catterwhal, nc

“22? I’m 23 since December of last year. I had a feeling you were 22, I dunno why.” She smiled easily, not meaning a thing. She was just happy to be having a pleasant conversation with someone of her kin, someone who didn’t die.

“Strange? I think it comes with the whole wolf woman package.” She joked with a giggle, hoping that Joey was okay since the moment of panic had passed. It could be really hard dealing with that.

“I’m glad to be weird. Because it means I can someday meet others like me. Like right now.” 

           TRUTHFULLY, she’d suspected the girl to be younger, judging by her appearance and general cadence. but it makes sense, kind of; there’s something about her that hints to an otherworldliness joey can’t explain.

              “ yeah. you’re probably right. “ it’s so odd, having                  a conversation with someone her age that isn’t                  soured by subtext. it’s like her singularities                   jump out as if she’s some kind of leper.                  –––- that, and her general attitude, of course.

           joey smiles again, appreciating the sentiment.            “ anyway, um –– “ she attempts to stand, grabbing a tree branch            for leverage. she squints as pain shoots through her leg, though            it’s dulled compared to before.             “ I wouldn’t hang around too long in catterwhal, if I were you.             this town’s not very, uh...liberal when it comes to people like us. “

her next words aren’t without heavy consideration. she’s good at running from feeble connections; there’s nothing to sever. but she’s also never met anyone with such a drastically similar perspective. the promise of validation is almost intoxicating, in a way.

A laugh escaped her at that, not taking the comment about the moon all that seriously. She had grown up being told that werewolves were rare, and those born one usually didn’t have any issues with the moon like the movies portrayed.

“I mean. I can get moody during a full moon, but what wolf doesn’t?” It was a disconnect of worlds. While she understood the basics, some things of being a wolf remained unknown for the lone she-wolf.

“Nice to meet you, Joey. I might have said so already, but my name is Robin.” She took the other’s hand, shaking it. “Mind me asking how old you are?”

          IT WAS ALL SO STRANGE, the knowledge that a whole other world existed outside of catterwhal, living and breathing beyond her perception. growing up here sometimes felt like living in an old ghost town after the end of the world.

                  “ well, I get a little more than moody. “ she can’t help                     but chuckle in disbelief. even if she didn’t have a track                     record of claiming lives on the full moon, the fear would                     always be there, a sovereign thought in the back of her                     mind. 

           “ robin ––- right. you said that. “ she’d completely dismissed              the sentiment while she was panicking. “ I’m 22. since may. “

She could sense the other relaxing a little bit. But then the question from before stiffened the stranger. Great. Maybe Robin needed to not be so blunt, be a bit more dodgy…

“Born. My mother was a wolf shapeshifter, like a werewolf but not forced to turn. My father was a human. He disappeared when I was 12. My mother got sick and died not long after.” Robin shrugged as if it didn’t hurt, but just talking about all who abandoned her made her skin crawl and stomach fill with ice.

“Sorry. I tend to infodump sometimes.” Scratching an old scar on the inside of her elbow, she manages to fight back the urge to abscond.

“Catterwhal? Is that the name of the town nearby? Jeez. I guess I have been walking for too long, I have no idea where I am.” For any normal human it was Way too long of a walk, but for a wolf, it was nothing.

          THE SUDDEN DIVULGING of information sets a curious crease in her brow; she knew there were other types of shifters, but not like this. and she’d definitely never met one in the flesh before.

             “ no, don’t be sorry, it’s ––- it’s interesting to me. so the                full moon doesn’t affect you? like at all? “                joey can hardly fathom a life like that; all the benefits                of the bite without the fear of losing control. by now                the pain’s so entwined with her narrative she can’t                imagine it any other way.

            THERE IS AN EERIE-NESS IN DEJA VU… and a bizarre thoughtfulness in being in a new place and feeling like you’re bound to be there time, and time again.   when you can tell you’re gonna stick around,  at least for some undetermined period.   be as it may,   bella’s barely had a social interaction with anyone here yet,   much less with someone closer to her age range;   it’s kinda nice,   purely human   –    bella can detach herself from reality enough that she forgets she’s just that, too;   human. 

                    ‘  –  can’t be too bad,  ‘   she adds,  ‘ yeah, for sure. ‘  reaching into the russet sidebag over her shoulder,  she grabs her wallet and hands a bill to him.  ‘ nice packaging, ‘   she adds as a friendly comment,  offering a small smile as she takes the bag in her hands.  ‘  –  i’m really sorry for knocking your peaches over.  i’m not only a klutz,  but i’m actually a part-time idiot as well.  thank you, though.  ‘   she rocks back on her heels –   yeah,   this is the part where normally the customer would walk away.   ‘  i,  uh.   weird question,  maybe.  happen to know of any job opportunities around here?  i’m kind of an outsider coming in,   and it seems pretty close-knit here.. ‘

           HER COMMENT RAISES an instinctive prick of concern in him, the kind of concern he reserves for strangers; mama taught him well not to let comments like that go unnoticed.

