FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 2

Sophia's heart beat loudly in her chest as she and the wolf regarded each other silently. Wolves usually avoided people, she knew, and to have one here, in town, was unheard of. Sophia also knew she should be afraid to be this close to a wild predator, particularly one acting strangely. Yet, as her initial shock wore off, she realized she felt no fear towards this particular animal. On the contrary, his presence felt oddly soothing.

Sophia stared at him, and she somehow knew it was a him, mesmerized. There was just enough light from a nearby streetlight to see him. He was a beautiful creature, with dark fur on his strong back transitioning into the tan fur covering his sides and powerful legs before finally becoming the rich silvery white fur on his underside. His face and muzzle were handsome and accentuated his golden eyes. His raised tail was long and full.

Sophia felt drawn to the wolf, something deep within. Her excitement building, she took a step towards him. The wolf just stood there watching her, and almost seemed to relax.

Headlights from a turning car swept across them and the moment was broken. The wolf turned and ran as the car passed by. Sophia shook her head, an odd feeling of loss rising up in her. Shrugging, she adjusted her bag and continued her walk home, scanning the field for the wolf. Unfortunately, even in the moonlight she couldn't see any sign of him.

As Sophia walked, her mind kept wandering back to her encounter. It had been so surreal it had felt like a dream. Maybe she had imagined it, the longing she felt even now couldn't have arisen from briefly seeing a wolf, could it? Besides, what would a wolf be doing this close to town? It must have been a combination of her wolf obsessed imagination and her exhaustion. Shaking her head again, Sophia forced herself to think about how she would spend the rest of the night and somehow get her homework done.

After what felt like ages, but was only really another ten minutes of walking, Sophia walked up her driveway to her home. Like the other houses in the neighborhood, it was a ranch style house built during the last decade's building boom. Brand new when her family had moved in eleven years before, it was starting to show signs of age. The cedar siding was starting to look weathered and the front walk had a crack or two, but otherwise it looked much the same to Sophia as when her family first moved in. The front garden and lawn that hadn't been mowed since early September were a reminder things were not the same however. Sophia and her mother had once spent many a morning maintaining the flower garden that had graced the front of their home. Now it was just a collection of various weeds among a few remaining wood chips.

Setting her backpack down on the porch, Sophia rummaged for her keys in the moonlight. Finding them, she unlocked the door and stepped in. Turning the entry light on revealed the usual mess of shoes and boots. Flecks of dry mud and dirt marked a floor that hadn't been swept in a while and a few scuffs marked the walls. The living room's hardwood floor was littered with various personal items and clothes. Several dirty dishes and empty beer cans occupied the end table next to the couch, marking where her father spent much of his time when he was home.

As Sophia walked into the kitchen, the smell of dishes which hadn't been washed and trash that badly needed to be emptied hit her. Unopened mail, two cereal boxes and a half-empty bottle of whiskey lay on the counter along with a used microwave dinner tray. Dirty dishes lay in the sink and a cupboard door had been left open. Maintaining the kitchen often fell to her and that was only when she could no longer stand it.

Sighing, Sophia took it upon herself to tie up and drag the trash out to the bin in the garage. The spot where her dad's truck parked was empty of course. Along the far wall were dust covered shelves and benches full of gardening equipment, tools and hardware. Sophia's bike lay propped against the wall, its frame still waiting to be repaired after she had bent it hitting an exposed tree root while taking an impromptu trail ride the previous year. Her dad had promised to straighten it out, but that promise had remained un-kept like so many others.

Going back inside, she put a new garbage bag in the trash and then grabbed a microwave dinner from the freezer. After it finished heating, she sat down at the dinner table with her chemistry book and started working on her homework. She had barely completed two problems when she heard the garage open and her dad's truck drive in. Her father, a graying, bearded man just over six feet tall, walked into the kitchen from the garage. Sophia's nose wrinkled as the scent of alcohol that accompanied him reached her.

"Hi dad!" Sophia greeted him, looking up from her textbook.

She was a bit disappointed when he failed to move towards her and give her a hug like he had once done.

"Evening Soph," he greeted her back, glossy red eyes staring at her. "You work tonight?"

"Yep!" Sophia replied sweetly, even if she didn't feel it. "I just got home."

