Wolf Tamer by Avery Song
Lost And Found
~IAN~
"We're not keeping her!"
"She's not a pet, Rogan! Where the hell is she supposed to go?"
My eyes kept darting between the three adults in the room, the tightness in my throat growing as the conversation grew tenser by the second.
“Dolly, you don't know what the fuck she is."
"Don't ‘Dolly’ me! You, as well as Sam and I, know what she is! She won't last in foster care, and if anyone like us gets a grasp of what she is, it's game over! Do you really want that happening to her, because if so, we might as well have left her in the woods to die!"
"You should have!"
"Rogan! Enough!”
My body jolted at the loud, gruff sound. The voice belonged to Uncle Sam. I'd lived here long enough to know when he raised his voice, it meant he was mad and done with the conversation.
Maneuvering my gaze from his tall frame, I looked over to the only woman in the room. Her face was so red the color could have matched a tomato, and her body shook uncontrollably with boiling anger.
That was Dolly.
When it came to lost children like me, she never played around. I'd overheard Sam saying it was because she’d always wanted kids, but I couldn't understand why she didn’t have any. Something about her not being able to, but I thought of her as a mom, so maybe that did count.
Compared to the others in my situation, I was the closest to her, and it was infuriating to stand here and see her in distress.
She has every right to be...
My eyes returned to the man in question - Rogan. I'd considered him the asshole of the family. That was what many of the adults called him when he wasn't around, simply because he was a jerk - to everyone, even me.
The topic of argument tonight?The girl I found in the woods.
No way did I want them to get rid of her, even if I knew nothing about her or where she'd been running from. There was just something about her. Something that made me not want to leave her side.
My wolf was no different. My wolf liked her - we liked her - and whatever was calling to us didn't want to be ignored.
It had to be what Dolly referred to as fate. Why else would I have found her?
Obviously, I wasn't supposed to be in the forest, but all I craved was space. It wasn't for fun, like it had been many previous times.
Today was special for some strange reason.
When I'd been running through the dark woods, allowing the musky air to calm me down, the piercing sound stopped me in my tracks. It was like something had popped, but it wasn't just one pop, but multiple.
Without hesitation, I ran into the very direction of the sound, even with Dolly's past warnings that pop sounds were most likely from hunters who carried guns.
It was one of those "usual" things because the others and I were very rare wolf races that many hunters would love to catch. That was why we weren't allowed to go outside at night. But I disliked rules.
They were meant to be broken.
Upon my arrival, there were no hunters in sight, but there she was: the girl.
She was so beautiful, with outstanding eyes that gleamed marvellously under the moonlight. They reminded me of the sky, or crystal-clear waters in the hidden realms of the mountains.
My admiration was short-lived as I realized she was hurt - really bad.
Metallic scent invaded my nostrils, encouraging me to push my limbs even harder to race down the path towards her limp body. She was barely awake - barely breathing - while her limp body lay there.
She clung to a blade and a picture of her and what had to have been her family.
What I feared most was her dying. A stranger's life, someone who looked to be my age, slipping away without having a chance of survival.
Her teal eyes were weak and struggled to keep fighting the urge to close, but my arrival had to have done something to give her a speck of determination. I expected she'd do what any human with a boost of instincts would: run as far away from me as possible.
Instead, her little hand reached out to pet me - cold and trembling as she took the time to enjoy the softness of my fur while her lips tugged upward in the cutest smile. It was like seeing someone genuinely smile for the first time, and my heart skipped a few beats even in my wolf form.
She loved my fur, stating as much with that weak, struggling voice of hers while she looked at me with more compassion than most of the adults I'd met in my young life. I couldn't wrap my head around why she didn't fear me.
People always fear wolves.
I decided there and then that she deserved to be saved. Our hearts begged for us to do something - anything - to save this girl who called us Wolfie.
I never had a nickname for my wolf, but it was perfect and I mentally claimed it - seconds before howling upward towards the full moon.
The sound echoed, again and again, escaping from my throat in urgency. I knew it would reach my friends: my family.
