Chapter Two

I pondered by the lake and watched over the glistening water as the sunlight faded into the darkness, skimming over my features and remembering every detail of how I got here in the first place. It was a dark and forsaken road I had drifted down but it wasn't all by my hand, the Tzula's were at fault for the crimes I committed. That was behind me now, I couldn't dwell on it, Holland didn't exist. I was just an ordinary canyon walker. I stayed up all night while listening to the songs of the dusty canyon and the creatures that inhabited this oasis, pondering my next move until I grew tired and fell asleep on the bank of the lake. With the sunlight beaming in my eyes, I huffed softly and stretched. Shaking my coat of dirt, I looked around and admired the beauty of my new home. Suddenly, a branch snapped.

My ears perked toward the noise as my nose raised to the air to smell what dangers were ahead but to my shock, I realized it was just another creature like me. However, the only difference was that this wasn't a shifter. I knew it would be better if I left the area. Although it was a coyote just like me, I didn't know the intention of this creature or if I was in its territory. It was better to be safe than sorry in this case. The animal world was no different than the human world and that was something you had to learn as a pup and if you hadn't, well let's just say you wouldn't have survived to your 5th birthday. Our world was cruel and brutal, where there was beauty there was no mercy and I learned that the hard way. Lowering my head, I scampered off from the lake and explored the canyon. My stomach growled in hunger. I pushed through and began a food search. I hadn't known what delicacies were in this place, but I knew this would've been a great opportunity for me.

Lowering my snout to sniff the ground, I picked up a sweet smell as well as a rather foul smell. I followed the sweet smell and lo and behold it led me to an abundance of berries. Taking a bite of a couple of berries, the foul stench that enwrapped the air began to shift as the wind picked up. Suddenly, an attractive scent moved my legs toward the smell, I felt compelled to obey my body and after a few minutes of searching, I finally found the scent. It was the carcass of a doe. My heart felt a pang of guilt as I approached the half-eaten carcass, but I remembered what my father used to tell me. Where we must take life, we give to life.

I sat beside the doe and lowered my head to recite a prayer to the moon goddess before delving into the feast. I had heard the sound of pattering on the dirt from a distance, raising my head from the feast. I looked around me with caution. I stood my ground and growled softly, feeling the urge to protect my meal until my life flashed before my eyes. A sharp pain sprung in my back leg and the arrow landed directly beside me causing me to bolt in fear. They couldn't have found me. I didn't bother looking behind me or giving any time to catch the scent in the air. I ran as fast as my legs could take me; I had run with all my might but the strangers behind me kept their pace. I maneuvered around many fallen trees and bushes and finally began to hear their footsteps departing and their heavy breaths far behind me. I was safe, for now, but I wasn't going to test the odds, I continued to run.

Feeling a sharp cramp in my side, I stopped running and looked around me. I landed in a clearing that had soft flowing grass and flowers in bloom. Panting heavily, I finally noticed a searing pain in my back leg. Lying down, I whimpered softly before my silver coat had been stained red. I had been injured. Observing my wound, I had an arrow through my leg, and I couldn't move. This was it. This was my end. An arrow to my leg and I was going to bleed out. So much for a warrior's death. Accepting my defeat the sun had begun to rise. I watched the sunrise as the birds flew west, and I watched the wind blow through the tall grass and the flowers dance. I had watched the scene before and took in every single detail as much as I could. This was going to be my last sunrise. Finally, I had lost consciousness before hearing a soft voice telling me to hold on.

I had finally woken up to bright lights gleaming in my eyes and a hand stroking my back. A familiar voice had been reading a book while I had rested. This must've been heaven.

"Aww, good morning sleepy head"

I was still rendered slightly dazed from the loss of blood and feeling of my back leg but somehow, I knew I was safe. I couldn't help myself; my instincts had kicked in when I regained full consciousness. Growling deeply, I took a defensive stance before lifting my hind leg.

"It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm the one that rescued you"

The man said softly before I finally realized that it was Isaac. I couldn't help but collapse back down and whimper softly, I wasn't in the position to fight and part of me knew I could trust him. I didn't know why, but I suppose it was just a gut feeling and I knew better than to go against them. He smiled warmly and put his hand in front of my face as if he was offering to show me, he wasn't going to be a threat. I took the opportunity to sniff his hand before huffing and lying my head beside him.

"See, that isn't so bad, is it? I have no idea what happened to you, but I knew I couldn't leave you out there. A lot of hunters do their fair share of illegal things in those canyons, that's why I run there every single morning to try and save as many as I can. Little things like you deserve a second chance and to live a happy life"

How I wish that were true, but at least I know the hunters weren't the people I had feared the most. I knew I would be safe in this form for a while, I just had to be cautious. After he continued to read, my stomach growled softly. All the adrenalines had burned off my supply of meat and I was fairly hungry.

"I'm sorry, I wanted you to rest up first before I tried giving you anything"

He seemed so caring, and I didn't understand why. I know I didn't have them, but wasn't he afraid I'd have some sort of wild animal disease? Isaac had gotten up and walked to his fridge, I heard many items clattering onto the counter before he began to cook.

