A Wolf's Howl

**:D It was great! We went to the movies, saw Family That Preys and then got ice cream! And today I got to see him play in tennis tournament, which was so funny! He gets so animated and goofy! But, no, we didn't kiss. We did hold hands for like a minute, but that was only during the blessing before lunch. But it was still fun!

Sure. What's the prize?**

Jay massaged the back of her hand with his thumb, being as gentle as possible. He had to be careful; his werewolf strength was hard to control at times, emotional ones in particular.

He loved the feel of her hand. It was like holding porceline...

But something snared his attention. There was a scent in the air, an unwelcome one. He paused, alert, as he sniffed the breeze, body rigid as realization struck.

"What is it?" Julia asked, anxious.

"Cougar."

*the prize is 300 pts and me reviewing 5 things that you worked on (oh, and 10 cookies!) I'll add more on here once I think about what to write.*

*OMG did you see the New Moon trailer? There was this one part in it where these guys turned into wolves, and it was so awesome!! squeal!!!*

"C-cougar?" Julia stammered, sitting up. Jared felt her hand become tense; he gently squeezed it to reassure her.

He sat up a little, only to put his hand on her shoulder and gently pull her back down. "Lay back down," Jared murmured. "It'll be alright."

Julia did as she was told, clutching Jared's arm. "How do you know if it's a cougar?"

Jay hesitated. "I just know." He gently pried her hands off his arm. "It's okay," he soothed. "I'll be right back."

"Wait, Jared!" Julia whispered. "Where are you going?!"

Jay turned to face her, smiling. "I'm going to take care of the cougar. Stay here, and don't move. Be very quiet."

Julia nodded slowly, wrapping her arms around herself, squeezing tightly.

Jared crouched, making his way through the grass without a sound.

**Oh, by the way, his "thoughts" are actually words for the animals to hear. Julia can't hear a thing, except for growls, barks, and snarls and stuff. lol**


Julia was dumbstruck. Jared was so quiet...that was not normal, was it? Or was it simply him? But it still confused, even interested, her...

Meanwhile, Jay was reaching the edge of the clearing, and his senses were aflame. Yes, there was cougar here, and a big one. A big male, judging by the hormones in the scrapes recently left. A growl escaped his lips as he let instinct take over, the beast coming forth.

In a rush of fur and muscle, he leapt into the forest, shedding his clothes as a wolf took over his human shape. Almost black fur covered his canine body, his green eyes blazing while his ears stood erect.

He ran into the forest, following the trail the giant cat had left. It was weaving in and out of the trees, looping around the meadow in a wide arc. The path curved sharply, heading directly for the center.

No, you don't, you ball of fur! he snarled as he leapt at the brown mass in front of him. I don't think so!

The big cat whirled, meeting him head on in a flurry of claws and teeth.

Julia screamed as she heard growling and roaring from two animals about five feet away. She could see the cougars' golden brown hide easily as the large animals fought, but what about the other.....? It didn't look feline....more of a large dogs build. She could see its black fur against the paleness of the moon, flashes of green shining every once and awhile. For some reason, she thought she realised what type of animal it was...Julia backed quickly away, hiding in the tall grass.

She saw the two animals break apart, circling each other. When the large black animal was closer to her, she recognized what kind of animal it was. It was a wolf! But it was abnormally large for a regular wolf....

Suddenly, they lunged at each other again. The cougar swiped its large paw at the wolf, missing it by inches. The wolf clamped down on the cougars right front leg, causing it to yowl its protest.


*Let me post right after the fight, 'kay? I have a good idea. *

Jay gripped its paw savagely, shaking his head in hopes of at least breaking the bones. The entire time, his gaze darted back and forth, between the cougar and Julia.

The cougar snarled, slapping at Jay again. This time its claws met his shoulder, grazing it. Jay let out a small whimper as blood oozed from the wounds.

Let me go, insane canine! it yowled, slapping at him again. You can keep your human!

Jay growled, biting into the cougar's paw again before leaping for the throat. He missed. The two animals tied again, biting and slashing at the other as they rolled across the ground, stirring up dust and small nocturnal insects.