The girl looked to be five or six, I wasn't sure. I was seven, so if she was five, I'd be two years older than her.
Frankly, I was still trying to figure out what would motivate hunters to pursue a human girl. What was so special about her? Was she not human?
Maybe that's what I was hoping for. That she'd be like me.
We didn't have any female wolves in these parts. We lived in the hidden parts of the mountains, away from the towns and big cities for our own safety.
We're endangered, after all. We're lucky to peacefully stay here, like Dolly always says.
"Right now, she's injured so she's staying. Once she heals, we can see what she remembers. That wound on her head surely did more damage. Plus, she's just a child. Throwing her into foster care is basically homicide!"
Foster care for wolves is a death sentence. Carter said that.
"She WILL go to foster care when she heals! We already have a deal with that pack of wolves. We're not letting that girl stay. She'll be a distraction to the boys and only bring bad luck to us all!"
"You don't know that!"
"Shut it already, Dolly! You're just defending the orphaned twat because you've always wanted a daugh-"
My jaw dropped at the sound of Dolly's hand slapping Rogan's cheek. The silence was deafening. I watched with wide eyes as the spread of red washed over Rogan's flesh. A part of me was frightened and wanted to continue hiding in the shadows, but my wolf was done hiding and he nudged my feet forward to enter the dimly lit living room.
The moment I made myself seen, I didn't hesitate to reach Dolly's side as she trembled in her spot. She was crying, obviously upset by Rogan's words - as she should be. It wasn't Dolly's fault she couldn't have kids. She told me she tried and tried, but maybe Mother Moon wanted her to be on another path.
Would she even take us in if she had her own kids?
Dolly always wanted a girl especially. She had a few miscarriages, each one breaking her heart- piece by piece - and the last one, she told no one but me.
She told me that night that she wouldn't try again. She was tired of trying...and losing.
It pained me to see her sad like this. Dolly was the kindest person ever, and seeing those golden orbs glassy with tears tugged on every heartstring and made me extremely upset.
I reached for her hand, and those shimmering orbs met my glimmering silver ones.
"Can she stay, Dolly?" I quietly asked. "I want her to stay. She's different...special. My wolf likes her!"
Me vouching for anyone was a big deal because I didn't like talking. It wasn't in my comfort zone because no one really listened to you when you were a kid. Dolly and Sam would make it a priority, and my friends listened to me, but everyone else?
Ignored. Complained. Told me orphan brats should keep their mouths shut.
"Do you like her, Ian?"
"Yes!" I emphasized without delay. "There's kindness in her heart, Dolly. I just know it. Can't she stay? Pretty please!" I begged.
It was my first time asking her for something to this degree as I stared into her eyes with a flicker of hope. It felt selfish of me to ask for stuff, especially when I was privileged to stay in this place of safety with a roof over my head and food to eat, but if this girl were taken away, I could guarantee that she'd be lonely.
I hate the heavy feeling of being alone.
We also couldn't ignore the possibility of her being a wolf. If she was, she needed a pack. Every wolf deserved a pack. She could be a late bloomer. Or hiding her wolf out of fear. There could be so many factors. Even a child could think of the possibilities.
Why can't Rogan get it?
"You're really going to listen to an imbecile brat?!" Rogan scolded.
That earned him a glare as my pale silver eyes narrowed the moment I turned my head in his direction. My wolf approached within my mind, prowling forward with every intention of laying a mark on Rogan's flesh to shut him up.
The shift in the atmosphere was surely enough to make him stop talking, to the point that Sam got up and reached my side far quicker than I would have liked.
"Easy with the glare, buddy," Sam urged as he got down on one knee next to me and lightly placed his hand on my shoulder. "Ian."
I didn't want to back down. He didn't deserve my sympathy. Why didn't he carry a kind vein in him? I simply hated him.
"Ian." The tender voice came from my left, and I looked to see Dolly. "How about we let the girl stay for now. When she's healed up, we can check to see if she has any family. You wouldn't want to take her from her family, right?"
