Edge Part 38: Dealings

   I watched out the car window as the world went by, the houses and streets slowly starting to disappear as we drove further and further from the main part of town.
   "Where are we going?" I finally asked Elliot as woods started to surround us, the dirt road in front of us gradually becoming more narrow.
   "Somewhere nice," he said, glancing at me.
   "But we're in the woods," I said, nervously. "What about Cirrus?"
   "I wouldn't want you going in the woods without me regardless, but he only wanders around at night for the most part. Sleeps in the day. Probably because there's nothing he can do without being seen by people," he said, shrugging.
  I accepted his explanation and just watched the ground as the too- green trees diminished, a gradually widening ribbon of blue water running along side the path. I sat up as Elliot pulled the car off to the side, the water from the river thickening and making the path too small for the car to fit down.
   I got out and walked to the bank, bending down to run my fingers in the warm, glistening water.
   "Trust me, this is better than the park," Elliot said as he came up  to stand behind me. "There's no people to see you, and no little kids screaming." I laughed as I stood up, following him as he started to walk down the path in front of us, water to the right and a thick overhand of trees shading the path on the other.
   "And the best part," Elliot said, suddenly putting his hand on my cheek and turning me to him, his warm mouth pressing on mine. "I can do that," he said, smiling as he released me, his hand running down my arm to knot his fingers with mine. I smiled as we walked on, the shade from the trees cooling my burning face.
   I gripped his hand tighter as I watched the water dancing next to us, the thin river shining against the sun. Even though the thought of him being so close to me with no one else around made my palms sweat, I wouldn't let his hand go. I didn't want to.
    "See, isn't this nicer?" He asked me, taking my almost hypnotic attention off of the water.
   "Yeah... But I'm still sorry," I said, looking away from him again.
   "Why? What's there to be sorry for?" He laughed.
   "We shouldn't have to come all the way out here to be together... It's selfish of me."
   "Well, we didn't have to go out at all. We could have just stayed at my house. We could be together there, but selfish me didn't want to be inside," he said, turning the tables to make it sound like he was the one being selfish instead of me. "And besides, I'm glad you didn't want to stay in the park. There's something I want to show you out here."
   "What?" I asked, my curiosity peaked.
   "You'll see," he said same as before, giving a coy smile.
   I just waited patiently as we walked on. I didn't care if there was a waste management plant at the end of the path. I was with Elliot, and no matter where we were going, as long as he was with me I would be happy.
   As we walked on, the river on our side disappeared into the woods, overtaken by more trees. I was upset at the sudden loss of it, but still happy just to be next to Elliot. We hardly talked, other than the glance we gave to each other every other minute, the grip on each others' hands loosening only to tighten again.
   "We're almost there," he finally announced in a whisper. "Just stay quiet." His pace slowed slightly, making me feel like a cluts as the sound of his footfalls against the path completely disappeared, only my shoes still crunching against the rocks. I bit my lip, eager as I could see that woods opened up ahead, something I couldn't see eliminating the trees on one side.
    My eyes widened as we emerged from the path. "There," Elliot said quietly, as I looked at the image in front of me. The river was back, only this time, it wasn't just a ribbon of water anymore. An entire lake laid stretched out to one side, the path disintegrating into a lush cover of grass and trees. As my eyes glided to the opposite bank of the lake, I could see why Elliot wanted me to keep quiet. At least thirty deer rested in the shade, some of the bucks lapping from the crystal waters.
   Elliot tugged at my hand, forcing my eyes away from the herd. He looked down at the ground under the shade of a particular tree, the trunk much too big for me to wrap my arms around. I took his hint and sat down, my hand breaking away from his as we sat down. "Woah," was all I could say.
   "It's beautiful, isn't it," Elliot said, his eyes, even bluer than the water, looking lost in the image. "They come here for a few months every year before they move on."
   "How did you know?" I asked. I had never seen so many deer before...
   "I'm a wolf," he laughed, his eyes catching mine. "We have more of a connection with animals than humans..." He looked up to the herd across from us and I followed his gaze. A large, graying buck that I hadn't noticed before stood on the bank. His antlers were some of the biggest I had ever seen; six points on each side. His large eyes watched us, his wide ears pressed forward.
   "He can see right through me," Elliot said, watching the buck. "Humans think that they're the most intelligent beings on this planet, and yet I could walk right up to some guy on the street and he would have a full conversation with me. He would have no idea that, if I wanted to, I could kill him without batting an eye. He knows, though," Elliot said, nodding to the deer.
