several-hours-long bath in it once they returned to his pack land.
Within the hour he managed to catch two more hares, as well as a pheasant.
It was not a large catch, but it would put something in John’s belly.
He rushed back to the den he’d built, inwardly sighing with relief at the sight of John still sleeping peacefully within.
“Wake up! I’ve brought something,” Storm said, dropping his catch onto the ground.
He had to nudge John’s face with his nose before the wolf would move. “Wake up, I’ve brought you breakfast.”
The wolf’s eyes opened lazily. John looked down at the catch and weakly pulled himself closer to the meat.
Storm grabbed hold of one of the hares and set it down in front of John’s paws. Without any words, the wolf began to eat.
The pheasant was by far the smallest of the catch, so Storm ate that one. The feathers were unpleasant, but he wouldn’t dare complain.
Hunted and on the Run
85
At first John consumed the meat slowly, ripping off small bits to chew, but as he got his energy back, he gradually ate faster and faster, even consuming most of the bones. Storm had to wonder whether he’d chewed the last rabbit at all. Or hare. He wasn’t sure what the difference was.
John looked at him. He still looked weak, and Storm doubted that such a small catch would be enough to fill him, but his eyes were more alert now, and that was all Storm cared about.
“Where’s yours?”
“Had mine,” Storm replied, attempting to dig a feather out of his teeth with his tongue.
Now that they were no longer eating raw meat, they both made the shift back into their human forms. Storm could have done it himself, but John insisted on being allowed to help him bury the carcasses of their meals to keep other animals away.
“You should’ve had more to eat than that,” John said.
He knew that, but he wasn’t about to eat any more than he needed to when John was the one who needed food in him more.
“I’ll be fine for now. I have enough in me to keep me going.”
When John looked like he was about to keep arguing, Storm cut him off. “Feel free to hunt for me as often as you like when we get back to your pack if that will make you feel better. Until then, we should conserve our energy and keep moving when possible.”
John nodded, and it seemed Storm did a good job of satisfying the man’s inner wolf with promises that he would allow himself to be taken care of by John.
John sat down in the middle of their den. It was so small, and the makeshift roof was so low that even as they sat it still brushed the top of both of their heads.
John flexed his leg out, hissing as he did so. His bandages had gotten dirty during their last run, and had fallen off when John shifted back into a man, but from the look of it, it was neither infected nor was it bleeding as much as before.
86
Marcy Jacks
Maybe the food John consumed was already doing its job of providing his body with energy.
“How do you feel?” Storm asked.
John gingerly set his leg back down. “Throbs like a bitch, but I’ll be ready to travel whenever you are.”
He was trying to allow the both of them to make decisions together. It was against his alpha nature, and Storm wasn’t sure what he thought about it, considering he wasn’t exactly John’s equal. Not with the way his debt to the man worked.
That didn’t stop him from appreciating it. He liked it when his input meant something.
“I get the feeling you would jump up and start running with me if I wanted to go right now, and we can’t do that yet.”
Storm poked his head out of their den to look at the sky, and he guessed the time. It was way too early for them to actually stop for the night.
“Can you tell how far away we are from your pack?”
“I’m not that familiar with this area, but based on how long I was running to catch up with you, and how slow we’re moving now, I’d say another day or two away.”
That was too far.
The look on his face
Within the hour he managed to catch two more hares, as well as a pheasant.
It was not a large catch, but it would put something in John’s belly.
He rushed back to the den he’d built, inwardly sighing with relief at the sight of John still sleeping peacefully within.
“Wake up! I’ve brought something,” Storm said, dropping his catch onto the ground.
He had to nudge John’s face with his nose before the wolf would move. “Wake up, I’ve brought you breakfast.”
The wolf’s eyes opened lazily. John looked down at the catch and weakly pulled himself closer to the meat.
Storm grabbed hold of one of the hares and set it down in front of John’s paws. Without any words, the wolf began to eat.
The pheasant was by far the smallest of the catch, so Storm ate that one. The feathers were unpleasant, but he wouldn’t dare complain.
Hunted and on the Run
85
At first John consumed the meat slowly, ripping off small bits to chew, but as he got his energy back, he gradually ate faster and faster, even consuming most of the bones. Storm had to wonder whether he’d chewed the last rabbit at all. Or hare. He wasn’t sure what the difference was.
John looked at him. He still looked weak, and Storm doubted that such a small catch would be enough to fill him, but his eyes were more alert now, and that was all Storm cared about.
“Where’s yours?”
“Had mine,” Storm replied, attempting to dig a feather out of his teeth with his tongue.
Now that they were no longer eating raw meat, they both made the shift back into their human forms. Storm could have done it himself, but John insisted on being allowed to help him bury the carcasses of their meals to keep other animals away.
“You should’ve had more to eat than that,” John said.
He knew that, but he wasn’t about to eat any more than he needed to when John was the one who needed food in him more.
“I’ll be fine for now. I have enough in me to keep me going.”
When John looked like he was about to keep arguing, Storm cut him off. “Feel free to hunt for me as often as you like when we get back to your pack if that will make you feel better. Until then, we should conserve our energy and keep moving when possible.”
John nodded, and it seemed Storm did a good job of satisfying the man’s inner wolf with promises that he would allow himself to be taken care of by John.
John sat down in the middle of their den. It was so small, and the makeshift roof was so low that even as they sat it still brushed the top of both of their heads.
John flexed his leg out, hissing as he did so. His bandages had gotten dirty during their last run, and had fallen off when John shifted back into a man, but from the look of it, it was neither infected nor was it bleeding as much as before.
86
Marcy Jacks
Maybe the food John consumed was already doing its job of providing his body with energy.
“How do you feel?” Storm asked.
John gingerly set his leg back down. “Throbs like a bitch, but I’ll be ready to travel whenever you are.”
He was trying to allow the both of them to make decisions together. It was against his alpha nature, and Storm wasn’t sure what he thought about it, considering he wasn’t exactly John’s equal. Not with the way his debt to the man worked.
That didn’t stop him from appreciating it. He liked it when his input meant something.
“I get the feeling you would jump up and start running with me if I wanted to go right now, and we can’t do that yet.”
Storm poked his head out of their den to look at the sky, and he guessed the time. It was way too early for them to actually stop for the night.
“Can you tell how far away we are from your pack?”
“I’m not that familiar with this area, but based on how long I was running to catch up with you, and how slow we’re moving now, I’d say another day or two away.”
That was too far.
The look on his face
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