Chapter 9

Red eased herself awake. Keeping her eyes closed she focused on the sound of singing songbirds. Sunlight pored in through the forest, passing through the needles and leaves, flickering over her frame. Red blinked her eyes open.

She froze.

Inches from her face lay Wolf. His bright eyes stared at her, a flicker of a smile curling his face. Two fangs poked out from his mouth, curving to his lower lip. "Good morning," he said, not moving away his staring eyes.

"G-Good morning," Red stuttered. "Did you stay up all night?"

"Well, you fell asleep. I couldn't do that too. Someone needed to keep guard."

Red shot up, looking around. The instant her body left the warm heat from Wolf, cold greeted her, wrapping itself around her arms like a bitter hug. Red rubbed her hands up her arms, trying to warm them in some way. Shivering, she looked to Wolf as he sat up more slowly, stretching out his limbs. He gave her an amused look, "You were talking in your sleep, just near the end."

"What did I say?" she asked.

He kept up the smirk, growing it so it curved in to a wolfish grin, "I'm not telling."

The once wolf stood to his clawed feet, staggering a little before he got some of his balance back. "How you humans go without your tails I'll never know," he told her. Red stood up, wrapping her arms around his waist to help him. "I'm fine," he told her, taking a few uncertain steps forward. "It just takes a little practice."

Red stared at him in sympathy. Wolf waddled over to where a bucket of water was. He picked it up, throwing it on to the fire so it died out.

While his back was to her, Red snapped her fingers subtly, watching his every move. She caught one of his ears flicking back in her direction. "How well is your hearing?" she decided to ask.

"Not as good as it used to be," he answered. "Same thing for my nose. I feel like I can barely smell a thing."

Red nodded mutely at him. She looked down at the hard ground, the dust brushed along so that it made an incoherent figure of her frame. Lying on the ground sprawled a baby blue blanket. Red blinked. Sometime during the night Wolf probably grabbed a blanket to wrap around her. Bending down, picking up the blanket, Red shook it out.

"So when are we heading out?" Wolf asked.

"I don't know," she answered quietly, thinking of how opposed Jack felt about Wolf coming with. Then again, Wolf didn't want Jack there either. Both of those meat-heads needed to settle their differences so they could move forward on this mission.

"Wolf?" Red asked as she folded the blanket, squishing it into her backpack. "Why do you hate Jack so much?"

Wolf responded breezily, "He's cocky, arrogant, stupid, and a brat."

Red nodded. Wolf looked up at her now, focusing unblinking eyes back to her. "Why do you ask?"

"I just find it curious how much you guys don't get along," she informed him. "It's a little unsettling."

Wolf shrugged, watching her as she continued to put away camp. Curving wolf-ish ears back, Wolf moved his eyes down.

"Granny time to wake up!" she called, opening the flap of the girls' tent. "Gee why does it take so long for everyone to get up?" Red straightened her posture as she started to turn.

Wolf's large hand wrapped around her neck, the other around her waist, bringing her close. Red stopped breathing as he brought his face down, breathing in her neck. Closing his eyes, Wolf began inhaling deeply. Red's frame stiffened against him, arms held down firmly against her sides. "Uh, Wolf? What are you doing?"

His face lingered so close to her Red could almost feel the soft brush of his lips against the fabric of her hood. She heard him intake a huge breath of air before murmuring out. "I can't smell as well anymore. I have to be this close to you so I can get your real scent at the same strength its supposed to be at." He breathed out, "You never know what you have before its gone, right?"

Red felt confusion clot her mind, "What?"

Wolf stepped out again, not before releasing a shuddering sigh. "It's nothing," he murmured. He winked at her before turning back around, walking a little less clumsily over to the tent as he began to take it down. Twitchy shot out as it did. He stopped at the foot of the exit, staring up at the once-animal. "HeyBossisthatreallyyou?"

"Yeah it's me Twitchy."

The hyperactive squirrel giggled, "!"

A low guttural sound echoed from Wolf's throat. He curled his lips up in an animal way, ears folding back. Red jumped slightly; Twitchy only giggled again.

Red brought her attention to the tent. "Wolf isn't Jack-"

"Still in there. Hey if you don't get up before dawn its not my fault if its time to go."

The tent collapsed.

A startled yell came from the inside. The others burst into laughter as a confused, angry Jack stumbled from the remains of the tent, blonde hair flapping around his head, sticking up like a halo. He locked furious eyes on the chuckling Wolf, "What was that for?" he snapped.

"Get up earlier brat. It's time to pack up," Wolf instructed.

"What about breakfast?" he asked.

"We're going right now. We can eat later." Wolf started folding up the tent with his back to the others. Red tossed a water at him, he caught it with a hand, not looking away from his work. "Thanks Red," he said, taking a swig of the water. He gulped down a mouthful before packing away the rest of the tent.

Jack looked startled, disappointed, "We're leaving right now? But I'm hungry."

"Too bad, we're going now," Red said, heaving her own backpack over her shoulders. "Ready to go Granny? Twitchy?"

"Ready when you are Red," Granny said, putting the goggles over her eyes, giving her granddaughter a thumbs up.

Wolf put his own goggles on his head, strapped firmly against his now soft head. "Ride with me Red?"

"Sure Wolf. Jack you okay to go with Granny?"

The teen didn't look pleased with this. He shrugged nonchalantly, aura giving off an angry vibe, but his words said otherwise, "Sure, I don't mind."

Red smiled at him, "Great! Wolf you want me to drive?"

"No way. I can't let a kid take charge for me. You can drive tomorrow."

Red laughed, mounting on with him. She felt her skin blush when she hugged herself close to him, the small space of the backpack not holding back the body heat that pulsed through his hoodie. Wolf snapped his goggles over his eyes. Looking over his shoulder he called out, "Ready Red?"

"Ready," she said, giving him a little squeeze.

He smiled, a few canines showing. Wolf revved up the bike, "Then lets go."

(**)

As they started off again, Jack looked over his shoulder at the couple riding behind him. Twitchy of course kept safe inside Wolf's hood so he didn't count. But when Jack looked back over his shoulder at Wolf, Red's hands wrapped snugly around his waist, the blonde couldn't help but feel a strong pulse of jealously. He glared at the once-animal, who caught his gaze, smiled, winked, and said something to Red behind him.

Jack turned back around to Granny, face red as a beet.

Oh it was on.

Oh snap.

I better keep writing chapters faster than im updating them or my laziness will catch up on me. I think im okay right now since I got so much writing time in this weekend. XD