Private Take a Jog on the Wild Side

It had taken a while for Malina to come around, but she was finally on board with the idea of spending the full moon with Tasha. She'd lost count of the moons she'd spent alone - moons that used to be a time for community had instead become a time for confused solitude. How she longed for those nights! The scents of her packmates, the closeness, the unfettered affection - she still felt these things, haunting her like the sensations of a phantom limb. Even as she she curled up alone on her own plot of land each full moon, those fond memories served to make her self-imposed exile all the more bitter.

The next full moon would be different. She would have a friend, this time.

Malina knew - there were preparations to be had, and only a few days to make them. She sent Tasha a text message.

[So, for the feast before the wolf moon - Are there any dietary considerations I need to make for you?]

For centuries before Malina was alive, this had been her people's way: they would eat a huge meal before the effects of the full moon truly set in. That way they would be too satisfied to go out and cause problems with the human population. Wolf moons, in particular, called for a special meal.

Hunting on the full moon. She supposed that made sense, in a way. It was something wolves did - they were predators after all.

But werewolves did plenty of things wolves didn't. They had alphas, they had houses, they had investments. They bought food from grocery stores and restaurants. They didn't need to hunt for their food.

She texted back: [Not usually, but we didn't exactly need to. The feasting was to help make sure we didn't go out and cause trouble or try to kill each other. If we wanted to hunt we'd do it sober. Been like that for more than a thousand years. News to you?]

She had to wonder how that would feel though - hunting while touched by the moon.

Malina's home was far out of the way. The nearest bus stop was at the far end of the agricultural district, and Malina would greet Tasha the moment she stepped off the bus early in that evening.

Malina looked ready for a jog, with her running shoes and her loose-fitting pants.

"Hey Tasha! I was thinking when I was getting the feast ready. Going for a run would probably help with the moon, too. Want to jog with me back to my place, or ride along on my bike?" She gestured to the floating metal contraption sitting off to the side of the bus stop.

Either way, she made sure the food would stay warm. They were in no hurry.

Malina smiled. She'd thought Tasha would go for that. So she fiddled with her bracelet, pressing a few buttons on it until the bike started to move all its own, lifting off, then flying its way over the tree line towards Malina's home. Aside from a barely-perceptible hum it was dead silent.

"Alright! We're gonna want to turn right up there, then take that street all the way up to Olcan road, where we'll take a left." She smiled. "They named it after me since I cleared it out myself."

She'd start at a brisk jog, then quickly pick up the pace, keeping an eye on how well Tasha could keep up.

It was a nice couple of miles before the two of them reached a sign that said "OLCAN." At the pace they ran, it hardly took any time at all. The two turned off the composite road they had been running on and onto a well-maintained dirt-and-gravel road. "I made it myself," she said. Then she guided Tasha along the last half-mile of it to her house.

Malina's house looked almost like a luxury cabin. It had a deck, and it had big glass windows to let the sun in. The two arrived just in time to see her hoverbike swoop in and park itself in Malina's garage.

Well before they could see the house, Tasha would start to smell it. There was an assortment of German comfort foods, mouth-watering and decadent, none of which could possibly have been on her usual diet. Malina slowed down and caught her breath as they approached the front door.

"Ready to take a cheat day?" she asked.