   It grunted, shaking it's head before laying down on the bank, his eyes never straying from Elliot.
   "Why doesn't it run?" I asked, looking at him curiously. Reluctantly, he pulled his eyes away and to me, smiling.
   "We have an understanding," he said. "So long as I don't come any closer, I'm no threat to him."
   I nodded, thoughtfully, and wondered what it was like... Elliot could probably read that deer better than he could read people, and yet, to me, it was just an animal. I let my eyes rest on the rippling water in front of me, biting my lip.
   "I have to go to the bathroom," I muttered, standing up. That Mountain Dew was coming back to haunt me. Elliot just chuckled as I went to go in the woods just behind us.
   "Not there," he said, not looking back. "Poison Ivy. Just follow the bank of the lake until you get over there," he said, pointing to a spot where the lake thinned into a river again. I rolled my eyes, but trusted what he said, following along the Lake's bank until I came to an inlet where it turned into a river again. I walked into the woods a bit before I couldn't hold it any longer and unzipped my jeans,relieving myself into the bushes.
    I zipped back up as I finished, sighing with relief. Off to one side of me where the river ran thinner, turning invisible as thick trees grew over it, I herd water splash as if something had fallen. I waited, holding my breath as I ran through my head what it could be. I don't know why, but for some reason I thought that a deer had strayed from the herd and gotten stuck in the water. I herd it again and couldn't contain myself. As quietly as possible, I walked down the river bank, pushing away the branches of hanging trees and stepping through, careful not to fall in. In front on me, the river opened up into a pool again, this one much smaller but just as deep. My heart sank as I rounded the edge of the bank, noticing that water was rippling out from a deep part of the lake as if some animal had gone under and not come up.
   I got as close to the spot where the ripples originated. It didn't look like something could have fallen in. The bank sank down gradually; to about five feet deep before it plummeted down into the darkness of the deepest part of the lake.
    I squinted, trying to see down into the water, but in this part of the lake, the water was foggier than the rest. I could just barely make out a lighter coloration in the water where something lay, submerged. Whatever it was, it was down deep, and it didn't look like it was coming back. I closed my eyes and moved away, moving back to sit against a tree and wishing that I was a wolf like Elliot. If I was, it would have been no hard task for me to dive into the water and pull the poor animal back to the surface and to the shore, but I wasn't... I was helpless.
    As I closed my eyes, I herd the water in front of me splash again, my head snapping up. I felt my heart stop in my chest as I seen the thing that had laid in the water... And it wasn't a deer. In front of me, his pale, pinkish back facing me. Rafael ran his fingers through his hair, brushing the water out. He swam back, catching his footing on the ledge and standing up until he was out of the water from the middle of his back up.
   He doesn't notice me, I thought, realizing that he wasn't turning around. I wanted to scream for Elliot, but I was too afraid to make a sound- To afraid to move a muscle.
   "Don't be afraid," he sighed, still not turning. "Cirrus isn't here, and I'm sure as hell not gonna' hurt you," he said lazily, tilting his head as he tried to hit the water out of his ears. It didn't seem like he had the slightest interest in me, making me relax slightly, my shoulders dropping.
   "What're you doing here anyway?" he asked, turning to look ever his shoulder.
   "I thought you were a drowning deer," I gasped, still trying to catch my breath. He turned fully around, giving a crooked smile.
   "And since when do deer wear clothes?" he laughed, his eyes falling somewhere next to me. I looked at the low shrub line, noticing clothes spread out on hanging branches.
   "You should be more careful," he said bringing his head down and splashing more water over it. "You alone?" he asked as he brought his head up again.
   "Elliot is with me," I said quickly, shaking my head.
   "He should be taking better care of you," he sighed.
   "I can take care of myself," I spat at him, suddenly finding courage.
   "You wouldn't be saying that if Cirrus was here," he laughed, raising his brow and shaking his head, the bell on his ear ringing. He was right, though. I sighed and pulled my knees into my chest, watching him dunk himself into the water once again as I rested my head on my knees.
   "Elliot told me that you wolves sleep in the day," I said as he came back up.
