Family Tails

A Story of a Mixed Family in the Genetic Age

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Names of actual businesses, their products, etc, are the property of their respective owners.

Story and characters © 2013 Ronald J. Lebeck

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Chapter 4

When Lupina awoke the next morning, it took her a few moments to remember where she was. She stretched luxuriously under the covers--she hadn't had such a good night's sleep for a long time. It was quiet in the house and the bed was comfortable, even better, it seemed than the one she had back at The Center. She didn't particularly want to get up, but now that she was awake, her body started to make certain demands known. Sighing, she slipped the covers off and swung her feet over the side and onto the sheepskin rug by the bed. The thick, long wool felt rather cushy to her bare feet. Although the thick pads on her toes weren't as sensitive as the relatively thin skin on the sole of a human's foot, she still enjoyed having the rug there. Lupina got up and headed for the bathroom. She stopped and looked at the composting toilet--it was a bit different looking than the normal ones. Once she remembered the instructions she had been given on its use, she found that it was actually simple enough, and the fact that it only used about half a liter of water meant that over ten liters of otherwise good drinking water wouldn't have to be used and flushed down the drain.

After she was finished in the bathroom, Lupina had some of the water Ron had left for her. Instead of the usual plastic disposable bottle of water, hers was a reusable double-walled glass water bottle with a silicone sleeve and a flip up silicone mouthpiece that one simply had to apply a little pressure with the front teeth to open and then suck on it as if it were a straw. The more she thought about the house, the more she liked how environmentally conscious her host seemed. Environmental issues were something that all of the G.E.L.F.s had a keen interest in. Having had her drink of water, Lupina slipped back into bed for a while longer. While she lay there in the darkened room, she found herself wondering what it would be like to wake up next to someone. When she was little, the G.E.L.F. toddlers would sometimes take their naps piled together, just as Nature would have their young four-footed counterparts do. Now, though, she thought about that in a different way. Lupina started to fantasize about having her own pack/family someday, though she eventually drifted off to sleep again, until she smelled food cooking.

"Beep! Beep! Beep!" The alarm clock went off, quietly at first, and then it got steadily louder and more insistent. Not being a morning person, Ron groaned, and reached over and slapped the snooze bar, just as he had done countless times. Percolating in his half-asleep mind, he knew that if he didn't get up soon, the devious little robotic alarm clock would jump off the nightstand and run around the room, beeping louder and louder, until he got up and chased it down in order to shut it off. This morning he particularly didn't feel like playing "catch me if you can" with the thing, so he sat up and switched it off before the snooze period ended. After guzzling down some water, he got up and made his way through the dark room to the bathroom, using only the dim light of the fireplace to see by. Having a small fireplace in a master bedroom might seem like an outrageous luxury to some folks, but given that the temperatures in the region can get to minus 50° C and below in the winter, and the frequent power outages, it was almost a necessity. The fireplace itself had a means to capture the heat rising up through the chimney and send it through the ductwork to help heat the rest of the house. Each room had a thermostatically controlled propane wall heater, but he normally kept those turned off to save on fuel. A few minutes later, Ron slipped on a pair of fleece pants and a sweatshirt, and went off to the kitchen to get a pot of coffee going. He walked quietly by the room Lupina was sleeping in, not wanting to disturb her in case she wasn't awake yet. It didn't take long to get the coffee going--basically, all he had to do was pour the water from the already filled carafe into the top, set it back on the warmer plate, and flip the warmer plate on. As soon as he closed the lid on the top where he poured the water in at, there was a slight gurgling as the already heated water stored in the internal tank started flowing into the basket with the grounds. The water he had just poured in would be used to refill the internal tank and be heated so that it would be ready for the next batch. It would only take about three minutes for the pot of coffee to be ready.

While that was going, Ron contemplated what to fix for breakfast. About the time he hit upon an idea as to what to have, the coffee was finished making, so he fetched his cup and filled it. As soon as he had the first few sips down after adding a bit of organic cream and sugar to his cup, he got pans out and started to work on making something to eat for the both of them. While he was cooking, Ron listened to some oldies rock music, using the under-cabinet mounted tablet PC connected to the house's computer network. He kept the volume down to a respectable level.

