The atmosphere in the classroom was tense, which was to be expected considering that in a few minutes the distribution of the report cards was going to take place. Rosa, their tutor, had already arrived with the stack and was giving them the typical lecture which only served to increased the tension even more. According to her own words, the results had been positive in general. Second Year D class had a reputation of having the calmest and most committed students, so it wasn’t that surprising. However, she did point out that the physics grades needed to be improved. It didn't take a genius to realize that more than one student had failed the subject, and they began to look at each other asking themselves who the poor bastard was.

Sofia looked at her friend and bit her lip. Dave kept his eyes fixed on his desk and shook his leg with restrained nervousness. His breathing was so fast that his sides were moving as if he were panting, although his mouth remained closed. It was no wonder, he had a lot at stake in this course and he had failed the physics exam with a four point nine. Now it was up to the Stuck-up’s goodwill whether he would pass that term or not, and they didn't call him that for nothing.

“I'd like to know how to help you,” Sofia whispered to herself.

Dave turned towards her and caught her squarely. As usual, Sofia gasped and ducked her head too fast for it not to look a little suspicious. To make matters worse, her cheeks flared with a pronounced blush that could only be embarrassment, but considering her reaction, it could look like something else. ‘Shit, I'm an idiot’ she swallowed the groan of frustration that rose to her throat. She was so used to humans and their poor senses that she sometimes forgot how well a cinanthrope was able to hear.

A deep sigh reached her ears. With as much discretion as she was capable of, which apparently wasn't much, Sofia watched her friend out of the corner of her eye and bit her lip. Dave was once again looking down at his desk and his eyes were now resting on his hands, which had begun to tremble a little. He didn't seem upset that he had caught her looking at him again, in fact he looked dejected. That puzzled Sofia since on all previous occasions his response had been to smile, as if flattered by the attention.

“Here are your grades. Very good job, Sofia,” said Rosa as she left the bulletin on her desk.

It caught her so off guard that Sofia jumped and looked up at her teacher. The hair on the back of her neck had bristled from the scare, but Rosa's understanding smile didn't help it go down. A little puzzled, Sofia licked her lips and ducked her head to concentrate on her report, which was still on the desk in front of her. She got the impression that Rosa was aware of something she wasn't, and that made her stomach tighten into a knot of anxiety that, for some reason, translated into a soft blush on her cheeks.

“Tha… Thank you, Rosa,” answered the girl as she opened her report card.

She had passed all the subjects and the lowest grade was an eight in physics. Sofia couldn't complain, she had studied like never before and the effort had paid off. After checking her own grades she turned her attention back to her friend. The knot of anxiety in her stomach tightened as Rosa left the report card on his desk, right in front of him. Dave licked his lips and tried to force a smile, but what came out was a weak grimace that, from the way he tensed his belly muscles, seemed to be a short step away from turning into a dog-like whimper. Sofia bit her lips and she herself felt the need to whimper. Dave was really struggling to suppress his natural behavior.

“You've just arrived and it's normal that you're struggling a little bit, but you've done a good job. Try to do better next term, okay?” said the woman.

“Yes, Rosa. Thank you,” answered Dave, taking the report from the desk.

As the teacher left, the boy stared at the folded cardboard with trembling hands, too intimidated by what was inside to open it. After a few long seconds, Dave released a quiet huff and left the report card on the desk, as closed as before. With one of his hands he rubbed his chest, which rose and fell in deep breaths that seemed anything but calm.

“Do you want me to look at it?” Sofia asked, rising from her desk.

Dave looked up at her, almost surprised by her offer, and then back down at the cardboard resting on the desk's plywood.

“You must think I'm an idiot...” he murmured in a quiet voice.

“Not at all.”

Sofia smiled, picked up the bulletin and opened it. Dave watched her with the same expectant gaze of a dog waiting for a ball to be thrown. Then the girl's smile grew wider, her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and she turned the cardboard over so that the boy could see his grades. He had passed everything. Yes, the highest grade was an eight and the rest were sixes and sevens, plus the five in physics, but he had passed and that was what mattered.