"Right," I admitted. "But if she doesn't?"
"If she doesn't, we'll have to at least try to see if she'll fit in a foster family. If she struggles to respond positively to them, she can stay here. Do you understand?"
"I guess..." I still didn't like the idea, but then again, it was better than her not getting the chance to stay with us. She may have a family waiting for her, and it would be pretty mean to take her from them.
"If she has to go away, can we still be friends?"
Dolly smiled, which lit up her watery eyes, while Sam bobbed his head and lightly squeezed my shoulder.
"Sure thing, kiddo. I think it would be a good idea since you two are close in age."
"Doesn't sound good at all, but no one gives a hoot," Rogan muttered, and he was right - no one cared, which was why we ignored him.
"Perfect. Now, you should be sleeping. I don't want to deal with your cranky butt in the morning."
"I'm not cranky," I mumbled while pouting my lips, knowing well that I wasn't a happy camper when I didn't get enough sleep.
"Sure," Sam drawled with a look that said otherwise.
"Can't I stay with the girl a bit longer? What if she has a nightmare?! She needs someone to be there!" I reasoned. I would make any excuse to just stay with her for a few more minutes.
With a look at Dolly, Sam replied, "Only if you make sure not to tell her you're a wolf, Ian."
"Why?" I tilted my head in confusion. "Isn't she one?"
Rogan clearly had enough of the conversation - or being ignored - and he marched out of the room and slammed the door behind him. I flinched at the sound before glaring at his trail. "Hmph. He's going to wake her."
Dolly gave me a sympathetic look as she gently stroked my hair, but Sam remained focused on the main topic at hand.
"I don't think she knows, Ian," Sam stated with a sigh.
"Like me?" I inquired with curious eyes.
When I was found, I didn't know what I was. To be honest, I couldn't remember who I was aside from my name, Ian. My new friends made things easier, even though I was frightened to mingle with kids similar to my age.
Dolly and Sam helped a lot, and I wanted to '"pay it forward" like Dolly always emphasized when she taught us about doing good to others so others would do good to you.
"Similar," Dolly answered. "With a slight problem."
"Problem? What problem? Is she unwell? Will she not heal from getting hurt?"
Sam shook his head and gave me his full attention.
"It's tricky, kiddo." His eyes told me something was definitely wrong, and I needed to know what it was.
"I want to know, Sam! I have to be strong for her," I emphasized. I was going to be her friend, and friends had to stick together. That meant supporting her any way I could.
"Well... it would take some time and tests to be done. It's just a hunch, but we think someone may have sealed off her wolf."
My mouth opened to speak, but words didn't come out as I thought about it. I didn't know very much about wolf life. I was being taught with the rest of the pack, but I knew enough to acknowledge that having your wolf sealed was VERY bad.
"She can't shift..." I trailed off as the words really hit me and my wolf. "She'll die! Won't she die? Oh, Sam. Dolly. She can't die! She worked so hard not to die!" I panicked at the thought, my heart already racing while my eyes were filling with tears.
Death frightened me.
The heavy, single word that described the end of a person's life made a weird prickling feeling go through my body and left me feeling cold and lonely. I hated this feeling, like waking up from a nightmare or like sinking in a pool.
"Ian." Dolly was on her knees in front of me and lightly stroked my cheeks, which were already wet with tears. "We don't know all the facts yet. It's going to take us time to figure it out, especially with the rarity of female wolves. We don't know her family background or if she's from a pack of endangered wolves like you and the others. You can't tell her, or it may have a very bad effect on her and we won't be able to keep her here."
This was one of those heavy decisions adults had to make, but I'd asked to be a part of it. I couldn't back down now that things were a little scary. Essentially, I didn't want to hide who we were. It wouldn't be fair, and I wouldn't want anyone doing the same to me.
"Ian," Sam whispered. "You'll be able to tell her one day. It just can't be right this instant. Not only does it put her at risk depending on if she's accepted into a foster family, but it'll put you and the others at risk as well."
