Running with Wolves Ch. 21

Dominic wasn't sure how long he was unconscious, but it felt like it had been a long time. Dream-like darkness was his constant companion; a thick sludge that clung to him like honey. He was only vaguely aware of what was going on around him. Elusive feelings and random flashes of light kept him just awake enough to know time was, in some fashion, passing. Other than that, he was completely oblivious to even his very own existence.

During brief moments of self-awareness, Dominic would develop enough cognizance to try and move. It was a slow process to make the decision, then implement any type of action, be it to try uncurling an arm or extend a leg, but once he began, the darkness surrounding him would suddenly come alive. The heavy presence that was barely noticeable before would suddenly react, tightening almost painfully until he ceased his movements. The energy it cost him would plunge him into an even deeper sleep until he gained enough energy to start all over again, not even really aware he had tried before. Only after a countless number of tries did he even suspect there was a reason he was not waking up.

Without rhyme or reason, the last time Dominic attempted to move, the darkness broke and he was suddenly waking up from his dream existence. There was a heaviness to his limbs as he opened his eyes to the dull glow of the morning hours. Waiting for his vision to focus, he was met with the sight of dead leaves, grass, and pale blond hair, all of which was covered in a light sprinkling of shiny dew. Following the strands of hair, he came across a forehead, strong eyebrows, closed eyes on either side of a delicate bridge to an upturned nose, all resting above parted light pink Cupid's bow lips. Blinking once he did his best to get his body to move as smoothly and quietly as possible. His joints popped despite his effort, but that didn't seem to disturb the woman next to him. He took the opportunity to pop his back and crack his neck, releasing some of the pressure from his joints.

Misty was still sleeping soundly as Dominic rocked to his feet and stretched his achy body. Feeling his skin as it was kissed by the chilly morning breeze, he realized he was completely naked; and decidedly filthy. Looking down he could see mud and grime covered much of his long body. Blood was also covering much of him, but a quick inspection told him it was not his.

Deep inside of himself, he could just make out the lurking presence of his instincts. They were different than he remembered before his sleep. Somehow they felt... thicker, more solid, but no more present than they had been. It was disconcerting, but he chose to worry about it later.

Pushing the feeling away for the moment, Dominic decided it would be a good idea to instead take in where he was. The woods weren't exactly his thing; he had always been a city boy, but when in Rome... Might as well attempt to keep some bearing.

Taking a step forward, Dominic was surprised when he almost lost his balance. He had to catch himself on a tree. Looking back down at himself, he realized the ground looked farther away than it had before. He stood to his full height, and almost had the strange sense of vertigo come over him. Evidentially, he had grown again during his blackout. The disconcerting feeling came rushing back.

Distracted by his new discovery, Dominic was startled by a "You're awake." coming from behind him. Turning quickly, he noticed Misty was watching him from her spot on the ground. Her voice held surprise, as did her eyes, but she stayed lying on the cold forest floor with one knee slightly brought up and her hands resting on her stomach. She was as nude as he was, and just as filthy. The only difference was she had far less rusty red covering her skin. There was still a good amount on her hands and around her mouth, with a few thick rivulets tracking their way down her throat. Seeing them sent a shiver down Dominic's spine. What was going on?

Despite the worry of waking up to both he and Misty being a bloody mess, he still had to focus on not staring at her nude body as he spoke to her. "What happened? I feel like I've been asleep for a long time, but I don't feel rested at all." He rubbed his face, trying to get his mind back in order. Everything still seemed to have a light film over it. As he pulled his hands away, he was disgusted to find it was covered in old blood. "And I'm filthy. I feel like I haven't showered in months. How long have I been asleep?"

Misty shifted a bit, avoiding eye contact. The sudden discomfort in her body language sent up a red flag for Dominic. Misty was not the type of woman to be uncomfortable. "Well, you have actually been active this entire time, it's just the human aspect of your consciousness that has been dormant." She moved her hands to the ground beside her and lifted up her torso, before tucking her feet beneath herself and rising. He was momentarily distracted by the way her legs flexed as she stood, how her body grew taunt as she stretched her own muscles. His instincts swelled in response, obviously enjoying the display.

