Private Finished Lost and Loaded

Ven was getting worried.

Normally, his condition--as he still thought of it, because power seemed to imply it was some kind of strength--was irritating at worst. Ven would be walking and then the next thing he'd know he'd be waking up as a wolf in the last place he was day dreaming about. It was annoying to pass out in the hallways between classes or, more embarrassing, in the bathroom, but it usually wasn't dangerous

Usually.

Now, Ven was worried. It was snowy outside and he'd passed out while by the lake and-—

A person! There was a person out here!

Ven ran towards her, completely oblivious to how frightening it might be for a stranger to have a large, white wolf running towards her in the snow-covered woods. When he got close, he stopped, cocking his head like a dog. He opened his mouth and--

Fuck. Nothing came out.

He tried to think of some way to convey his message that might say IM NOT DANGEROUS and also I NEED HELP PLZ.

Ven looked at her and then promptly fell over as though he was dying. He floundered about in the snow, then got back up and looked at her with wide eyes.

Ven felt relief well up in his wolf-body. The woman approached him, her dark hair an ink splotch against the parchment-white landscape of the woods. Ven was not a painter, but he wished he was, because he'd love to paint this scene if he knew how.

And had a human body.

She reached a hand out and-—

told him he was a pretty dog.

Despite the severity of the situation, Ven's tail wagged behind him. Was he pretty? He'd only seen himself in some cell phone snapshots.

Okay. Well, if he was a pretty dog and she didn't seem likely to attack him then maybe....Ven got up close, took a deep whiff of her clothing. Okay. She...didn't smell like she knew anyone he knew, not that Ven was super good at identifying her. But..maybe she could at least help him get back.

He took her hand in his mouth so, so gently and tugged, then let go, wondering if she'd follow him.

Ven groaned.

It was the first human sound he managed to make out of his canine mouth and, had he been less desperate, he would have been excited.

The girl wasn't getting it. He wasn't sure how to tell her that he needed her help. He wished he could use his words. He opened up his mouth and--

silence.

So Ven did the next thing he could do. If she was going to imitate him, he ran towards her, then ran back a few spots, hoping to see if she'd follow him. if he could get her just through that copes of trees...Maybe he could get her to wake him up. Maybe.

Or, he felt a flicker of fear, maybe she'd try to eat him. He didn't know what kind of creatures lurked in the woods during these cold winter nights.

Ven ran towards her, then back, his tail wagging like it was a game.

The woman spoke more words than she had the entire evening and Ven felt relieved. So her manner of speech was a little bit different from his own; at least she knew what she meant.

He wished he could reassure her that he wasn't taking her towards death....and also to ask her what the hell kind of fish she was used to so Ven knew to stay the hell away from them.

Ven repeated his motions, skirting back and forth, until he led her to a small clearing in the woods. Ven as a wolf left almost no pawprints, no tangible trace that he walked through the woods. But he began to step into a set of human footprints. Once he did, Ven turned his head back and looked at the woman with more urgency, picking up his pace...

....until he led them to the body of a young man lying crumpled in the snow. His skin was tan, his hair was dark and thick, and he looked like he was slumbering peacefully.

The problem was that it was snowing and Ven had been outside for a very long time. As a wolf, he stepped back into his human body and then, Ven the human sat up and looked at the woman.

His teeth chattered as he said, "Hey there, I'm sorry to bother you in the woods like this but....do you think you could help me get back to the academy?"

The woman spoke a bit like Ven's grandmother would when she made the rare journey into the United States. Her English was good--far better than Ven's fumbled attempts at Turkish or Russian ("a shame, malen'kiy volk!" she would tsk at him)--but the structured her sentences very similar to this woman.

However, given that she was talking about the snow and sand earlier, Ven was starting to suspect she might not be human.

"I'm still the pretty dog," Ven said, his feelings surprisingly miffed about being called an ugly human. "This is just what I look like when I'm awake."

His teeth were chattering.


"So uh, do you think you can help me get back?" Ven asked. His fingers were bright red and felt numb from all this time in the snow. He stuck them in his armpits to keep warm. "I'd be happy to return the favor somehow if I can."