Chapter 38: Interlude 6 – Awoo in the Woods

=::= Kaylee's PoV =::=

"Seriously Marissa?" I asked as I stared at the short blonde. "How exactly am I supposed to work that into conversation?"

She shrugged, "You're the smart one, I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Paige pointed out, "It's none of our business either way Marissa."

"I just think it's suspicious, ok?" the brash witch stated. "What if they're spies or something? Keeping tabs on Club Luna, or monitoring supernaturals in the area?"

She kept going before anyone could interrupt, "Ms. Hughes shows up last summer and starts monitoring all of us at the high school. That Alison lady gets a job where she's Kaylee's dad's partner? That gives her direct access to monitor the hospital, and access to the town's emergency services. And the other Melanie just happens to start working near where our Melanie gets a job, so they end up visiting the same coffee place all the time? Sounds like supernatural spies to me!"

I let out an exasperated sigh while Brooke and Paige just shook their heads and rolled their eyes. And Cass stayed quiet as she sat close, with her shoulder pressed against mine.

Marissa looked back at me again and stated, "That's why I'm saying you should either ask Ms. Hughes, or try and swing it so you can talk to that Alison lady? Straight-up ask them what they're up to. Cos I know it's plausible Ms. Hughes is the other Melanie's mom, but I don't think she's Alison's mom."

"I'm not asking my history teacher about her personal life!" I insisted, maybe a little too loudly. A few other folks in the restaurant glanced over at our table and I cringed slightly.

It was the last Friday of April and the six of us were sitting in a large booth on another group date. A fact which had been annoying me all through dinner.

At the club meeting this afternoon Cassandra let it slip that she and I were going on a date tonight to celebrate, since my birthday was tomorrow. She also told them that the two of us were planning to go walk around Island Lake on Sunday so we could test and see if she had an affinity for plant or nature magic like I suspected.

And as soon as the others heard that they basically invited themselves along. So instead of a nice quiet private date with my girlfriend, all six of us headed over to the restaurant together and my birthday date turned into an extended Club Luna outing.

I wasn't going to get any quiet cuddle-time alone with my girlfriend after dinner either. After the gang invited themselves along to dinner, Cass actually suggested all six of us head over to island lake together after the restauarant. That way she could experiment with nature magic and Melanie could wolf out if she wanted. And the rest of us could check for any traces of that third ghost from last halloween.

Normally I loved Cassandra for being so thoughtful and considerate, but I couldn't help feeling a little unhappy that she agreed when everyone else wanted to join us for dinner. Or that she suggested turning our private plans for Sunday into another group thing tonight.

I couldn't say anything though, or I'd end up looking unfriendly or ungrateful.

At least the weather was getting nicer. Soon it'd be summer and there'd be lots of chances for me and Cass to go on dates together, hopefully without everyone else tagging along.

"I can't say for sure that they're spies," Melanie spoke up as she looked to her girlfriend. "I don't even know if Alison is supernatural, I never got close enough. The other Melanie is though, for sure. Normally I see her at the cafe and I guess her scent's always been kind of masked by all the coffee smells? But last time I saw her I made a point of getting close enough to check, and sure enough it's her. She's the wolf I spotted at the last full moon."

Cass asked quietly, "But she's not a werewolf?"

"Nope," Melanie shook her head. "I don't know what she is, but her scent is nothing like the other weres I've met."

"How many other weres do you know?" Paige asked. "It was only a few months ago you didn't know any at all."

After gulping down the last of her soda the wolfgirl replied, "Just four. The only one I know well is my wolf-tutor, but I met two of her kids last month, along with another were that's friends with them. So I have a pretty good idea what a werewolf scent is like. But that other Melanie's something else."

Brooke shook her head, "I still can't believe you two spent a whole weekend staking-out Ms. Hughes' house. You know May's not going to be happy if she hears about that? Especially considering we already said that mystery wolf wasn't our business since she wasn't doing anything wrong."

Marissa shrugged, "Club Luna investigates the supernatural. Melanie found something supernatural, so we investigated."

Nobody bothered to argue that, instead we let the subject drop for now. And by that point we were all pretty much finished eating anyways.

Next time the waiter came by to check on us we let him know we were ready to go. Cass paid for my dinner since it was supposed to be for my birthday. Melanie covered her and Marissa's meals, and Paige took care of hers and Brooke's.

