this mission.

"Like brat," he said.

"Oh come on Wolf! What do I smell like?"

He blinked at her, wary. At last he spoke out, his voice low with amusement, "Why do you want to know? Is it because how I smell? Come on how do I smell?"

Red laughed, itching pleasure in Wolf's heart when he heard this. She covered her mouth in her laughter, "Well to be honest you smell like a mutt."

"Ah of course, more dog jokes," the wolf sighed humorously.

"Can't have it any other way," she smiled easily.

Silence followed for a few more moments. Red moved on from the subject as her mind recalled something else. "So why do you want to keep the fire kind of low right now?"

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness more. She could tell he shifted where he stood. A mischievous look gleamed in his eyes. "You really want to know?"

She smiled. "Yeah."

"Follow me."

When the gleam of his eyes disappeared, Red followed in pursuit, using only her ears. However she only got two steps forward when she tripped again. Wolf didn't move fast enough to catch her though; Red grunted when she hit the ground, flickers of pain going up through her soft palms. She stood up. Wolf turned around; she could see his eyes again. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just hurts a little."

His eyes narrowed. "You're bleeding."

"No I'm not-"

"I can smell it."

With light fingers, Red touched each of her palms, a little unsurprised when she felt the thick liquid coming from her thin layer of skin. "Oh. I guess so. How strong is your nose?"

"Stronger than yours apparently," he scoffed. Red felt a shock go up her arm when the pads on his paws grabbed her hand. "Come on. Let's get you in to the light.

"Light? Wolf there's no light anywhere, how can you-"

She cut off when he brought her in to a clearing. Red gasped, staring at the scene before her. The pair stood on a hill, looking down over a valley. A river cut through it; Red could hear it moving past. The moon lay in full like a fat wolf pup from eating too much. A sigh exit Wolf when he gazed upon the scene again. This is why being a night sentry could be so great. He felt Red relax next to her. "I wouldn't be so sure about no light," he said to her.

"Oh Wolf, it's so beautiful!"

"Now do you get why I didn't want the light of the fire?"

"Yeah I guess so. It'd be hard to look at all this if the fire was big," Red admit.

Wolf looked to her. "Have you even ever been outside on the night of a full moon?"

"Well, no, I haven't actually."

She could see Wolf now. His usually murky gray-brown fur now gleamed silver in the moonlight. It felt better to see him now, able to rely on her sight. Red caught the corners of his wolf lips rising in a sort of amused grin. A thought flickered in her mind. She'd never seen him smile in that way before.

"You smiled," she said.

Of course she regretted saying it, because his grin fell instantly. "What?"

"I've never seen you smile like that until now."

A frown crossed his features. "What about it?"

"It's nice."

He looked at her, a nameless expression on his face now. How would she describe it? Thoughtful? He pulled her bleeding hand back towards him as he examined it. "Not bad. You'll be fine; it isn't deep at all. Still, you should cover it so it doesn't get infected.

Reaching into the deep pockets of his hoodie, Wolf grabbed a small roll of bandages. While he began to work on her hand, Red spoke up.

"Did you just find this place tonight?" she asked.

Wolf shrugged, still focused on his task, "I know my way around the forest. I've lived here my entire life."

"Well so have I but I never knew this place was here. It's beautiful."

He made a sound that sounded like a scoff. "Oh you should see it in spring, all the flowers. . . It's amazing. It looks great in the winter too, the snow sparkling in the light. . ."

"You've been here before?" she asked gently.

"Lots of times," he admit a little shyly, releasing her hand awkwardly. Finishing with a quiet nod of confirmation, he sat down on the grass, also a shining gray over the beautiful land of silver shades in dark and light.

"So you lived around here?"

"You could say that," he shrugged, ears turning at every sound she made.

Red sat next to him. Wolf's eyes flickered over to her at her closeness. He blinked almost tiredly. Next to him Red sighed, closing her eyes.

