Summer (Wolf) Love

Luna slept soundly in her cave. The cold rock under her was satisfying. A ray of late-night moonlight covered half of her face from the hole in the roof. Luna rolled over onto her other side and her legs kicked; undoubtedly the result of a dream. For the rest of the night, Luna stays still in a deep sleep.

The morning comes too early for Luna, but soon enough she is up and eating a juicy rabbit that she caught the night before for breakfast. Once her stomach is full, Luna is pushing the big gray rock (the door to her cave) out of her way so she can get out in the sun. After Luna has pushed the rock out of the way then pushed it back into place, she is already panting. Ignoring how hot it is, Luna adjusts her satchel and starts her walk.

The path that Luna took daily was blocked off to do a flood from the major rain earlier in the week. So, Luna took the alternative trail which was longer, but still the quickest one possible.

Luna hadn’t taken the path in a long time and seeing all of the different sights was like a brand new experience for her. The way that the wind rustled the tree’s leaves, and the sound of her paws crunching leaves and branches was comforting in a way.

The path finally came to an end at the main road. Luna had learned from experiences when she was young that the men’s road was different from their’s, but still very alike.

Early risers like herself were running, trying to get all of their errands done. She noticed a bright white wolf pass; it was her old friend, Angelica! But she was only able to get a quick hi in before Angelica was gone again. Luna still stood there until the number of other wolves settled down and she was able to start her journey to the market.

Some days she just went to the market to see if there were any good vegetables and fruits to eat or trade. Today was different. Today she was meeting someone.

Luna walked on the winding road, saying hello to a couple of people she knew. By the time that Luna was at the market, her paws were already tired from walking the path and then the road. She practically dragged herself inside. “Hey, Luna! Looking for some veggies or fruits today?” Luna walked over to her friend Tallis’s stand, which was filled with an abundance of healthy foods.

“Sorry, Tallis. Not today. I gotta go meet someone.” Tallis raised her eyebrows but Luna shook her head.

“Don’t even think about it, Tallis. We’re just going to trade.” Luna motioned to her satchel and Tallis finally nodded in understanding.

“Alright, alright. See you tomorrow then?” Tallis looked at me with pleading eyes and I nodded.

“Of course. And I promise I’ll be something this time. See you around.” Luna nodded as Tallis smiled and barked goodbye.

Luna continued through the market, scanning through the stands, looking for something worth stopping for. There was nothing new from yesterday.

Finally, Luna came to the end of the market, where there was an open doorway, and through that doorway, there was yet another path. This one was less used, so there were more tall grass and weeds than the others that Luna took regularly. Despite that, Luna stepped through the doorway and onto it. The grass tickled her paws, but she kept going. The slight wind relieved her from the bright, hot sun.

It didn’t take long for Luna to get to the end of the path; it was only about fifteen minutes long. The end of the path opened up to a large clearing, and no one was there. And that was for a good reason. At the edge of the clearing, there was a building. Not a normal building, but a man building. That was why the path was rarely used. This was where Luna was meeting someone. After looking around, Luna found a good spot under a shade tree to sit and did so. She slid her satchel off of her back and sat it down on the ground, dumping out the contents. Luna spread a blanket out and laid down all of the food she brought; including two fish, a couple of carrots, and some jalapenos. Most wolves only ate meat, but the new rave was eating any type of herb. The shade from the tree was comfortable, and soon Luna was drifting off to sleep.

Luna’s eyes snapped open to someone’s paw shaking her. She immediately rolled, stood up, and bared her teeth, letting out a low growl.

“Woah! Easy there. It’s me!” As Luna realized exactly who it was, she relaxed and sat back down.

“Sorry, Cy. Got a little jumpy there.” Cyrus sat back down himself across from her on the other side of the blanket.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Cyrus and Luna laughed together and Luna relaxed further. This was just what she needed.

“So, it’s our first date and you choose a clearing behind a man building. I mean, this clearing is very romantic, but then the building...Just why?” Luna looked at Cyrus with inquiring eyes and Cyrus shrugged.

“You’ve seen a man building before, correct?” Luna nodded. “So, there are always those moving machines going in and out. But I came here one day and something was different. It wasn’t like when they’re gone because the place is closed like the market is on Sundays. There was something different. Something eerie.” Cyrus took a deep breath and Luna still looked at him intently.

“So, I started poking around. You know, going into men’s backyards. And guess what I figured out! There’s a big sickness spreading all over the men’s world. So, no one can go anywhere. I think that this is our chance. To have the best first date ever. Let’s go steal some man food.” Luna smiled mischievously and followed Cyrus to the start of the cement. The first step was exhilarating for Luna; as was the following steps. She kept on stealing glances at Cyrus’s beautiful chocolate brown eyes and his reddish fur. 

“Here we are.” They were at the back of the water, where there was an entrance. Cyrus pushed on the door, and he was able to easily break it open with his strength.

“After you.” Luna looked left and right before walking in. She was immediately overwhelmed by the scent of man. It was sickening.

“Are you sure about this? I don’t wanna be smelling like men until I wash in a couple of days.” Luna looked at Cyrus with a worried expression.

“It’ll be fine. Once we’re done, we can go through the other path that doesn’t go through the market and get in the pond and wash off and we’ll be fine. Okay?” Luna nodded and kissed Cyrus on the cheek. They continued through the restaurant. They passed a little spot with a cabinet and what Luna believed was called a computer. There were two rooms that each had a man symbol on it, and they made sure they avoided them. Finally, Cyrus caught the scent of meat and motioned for Luna to follow him.

Now they were in the kitchen, and the smell was getting stronger.; There were all new sights for both Cyrus and Luna, and it was wonderful. The metal counter and storage was new material to them, and all of the pots and pans were objects that didn’t quite make sense yet. They finally came to the fridge and Luna jumped on the handle, pulling it down and opening the door. She opened her mouth in awe, and Cyrus did as well.

“This. Is. Amazing.” Luna immediately ran to the steak and grabbed a couple of packages. Cyrus ran to the venison and grabbed pounds and pounds.

“Think this is enough for a while? We can always come back for more.” Cyrus’s words were slightly slurred from the meat in his mouth.

“Yeah, I think so. And we gotta tell everyone at the market. It’ll be awesome!” Luna smiled and Cyrus did, too. They walked out of the restaurant satisfied.

---

“Here, just drop the food right here. We’ll pick it up once we’re done.” Cyrus dropped his share of the meat on the ground with Luna not far behind. After the restaurant, they took the other path that led to a pond; where they were now.

Luna ran into the water was immediately refreshed from how cold it was.

“Come in here! It feels really good!” Cyrus finished setting all of the food down and ran in after Luna. He splashed her and she splashed him back.

“Hey!” Luna tackled Cyrus and he play-growled. Luna growled back and they ended up in bursts in laughter.

“Alright, I better get back before Angelica wonders where I’m at. I told her I would meet her at the market for dinner. I had a lot of fun, though. Best first date ever.” Luna leaned over and kissed Cyrus before getting out of the water and shaking some water off of her fur. She grabbed her things and waited for Cyrus.

“Let’s go then!”