Then after a group visit to the washroom we all set out together. Paige had the mini-van again, which was handy since we couldn't really fit six people in Brooke's car. Brooke took the passenger seat next to her, me and Cass sat together in the second row, Marissa and Melanie were in the back.

Paige took us north of the town then over to that same secluded entrance where May took us six months back, on Cass's very first night in Club Luna.

And just like that visit in October, Paige used her magic to open the padlock then the six of us quietly walked in through the gate. Brooke closed the gate again and left the padlock in place, but didn't bother to lock it. Then we all walked through the trees till we found the path.

"So what's the plan?" I asked quietly. "Are we just going to do the walk around the lake?"

Brooke nodded, "Sure. Or at least we'll check out where we found the ghosts at Samhain. Cass, Kaylee, if you two want to do some experiments with nature magic just let us know and we'll stop."

With that decided we set out towards the east. Marissa and Melanie were in the lead, then Brooke and Paige were together in the middle, and finally me and Cass at the back. We were holding hands as we walked, and it was so much like that night last October I couldn't help comparing things from then to now.

Cass was a lot more anxious back then. She was still kind of shy and quiet now, but nothing like she used to be. That first night she'd only been part of our club for a couple hours, and for that matter she'd only just found out she was a girl.

I couldn't get over how cute she looked, and the way she was trying to be brave while obviously feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable made me want to shelter and protect her. I remembered how Marissa's brash abrasive personality kept making Cass cringe. That's one thing that definitely hadn't changed over the past six months.

My lips curled into a smile as I remembered how Cassandra clung to my arm that night, and happily that was another thing that hadn't changed. I was a little embarrassed about the fact that I didn't realize she was crushing on me at the time, I thought she was just nervous and latched onto me because I was the only one who was taking her feelings and situation into consideration.

Another difference was the weather. Back then it was a cloudy night, with occasional breaks in the overcast sky. That made it mostly dark, with brief moments of bright moonlight. Tonight was mostly clear, so the moonlight was fairly constant and made it easy to see where we were going. As long as we stuck to the path.

It wasn't quite a full moon tonight, that wouldn't be till Monday. It was close enough though, only three days away compared to one day away when we were here in October.

Actually the biggest difference between six months ago and tonight was we had May with us that night, and now Melanie was here instead. I was reminded of that fact as the two of them suddenly stopped up ahead of us. The wolfgirl said something but I didn't hear what it was. Then Marissa pull a folded-up canvas book-bag from one of her pockets and opened it up.

Paige started to ask, "What are you two - Oh!"

The tall brunette stopped talking as Melanie pulled half her clothes off in one go. Her leather jacket, shirt, even her bra, assuming she was wearing one. Just like that she was naked from the waist up, and she dumped the clothes into the bag Marissa was holding.

Cass and I both stared in shock for a second or two, then we both turned away at the same time as the wolfgirl grabbed her pants and yanked them down as well.

With our eyes averted we didn't actually get to see her change, but a second or two later there was a large black wolf standing on the trail next to Marissa. The short blonde carried the bag full of Melanie's clothes, and the two of them started walking again.

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Paige and Brooke exchanged a glance, then they followed. And finally Cass and I started moving as well.

My girlfriend leaned closer and whispered, "That was a surprise huh?"

"Yeah," I agreed quietly. "Though I guess we shouldn't be too shocked. She did say something about wolfing out, and it makes sense she'd have to get undressed first. I just hope next time there'll be a bit more warning."

Cass nodded her agreement. Even in the moonlight I could tell her cheeks were bright red as she whispered, "I can't even imagine stripping in front of everybody. I'd be way too embarrassed."

"Same," I whispered back.

We were all mostly quiet again for a while after that, and Melanie took the opportunity to run a bit in the woods and along the trail.

I knew she wouldn't appreciate the comparison, but I couldn't help thinking it looked kind of cute the way she started zooming about. It reminded me of a big dog excited about walkies in the woods.

When we got to the eastern end of the trail we turned south and followed the path onto the wooden bridges across the lake. We didn't get all the way across though, while we were on the larger of the two islands Cass suddenly stopped.

My girlfriend looked to me and whispered, "This feels good here."

I nodded, then told the others, "Hold up a bit? Cass wants to try out some magic while we're on the island."

Brooke, Paige, and Marissa all stopped and moved back to where me and Cass were standing. Meanwhile Melanie wandered off the path to sniff around the undergrowth. And once again she reminded me of a big off-leash dog, excited about exploring in the woods with her owner. I kept that to myself too, because I really didn't want to get bitten by a grumpy werewolf.

