Not Your Ordinary Wolf Girl by Emily Pohl-Weary

Author:Emily Pohl-Weary
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group (Canada)

ELEVEN

When Françoise surged forward into the forest, I followed awkwardly, adjusting to my new perspective on the world. These legs moved strangely. Sometimes one at a time, sometimes two on opposite sides. I became highly conscious of my movements, and lumbered along until I figured out a rhythm where my balance switched from side to side.

My vision was a confusing series of close-ups. It was much easier to piece together information about my surroundings by using my nose and ears. But since my nose was low to the ground, smells could be distracting. At least I didn’t have to look around to locate Françoise. I just had to lift my snout. The wind swept her scent in my direction.

She remained ahead of me, but would pause to look back every few steps. Her jaw hung open, as if she was trying to smile, and her tongue lolled to one side. Her fur was exactly the same colour as her human hair— reddish brown with a white streak on the top. When she veered off to the left, through pungent evergreens, I staggered behind, feeling like a toddler learning to walk. If I didn’t pay attention my snout would drag along the ground. After a couple nosefuls of grass, I learned to hold it up.

Through the trees I caught a glimpse of Pierre— slimmer and longer than his wife. He turned to yip hello and bounded over to me. Marlon loped up behind him, sleek and dark brown. I stiffened and backed away, trembling. There was no doubt he was one of the wolves who’d jumped me in Central Park! When he came running up to sniff me, I gnashed my teeth in his direction.

There was a loud crash in the woods. I twisted around and saw Owen racing up to us at full speed. He was nearly identical to his brother, just a little wider around the torso and shoulders. I smelled him cautiously, then backed away. His scent was powerful and familiar. I was so distracted that I backed up into a prickly bush and yelped.

Pierre barked once, sharply, then raced off. The pack swept after him. I joined them before I even realized I was moving, though I was so clumsy I quickly fell behind. The sight of them running together was amazing: fur rippling in the wind, muscles bunching and releasing with each leap. They owned this forest.

An iridescent beetle’s carapace glinted as it scuttled across a flat rock. I catapulted through the air to land on top of it, in the process disrupting a mama raccoon who was weaving through the brush with her young. She screeched and clawed the air near my nose. I growled and reared on my haunches. She nudged her tasty-looking babies away from me with her hind legs, but held her ground. The little ones skittered into a hollow log to hide. I barked fiercely and feinted at the mom. She ran into the log. I lowered myself to peer inside and could see their four sets of eyes gleaming, but my paws couldn’t reach that far.

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