Such A People Pleaser

Kindle had known Jonah for a good majority of her life and never once had he acted... well... all that normal. He did often care about those around him and would've never done anything to hurt them purposely. Unlike herself, Jonah often embraced the wolf side of himself and lived with his own pack. Meanwhile, Kindle lived with an average human family and tried her best to do average human things. Through all the time that she had known him, Kindle had never once seen him get into a real fight with anyone, not even humans. Of course, that didn't mean she hadn't seen him irritated.

She couldn't count the amount of times she had been by his side trying to understand what he was going through or she was there to help him get out of some mess he'd been tangled up in. She wondered if these were the reasons why she found himself craving to be beside him so often, but maybe she was wrong. Kindle over- thought a lot of things and even Jonah had pointed it out before, but she thought this was important enough to think about.

As children, the two of them had bound each other together, meaning that they would always be together. But sometimes Kindle wondered if the bond was really true or if it was simply the urge for the two of them to want to be together. Before she could fit in any more thoughts or questions in her brain, Jonah pulled her away from herself with his bright smile. "Kindle... You're phasing again." He prodded her lightly, wondering just what was going through her mind.

"Heh, sorry." Kindle replied with a small, quaint smile. There was no way she would ever be able to match his, she told herself. Her dark brown hair was tied up into its usual ribbon and she hadn't dressed all that nicely that day. Casual clothes were easily down- casted by most girls in their town, while that was all Jonah wore. If it was good enough for him, then it was good enough for Kindle.

"S'alright." Jonah hadn't gone to school with Kindle, but they still managed to spend a lot of time together. They were pretty much rendered inseparable.

Because they no longer had to worry about school classes, or well, Jonah didn't, they had a lot more time to spend together and he was obviously taking advantage of that. They hung out a lot near the park or even in more wooded areas. Jonah liked dragging Kindle along to his pack's bonfires, as most of the other wolves accepted Kindle as their own even if she didn't have her own pack. Territory was constantly an issue between wolves and others, but simply because she was so close to Jonah, they assumed her as one of them.

"What're you thinking about now, anyways?" He asked lightly and stood up on the bench they were sitting on.

Kindle watched him as he stood, wondering just what the hell he was trying to do. "Uh, Jonah, be careful."

"I've got it." Jonah waved a hand down to her as if to signal he'd be okay. He reached up higher until his fingers curled over a bright red apple. After snapping it from the branch, he laid back down next to Kindle and began to munch on his new present. "You didn't answer my question." He waged a scolding finger in front of her face.

Wrinkling her nose and shaking her head, she wondered how they could so easily be together. That being said, it wasn't like they didn't have their problems. "You," she explained bluntly.

He blinked a few times as if the simple word shocked him. Jonah finished his apple off quickly and tilted his head a bit to the side. "Well, I hope it's not bad things about me. What's the problem?" he finally asked. It was obvious just by looking at the two who listened more to their animalistic instincts and who was the most impulsive. While Jonah was lying beside her, Kindle sat up, leaning against her palm with a flustered expression on her face.

Finally getting to the point, Kindle gently rubbed her jaw line. "I dunno. I've just been thinking about how different we are, but how easily we get along."

Jonah exhaled as if he was relieved about something, "Alright, so that's not bad."

A smug smirk made its way onto Kindle's face and it surprised him enough for him to sit up and stare. "That's not what I mean." She raised a finger to him, fake- scolding him. "I have a challenge for you, Jonah." She spoke to him as if it wasn't already obvious that he was going to accept the challenge.

"A challenge?" It was strange to see Kindle to mischievous, but he didn't mind it one bit.

"Exactly. You get to stay one week at my house. No play time. No time with the other wolves. Just learning about human society."

"Wait, what?" Jonah shook his head and stood up from the bench, even taking a few steps away from Kindle as if he thought she was crazy. "What kind of challenge is that?" It was true, though. Jonah hadn't even gone one day without visiting or coming into contact with his pack. He shifted at least once a day and went running at least once a day. He loved his life as a wolf and wasn't sure what he would've done without it. On the other hand, he knew and understood very little about human society, which made things difficult on him whenever he wanted to get into business. Jonah needed a job to say the least and it was keeping him from being able to get one.

"You aren't an idiot, Jonah. I know you know what I mean." Kindle crossed her arms stubbornly. "You've been trying to get a job lately and the reason they aren't accepting your applications is because you have the personality and the intellect that they're looking for, but you don't know how to deal with humans."