"I was a bit worried," her dad told her. "Radio said a wolf had been sighted near town. A lone wolf this close to town ain't normal and they're worried it might be rabid."

"A wolf?" Sophia replied in surprise.

Her excitement rose; so it had been real! She ached to tell her father, but she knew he would just freak out.

"Yeah, I know you're into wolves, but I don't want you near it if you see it," her dad instructed. "Understand?"

Sophia hesitated before a brief "yes".

"Hey, I know it's getting chillier out and I thought I could drive you to school tomorrow," her dad suggested.

"I need to get there an hour early tomorrow, I forgot my math book at school," she told him.

"I'll set my alarm," he replied earnestly. "Glad you're staying on top of school work."

Sophia was skeptical that would happen, but replied, "that would be great! Thanks!"

"Well, I'm off to bed," her dad told her. "Busy day today. Night Soph!"

"Night dad!" Sophia replied and went back to her dinner and chemistry.

After doing her best to answer each question for chemistry, Sophia cleaned up her dinner, turned the light off in the kitchen and moved to her bedroom. Her bedroom's hardwood floor was strewn with laundry, dirty and clean. The floral wallpapered walls were adorned with the various artwork she had made over the years. Neatly stacked against one corner were her dolls and stuffed animals from when she was a little girl. A large poster with a photo of a wolf was hung above her bed, which was, of course, unmade. Her desk had several books on it along with the laptop her parents had bought her for high school. A framed photo of her with her parents from her first day of high school stood next to the laptop.

Setting her backpack down, Sophia climbed into bed and started reading the chapter for history, or at least trying to. Her mind kept wandering back to her encounter with the wolf. She still felt an odd emptiness amidst her excitement, though it had faded to a dull ache. Looking out her window towards the moonlit mountains and silhouetted trees, she hoped the wolf wouldn't get captured or worse. Perhaps he was looking for his pack. Her mind drifted, imagining running through the moonlit forest alongside the wolf; she thought she could hear a wolf howl, but perhaps it was just her imagination.

Shrill beeping tore Sophia from sleep and she quickly felt around for her alarm clock and silenced it. Fatigue still weighed heavily on her mind and she briefly considered going back to sleep, but knew she'd regret it. Opening her eyes as dreams of howling wolves faded, she looked at her clock - 5:30 in the morning. Her history text lay next to her on the bed, upside down and open. She had fallen asleep on top of the blanket still in her clothes from the previous day and had somehow still managed to get her feet tangled. Kicking free of the blanket, she sat up and then reluctantly got out of bed.

After showering and brushing her hair, Sophia went back into her bedroom wrapped in a towel and started rummaging through her clothes. In the past, she had put a lot of time and effort into her Halloween costumes with her mother, enjoying the annual excuse to pretend to be something else. Last year had been only a few weeks after her mother's death and she hadn't been able to bring herself to make or wear a costume; instead, she had spent the night alone in her room drawing. This year, she had a party to attend and no costume put together.

Going through her clothes was a frustrating experience. Most of her dresses no longer fit and she could hardly make a costume out of most of her everyday clothes. After several minutes of fruitless searching, she fell on her bed, defeated. Then her eyes fell on a folded red throw blanket on the top shelf of her closet and an idea struck her.

Grinning, Sophia grabbed the blanket and then quickly located her red hooded sweatshirt. A couple safety pins later and she had a serviceable riding hood. Black leggings, blue skirt, a white top and Sophia was looking over her handiwork in her mirror. It wasn't much, but it was acceptable on short notice and it held a certain appeal to her. Now she just needed a basket...

Making her way to the front hall closet, Sophia grabbed the brown wicker picnic basket located there that hadn't seen daylight in years. Perfect! After fixing herself some toaster waffles and finishing her history chapter, Sophia checked her father's bedroom. The door was cracked and she could hear him still snoring away, the faint smell of alcohol still in the air. Unsurprised, but nonetheless disappointed, she grabbed her backpack and basket before heading out the door. Her mind on her math homework and party, she forgot all about the wolf from the night before.

