Meanwhile, Rowan was sat down by a nearby river. He hadn’t told anyone in his family but the move was really getting to him. He’d left so many friends back in West Harbor, they could always do video chats but it wasn’t the same, he could tell some of his friends were drifting from him even in the weeks leading up to the move. He knew deep down that he’d probably never speak to any of them again after about a year. Kelsey, Andrew, Clyde, Victoria, Pete, Gerard, Henry; they’d all eventually forget about him and despite all their good times and late nights together, it would all just turn to a memory. It took a bit of fumbling in the darkness, and his eyes adjusting from the light of the bonfire, to the inky blackness of the dense forest but he eventually found his way to the river. There was a low trick and hum of the river water moving at a calm pace downstream. Rowan was taken out of his thoughts when he heard a few twigs breaking and a low growl from nearby, “W-who’s there?”
Then he heard Dahlia’s voice, “Ya’ know… out of all of the people in this town… not one of them is named Luna. Could you believe that? In a town of werewolves nobody had the bright idea to name their kid Luna or Moon, or some other stupid name.”
Dahlia stepped out of the shadows and was now visible under a spare ray of moonlight, “Good evening my tasty, little rabbit. The party’s back that-a-way ya’ know.”
Rowan turned away from her, back towards the river, “Yeah, I know. Just thinking.”
Dahlia grinned and tapped a claw against her Appalachian Amazement brew, “Mmm, I see. You’re more of those somber, introspective drunks, than one of those happy go lucky, vomit-everywhere drunks.”
Rowan sighed, “I guess. Just miss some people. We had to leave a lot behind before moving here, ya’ know.” Dahlia nodded as she stepped up behind him, “Yeah? Well… I know that’s not easy but… you have me. And… think of it this way… you’re a human in a town full of werewolves. Everyone is going to want to meet you and know all about you, even if it’s just out of wild curiosity. I’m sure at least a dozen or so friends will come out of that. And I’m sure my friends will like you and your sis. Your sis is having a great time back there. If it weren’t for her being at least a foot shorter than everyone and having no fur you’d think she were a werewolf herself and lived here all her life.”
Rowan sat down at the embankment and sighed, “Yeah… I know. Still sucks though. Anna had a big falling out with her friend group a few months ago, so she was actually kind of happy to start over. Fay was pretty sad about leaving her friends too but mom and dad said she’d make brand new friends here… plus, she’s twelve and most of her friends are online anyways so that kind of softened the blow. But… I don’t know, everyone I left behind I made real memories with and I just… don’t wanna start over. It’s really cool… and kinda scary knowing monsters are real… no offense… but leaving your whole life behind is hard.”
Dahlia paused for a moment before sitting down beside Rowan and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. She leaned her large, furry form against him, making sure to not lean in too hard or else she’d knock them both over, “I know. And I’m sorry. I can’t do anything to change that, but we can make this new start as good as it can possibly be. We’ll make new memories, with me, Lindsey, Parker and everyone else. We’ll go to Howls together, be study buddies, have dinners together, play pranks, go to Senior Prom…”
Dahlia trailed off, but Rowan chimed in, “W-what? Like together?”
Dahlia’s eyes widened and her ears flickered, “What? NO! No. No… unless…”
Dahlia looked out into the dense forest and then up at the moon, half-crescent, “Well… I mean… only if you’d like. Ya’ know, not all werewolves are attracted to humans, some of us like sticking to our own species… but, well… most of us wouldn’t mind a human partner. But if you had trouble finding a date I could go with you when the time comes, wouldn’t want you getting embarrassed and going by yourself ya’ know…” Dahlia giggled.
Rowan looked up at her, “So you do like me?”
Dahlia’s eyes went as wide as they possibly could and her heart started thumping in her chest, adrenaline shot through her entire body, “You knew? How long have you know?”
The human smirked, “Since you started sniffing me and putting your arm around me in the pizzeria. You’re not a very subtle girl, are you?”
Dahlia’s eyes narrowed as her ears fell and she crossed her arms, “…well… we werewolves are a very physical and affectionate bunch so I thought… I thought…I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Rowan shrugged, “How am I supposed to know that?”
Dahlia sighed and shrugged herself, shaking her head, “Uh… yeah, I guess I wasn’t thinking. It’s ok if you don’t feel the same. We did just meet today, and I am a werewolf. Guess it’s a little much to ask for you to say ‘yes’ to a date.”
Rowan pressed his head against her furry side, and gently rubbed her toned belly, “I wouldn’t mind giving it a shot. Though I do think it’s a bit premature for us to be boyfriend and girlfriend just yet, we did just meet each other after all. I’d like to get to know you a bit more before we make it official.”
Dahlia grinned at Rowan’s answer, she leaned her head in close to him and whispered, “I’d like that a lot.”
Dahlia shifted her weight, pushing more and more into Rowan until they both fell over. Dahlia wrapped her arms around Rowan and held him close, holding him in a tight hug, the back of his head pressed into her furry neck, “I hope you don’t mind some werewolf cuddles then.”
Dahlia’s hug was a little tight but nothing Rowan couldn’t handle. He did have to admit she felt quite nice. The human shifted and grunted a bit as the werewolf spooned him, “Guh, not at all.”
Rowan now had his back pressed into the werewolf’s torso as her muscular arms pressed him into her. The human hadn’t really noticed this before but her arms were thick, like tree-trunks. Rowan knew in this relationship, Dahlia would be the one wearing the metaphorical ‘pants’.
He ran a hand up and down her bulging muscles, “You’re so strong.”
This sent a pang of fear through Dahlia, she rested the bottom of her muzzle on top of Rowan’s hair, “T-That isn’t a problem is it? That I’m stronger than you? I know humans and werewolves might have different levels of strength and even different gender roles in relationships… but I could try to be a bit more feminine, from a more human standard.”
Rowan snuggled into her warm and powerful hug, “No, Dahlia it’s fine. I kind of like the idea of having a big, strong monster girlfriend like you. It’ll take some getting used to but this is nice.” The werewolf gently rubbed her paws over her human date, “Mmm, it’s not quite how I imagined. You’re even more soft and smooth than I thought. I love the way your skin feels. It’s like rubbing a dolphin or something.”
Rowan laughed at that, “Well, you feel like a big teddy bear who can bench-press a bus.”
Dahlia stifled a laugh, “That so? It’s a good thing you’ve got me here. Big, strong werewolf. There’s so many other predators out here who’d love to get their paws on you. But they’ll have to go through me first.”
Rowan shot back with a grin, “As if you weren’t talking about how much you wanna eat me an hour ago.”
Dahlia guffawed, “Oh, come on. I was joking, I’d never hurt you. I just like teasing people I like.”
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