A light flush ran across his cheeks, "Well, it looks like someone's done their research." He crossed his arms over his chest. "You don't know much about wolves, either, though."

"Oh, shush. Don't put this on me." Kindle stood up and walked over to him, digging her hands into her pockets and taking the lead.

Jonah jogged up behind Kindle and poked her in the sides, making her yelp and also making a smile form on his lips. He wasn't so easily offended, especially not when he knew that she was only doing it to help him. "Not at all. This is a problem we both have and something I think we should do together. What about we do half a week? Three and a half days with me, and then I have three and a half days with you?"

Kindle lifted her chin in her pride and continued walking, but he knew that she was thinking about his little proposition. He was excited, to the say the least, about what she would say. "Mmm, fine. But you're with me first."

"Great. Maybe I can finally get a job." He laughed lightly. It was weird to say the least, to see him so much more happier when spending time with Kindle. Most people that she went to class with would mention Jonah as the strong, serious type. He didn't make attachments with people he didn't need to. But Kindle knew who he really was and how much he honestly cared for everyone he knew. Sure, he was quiet, but she had seen a side of him that most people didn't get a good look at. Sometimes Kindle wished that other people would look hard enough to see what he was like, but other times, she wanted his sweet side all to herself.

???   ???   ???

Maybe Jonah hadn't thought about the consequences of their little challenge beforehand, but he did try his best to enjoy the time he was spending with Kindle. He hadn't realized that she could be so... so... powerful, at times? He wasn't sure if that was the correct word for it, but at least from what he observed, she had quite a lot of strength in human society. Her words effected people in the way that his never would and she knew how to work for the things that she wanted or how to change the meaning of what she said in a way that was a bit more demanding. Jonah tried his best to pay close attention all the things they did together through the three and a half days that he was spending with her. The first day had been a little stressful, but he went through it easily enough.

When they'd first gotten to her house later that evening, he was greeted by her uncle warmly. As for her aunt, Jonah wasn't all that sure what to think of her. By the time he'd gotten a good look at her, he tried his best to avoid her as much as possible. But considering that he was going to be in the same house as her for about three days, he was going to at least have to greet her.

"Jonah, m'boy, you've really grown up in a full-fledged man!" He could hear Kindle's uncle's voice from the kitchen and he came to join them in the living room of the house. It was all true, though. It had been quite some time since Jonah had been actually inside of Kindle's house and he could barely remember any of the people who lived in it. Hopefully her uncle wouldn't shoot him for not remembering his name.

Jonah tried his best to smile, but it came out sheepishly. "I guess, I have. It's been a while." He nodded in agreement, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as he was obviously nervous. He wasn't normally so care- free unless Kindle was there to assure him things were going to be alright. He stole a few glances towards her, but it looked like her younger cousin had stolen her away and into one of the bedrooms. Jonah stiffened as he now had to deal with the rest of her family on her own. She had mentioned before that they were human, but the confidence that he had before in wanting to deal with them had disappeared and he was tempted to yell out for her or excuse himself.

It was only then that Jonah understood just what Kindle had been talking about. He had absolutely no idea how to deal with them.

The last time that Jonah had been at her house, he'd been nothing but a pup, at least around nine or ten years old. He'd been torn up from a scrap he'd had with another, older wolf and Kindle, thank God, had been there to rescue him. Jonah's child- like confidence had gotten a handle on him and he thought he actually had a chance fighting a wolf so much older than him. He refused to stay with his pack for that night and went limping about around the park. It didn't take long for him to lose the last of his energy and Kindle hadn't found him long afterwards. Though he was forced to shift, something he had barely done around that time, he went home with her and stayed the night to be healed up.

As soon as Jonah had realized that Kindle was a wolf much like himself, he searched for ways that he could've made it up to her. It was a tradition and an important law to pay off whoever had helped you sevenfold. For months, Jonah would try his best to do favors for Kindle or help her in any way when finally, his older brother had made quite the suggestion. Jonah had literally offered him, his loyalty, and his protection up to Kindle, asking to form a bond with her. When the agreement was made, he finally felt like he fulfilled the tradition.  

Jonah smiled lightly at the memory, but was suddenly pulled over into the kitchen to get a good look at whatever Aunt Ditzy was making. It didn't look all that appetizing, but he put on his best fake- smile and tried to assure the woman that it looked delicious.