Even starting forty minutes early to finish her math assignment, the day went by quickly. Enough other students wore costumes to make for a varied menagerie, though she did overhear a few kids cracking a joke about the "wolf girl's" choice of costume. Sophia's mind was firmly focused on the evening, however and these comments didn't phase her. Although she did temporarily bask in the complements a few teachers kindly gave her makeshift Little Red Riding Hood as she walked into their classrooms. In past years, the general lack of a reaction or teasing would have bothered her, but the fact she was wearing a costume at all was a victory in and of itself. Finally, the last bell rang and she nearly dashed for the door.

After grabbing her things from her locker, Sophia went to Candice's locker hoping to catch her. Sophia found Candice at her locker, still preparing to go home. Candice's back was turned, but Sophia could see she had dressed as a cat. A fake tail was clipped to the rear of black leggings followed by a form fitting black top. On her head was a headband with a pair of fake cat ears.

"Hey Candy!" Sophia greeted.

"Soph!" Candice reacted excitedly after turning. "Trying to attract that wolf they were talking about on the news?"

"Nope! Just what I could scrounge from my closet!" Sophia laughed aching to tell her friend about the previous night. "That would be fun though!"

"Not after it eats you!" Candice teased. "I know you though, you'd probably tame it as a pet or maybe it's a werewolf guy and you could ask him to bite you! Then the two of you could run off together!"

"Hah!" Sophia joked. "If that happens, I'll be sure to invite you to the wedding!"

"I can see it now, Sophia the werebride with her werewolf husband," Candice said, her tone airy. "You'd give 'honeymoon' an all new meaning."

Sophia couldn't help but laugh and several people looked at her.

"So you do remember how to laugh!" Candice replied in mock surprise.

"You do have your ways of getting them out of me," Sophia giggled. "When are you headed over?"

"Student Council is having a little Halloween get together in a few minutes," Candice replied. "After that, I have to pick up a few things."

"Mind if I come along?" Sophia asked hopefully. "Halloween shopping sounds fun."

"Oh, I'm picking up a surprise," Candice told her mysteriously. "Wouldn't want to ruin it!"

"Ah, well, can't wait to see it!" Sophia replied disappointed, but intrigued.

"Gotta run!" Candice said, closing her locker. "Don't run off with any prospective werewolf sutors!"

Sophia smiled and waved as her friend hurried off to the Student Council get-together. She had looked forward all day to tell Candice about the real wolf she had encountered the night before, but hadn't wanted to do so in the middle of their peers. Sighing, she adjusted her backpack and made her way to a classroom set aside for kids to use after school. It looked like she'd at least have some time to do schoolwork or maybe some drawing.

Two agonizing hours later, Sophia headed for Candice's house. Sophia hadn't been there since right after her mother had died, when she had stayed with them for a few nights, but still knew the way well. Candice's house was one of several homes built in a ovular subdivision connected by a single road a few blocks south of Sophia's home. Coming from her house, Sophia would have normally used the path that cut between several houses from the north. Unfortunately, Candice's house was located on the 'island' of homes opposite the access road, which meant she had to traverse the lower half of the 'island' coming from the west. By the time she arrived, trick or treaters had begun making their rounds.

The garden that was full of flowers in the spring and summer had been converted into a mock graveyard with plastic skeletons and a mummy randomly placed within. Sophia grinned as the animatronic vampire that had been there every year for the last six suddenly lunged out from the coffin propped next to the door and pined for her blood. Much like their daughter, when Candice's parents decided to do anything, they went all out.

Walking up to the door, Sophia knocked and was surprised when the door almost immediately opened.

"Eeeheheehe," a woman wearing a witch cackled as she opened the door holding a bowl of candy. "My, my, you've come just in time... to provide your pretty fingers for my brew!"

"Hi Ms. Bowman!" Sophia greeted the witch. "It's Sophia!"

"Of course you are!" Candice's mother exclaimed. "Come in! Come in!"

Sophia stepped into the Bowman's house. Like the outside, it was thoroughly decorated for halloween. The smells of various treats greeted her nose, making her realize she hadn't eaten since lunch. Candice's younger sister, Lynn, was sitting on the couch in a fairy costume, looking sullen. With her were two other girls Sophia had seen in passing at school. One looked to be of Asian descent wearing a princess dress and the other was a glasses wearing red-haired girl wearing a frilly, patchwork dress of some kind. Lynn gave her a glance and then went back to looking sullen while the two girls shared shy greetings with Sophia.