Pulling back to focus once again, Dominic forced himself to keep his eyes above her chin, so as not to get too distracted. "I don't understand." He pulled at the vague memories of his dreams. Just like any other dream, the images were fading by the second but the underlying feeling of them lingered on. "What happened to me, Misty? Tell me."

She made no sound as she took deliberate steps towards Dominic. He noticed he now was almost a head taller than her, because she had to tilt her head back in order to look him in the eye. "You have been in your wolf form for a while now. We have been running the forest, living as wolves, which is why you feel tired and sore. Your instincts have been taking full advantage; running, hunting. It was all quite cute really. Like a pup let loose for the first time. That is why you feel so sore. Being so new to this life it must have been a strain on your body to be living as a wolf for so long. Not that it's been that long. Many of our kind choose to live as wolves permanently unless they have to shift, so I'm sure you will be just fine-"

"What are you talking about, Misty? What happened?" Had he been out a few hours? Maybe a day or two? It couldn't have been that long.

"Something set off your instincts, Dominic, so much so that they took over in order to protect you. They had completely enveloped you. Nothing I did calmed you so I had to just leave you to sort it out yourself." She was avoiding giving him a straight answer. Dominic felt a sense of foreboding come over him; whatever she was hiding form him had to be big.

"And how long did it take?"

Sighing, she finally gave in and told him what she had been holding back. "You have been suppressed for almost two months now."

Shock was the first emotion to cross through Dominic. It was numbing, paralyzing, and cold. He couldn't move, he couldn't organize his thoughts. All that kept going through his mind was 'Impossible. Impossible. Impossible. Impossible.' He was so overwhelmed by the thought, he at first did not recognize the new emotion filling his body from the pit of his stomach. Fear. Terror. Panic. He had been unconscious for two months while a being inside of him had complete control. What had he been doing for two months? Had he hurt someone? Was that where all the blood had come from?

Dominic felt sick. "Tell me everything that happened." He was surprised at how calm he sounded with all of the turmoil and catastrophic thoughts going through his head.

Misty, for her part, seemed very nonchalant about the whole thing. "As I said, something set off your wolf and it enveloped you. From what I could tell, your human mind was completely shut down while your wolf had his fun."

"Fun?" For some reason the idea irked him. He had been completely incapacitated for two months, and this thing had been out having fun? What? Did he go around sniffing bushes and chasing his tail?

"Well... " Misty's slight smile turned into a saucy smirk, "you were quite insistent on marking me as yours with your scent, even if I wouldn't allow you to place your mating mark on me." Her expression fell into something more subdued. "As nice as it would have been, not all of you was present for the mating. I would prefer all of you to be accepting of our union."

For the first time since coming to, Dominic had finally heard some good news. He was not tied to Misty, at least not yet. Apparently his instincts were all for it. "Is that where the blood came from?"

Misty's eyebrows scrunched in confusion, until Dominic motioned to her naked chest. She glanced down, running the tips of her fingers along one of the trails between her breasts. "Oh, no. This was from our hunt last night. You are getting very good at stalking your prey." She continued to clean herself, licking her thumb and rubbing at the worst of the blood.

Watching her do this, Dominic felt an odd sense come over him. He had only ever seen Misty in the nude briefly, on maybe one or two occasions, but somehow looking at her now there was a feeling of... familiarity. He tracked the curve of her breasts, following the line of her side before taking in the divot of her belly button.

He could see himself, his human self, caressing her with his hands along the path his eyes were following, but it was more than that. He somehow knew what her skin felt like; that it was smooth and soft, covered in an invisible layer of fine hairs that felt like down.

Dominic could see his hand continuing farther down, searching through the light blond curls that hid his goal. When he found it, the warm fluid that coated his fingertips pulled a growl from his chest. She was receptive, even though she had been fighting him, now that he had shifted his mate would allow him to mate with her-

"Dominic?" Misty's voice sounded far away. It was not enough to break him out of what must have been a memory that was not his.

