Finding Each Other

The air was warm and the moon was bright. Fifteen year old Aidan McKenna was laying in the grass with his pack, relaxing after a run. There was no better feeling in the world in the young shifter’s opinion. Taking a deep breath he savored the familiar scents that filled the air. The grass and dirt, the forest filled with animals. The personal scents of his closest pack mates and family. The fresh baked pie smell of his mother, the warm leather of his father. Aidan sat up quickly and took a deep breath as a strange scent tickled his nose. With another deep breath he tried to catch more of the strange yet alluring scent. It was natural definitely, not quite human but not quite animal either. It was almost shifter, but sweet and mildly spicy. Aidan pushed to his feet, scenting the air, trying to discover what it was. He could hear the confused voices questioning him but it barely filtered from his ears to his brain. He followed the scent towards the tree line where it got stronger. The sweet and spicy smell grew sharp, almost like vanilla. Aidan froze again; another scent was layering over the first. It was sharp and coppery. Blood. The young teen took off at a run, following the smell to its source.
He didn’t have to run far into the trees when the sour mix of vanilla and blood filled his head completely. He stopped suddenly allowing his eyes to shift so he could make out the shapes in the darkness. Someone was moving towards him, slowly and with obvious difficulty. As the shape became clearer Aidan saw it was a child, and a small one at that. The child stopped and reached out to grab the nearby tree. His hand slipped off and he pitched forwards towards the ground. Aidan didn’t remember moving, but suddenly the child was in his arms. Aidan pulled the child, who he could now see was a boy, close to his body. His skin was ice-cold and scattered in bruises, cuts, and blood. So much blood. How can a child so small have so much blood? He pushed the dark hair out of his face. He was so small, so young. The small boy took a shuddering breath and Aidan felt his heart stutter.
“Aidan?” Aidan’s head snapped up and he gripped the boy protectively. He had been so caught up with following the smell he hadn’t even noticed his best friend, Logan, had followed him. “Hey, man, that kids in pretty rough shape. We should probably get him back to the house.”
“He’s so small. How can someone so small bleed so much?” If Aidan had been in a clearer state of mind he would have noticed how broken and rough his voice sounded. Logan took a slow step forward, freezing when his friend growled. “Hey, now.” Logan held his hands up, palms facing out, and tilted his head to bare his throat. He was no threat to Aidan; or his young ward. “Aidan, he’s bleeding a lot and his heartbeat is erratic. His breathing is slow and shallow. He is fading fast, Aidan. We have to take him back.”
Aidan nodded slowly. “Yea.”
“Do you want me to…”
“No! I mean… no, it’s okay. I’ve got him.” Pulling the boy close Aidan crawled to his feet, “I got him.” With Logan close on his heels he rushed back to house, trying his best not to jostle the boy around too much.
When Aidan broke through the tree line his lungs were burning and his arms ached. The boy may have been small but dead weight was heavy. Oh god...please don’t let him be dead. Please don’t let him die.
“Auntie Gwen! Alpha! Help us!” Logan yelled towards the house.
“Oi, what do you have there?”
“It’s a boy, Auntie.”
“A boy? Is he human? Have you lost your senses?” Aidan gripped his cargo as his parents came close with the rest of the pack.
“I’m not sure, Mama, his scent is strange. Please, he’s hurt. We have to help him.” This time Aidan could hear the fear and pain in his own voice.
“Quick then, bring him in. We’ll see what we can do. Lennox!”
“Where did you find him?” His father’s voice was steady, it gave him strength.
“Near the north property line.”
“Was he awake?”
“I saw him trying to walk towards the house. Then he just collapsed. I could smell his blood...”
“What is it, boy?”
“He saw me but...”
“But...?”
“There was no fear. It was like he was trying to get to me. Maybe he’s like us.”
“We will do what we can for him, call in the authorities tomorrow. If he survives.”
“Thank you Da, Mama...”
“Don’t thank us yet, there is a chance he will not make it through the night.”
“He’ll make it, I just know he will.”