"Candice isn't back yet," Candice's mother informed her, shutting the door.

She gestured for Sophia to sit on a chair in the living room before continuing, "I'm sure she'll be around shortly. How have you been?"

"I've been busy," Sophia answered. "School and work."

"I hope you're getting to do more than just that," Ms. Bowman said, sitting on a wood chair next to the door.

"Well, I'm thinking of joining the Outdoors Club at school," Sophia told her, stretching the truth a bit.

"That certainly sounds right up your alley," Ms. Bowman replied encouragingly. "Your father is still in welding?"

"He..." This was not a conversation Sophia wanted, "he still welds occasionally, among other jobs."

"Mmm," Ms. Bowman replied thoughtfully, glancing at the other girls.

Sophia was saved from any more uncomfortable questions by the door to the garage opening. Sophia and the other girls stood and went into the kitchen to see Candice and her father placing several paper bags against the wall. Candice's father was a tall, husky man already and the vampire costume made him look even bigger.

"Heeey!" Candice trilled as she saw the girls. "Ready to have some fun?"

"Hi Candice!" the Asian girl greeted. "Find everything?"

"Oh, I think so," Candice replied jubilantly. "Patty here yet?"

"She's running a bit behind," the girl replied. "She said she'll be by as soon as she can."

"Well, she'll just have to miss some of the fun then," Candice answered and then looked at Sophia. "Sophia! You probably haven't met these two."

"This is Racheal," she indicated the Asian girl she had just been talking to.

"And this is Alexa," she gestured to the red-haired girl with glasses. "Both are on the Student Council. Racheal and I know Patty from band. Alexa and Racheal, this is Sophia! We've been friends since first grade!"

"Ah!" said Alexa examining her. "So you're the wolf girl."

"Yeah, that's me," Sophia blushed and quickly changed the subject. "What's wrong with Lynn?"

"Oh she's just upset mom and dad won't let her go down to the lake with her friends," Candice replied rolling her eyes. "She'll get over it."

"Girls?" Sophia jumped in reaction to Candice's dad's loud, baritone voice. "Help me get the food out and we can start this party!"

The variety of Halloween snacks and treats were quite good Sophia had to admit. After stacking plates with food, Candice's parents went outside to hand out candy to trick or treaters, leaving the girls to themselves. Sophia mostly stayed quiet as the other girls talked about boys, school and the activities they all shared. Keeping to herself wasn't difficult as Candice generally wound up doing most of the talking no matter the situation. That all changed when the last invitee arrived almost an hour late.

"Patty!" Candice went to hug the new arrival.

"Sorry I'm late!" Patty apologized. "I had to finish up a paper for Honors English."

Patty was a raven haired girl a few inches taller than Candice. She was costumed as what Sophia guessed to be Cleopatra, judging by the Egyptian-styled clothes and rubber snake around her neck.

Candice turned and introduced the others, "Sophia and Alexa, this is Patty. She plays the flute in band and is on the junior varsity basketball team."

Sophia smiled and raised a hand in greeting.

"Well, now that we're all here, we can move onto the surprise!" Candice announced.

Patty took a seat as Candice went into the kitchen, coming out with one of the bags her father and her had brought in.

"I managed to get a hold of something cool," Candice teased, looking around the room. "Sophia will especially like it."

She opened the large paper bag and pulled out something big and furry. It took a moment for Sophia to realize what it was.

"Is... that a wolf skin?" she asked anxiously as she feared the worst for the wolf she had seen.

"Yep! Don't worry, my dad got permission," Candice misinterpreted Sophia's concern. "They seized it from a poacher a decade or so ago and they wound up holding onto it. It's become something of a mascot at the sheriff's office."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Racheal reacted, awed.

"If they catch the wolf by town, are they going to skin it?" Patty asked.

Sophia's relief and rising excitement went immediately to horror, though everyone was too transfixed on the pelt to notice.

"Nah," Candice replied. "Unless it hurts someone, they'll try to tranq it and move it somewhere in Yellowstone or the Tetons."

"Can I... see it?" Sophia asked hopefully, barely containing herself.

"Sure!" Candice replied, handing it to her. "I mostly asked because you were coming."

"Awooo!" Patty howled teasingly.

