He doesn’t talk with Cody or Dale much after that. And he never plays with another kid in the schoolyard ever again no matter how much he wants to. Dad says it’s to dangerous now, and he agrees.

5-Forest

Moonrise is in a half hour, he’s with his dad and the two of them are sitting around a camp fire. He asks his father if Shane is ever coming to visit them again. Dad thinks for awhile says no, probably not. He secretly feels a little bad about feeling a little relieved. It’s getting dark and his dad gets up to go transform in the forest. Dad says that he has to get used to transforming alone but he’s afraid, so afraid. He’s never done this alone before, and he begs dad just this one last time and then next month they’ll do it separate. Dad said that’s what he asked last month. It’s time for him to grow up, be a man. He says he’s going to have to grow up quicker than other boys, but he’s still afraid and when his dad gets up to leave he starts to follow him. Dad yells, and he sits down. Dad leaves him crying by the camp fire and then the change happens and then…then…

It runs, it howls. It cries out for its sire. Its parent answers and before long they’re running together again the older gray beast and the younger black. It runs on all fours, though its parent runs on two. The deer are sleeping tonight, even beneath the silver-white glow of the ring of stony fire in the sky. To the wolves it’s as though night never fell and the world still dances beneath the golden disc in the sky. Tonight it makes the kill, a big buck. It leaps straight into the center of the sleeping herd, having rushed right past the sentry and the buck fights. Sharp hooves kicking and sweeping antlers and the strength of desperation until-right there- it bites into the back of the deer’s neck. Crushing the spine, the other deer scatter and it howls a warning…

When he wakes up dad is already dressed and cleaned and he’s thrown a blanket over him. He gets up, dad seems rather pleased. He said its important that he learn to transform alone, but he can’t help but sulk. Dad takes him to IHOP afterward, at first he’s in his usual high spirits but his temper gets shorter and shorter as his son’s dark mood refuses to break. By the time they get home, he’s breathing heavily and he slams the car door shut, stomps his way into the house. Mom greets them, asks them how their camping trip was but dad shouts at her and slams the bedroom door shut. Mom glares at him, she always glares to him when dad gets angry. Even when it isn’t his fault. She goes out back to smoke and he quietly goes into his room. He stays in his room the rest of the day and silently wishes he could still call up his friends.