Meanwhile, Kindle had been dragged into her cousin's bedroom. She'd struggled against the smaller female's grip at first, knowing that she needed to be next to Jonah if he wanted to make any improvement with spending time with humans. But her cousin's grip was iron- like and she was unable to fight back. The two of them sat on the comfortable mattress and were already going through a few older magazines. It felt like her cousin was more so her sister than anything else. They could talk about most things together and Kindle had found a lot of favor in the younger girl. There were times where the thought about telling her the truth had passed through her mind, but she wasn't all that sure about it.

A sly grin ran over her cousin's features and before she could ask about it, she was already talking. "Jonah sure has turned into a stud. You should date him before someone else does."

Kindle's eyes widened and she blushed brightly, shaking her head vigorously as if the thought had gone through her mind several times before. "W-what are y-you thinking, Nell!?" She exclaimed loud enough that someone outside the door might have been able to hear.

"Well, you guys spend all your time together. Most people already think you're dating, so maybe that's not a problem." Nell casually leaned back against the head board of the bed, flipping through the pages of one of the magazines.

"You're delusional." Kindle shook her head and panted as if she really couldn't believe her cousin had just mentioned something along those lines. "We're just friends!"

Nell waved her hand in the air casually, "I'm just saying what everyone else thinks, geez. I would be careful with him, though. He looks like one of those guys with a lot of secrets." She finally folded the magazine and placed it back underneath the stack of what looked to be ten or maybe even twenty of them.

Kindle plopped down against the sheets with an exasperated groan. She put her hands in front of her face, her cheeks still burning. "Is it that obvious?" She whined.

"Kindle. He's practically living with us." The shifter could tell that her cousin had a dull expression on her face without even looking at her. Before Kindle opened her mouth again, Nell spoke, "You should really talk to him about it, you know. It's hard to tell what kind of guy he is, but there have to be way more girls after that body than just you."

At that, Kindle stole one of the pillows out from under herself and slammed it over her cousin's face with a scream. She couldn't remember ever being so frustrated with a topic. "Shut up, Nell!"

???   ???   ???

Jonah was left in the living room having to speak with her aunt and uncle for a while. It didn't take long for them to head to bed and now he had no one else to talk to. He sighed loudly and leaned back against the sofa, running his fingers through his soft, dark hair. He was somewhat relieved that he had decided to accept the challenge as he now realized that he really needed the practice with speaking with humans. Finally, Jonah stood up from the couch to go hunt Kindle down. Hearing the wrestling and shouting from the other room, he stood in front of Nell's bedroom door with a confused expression on his face. He could understand siblings fighting, simply because he wrestled often with his brothers, but it was strange to have two girls fighting with each other as humans, at least.

Maybe his pack and humans weren't all that different. It brought up an entire new theory in his mind and Jonah already wanted to talk with Kindle about it.

Cautiously, he outstretched his hand and knocked on the door, hoping that it wasn't going to be broken out of its hinges by the two girls. It was getting late and though Kindle's uncle had designated a guest bedroom for him to sleep in, Jonah wanted to talk with Kindle first.

She finally opened the bedroom door, her hair standing up at a few odd angles. Kindle shot a glare in the direction of her cousin who was laughing wildly on the floor before looking back at Jonah. "Ah, hey."

"Hey." Jonah gave an uncertain nod. "I want to talk to you."

Kindle didn't hesitate with throwing the pillow in her hand back at Nell, but she left the fight at that and followed Jonah outside of the room. They stopped walking when they reached the back patio and both took their seats. "So what is it?" Kindle raised an eyebrow at Jonah, who she had always known to be her closest and most trustworthy friend. It only worried her that Nell might have been suspicious of him. The moonlight reflected onto the wood of the patio smoothly and that seemed to be what Jonah was focusing on before she spoke.

He looked up at her with a tired smile, "I think I've come to a conclusion."

"Hm?" She gave a nod in his direction, urging him to speak. Now she was more than a little curious about what he might've had to say.

"My pack isn't all that different from your family... I mean, we all have different traditions and things of the sort, but when I look at things from a bigger point of view; I can see all the similarities." Jonah chuckled lightly and ran his fingers through his hair, as if this was the first time he really understood things. He had never been one to be frustrated easily and could understand things quickly if he really put his mind to it, but the subject of humans had never really entertained him or sparked any curiosity. Now that he had been forced to spend time with Kindle's family, he was beginning to learn some things about them.