Deciding now was as good a time as any, Wolf asked, "So what was your nightmare about?"

Red stopped, looking to him, who kept his eyes focused on the moon-blanched horizon of silver trees. Wolf waited patiently, not pressing for an answer, just quietly waiting.

"It was about my parents," Red answered finally after a few moments, brushing some stray grass from her lap. She brought her legs closer to her so she sat cross-legged.

"What happened to them?" he asked softly, now turning to look at her.

Red blinked back tears, memories flickering in her mind. Taking in a deep breath, she spoke. "I was ten. My parents were driving up to Granny's. We were driving on a road through the forest when a deer jumped out." She paused, "It wasn't the deer though, that caused the wreck." Wolf felt his eyebrows arch over his forehead as this scene flickered in his mind when Red recalled the story. He pieced the puzzle together as she went on. "The deer got ahead of us in plenty of time, we didn't even need to slow down. It was the wolf that jumped in front of us though." She sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I know in learning to drive and stuff they say if an animal jumps in the way you're supposed to slam on the brakes, but we swerved. Dad hit a tree."

Red tried to breathe, taking in a shaken breath. "Then they died."

Wolf watched her. Crystal tears dripped down her smooth face. Sympathy washed in through Wolf's heart. Oh Red. . .

"I scarred my shoulder pretty badly," she pulled up her sleeve so Wolf could see the long gash going from the top of her shoulder which would go down her back. "I know they say wounds heal with time, but its been nine years, and it feels like I never really got over them."

Wolf spoke in a gentle, soft tone, "Things like that are hard to move on from, but its through the strength of the ones we love which gets us moving forward, heading to the future than lingering in the past."

Red looked to him, tears blooming fresh in her eyes. "Wolf. . ." she trailed off.

Knowing it would be best for her, Wolf reached over to her, his long arm over her shoulders. With care, he brought her close. She didn't protest when more tears fell from her eyes as silent sobs shook her body.

Wolf's heart ached, memories flickering in the theater of his own mind. Red trembled against him, eyes closed in almost a sort of terror. When her cries subsided, Wolf's paw rubbed comfortingly against her shoulder.

"I've never been able to let it go," she sniffed quietly, still thinking of her parents.

"It's okay, I understand," he answered her, holding her close.

"Did you ever lose your parents?" she asked, staring at the valley stretching before them. "What happened to yours?"

"I don't know," Wolf answered, resting his head on top of hers. "When I was young I ran away from home."

Red positioned herself a little more so she could look up at him. "Oh yeah? You ran away? Where to?"

Wolf broke his eyes away from hers, unable to meet her gaze. "I lived in these woods actually."

"Did you make a cabin for yourself?"

"Not really," he answered. "I lived with some wild wolves."

Red's eyes widened. "Really? How long?"

"I ran away when I was twelve, then left when I was about sixteen. So four years. . ."

"What made you want to leave the pack?"

"After four years of living with them I realized what I became. I wasn't truly a wolf or a wolf-man. I was neither. After I realized I wasn't a wild animal," Wolf shrugged, "I left. Went to the city, got a job in the newspaper, built up rank and settled down. I met Twitchy at the paper. We became pretty close and decided to live across from each other."

Red thought of the two trailers, nudged up next to each other. After the three little pigs bombed Wolf's trailer and Twitchy's, the agency bought them new ones. Nothing fancy, just as plain as last time with a few added in defenses.

Caught up in his flashback, Wolf went on, "Twitchy, he's been an older brother I never got a chance to have.:

Red blinked at this statement, "Older?"

Wolf laughed, "He might be younger, but he helped me get through a lot of stuff."

Red sensed whatever he was going through at the time was off limits for now, so she decided to move on to a gentler subject.

"Are you happy?" she asked, resting her head back against him.

He sighed, taking in the moments to answer. "Yes, I'm happy."

"How old are you now?"

