Page 53 of Campfires & Canines
The dark wolf, Onyx, had frozen. But now he creeps forward, his ears flat against his head. As he gets close, the fear starts tothreaten me again, but I steel myself and stay still. He bumps my hand with his nose. It's cool and dry.
He does it again, nudging my hand up and over his fluffy head. From years of petting friends' dogs, I automatically curl my fingers into his fur and scratch under his ear.
Onyx cocks his head, his mouth opening to reveal an impressive array of teeth over which his tongue lolls. He looks like a giant puppy.
"Seriously, dude," Cedar mutters.
"You too, Cedar," Marigold prompts. Her mouth curls into a devious smile. She watches closely as Cedar folds his shirt and sets it on the closest bench. “Good boy.”
In an instant, he is replaced by a reddish-brown wolf with gold dusting his back. I'm less startled this time. He simply sits, staring at me with familiar aqua eyes. Behind him sits a crumpled pair of sweatpants.
I squat, studying Onyx. His fur is thick and around his ears, it's super soft. I pull my hand away.
"Can they understand me?" I ask Marigold.
Cedar nods. The human gesture is unnerving on a wild animal.
"But you can't, like, talk?" I ask stupidly.
Marigold light laugh floats around me. "No, but we can kind of sense each other. Like a general feeling of their emotions and rough location."
"Cool." I look from Cedar to Onyx again. "Can they turn back any time?"
Onyx shifts, still grinning and now completely nude. "Sure."
"Oh my gosh." I throw my hand up and turn away. He cackles.
Marigold scolds him, and when I dare to turn around, Cedar is pulling his shirt down over his botanical tattoos. Onyx is still bare-chested but he put pants on at least.
“Really?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.
"We're all used to it, sorry." He shrugs, not looking one bit apologetic. "Your turn, Goldie."
Marigold slips her dress over her shoulder and I look away. Cedar and Onyx are both politely averting their eyes, but I can't resist spying on Cedar to see if his eyes wander. They don't.
Marigold is a pretty reddish-golden wolf, like Cedar but much lighter. She wags her tail and it's precious. Her dark eyes against her light fur make her look like a puppy.
"You're so pretty." I crouch down, looking from her paws to her fluffy ears. She ducks her head as if embarrassed.
I stand. "I appreciate this, guys. Makes me feel less like I'm being pranked."
Marigold shifts, shimmying into her dress. "That's all there is to it, no big deal."
I raise an eyebrow. "No big deal? I'm pretty sure you guys are freaking magic."
"Magic is merely a phenomenon scientists haven't figured out yet," Cedar says under his breath.
Onyx bumps him and coughs in a way that sounds suspiciously like, "Nerd."
The twins produce granola bars from a nearby bin and we all settle on the benches. They tell me about their first time shifting and how much fun it is. The feeling of unfairness rears up again, but Ibreathe it out and smile. They are sharing a huge part of who they are, and I love them for it.
The door clangs open and Fisher strides in. His posture is tight and his expression alarmed. Cedar, Onyx, and Marigold jump up. He closes the distance, his lips a thin line. I expect to be told off for using the space or something.
"We have a problem. Hazel, I need you to come with me. Cedar and Marigold, stay to each of her sides, Onyx behind." Orders given, he turns and heads to the door. Marigold takes my arm and urges me forward. I blink at her.
We file out and step into formation. Marigold takes my hand and squeezes it. "It's going to be okay. Heath's got it." She whispers. But I can't miss how tight her expression is. My lungs constrict.
"Shit," mutters Onyx. I look past Fisher's back. There are more people in the meadow than I've ever seen before. Strangers in groups, with expressions ranging from angry to bored.
