Page 7 of Emerald Moon
“And you feel —“
“Good.”Jo smiled.“Awake and alive.And sore.But good.”They shifted under Cass’ weight.“Could we — I mean — Can I get dressed?”
Cass sprang backwards, hands flying up.“Of course!Sorry.”
”It’s fine.It’s fine,” Jo said, looking out into the forest instead of at Cass.As close as they had just been, Jo thought for sure a friend crush would surface, but all they felt was the passing embarrassment that came with wolf nakedness and a warmth in their chest that Cass had been willing and able to help them come back.
That good feeling lingered as they made their way back to the campsite and got ready to sleep.Jo could understand how many people could feel gross going to bed with a day of hiking and running as wolves on their skin, but not for them.It felt like warm sunshine and they smelled like the forest.
They wriggled their arm free from their sleeping bag.It was still too hot to be in it, even at night, but they couldn’t sleep without being wrapped in something cozy.With the fresh air, it was easy to give in to the pull of sleep and Jo began to drift off.
“You’re easy to talk to.”Cass’ voice startled them.
The sincerity of her words would have normally made Jo squirm, or else fire up a brand new friend crush, but Jo slipped deeper into their sleeping bag and smiled, remembering their favorite parts of the day.“Thank you,” Jo replied, muffled by the fabric.“You, too.”
“I have a hard time talking to a lot of people, but with you, it’s been easy.Thanks for a nice day.”
Jo pulled the fabric down from their face and searched for Cass’ face in the darkness.They could see a faint outline of her.She was closer than Jo expected her to be.
“You’re welcome,” Jo said.“Thanks for looking out for me, for helping me come back.”
“Of course.I’d do it for any one of my packmates.”
“Means a lot that you think of me that highly already.”
”I think you’re great.”
Jo laughed.
”I mean it,” Cass added.
”I think you’re pretty great, too.”
“I really needed this.”
“Needed what?”Jo asked.
“A day out of my ordinary.”
“I get that.”
“You’re out of my ordinary.”
“I hope in a good way.”Jo held back nervous laughter.Cass’ sincerity took some getting used to.
“Definitely in a good way.”Cass shifted closer.“When we first met, I thought you were fun.”She sighed and Jo could feel the wisps of her breath across her cheek.“I’m not surprised you don’t remember me.I don’t often talk to new people.Or most people.I watch people interacting like I’m watching birds through binoculars.I don’t like to join in.But some people make me wish I could talk more.You were like that.And today was like that.”
“I’m glad you’re comfortable around me.”
“I hope I wasn’t weird.”
Jo shot up and propped themselves up on their elbow, facing Cass, their noses inches apart.“Oh!Not at all!You weren’t weird at all.I mean, no weirder than me.Which isn’t to say that you’re weird, only that I know I’m weird, so if you were weird, too, that’d be okay.”
She puffed out a quiet laugh.“That’s good to know.”
“And you helped me so much today.I appreciate it.Thanks for letting me get the wolf out.”Jo searched for the words to say, to try and match Cass’ sincere feelings.“You helped me feel safe.”
“Thank you for trusting me.”