Aidan tossed and turned. He couldn’t get comfortable, he couldn’t relax. He could still smell the sweet vanilla scent of the boy. No longer laced with the tang of copper. He felt worried, anxious and just a little scared. His father had called Pierce from the nearby town, he was the closest thing to a medic the Pack had. Even though he wasn’t Pack they trusted him with all their medical needs. The Doc had patched the boy up as best he could; the total injury tally was impressive. His right shoulder socket was shattered and he had two fractures in his ulna. A total of four broken fingers, five pulled or strained muscles, 26 stitches and countless swelling bruises and cuts. He had been walking on a dislocated knee for some time and one eye was swollen shut. He was malnourished and dehydrated. He had lost a lot of blood but not as much as Aidan had thought. The boy was stable when Pierce had left, but still in the danger zone.
Aidan took a shuddering breath and threw his covers off. No one believed the little one would make it through the night. His father had arranged to dig a hole in the morning. The sounds of sleeping shifters drifted through the air as he made his way quietly into the hall. He would just peek in for a minute and make sure the little guy was okay before heading back to bed. And if he wasn’t? Hell, if he wasn’t he would pull him close and tell him a story. Nobody deserved to die alone. Especially such a small child. As Aidan stepped close to the door he could hear heavy panting and low, muffled grunts of pain. The smell of pure vanilla laced with fear filled his senses. He couldn’t leave the little guy all alone in there when he was in so much pain. He opened the door and called out softly,
“Hey, hey now. I’m coming in okay?” The little boy whimpered but seemed to calm down. Aidan heard his little heart slowdown and his breath suck in deep. He could smell wolf; he knew the boy was one of them. No way could a human have survived that kind of trauma. “Hey, Little Pup.” He stepped closer with one hand out, unsure how the child would respond.
“It hurts!” His voice was small and broken, Aidan felt his heart contract. “Please! What’s happening to me?”
Aidan stepped closer; he was only a few steps away from the boy. He could see his muscles and bones shifting under his skin. He was changing. There’s no way! Aidan thought to himself, this kid is way too young to change! Aidan himself was an early changer and he had only gone through his first change last year. He took a deep breath and a small step closer. He kept his voice low and calm.
“Do you know what you are, Little Pup? You’re changing. Do you know what that means?”
“No, it’s too soon! I’m not old enough!”
“Shhh… I know, Little Pup. I know. But you have to relax.” Aidan sat down next to the boy and pulled his head on his lap. He gently stroked his raven hair. “You have to just relax and let it happen. Don’t fight it. Feel the pull and let it flow. I got you; I won’t leave you, Little Pup. I’m here. Don’t be scared.”
“I’m not scared.”
Aidan took a deep breath; anxiety and sweat mixed with vanilla. But not one drop of fear. “I know. You’re such a brave little pup. I’m so proud of you. I’m here now, you just relax and I’ll take care of you.”
The little boy took a deep breath and nuzzled his face against Aidan’s thigh. He took a deep breath and Aidan felt his body relax. It was as if the tension melted away now that he wasn’t alone. Gently stroking the little boy’s hair Aidan whispered praise and encouragement. He comforted him until his small body was covered in soft black fur. His change was almost complete. Aidan took his own clothes off and pushed his change. He pushed himself up on his four paws and looked over at the black wolf. Crystal blue eyes blinked up at him. The little wolf pushed to his feet with some effort but managed to hold his weight. He took a few shaky steps towards Aidan before pushing his muzzle into the larger gray wolf's fur. The little pup didn't even reach his shoulders. He seemed to be moving fine though, the shift would have healed most of his injuries. Aidan gave a little snort and rubbed his chin on top of the little pup’s head. He gave the pup a lick before jumping back. His head low, back haunches straight, tongue hanging out. He wanted to play. The little pup tilted his head to the side and gave a small snort. Really? He seemed to say, aren’t you a little old for this? Aidan snorted a laugh; his little pup was so mature. The little black wolf gave a big yawn and padded closer to the big guy, gave his muzzle a little nip the licked the bite. After a slow nuzzle the little pup curled up at Aidan’s feet and closed his eyes. Aidan smiled, as much as a wolf could smile, and lay down beside him. After curling his larger body around the small one and resting his head on top of the other boy’s he closed his eyes. Maybe a nap did sound good right about now.

Ash woke up just as the sun was peaking over the horizon. He was calm and relaxed. For the first time in a long time he felt warm and safe. With only a slight ache in his muscles. Ash stretched his limbs with a groan. The warm body lying behind him readjusted its position pulling him closer. It should have been concerning that he was lying in an unfamiliar room, naked, with a strange teenager cuddled up to him. But for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to care. He snuggled up to the warm body and yawned. He’ll worry later, for now he was going to get some more rest. He pulled the blanket off the nearby bed and draped it over them before slipping back to sleep with ease.

Aidan woke up when he heard the door click open. He pulled the younger boy closer, hiding his body with his own. He smelt his parents enter the room. He took a minute to make sure the blanket was covering the smaller boy completely. To keep him warm of course. Then he rolled over to face his parents.
“I told you he would make it. He’s a shifter like us.”
“What happened last night, Aidan?” His father asked.
“He changed.”
Gwen gasped and put a hand on her husband’s arm. “There’s no way, Lennox. He’s too young. Could he have been bitten?”
“No, he knew what was happening. He’s definitely a born shifter.” Aidan turned back to the sleeping boy. His face was soft, almost angelic in sleep. He knew behind those softly twitching eyelids were the brightest blue eyes he had even seen.
“Aidan, he can’t be more than 10.”
“I know, I know. But that’s what happened. And he is completely healed.”
“Maybe his injuries triggered an early change?”
“Maybe he’s just special.” Aidan said absent-mindedly.
“Hmm…” Lennox grunted.
“He IS special.” Aidan insisted. He turned his head towards his parents, one hand playing across the young boy’s hair. “He can stay with us, right? We can’t leave him alone. I’m going to keep him. I’m going to take care of him now.” He looked back down on the boy, his voice going soft, “My special little puppy. I’ll take care of you.”
Without waking the little boy pushed his head into Aidan’s hand, deepening the contact. His breath soft and even, his heart beating steadily. Completely synchronized with Aidan’s.