Jay stumbled once, and it finished it. He took a hit to the foreleg, the claws digging deep and tearing into him, leaving ragged gashes; he felt the bones of his would-be wrist breaking from the force. He could only counter one last time; he bit the cougar on the muzzle.

The big cat growled and hissed as it backed away. You are not normal. You're insane. Stay away from me!

The wolf turned away from the cougar and stopped dead in its tracks once it faced Julia, ears perked up. Julia struggled to stay standing, her legs close to giving out. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her now racing thoughts. The wolf started to back away.

Julia panicked. She didn't want it to leave; she had no idea why she didn't, but she knew she definitely wanted it to stay. She crouched down, holding her hand out to it. She made soft clicking noises with her tongue.

Jay cocked his head at the sound, but snorted at it. That's for animals, silly...Oh. I'm in wolf form...Great...

He continued to back away, but it was hard. His leg hurt badly; blood was pouring from the mauls, and he probably had a cracked bone in his would-be wrist. The cougar had hit him pretty hard...

"Don't," Julia whispered, tone desperate if anything. "Don't leave me. Please."

He whined, and bolted.

Running hurt. He bit back yelps of pain as he sprinted into the forest, caught his clothes in his mouth, and ran on. He had to get away from her, far enough to transform back safely and put his clothes back on. What would she think if she caught him as he returned to normal? Would she run? Would she hate him? Would she tell anybody?

He finally stopped, and shifted back, quickly getting dressed. He began to reach up and pull leaves out of his hair, but something went wrong. He groaned, grabbing his wounded arm as he doubled over. Blood was running down his wrist and dripping off his fingers. He was dizzy, weary.

"Oh, damn..."

Julia began to tremble as the black wolf ran off. Jay had abandoned her, and even though the wolf was an animal, she didn't want to be alone. What if the cougar came back again? She ran after it, desperate for a companion. When Julia lost sight of the wolf, she stopped dead in her tracks. Where did it go?

She jumped a little when she heard someone groan. Running a little bit further into the woods, her heart dropped.

"Oh, damn..." Jay moaned.

"Jarred!" she cried. She ran forward running into him, nearly knocking him over. He cried out when she accidently hit his wrist with her knee. "Oh, shoot! Jay, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Julia lifted his wounded arm, one hand on his forearm next to where he clutched it, the other on his hand. She could see something black all across his hand; it was slick and slightly sticky, with a faint metallic smell. A knot formed in her stomach.

"Jay, we need to get you to a hospital. You're bleeding!"

He nodded, but the movement made him feel even sicker. He was going down; that was as plain as he could put it. He was losing consciousness as he lost blood.

He panted, leaning against Julia. "Get a shoelace..." he whispered. "Make a tourniquet..."

She nodded, and quickly got to work. He couldn't remember from then on; just clips. He was standing up...he was leaning against her, an arm over her shoulder...they were in a car with other people...they were pulling into a parking lot...

He looked around, dazed. What was going on? Where was he? What had happened? How had he gotten there?

"Easy, son. You'll be okay," someone told him as he found his back against a matress. In the distance he could hear Julia and a woman. He finally gave up trying to understand, and passed out completely.



**FYI, it's just a shock-like state he's in.**

"Jared? Jared!" Julia cried as Jareds' eyes closed.

"It's okay. He just passed out. He'll be fine, he just needs some rest." consoled the woman. She put an arm around Julia's shoulder. "If you don't mind, I need to ask you a couple of questions."

Julia nodded, sniffling. She wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I'm not leaving, though. You can ask your questions here," she mumbled stubbornly. Julia grabbed a chair from nearby and put it next to Jared's hospital bed. She sat and took his hand, rubbing her thumb gently back and forth on the back of it. She kept her eyes on his face, tears spilling out of her eyes once more.

The nurse sighed. "Okay....So, how did he get these injuries?" She asked, walking towards the foot of the bed.