   "I don't," he said simply. I looked at the bags under his eyes as he washed his face. "If I slept all day like Cirrus does, than I wouldn't get any time away from him. He keeps me up nearly all night." He turned away from me, cleaning over his chest. As I looked at him closer, I noticed red indents in the skin around the back of his neck and shoulder blades that looked like someone had been biting him. They didn't look like scars, though. More like wounds that were still healing.
   "Did you get in a fight?" I asked, still trying to figure out the healing rules of wolves. Seeming to know what I was talking about, her ran one hand over the back of his neck, cursing under his breath.
   "Those are old," he said, lowering himself deeper into the water to cover some of them up. "Thought they'd be gone by now."
   "Elliot told me that wolves heal fast," I said, showing my knowledge.
   "Did Elliot tell you that not all turned wolves come out right?" he said, sounding half serious but also half mocking at the fact that I kept saying 'Elliot told me.' I nodded at his question as he looked over his shoulder for my answer.
   "Not that it's you business, but I don't heal as fast as normal wolves," he said in a mater-of-fact way. I didn't want to stop talking to him. So long as he was talking and Elliot could hear me scream if anything went wrong, I was going to learn as much as I could from him.
   "Why aren't you trying to kill me?" I asked, raising my head off my knees.
   "So long as Cirrus isn't here, I have no reason to want to hurt you. I was human once too, you know."
   "So Cirrus is still trying to kill me," I said morbidly.
   "Understand," Rafael said, turning to me again. "You're a game for him- A distraction. He'll get board eventually so long as you lay low. You should be thanking me," he said, pointing a long finger at me.
   "And why's that?" I asked, sarcastically.
   "I've been working my ass off trying to keep him busy with other things. Haven't you wondered at all why he hasn't just come into you room already and bitten your head off? Because of me," he said, pointing his thumb into his chest. I wasn't happy to hear the news that I was just entertainment and, should Rafael run out of ideas for distracting Cirrus, I could be getting a midnight visit from him.
   "Why are you helping me?" I asked, suddenly suspicious.
   "Because it helps me, too," he said. "Do you think I want to have to kill you? To have your head on my conscience while I'm trying to sleep? Well, despite what you think, I don't..." He paused. "I've answered all your questions, now answer me one," he said, raising his head.
   "What?"
   "Why are you still human?"
  That was a good question... I wanted to be with Elliot forever... I wanted to be a wolf...
   "Elliot won't turn me," I said, sounding disappointed. "He's afraid... of a lot of things."
   "So you guys aren't serious, then," he stated.
   "We are!" I defended back. "I love him and he loves me!"
   "But he doesn't love you enough to do whatever it takes to save your life. If he really loved you and was willing to live with you forever, he would have turned you," he said like he was stating the obvious.
   "You don't understand," I said angrily. "It's more complicated than that..."
   "Well, if your Elliot wants to keep you around, he better clean the skeletons out of his closet and turn you quick."
   "What good would turning me do anyway," I sighed. "Cirrus would probably still try to kill me."
   "He couldn't if he wanted to. The treaty between Elliot's family and mine prevents him from doing that."
   "Treaty?" I said, my full attention on him again.
   "He didn't even tell you about that either, huh," Rafael said, shaking his head. "Are you sure you two are as serious as you-"
   "Just tell me about it," I said, quickly. He rolled his eyes.
   "When a family of wolves moves in on another family's territory, one of two things happens: Either they fight for the land, or they make a peace treaty. Being as non-violent as they are, your Elliot's family chose to sign a treaty that states that so long as they don't interfere with my families... activities," he said, obviously talking about hunting humans, "then they and any wolf that became part of their family are protected under the treaty. If Cirrus broke that rule and killed you once you were already a wolf... Well, let's just say it wouldn't be good."
   I couldn't help but wonder why Elliot hadn't mentioned that... Did he not want me to be a wolf so badly that he wouldn't tell me something that important?
   "Look," Rafael, said, drawing my attention. "I really don't want to hurt anybody- Especially not you. It isn't your fault that you got caught up in all this. Just tell your Elliot that if he doesn't turn you, your going to die," he said, almost pleading.
   "He won't do it," I said, my face burning.
   "What if someone else did?"
  I looked up at Rafael and he looked back at me, nothing but seriousness in his face, now.
   "If you're really serious about being a wolf, I could bite you right here, right now. It would only take me a second and there's nothing in the treaty about changing humans."
   I was stunned by his offer, my heart racing. Would he really do that? Would he just change me, no questions asked? My mouth felt dry and I could hear the blood running in my ears... Was I ready for this?