When Lupina woke up the second time, her nose was working overtime. She could smell food cooking, and it was making her hungry. The green plaid flannel nightshirt she had slept in actually fit her comfortably--it wasn't too tight in the chest area, and the sleeves weren't too long. Taking another drink from the water bottle, she thought about slipping on the robe, but she was actually plenty warm as it was with the nightshirt, so she left it on the chair. Once she got out of the bedroom, she could hear music playing in the direction of the kitchen as she made her way there. Just as she got to the edge of the kitchen and peered in, Lupina heard a short base guitar solo in the current song playing and saw Ron dancing a little to it as he was cooking. He just happened to look up and saw her standing there right when the lead singer belted out, "Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer. Not a trace...of doubt in my mind. I'm in love, I'm a believer! I couldn't leave her if I tried*[ii]*." Ron grinned at Lupina as he sang along with the music, not missing a beat, and continued on to the end of the song before putting the player on pause.

"Good morning!" he said with a little wave. "Ready for some coffee?"

Lupina smiled back from where she was standing. "Hi. Sure, I'd like some, thanks."

As he filled a mug for her, he said, "There's cream in the 'fridge and the sugar is next to the coffee maker." Ron went back to the large fry pan on the wood cook stove where he was mixing together a lovely smelling concoction of hash browns, crumbled sausage patties and bacon, sautéed onion and mushrooms, scrambled eggs, and shredded cheese. As soon as the cheese melted, he emptied the contents of the pan into a serving bowl and set it on the table. Lupina fixed her coffee and headed to the table just as he turned around to get the plates. They very nearly collided head-on, but at the last instant, he slipped an arm around her waist and with a quick side step, they twirled around 180 degrees. Lupina managed not to spill a drop of her coffee in the process, much to her relief. They were nearly nose-to-nose when he quipped with a mischievous grin, "You know, if we keep this up, people might start to wonder." Seeing the look of embarrassment on her face he quickly added, "Sorry, I couldn't resist. By the way, breakfast is ready."

Lupina felt her heart rate kick up a couple of notches as they stood there almost touching noses, and looking into each other's eyes. She also felt like it was suddenly getting a bit warmer in the room.

"Um...yeah...uh, okay," was all she could manage to get out.

He slowly removed his arm from around her waist, and walked over to the dish drainer to get the plates. Lupina stood there for a second or two longer looking, before she finally made herself sit down at the table.

"Hoo boy! I wonder if he would have kissed me. The scary thing is, though, I think I would have let him! Geez, I've never even been kissed before...well, at least not how humans do it. Ooo, what if he does that tongue thing I've seen pictures of humans doing?" Lupina thought to herself. She found that train of thought was making her feel even warmer. "Get a grip on yourself, Lu ol' gal! That was all just a coincidence, and he was trying to keep the two of us from plowing into each other. Yeah, that's it. That's all it was, nothing else...was it? Geez, I can't think straight!"

Meanwhile, as he was getting the table set, Ron was having similar thoughts...and was having trouble keeping his eyes off her. "Whoa, dude, that was close! I know it's been quite a while since I've been with anyone, and all, but dang, I came within a hair's width of kissing her! It'd be different, sure, but I want to! We haven't even gone out properly together yet, and I don't want to screw things up between us. She is_so _nice, and seems to be everything I'd want in a woman...okay, so she's a G.E.L.F. and not a human, big deal. Like I've always said, it's what's on the inside that counts, what's on the outside is just icing on the cake. And she's one sexy lady, that's for sure. Well,_I_think so, and who gives a flying rat's ass what anyone else thinks! I wonder what she's going to do when she finds out that_I'm _the one who is looking for another tech. I hope she doesn't go ballistic."

Once he finally joined Lupina at the table, Ron indicated for her to help herself to the food he had made. While they ate, they enjoyed the morning sun shining in through the large windows, as well as each other's company.

"Did you sleep okay last night?" Ron asked after a while.

