His First Chapter - Part 2
#2 of His First Chapter
Steven Harold was by no means the perfect caregiver. Throughout his life he had to be reminded to properly take care of himself. So taking care of the wolfess that he brought home was a challenge for him. First he had clothed her. She was always tugging at it, clearly uncomfortable. He felt bad for having her do it, but he was uncomfortable with her walking around in the nude the whole time. She needed a lot more food than he did, and he was having problems keeping up with her appetite. The little fish he did have saved up in the house was quickly devoured. Steven tried to explain to her that she needed to slow down because he wasn't capable of getting that much food and she seemed to understand. He wasn't sure where to have her sleep. There was a small couch in the cabin, but he knew it wasn't comfortable. So, he invited her to his bed. She eagerly slept at his feet. He smiled at her the first time she did.
"I hope the smell doesn't bother you too much," the author released a short chuckle. She just looked up at him and smiled. That was the night when he decided she needed a name. He fell asleep trying to think of one for her. In the morning, it came to the man almost as though it was from his dream - though he couldn't remember the dream. He hopped out of bed excitedly. Steven was happy to have a name chosen; it would make the wolf feel more human. Not that she wasn't already human-like enough. She walked upright, she had breasts, and she clearly understood what he was telling her. Nevertheless, he knew she need a name.
"Good morning! I have news." The wolf-girl looked up at him lazily from the bed, still curled up sleepily. "I've chosen a name for you. You want a name don't ya? 'Course you do. Everyone needs a name. Besides, you already know that mine's Steven. So it's only fair that I get to know yours. Even if I do make it up myself." He chuckled to himself as she closed her eyes and yawned, slapping her chops together nosily. "Yes, I suppose I am digressing. Well, I'll get to the point. Your name from now on, is Crystal." The wolfess turned her head, staring at him in curiosity. Steven walked over to her and patted her on the head. "Because of your eyes, sweetheart. They're clear as crystals. It seems fitting." She rested her head in his lap, looking up at him. A small smile crept itself across her face. He smiled at her and turned his head to the fire he had going when something caught his attention.
His laptop sat at the desk, the word processor open. The screen was still blank and the cursor still pulsed. It blinked knowingly. It tortured and taunted him. He was a good author, and he knew it. So why couldn't he write? Why was he drawing blanks now? He had a deadline in less than a few months, but he couldn't write. His head ached as his spent countless hours sitting in front of it, thinking. Every time he tried to write something down, he hated it immediately. He'd slam the backspace and curse. Crystal didn't like that much. She'd whimper, and he'd look over at her and tell him it was okay. But he just couldn't finish it. He couldn't do anything. He sighed and stood.
"I think I'll have some breakfast." This made Crystals ears perk, and she sat up. A huge grin announced her excitement at the thought of food. Steven smiled at her "Yes, I suppose you'll need some food too, huh?" She stood up hastily. That always surprised him, even though he'd seen it countless times. He prepared himself an instant pancake mix, and for Crystal he fried some fish.
After the pair ate their food, they went for a walk. The air was growing colder. There were several inches of snow on the ground at all times now. The streams had started to freeze. Snow clung to branches, weighing them down. It was a beautiful and depressing thing. He both loved and hated it. At first the snow was pretty, and he enjoyed watching it fall. He could forget about time and stress. He could just watch all the unique flakes drift to the earth carelessly. But at the same time, it could make him feel trapped inside his cabin. The cold seemed to pass unaffected through his clothes, skin and flesh into his bones. It made him ache if he was out too long. But he tried to put up with it. He could see the joy in Crystal's eyes when they were outside. She loved it. She ran through it, making tracks in the snow. She dug holes and chased animals. Sometimes she would catch them and provide the evening's meal. He never tired of watching her.
Today he decided to walk to the lake. The wolf girl followed along behind him, her nose high in the air sniffing around. It amused the novelist, so he laughed.
"Smell anything good, Crystal?" She smiled back at him and nodded. He chuckled to himself again and turned to keep going. The snow was a few inches deep and he had to lift his feet to keep moving. It took him longer than he expected to get to the lake because of how slowly he had to move through the snow. The lake was frozen. The little amount sunlight that managed to penetrate the clouds gleamed off the surface of the ice. Steven squinted against it and smiled. He loved the sun. It disappeared for days at a time, residing behind the gray clouds that seem to plot the demise of all hope in human kind. He looked at the wolfess next as she walked up to him, and then back out to the lake. There was a small island some ways out with a few trees growing on it.