"But...I don't want to lie to her," I admitted as my shoulders sank in defeat. "I like her, Sam. I want to tell her the truth. You guys always say we should tell the truth."
"For now, Ian, it's a secret," Sam urged. "You're not lying to try to hurt her. You just want to keep her and those you love safe. Once we figure everything out, we can slowly introduce her to you and this world. For now, she has to adapt because a lot has changed in her life and it's very scary. Think about it. She may have lost her family, friends, a place she calls home. We should aim to make her comfortable and happy here. We'll leave the complicated stuff for later."
"Trust us, Ian. We'll figure it out. I promise," Dolly emphasized.
"Okay..." I trailed off to lift my head and look between them. "I guess I have to stay in my wolf form then. Can I do that?"
"That's fine," Dolly approved. "If she wakes up and we're not there, come get us, okay?"
"Okay," I agreed with a firm nod. "I'm going away now." I couldn't help but give them each a hug for listening to me, before scurrying down the hall to the stairs.
My ears perked up as my sense of hearing heightened to catch onto their conversation.
"He's fond of her already," Sam acknowledged.
"What if they’re mates? That would be delightful," Dolly suggested, and I knew without seeing her that she was trying to lift up her own spirits.
"Maybe," Sam replied, but I could tell he was still concerned. "Things aren't adding up, though. Why would a five-year-old child be hunted? There's a blood trail and everything. I got a few of the boys to begin scouting the area, and I'll go contribute, but this is unreal for these parts of the woods. I'm hoping we can find a trail that maybe leads to where she'd been running from, but my gut tells me things are ugly."
"We can't let her be in the foster system, Sam." Dolly's voice trembled at the mere statement. "You know what they do to girls. She's so innocent and pure. We should be protecting her, not throwing her into a system that is just as savage as a pack of wolves. They'll ruin her. Break her little heart."
Dolly's sobs made my heart clench as I silently walked back down the hall until I could peek from the shadows to see Dolly crying before Sam hugged her.
"Hey, there. Dolly, don't cry. I'll keep an eye on her, you hear? We have no choice but to let her try a few families. You know how many adopters are desperate for a female child. It won't be as easy as claiming Ian. If she doesn't adapt, she'll stay here. We won’t turn a blind eye like others have in the past, alright?"
All Dolly could do was nod as she sobbed into his chest. I frowned and tried not to cry at the sound of her whimpers, turning around to head back to the stairs.
Before I knew it, I was at the door to my room - the last one down the dark hall. With a creak, I poked my head in to check the small space I'd slept in since arriving here.
The moonlight illuminated the square space, the curtains dancing lightly with the trickle of wind that seeped in. My eyes landed on the bed, relief flooding me as a small smile graced my lips.
Just staring at her from afar made me hope we'd be friends, but only time would tell.
"Are you going to bed or not?"
I blinked and slowly closed the door at the quiet but authoritative voice from my left. I already knew who stood there watching me, but my eyes confirmed it as they landed on pair of golden orbs.
"I was," I whined with a pout, noticing the way his eyebrow raised just slightly. My wolf had to nudge me to be obedient, and I let go of the knob of the door to give him my full attention with a slight bow of my head. "I was, Alpha Carter."
Carter Moonshine. The leader of our endangered pack. He was a bit older, wiser, and far stronger than a noob like me in this world of wolf shifters. The pack - my friends - respected him, even though it was becoming clear that my human side didn't like him.
I wasn't sure how my wolf felt, but he certainly acknowledged that this boy was way out of our league.
And we have no choice but to obey.
He took the few short steps needed to stand before me, his eyes analyzing me from head to toe. "Just Carter," he huffed. "Unless you do something stupid, which you did, didn't you?"
"If I didn't go out, we wouldn't have saved the girl," I defended.
"That's not your duty," Carter emphasized. "I was assigned to survey tonight. I would have discovered if there was any trouble."
Is he mad that he wasn't the one to find her?
I had to be smart about what I said next so he wouldn't stop me from seeing the girl.