Dave’s lips broke into a smile so wide his fangs came into full view, and he jumped up to melt into an embrace with her. The moment she felt his warmth and the scent that emanated from him, Sofia felt that pleasant shudder in her belly again and her cheeks flushed. The sensation increased when he pulled away from her and their eyes met.

“I didn't think I'd make it. Uff, that's a weight off my mind.…”

A grimace of pain crossed his face and the words fell silent on his lips, replaced by a restrained moan. The boy brought a trembling hand to his chest and began to draw in long, deep breaths of air. Worried, Sofia grabbed his arm to steady him and felt a throbbing tension in his muscles, as if he were experiencing small electrical jolts from within.

“Hey, are you ok?” asked Sofia.

“Yes, don't worry. It happens when I'm very nervous, but it goes away after a while. I'm feeling better now,” he said with a small smile.

“It sounds like it could be something with your heart. Have you been to the doctor?”

“Yes, and they didn't find anything abnormal, don't worry. It's just a muscle contraction, but it's painful.”

Dave took her hand for a gentle squeeze, and a warm smile appeared on his lips. The classroom, the grades, their classmates and the exams vanished, at least for her because, whenever he smiled, she felt felt unable to take her eyes off him. Her cheeks lit with a bright blush that matched the butterflies she felt in her stomach and the stupid grin on her face.

It wasn't until she started to hear the whispers that Sofia remembered that they were in their classroom, standing up, and neither of them were precisely small and inconspicuous. After the show they had given in the park, they had become the main gossip of their entire class, and some of their classmates seemed determined to find out whether they were together or not.

“What a fool. I mean, you can tell she's got the biggest crush on him. I thought that surly cat wasn't capable of loving anyone,” said Lola.

That comment made her heart skip a beat, and the smile on her lips vanished. Sofia, her cheeks burning with embarrassment, turned to Lola and her little group, who were chattering in almost imperceptible whispers. The hair on the back of her neck bristled. Dave could hear them too.

“I think they're dating and they're not saying it because, I don't know, maybe they're embarrassed,” said one of Lola's friends.

“Tche!” The girl clicked her tongue. “I'd be embarrassed to go out with a wild beast like that, too. He's such a cute guy, I don't know what he could have seen in that pathetic creature. She always dresses like that, in jeans and a sweater, as if she were going to take the trash out or something.”

Sofia looked away and struggled to control the whimper she felt in her chest. Normally, she didn't care what Lola thought of her. This time, however, it did hurt, because there was truth in what she had said. Sofia was an insecure, hotheaded girl. She wasn't anyone's first choice for a date and she didn't think Dave would be an exception. The pang of pain she felt at that thought left her puzzled, because she shouldn't care if he saw her as more than a friend.

A low, restrained growl made her look up at Dave. The gentleness had disappeared from his face, which now showed a frown and tight lips. He was holding back from baring his fangs.

“God, she'll never learn...” he spat as he moved away from her to start packing up his things.

“We've become the official gossip, after what happened in the park,” Sofia commented, blushing.

“I don't care if they think we're together. What bothers me is that they think we don't say it because it embarrasses me. You’re my best friend and I make no attempt to hide it. Why would it embarrass me if you were my girl?” he said as he stuffed everything in his backpack and closed it in such a brusque way that the notebooks inside rustled.

When he said those words, Sofia looked at him as if it was the first time. The winter sun was streaming through the window pane and it brought out the blond of his hair and the sky blue of his eyes. He was cute, she had never denied it. However, she had begun to see him in a different way. She had begun to notice details that made her feel butterflies in her belly. They were little things, like his smile, the way he looked at her, the blush on his cheeks when something embarrassed him or the sparkle in his eyes when he played with Kas.

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“Shit...” she gasped and stepped away from him. Her cheeks began to burn.

“About what happened in the park, I know what it looked like but it was just play. There's... there's nothing romantic about me biting your neck. I'm sorry I got carried away like that.” Dave turned his gaze away and started to sniff the air to the right in a not so discreet way.

“Oh, I know, don't worry, I know that among... I mean, it didn't bother me or anything,” Sofia replied, her voice more high-pitched and faster than usual.