"Yeah, it was nice to be in a real bed for once. Oh, and I heard your friends last night, howling," she replied.

Ron smiled and said, "I heard them, too. They sounded like they weren't too far away."

Their eyes met and they looked at one another for a moment, wanting to say something, yet neither was sure if it was quite the right time to. Just then, there was a bit of movement out on the front deck, and Ron's eyes immediately went to it. Lupina noticed that he's seen something, so she looked out to see what he was looking at. There was a brownish stocky animal, nearly one meter in length from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, on the deck.

"What is_that_?" Lupina asked when she saw the animal.

"Heh, that's J.D.--I bet he's probably looking for something to eat," Ron replied. He got up, opened the refrigerator, and pulled out a small container. "Gotta go feed the rat, I'll be right back," he added with a grin and headed for the door.

Lupina watched through the floor to ceiling window as Ron went out on the deck to feed the porcupine named J.D.

He sat down on the deck and J.D. came right up to him, lifting his nose as Ron removed the top of the container. She watched in fascination as he rubbed the animal under his chin, before setting the container down. J.D. happily munched on the contents while Ron sat and talked to him. When J.D. was finished with his meal, he put his front paws on Ron's crossed legs and he bent down. They briefly touched noses and then J.D. ambled off down the stairs. When he came back inside, Lupina just sat and stared at him.

"I give him some chopped up apple and baby spinach leaves; he loves it," Ron said as he took the container over to the sink to wash out.

"He seems so tame!" Lupina said after a moment.

"Yeah, well, it took a while for him to get used to me, but I've always been really good with animals. Sometimes if I'm out in the yard doing something, he'll come and snoop, but if Atka or the others are around, he'll usually keep out of sight until they leave," Ron explained.

After they finished their breakfast and the dishes cleaned and put away, Lupina went to take her shower while Ron went up to the loft where he had his desk. He checked his e-mail and sent some replies, and then worked on a few things that needed his attention. By the time he heard the blow dryer running, he was finished with his usual morning computer tasks and went back down to his room to take his shower.

"Geez, a girl could get used to living in a place like this," Lupina said quietly to herself as she was shampooing her fur. "I'll have to tell Miki about all of this when I see her this weekend. She's going to go bonkers I bet." After she was sure that all of the suds were rinsed out of her fur, Lupina shut off the water and gave herself a good shake. Although it still took a while to get her fur dry using the groomer's hairdryer, it dried in less time than if she had used a standard hairdryer. She found a brush in a drawer and brushed her fur nice and smooth. After getting dressed in what she wore the day before, Lupina tidied up the room and headed to the kitchen to have another cup of coffee. "I don't think he'll mind if I help myself to another cup," she thought.

It didn't take Ron very long to get his shower over with and dressed. Once he got everything on, there was one little item that he had to make sure was securely in the watch pocket of his jeans. He picked up the little walrus ivory carving of two wolves running together that his friend Nunataq had given him a few years ago. Nunataq, besides being a tribal elder in his village, was also the_angakkuq, or shaman. They had met at a native art festival one summer that was being hosted by the university. One of his nephews had moved to Fairbanks for work, and had come into Ron's computer shop one day to have his computer worked on. They got to talking about art and mythology, so the nephew offered to introduce Ron to his uncle who was a consultant at the art festival. When the nephew made the introductions, Nunataq said, (_spoken in Inupiatun) "I had a vision of a wolf that was born in a great grassland. After a long journey, he came and joined his brothers and sisters in the north. One day he met a female wolf who has no family, and they taught The People a great lesson. You are the wolf I saw in my vision. Take this piece of walrus tusk, it is very powerful, it will help you recognize her spirit." Ever since then, Ron and Nunataq have been good friends, and he kept the little carving with him at all times. Neither Ron nor Lupina knew at that particular time that each carried a piece of the same walrus tusk with a pair of wolves running together.

"Are you ready?" Ron asked when it was time to go.

"Yeah, I think I got everything." Lupina stuck her hand into the pocket of the hoodie she had on and felt the now familiar shape of the little carving Miki's grandfather had given her. "Yep, I'm sure," she added with a grin.

