Chapter Ten

They took their time, showering in turn and getting dressed into some fresh clothing. There was no way that they could have stayed in their muddy outfits from before. Luna allows Hazel to borrow some of her clothes, since she hadn't thought to bring any spare items with her. 

Luna takes her turn first, later coming out wearing a yellow floral blouse and a pair of high-waisted jeans. She looks beautiful, and the yellows really compliment the green of her eyes. She smiles and lets Hazel know that there is a spare towel on the top of the towel rack and that she should just put it and her dirty clothes into the hamper. Luna would wait until they were both changed and put everything into the laundry.

Hazel took her time in the shower, though she didn't take too long, not wanting to use up all of the hot water or some across as being inconsiderate. She felt so much better having washed away all of the dirt and grime from their long afternoon of hard work in the stables. She had a newfound respect and admiration for Luna, knowing that she did such a strenuous job every day. 

She supposed that she must be use to it after working there for so long, but Hazel couldn't help but wonder how she managed to finish the day with so much energy still left over. It was as though she had an endless supply of it. Whatever she did, she always seemed to be eager and ready to do more or try something else. Hazel would have been too tired to do any of that herself and it was only thanks to Luna's contagious energy that she had any left herself.

Her muscles ached as the hot water ran over her and she allowed herself to just relax there for a moment. When she washed her hair, she noticed that Luna's shampoo and conditioner smelled like lemon and honey, and her shower gel smelled like lavender. The sweet citrus and floral scents hung heavily in the room, accentuated by the hot water and steam. 

She climbed out, towelled herself off and grabbed the clothes that Luna had left for her, neatly folded on top of the lid of the hamper. She put on the lilac sweater and black leggings and immediately wondered what fabric softener Luna was using because they were so soft and comfortable she was sure she wouldn't want to take them off again.

When Hazel went back into the hallway to look for Luna, she found her sitting down by the front door, scraping the dried mud off of their boots and polishing them. She had one of her own boots on one hand while she cleaned the dirt off with the shoe brush in her other hand. She looked so focused on her task that it was rather endearing.

"Hey, you didn't have to do mine as well." Hazel said, crouching down next to Luna.

"That's alright, I wanted to get it done before it got too dry. Sometimes  it can end up scuffing the boots if it's too stuck on. Besides, I thought that I might as well occupy myself with something useful while you were in the shower." She replied, smiling at Hazel as she finished cleaning her boot.

"Is that those done? You did that fast." Hazel commented, slightly impressed.

"Well, I have to do this every time I get back from work, so I was bound to get pretty good at it." Luna grinned and put the boots together in a small line by the door, underneath her coat rack. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked.

"Sure, I think we've earned ourselves some time to just chill out." Hazel agreed.

Hazel and Luna made their way into the kitchen and Hazel sat herself down on one of the wooden stools by the counter island. The interior overall was quite modern, with the white walls and surfaces and the light toned wooden cupboards and drawers. Upon closer inspection, the counters had some little reflective flecks in them that occasionally caught the light from the kitchen window. Of course, the curtains tied away from them were yellow. It just made sense in a house owned by Luna; all citrus and warm colours that felt fresh and clear and comforting.

Luna pulled a couple of glasses from one of the cupboards that hung above the counters and went to fetch a pitcher of orange juice from the refrigerator. Hazel perked up a bit when she saw it, full to the brim with cold beads of condensation rolling down the outside of the jug. She was really parched, she thought, the juice looking more appetising than anything she had eaten or had to drink that day.

"Would you like some ice?" Luna asked, looking back over her shoulder. Hazel simply nodded enthusiastically in response. It was far too hot that day to decline such a tantalising offer.

Luna went to the freezer and grabbed out an ice tray. It was a silicone one that made ice cubes that were shaped like little crescent moons. She popped a few of them out of the tray and into their glasses before putting the rest into the jug. She filled up the two glasses and refilled the ice tray before putting it back into the freezer.

She sat down opposite Hazel and set down the glasses and the jug on the counter between them. Hazel wasted not a single second and straight away she was taking a long drink, enjoying the taste and the feeling of the cold liquid as she drank. The hot summer sun was still beating down outside and the orange juice had really taken the edge off.