                  “ ah, I’m sure you’re not an idiot,” he assures with                    a smile, picking up a peach idly and letting it roll                    over his knuckle into the opposite hand, an old trick                    river taught him ages ago.                    “ we all have our oversights. you should see the                    bruises from all the trees I’ve fallen out of in the                    last month. “

           she asks about a job and his immediate response, selfishly, is regarding his own affairs ––-- the horses, namely. between all the housework & farm duties, he’s often exhausted by the time he can come around just to feed them and let them out of the stables into the corral. of course, a helping hand would be nice, and it couldn’t hurt to offer, but he’s afraid she might be searching for something more specific – oh, well. won’t kill him to try.

Relief washes over her when the other starts to drink water. Okay, so she would be fine. That was good. No need to be responsible for more… The shifter stopped herself from going down the blame hellhole again.

“Nope. I’m just trying to find myself, I guess. Sounds like such a hippie thing to say, huh?” She laughed tiredly, crossing her arms and discreetly squeezing her arms together to try and alleviate the awkwardness.

“I’m Robin. Nice to meet you.” A pause. “So… were you born one or turned?”

         SHE CAN’T HELP BUT soften her disposition, just a bit; it’s hard to remain cold to someone so clearly unaffected by her attitude. plus, the girl’s got something joey will forever envy: an ever-present sense of hope.

                   “ ––- no, I - I get that. I wish I could leave catterwhal. “

too much ties her here; her ailing mother, the fear of running into her father again, the wilting connections she’s made with the others who grew up in this arid shithole. she could leave, but it’d cost her the knowledge of the one place she understands, and she’s not quite ready for that yet.

The thing was that Robin had never experienced a wound like this before. She had been slashed as a kid, but that memory was as faded as the scar on her abdomen. 

“No bleach. No alcohol either, but give me a week and I can make cordial from fruit.” She tried to smile, hoping her weak attempt would help.

“I’m sorry. I’ve never had to deal with this. Most I’ve seen is when my brother had a broken arm from falling out of a tree. He healed really fast, if that’s what you mean…” Dancing around the subject, she feared she could somehow scare the stranger off just by being honest.

“Do you want some water?” She produced a bottle. “You can smell it, trust me, I don’t have any weird shit on me.”

        HER POINT’S NOT GETTING across, or maybe it is, and the stranger’s choosing to be just as cavalier –- either way, joey decides to drop it, figuring the truth would lay itself out eventually.

                 “ it’s fine, it’s, um –– you didn’t have to help. so. “

finally, joey offers a reticent smile at the offer of water. she sips it, first slowly then indulgently, not having realized how thirsty she was.

She almost wonders if the girl is maybe hysterical upon seeing blood. Maybe that was it. Worry about the shoes instead, not the blood coming out which means death in a hour or so if the wound doesn’t coagulate–

Robin had to stop and breathe. No time for a panic attack.

She dug out a spare shirt, not able to find her good gauze. She did find tape. She placed the items by the girl’s hand, respecting the want to not be touched.

“I’m sorry, but you should really see a doctor. If you nicked a vein, you’ll be sorry. For like an hour.” And then dead. “At least let me try to cut off the blood flow. Or show you how.”

          IN ALL HER FERVOR, joey hadn’t even realized the other might be panicking, too ––- and so she stops, gathers herself with eyes shut tight, and exhales slowly. just a little blood. she’s woken up with far worse wounds than this before.

             “ it’ll heal, “ joey repeats, surprised the girl hasn’t               caught onto her scent yet. unless she was still               learning, of course, which wouldn’t be all that               unbelievable. joey finds herself dipping her head,                searching for the girl’s eyes, hoping she can get               her point across without actually having to say it.               “ you know what I’m talking about, right? “

the resources are welcome; though joey can’t bring herself to thank the girl, she takes the items in stride and begins wrapping her wound, sealing it finally with a layer of tape around the edges. it wouldn’t hold for long, but it would hold long enough.

Sometimes, she got dreams that filled her mind with both confusion and deadly need. Usually, a long walk in the woods cleared her head. Usually being the key word.

But in this new town she had stumbled upon during her soul searching, she realized she had bitten off more than she could chew. Another wolf lived in these woods, and she was on their territory.

She made an attempt to flee, only to watch the girl before her fall on unsteady ground and cut her leg open. Panic and adrenaline filled the blonde then, and she froze.

Robin beat back her fear in that moment, empathy winning over, and she ran to the stranger’s side, rifling through her bag for her first aid supplies.

“Listen to me. I’m not going to hurt you. Just apply pressure on the wound. I know it hurts, but please…” Where was her damn gauze?!

        PANIC RISES OVER sense in that moment ––- it’s the blood, too much of it, rolling over her skin and pooling into her white sneakers –– and joey finds herself swatting the girl’s hands away, shaking her head.

ฬєɭς๏๓є Շ๏ ςคՇՇєгฬђคɭ !