Sophia would have much rather seen a live wolf, but a thrill still went through her as she took the skin. The gray fur along the skin's back and head was course to her touch and gradually became softer near the paws. It would have been a beautiful animal alive and Sophia couldn't help but feel a little sad for the animal.

After examining the pelt, Sophia passed it to Alexa who was sitting on a folding chair to her right. She took it and looked it over intently, running her hand through the fur. Rachael was next, then Patty who gave it to Lynn. Lynn immediately passed it back to her sister.

"I've seen it before," Lynn said smugly.

"I guess Little Red Riding Hood caught the wolf this time," Patty joked, grinning at Sophia.

Sophia laughed uneasily.

"You know," Racheal started thoughtfully. "The tribe that used to live in this area has a legend involving the skin of a wolf."

"Really?" Candice asked, intrigued. "What is it?"

"Well, they said members of the tribe could take on the characteristics of a wolf by performing a ritual while wearing the skin of a wolf," Rachael explained. "It's sort of like the werewolf legends of Europe, but more spiritual."

"Any idea what the ritual was?" Lynn asked curiously.

"The legend I heard doesn't say exactly, just that it involved acting like a wolf," Rachael told her.

"Act like a wolf?" Patty asked mischievously. "Here Candice, let me see that."

She went over to Candice, who handed it over. Grinning, Patty put the wolf's head over her own and started loping around.

"Awoo," she mock-howled, prompting giggles from the other girls.

Getting to her hands and knees, she went over to Rachael and sniffed the air loudly and then pawed at her. Both girls fell into laughter. After she calmed down, Patty removed it from her head. She turned to Sophia, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I dare Little Miss Riding Hood to try!" she announced.

Sophia recoiled in surprise, "me?"

"It's just for fun!" Patty encouraged her.

Sophia glanced around nervously. Candice looked a bit uncomfortable, but the other girls were staring at her expectantly. Uncertainly, she took the skin.

"Alright, let's see the big bad wolf!" Patty exclaimed laughing.

Unsteadily, Sophia stood and put the head of the skin over her own, feeling heat rising. It was just for fun she repeated to herself. Taking a breath, Sophia started crawling around on all fours, imagining she was a wolf. She started off with an experimental howl, drawing laughter. Feeling a bit more confident, she began mimicking the behaviors of a wolf. Sniff around, eat some food off her plate, bound after some pray...

"Uh, Sophia," she heard Lynn say.

Sophia was surprised to find herself with her tongue out about to lap at Lynn's cup of punch. Quickly, she returned her tongue to her mouth and laughed nervously. The other girls broke into laughter.

"That was awesome!" Alexa exclaimed. "You were really getting into it!"

"Yeah," Sophia said, trying to play along. "It was fun!"

"Alright Candice!" Patty announced. "Your turn!"

Sophia handed the skin to Candice and sat down. All the girls took turns acting like wolves, some more exaggerated than others. Sophia laughed with the group, but wasn't really in it. She still felt a bit embarrassed and an odd tingling throughout her body. What had come over her?

After each of the girls had taken a turn with the skin, the party moved to the kitchen and Candice got out a card game Sophia hadn't seen before involving kittens. It looked fun, but Sophia found herself increasingly unable to focus on the party. A headache had formed and she was starting to feel nauseous. Eating or drinking did nothing to address either.

"Are you okay Sophia?" Rachael asked after the first game, looking at her. "You look pale."

"I'm just feeling a bit off," Sophia answered, trying to convince herself. "Do you have any tylenol?"

Candice fetched two pills for her and Sophia tried to get back into the party. Midway through the second hand though, she wasn't able to even fake being alright. The pills had failed to suppress her headache at all and it was quickly becoming pounding, the nausea was intensifying and chills were starting to rack her body. Candice went to get her parents, who had retired to their bedroom after trick or treating was over. Mr. Bowman grabbed his shoes and coat and helped Sophia to the family's car.

"Give us a call if you need us!" Mr. Bowman told Sophia after he had pulled into her driveway.

Sophia somehow managed to get the front door open and unlocked before dropping her backpack and basket before staggering to the bathroom. There, she threw up as the world spun, sweat beading on her face. Stumbling out of the bathroom, she went into her bedroom and collapsed on her bed without even trying to remove her day clothes. Burrowing under her covers, she curled into a ball and begged for unconsciousness.