Kindle couldn't help but get up and sit closer to him, placing her hand hesitantly over his shoulder, "I'm really glad you're starting to get the hang of things."

Her light smile was comforting and warm and Jonah turned his head to try and match it. "Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea." He chuckled a bit and gently moved her hand off of his shoulder. Kindle thought of this as a little embarrassing at first, but he brought it down to his lap and began fiddling with her fingers, tracing strange markings all over her smooth skin. They hadn't had many sentimental moments, at least not since they were children, so it was definitely a change of pace for Kindle, but a nice one at that. She watched his movements and smiled a bit when he brought his palm up to hers, sizing both of their hands. Her hand was considerably smaller, but she didn't mind it.

Jonah finally let out a quiet yawn, the wolf- like canines only shining for a moment before he smiled towards her. He got up from the patio chair and stretched, "Time to head to bed. You get some sleep, too, okay?"

Kindle nodded quietly and lowered her head, listening to the screen door open. Thinking about what Nell had said, she bit her lip and lifted her chin again, "Uh, Jonah?" She called him back over before he fully stepped back into the home full of sleeping people.

"Yes?" He raised an eyebrow before stepping inside, his eyes almost pleading for her to say what he thought she was going to say.

So many thoughts raced through her mind all at once and it was hard to voice what they all were. She knew she needed to tell Jonah before someone else might have stolen him away. Kindle hesitated and finally shook her head, "Nevermind."

Jonah looked a bit flustered, but nodded. "Alright, night." He left the screen door just a bit open for Kindle whenever she wanted to walk inside. His walk to the guest bedroom felt like a long one, simply wondering what she might have wanted to tell him. Maybe it was what he hoped she was going to tell him, or maybe it was just something simple and irrelevant like turning off the kitchen light. Jonah gently rubbed the back of his neck and laid down onto the bed with a sigh, closing the door behind him. Certainly it was obvious to anyone who saw the two of them together that they had a deep affection for one another. But neither of them had confessed to the other and it had stayed a mystery.

He fell asleep quickly and Kindle had done close to the same, stalking into the home and falling asleep in her own bed, miserable with herself for not mentioning anything about liking him. Jonah had said countless times that his loyalty for Kindle would never falter, but loyalty was a totally different subject than affection and [i]love[/i]. The simple word was confusing and felt foreign on her tongue.

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The next morning, everyone had woken up bright and early. There wasn't all that much planned for the two of them that day, but Jonah knew Kindle didn't have any classes set up that day and they would have enough free time to think something up. Jonah was one of the first downstairs, waiting patiently at the breakfast table for some food cooked by the amazing chef named Aunt Ditzy. He wasn't sure how much he was looking forward to the food, but hell, it was food and that should've been good enough. Kindle still hadn't come downstairs by the time that breakfast was served and he looked towards the steps that led to the upstairs, wondering just what was going on. He refused to take one bite of food until she sat down with them.

When finally enough time had passed and the other's were finished breakfast and simply conversing at the table, Jonah excused himself, "I'll be back." He said quietly and walked out of the kitchen.

He remembered just where Kindle's room was located, at least unless she had changed rooms. Jonah skipped two steps with each saunter and sighed when he was finally at the top. He gently knocked on her door, waiting outside with a concerned expression occupying his face. Maybe she had slept in? But it still managed to worry the other boy. Jonah frowned and turned the door knob quietly, opening the door. When it creaked a bit, Jonah stiffened and opened it up quickly so it didn't make any more noise. His eyes searched the room for Kindle and blinked a few times when they landed on a mountain of sheets near the center of her bed.

Jonah awkwardly placed his hands into his pockets and wondered if maybe Kindle was somewhere beneath them all. "Eh, Kindle...?" He murmured quietly, but there was no response.

He quietly stepped to the bed and stood at the side of it where he figured her head might've been. Unsure what to do, he grabbed hold of one of the sheets and cautiously lifted it up a bit. Peeking in, he half expected a monster to come raging out and attacking him. Jonah had lived in a small house full of pretty much all mischievous boys and older men. The women lived in a separate house and so he was often teased as a child about monsters hiding under his bed or in the shadows of the corners of a room.

Instead of a monster rampaging out of the darkness, Kindle shifted her position and her foot got caught in between two of the sheets. Uncomfortable with that position, she forcefully moved her foot away, kicking it hard and making direct contact with Jonah's face.

