“Yeah. How did you know?”
She offered me a wolfish grin and casually sat back on her haunches. “Because every wolf experiences it. For you, it’s
honeysuckle. For someone else, it might be oranges or vanilla.
It’s basically your wolf’s way of telling you she feels comforted or safe.”
“I’ve experienced sweet smells around Ash before,” I said after giving it some thought, “but never from you.”
Fallen didn’t miss a beat. She had an answer for that as well. “When your wolf feels threatened, our scents are different. Bitter is usually the first thing that comes to mind, but that scent can also appear when someone’s sad or upset.”
“Makes sense so far.” But why was I suddenly smelling honeysuckles on her?
As though she could read my mind, Fallen said, “Your wolf’s no longer threatened by me. This is good news because once she accepts the rest of the pack, you can come and go whenever you please. Your wolf’s calming down.”
“So soon after freaking out?”
Aside from the slight tingle running down my neck, all of my wolf’s senses we calm. I could feel my heartbeat, but it wasn’t fast or hammering in my chest. It was as though time itself had slowed enough for me to feel every part of my other form. From my dirt-covered paws to the tips of my ears and tail, I could feel it all.
The way the wind wove its fingers through my fur, and how the air tingled right in front of my nose, teasing me with new, delicious scents. Everything was heightened, and for the first time, I was able to decipher it.
“It happens,” Fallen said, tilting her head to the side when I scented the air again. “Now what do you smell?” There was that silly smile again, and this time, the warmth coming from her made it all the way to my stomach.
“Food.”
I’m not sure how I knew, but everything about the sooty, still scent told me it was food. As luck would have it, I couldn’t scent the other animal’s fear, which meant it hadn’t spotted us yet.
“Can you tell me what it is?” Fallen asked, lowering close to the ground until her stomach was practically touching the loose pine needles at our feet.
Following her example, I tucked my tail between my legs to keep it still. “I’m not sure, but I can tell you where it went.”
“It’s a start,” Fallen said, her gentle praise washing over me. “Where?”
“This way.”
I didn’t wait for a response, taking the lead as we wove between the trees. As soon as we took off, the scent I’d picked up before changed. A bitter smell hit my nose, one strong enough to make me sneeze. Our prey knew we were there, and as soon as it bolted for safety, we were right behind it, closing in on it.
While I was hoping for something big like a glorious buck, a simple rabbit would have to do.
It’s white tail bobbed and flashed, disorienting me as I made chase. Fallen waited behind, cutting off the rabbit’s escape when it tried to run the other way.
Through my human eyes, it would’ve been over in an instant. Through my wolf eyes, however, I got to see it in vivid detail. The way our paws kicked up the dirt, how the rabbit danced between the loose pine needles and the raised tree roots, and how even my breath carried on the wind. I saw it all, and as soon as my mouth closed around the rabbit’s neck, I knew I wanted more.
Not just to hunt and eat but to experience everything there was to being a wolf.
“Very good,” Fallen said when she joined me again. “But I expected no less. Once you’ve had more practice, you can go after the bigger game.”
I dropped the rabbit between us and took my first full breath ever since we started the hunt. “I’ve never seen anything bigger than a groundhog,” I admitted, thinking back on the short time I’d been with the pack.
“That’s because you don’t know where to look. Now that you’re starting to recognize different scents, it will be easier to identify one creature from another.”
“And the pack?” I asked, going back to what we’d talked about earlier.
“We can test my theory once we’ve had a chance to eat. Do you remember the stream you woke up beside before?”
How could I forget? “The one where you stayed with me the entire night?” I teased.
“You were under my care,” she explained, dropping her gaze a moment later.