✷ ▸ SHE IS ALL TOO AWARE of the laserlike stare of the person standing at the end of the aisle, bathed in the sallow fluorescent glow of the department store lighting. yet, with all the complacency in the world, she still slips what appears to be a $600 watch into her bag, smiling all the while. no tags –––- almost too easy.

☾ ▸  JOHANNA KNOWS her town. all its secrets, crevices, & dark corners. and more than anything, she knows her woods, that quaint little haven she returns to every full moon. it’s the only slice of catterwhal that’s truly hers. here she’s more wolf than girl. here she can finally be alone.

         not today, though. today something is different. the scent          is  o f f  somehow.

her trek is always the same; past the suburbs, through the trees, and up a little crest where her favorite tree stands (crescent-shaped, perfect for sitting). this time, though, she stops halfway. there’s something odd in the air; the distinct smell of stranger. and as she’s whipping around, trying to find the source, she catches a brief but notable flash of a body moving through the trees. panic leaps up like a flame in her chest. 

          AT LEAST HE’S NICE ABOUT IT.   she certainly didn’t need some older,  conservative figure belittling her over an wholly honest mistake.  she stands from her knees,   body always slightly achy,   eyes heavy but in their true essence,  always kind.   

            taking a half-second to count the four peaches in her arm,   she then eyes them to make comparison to the boy’s words.   ‘  –  they look decent.   but you sound like the expert on this one,  ‘   she offers a softened smile,   friendly instinct initiating itself.  she tosses her peaches into the crate.

        ‘ must be some good stuff. i like that about here. people make their own things, bring it to the community..    i owe you some kind of purchase.  let’s do it. ‘

      MAMA ALWAYS SAID he was good at scoping out the good ones; something about law of attraction. point is, he knows a friendly soul when he sees one. it’s good; they need more of that in catterwhal, even if temporarily. too much of this town is failing families and bitter old geriatrics.

         “ yeah, that’s catterwhal for you. we’re definitely an export town. “           and not the kinda town you’d wanna live in, he’s tempted to add,           but he bites back the words. maybe it’s good that the beauty of            catterwhal blinds newcomers to all its flaws. maybe that’s the            only thing keeping this town alive.

             “ it’s five bucks, cash only, is that okay? “               pigs will fly the day mary makes an effort to blend modern               technology into his practice. it’s all so intimidating. and                honestly, he feels like he’s sort of missed the bus when it               comes to understanding how all that works.

        THE UNIVERSE HAD LITTLE TO OFFER HER  outside of forks.  by no means was she setting herself up for a dependency on her aged ties  –   hell,   they’ve been damaged, if not severed.   but maybe frequently,   given her abundance of self-doubt,  she may think that she’ll never be as happy as she once was.   BE IT SO.   not like she’d admit to that.   it’s not to say she hasn’t been fond of her adventures or found moments of joy;   they do come and go,  withering and fragile against her ego.

          bella swan is nothing if not efficient.  savings,  good credit,  and a willingness to work landed her the flexibility and capability to achieve the stable, but flittering lifestyle she felt suited her for the time being.    what was she looking for ?   who know’s.  after everything in the past,  she couldn’t articulate her reasoning for much of anything.   it’s a daunting,  lingering question;   what the hell are you doing,  bella? 

       places like catterwhal remind her of forks.  whether she welcomes the nostalgia is a different ask.  but if she keeps ending up in places like these,  there’s a suppressed, obvious embrace of a comfortable, familiar aura.   the nature always drew her in.  the quaint communities displayed a sense of homeliness that bella, too, missed. the role of the quiet girl, however, was something she chose to deem herself  –  often choosing to keep to herself.

                          unfortunately,   bella’s not very good at blending in just like that.

           she may overestimate the world’s plausible vendetta against her.  but hey,  bad shit happens.  and inconvenient,  awkward shit happens way more often than that.    like getting bread could be so easy!!   but here she is,  mind ticking across manic thoughts like it’s a damn checklist to work through and distracting her thoroughly enough that she’s knocking down merchandise.  

                    ——-   GOD DAMMIT ! 

           ‘ fuck – i’m so sorry —- ‘   she starts, frozen for a second before she bends to her knees and starts collecting some and holding them in her other arm.  she kinda gives up when he does, though.   ‘ i swear,  i didn’t mean to do that. i’ll buy some of them off you – i’m sure with some water to clean them off, they’re perfectly edible, right?  ‘

     MARY HAS LITTLE TO OFFER to her panic besides a gentle smile and a reassuring but brief appearance of his hand ghosting the air between them, in the flat-palm motion of someone attempting to calm a wild animal. that’s what people do, right? he’s never entirely sure. human interaction will always feel like a game nobody’s given him the rules for.

            “ hey. it’s alright. really, don’t sweat it. I was thinkin’               about trashing these soon anyway. I mean ––-               you can still take them, if you want. seriously.               they’re way too tender, in my opinion, though,               and I’d wait for another few weeks for the real               good ones to finish growing, but, uh... “

he’s aware he’s rambling, so he shakes his head and stands, depositing the peaches into the crate. his hand makes a nervous arc across the back of his neck. mary laughs again, softly, just to fill the space.