claudia | embry call

three : pretty and smart

Every single part of her was screaming at her to turn around, to run as fast as she could home and not stop until she got there. But Claudia couldn't. It almost felt as if she was being pulled out into the clearing as she moved through the low ferns. When she finally took that final step out of the trees and into the clearing, the wolf sank down and laid it's head on it's paws, eye contact never breaking. She approached it carefully, a hand outstretched in front of her. It laid impossibly still, as if it was afraid of scaring her. When she was close enough, she leaned over a pet the wolf's head lightly.

A large sigh rumbled from the wolf's chest as it leaned its hand into her touch, making her chuckle lightly. Because of how big it was, she was nearly face to face it with as it was, but it's head raised up at her. Her hand slipped off it's head and now it was her turn to watch. It whined lightly, licking at her arm that just been petting it. She chuckled again, sinking to her knees in front of it and beginning to pet it again. A similar, content sigh came from the wolf, and it inched forward until it's head was in her lap.

"Why are you so friendly?" She breathed, and it licked her arm again. "You're very beautiful, that's for sure. Has it been you howling every night?" She joked, but to her surprise, it raised its head and nodded slightly. She gasped lightly. "You can understand me?" It nodded again. "Woah." She breathed out. She moved, now sitting legs-crossed in front of the wolf. "Pretty and smart, huh?" The wolf coughed out what unmistakably sounded like a laugh, and she laughed with it. Both of her hands were now petting the wolf's massive head, and she laughed again when she discovered it loved being scratched behind the right ear.

"You're just a big puppy, aren't you?" She smiled, leaning ever closer. She rested her head on the wolf's, hugging it lightly. "And you're so warm, wow." When she pulled back, the wolf licked her face. "Agh, stop!" She giggled. "Not cool, it's not like I can do that to you." At any other time, at any other place, Claudia would've thought she was insane for talking to a wolf. However, she felt something different about this one. Something about the way it looked at her, responded to her questions, it was almost human. She couldn't stop her mind from wandering to Embry, of what he would think if he knew what she was doing. A frown had set in on her face, and the wolf nudging it's nose against her hand brought her out of her thoughts. She looked back into it's eyes, and it whined.

"I'm okay." She sighed lightly. It whined again. "Okay, fine, I'm not." She frowned. "My best friend, Embry, just...just randomly decided to stop talking to us. Me, Jake and Quil, he wouldn't even look at me when I tried to talk to him." The wolf's head settled in her lap again. "Now, he's not even coming to school. Even...even if he doesn't want me around anymore, even if he hates my guts, I just hope he's okay." The wolf whined lightly. "Jake and Quil don't understand, they're just mad so they're ignoring him right back. I know they're upset too, but it's them, they won't admit it-probably not even to themselves. I just...

"I just want him back." She rested her head against the wolf's neck now, her fingers lightly twisting around in it's soft, warm fur. "I want him to come home. It's...it's probably selfish to think this way. I should be happy for him, happy that he's finding happiness, but I can't help it. He was happy with us, or at least I thought he was." She sighed. "It's so unfair." She could feel herself tearing up, so she turning, burying her face in the fur. She tried to stop herself, but it was no use, and in only a few seconds she was sobbing into the wolf's fur. It whined, moving so that it's body had all but wrapped around hers, almost as if it was trying to hug her.

She didn't realize how long she'd been there, or how late it really was, until she stopped crying. She pulled her face back to wipe the tears away, looking up at the sky. The moon was directly above, meaning it was midnight already. "Oh, shit." She huffed, scrambling to her feet. The wolf let out a disgruntled whine, watching her. "I have to get home, it's so late." She turned around, looking back at the forest. "Oh god, how do I get back?" She breathed. The forest was pitch black now, the moonlight not being able to cut through the thick tree cover. The wolf rose to it's feet and nudged her hand with it's nose before it began walking. It stopped at the tree line and turned back to her. "You want me to follow you?" It nodded. "You'd better take me home."

Deciding to put her faith in a wolf who could seemingly understand every word she spoke was something Claudia wished she wasn't doing. She wished she'd stayed at home, listening to it's howls and keeping the mystery alive. As she followed it through the woods, a hand on it's body so she could keep track of it, she finally realized just how dumb she was being. The wolf could've been leading her anywhere, and she'd have no idea. Embry would've been so angry with her, had he still cared. He, Jake, and Quil would do stupid things and nearly get themselves killed, but never Claudia. It took her nearly six months to convince him to let her go cliff diving with them, and even then he'd always jump with her.

A sad smile came to her face as she thought of him, blindly weaving around trees and over branches. Much to her own surprise, they soon emerged on the beach. She looked, seeing her house not a hundred feet away, all the lights off. Her parents must've assumed she was asleep. She looked back at the wolf as it sat down in the grass. "Thank you." She breathed, moving to stand in front of it. "Will, um...will you be back tomorrow?" It nodded, licking her hand. "Okay." She giggled. She leaned down, pressing a kiss to the middle of it's forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow night, then." She began walking down the sand, occasionally stealing glances back. The wolf stayed where she'd left it, watching her as she walked. It was still there by the time she got to her stairs, so she waved at it, sparing it one finally glance, before jogging up to the door.

Her brain was on autopilot as she pulled the spare key from under the mat, unlocked the door, and quickly ducked inside. She'd have to remember her keys the next night, and a flashlight. Also, she decided as she moved back towards the kitchen, some snacks. If she was going to stay out so long, she'd need to eat something. She was in bed ten minutes later, picking at the bowl of chips on her nightstand as she let her mind wander. Her mind never strayed from the wolf that night, even as she settled into a peaceful slumber.