He continued to watch as his hands dunked into a river and lifted the water to his face. It dripped off of him pink, and in the reflection of the slow moving water he could see the blood that was still clinging to him. He shook his hair like a dog before leaning down to get a drink of the cold water.

"Dominic? What's wrong?"

Again Misty's voice came through. His own labored breathing drowned out her voice. He stumbled back, falling to the ground as another image filled his head.

This one was of lying next to her after bedding down for the night. There had been a noise, close by and behind him. He rose swiftly onto all four paws, snarling and barking into the night. A flash of movement was all it took to set him off, his teeth bared as he chased down the intruder that dared try and sneak up on him. The other wolf was not prepared for his wrath and fell victim to his teeth before finding escape into the thick underbrush. Misty had been a factor in his escape as well. She had nipped Dominic by his tail and hindered his lunges. The wrath and confusion her interference brought up in Dominic lead him to lash out at her instead. They had not acknowledged each other for a few days after their clash.

"Tell me what's happening! Damn it, Dominic! Talk to me!"

Blood covered everything around him; his paws, the dead leaves, Misty. The killing of the deer had been brutal and uncoordinated, but he had finally managed to bring it down. The buck had been strong but unskilled in his youth. Any other wolf would have had an easier time, but he was still new to the hunt. His mate promised him he would get better with time.

Something strong smacked Dominic across the face. Finally, something broke through, and he was able to take notice of what was happening to and inside of him. Misty was above him, furiously try to get him to calm down. The memories that he assumed belonged to his wolf continued to play out, and with them he realized the instinct responded in kind. With his fear they grew larger; with his loss of control they grew thicker. Panicked by the realization they way attempt to take over again, Dominic did the only thing he could think of; he shoved the instincts as far back into his mind as possible and held them there. When it tried to push forward, he held them tighter. He would not allow this thing to take over him again.

"I'm fine." Dominic looked into Misty's eyes. He could see she did not believe him, but he ignored her and climbed to his feet. He swayed once, but when Misty tried to help him he rebuffed her. "I'm fine. I just want to see my family."

He pretended he did not see the hurt in Misty's eyes. He just waited until she finally began leading him in the direction of the Den.

*

The walk to the Den was fine, for the most part. Navigating the woods had been a hassle since he had woken up to being a foot taller than before. Dominic was reminded of when he had started going through puberty and shot up in height. He had been clumsy and uncoordinated, unable to even use stairs properly half the time. Now he was faced with roots and slick stones, as well as hidden divots in the ground and the occasional tree branch to the face. It didn't help that every few minutes the wind would shift and he would be hit with a wave of Misty's scent. It did odd things to him, as it had in the past. Now he has having to hold back doing odd things like reach out and touch her. It was automatic, as if he were strangely used to doing it. He stayed behind her as they walked, so she didn't notice his conflict. He used it to his advantage so he could lock down his wolf even tighter and once again establish control over his body.

Other than the internal struggle, everything was fine, but things changed as the Den came into view. They were approaching from the front, using the same road they had used to get to the Den the first day. Nothing remarkable had changed; the grey stones were darker because of the rain, the stained glass emblem of the wolf surrounded by five lines of blue, the fountain in the center of the horseshoe driveway was still running and giving off the sounds of a running creek.

What was different was the overall atmosphere. Dominic could feel almost a physical barrier pushing him back, trying to keep him from moving closer to the Den. It was so strong he stopped approaching. He just stood in the middle of the road, staring at the imposing structure as if it were going to snarl at him if he stepped an inch closer.

"What's wrong?" Dominic glanced at Misty, who was a few paces ahead of him. She looked very demure in her pink dress they had grabbed from one of the stashed plastic bags in the woods. He had to quickly pull his eyes away, so as not to allow himself to linger on her short hemline.

He shrugged, rubbing at the itchy material of his wife beater and sweats they had found in the same bag. He considered lying, saying everything was fine and continuing on, but realized there was no way he was going to be able to play this off. Something just felt off. "I don't know. This place makes me nervous. I don't want to go near it."