"You really were thirsty." Luna laughed good-naturedly and took a swig from her own glass.

"I think I must have been a little dehydrated." Hazel said, taking the liberty of pouring herself some more juice.

"So, how about we have some lunch and just laze around out on the back porch for a while?" Luna suggested.

"That honestly sounds like the perfect plan." Hazel replied.

"I'll make something while you wait with the drinks." Luna said.

"Do you want any help making something?" Hazel offered.

"No that's okay. I think I'll surprise you." Luna said, smiling.

"Are you sure?" Hazel asked.

"I am. Don't worry, you're my guest and now you're my girlfriend, too. I want to do something nice." Luna explained.

"Okay, then, if you're really sure you don't need a hand." Hazel accepted, blushing at how naturally and casually Luna had called her her girlfriend. It gave her this warm fuzzy feeling that she felt she could really get used to.

"Alright then, I'll whip us up a quick lunch and you take the drinks outside to the table." Luna said as she stood up from the table. She placed a quick and gentle kiss to Hazel's cheek and got to work.

Hazel took the drinks and pitcher outside to the table and chairs on the back porch. It was really more like decking than a porch, though, now that she was out there. The table was on the smaller side, but still big enough for about four people to comfortably sit around it, and there was a big parasol sticking out through the middle of it, throwing a nice amount of shade onto its surface. 

She put everything down and sat in one of the chairs. She placed a hand against her cheek as she leaned her elbow in the table's surface. She thought that things were really going marvellously. She had really confessed her feelings to Luna and had them returned, she had a girlfriend.

Hazel smiled to herself as she waited for Luna. She felt a little bit bad not helping out in the kitchen more, but Luna had insisted she just bring the drinks out. So, instead of fretting, she simple took a sip of her drink, closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth in the air and the subtle breeze as she sat in the shade under the parasol. 

"Hey babe." Luna playfully winked as she sat down, placing the plate of food down on the table between them.

"This looks delicious!" Hazel exclaimed, eyeing the vegetarian kimbap before her. "I didn't know you could make Korean food."

"Well... I wouldn't say I'm that good at making Korean food, just the kimbap." Luna replied with a light chuckle. "Here. try some." She offered, picking up a piece of the kimbap and offering it to Hazel.

Hazel took the piece of kimbap, blushing a little at the gesture. As she chewed, she was pleasantly surprised that it tasted even better than it looked. She knew of the dish, but hadn't really tried any before. It was similar to sushi, but without the vinegared rice, using a plain or seasoned rice instead. Hazel found herself thoroughly enjoying the soft flavours of the seaweed-coated rice roll. 

It was the perfect refreshing and light lunch for such a hot day, even more so with their icy orange juice to wash it down with. It felt like such a relief after their afternoon of hard work. Her muscles still had a dull ache from all of the shovelling she had done. 

She thought to herself that Luna must be quite strong after doing that job every day. Her physique didn't look all that muscular underneath her bright, flowy shirts and colourful sweaters, but then again, looks could be deceptive. 

Hazel and Luna sat together for the rest of the afternoon and they were still talking through the evening. It only really dawned on them both how long it had been, when the sun had started to set and the moon was rising. Luna suggested that Hazel should just stay over at her place that evening. It was already getting late and she could always just go back to her place in the morning. 

However, Hazel sadly had to decline the offer. She had to take Floss back home and make sure that she was fed and watered for the evening. She couldn't just leave her with Mrs Blackwood the whole night with such short notice, she didn't want to impose on her like that. 

Luna seemed a little bit disappointed at first, but then she lit up with the idea for her to stay overnight with Hazel instead and make it an official sleepover. Hazel got excited over that. She nodded in agreement and waited while Luna shoved some spare clothes and her toothbrush into a backpack.

Soon enough they were headed back down the road towards the farm, so that they could pick up Floss from Mrs Blackwood and maybe say a quick hello to Alex before they left. 