He fell on his butt quickly and with a frightened yelp. Jonah would've strangled anyone else who might've heard that, simply because it would've embarrassed him. But there was no hiding it then and his face was really beginning to ache. Kindle woke up quickly after hearing the noise, sitting up in the midst of all the blankets and searching for the perpetrator.

"Jonah!"

She rushed to the end of her bed, her hair a tangled mess on top of her head and her pajama shirt sliding off of one of her shoulders. Kindle pushed the majority of the sheets off of herself and sat down on the carpet floor beside Jonah, trying to see what the damage was.

"I'm okay," he murmured a bit, though it looked like he'd already gotten a bloody nose.

Kindle cupped his hands over his nose and jogged into her bathroom to get some tissue paper. After handing it over to him, she sighed tiredly, "What were you trying to do?" Most of the concern had left her voice and been replaced with something along the lines of faint irritation. If someone were to have woken you up from a nice dream, wouldn't you have been angry? But Kindle could never stay angry with him for long and it disappeared quickly.

"You hadn't come down for breakfast, so I was worried." He admitted solemnly, cleaning himself up and sighing defeatedly.

The petite girl stared back at Jonah incrediculously and suddenly began laughing. Jonah blinked a few times, wondering what was wrong. "Kindle?" But she continued laughing, as if there was really something so funny in front of him. "Kindle, what's wrong?" Jonah's voice became a bit louder as he searched her face for any information. He was tempted to jog into the bathroom to see if there was anything on his face, but directly before he stood up, Kindle managed to speak through her laughing.

"What kind of noise was that!?"

Jonah had never heard her laugh so much through his entire life, but the center of her joke was embarrassing and he lowered his head. A bright blush was evident on his cheeks and he shook his head, "Come on, Kindle. Don't laugh at me."

Though it took some time, Kindle managed to bring her wild laugh down to a light chuckle. She placed her hand gently on his shoulder, taking a deep breath before speaking. "I'm sorry, Jonah. But I can honestly say I didn't expect it. Sorry for kicking you in the face." Kindle smiled warmly to him. It had been a great way to wake up for the day, though she couldn't say Jonah might have felt the same way.

Catching her smile, he leaned down and pressed his forehead to her own, a common sign of affection between wolves, though Kindle didn't seem to notice. She pulled away a bit and he was left only smiling sheepishly back down at her. "It's okay. At least you're awake." He gave a defeated sigh and stood up from his spot. Throwing out the red- stained tissue, Jonah looked back towards Kindle with a light shrug.

"What's the plan for today?" He asked.

"Oh, right." Kindle chuckled, "You, my dear sir, have a job interview to go to at 10, so it's time to get you groomed and dressed nicely."

Jonah looked down at himself and then back at Kindle. He wasn't particularly startled by the thought of going to a job interview, but he was wondering just what job it was for. He needed a job badly and at that point, he was ready to take on almost anything. "I think I dress very nicely..." He commented quietly.

"And this is your first lesson about professional, human interaction." Kindle raised a finger, though she wasn't really one to talk about dressing nicely. She was the one still in her pajamas. "The word 'professional' means three- piece suit." She nodded knowingly and took Jonah's hand tightly.

He smiled as he was led down the hallway and into her uncle's room. It didn't look like he minded it much. Considering they were close to the same size, it wouldn't have been all that hard to fit into one of his suits. "Go take a shower while I get this stuff ironed." Kindle explained and Jonah nodded obediently.

The shower didn't take all that long, but his hair curled into a childish cow lick right where his bangs normally met. Jonah stayed in front of the mirror for a bit to try his best and make the thing disappear, but it didn't work and it was getting late, so he was forced to go see Kindle again for what he was supposed to wear.

Jonah stopped in front of Kindle's bedroom door, a light blush still visible along his cheeks. When she turned around as she sensed his presence, she chuckled lightly and lifted up the now ironed three- piece suit. "That's quite the hairstyle, Jonah." She sauntered up to him and tried her best to make it look a bit more decent. Kindle would've had admitted to thinking that the cow lick looked adorable on him and she could tell by the expression he was making he was miserable with it. Kindle patted his back and pressed the suit and hanger lightly against his chest, "Alright, go put this on. We can't be late."

