out the door and on the move to his car, when a shadow flew above his head.
Usually he would think it was a bird, but ever since meeting her, he had a habit of looking up whenever something like that happened, regardless of how many times it always proved to be just another damned pigeon or robin.
Not either of those this time. Not even close.
At first, he thought it might be a bat, but the wings somehow looked…off.
Then he gave himself the chance to really see it wasn’t a bat at all, and that gliding shape moving into the trees was definitely not a bird either.
He’d looked into it before coming here. Flying squirrels were natural to the area, but not commonly seen. That, and they tended to come out during the night, when their predators would have a harder time hunting them.
Jake didn’t have the proper chance to get a good sniff of her, even though he was stupidly standing there with his mouth open, but his heart slammed violently against his ribs. People might be able to hear that sound from across town.
That had to be her. It just had to be.
He took off running after the shape, hoping he hadn’t lost her. He couldn’t have come all this way just to find her and lose her.
When he was safely in the trees, away from where he thought any human might accidentally see him, he let the change occur in his body.
Jake went down on his knees and gently landed on his chest when his arms melted into his sides, skin turning into scales. At six feet long, he was larger than what was common for a diamondback rattlesnake, but he was still able to move quickly when he got to this form. Jake flicked his tongue, searching for her scent amongst all the other things that assaulted him—the smell of manure, earth, dew, dying leaves, and moss on the tree bark.
He smelled a couple of other animals around, and that normally wouldn’t bother him, if some of those animals didn’t smell a whole lot like dogs.
Big dogs.
Jake moved quite a ways into the trees. She was clearly putting a whole lot of distance between herself and the inn, but where was she going?
Jake furiously flicked his tongue, and when he saw her leap from tree to tree, that was when he was able to relax a little, to finally breathe.
So long as he had her in his sight, it felt like he could protect her.
Hard to believe there was a time when watching her skitter and jump like that made him want to eat her.
He hoped it was her and not an actual squirrel, but it had to be her. Otherwise, he was sure the animal side of his mind would be craving a snack. What were the odds that she would’ve been in that motel, and a wild flying squirrel happened to jump from the building and glide into the trees?
When she stopped, he stopped.
He watched her. Her little nose twitched as she searched around. Did she know she was being followed? If she didn’t know, then at the very least, she suspected it. Her big, round black eyes seemed to be searching all over the place.
If she saw him, she might run. It had been years since they’d seen each other, and she might think he was here to bring her in. Or mistake him for a real snake. Alice had told him that she had more than one run-in with predators when she was in that form. It couldn’t always be fun shifting into a prey animal.
Jake flattened himself as much as he could in the brown, dry leaves. They made great cover for his dusty scales, and he blended right in. He definitely wasn’t about to rattle his tail either, despite how agitating this entire thing was.
She switched positions on the tree, looking off in the other direction. The white fur of her chest and belly seemed to rise and fall at great speeds. He was scaring her; she sensed something in the woods, but she couldn’t find it. Jake needed her to stop running, now that he had her. He could protect her.
The problem was if she thought she was being stalked by a snake or a bird, she might shift back into her human shape, which she wouldn’t be able to hide
Usually he would think it was a bird, but ever since meeting her, he had a habit of looking up whenever something like that happened, regardless of how many times it always proved to be just another damned pigeon or robin.
Not either of those this time. Not even close.
At first, he thought it might be a bat, but the wings somehow looked…off.
Then he gave himself the chance to really see it wasn’t a bat at all, and that gliding shape moving into the trees was definitely not a bird either.
He’d looked into it before coming here. Flying squirrels were natural to the area, but not commonly seen. That, and they tended to come out during the night, when their predators would have a harder time hunting them.
Jake didn’t have the proper chance to get a good sniff of her, even though he was stupidly standing there with his mouth open, but his heart slammed violently against his ribs. People might be able to hear that sound from across town.
That had to be her. It just had to be.
He took off running after the shape, hoping he hadn’t lost her. He couldn’t have come all this way just to find her and lose her.
When he was safely in the trees, away from where he thought any human might accidentally see him, he let the change occur in his body.
Jake went down on his knees and gently landed on his chest when his arms melted into his sides, skin turning into scales. At six feet long, he was larger than what was common for a diamondback rattlesnake, but he was still able to move quickly when he got to this form. Jake flicked his tongue, searching for her scent amongst all the other things that assaulted him—the smell of manure, earth, dew, dying leaves, and moss on the tree bark.
He smelled a couple of other animals around, and that normally wouldn’t bother him, if some of those animals didn’t smell a whole lot like dogs.
Big dogs.
Jake moved quite a ways into the trees. She was clearly putting a whole lot of distance between herself and the inn, but where was she going?
Jake furiously flicked his tongue, and when he saw her leap from tree to tree, that was when he was able to relax a little, to finally breathe.
So long as he had her in his sight, it felt like he could protect her.
Hard to believe there was a time when watching her skitter and jump like that made him want to eat her.
He hoped it was her and not an actual squirrel, but it had to be her. Otherwise, he was sure the animal side of his mind would be craving a snack. What were the odds that she would’ve been in that motel, and a wild flying squirrel happened to jump from the building and glide into the trees?
When she stopped, he stopped.
He watched her. Her little nose twitched as she searched around. Did she know she was being followed? If she didn’t know, then at the very least, she suspected it. Her big, round black eyes seemed to be searching all over the place.
If she saw him, she might run. It had been years since they’d seen each other, and she might think he was here to bring her in. Or mistake him for a real snake. Alice had told him that she had more than one run-in with predators when she was in that form. It couldn’t always be fun shifting into a prey animal.
Jake flattened himself as much as he could in the brown, dry leaves. They made great cover for his dusty scales, and he blended right in. He definitely wasn’t about to rattle his tail either, despite how agitating this entire thing was.
She switched positions on the tree, looking off in the other direction. The white fur of her chest and belly seemed to rise and fall at great speeds. He was scaring her; she sensed something in the woods, but she couldn’t find it. Jake needed her to stop running, now that he had her. He could protect her.
The problem was if she thought she was being stalked by a snake or a bird, she might shift back into her human shape, which she wouldn’t be able to hide
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