“I'm glad. I didn't want you to get the wrong idea.” As he turned to her, Dave noticed her change in behavior and tilted his head to the side, “Is... is there something wrong?”

That confused puppy gesture made him look so cute that Sofia’s cheeks flared even more.

“No! There's nothing wrong! Don't worry,” she exclaimed, making more of a fuss than she should have. “I'd better start packing up, too.”

Confused by her attitude, Dave tilted his head even more and raised an eyebrow. Sofia turned around abruptly, picked up the report card and some notebooks that were on the table and shoved them into her backpack. The covers of one of the notebooks and the report card crumpled, but she didn't care. Her mother never looked at her grades anyway.

“Well children, I hope you have a very merry Christmas. Be good and eat lots of chocolate,” said Rosa with her usual cheerfulness.

As she left, carrying her brown leather folder on her hand, she crossed a quick glance with Sofia and smiled with open enthusiasm. The girl smiled back because it was the least she could do after how much she had cared for her, but the blush on her cheeks grew. When she walked out of the classroom, Sofia covered her face with her hands and whimpered. Shit, that’s why she’d gotten the impression her teacher seemed to know something she didn’t, the gossip had reached her too and she had caught her looking at him like a lovesick idiot. The problem was that Sofia had just realized that it wasn't as much of a gossip as she thought it was, at least on her part.

When she pulled her hands away, she saw that Dave was still looking at her with his head tilted to the size and a quizzical look in his eyes.

“There's nothing wrong so don't ask any more,” she said, a little irritated, more with herself and how bad she was reacting than with him.

“I'm not going to ask any more, but... did I say something that upset you?” He licked his lips.

“No, no! Quite the contrary.” In fact, that was the problem, she had just realized why, when she had him so close that she could feel his breath, she felt the sudden desire to kiss him.

“I’m glad then,” said the boy after sighing with relief, and again he showed that smile that made her shudder.

Blushing, Sofia focused on finishing packing up her things. All around her she heard the commotion of chairs, footsteps and voices belonging to her classmates. While they walked out of the classroom, they commented their plans for those vacation days and the gifts they would like to get. Sofia watched them as they walked away, leaving the both of them alone. Their words melted into the incomprehensible murmur that flowed down the hallway.

When she looked at Dave, she saw that he was also following their classmates with his gaze, but the expression on his face was one of sadness, as if he were looking at something that was too far away. Sofia bit her lip, she didn't need to hear his words to know what was wrong with him. This would be the first year he spent away from his family, away from his dog, and he obviously wasn't as excited about Christmas as the other kids.

Sofia approached him and let her fingers tangle with his in a gentle caress. When he felt the shy brush of her skin, he looked down at her, and Sofia smiled at him. She was aware of the blush on her cheeks and the butterflies on her stomach, but it just felt so natural to be this close to him that she didn’t want to let her newfound feelings towards him ruin what they had.

“Will you come with me to take Kas out?”

The boy’s eyes lit up and his smile became so wide that all four of his little fangs came into view. Dave gave her hand a gentle squeeze and something prompted him to do something he had never done before. He leaned towards her and kissed her cheek. Sofia gasped and her skin flared with a way too obvious blush.

“I'm... I'm sorry. I got carried away,” he said, scratching the back of his head as he twisted his lips into a sheepish grin.

“Don't apologize. It didn't bother me.” Sofia twisted her lips into a shy smile and touched her face just where she still felt the tingling from that kiss.

Together, the two teenagers left the building, took the motorcycle and went to Sofia's house to get Kas. The dog was overjoyed to see them and pranced around them, and Sofia couldn't stop smiling at the sight of her best friend on his knees, playing with the Dobermann with the same enthusiasm of a child. After, with the dog on a leash, they went to the forest path where they used to run. The snow covered everything but the path was marked by the passing of hundreds of feet, some that belonged to humans and others to the forest's many inhabitants.

As they walked, wrapped in that piney smell, Sofia stole furtive glances at him, and every now and then she caught him looking at her too. She felt very silly but she couldn't take her eyes off him. She liked the warm, pleasant tingle she felt every time he smiled. Yes, she realized that she was playing a dangerous game, because she was accepting that she liked that boy who used to smell of forest. However, that was the normality she had dreamed of for so long, to feel butterflies in her stomach every time she saw him, to smile like a fool just because he was looking at her and to fantasize about a kiss. ‘And it had to happen with my best friend, who is also a weredog’ she twisted her lips into a grimace.