With a small smile, Jonah obediently walked into the bathroom to change. He managed to get the pants, the dress shirt and the best on perfectly and of course, the suit jacket was just something he would need to shrug on. The only thing Jonah simply could not get on was the tie. Needing assistance, he opened the bathroom door and called Kindle over, "I can't seem to get this." He explained, lifting up the thin strand of cloth.

"Figures. The girl always has to put the tie on." Kindle chuckled, but helped him as best as she could, tying it like any grown man would have his wife do and patting it lightly to make sure it fit perfectly with the rest of the dark suit. Kindle took a step back to get a better look at Jonah and nodded in approval.

"Well, don't you look sharp,"

???[color=white]xxx[/color]???[color=white]xxx[/color]???

Most of the way to the job interview, Kindle was left pep- talking Jonah and helping him understand how he was supposed to act and the sort of things he was supposed to say.

"Never say 'yea'. If it's a lady, say 'ma'am' and if it's a man, say 'sir'. Got it?" Kindle patted Jonah's shoulder as they stood in front of the building. It didn't look like a high- up business, but more so a quaint business. "You're applying for the mail room position. It's a greeting card business, by the way." It was so nice of Kindle to tell Jonah just what the job interview was about, [i]right[/i] before the interview. But Jonah exhaled, at least thankful that she had decided to tell him. He was actually beginning to believe that he could score a job, at least with that fancy suit on he could.

Kindle wasn't able to walk inside with him and he lost a good amount of his confidence in that alone. When they called his name, Jonah nodded and stood up, "Yes, sir." He said, trying to pretend as if he was as confident as the suit said he was. With a mail- room position, he didn't see why it was so important to wear a suit, but there was no backing out at that time.

He sat down across from an older man, giving one of the best smiles he thought he had. When the man finally gave him the attention he'd been craving, he nodded, "So you are..."

"Jonah. Jonah Clove."

"Well, Jonah, what're you here for today?"

"This is part of my application for the job. An interview." Jonah gave a slight nod, but was already feeling a few small shivers running down his spine. Things were beginning to go downhill.

"What do you think you can contribute?" The business man crossed his hands and leaned forward across the desk, really trying to interact with Jonah. This was the biggest issue for Jonah. The hair on the back of his neck rose and he knew that he still needed more practice. It wasn't going to work and it was going to be just another job that he was going to miss. What could he contribute?

Jonah leaned back a bit, trying to act as casual as possible but still professional just as Kindle had told him to do. He wasn't sure how the heck that was going to work, but at least he was trying. It was time to be completely honest. "I'm going to be bluntly honest, sir. I've never been able to land a decent job and I'm trying really hard for this one. If I can't always do things right, at least I can try hard. I won't ever go against anything you all tell me to and..."

But he was cut off by the older man's quiet laughter, "You're a good boy, I trust that. And to be just as honest with you, no one has really ever given me quite the interview like this. I just have one more thing for you."

"Yes?" Jonah paused, and then added, "Sir?"

"If a friend of yours is willing to contact a business and ask for an interview, you must be worth going out on a whim for." The man stood up from behind the desk and outstretched his hand for Jonah to shake. The wolf could only blink a few times, and he finally stood up and shook the other man's hand.

"Thank you, sir."

"Call me Steiner. Sir is just a little too formal." The man chuckled a bit.

When Jonah got back to the lobby of the building, he went sprinting outside. He couldn't recall the last time so much happiness had gathered up in his system all at once. He jogged lightly up to the car where Kindle was waiting and gently tapped the passenger's side window for her to unlock the door. Jonah slid into his seat with a small smile, "I think it went well."

Kindle smiled back at him with an approving nod. "Now, it's time for your treat." She started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. After a few minutes, Jonah looked out the window and blinked a few times, seeing that they were driving through a route that was oddly familiar. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember and then looked back at Kindle, "Isn't the cafe back there?" He pointed at the road that they had just finished passing.

The petite girl only nodded, a small smile still perfectly poised on her lips.

Jonah leaned back in his seat, raising his eyebrows but not asking any more questions. He trusted Kindle so it wouldn't have mattered where she was taking him anyways. It was probably going to be something or somewhere nice. They were driving far from the city, and he wondered just what plans Kindle had hidden up her sleeve.

When the car finally stopped, he was surprised to see that they were in the parking lot of the park. The forest behind the park was somewhere his pack often hung out and spent time together, but Jonah didn't understand. The entire point of the challenge that Kindle had presented him with was to avoid being intact with his wolf side for a bit and to learn more about humans.