When they were about half way up the path, it had gotten dark outside, the stars and the moon lighting up the sky. Luna pulled a flashlight out of the side pocket on her backpack and clicked it on, lighting up the dusty road in front of them.

"Good job I brought this." Luna commented, waving the flashlight a little.

"Yeah, or we'd be walking back in the dark." Hazel agreed. "I feel a little bad that we left it for so long. Mrs Blackwood probably expected me back much sooner than this." she added.

"Don't worry, Hazel, she loves dogs and she'd never be mad over the two of us getting a little side tracked." Luna reassured.

"I still feel a bit bad though. It is quite late now." Hazel said, glancing over at Luna as they walked, pebbles crunching under their feet as they made their way around the paddock to get to the main road between there and the farm.

"You worry too much." Luna replied, smiling fondly.

As they reached the main road, a deafening howl tore from the woods behind the farm. It was a wolf, without a doubt, and it sounded close by. 

Luna tensed and stopped for a moment, looking like she was on high alert, like she was listening for something more to come. Hazel felt an eerie kind of shiver run down her spine. Usually the sound of a wolf's howl was of a comfort to her, but there was something decidedly different about this one; this one wasn't friendly, it wasn't familiar, it was... somewhere between frightened and threatening, and altogether unnerving. 

"Quickly, we need to pick Floss up and get going back to your place. We don't want to run into anything in the dark." Luna said, suddenly moving again with a quickened pace.

Hazel felt her heart rate pick up, she could feel it pounding in her chest, the hair on the back of her neck raised as Luna grabbed her hand and pulled her along through the farm's gate and up to the front door of the house. 

When they got there, Alex was standing outside, staring out into the woods, looking into the thick line of trees, eyes darting across the border, even more tensed up than Luna had been when they first heard the wolf's howl.

"Alex?" Hazel asked quietly, but Luna grabbed her arm and pulled her into the house with a hushed, but urgent "Come on."

"What's going on?" Hazel asked once they were inside.

"It's a Moon Wolf. They roam this forest and while most are friendly, some are not. It's on this side of the woods and they don't usually come into town, so the safest thing for us is to get Floss and go back to your place." Luna explained.

"I've seen a Moon Wolf in the woods before, it didn't seem like it was hostile..." Hazel said quietly and Luna turned around to face her.

"It probably wasn't, but they're not all like that. There are several different packs. They usually don't pass into each others' territory, but sometimes they odd one strays a little too far and gets caught by another pack. That usually doesn't end well for anyone." Luna replied.

"You seem know a lot about this, so I'll take your word for it." Hazel said, mind racing.

"Well, you don't live here your whole life and  not pick up this stuff." Luna said, smiling despite the situation at hand.

"Thank goodness you girls are okay!" Mrs Blackwood called to them in relief as she brought Floss down he hall to them. She was tense and so was Floss, whose ears were twitching back and forth, listening intently for any sign of unfamiliar noise.

"Mrs Blackwood! I'm so sorry we're late!" Hazel apologised, taking Floss' lead.

"Don't apologise dear, don't apologise. Just make sure you two get back home safe and that'll be repayment enough. Make sure to call or text one of us as soon as you arrive back. It's dangerous to walk alone at night, but it'll be more dangerous to stay by this end of the forest." She explained as she hurried them back towards the door.

"Will you all be okay?" Hazel asked, fear creeping up her spine, skin prickling with anxiety.

"We'll be fine, dear, we know what we're doing. You girls just get yourself to safety. We can handle ourselves just fine on our own." Mrs Blackwood insisted and walked them back to the gate.

"Okay, we'll message you as soon as we're back at Hazel's house." Luna said, looking to Mrs Blackwood reassuringly.

"Okay, be safe now, you two. We'll update you on the situation when we can." She said and she waited by the gate, watching them leave to make sure they would be safe as they walked down the road.

Hazel and Luna made their way back down the main road to the village as quickly as they could without running. Though Hazel felt as though perhaps they should be running back to her house. She really hadn't expected any of this. Maybe she should have seen something like this on the horizon, knowing that there were wolves in the forest and knowing that those wolves were much larger and probably much fiercer than normal wolves. 

