chapter one

 On a dark night of a full moon. In the small, forest-bound town. I was taking a midnight stroll in the dark forest surrounding the town, with the Rustle and tussle of the grass and fallen autumn leaves underneath my leather, oxford shoes. Thinking to myself of what I should do later on. while I was listening to the sound of my own thoughts and dark oaks dancing in the winding breeze , then I heard a little  whimper and then a painful howl , echoing in the forest that forced me to make a sudden stop , I was drawn to those crying ,loud  sounds, as I sped up , my walk into a speed walk to find  what was making that depressing noise, thinking ’what made that sound or Who made it? ‘

As I wandered closer and closer, I got, with a few falls and trips over sticks, after my 14th fall, I looked down at what caused me to trip and fall this time … it was a stick with weird and unusual markings? So many how comes rushed to my brain as the painful cries of the mysterious thing got louder and louder by the second. Once I got to the place where the sounds are deafening and behind a thin, oak log to look at the thing that made the sounds. It was a young, 5’3, werewolf whimpering in pain, due to having a bear trap digging into its furry ankle.

As I looked at the pitiful thing in sorrow, just by seeing it in dreadful pain. I slowly got closer and closer to the werewolf, wondering why I was getting closer to it, and as I got even closer to the little puppy like thing. The moment the wolf ‘s blue-grey eyes opened, staring back at me as tiny, movements of confusion dance while the trap clawed into his light, brown fur and skin digs in. I looked around to find if there was something, anything to get that device off him, like a thin twig or anything when I heard and barely saw the snap of an old thin branch.

As I was paralyzed about what to do, seeing the sorrows he was under, so I took a sudden bolt for the old twig of a branch. once I clawed the old branch filled with so many splitters, it feels like many little knives among my skin. Once I got back to the helpless werewolf, who was gritting his teeth in agony and looking up wondering what I would do to him with that branch. as I tried not to harm him while lodging the oak stick in the teeth of the trap.

“One…two…three…” I warned.

as I started to lift the head of the device, the young wolf howled and cried bloody murder that you could hear if you were ten meters away, let alone right above him.

“Umm hay, are you ok? “I asked the wolf.

“Yah, just may need to not walk for a while, by the way what is your name and why? I am ajaxing” replied Ajax with still a little whimper.

“Oh, my name is atlas Basile, and to your why, I myself do not know why, I guess my gut told me?” I answered.

I could tell from his face that was still in agony, that he was going to be in hellish pain if he moved a muscle. I scooped ajax into my arms, surprised that he was light to snatch up, most of the time if a werewolf is not taller than 5’10, they make up in stubbornness and density. he lightly and weakly tried to grip on to my neck as I started to walk home. As I started to get closer and closer to the Victorian cottage I called home, I glazed down to check on him, and saw that he was in a deep, peaceful, slumber. I could not help but wonder about his dreams and how peaceful and beautiful he looks. Once I got to the rickety door and tried to open it without disturbing him, I kept wondering what the glowing feeling that I felt when I saw his heavenly sleeping face.

After I softly placed his slumbering body onto my old, wooden framed bed. I went in to the connecting 1930s-Ish bathroom. As I tipped towards the cabinet mirror to fetch some white cloth bandages and ointment for Ajax’s wound, I walked to the bedroom to secretly help his wound. I saw that his ears were pointed down as he was still a bit wary of me helping him.

“Ummm hi …” ajax Shakely whispers.

“Hello, is it ok if I clean your wound? “I asked.

“Yes please.” ajax answered.

As I poured the right amount of ointment on his jagged wound and after he had done his short hiss, I took a closer glance of it, it looked like pink, scaring, uneven mountains along his light brown ankle that was ridden with bruises around the wound that if I touched it, it would most definitely bring Firey, torturing pain up his nerves. As I started to imprison the bruise reddened wound in clean, white, cloth bandages. As I tried not to be intoxicated by the pure metallic and fresh smell of his blood as the bandages start to imprison the blood-filled wound. Once I started to scramble looking for the bandage clips, I heard the sound of hasty breathes of someone who is trying to cool down.

