Joy stepped through the village, her bucket of water in hand. She received a few awkward glances from the villagers but ignored them. She was dressed back in her dirty clothes, the grey fur dress on her shoulder, headed for the waterfall.
"They are so... argh!" She growled. "Who shares a bathroom anyway? These people or wolves or whatever, thats who," she muttered.
"What's up?" Krii materialized next to her and she yelped, spilling some of her water.
"Oh, its you. Don't do that."
"The bath is that way," his thumb pointed behind them.
"I know, I got kicked out," she huffed, heaving her bucket. "So, I'm going to the waterfall."
"Cool, I'm headed in the same direction." He shoved his hands into his pockets and started forward.
"If only there was a gentleman to carry this bucket for me," she drawled, and Krii chortled.
"The only gentleman in this village is Jude Zabala and maybe the big boss." He wiped away an imaginary tear.
"Jerk," she clicked her tongue and moved forward, spilling a bit more of the water.
By the time they got to the waterfall, the bucket was only half full and lukewarm, her arms aching. She felt weak and lightheaded from the lack of food and water.
"Okay," she sighed, closing her eyes. You can go to wherever you're going.
"I'll see you later." He continued beyond the river.
Joy washed her face in the lukewarm rose water, then undressed all over again, looking around the area. She dove into the shallow river in her underwear, the water being warmer than she had thought. She swam around, submerging herself as memories flooded her mind.
'I love you...'
'You're the only woman for me...' 'Trust me...'
She sank again, the tears that were forming in her eyes mixing with the water around her. She rose to the surface, sniffing and coughing. Hot tears still dripping from her eyes. She returned below the surface and stayed there for a few seconds too long. When she rose, she felt her head spin and stumbled out of the water. Her lungs burned as she coughed and sobbed, lying on her back on the soft grass. For a few minutes she lay on the ground, drying and composing herself. She wore the grey fur dress, and to her surprise, it was a perfect fit. She had an hourglass figure, so it hugged her in all right places, accentuating her curves. The dress reached a little above her knees and had a strap over the left shoulder, leaving her right shoulder bare.
"Not bad Mr Jude," she mumbled, smoothing out the fur. "Not bad at all. Now what do I do with this?" She balled her dirty clothes and threw them into the bucket. She crouched and began washing them.
"I can't believe Im washing my clothes in a bucket in an enchanted forest without any soap." She washed the shirt. "Good thing this is hand wash only."
A shuffle in front of her caused her head to shoot up, facing Khaya, perching himself on the grass in front of her.
"Why didn't you tell me? I was going to do it for you," he smiled.
"You've already done so much for me Khaya. I can wash the clothes by myself."
"Okay. Daddy asked me to tell you to hurry up or youll faint because you haven't eaten."
She felt her cheeks warm, and she bit back a smile. "Okay."
She gazed at the child who was plucking grass from the ground.
"Where's your mommy Khaya?"
"I don't know," he shrugged, trying to concentrate on a ladybug that was flapping its tiny wings around.
Joy watched him with a soft smile, forgetting about her washing. He looked so innocent, she doubted he could shift to a wolf, maybe a lamb. His head shot up, and he sniffed the air, whimpering as he stood and moved closer to Joy. It took her a second longer to sense it too, a shift in the atmosphere. She stood up and hugged him close to her, scanning the area.
"Up," she gasped and pulled Khaya away as a bulky, black-haired man landed from a tree above them. His lips curved into an unattractive smirk and his eyes held a dark gaze.
"Hello," Joy trembled in the sinister atmosphere, moving Khaya behind her.
The man cocked his head to the side, but not in a cute way like Jude, his action showed his predatory instinct. He took a threatening step towards her, flashing his canines as he ran his tongue over them. Joy and Khaya took a few steps back, stepping a little into the river. Khaya squinted his eyes shut, clutching Joys dress.
"Crap," she hissed and he growled, knowing he had them at a dead end. He took another step forward, grabbing her shoulder. She inhaled and used both hands, and a lot of her energy to twist his arm and throw him over her shoulder, catching him off guard. The man landed in the water with a splash and a maniacal growl, he sounded like a rabid dog. With her head spinning, Joy squeezed Khaya's hand and bolted for the village. Though she didn't scream, her heart was in a frenzy. The man managed to catch up to them, tackling her to the ground, his eyes flashed crimson and he was frothing in the mouth.
"Khaya run to your dad," she grunted.
"He's coming," he panted, then jumped on and bit the man.
Joy wriggled herself free and stood up to face him as he yanked Khaya off him, throwing him to the ground. Joy felt an inexplicable sense of anger and protectiveness surge within her when the little boy landed on the ground. She ran a hand through her afro and took a fighting stance.
"Let's go," she gritted, and moved towards him, drawing her fist back and punching him in the stomach with all her might. The man winced, bending forward and she kicked him across the face. He turned his head back to her in rage, almost roaring. Black fur sprouted from his skin as his bones shifted. His wolf stood tall, baring its salivating teeth.
"That's cheating," she mumbled as the world spun at an unnatural speed. "Jude," she found herself whispering and a low growl rumbled behind her. Her eyes rolled into her head and she felt herself fall back, landing on a soft cushion. Past her fluttering eyes flashed a golden-brown wolf, and a familiar black and white wolf.
"Now you will eat," a female voice mumbled into her ear, Jemima.
2 YEARS AGO
"Daddy I don't need self-defence classes, I'll just walk around with body guards like every other important person," Joy whined. "It's an absolute waste of time."
"What if your body guards get injured?" David asked his daughter as they stepped into the elevator of his building.
"Then we fire them because they don't know what they are doing."
"Take the classes for only a year. If you don't like it, you can stop. And you'll walk around with guards invading your personal space."
She thought for a moment. "You know what? Maybe self-defence classes aren't such a bad idea."
"Exactly."