"I'll race you to the island," he said. Crystal looked out and then back and him. She smiled and nodded. In a flash, they were both running. Steven was sprinting at full pace, his heart pounding. His breath was heavy and he could feel the sweat running down his face from inside his hat. Crystal was a few paces ahead of him. He knew she wasn't even trying. She was going slowly to let him keep up. He couldn't imagine that kind of power. She was first to the island, and she stopped to turn around and gloat. Her face was surprised when Steven barely stopped and tackled her to the ground, rolling around with her. They playfully wrestled and she ended up pinning him. She lapped happily at his face and he laughed.
"Alright, alright!" He laughed between words. "I submit, you win!" She rolled off and lied next to him. They were both breathing hard. Steven looked over at her, watching her chest heave up and down as she breathed. It moved slowly up and down. Watching it calmed him somehow, and he stared at the sky. He looked into the air as he moved his limbs to make a snow angel. He was happy then. No thoughts, no worries - just fun and friendship. He relished it. He wanted it to be like that forever.
They played around for a while longer before heading back for the cabin, throwing snow balls along the way. They were both wet from their activities and Steven was freezing. When they got back, he immediately dried off and changed clothes. He tried to push the blank laptop screen to the back of his mind. He needed a distraction. He decided to check his supplies. He was low on almost everything. It'd been a couple weeks since he'd gone to town. He needed to make another run for supplies. He decided to do so.
"Crystal, I have to go to town." She looked at him with hope in her big, clear eyes. "No, I can't take you. The people in town wouldn't understand. They would think you were a monster or something. I wouldn't be able to protect you. I'd hate to see something happen to you." She sighed, and sat on the bed. "Don't be too upset. I'll be back soon. Please, don't go outside while I'm gone. Just stay here. I know it will be boring, but I need to know you're safe while I'm gone. The fire should be nice and warm. Maybe you can take a nap? I'll be as quick as I can."
Outside was a blue truck covered by a green tarp. He uncovered it, and got in. The seats were freezing. The steering wheel was cold even through his gloves. He started it and waited for it to warm up. He put it in reverse, turned around, and started out toward the road. It wasn't often traveled, so it was covered in snow. It made him nervous; He drove slowly. The road twisted and winded down the mountain. It took him nearly an hour to get off the mountain and onto public, well used roads. From there he had to travel west into town -another half an hour before he even got there.
The town was small. Not a very large population, maybe a couple hundred. He waited at a red light in the center, and could see almost every store worth visiting from there. The roads were mostly empty. He thought about how different it was than from where he grew up. It almost made him sad that there weren't many people around. Just then he saw a parade of military vehicles pass horizontally through his view. They were headed to the nearby base. The often didn't leave much. Or so he heard. He wondered where they'd gone. They passed by and the light turned green, so he moved on.
A bell rang as he opened the door to the small shop.
"Steven! How are you?" A portly man wearing a red plaid shirt asked from behind a register. "It's been a while since you've been in. What can I do ya for?" He smiled a big, warming smile. He was missing a tooth. It almost fit him though.
"Hey, Roy. I'm low on supplies: toiletries, boxed and canned food, even shampoo. Needed to stock up again."
"Well, you might want to get a bit more this time. We're supposed to have the snow start hitting us hard and you might not make it back down here for a month or even more." Steven nodded at him. "You know, Steven. I don't know how you do it. I'd be awfully lonely if I was stuck up there by myself all that time. I'd go insane, I think. How do you do it?" Steven smirked.
"I hope my ways," he mused. He picked out a cart and started making his way through the store, picking out items he'd need. Soups, toilet paper, and the like. He tried hard to think of anything he'd need to get Crystal, but couldn't think of anything she would need differently than he would. As he was stacking cartons of bottle water in his cart, he heard the door open. It was a soldier. The man approached Roy, the clerk. They started talking amongst each other. Steven couldn't hear, so he moved closer.
"..you would know if you've seen it. This wolf is, different. Trust me. Here's my card. If you see it, contact us. Immediately." He nodded at the clerk and left. Steven walked over to check out and satisfy his curiosity.
"What was that about?" He put some items on the counter, and Roy started scanning them and putting them in bags.
"The man says that some kind of dangerous wolf has been seen in the area. That it's real peculiar, and that we shouldn't harm it or help it. That it's military property or something. Who knows with them , right? Let them handle their own business." Steven looked out the window and just nodded as Roy kept talking. He watched the soldier get into a vehicle and drive off. They were looking for Crystal. They knew about her, and they said they owned her. He didn't know why but he didn't trust them. And he didn't want to lose her. He wasn't going to give her up. Not ever.
"Well, that'll be $112.39." Steven handed him the money. "Thanks, you take care Steven."
"Yeah, uh. You too Roy." Steven packed his truck and started to make his way home. He didn't want to be here anymore. He wanted to go back to his cabin. He wanted to be with Crystal, and he wanted to protect her and keep her secret. Keep her to himself. And that's exactly what he planned to do.