43 – Full Monty

Reed stared down the face of the bluff at the aftermath.

Rogue had been right, the fight had not lasted long at all.

Wolves prowled everywhere, some black, one white, most varying shades of silver and grey and tan, and all of them were bigger than they had any right to be, bigger than Reed had ever thought wolves cold be.

A radio on the ground squawked, a disgruntled male voice on the other end. “KSRT1, KSRT1, you there? That was some racket you all made. We’re still getting 911 calls, most of them saying the town is being attacked by wild animals. The press is headed your way and I have zero manpower left to help you. Get your business tied up and set up some roadblocks, ASAP.”

Rogue nodded at her. “Get that, I’ll go tell someone.”

Reed didn’t have time to protest that she didn’t know what, “get that,” meant. Rogue was already running down the cliff face, disregarding the trail altogether. “Yo, Trevor!” she yelled. A massive, silvery-grey-black wolf broke out of the pack surrounding the bear and loped over to her.

Reed stepped gingerly over the pants and boots that were laying on the ground, shredded there when their owner had shifted into a wolf, no underwear, she noted, and grabbed up the radio.

“Roger,” she said tentatively. “We ah, we heard you.”

“Who’s this?”

“Reed,” she said, feeling like she was in trouble.

The voice had softened. “Good job out there, Reed. I’m Wade, we’ll meet soon.”

“Thanks,” Reed whispered, but she didn’t press the button. She dropped the radio to the ground from nerveless fingers.

A black wolf had climbed up the bluff face and was coming straight for her, predator gaze on her like she was his next meal. Behind him, more wolves came, but she only had eyes for the one with the white mark that looked like a bomb on its shoulder. He locked eyes with her, and loped right up in front of her, stopping so close to her she could reach out and touch him. Was she going to? Could she even…?

She did, putting her hand on his head, then dropping to her knees, feeling his soft ears, touching his soft face. He licked her once, on her cheek, with a wet, warm tongue. Reed felt like crying. There was no doubt in her mind that this was Troy, but would this be who he was… forever?

She hugged him around the neck, hard. “Thank you for saving me,” she murmured. The wolf only stood still, and when she pulled back a little, he stared into her eyes.

“It’s ok,” she whispered. “It’s ok if you can’t change back. I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want anyone else. We’ll figure it out together.” She tried so hard, she concentrated with everything she had, hoping to hear his voice in her mind. She heard nothing.

She bit her lip and tried not to think how that would make this all so much harder, never hearing his voice again.

The wolf dropped his head and his body shook. For a moment, she wondered if he was crying.

“Troy,” she whispered.

Did his face change a little? Or was she imagining it? No, she wasn’t. His muzzle shortened for sure, and his body twisted, bending in on itself.

Reed held her breath and snatched her hand away, watching, eyes wide, hope in her heart, barely able to believe how much she wanted to see the change.

The wolf’s claws clattered on the stone and his back legs kicked out, startling her. More wolves came over the bluff, a few stopping to stare, one shifting into a naked man she barely saw. Troy’s fur was changing, lightening, becoming… not fur anymore.

Troy crouched in front of her, Troy the man, deliciously naked, thick yogajack muscles flexing and contracting until Reed’s heart filled with joy.

Troy shot to his feet, arms held to the sky, head back, mouth open, all of him on display, a guttural whoop ripping from his vocal cords. “I did it!” he shouted, his voice echoing down the bluff, over the town.

Reed laughed and clapped her hands together, tears spilling at the pure joy in his voice, joy she could barely stand to see without crying.

Troy changed again, twisting down into a black wolf, that snarled and howled, then changed again, into a man, standing with fists clenched, down in front of his body this time. “I did it,” he said again, in a more normal voice, almost wondering. “Trent…” he said softly, looking at her while calling his brother’s name. “I did it.”

Troy dropped to his knees and grabbed her around the waist, like he was drowning. He pressed his face into her belly. “I did it,” he murmured.

Reed dropped her hands to his hair, thinking she heard something, but not in her head. Something tinny and far away, a deep rumbling voice echoing across landscapes and worlds. “I knew you would.”

Behind him, a man said, “Good one, Troy, now put your fucking pants on.”

Troy stood up. He hooked an arm around Reed. He ignored that guy altogether, walking her to the forest, naked, and in bare feet.

“Let’s go pick out a cabin, babe,” he said.

Reed grinned at him. “You know my name, use it,” she said, teasing him.

He turned toward her and kissed her. Reed put her hands behind her back so they didn’t get grabby, hoping no one was watching them.

“Rrrrrrreeeeeeeed,” he told her, rolling that R, winking at her, making her grin.