They headed outside, and Ron locked the door. They walked down the stairs to the driveway and as soon as they got around to the other side of his SUV, Ron stopped abruptly, holding his arm out in front of Lupina. She was about to ask what was wrong, when he pointed to the edge of the small yard. Atka, Sesi, and the rest of their pack were sitting there looking at them less than ten meters away.

Very quietly Ron said, "Hold still for a bit, don't make any quick moves, and whatever you do don't look into their eyes."

"Yeah, I know, they're liable to think I'm challenging them," Lupina whispered back.

Ron took a couple of steps towards the wolves, and then knelt down, motioning for Lupina to come over and do the same. Keeping her eyes averted, and her ears and tail down, she knelt down beside Ron and leaned into him.

"Hey guys," Ron called out to his wolf friends, using his usual greeting tone of voice and facial expression. "This is the one I told you about the other night. You guys want to come and say hi?"

Lupina put her arm around Ron's waist and laid her head on his shoulder. He knew what she was doing, trying to make herself look small, and yet showing whom she was "with". Even so, he felt a bit of excitement at having Lupina so close to him. He put his right arm around her shoulders and rubbed his nose behind her ear, inhaling through his nose as he did so to catch her scent. The effect caused a little shiver to run through Lupina's body.

"Oh, you don't know what you just did to me!" Lupina thought as she involuntarily gasped ever so slightly.

Ron held his left hand out and motioned to the wolves to come over. "Come on guys, come over, and meet Lupina," he said softly. Atka got up and warily moved a little closer, but then he hesitated, not being quite sure what to make of this stranger. Sesi cautiously moved a little closer, too, sniffing the air. Nobody moved for a bit until Kapik got up and approached, shyly taking a curving path up to Ron. Kapik kept Ron between her and the stranger as she slowly came up to him. When she was finally in reach, he slowly lifted his hand to let her sniff it. Kapik came a little closer, sniffing the air somewhat loudly--the uncertainty was plain on her face, though curiosity was getting the better of her. Slowly she inched closer with head at shoulder level, ears dropped, and tail wagging slowly. Lupina kept her head on Ron's shoulder as Kapik got closer and closer.

"Hi Kapik, how you doin', sweetie? Lupina's not going to bite, girl; she's a nice gal," Ron said softly. He gently petted Kapik, rubbing behind her ear with the back of his fingers, mimicking a licking motion with them.

"Woo," Kapik said just before she shyly gave Ron's face a lick. Keeping a close eye on Lupina, Kapik cautiously sniffed her hand. Very slowly, Lupina turned her hand up to let Kapik sniff her palm and wrist. When Lupina touched Kapik under her chin, Kapik flinched a little, but eventually let Lupina rub behind her ear in the same way that Ron had done. When Kapik started wagging her tail in wider arcs, Atka and Sesi came over meet this new person who was with their friend. It wasn't long before the others got up and came over, with Ron introducing each of them to Lupina. They all sniffed Lupina intently, and then apparently satisfied, they each gave her a lick and a quick wolf hug, before heading back into the woods.

"Well, I think you've just been accepted," Ron said with a grin.

"Yeah, so much for the shower I just took," she agreed, rubbing her face with the sleeve of her hoodie.

"Nothing wrong with getting a smooch from a wolf," Ron smirked with a grin.

She quickly looked at him, wondering just what exactly he meant by that when he stuck his tongue out and made an exaggerated licking motion and said, "Sluuuuurp!" with a big smile on his face. "As nice as it is to sit here like this, the ground is getting kinda hard on the ol' backside, and we've got some places to go," he said after a moment.

"Yeah...I...suppose so," Lupina said slowly. Ron got up and held his hand out to Lupina, helping her up. They brushed off their pants and then he opened the door to the SUV for her. Just before she got in, she gave Ron a quick hug. When she pulled back, he looked questionly at her and she said, "Thank you...for everything."

Smiling softly, he said, "Any time."