Understanding lit Misty's face. She walked back over to Dominic, shocking him as she took his hand. "It is okay. Your instincts are just recognizing that this is the Den of another pack. You're safe, I promise."

Dominic didn't feel safe, but he allowed Misty to tug him forward. Strangely enough, having her physical contact made him feel slightly better. In denial, he chocked it up to her being a part of this pack and feeling somewhat protected with her.

The front entrance of the Den was quiet. There were a few younger pack members moving up and down the stairs and into the halls on the second and third floors. Most carried books and backpacks as if they were going to class.

As Dominic and Misty walked through, all the young eyes followed their movements, which made sense seeing as how they hadn't even seen very many humans before Dominic and the others had come there. It was still unsettling. He could feel their stares on his face and back, tingling like pins being jabbed into his skin. The feeling intensified until it was too much to bear. The instincts inside of Dominic flared out before he could stop it, causing him to unleash a vicious growl. The wolves on the stairs darted off without a backwards glance.

Dominic instantly lashed out at his wolf, shoving it down as he pulled his lips back over his teeth. Shaking his head, he apologized to Misty for what he had just done. She just smiled and continued on to the hall between the ballroom and courtyard. No one was outside because of the cool morning air, but looking in through the open doors on their left, he could see there was a massive ball room, filled with various groups of both children and adults, all dancing and practicing different routines. For the older groups, it was very clinical and precise, while with the little ones it looked more like they were just being corralled and allowed to dance however they pleased. Their laughter echoed out and into the main hallway, lightening the air as Dominic and Misty walked by.

Much of the Den was the same as they continued on farther in. There were many individuals and small groups interspersed throughout the halls, talking about what work they needed to do or something amusing that had happened over the previous days. It reminded Dominic of the one time he had been to a college campus; the chatter of a community of young people, all of them going about life with only the basic cares of the world. There was the same intense feeling of misplacement that he had felt stepping onto the first campus, carrying the drugs some rich brat had bought for his frat party. He had stayed long after completing his drop off, watching as those more privileged than he partied and lived up their lives. He remembered the intense jealousy and longing he felt to be one of them. He had left half way through the party and swore he would never go back.

Shaking the memories away, Dominic began evaluating the expressions of the people he walked past. Most seemed curious, some held a healthy dose of wariness, others smiled and even gave quiet words of greeting to Misty as they walked by with an acknowledging nod in his direction. There were one or two that made obvious moves of avoidance, but there was none of the hostility and fear that had been present during the first few days of their arrival at to the Den. To anyone else this would have been a good sign. Instead, it just gave Dominic a nagging little pit in his stomach.

Making their way farther into the maze, there were more and more people walking around. They seemed to be more often adults carrying out tasks such as laundry or repairs. Sometimes when they walked past a courtyard Dominic could see gardeners pulling stay weeds from the flower beds. Everyone seemed to have a job, a purpose. With a place this big there were probably plenty of jobs to go around.

"It's like you guys have your own little city out here." Dominic commented as they passed the kitchen. It smelt like barbeque and baking pies, which brought up old memories of Ben's house. There had been a lot a barbeques hosted there.

Misty smiled as a group of four children went tearing past her, their older brother play chasing them as they squealed with laughter. "It was not safe to be around humans for a very long time. They tend to think of us as demons or mindless beasts that need to be killed. We were already fighting one war with the vampires; we didn't need another enemy to battle. So we isolated ourselves, kept away from the growing human populations until we became nothing but myth and romance fiction to them. Now, we have become accustomed to this way of life. Many don't see a human for most of their young lives, until they are properly trained on how to behave around them so as not to give away our secret. We have to be self sufficient within our Dens. We have school and training, electives like dance and music. Farther into the forest we have gardens and live stalk we raise to eat, though it's much smaller now that we can buy in bulk from human suppliers. You're right; we are our own little city out here. If the world were to end tomorrow, there would be very little effect on us in the long term."