Wolf

Ashley was too furious to go looking for his mate, deciding he'd get lonely and come back. It's not like Andy was a lone wolf, he was too reliant and dependent. Too... fragile to hang on by himself. To push the problem at hand from his mind, he went to his office, closing the door and falling into his chair. Oh, Andy... Always had to be difficult. Always had to be the center of attention, always had to get what he wanted.
Ashley wasn't gonna give Andy what he wanted. Andy had to recognize the danger of allowing their children to continue the wolf bloodline. The pros were strongly outweighed by the cons.
But the look on Andy's face when he left the room the night before. That look was etched into Ashley's mind, haunting him. The determination, the anger, the hatred, all evident in the way Andy's brows knit together, eyes narrowed and teeth clenched; his body rigid. Yet, his eyes... his eyes told a different story. They were glassy, glossed over with desperation and hurt. Ashley was pretty sure he would have burst into tears any minute if he had stayed any longer. Those beautiful blue orbs looked so shattered. Was it really that important to Andy? Did he not understand the repercussions?
This was giving him a headache. He had so much work to do. He had a client he had to set up a meeting with to talk over business matters, he had to work on paperwork for the company; but Andy was the only thing that prevented any of it from happening. He'd come back, right? He'd realize that what he was doing was ridiculous, not to mention dangerous, and come back? Of course he would.
To clear his head, Ashley left his office and went to the living room. Hopefully something was on TV that could help him relax. Well, Ashley was right. The news put him to sleep in a short amount of time, although that didn't really last long. It was just a short nap, but it was still enough to calm down.
That is until Ashley looked at the TV... He frowned, reading the headline that was displayed in large letters beneath the footage of the interview happening between the reporter and witness. Ashley grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.
"I'm not sure I understand, sir. A dog attacked you?" The reporter directed the microphone back to the man, the two standing outside of the local butcher shop.
"No- I mean yes- But it wasn't a dog, it was a wolf. A big one! It was- Oh it was.. it was white, and it nearly knocked me over! I was out back emptying the trash and it just ran past me and- and it came out with raw meat in its jaws and ran off- I didn't see where it was going, I was too freaked out! What is a wolf doing in town!?" The man rambled. Ashley stared at the screen. Fucking hell, that better not be who he thought it was.
"That's quite the story, Mr. Lopez. Sounds like something out of a family movie!" The reporter joked. "We have some security footage here to show you folks, and if you see this wolf, call Animal Control immediately. We already have authorities in search of the wild animal, and if you find it, do not approach."
Ashley watched in horror as the security camera from behind the building showed the beautiful creature darting inside and then out again, sure enough nearly running into Mr. Lopez both times.
He turned off the news, grabbing his car keys. He had to find Andy before someone else did.
* * *
Andy ran. That's all he could to save himself. He ran even though his paws ached, his legs were on fire, his entire body aching, but he had to save himself and his pups. There were humans after him, and he had a feeling they weren't friendly. This is why Ashley wanted him to stay home. Why didn't he listen? This was all his fault. It was bad enough that he had run away, but had stolen from a butcher shop and now he was wanted dead. He couldn't really help himself, though. He was hungry... He needed to eat and that was all he could do. Why were humans so cruel? He did no harm to the man! He didn't even growl or anything, so why was everyone so afraid of him?
He looked behind him and saw he was alone. Did he finally lose them?
"I think it went this way!" He heard a loud voice not too far off, startling him. Nope. They were still there. They were far enough away from him to hide... But where? Andy got an idea, going behind a larger tree and shifting quickly, sliding down against the tree to make it appear as though he were asleep and had been for a while. Andy already looked like hell, so it wouldn't be hard for the humans to believe him.
As the footsteps approached, Andy got more uneasy. He felt someone nudge them with their foot and opened an eye.
"Nngh.. what?" He muttered, pretending to be half asleep. Maybe they'd leave him alone. The officer eyed him curiously, debating if it were a good idea to ask what he was doing in the middle of the woods or to just leave it be.
"Forget it. This kid didn't see anything..." She sighed, continuing on with the group of armed companions.
When they were out of sight and hearing range, Andy sat up. "Ashley, where are you when I need you..." He whispered softly to himself. He sat for a few more minutes before shifting back, slightly pleased that his body no longer ached as bad. He wandered for a ways, in a totally new span of territory, having never seen these woods before. There was no way in hell that he would lead the humans to his family, so he just ran in the opposite direction. The one problem he didn't account for was finding his way back. He was too tired to try and find it now...
So instead of looking for his way home, Andy settled on the shore of a lake, taking note that it didn't seem to be a popular camping sight so he should be okay for a few hours. He took a drink from the water, grimacing a little. He as too used to the filtered water that humans drank now, and had lost his taste for what he used to drink before being immersed into the life of people. He drank regardless, knowing that he needed to stay hydrated. After doing so, he moved back up to the dry land and laid down in the grass, resting his head on his paws.
Just as he was about to close his eyes for a hopefully peaceful sleep, a few twigs snapped behind him. His head shot up and looked in the direction of the noise, eyes widening. Someone found him.

Notes