They made the trip back to the little cabin so that she could change into some fresh clothes. He waited out in the SUV while she changed and listened to some music. When she came out, she was wearing a pair of somewhat form-fitting khaki Capri pants, a green long-sleeved shirt, and a dark brown jacket that wasn't zipped.

When she got in the vehicle, Ron commented, "Looks nice."

"Yeah? Thanks," she replied with a grin.

"Hey, just out of curiosity, did that place you came from ever teach you how to drive?" Ron asked as they headed towards the road for town.

"The Center? No, they didn't. They said that until the laws catch up, we likely wouldn't get to do certain things...like getting a driver's license," Lupina said with a bit of disgust.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to find a way to change that," Ron said with a grin. "So, you want to learn how sometime? I'll be more than happy to teach you, and I know plenty of places out here in the country that we can practice at."

Lupina's jaw dropped. "You'd really do that? But what if we get caught? Isn't there a big fine for driving without a license?" she asked, rather astonished that he would offer to risk teaching her how to drive his vehicle.

"Sure. Well, can you imagine what kind of flak a cop would get from his buddies if he reported a wolf driving a SUV? They'd probably think he was smokin' something he shouldn't," Ron laughed. Lupina blinked her eyes a few times before it finally dawned on her what he was getting at, and then she started laughing, too. They went on making up little parodies until they met a cop sitting near the city limits. As they passed the police car that was parked on their side of the road, Lupina looked out the window and made eye contact with the officer. He stared at her until she couldn't see him anymore. They both looked at one another, and then Ron held his fingers up to his lips and acted like someone smoking a joint. He did an impersonation of a stoned hippie trying to talk into a microphone--the more he talked, the more the make believe character was "tripping", and it really got Lupina to laughing hard.

"Ha, what do you know, wolves_do_ laugh! Ron said with a big grin.

They pulled into a parking place in front of the computer shop that he had told Lupina was looking for a tech. When she noticed that it was also a coffee shop, she said, "Hey, Miki suggested that we try this place. We've been going to a couple of the other places on weekends, and thought about trying this one. Have you ever eaten here?"

"Yeah, I'm something of a regular here you might say," Ron said with a grin. "Come on, we'll get you an application and then get something to eat."

When they walked up to the front door, he opened it for her and let Lupina go in first. She thought to herself, "Geez, is he always like this, or is he just trying to impress me?" As soon as they got inside, he promptly removed the hat he was wearing and tucked it under his left arm. Walking up to the front desk on the computer shop side, the young woman sitting there looked up and waved at him.

"Hey, Katie, you wouldn't happen to have an application would you? This lady here would like to apply for that tech position," Ron said as he leaned casually on the counter.

"Hi, Ron. Yeah, I've got some, just a sec and I'll get you one," Katie said as she shot a quick glance at Lupina, and then pulled open a desk drawer and found the folder they were in. She pulled one out and handed it to him. "Here you go."

"Thanks. We're going to grab something to eat and get this filled out. We'll be over at my usual table," Ron said with a quick wink.

He handed the application to Lupina as they walked over to the coffee shop side and said, "See, I told you I could get you an application."

"Yeah, you did. Now if only they'd hire me...," Lupina said quietly.

Ron grinned to himself and thought, "Oh, I think there's a reasonably good chance. We could use someone who is a good programmer, and I've got an idea how to find out how quick a learner she is, as far as working on computers."

They placed their order for sandwiches and coffee, and when it was ready, they went and sat at a booth. They ate and talked, and after they finished eating, Lupina started to fill out her application. Ron went back and got a couple of slices of New York style cherry cheesecake with a dab of whipped cream for the both of them. Lupina looked at hers and asked with a suspicious look, "You aren't trying to fatten me up, are you?"

He grinned and said rather mischievously, "I wouldn't think of it."