At that moment that, I listened to the tumbling werewolf ’s breath starts to calm down and ease like a boulder coming off his chest, allowing him to finally take a well-deserved breath.. A sense of relief rushed over me like a wave that could not suffocate me any longer, relieved that he is finally letting his guard down towards me. When I finally found the clips, I sealed his wound from the out-side world to rest and heal.

“Let it rest!” I exclaimed to him.

He nodded quick and silently while flattering his eyes into slumber while covered in moonlight.

as the sun started to creep onto the deep pink, morning sky. staring down at my black, kitchen marble counter, thinking of if I should start to brew some floral white tea. as I put the tea bags in the China cups, all of my thoughts from the day before and this morning came rushing to the front of my mind like flood waters rushing to a small town. banging on my brain to be let out all at once, nearly all of them are of why I helped him, how long was he out there and most alarming one of all … what was that fluffy feeling? pouring the boiling water, staring blankly into the void of darken, joined rooms. as I sheltered my head from all of the unwanted   questions and thoughts sprinted to my brain

as the white tea and my brain brewed, I heard the door to the bedroom creak to reveal a messy haired, yawning little wolf waddling towards the smell of brewing tea. barely opening his eyes and limbing on the way to the kitchen of the brew, he slowly and sleepily takes the brewing China cup with forget-me-nots of tea before any warning given. sitting on the kitchen stool, slowly blowing on the boiling white tea. he asked quietly.

“How long have you been wake, I can see the developing eye bags under your eyes. “

trying to come up or even make up an answer, I had nothing to go with.

“Umm overthinking things and life up to now.” I answered with doubt.

“Oh …” ajax said awkwardly.

as the awkward silents creeps into the joined rooms with only sips of tea breaking it once and awhile, with little, small talk, barely any at all. not how I thought the morning will go.

“Would you like something to eat? because who knows how long you were in that hell of a trap. “I asked calmly and carefully.

seeing Ajax’s tilted head and puzzled face. trying to concoct an answer to the random, unexpected question. awaiting his answer to the simple question, as the puzzled look on his face became of more tame confusion, he gives the simple and short answer of

“Yes, little bit.” he answered still with woe and confusion in there.

after that small talk and silent morning rolled on, as I did my routinely walk-around, I found the wolf-man looking sort of lost in the little corner room I liked to call a ‘library ‘even though it did not have over one thousand books, barely five hundred. looking at his face, it was filled with awe and wonder like he never saw so many books, then he looked back to me with all of the wonder and awe in the world.

“I had never seen so many books, what is the room called? “He asked curiously,

while titling his head in wonder flopping his ears like a curious puppy who you could not refuse to love nor answer.

“It is a library, well not really, it is smaller than a library but my little library “I answered to his curiosity.

as I leaned on the doorway with my arms crossed, seeing the pure, innocent wonder in the face of the young wolf, but it was soured by sudden confusion that was complimented by a concerning question.

“Atlas, what is a library? I have never been to one of those.” ajax queried towards me.

as I was thinking of why he had never been or seen a library, a petite remembers of something from a history book of mine which said that all of history werewolves - adults and children were banned from libraries, I could not remember why they were banned but they were. filling up with sorrow for him, trying to think of how to tell him what a library is but I could only meister an short, narrow description.

“Library is place filled with book of all types, they can be big as a whole building or as little as a corner room.” I responded to the curious, young man.

looking up at him, seeing the child- like awe and curiosity busted out of his eyes like stars forming after a supernova or planets colliding into together, a purely rare experience to see face-value. that face of pure innocent fascination on a man who you would think could never considered any type of cute, while in reality is a colossal, great Dane puppy who is filled with wonder and awe!

after a swift, little hour of just exploring the wonders of a library, looking down from my novel, the only thing that any eye could settle on was … a little werewolf lounging in a sea of novels and novellas. even thought I was compelled to just gaze at the slumbering wolf with a new-found love for this little corner room for a little while, but the mid-day was crawling in soon. trying not to disturb the dreaming pup, as the barely opening eyes tried to break the curses of sudden drowsiness and sweetened dreams, as ajax started to gain consciousness once again, having no idea on how long he had slumbered for spread on his face. as him and I started to clean up the novels and novellas off the velvety, dark forest green carpet and onto all of their allocated spots on a dark, oak bookshelf.