The scent that Ares had inhaled earlier was now invading William’s nostrils. He could smell the aromas of cooking meat. His stomach grumbled loudly. He wanted nothing more than to go toward the smell. He could almost taste cooked venison and the smell of blood overwhelmed his senses. He had no other thought in his head except that he wanted to eat. But Ares, for some unknown reason, walked past the source of the smell.
William turned his head back and forth between the still walking Ares and the source of the food smell that was driving him crazy. He almost panicked and wanted to run off toward the food that would taste so good after not eating for as long as he had. But he also knew that Ares was leading him some place for a reason.
Ares bent over and started walking on all fours. William was amazed at how easy Ares made that look. He had to think about it, but he followed suit and the two of them continued through the city as quadrupeds. William looked up above the black obsidian buildings and towering over them he saw the fresh green of the trees, and he could hear the soft bubbling of the stream that they had passed over to reenter the city from the underground passage. Ares melted from his werewolf form into a glob of black shadow. The shadow was more mist than anything material. The next moment Ares had shrunk down into his natural brown wolf state.
Ares loped through a narrow alley way between two buildings, William followed. The alleyway pressed in around him. He wasn’t claustrophobic but the space left him very immobile. Bent over on all fours was something that made the space seem even narrower. Ares was only a short distance from him and soon they were both out of the alley way.
Ares didn’t pause but quickened his pace to a loping run and William followed. It was strange hearing his own claws, like this, click on the black stone of the street under him. He followed Ares onto the soft grass and pine needles of the forest.
Ares increased his speed and soon William had to devote all his effort into just keeping up with the older, stronger wolf. Ares tore through the underbrush, barely skirting around the various trees and rocks that were in his path. William got a mouthful of pine needles as Ares clawed into the ground and made a hard left turn around a rather large tree trunk. William threw his head to the side and spit out the pine needles as he matched the maneuver and stayed as close to Ares as possible.
As they ran, William kept wondering when the woods were going to end. He had never got the idea that this indoor forest was so big, but running through the green rich smells and thick life around him the real question that came to his mind was how is this even possible? The forest didn’t get any natural sunlight. The only light source that he could even think of that he had seen in the wolf city was the little flecks that shone in his ceiling.
Ares came to a small thicket in the middle of a dense copse of trees. The wolf came to a stop and faced William. Ares made one small bark. William couldn’t quite understand what it was that Ares was trying to tell him, but he knew that he should stay there on the edge of the clearing.
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William sat down on his haunches with his arms in front of him, for balance. Ares nodded to the ground and turned around to walk into the middle of the clearing. William watched as Ares circled around the clearing twice. Ares sat back on his hind legs and, stretching his head and nose toward the treetops, he let out an ear-piercing howl.
William was rocked back by the shear sound of the howl. He had never heard anything so loud. The howl was shrill but underneath it all he could hear a slight sorrowful whine. William listened closer to the incredible sound, and he could pick out other emotions as well. There was a sense of passion, expectation and he could have sworn that he heard the sound of something that could only be described as longing. William couldn’t believe that Ares would ever need anything, much less broadcast that vulnerable emotion in a howl so loud that the entire shape shifter city could have heard him.
The howl lasted for long moments and in the exact opposite of how the howl had suddenly started it died from Ares open mouth. It was almost as if Ares didn’t want to let go of the howl and didn’t want it to end. When the sound died away to echo faintly off the trees and the ceiling of the cavern, Ares lay down in the clearing. William watched as the wolf folded his forelegs in front of him and rested his head on them, looking out toward the edge of the clearing opposite of William.
William felt his own sadness reflected in his teacher’s posture. Why had Ares brought him here? That was a question that he might never understand. Seeing and hearing Ares, the biggest, strongest shape shifter he was likely to ever meet, so vulnerable and so sad placed in his mind a very strong compassion for his teacher. He respected Ares enough as it was, but Ares had let him see a side of himself that he probably kept very guarded.
William watched as Ares thumped his tail on the ground. He didn’t bring his head up at all. William was reminded of a tired old dog that had a bad leg. The kind of animal that still wanted to get up and play but couldn’t, so it had resigned itself to lying on the floor all day.
William heard it first and Ares’ head shot up and he was alert, his head darted from left to right looking into the underbrush and trees that formed the clearing. The sound grew louder. Ares stood up and William rocked forward to stand on all fours. His tail was straight behind him ready for anything. The shrubbery opened and the beautiful all white face of Physis passed through the underbrush and into the clearing.
William watched as Ares jumped up and ran to his mate. Physis met him in the air as they nipped at each other’s necks. The two of them looked so happy. Ares tackled Physis and Physis twisted under him and darted into the opening of the clearing. Ares picked himself up and ran toward her and jumped up near her once again. Physis met him in the air and collided with her mate. The two fell to the earth in awkward poses but they regained their feet. Physis nipped at Ares tail and he whipped around and propped himself up on her neck.
Ares saw William standing just outside the clearing. Ares quickly backed away from Physis. Physis turned toward her mate. Her eyes and face scrunched up in confusion. Ares, with a shake of his head, pointed toward where William was waiting just outside the clearing.
Physis looked back at Ares and walked around him toward the far side of the clearing. William hoped he hadn’t done anything wrong. Physis let out a quick, sharp, bark toward the opposite side of the clearing. William cocked his head to the side and looked at Ares. Ares nodded his head once and pawed at the ground.