Ron helped Lupina with filling out her application, and then looked over her résumé, giving her pointers that employers generally look for and making little notes on it how she should reword certain things. Since the computer / coffee shop doubles as an Internet café, Ron took Lupina over to one of the computers currently not being used, and she was able to rework her résumé that she had stored on the little flash drive she had in her purse. From there she was able to print out a fresh copy with the adjustments that Ron suggested. While she was doing that, Ron sent a text message on his cell phone to his longtime friend who was the co-owner of the shop, letting him know that they had a new applicant for the tech job, and that he wanted him to meet her. His friend sent a message back saying that he would be there in just a few minutes.

Ron and Lupina walked back to the counter and he talked to Katie again. "Hey, is Rob back there by chance?" he asked.

Katie replied, "He should be back any minute now, I think. He had to run to the post office to drop something off."

"Okay, cool. We'll wait for him in the back," Ron said.

He motioned for Lupina to follow him and she hesitated for a moment, but after quickly glancing at Katie who looked at her and then nodded her head in that direction, Lupina quickly caught up to Ron. He took her into the back area where the other employees were and stepped into an office, flipping on the light as he entered.

As soon as they were both in the room, Lupina said in hushed, shocked tones, "Ron! We can't just walk into somebody's office!"

"Sure we can," he said with a grin. "Remember me telling you that I know the owners really well?"

"Yeah, but...," she started to say, but Ron cut her off.

"Meh, Rob and I go way back. We served together in the military, so we're practically like family," he said with a grin.

"Oh," Lupina said quietly.

She took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk and looked around the room. The desk itself was neat, with a flat panel monitor to one side, a desk blotter calendar, and a pencil holder. She didn't see a keyboard or mouse, so perhaps they're on a pullout tray, she thought. The credenza and hutch behind the desk had the usual assortment of books, papers, folders, and so forth that one might expect to see in an office of a computer shop. The office walls had only a few pictures, nothing that immediately caught her attention. Lupina could hear other people talking on back in what is most likely the shop area, and then she heard a door open. Somebody came in through a back door, and she heard a cheerful "Hi guys!"

Ron patted Lupina's hand reassuringly and said, "Sounds like he's back." He quickly thought to himself, "Well, now we see how this plays out. I hope I didn't blow it with Lupina by doing things this way!"

Lupina was trying to stay calm, but she was getting a case of the jitters. She was going to get to meet one of the owners of the business (not realizing yet that she had already met the other one). "Oh, I hope he's at least nice about turning me down," she thought to herself, remembering how some other places had treated her.

Ron got up, poked his head out of the office, and waved at his friend who was making his way towards the offices.

"Hey buddy, what's up?" Rob asked as he greeted his friend.

"Hey Rob. Got somebody I want you to meet," Ron said with a grin.

Lupina stood up when Ron's friend entered the office, trying not to look_too_ submissive, even though she knew that most humans probably wouldn't be able to tell. When Rob got a good look at her, the surprise was plainly evident on his face, though she didn't sense any unease in him. If anything, she sensed a general excitement. Ron made the introductions and gave Rob Lupina's application and résumé. When they began talking, Ron sat in the chair next to her while his friend sat on the edge of the desk.

"From what I've read, this seems a little odd for an interview, but maybe this place is just informal," she thought, "but at least he doesn't seem tense, and Ron seems to be rather supportive...he doesn't know how much I appreciate that."

After about twenty minutes, they stepped out of the office and she was shown around the place. The tech area was nice--each tech had their own workbench with a small form factor computer and tools, and she liked the idea that they could have some personal things in their space to make it more "homey". The break area doubled as a meeting space, and it seemed well furnished with a refrigerator, compact stove and a microwave, a TV, a sink, and a little counter space. During her "tour" of the place, Lupina got the impression that the employees were well cared for, and everybody seemed friendly. When it was over, she was told that she would hear something in about a week, once the usual background checks and such had a chance to go through. Before they left, Ron asked his friend to stop by for a while when he got home.

As soon as they got back into Ron's SUV, Lupina visibly relaxed. Ron looked over at her before starting the engine and held her hand.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She could tell the concern in his voice, and replied, "Yeah. That's the first interview I've had. I hope it went okay." She looked over at him and dipped her ears a little.

"You did great, Lupina," Ron said giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "One thing about this place is that they believe in giving a person a chance."