“I'm glad to be done with this term. I could use a few weeks to get some rest and to focus on the public exams,” Dave commented while he stretched his arms skyward.

“You're going to spend your holidays studying? I'm a nerd, and I'm not touching my notes for a week,” Sofia playfully tapped him on the arm with her shoulder and Dave gave her a smile so wide and cute that she blushed. ‘Serves me right for fooling around’.

“It’s not like I have an alternative! I've got to make the most of the time I have to get ready,” said the boy with a resigned expression that dampened his smile a little.

“You need to take it a little easier. I know you have a lot at stake but you can't get as stressed as you have been these past few weeks. It's not good,” Sofia commented, a little more serious. When she saw the shadow that crossed his face and wiped away his smile, she regretted bringing it up.

“It's... complicated...” Dave licked his lips and looked away.

The wind blew in their direction, carrying particles of snow and ice that sparkled in the sun like glitter. Sofia bit her lip as she watched him sniff the air. It was something they did when they were nervous or uncomfortable and wanted to relax, and also a way to show another cinanthrope that they didn't want conflict, or didn't feel like talking about something in particular. The girl felt very foolish. Her intention had been to cheer him up and she couldn't think of anything else but to bring up a topic that stressed him.

“Oh God...” Dave gasped.

His eyes focused on the forest’s depths, the hair on the back of his neck bristled and all his muscles tensed. That alertness rubbed off on Sofia, and she, too, tensed her muscles as she sharpened her ears in case they had to make a run for it. Before she could ask her friend what was wrong, the boy gritted his teeth, clenched a hand to his chest and, groaning, staggered until he fell on his knees to the ground, where he curled into a ball.

“Dave!”

Sofia threw herself down beside him and touched his arm. He was trembling a lot, his muscles were throbbing as if they were suffering from spasms of pain and his breathing was erratic. It was obvious that he was trying to control it but every time he opened his mouth, choked and hoarse moans escaped his lips.

Distressed, she looked at Kas, who was whimpering because he didn’t understanding what was going on. For all intents and purposes she felt the same, because she didn't know what was wrong with her friend either, nor how to help him. It didn't seem to be a simple muscle contraction caused by stress.

Then she sensed it too. It was a scent, a subtle deer musk that made all her predator instincts kick in. The hair on the back of her neck bristled and her eyes searched the trees for prey. Her whole body was telling her to follow that trail, to find that deer in order to chase it and hunt it down. Sofia held her breath, closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head until her instincts were under control. The temptation to let herself go was strong, but the fact that she had never changed helped her not to give in, despite the influence of the soon-to-be-full moon. Only then did she look down at him again.

The boy was still shaking, though his trembling seemed to have abated somewhat and his erratic breathing had become a series of agitated gasps. Little by little, he too regained control, but he seemed exhausted.

“I'm... I'm sorry...” he said, his voice so weak that she almost didn’t hear him, even with her weredog senses.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. Are you all right?” Sofia asked, reaching for his arm, but he gently shook her away and dug his fingers into the snow as if they were claws.

“No...” he whimpered again, and that whimper mixed with a growl of frustration betrayed his true nature. “I'd better go home.”

“No, Dave, wait...”

Dave jumped to his feet. Just as he was about to run, Sofia brushed his hand in an attempt to restrain him, and he exchanged a quick glance with her. Sofia's heart skipped a beat, enough to paralyze her fingers so that she couldn't stop him. There was a shadow in his eyes that was painful to see, but also an apologetic expression that wasn't necessary. It wasn't necessary because she didn't care, because she loved him, because she had fallen for that fucking pup that was turning her world and her plans for a normal life upside down. Because now she fantasized about kissing those lips under which four large canine fangs were clearly visible.

“Dave! Fuck, Dave!” she shouted as he ran away, not in the direction of the village but towards the mountains. “Shit! What do I do now?”