Chapter Nine: Falcon's Experience:

I follow him through the forest, but this time he is not in his wolf form but his skin side. The term is odd, but that's what Falcon calls it. "My skin side..." He's said many times these last few days. I stare at him while we walk, and I'm not sure if he notices. But I do so without a care. He is very handsome, with curly brown locks over his head and expressive hazel eyes.

He turns to me, smiling slightly. We stare a little too long, and I realize it must be the bond working.

"How long until we get there?"

"Not long, about a two hour walk."

I frown, looking at him worriedly. He seems to know my thoughts before I've even spoken them out loud, and he nods.

"I know. If you want, I could shift?" He leaves the decision to me for obvious reasons.

I appreciate how considerate he is and realize how much he's done for me since we met. He has sacrificed so much for me and we've only known each other for a few days. But then...

I think of how he has supposedly drugged my food. I get that he only did so to help me, but it wasn't his right to do so. He's invaded my personal space and my chance to grieve. I just lost my aunt. The least he could do was let me mourn naturally. I can feel the damage lingering beneath the surface of my mind, and I know this won't last for long. I'll finally crumble to the pain. I'm scared, and when I look back at Falcon to answer him, I feel the fear settle at the back of my chest. It is there but calms down significantly. Maybe this bond between us will take the place of whatever he's put in my food.

"You can go wolf on me," I blush immediately. "I mean, you can shift."

He chuckles, placing our backpacks on the ground. "You'll need to carry them. Is that alright, Ray?"

"Ray?" I smile at him and nod, moving to put one of the backpacks on my back and the other in my arms. They are heavy, but I don't say anything about that. Knowing him as much as I do already, he would change his mind on morphing into his wolf if I mentioned how heavy the bags were.

"I would call you Rayne, but it feels too impersonal."

"That is my name, Falcon. Why would calling me by my first name be too impersonal?"

He shrugs and decides to walk behind a large tree, the width of the structure enough to block him from my view. I hear the snapping of twigs, but it's probably his bones moving in place to fit his other form.

His large wolf walks out from behind the tree, a small whine blowing from his snout. His soft ash coloured fur blows gently with the breeze around us, and his golden eyes stare at me like a child would when wanting to be held.

I swallow back the fear and disbelief at seeing this happen. I know now it is the drugs he has been putting in my food helping me transition into this new reality. If I wasn't drugged or bonded to Falcon, I am sure I would be running for the hills right about now.

But the look from his wolf causes my heart to flutter. Not in fear, but in adoration. I've never had a pet before. The urge to run my hands along his fur is strong.

Pet?

I almost laugh. I just compared Falcon to a pet.

He whines again, but this time speaking. "Why are you staring at me that way?"

I walk forward with brave intentions. But when I stand much closer to him than before, I feel the fear rise.

Yet when my eyes meet his, I know my fear is unnecessary. We are bonded, which means if I get hurt, he does too. I am in good hands--or paws.

"Because you're so cute," I mutter without thinking.

He growls, but I know it has been done playfully. "Cute like a dog, or cute like a man?"

The question startles me. Is he trying to flirt with me? I look into his golden eyes, and realize it's difficult trying to gauge his emotions when he is in his wolf form. His human eyes are so expressive and show me more than they need to. But his wolf's eyes are completely animal—well, because he is one in this moment.

I blush and hope my cheeks don't betray me. "A dog, perhaps. Saying a man is cute is a bit insulting to his manliness, don't you think?" I reach for his fur and pull myself up onto his back. He reaches down before I can and grabs the backpack with his teeth, moving his neck to the side so I can grab it from him. I frown when I see the pool of saliva on the material and try to keep that side away from me.

"If a female says I am cute, I take it into consideration and accept it gratefully," he tells me while he starts at a slow trot, but still faster than our previous pace.

"What a gentleman." I roll my eyes and shake my head. I squeeze the bag to my chest and try to hold on when he starts running.

"I've been called that many times; but I've been called much worse throughout my life."

"You've had a lot of girlfriends, then?" I laugh.

"I guess you could say that. I'm old, so of course it's bound to happen."

"How old are you anyway?" I ask, not even thinking about it previously. He looks young, possibly in his early twenties. But his voice and his attitude about life...He is very mature for his appearance. He is boyish, but also manly at the same time.

"Old enough." He answers back, and I'm confused on the meaning behind it.

"Old enough to be my grandpa?"

"Old."

"That old?"

He chuckles but doesn't answer me.

We move quietly throughout the forest, and I'm left to my thoughts. Are the Nightcrawlers the only monsters here? I move my head to the side on Falcon's back, loving the feel of his soft fur on my face.

"Falcon?"

He only grunts in response, moving around another tree in our way.

"Are the Nightcrawlers the only monsters we need to worry about? They are the only threat, right?"

He's silent for a moment, until he slows to an almost non-existent trot. I wait for his answer, as I know the bond will force the truth from his lips eventually. I'm beginning to like this whole bonded situation.

"No, they are not the only threat."

I feel my heart pang at this. What else is out there waiting to spill into my world?

"Tell me," I say, gently squeezing his fur to continue.

"I can only make an estimate, but I'd say over a million."

He stops walking and turns his head to the side in order to catch a glimpse of my reaction. My nostrils flare in shock, but also fear. He must sense this, for a long whine is drawn out from his mouth.

"You don't need to worry about them," he says. All I can think about is how dangerous this journey has become. It's always been so, but our situation just became so much worse.

"Continue," I say, nodding forward. If anything, we have to find Blanche immediately.

"So, what kinds of monsters are we talking about?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Not really, but I feel like I have to."

"We live in an area farthest away from all the commotion. I go out only when I need to, but I've come across a few beings I'd rather never see again," he tells me as I now watch our surroundings obsessively.

"What things?"

"Things that are the same, if not worse than the Nightcrawlers," he responds, and I feel him shake beneath me.

"There are land dwellers, but many monsters reside in bodies of water. I saw one when I was taking a drink from a river."

"What did it look like?" I ask, wanting to hear more of his experiences.

"She had pink and yellow skin, with wide, white eyes. Her lips were beautiful and plump, a shimmering purple. Yet there was blood all over her chin. When her mouth opened, and she lifted her hand from the water, I ran."

"What was she? Why did you run?"

"There are many sea and fresh water dwellers, so I am not sure what type she was. Most who meet them never live to tell the tale."

"But you did?" I say, nonchalantly petting his fur. He stops moving after this, and I wait until he continues his story.

"Her teeth were bloodied from her recent kill. They were razor sharp, little jagged cones of bone. What really made me run was the head in her hands."

I gulped, feeling my own body start to shake.

"It belonged to a shifter who had gone missing. It was my reason for being out so far. I followed her scent to that river." I hear so much emotion in his voice. I can tell this experience left a significant impact on him.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, rubbing his head gently. "I understand how horrifying that must have been for you."

"This is why you've been bonded to me and were given that stone. You're going to need all the help you can get."

I only nod.

We need to find Blanche at all costs.