Lupina interlaced her fingers with his and quietly said, "Thank you...for being so supportive."

Ron smiled and kissed the back of her hand, immediately sending a bit of a thrill through her body.

"Anything else you want to do today? It's still kind of early in the afternoon, and I'm off today," Ron asked.

"I really don't have anything else that I need to do in town today," Lupina replied, not sure what else to do at the moment.

"Hmm. That makes two of us. Well then, would you like to just hang out up at my place?" Ron suggested casually.

"And do...what?" Lupina asked, trying her best to mimic a human's ability to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe get all wild and crazy and howl at the moon, or something," Ron replied.

She looked at him wondering if he was actually being serious, but then she saw the slight smirk trying to form on his face.

"Are you pulling my tail?" she asked suspiciously.

"I'll only pull your tail if you stick it in my face," he replied. The slight smirk became just a tad more noticeable.

"Ooo, that sounds so_familiar!_" Lupina thought to herself, wondering where it was that she thought she heard that before.

He let that last comment sink in a moment before he added, "Actually, I thought maybe we could watch some movies, listen to some music, have dinner together again, maybe play a game or something, or if you want, I've got lots of books. There's always the Internet, too, if you want to check your e-mail or whatever, and...," he trailed off.

"And...?" she prompted.

"And...you could...stay another night...or two," he suggested quietly.

They were still holding hands with their fingers interlaced.

"Geez, I like the guy and all, but I'm not sure if I should just move in with him. I mean, what if he turns out to be some psycho or something? Aw, nuts, he's been nothing but a perfect gentleman ever since we met, and I'm sure he's holding back and not trying to rush things. Ooo...I just might as well admit it--I'm attracted to him! I don't know why, I mean, geez, I thought I'd be with one of my own kind! Well, dang it, I guess there's just one way to find out!" Lupina thought quickly to herself.

"Well...okay, if you don't mind running by the cabin again so that I can get some things," she finally decided.

"I can do that," Ron said with a grin.

"Geez, he did it again! He sounds like the characters in the books I'm reading!" she thought.

Ron relaxed his grip on her hand and slowly slipped his hand from hers, not really wanting to let go, but they wouldn't get anywhere if he didn't put the key in the ignition.

They made the trip over to the cabin she had been staying in so that Lupina could get some clothes and other things she needed. They made sure the fire was completely out in the fireplace, and anything she had that might be damaged if it froze, was put into the back of the SUV. During the trip back to his place, Ron kept remembering Lupina's scent from when she met Atka and his pack. When he ran his nose behind her left ear and inhaled, he thought he felt her tremble just a little. Her scent was having an effect on him--sure, he could smell the fragrance from the shampoo she had used in the shower that morning, but he also caught_her_scent...and it was different, intoxicatingly different. He had never experienced quite the same reaction with any human woman he'd ever known. It wasn't quite like any of the wolves or any other canine, and it wasn't like a human, either. Whatever it was like, it made his mouth water and his heart beat a little faster. For some reason, he thought about what Nunataq had said that day they first met, and gave him the little carving. "It will help you recognize her spirit."

Lupina caught herself looking over to Ron every chance she could on the trip back to his place. Although he kept his eyes on the road as he drove, she couldn't help to think that somehow he was very much aware of her. Lupina thought that she could see him look at her out of the corner of his eye from time to time, but she wasn't sure if he was or if he was just scanning the side of the road for any nearby animals. She stuck her hands in her coat pockets, and in the left pocket, she felt the little charm. "What was it that Miki told me that her grandfather had said about this thing? 'Keep it with you and you will find your kindred spirit', or something like that." While she was fiddling with it in her pocket, she looked at him again. Just at that moment, he turned his head, looked right at her, and smiled. Only for a brief moment did he hold her eyes before turning his attention back to the road. In that moment, she saw from her dream the dancing ribbon of green light, shift, and change into a howling wolf.

"No way...!"

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet

[ii]From "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8l3HesQcIE

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Chapter 5: https://www.sofurry.com/view/494461