The following day, in spite of the horrible situation they had experienced the previous afternoon, the two friends returned to the class routine. The exams were just around the corner and they had to work hard if they wanted to pass everything. Due to all that happened, the previous afternoon they had not been able to do as much as they would have liked, since about fifteen minutes after finding Kissy the two girls met up with their friend and took the cat to the vet. After a thorough examination the vet determined that Kissy only had a minor injury on her throat caused by the wire which, fortunately, had closed on the collar and not directly on her neck. She was sent home with anti-inflammatory pills and with a tearful Lola who was very relieved that her cat was okay. Dave and Sofia, that was a different story as they were both pretty pissed off with Rodrigo and his obsession, especially the boy, who suffered one of his occasional muscle contractions.

That morning, when they saw Rodrigo enter the classroom, they both couldn't help but glare at him, and Sofia would have eagerly growled if she had been able to. If if wasn’t because of the trouble she would get herself into, Sofia was sure she would have punched him in the face right then and there. It wasn't just because he had filled the forest with traps that were a risk to other animals. It was also because Sofia knew her white cinanthrope was not dangerous. She knew that very well because he sat next to her every day. Dave could have attacked her when he saw her dressed in her hunter attire, and he didn't. He simply fled. Cinanthropes were like people, there were some that were troublesome and even dangerous, but most were totally harmless and just wanted to be left alone. Sofia knew that very well, she was one and she just wanted to live in peace.

That recess was going to be a little longer than usual because one of the teachers had not been able to come for whatever reason the students didn’t really care about. Instead of the twenty-five minutes they usually had, they ended having almost an hour and a half, so Sofia and Dave went to their quiet place to study. Sara also joined them. Actually everyone already knew about it. Their classmates had tried to catch them making out, and every time they ended learning something more about physics or community law. Eventually they gave up, although every now and then a student would join them to review, so that place had become known as the Physics Corner.

Spring had brought a lovely weather, with pleasant temperatures that were a far cry from the sweltering heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter. The three friends were sitting on some large, rectangular rocks, Sofia and Dave sharing one, and Sara alone on another. The shade of a tree whose leaves were just beginning to sprout protected them from the more aggressive sun. The boy had his physics notebook on his lap, and his friend was leaning over him, totally focused on an explanation.

“We add this here, and then divide it by this and this should be the result. Get it?”

“Yes, when you explain it to me I understand it. The problem is that in the exam I get nervous,” he said, licking his lips.

“Hey...” Sofia grabbed his hand, which was beginning to tremble. “Don't worry, you're doing fine. The Stuck-up's exams are hard, but you can handle them.”

“Thanks for the encouragement.”

Dave twisted his lips into a weak smile and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, a gesture they had made their own, to encourage each other and to let the other know they were there unconditionally. He then huffed and tried to solve the problem on his own. Sofia watched him carefully. He was indeed more restless than in the previous days, not as much as that time when it seemed he was on the verge of breaking down, but he didn't seem to be comfortable or relaxed in any situation.

“Be careful here. Remember that you have to divide by the value of this variable, not this one,” Sofia explained, pointing at the notebook, and brushing his hand as she did so.

“Yes, this way?” asked Dave, while he continued to solve the problem.

“Yes, that's right.”

Smiling, they exchanged a brief glance. They were so close to each other that Sofia could smell his scent, that familiar masculine musk buried under the aroma of wild pines. They had decided that they were just friends, and that this meant nothing, yet every time he smiled at her she became someone else. She was no longer the ex-huntress of supernatural beings, but simply Sofia, a girl who had just turned eighteen, who was studying to become a civil guard, and who had two great friends to rely on.

“I'm going to try to do this one on my own,” said her friend, returning his attention to his notebook.

“Okay, how are you doing, Sara?” Sofia asked, approaching her other friend to take a look at her notebook.

“Did I ever tell you that in my village there are some ruins of an old monastery where people say a saint appears? I'm thinking of making a pilgrimage there to beg him to help me pass this fucking exam,” said the girl, laughing heartily.

“Do you need help?”

“Nah, you help David, he needs it more than I do. I'm a hopeless case,” said Sara, making a hand gesture to downplay the issue.

“Don't be silly. You're smarter than you think,” Sofia said, kneeling down beside her so she could glance at her notebook.

“Mate, you know my future is to use these big muscles to earn a living carrying boxes or bricks or something, right?” said the girl, flexing her arm.

“You've got it right, but be careful on this step. I can see from the scratches that you're not very sure how it is done, and it’s like this,” she said, picking up her pen to write down the correct way to solve the equation.

“They should pay you for teaching the class,” said her friend, tapping her shoulder so hard that the affectionate pat stung.

As Sara returned to her exercises Sofia looked up at her other friend. Dave was sitting on the rock, hunched over the notebook on his lap and with an expression of concentration on his face. While he studied, he nibbled absentmindedly on the cap of his pen. He was also twitching his leg a little nervously, a stereotypy he only had when he sat for too long, and she had only seen it at odd times during the month. The young man let out a small huff and put his hands to his head. He then stretched his back and rubbed his lumbar region, which was probably already feeling the strain of sitting on that rectangular stone for so long. Again he returned to his exercises, without even noticing the girl who was looking at him with interest.

