“Orion, where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise κουτάβι!”
After they had both finished their gyros, Orion thanked Cyrus for covering their meals before leading Alex out of the restaurant. Before Alex could even thank Orion for the food, the werewolf grabbed the young man’s wrist and began quickly leading him down the road. As they ran down the brick road, Alex couldn’t help but notice as both Weres and people were stopping and staring at the two of them. He didn’t blame them though. He could only imagine what some of them were thinking.
Orion began to pick up the pace, which forced Alex to run faster in order to keep up. He was by no means out of shape, but he had never been the best at sprinting for long distances, and he was beginning to reach his limits.
“Orion…slow down!” Alex shouted. “I can’t…run…as fast…as you!” The werewolf slowed to a stop before letting go of Alex’s wrists and dropping to all fours.
“Get on,” Orion said. “Wrap your arms around my neck, but not too tightly.”
Alex was hesitant at first, but he trusted the wolf. He climbed onto Orion’s back and wrapped his arms around the wolf’s neck as he was instructed.
“Okay, what now?” Alex asked.
“Don’t fall off.”
“Wait wh-WOAH!” The werewolf quickly took off running down the street, much to Alex’s surprise. He could feel his heart begin to race as the wolf darted by pedestrians all around them, the illumination from the street lamps whizzing past.
Orion suddenly let out a growl of frustration. “Okay Alex, new plan: keep your head down.” Alex did as he was told before the werewolf made a sharp left turn and leapt into the dense forest of trees that grew along the road. Alex couldn’t entirely make out where they were going, but he found that he didn’t mind keeping his head down like this. Orion’s fur was rather soft. If they weren’t moving so much, he could see himself falling asleep rather easily. Suddenly, Orion came to a stop, making Alex lurch forward a little bit.
“Okay, we’re here. Be careful.”
Alex carefully got off the werewolf’s back and looked around, taking in their surroundings. Orion had taken them to a small cliff side that overlooked most of the resort. Below them, Alex could see the main plaza where they just were a few minutes ago, and in the distance he could see what appeared to be a vineyard and winery.
“Wow…this view is incredible…” Alex said, looking out at the land below them. “Is this what you wanted to show me?”
Orion shook his head. “No, that is.” The wolf pointed towards the sun setting behind a mountain in the distance. As it slowly dipped out of view, a wave of darkness washed over the resort. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yeah…” Alex said, sitting down on the ground. Orion sat down rather close to him, but he didn’t mind. It was actually rather nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of the resort and in a place to relax.
“This is where I go when I need to get away from everything,” Orion explained. “It’s one of the few places in the valley that wasn’t touched during the resort’s construction. Sometimes I come up here to reminisce about what the land once was…”
“Do you not like the resort?”
The werewolf sighed. “είναι ένα δίκοπο μαχαίρι”
“Come again?”
“Sorry. I keep forgetting that you aren’t a native speaker. I said that it’s a double edged sword. Seeing my ancestor’s land change from a beautiful, open valley to a modern resort, it hurts my heart. But on the other hand, it’s quite wonderful to see humans and werecreatures interacting like you and I are now. It gives me hope that one day, we werewolves won’t have to live in the shadows anymore…”
Alex reached over and gently pat Orion on the back. While he knew that he would never truly understand the werewolf’s feelings, he sympathized with him and could understand where his feelings towards the resort were coming from.
“The people who built the resort…” Alex said. “They didn’t kick you and your people off the land…did they?”
“Ω θεοί όχι!” Orion responded, with a shake of his head. “The resort wouldn’t be here if they kicked us off our land. Not if Pan had anything to say about it. He allowed the resort to be built here, but he personally helped oversee the construction and made sure that no construction touched the most sacred parts of the land, such as an altar built to honor him thousands of years ago.”
“Are there any other Weres or mythical creatures that lived here before the resort was built, or was it only werewolves?”
“Oh, there were plenty of creatures who lived here. Werewolves were the most prevalent species, but there were also foxes, deer, lions, and satyrs. By the way, I’d watch out for the satyrs if I were you. They’re all friendly, but they can be a bit…wild.”
“I’m aware,” Alex replied, thinking back to his meeting with Andrzej earlier that day.
“You forgot to lock your door, didn’t you?” Orion asked. Alex’s face turned red as he nodded, and the werewolf began to laugh.
Alex crossed his arms and groaned in frustration. “I was tired, okay?! I didn’t think that anyone would just come barging in while I was showering and try to fuck me!” This just made Orion laugh harder, so much so that he fell onto his back and started banging his fist on the ground.
“I don’t get what’s so funny about that!” Alex snapped, a bit ticked off.
“No…no…it’s not that…'' Orion said, his laughter finally dying down. “It…it’s just that…when you’re mad, you look χαριτωμένος.”
“And what does that mean?” Alex asked, still a bit annoyed. The werewolf turned his head and grinned at the human.
“‘Cute’, κουτάβι,” the wolf said. “It means ‘cute.’”
Alex’s face turned bright red. Did…did this werewolf, whom he had just met a few hours ago, really just call him cute? He’d been called cute by both men and women many times before, but he never felt like their words carried any meaning. So then why did this werewolf’s words make his heart rate quicken and his palms feel sweaty?
Alex was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Orion gently run his claws through his hair. It was a strange feeling, but it was wonderful at the same time. He didn’t want this moment to end.
“Forgive me if I’m moving too fast,” the wolf said softly. “The full moon allows werewolves to become fully in-tune with their emotions, and with the full moon rising tomorrow night, my stronger emotions are beginning to show.” Orion paused for a second before continuing. “Tomorrow…I have the day off. The day of the full moon is one that is very special to us werewolves. Would you care to spend the day together and bathe under the pale moonlight together later that evening?”
Alex quietly thought to himself about what was being offered to him. Spending the entire day with a werewolf before joining him under the full moon that night? Why was this being offered to him, a person that Orion had only just met a few hours ago? What made him more special than any other person here? His mind was telling him that this relationship between the two of them was moving far too fast; that he could end up regretting what happens between them. And yet…
Alex met Orion’s eyes and nodded in affirmation. “I’d love to.”