Hazel felt as though she had lulled herself into a false sense of security with her beautiful green-eyed wolf that appeared to her in her dreams and had gone to her in person on the one occasion. She should have known better than to think that all of the Moon Wolves would be safe based on that alone. Just because her wolf was kind, didn't necessarily mean that they all were. She realised now that her wolf was likely the exception and not the rule. 

They hurried down the road together, the village eerily silent and dark in the black of night. The sun was long gone now and all that lit their path was the moon and their flashlight. Luna's gaze continued to dart around the shadows as they went, focusing all of her attention on their path and their surroundings. 

She grabbed onto Hazel's hand as they reached the path leading towards her house and tugged her forwards, urging her to move faster. She didn't say a word, but Hazel knew that she had to run, that there was something out there in the trees that she didn't understand yet. She trusted Luna to guide her, trusted her to make the right calls, the right judgment.

Floss ran along beside them, keeping in pace with them, though if she was off her lead she could have reached the house far before either of them. 

They were all relieved when they reached the front door and Hazel let them inside, locking it again behind them. Floss ran straight up the stairs once her lead was off, probably going up to Hazel's bedroom to curl up in her dog bed. 

Luna let out a heavy sigh of relief and turned to Hazel.

"Well, that was a little more eventful than I had thought it would be." She said.

"Yeah, no kidding." Hazel agreed. "It's not every day you and your girlfriend have to run home because of a dangerous animal on the prowl."

"You said it. Alex and his family will be able to sort it out though, I'm sure." Luna said, moving closer and squeezing Hazel's hand comfortingly.

"I don't think I'll be getting much sleep tonight with all the excitement." Hazel replied, smiling tiredly. "What do you say we get some hot chocolate and sit up in my bedroom? We can put on some pyjamas and snuggle up under some blankets by the window." she suggested.

"That sounds like the perfect way to ease some of the nerves." Luna agreed, looking at Hazel ever so fondly.

"You go and get changed first up in the room. It's the room right at the top, in the loft. I'll get the hot chocolate on the go." Hazel said and Luna gave her hand one last squeeze before nodding and heading up the spiral staircase. 

When she was sure that Luna was gone, she leaned over the kitchen counter and let out a shaky breath, one that she had been holding back to appear less afraid and shaken up than she was. She was so relieved that they had gotten back safely and at the same time she was so worried about Alex and his parents and what might happen to them. She hoped with all her heart that they would be okay.

Hazel clutched her necklace tightly and closed her eyes for a moment, needing to centre herself for a while and settle herself down. She took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves and then stood up straight again.

She put the kettle on and grabbed out two mugs, some milk and the hot chocolate powder and got their drinks ready. She didn't want to worry Luna too much by taking too in the kitchen. She knew that Luna probably wouldn't mind giving her some extra comfort, especially considering the situation, but for some reason not entirely known even to herself, she didn't want to feel weak or incapable in this situation; she wanted to come across as being able to handle this.

All of a sudden, just as the kettle came to a boil, there was another loud howl bellowing out in the distance. Hazel was shocked, she hadn't thought that they would have been able to hear them from so far off. It had sounded pained, like it was calling for help.

Just as Hazel was thinking this, Luna came bolting down the stairs. Her eyes were wild as she charged towards the door, a woman on a mission.

"Luna! What are you doing?" Hazel asked, running over to the door as Luna threw it open and ran outside. "Luna! Wait! What's going on?" 

"Sorry Hazel, I have to go! I'll explain everything later! I promise!" She yelled back over her shoulder and suddenly she wasn't Luna anymore. 

In the blink of an eye, right where Luna had been, there now stood an enormous wolf. It looked back at her with it's beautiful, glowing green eyes and Hazel knew that it was Luna. Her wolf. It had been Luna all this time. 

Hazel's heart lurched in her chest as all the information hit her at once.

Luna looked back at her, letting out an apologetic whine before turning back to the road and running off into the darkness at full speed.

Hazel stared off into the dark after her for a long while, then turned back, closed the door and slid down against it. She pulled her knees up to her chest and held her head in her hands.

This was insane.