"This is a good choice," Brooke commented as she looked around. "There's enough trees to hide whatever you're doing from anyone who happens to look this way, plus we're surrounded by water which ought to keep any effects limited to the island."

Marissa asked, "What's the plan?"

My girlfriend replied quietly, "I'll try some plant magic I guess? Then some nature magic. And see if anything feels different?"

The three of us nodded, then my girlfriend took a couple steps off the path. She looked down at the ground then focused. It only took her a moment, she did the Way and the Will like a natural, and the Word was coming to her pretty easy now too. Even unfamiliar spells she'd only just learned were fairly easy for her to cast nowadays.

Sure enough a second or two later a circle of tulips rose up around her then bloomed in the moonlight. The flowers were all pure white, and I couldn't help thinking how beautiful they were.

Brooke smiled as she looked at the ring of flowers, "Those are pretty."

"What do you think?" I asked quietly. "Easier than other spells?"

Cass shook her head, "Not really? It didn't feel any different."

I tried to keep my disappointment to myself as I suggested, "Try a nature spell? Maybe 'commune with nature'?"

"Yeah," she nodded, then closed her eyes as she focused.

Her lips moved slightly as she used the Word, along with the Way and the Will. She kept her eyes closed as her face scrunched slightly into a cute little frown of concentration. The spell would be seeking to connect her awareness to a nearby animal, and knowing Cass she'd be looking for something cute and furry. Probably a bunny, judging by the number of bun plushies she'd accumulated lately.

Then she raised an eyebrow as her expression shifted to curiosity. She half-whispered to herself, "Awoo?"

The sound of a very loud wolf howl ripped through the quiet night air a split second later, and all of us startled so hard we nearly ended up in the lake.

Her long loud howl was still echoing around the lake as Melanie finally lowered her muzzle and turned away from the moon. Then her form blurred and shifted.

She practically jumped to her feet and clenched her fists. Her ears were pointed forward and her tail stuck straight out at the back as she glared at my girlfriend and growled, "Don't do that again!"

"Sorry!" Cass apologized as she cringed. "It was an accident!"

Brooke and Paige and me were all too startled to respond, the three of us just stood there and stared at the angry naked wolfgirl. And I hated to admit it but Marissa turned out to be the calm one who defused the situation.

She stepped in between her girlfriend and mine then with a wide smile she exclaimed, "Hey Melanie, guess which werewolf just unlocked her Hakurou Tengu form!"

A moment later she held up the canvas bag and added, "Also you might want to get dressed."

Five minutes later all six of us were retracing our steps back towards the north entrance. Brooke decided to cut the visit short, she was worried the wolf-howl would attract some curious conservation staff. Marissa and Melanie took the lead again, with Brooke and Paige in the middle and like before me and Cass brought up the rear.

Our resident werewolf - who was now a literal wolfgirl - was complaining quietly about her pants not cooperating with her tail, while Marissa kept telling her how cool and cute she looked. In response Melanie acted tough and grumpy about her situation, but the way her tail was wagging back and forth told the rest of us she was enjoying herself.

Cass and I walked a little slower to open up more distance between us and the rest of the group, and the two of us were holding hands again. I leaned a little closer and asked softly, "So did the nature spell feel any different?"

My girlfriend shook her head as she replied quietly, "No, it wasn't any different than any other spells. So I don't think that's my thing either. Maybe I just don't have a specialty?"

I shrugged slightly, "Don't let it get you down Cass, we'll figure it out. But even if you don't have a specialty, the fact that you're able to cast spells in all those different categories is impressive on its own. Maybe that's your thing, you're a generalist?"

She frowned, but didn't say anything as we continued retracing our path back towards the north entrance of the conservation area.

"Do you still want to get together on Sunday?" I asked, hoping to cheer her up with a change of subject. "We can find something else to do, since we did this stuff tonight."

To my surprise and disappointment she shook her head, "I can't. Something came up, I'm going to be busy on Sunday."

She didn't elaborate, and the rest of the walk we were all quiet. Except for Melanie, who was still grumbling.

That continued during the drive back to town too, as the wolf-girl complained about the uncomfortable tail-unfriendly seats in the mini-van. On the other hand she didn't even try to make herself fully human, so nobody took her too seriously.