It was the full moon, she knew that by now. Like all the previous nights, Sofia would go out into the woods that night, just in case, although she didn't think her body would change any time soon. Biting her lip, she felt a sudden desire to talk to him, to offer him the chance to spend the night with her. After all, they were both going to be in the pine grove. At least then they could keep each other company. A soft warmth spread through her stomach as she remembered all the times he had shown her his world, and she hadn't even realized it. It had been so long since she'd felt this happy.

“I see you,” said a whisper near her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Huh?” Sofia asked, a little disoriented.

“You've been staring at him for a while now, and you've got that idiot's grin on your face. You don't like him, mate, you're in love with him,” said Sara, who seemed excited by her discovery.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Don't be silly, Sara,” she said, getting up to return to her friend, though she could feel the blush that had risen to her cheeks. “How's it going? Do you have any doubts?” she asked, leaning over him to glance at the notebook.

“I think I'm getting the hang of this, but about these other problems I'm not so sure,” he said, and when he looked at her, Sofia felt her stomach tingle with a pleasant warmth, and the blush deepened.

“Let me see,” she said, sitting back down next to him. “Okay, it's this. Look, it's not that hard. What you have to do...”

“Hi! I thought you'd be here. I brought you some refreshments from the cafeteria. It occurred to me that with this heat and so much studying you could use something cool,” said Lola, arriving at that moment with some cans of Coca-Cola which she proceeded to distribute among the three friends.

The relationship with Lola had definitely changed. Sofia and she exchanged a quick glance as Lola handed her the can of soda and gave her a reassuring smile. She knew her secret and would keep it, it was the least she could do considering it was exposed when Sofia gave her cat the kiss of life to save her. Sofia doubted they would ever be friends, and she would probably never stop thinking she was a brat, but discovering that they felt the same affection for their pets had made her develop a certain sympathy towards her.

“Thank you, Lola. How's Kissy?” asked Dave, graciously accepting the refreshment, always proving to be the perfect gentleman by referring to the cat by name.

“Much better, thanks for your help. If we hadn't found her in time...” she shook her head, not wanting to think about what might have happened.

“I didn't do anything. I just walked around my side of the forest without seeing any tracks. Sofia was the one who actually found Kissy,” said Dave, giving his friend such a warm smile that she couldn't help but blush even more.

“I had plenty of help, you know it. If the dog hadn't led me to the cat, I would never have found her,” Sofia said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“But you saved her life. Kissy might not have survived if it weren't for what you did, so don't downplay what you did,” he said, taking his friend's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Don't they see it?” Lola asked Sara, truly fascinated by the exchange she had just witnessed.

“Oh, yes, of course they do. The problem is that they are both stubborn as hell,” said Sara, shrugging her shoulders.

“See what?” asked Dave in his utter innocence, tilting his head to one side.

“Well, he doesn’t see it” added Sara with a shrug.

Sofia didn't need to be told what they meant. Blushing, she glanced sideways at Dave, who seemed sincerely confused. It was true that Sofia had admitted that she liked him, but she really wished they would stop playing matchmaker with them. Dave had become a very good friend, he treated her well and he was someone she could trust, but he didn’t feel the same way about her. Sofia didn't mind, but she wasn’t going to deny that it was a bit painful. That's why Sofia didn't want to fall in love with him. Not only would the more than obvious rejection hurt her, but it would also jeopardize their friendship and she didn't want to lose the good vibes they had. She would rather have him as a friend than not have him at all.

“Rodrigo, leave me the fuck alone already! You're obsessed, dammit!” Luis' voice exclaimed from behind the hedge wall.

“You have to come with me tonight. I swear that creature is a werewolf. He broke free from a foothold trap all by himself, and yesterday he dismantled a snare. What normal animal does that?” said Rodrigo, who was chasing his friend because, apparently, he wanted them to stop being friends.

Sofia couldn't take it anymore. Maybe it was the incipient full moon pulling at her energy, awakening it to fill her with the strength to act. Maybe it was the fact of seeing Lola getting pissed off too, while her eyes filled with tears from the distress she went through the day before. Maybe she was simply fed up with this ridiculous persecution of a cinanthrope who had only eaten a damn lamb months ago. The reasons didn’t matter. The only important thing was what the girl did when she heard those words. Suddenly, and to everyone’s surprise, she stood up and jumped over the hedges to face Rodrigo. Lola, the always demure Lola, joined her with identical rage.

“Sofia?” Dave threw his notebook to the ground and both him and Sara went after their friend.

“You're a real asshole, Rodrigo! The only thing that fell into your fucking trap was Lola's cat, and she almost died because of you!” Sofia exclaimed, advancing towards him with such a fiery rage that the boy was taken completely by surprise.

