“Not my first, but my most memorable seasonal full moon was the first time I ever saw anyone in wolf form,” he told me.
“How? Who?” I asked, surprised.
Humans and young wolves who hadn’t shifted yet or weren’t shifting were kept as far away from wolves on full moons as possible for safety. Some people never got used to their wolf form and were always more beast than man. It wasn’t worth taking the chance. All it would take for the old stigma to return was one out-of-control wolf on a full moon.
“My mum. I snuck away from Cole; she was babysitting me. I was ten; she was seventeen and more interested in swapping spit with some girl.” He made a disgusted face and laughed. “So I snuck off out into the forest,” he said.
“Here at Lucian Hill Forest?” I asked.
“The one and only.” He smiled kind of wistfully, which was funny, seeing as he was at most a year or two older than me; he wasn’t old enough to be wistful yet. “Anyway, Mum usually stays close to home to prevent anyone else getting too near the neighbourhood and populated areas. She smelled me out so fast. I was barely a hundred yards into the forest when suddenly there was this gigantic wolf, growling and snorting in front of me. I knew it was her, even in wolf form; she has this stare she gives when she’s angry with me.”
“She has good control?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Cole does too. They keep all their faculties.” He pointed to his head. “Not like me. Last week I spent most of the night chasing my own tail.” He laughed. “What about you?”
“I’m not sure,” I told him. I had only shifted twice, and I spent most of my time running scared. Maybe that was my answer.
“Cole said you were skittish,” he offered.
“Skittish?” I asked, offended.
“And fast,” he added.
“When was she talking about me?” I asked curiously.
He shrugged.
“I wouldn’t say she was talking about you. Mum asked what you were like in wolf form; that’s all Cole had to say. Didn’t seem like she wanted to talk much. She’s been odd recently,” he said.
“Odd?” I asked, setting down my scraper and the spray bottle of cleaner I was using.
“Not like concerning odd, just quiet. She gets that way sometimes. Stuck in her head for a bit. She’ll be back to her usual mean self soon enough.” He laughed. “Anyway, I’m not here to talk about Cole; I’m here for you,” he said.
“For me?” I asked.
“There’s a bonfire tonight. It’s a community celebration of the seasonal full moon. Yeah, it’s still a few weeks away, but it only happens every two and a half years or so; it’s kind of a big deal around here. More so for the kids than us. The bonfire kicks off the festivities; it’s the one celebration that’s more grown-up in nature. After all the kids are sent home to bed,” he explained.
“That explains the cards,” I said.
“Anyway, do you want to come? We can go together. It’ll be fun,” he said.
I almost answered instinctively that I would need to ask Cole first, but I stopped myself. She wasn’t speaking to me. She had ignored me every morning, not even offering a ‘good morning’or ‘hello’; she had made her decision; I wasn’t even important enough to acknowledge. I didn’t need her permission.
“Sure,” I answered.
“Great, I’ll meet you here when your shift is over. There’ll be barbecue at the bonfire; there’s always more than enough food, so we can get something to eat there and skip dinner in the kitchen,” he said happily.
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll wait for you outside the entrance,” I offered.
He nodded.
“Right, well, I’ll leave you to the tables and see you later,” he said and waved awkwardly as he left.
***
The bonfire was surprisingly deep within the forest; a path edged with stones led the way towards a large expanse of riverbank and beach.