"Twenty five," Wolf shifted so he rested his head back on hers.

"You're old."

"Wow. Was that really necessary?"

Red released a laugh, joyous and high. Wolf grunted in amusement, holding her a little tighter. She looked up to him curiously. "So, you never saw them again after you left?"

Thinking of his parents, Wolf stirred awkwardly. "Yeah. . . I never saw my family after that."

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Don't be. It was my choice. There's nothing you or anyone could have done." Wolf moved his arm off of her, sliding in to the grass so he lay down comfortably. He put his arms behind his head, closing his eyes to soak in the moonlight like a flower stretching for the sun. He sighed out of his nose. "I only regret my name," he murmured.

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking down at him.

"When I lived in the wolf pack, we didn't have names. We had sounds for our names. Grunts, growls, barks, things like that. After a while, I forgot about my family more and more, then soon, I forgot my own name my birth parents gave me." He looked at her, an amused gleam in his eye. "You didn't really think my name was just Wolf did you?"

Red laughed, obviously embarrassed, "Well no, I guess not. Do you remember anything about your life before this?"

"Not much. I don't remember the sound of my parents' voice; their faces are a blur. I mean, if I can't remember my own name, how am I supposed to remember anything about them?"

Red nodded silently in understanding. She moved a hand to her ear, drawing a strand back. "Well what was your name living with the wolf pack?"

Wolf glanced to her, then closed his eyes, digging in to the deepest parts of his mind. He thought back to living with them, fighting for survival, every day a battle with the rest of the forest, always fighting to keep the pack's leader's favor in you.

There were the good things though, the companionship, going to sleep next to another, knowing you were safe from harm as long as you were with the pack. As long as you were strong you could think of the next meal in the following day. The warmth of fur brushing against your own, comforting licks from the others when you were wounded, there was so much to gain by living with them.

Then his name. The sound of the others calling to him during the hunt, when they needed his swiftness, his craftiness. They didn't realize just how smart he was compared to them, how he was one of them, while at the same time he never could be, no matter how hard he tried.

Remembering Red still awaited his answer, Wolf made the sound of his name. A low growl formed at his throat, then a bark. Quick and simple. When Wolf opened his eyes, Red had a smile on her face. "Did you like living with them?"

"For a while, but it's hard to live with animals you can never truly talk with, like how I'm talking to you. Real wild animals have no concept of life, just survival. I could never live that way forever. I got too lonely. I missed being able to talk to someone in my native tongue."

"Why didn't you just go back to your home?"

"Forgot the way. I've lived in the forest longer than I've lived with real civilization; the forest is the only home I know now. Besides, forgetting my first home makes the forest feel like my real home." Wolf scoffed. "Coming back to living with smart animals was quite the change I'll tell you." Wolf smiled to himself, "They don't really like it when you growl at them."

Red fell silent again. Without thinking she drew her hand forward, gently stroking Wolf's ears. Even though he sounded a little light hearted, the girl could hear the sound of pain in his voice. He didn't look to her, his stiff muscles relaxing as she kept stroking them. Red smirked gently, pleased when he gave out an unconscious sigh.

A question sparked in her mind. "Why did you run away anyway?"

"That's another thing I hate, I don't remember why."

"Wow how bad is your memory?"

"Pretty bad I guess," he smiled, opening his eyes again. Her hands continued to stroke his head. He looked at her, an amused expression on his face.

Embarrassed, Red pulled her hand back. He smirked to himself, closing his eyes again. "I don't mind, it feels nice," he told her.

Red didn't get a chance to respond. Both looked ahead when the sound of howling wolves rose over the trees, flowing down to the pair lying in the moonlight. Wolf sat up, perking his ears forward. Red caught the interest in his eyes. She questioned, "Is that your pack?"

"Yeah. It is."

"What are they doing?"

Wolf smirked, not looking to her. "Howling to the moon. Bragging mostly about how great they are, howling for other wolves to respect their territory, stuff like that."