The energy in her chest churned, fueled by her own emotions. The barrier that contained it held it in place, but she felt the pressure inside her increase as it refused to yield to a wave that wanted to break free and flow through her body. That the moon would be full that very night was definitely not helping.

“Lola's cat? What was Lola's cat doing in the woods?”

“What the fuck do you care? This has gone too far. Stop-fucking-filling-the-forest-with-shit,” she roared, fighting with all her might to control the urge to growl, to show her fangs, to behave like the pissed-off cinanthrope she really was.

“What are you going to do if I don't? Are you going to report me?” said the boy, puffing out his chest and emboldening himself before a girl who was as tall as he was.

“I'm going to break your face, you clown!” Sofia exclaimed, clenching her fist and pulling her arm back.

“I think that's enough.”

Before Sofia could unload her fist into Rodrigo's face, Dave came up from behind her and grabbed her wrist with one hand, and her waist with the other. Although she was furious, as she felt the warmth of her friend's chest against her back Sofia couldn't help but blush, and another kind of fire replaced that of rage. It wasn't just because of the feel of his body against hers, but because she instinctively knew that there was only one situation in which a male cinanthrope's chest would be on a female's back. They were both human, or at least they were in human form and so it didn't apply, let alone upright on two legs, but her nature was being powerfully evocative, and all because it was him.

“Let go of me!” Sofia exclaimed, struggling against the embrace, though not too vigorously.

“Not until you calm down. You're of legal age. If you fight with him and end up in the police station, you could end up with a police record, and then forget about joining the Civil Guard,” he said against her neck, his warm breath tickling her skin and sending a shiver down her spine, which was just what she needed at that moment.

It did help her to cool down a little, though, just enough to loosen her fist and look away. The rage was still there, but so was the body of the boy she liked leaning against her back, against the back of a cinanthrope. Worse, his arm was also around her waist and she could feel his chest heaving as he breathed, and it wasn't a calm breath. He couldn't know how uncomfortable that was being, nor how much she desired it.

“Are you calmer?” Dave asked against her ear.

Sofia nodded, and when he released her, she move away from him, still feeling pissed off, uncomfortable and embarrassed. When she glanced sideways at him she saw that his cheeks had also turned pink and he avoided looking directly at her. He was a cinanthrope too, so his own instinctive nature had to have been just as evocative. That thought made her blush even more, and the rage that fueled the energy in her chest subsided completely.

“I'm not going to be a cop or anything,” Lola said suddenly, approaching Rodrigo to slap him across the face with a resounding smack. “This one's for Kissy!” She slapped him again on the other cheek, “And this one is for me and for the hard time you gave me yesterday!”

Rodrigo was so surprised by the girl's attitude that all he could do was touch his sore cheek while he looked at Lola as if it was the first time he noticed her. Suddenly, he turned white with rage, clenched his fists and glared at the girl. The tension rose so noticeably that Sara, Sofia and Dave all tensed in case they had to intervene.

“I'm going to hunt that werewolf and I'm going to show it to all of you. Then you're going to go down on your knees and apologize,” he exclaimed, shaking a trembling finger at the four friends.

Then he turned and stormed away withwide strides. Luis turned to Lola and, clasping both hands together, made a sort of bow in her direction.

“I'm so sorry about your cat. Rodri has been obsessed with that dog for months and I can't get him to listen to reason. I promise you that if I see snares when I go hunting I will remove them myself,” said Luis before leaving to go after his friend.

When they had left, the four of them allowed themselves to breathe. If Sofia was honest with herself, she didn't feel like fighting or arguing with anyone anymore. She was still flushed, her cheeks reddened and a pleasant warmth welling up in her belly. She discreetly glanced sideways at her friend and saw that he was blushing as much as her, but he also looked confused.

“There's something he said that... What's the matter with you two now?” asked Lola as she turned to the three friends.

“Nothing...” they both mumbled at the same time, looking away and blushing even harder.

It was at that moment that Sofia realized that Sara had covered her mouth with her hand, and seemed to be trying not to breathe, but the way her shoulders were shaking gave her away. She was laughing at them, and she didn't even know what had just happened. If she did, if she knew that they had just unintentionally adopted a posture that evoked something very intimate between cinanthropes, she would laugh even harder.

“Well, whatever. I mean, listen to me, this kid is not right in the head but something he said is true. When we found Kissy someone had removed the wire from her, but the only one who knew where she was was that white dog. Don't you think it's strange?”

Sofia bit her lip and looked sideways at her friend. Their gazes met for a second, but Dave quickly licked his lips and turned his head to sniff at the air at his right. It all made sense to her. Dave had changed to cover more ground faster, but when he found Kissy, he saw her in such a bad state that he knew he needed to get help immediately. Once again, Sofia thought about that night, about Rodrigo and his obsession. A cold fear ran through her stomach. He was completely out of his mind, and was going to end up hurting someone, or worse. She had to tell Dave, she had to let him know that she was his ally, but if she did, he would hate her for being a hunter, and if she didn’t, Rodrigo might eventually get him. He almost had once already. She had no choice, she had to protect him, even if he didn’t want to talk to her ever again.