"I wanted space because Rogan was being an asshole again," I brought up and looked away to add, "He's always saying I'm useless and a waste of space. I wanted to leave...not leave, leave...just to get some air. I didn't mean to interfere."
It was partially true because Rogan did love to insult me regularly because I was taking up "too much space". It didn't make sense since I was adopted by Dolly and he just came down here whenever he felt like it.
"Don't listen to that weak wolf. He picks on you because he wants you to remain weak," Carter huffed, his eyes still analyzing me carefully. "Due to the circumstances, I'll let this go, but if it happens again, you'll be in trouble. Understand?"
"Understood," I replied as I lowered my head. He reached out to lift my head by the chin.
"Don't act like a submissive wolf when you're not. When you agree, you look into my eyes and say it."
I blinked a few times before whispering," Understood."
My eyes lingered on his for a few more seconds before he was satisfied and let go. Then he turned away, allowing me to acknowledge his short blond strands with hints of white at the edges.
He looked over his shoulder once more - his golden eyes dimming until they were back to their true color of striking turquoise.
"Get some rest. You're always cranky when you don't sleep."
I was going to debate, but I held my tongue. That was clearly a good move as he purposely waited an added few seconds to stare at me before he looked away.
"Goodnight."
He didn't wait for me to finish as he waltzed forward until he was going down the stairs. As curious as I was to follow him and eavesdrop on whatever he would say to Dolly and Sam, I decided to do what I was told.
Opening the door once more, I slipped through the small space and closed it very gently. With a sigh, I let myself relax before turning around and heading to the bed to see the pretty girl still sound asleep.
She was more beautiful now that her skin wasn't dangerously pale, her chest moving up and down slowly to accent her sleeping state.
Dolly had cleaned her right up, bandaging any wounds with the help of the healers, and put her in a nice, frilly white dress. The picture that was in her possession sat on the nightstand, along with the dagger she'd been holding.
She’d told me not to touch those items, for they were surely important. She would freak out if she woke up and they weren’t present.
We had to use a special cloth to hold it anyways because the blade and a bit of the hilt had silver - a rather poisonous element to wolves. That was another reason why no one touched the silver locket around her neck.
It looked like one of those heirlooms that were handed down to children, like I'd learned about the other day. Shifter traditions were a big deal, at least, that was what Carter explained. There were various factors that contributed to it, but they were important.
In this world, I was warned that tampering with anything you knew little about was dangerous. Carter always stressed that in every teaching I'd had with the others, aiming to ingrain it into our heads.
The soft whimper had my wolf on high alert, and I flinched and moved closer to ensure the girl was okay. She turned slightly, and that the glint of a tear caught my eye as it rolled down her cheek.
I knew exactly what I had to do as I moved to slip under the covers to hug her. It felt like she was crying in her sleep, tears and whimpers continuing to escape her before she quietly settled into slumber once more.
At some point, she worked on turning, until she was snuggled against me like I was a big, warm teddy bear. My wolf decided this would be the time to shift, especially now that we were relaxed.
I was getting used to the odd transition. It was still weird to me, but I tried not to think about it. Thanks to the few shifts I'd experienced, it was less strenuous and painful, and thanks to one of our packmates, Levi, I could do it like it was second nature.
The shift was flawless, and the girl didn't notice. She snuggled even closer now, her head slightly moving to rub against my fur. I could notice the slight smile on her tiny lips as they parted just slightly.
"Wolfie."
She knows it's me? She remembers me!
If there was a way to smile in this form, I'd be grinning from ear to ear at her unconscious acknowledgment. It made me so happy to be known by a girl just because I'd been there for her. Even if Carter was mad at me for stealing his role, I didn't care.
I'd do it again if it meant she remembered me.
I silently prayed to our Mother Moon that she'd stay with us. My heart wished for her to remain close to us, just like this. She deserved to be here with me, and maybe the others.
Maybe the idea of someone from similar circumstances being with me left me hoping she'd be a friend forever, but deep down, I really did wish she'd be a part of my destiny.
Please...don't leave us.