He looked over at her to express his concern and she unlocked the doors, "Yes, I cut the three days down to one and a half. I don't think I could've held you back from this place for all that long and this is a great treat anyways. Think of it as a little vacation." Kindle explained with a small nudge of her elbow.

Jonah got out of the car quickly, looking up at the sun that was already beginning to merge with the late evening sky. Dusk was his favorite time of day. He peered back at Kindle when she got out of the car and locked it. What was she doing? "So you get more time with your pack a little more time to show me the ropes. You picked things up fast enough and either way, I'm a little curious to see how things work out here. Plus, I talked to one of your brothers and heard about a bonfire tonight." She explained and walked up beside him. Jonah hadn't felt so happy in quite some time and not even a smile could've expressed his feelings. He simply looked around and didn't wait for them to be concealed by the forest trees completely.

The young man shifted quickly and smoothly, taking off in a light jog and knowing that Kindle was going to follow suit. His form was dark just like his hair and he blended in with the shadows. With the same colored eyes, it was easy to tell that it was still Jonah very present there. Kindle shifted and raced after him playfully. It had been quite some time since she herself had shifted and it felt like she was finally getting more in tune with the earth and the things she needed most, her real life.

It didn't take long for them to reach the bon fire, as the crimson and orange flames were easy to spot from far away. Jonah slowed to a light trot as did Kindle and most of the pack was there as well. Most of them were lying down and almost all of them were in the wolf forms. It was easy to tell which in the pack were bonded with each other, as they all laid beside on another. One of the larger wolves stood up from beside his own, his superior, but also a person he wasn't exactly favorable of.

"Jonah, it's been some time." The wolf said with a nod of his head.

Jonah only lifted his head in response, and then looked back at Kindle to see how she was doing. She padded past him in search of a comfortable spot by the flames. "It really has."

"Some of the younger pups were looking for you; looking for someone to wrestle." Insult, already, really?

With a light huff, Jonah shook his head and moved to join Kindle, "I'm here to relax, Cain."

"I'm just telling you how some of them have missed you! You owe it to them, come on now. You owe me a good fight, too." The wolf named Cain chuckled lightly and laid back down. Wrestling was simply one of the things that the pack did often. Though it was normally meant to play and entertain one another, Jonah could tell that Cain was using it as an excuse to release some tension between the two of them. Not wanting to have to deal with his angry presence for the rest of the days and to have a nice time with Kindle, he accepted.

Jonah gently licked Kindle's head, "Just give me a little bit, I promise I'll be back."

"Don't do something stupid, Jonah. Don't get yourself hurt for someone else's satisfaction. You can't make everyone happy." She warned him and let out a quiet whine. Kindle was probably right, too. She could already see that Jonah was going to end up hurt, as was Cain and that evening was going to be ruined. She continued to whine to him, but the other wolf, Cain, finally motioned to the pups waiting excitedly to play. They were all naive, not knowing about the real rivalry between the two older wolves.

Jonah trotted up closer to the fire and Cain had already reared up on his back legs. He pressed both of his front paws together and the wrestling between both of them began. It was difficult to often tell when a wolf was wrestling or really play fighting. Through the beginning of the fight, it seemed like they were playing, but when things were beginning to get serious and the two were beginning to actually injure each other, a few more wolves came in to stop the fight. Real fighting between pack members wasn't allowed, especially not at a bonfire where everyone was simply trying to enjoy themselves.

When they were separated, Jonah stalked a little ways away from the flames while Cain was tossed farther away and continued growling and snarling; threatening the other. No one knew why the two had issues, but it seemed to go a little ways back to when Jonah had first made the bond with Kindle.

He returned to Kindle and laid down beside her. She quickly began licking the few cuts along his fur,  but growled lightly as if she was displeased with him. "I told you not to." She murmured a few times.

The energy and tension between the pack slowed and disappeared as some of the wolves began falling asleep and the other couples stayed together. Kindle was already beginning to fall asleep as well, but Jonah was awake and staring at the flames that reflected off of his eyes.

He gently prodded her with his muzzle and laid his head over her neck sweetly, "I'm sorry."

"You can't please everyone, Jonah." Kindle murmured tiredly.

"But can I please you?" He finally closed his eyes, deciding to let sleep wrap her warm blankets over their two bodies.