"You miss them?"

"Sometimes."

Red tilted her head, listening better to the wild singing. "Can you understand them?"

"Yeaup. Coming in crystal clear." Wolf released a wild gleam in his eyes, flooded with mischief. He tilted his head towards her. "Listen to this," he growled playfully, his dancing eyes sending chills of excitement up and down Red's spine.

Her eyes widened with interest. She jerked a little when Wolf flung his head back, letting loose a wild and feral howl. It sounded rough at first, a little edgy, then smoothed out to one long, soulful note. The quick flicker of surprise in Red dulled down to a sort of respect and admiration. When the note died, silence fell over the valley, then in another chorus the pack of wolves rose in more cries. They recognized Wolf's call, respect and longing moved towards him.

Wolf answered back, their voices synchronizing in a chorus of sounds with different pitches, tones and movements. It was more beautiful than a perfectly sounding orchestra, pulling at Red's heartstrings. Suddenly energetic, Red grabbed his sleeve, cutting him off. "Teach me," she said, eyes bright.

He looked to her, "Teach you?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Teach me how to speak Wolf."

Wolf's ears flicked towards her with surprised interest. "Really?" he asked.

"Yeah! Come on, teach me!"

Wolf felt his eyebrows shoot up. A small smile crept up his face. He positioned himself better towards her. Crossing his legs he leaned forward. "Okay, repeat what I say."

"Repeat what I say," she answered.

"You're hilarious Hood. Now listen." Wolf made a small combination of growls, soft barks and near whimpers. Easily, Red repeated it back to him. They repeated the process a couple of times until Wolf gave her the a-okay. "Good. He looked to the moon. "Now, give it a howl."

A smile brighter than any sun lit her face. Without a hint of shame or hesitation Red let it out to the moon, her tone crystal, her pitch perfect. It took a couple more moments to pass before the wolves responded eagerly. Red beamed at their response, looking to her partner brightly. "What did they say?" she asks.

"They're saying hello to you," he answers quietly, pride coating his words.

"Miss you Swift Paw!" the wolves howled to him. "Who's the female you have with you?"

"Red Fur," he answered, thinking of the first name Red would use if she were a wolf. In Wolf culture it is the custom to name a wolf based on their strongest, best quality. For Wolf it was his speed, some it would be their singing voices, others their hunting skills. However for a wolf to be named after their appearances, it was a huge honor. One would only name their pup something like Moon Tail or Green Eyes if they excelled at every other skill.

A name like Red Fur, complimenting not only for her looks, but her skills in everything else.

Wolf caught sound of his closest friend in the pack howling to him, "Finally found yourself a mate, Swift Paw?"

"She isn't my mate, Howling Wind. She's just a friend."

"Yeah and I'm a flying rabbit. She might be one though, don't let her get away!"

Wolf chuckled, tail wagging. Red glanced to him curiously, "What did they say?"

"Oh, nothing," Wolf laughed now, scrunching his eyes together. Red bumped him with her shoulder.

"Come one. What did they say?"

Giving in, Wolf explained, "They were just asking who was with me. I told them a friend. Howling Wind is having a fit that I replaced him."

Red laughed gently, eyes beaming. "This is nice," Red smiled. She looked back to the clearing. Soon the sound of the wolves settled to silence. Red shrugged her shoulders, letting out a quiet sigh of contentment. Relaxed, she rested against Wolf's shoulder. "We should do this again sometime. It's nice to just relax a little you know?"

"Yeah." Wolf's tail swished contentedly through the grass, curling close to Red's waist.

Eh, sorry its late xD our family left for Spokane today. :3 we're going to go see Mary Poppins on Saturday and we left a day early so we could hang out in spokane the day before. :D so i've been in the car for like 4 hours and have no wifi, so I couldn't upload until we got to the hotel tonight.

I think I can upload tomorrow so stick around for another chapter! :D