Good morning everyone! Happy Wednesday! Today I’m sharing my piece of flash fiction that I’ve written. I’m part of a group of authors/bloggers who got together and started writing short flashes of story 500-1,000 words based on prompts sent out by a moderator. This is the weekly continuation of Guardian of the Wolves and it’s a continuation of last week’s scene; Aber and Colt manage to sneak off for a proper date.

I hope you enjoy this week’s piece, I used the prompt “You’ll give yourself a heartache”. Please feel free to leave a comment, and we’ll talk some more! Also check out the other participants, their blogs will be linked below.

Aber opened the passenger side door, and pulled the seat forward. A camp mattress was rolled up along with a couple of pillows. She pulled the bundle out of the cab, and spread a tarp in the bed of the truck before straitening out the mattress and pillows. She could see Colt from where she stood in the bed of the truck. He had an armload of wood, and was walking out of the woods when she heard a sound that made the hair on the back of her neck rise.

Singular, and solitary the haunting sound carried through the rain soaked air.  A wolf’s howl echoed in the distance. Aber turned, trying to find the direction it came from. An answering howl sounded moments later, the last notes of the first call, harmonizing with the new. She shivered, arms prickling with goose-bumps under her sweater. She was out of the truck and halfway to the woods before Colt stopped her.

A third wolf had joined, and a fourth their calls cascading in a wild song. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, and she wanted so badly to somehow find the wolves, though she only had minimal knowledge of their movements. Her thoughts tumbled over each other, each scrambling for precedence.

“Aber,” Colt’s voice drew her back, the deep resonance cutting through the haze of emotions and elation.

“Do you hear them?” She looked up at him, blinking as if she was seeing him for the first time. “Do you hear them Colt? Isn’t it beautiful?”

“It is,” He had wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She could smell the green of the forest on him, and the dirt from the wood.

“I wish I knew what it meant. I mean I’ve listened to tapes and I’ve spent time at wolf haven down south, but who knows what they’re really saying.” She felt quiet as the howls continued, more wolves joining in.

“It’s a night song,” Colt said. “I’ve heard it a couple times.” Aber watched his face as he listened to the wolves. She figured it was a trick of the fading light but his eyes seemed more amber than hazel.

“I have pictures proving that the pack is more active at night.” She said. “Finn showed me a couple places that I could probably hide away and observe, but I haven’t had the chance to do so yet. “

They started back toward the truck and their makeshift camp. She sat on the tailgate as he built the fire, the light breeze carrying the wolf song back to them. “Do you think they’re hunting?”

“They could be running as a pack.” The fire started with flames licking cheerfully high into the air, Colt joined her on the tailgate.
“I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a wolf.” Aber said, her head dropping to rest against Colt’s shoulder. “I mean I know it’s impossible to do something like that, but just the sensory world they live in, and to be free of responsibilities.”

“Don’t think like that for too long, you’ll get a heartache.” He said, before kissing the top of her head.  His arm circled her waist and he laid back, pulling her down onto the bed of the truck.

“What’s your escape Colt?” Aber said. She curled toward him, drawn to the warmth radiating off of him.

He pointed up toward the sky. “I get excited about astronomy the way you get excited about your research.” His fingers brushed along the curve of her hip sending sparks through her as he spoke. “Don’t tell anyone, especially Ryann, because I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Promise I won’t say anything.”

“I’m serious here.” He said poking the tip of her nose with his index finger. “When I was a kid, I sent a letter to Starfleet command, wanting to join up when I was of age.”  He paused, “It took me until I was eleven  to realize that my father, not Jean Luc-Picard was writing me letters in response.”

“That’s adorable.”

“Don’t you dare laugh.”

“I’m trying really hard here, but you already made me promise that I wouldn’t tell Ryann.” Her shoulders shook. “I’m not laughing at you, I’m enthralled by you as a child though.”

“You’re such a brat.” He muttered, rolling away from her, flat on his back, the stars reflected in his eyes.

Aber sprawled out next to him, watching as the meteorites streaked across the sky, counting as they appeared and faded. “Hey Colt?” when he grunted in reply she continued, “What’s the stardate today?”

“Stardates aren’t in use yet, because they’re created as a unit of measure in..” He trailed off, and shoved lightly at her. “I hate you right now.”

Aber smiled as she watched the sky. All in all it was a first date she’d remember, and one she’d certainly tell her girlfriends about. The silence between them stretched out comfortable as the sounds of night surrounded them. The crackle of the fire threw off enough heat that she was warm, and when Colt’s hand found hers, their fingers lacing together, she knew lack of stardate or not, it was something that would be engrained in her memory.

——

To be continued.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s short. If you’d like to leave a comment please go ahead and do so. I’m going to continue with this story for a few more weeks at least as I world build some more. I’ve been bitten by this muse and it might end up being pulled and turned into something much bigger. But for now, please enjoy the weekly installations.

Please check out the other authors and show them some support!

Nephylim
AR Von
Julie Lynn Hayes
Tali Spencer
Renee Stevens
Victoria Adams
Rob Colton
Elyzabeth VaLey
Cia Nordwell
Lily Sawyer
Chris T Kat
JC Wallace