"I, I don't know," Julia responded. "He had disappeared after he said 'cougar', and then a wolf appeared, fighting with it. After the cougar ran off, so did the wolf. I followed it and found Jarred instead, with these injuries. That's all I know about it."

"Jared's parents are here," another nurse said, walking into the room with a woman and two men.

"Jared!" his mom cried, running to his side. "How did this happen?" she asked. Julia replayed what she had told the nurse, eyeing the man standing next to Jarred's father. He was huge, with big muscles that rippled under his thin tee shirt. He had a five- o'clock shadow and thick brown hair.

"Who are you?" Jarred's mom asked Julia after she was through telling her story.

"Oh, uh, I'm Julia. Me and Jarred went to the races after school."

Jarred's mother nodded. "I'm Annie, and this is Paul," she motioned to Jarred's father.

Julia nodded and looked to the bigger man standing next to his father.

The man looked around nervously and cleared his throat. He smiled and held his hand out to Julia. She took it, amazed how small her hand was compared to his.

"I'm Cole, Jared's...uh...Godfather." he boomed.

Cole watched the girl closely, thinking over what she had said. "He had disappeared...he said 'cougar'...a wolf appeared...I followed it, and found Jarred instead."

Damn kid! He was trying to blow their cover, wasn't he? He was trying to show this girl, this human girl, that he was a werewolf! Cole bit back the snarl in his throat, concealing the anger in his eyes, and stood perfectly still while the nurse talked to the others.

"He probably won't need stitches," the woman was saying matter-of-factly. "But he will need a soft cast for a few weeks; maybe even a splint."

Annie sat down next to Julia, the two women comforting each other.

"How long will he have to stay here?" Paul asked the most desired question.

"Just overnight, to make sure nothing goes wrong," the nurse replied simply. "If he was attacked by a cougar, we'll need to watch for signs of infection, rabies, and many other possible illnesses."

Julia sniffled, and Annie handed her a napkin. "It's okay, dear. I-I know my son. He'll be fine..."

"He'll be as angry as a hornet for a few days," Cole added, trying to lighten the mood. But it was a true fact; every time Cole had seen Jay injured, Jay was foul for several days afterward.

"Can...can I stay here tonight?" Julia asked the nurse.

Cole was shocked. Has Jarred Imprinted with this girl yet? Damn...It's too soon...

The nurse nodded. "Yes, of course. You just need to call your parents and let them know you're here."

Julia nodded and let the nurse lead her to the nearest payphone outside in the hallway.

Once Paul, Cole and Annie were the only ones left in the room, Cole sighed.

"What are we going to tell the hospital when the boys' wound is almost completely healed?" he growled.

Annie grimaced, thinking hard. It was a very good question...one that would have to be considered gravely.

"Not that I would wish it...but maybe the wounds are bad enough that...they won't heal that fast?" Paul suggested.

Cole glared at the man, but it was true. Especially if there was even the slightest infection in them...

"It's a possibility," he finally mused, "but too risky. This isn't going to work."

"Then how do we keep the secret?"

A pause, then they heard someone shifting, wincing, and swearing under his breath. "Just take me home." It was Jay; he was already regaining consciousness, and he was not in a good mood.

Cole sighed, nodding. "That would probably be best," he said, chewing his lip.

Annie stood as the nurse and Julia walked back into the room. "Excuse me, but we're going to take our son home now. I think it's best that we keep an eye on him there," she told the nurse.

The nurse hesitated. "But his wounds....I don't think he'll be okay to leave in his condition. Maybe we should leave him here for the night, just in case."

Annie's eyes hardened. She knew what the nurse was doing; all hospital workers and even therapists thought they could change the person who they were dealing with's mind with enough convincing. Well, it wasn't going to work with her. "No," she said sternly. "I'm am taking. My. Son. Home." Annie smiled icily. She didn't have the patience for this right now. It was too late at night.

Annie turned to Julia, giving her a more kind smile. "Julia, dear, you can spend the night at our house, if you wish."

Julia nodded meekly, walking forward out of the room as Jay's mom guided her with her hand on her back.