"Now, I will warn you. I am not much of a chef, but I do work at a Subway if that is any consolation. So, this might not taste very good"

I didn't mind. Any food was good to me. That was the life I had adopted to blend in and it had been working so far, I just didn't realize the dangers of the animal kingdom and what exactly they had to face, but I learned it the hard way.

"You don't have to worry little Luna, you are safe here, I figured I would call you that since I found you under a full moon, it just seemed fitting,"

He said while the atmosphere filled with a delicious scent of steak. I rather enjoyed the name he gave me and found myself with a happy tail. Stop it, Holland. I am only here until I am back on my feet and not a second more. I refused to admit it but I rather enjoyed the space and the company even if I was just an imposter in a coyote suit, but he didn't know which was safer for him. After all, enough innocent humans have been caught in the crossfire far too many times by my hand and I refuse to let him be the next victim. I hadn't known what it was, but Isaac had something special about him, something I couldn't quite describe but I knew my presence would bring him destruction. It always has wherever I go. No one and nowhere was safe and I knew that. Isaac had finished cooking and had brought over the steak, it smelled divine.

"I see this is to your liking, like I said I am not a chef, but I did try my best"

I didn't even care, I was starving. I scarfed down the food and licked my muzzle at the savory flavor of the steak. I was rather tired, so I allowed myself to give in to sleep knowing I was in safe hands here. For the rest of the week, I had top-notch service, I was made and brought the finest choices of meat, given head rubs until I fell asleep, and my wounds were tended to with such ease and kindness. I was rather enjoying it here, but I knew I was getting to feel back into my body and my leg, it wouldn't be too much longer before I had to flee from this villa of paradise. Though, as happy as he portrayed himself to be, Isaac seemed lonely. I often sensed it in him whenever he would come home from his job, he seemed as if he wasn't satisfied, or better yet, he seemed incomplete.

My heart ached for him; I knew exactly how that felt. The only difference was that he was human, and I was a shifter but somehow, we were the same. I found a deeper connection with Isaac as I spent my days with him as my leg healed. I found myself admiring his spirit and wanted to learn more. I was happy. The only thing I feared was how long my happiness was going to last. It was the next morning, Isaac had opened the sliding glass door for me to allow myself to get some sunlight before he left for his shift and I was all by myself, I rested on the couch that had a sliding glass door that overlooked the canyon.

I had grown quite bored with myself and began exploring his house, walking down the hall, I noticed all the doors were shut. I didn't think much of it until I felt my heart pulling toward a backroom that had the initial E on the door. Knowing I shouldn't have been, my curiosity had gotten the best of me. I tried standing on my hind legs to open the door with my mouth, but it was useless. I had run out of ideas before another popped into my mind. It was risky but I was dying to know what was in this room and why my heart was pulling me toward it. I felt my bones begin to crack and rearrange one by one, splitting my fur and replacing it with human skin. I growled in agony before my growls turned into screams of pain. After what had felt like ages of torture I had finally morphed into my human form. It felt rather odd, I hadn't been in this form in quite a while. I struggled to find my balance on my legs but soon was able to stand perfectly. I reached for the knob and twisted the door open.

Taking a deep breath, I entered the room and looked around. A queen bed rested in the middle of the room which had a red bed set, black curtains covered the windows but allowed the sunlight to peer through. There was a wooden desk to the left of the bed and shelves to the right, a closet full of unworn clothes that had been settling in dust for ages. This room looked like it hadn't been touched in forever but was kept in pristine condition. My curiosity had grown at this point. I grabbed a black Rebelution hoodie and put it on before looking through the white drawers of a dresser that was up against the wall and found some shorts. Slipping them over my legs, I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding. Maybe this was a mistake, maybe there was nothing in here for me to find? Maybe my instincts were wrong or so I had thought.

I admired the decorations that covered the room and observed a little more. On the left side of the wall, there were multiple drawings of wolves and cars while a poster of Linkin Park rested against the right side of the wall along with a couple of baseball player portraits. I had felt defeated by the lack of findings in the room. I walked toward a tall wooden bookshelf and cowered beneath its height, a book with a blood-red cover caught my eye as I scanned various titles. Standing on the tip of my toes, I stretched my arm and reached the book but lost my balance in the process. Falling back against the desk, I grunted and picked myself off the floor. Shaking my head, I panicked at the mess I created and scrambled to clean it until I stumbled on a crest hidden beneath the bed. Lifting the blanket, I reached under the bed and gasped as I finally realized what the crest was.

Why hadn't I known? I knew the Tzula's scent so well. Perhaps it was because he hadn't fully come to the realization of what he truly is or maybe he just hides it well. I hadn't known but I knew I didn't want to stay any longer. He was a Tzula and this was the end of my stay. I didn't want to believe in my conspiracy or for our moments to end like this, but Isaac was dangerous. Whether or not he knew about his heritage I refused to stay and find out more about what more trouble I could get into here. Leaving was for my good, I wasn't supposed to care.

I planned to stay until I was fully healed but my heart felt as if it shattered. If he was just a stranger, why did this hurt so much? I felt like I was being stabbed in the heart. I couldn't comprehend why I had felt so much betrayal over him, but I didn't have time to think about it. I needed to leave and find somewhere new to start over. A new beginning.