Chapter 2: Bath Time

The next morning was a bright and clear day. Oddly enough, Kaya had woken up quite early; she was normally a late sleeper. She crept down the stairs, knowing by heart which ones to avoid stepping on. She opened the refrigerator, taking out some chicken from the night before. She grabbed a plate, stuffing the bottled water in her robe pocket. She ran to the bathroom on the right and pulled out a roll of bandages, tucking it under her arm.

Kaya pulled on her shoes, carefully closing the door so as not to awake her parents. The grass sparkled with dew. Her shoes were wet by the time she reached the shed. She let herself in, placing the plate of meat on the ground next to the old plate. She filled the empty bowl with water. She was delighted when the wolf’s ears twitched from the sound.

The wolf lifted his muzzle, his bright cobalt eyes laced with sleep. He shot her an annoyed glare but his half-lidded eyes only made her laugh. His eyes slowly slid towards the wonderful smell that drifted past his nose. He leaned forward, nearly tasting that scrumptious chicken on his chops. He nuzzled her hand with his wet nose, forcing her eyes to meet his pleading ones.

“What are you waiting for?” she laughed, scratching the wolf behind his ears, “You can eat it.”

The wolf needed no more encouragement. He eagerly attacked the chicken, gulping it down in a matter of seconds. Afterwards, he sat back on his haunches, staring at her curiously. Kaya pulled the bandages out of her pocket, bending down to examine the wolf’s leg. She unwrapped the bandages and gasped.

“Your leg! It’s completely healed!”

The wolf watched her bend down again, inspecting his leg closer. His eyes twinkled with mirth, a secret smile curving his lips. If only she knew. She sat back with a huff, scrutinizing the wolf with a quirked eyebrow. The wolf found this humorous and yipped. Kaya’s eyebrows shot up with surprise. The wolf fell over, writhing in laughter. Kaya sat quietly, observing and pondering. The wolf struck her as abnormal. It was almost as if he was…human. He was so expersive even though a wolf’s face is less capable of showing emotions. Sure, she’d never encountered a wolf before this one, but she was definitely sure that wolves didn’t act like this. Or did they?

Kaya groaned, rubbing her temples. She was thinking too much about this. The wolf whined, pawing at her leg and licking her hand. Kaya pulled her hand away, hiding a smile behind it. He was worried about her! She patted him on the head, frowning when her fingers brushed dirt. She finally realized how unclean the wolf really was. The mud from last night’s adventure had dried into a thick coat of mud.

“You need a bath!” She giggled when the wolf’s ears suddenly fell, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the water’s nice and warm.”

The wolf’s ears perked up. In truth, he liked baths, especially when they were warm. He looked forward to removing that accursed dirt from his fur. Kaya looked at her watch and gulped.

“Shoot! Mom and dad are gonna be up any minute!”

Kaya made a scramble for the door, but her foot caught the notorious tie cord, sending her crashing to the ground. She let out a string of curses followed by complaints of bruised behinds. She stood up quickly, flinging the door open with such force that the door nearly unhinged itself. She mumbled an apology for the wolf’s damaged hearing, closed the door, and flew through the house. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she breathed a sigh of relief. A few minutes later, her door opened and she heard her father enter.

“Hurry John! We’ll be late!” her mother’s voice echoed from the hall.

“Just a minute Carrie!” he called back, opening the shades.

Golden sunlight spilled across the room. Kaya groaned and pulled her pillow over her face, “…too early. Close the shades, it’s Saturday dad!”

He pulled the covers off, wagging his finger in front of her sleepy face, “We’re leaving soon and someone needs to watch the house while we’re away.”

“JOHN!” her mother’s shout shook the house.

“Coming dear!”

Her father clunked down the stairs. The back door opened. The garage door squeaked as it closed. The car hummed like a bee, racing out of the driveway. Kaya watched as the car turn down the block before she got out of bed. She ran to her closet, throwing on some clothes and walked to the kitchen. She grabbed a bowl and some cinnamon toast. She turned on the tv in the living room, enjoying a nice bowl of cereal without milk. Her friends always thought it was a crime to eat cereal without milk. She didn’t like her cereal to get soggy, is that so wrong?

Kaya was finished and put the dishes in the sink. She and headed out the back door. When she opened the shed, she found the wolf looking quite bored. She threw the grubby towel over her shoulder and picked up the plates.

“C’mon! Let’s get you cleaned.”

The wolf followed with perked ears. She kicked the door open, heading directly for the sink where she dumped the dishes. Then she dropped the towel in the laundry chute. The wolf didn’t moved from his spot at the backdoor, his cobalt eyes scanning the room. His limbs were taught and tense. His ears swiveled towards each sound that resonated the house. His nose twitched madly, picking up unfamiliar scents.

He jumped when the door closed. He glared at Kaya for scaring him like so. She gave him a light push towards the stairs, but he simply sidestepped and stuck his muzzle in the air. He didn’t need any help! He could do it by himself. Haughtily, the wolf walked up the stairs as if he owned them. He stopped directly in front of the bathroom door.

Kaya opened the door, taking note that he sat on the marble floor instead of the rug. She turned on the hot water and let the bathtub fill up. The wolf hesitantly put a paw in the water, quickly taking it out and licking it. He stared at Kaya, then the cold knob.

“What! Water’s too hot for you?” she said, exasperated

She turned on the cold water while mumbling something that sounded oddly like ‘stupid high-maintenance overlord’. The wolf practically grinned. If only she knew. The wolf dipped his paw again, more satisfied with the temperature. He jumped right in, soaking Kaya with the excess water. The wolf started yipping again, but was cut short when Kaya tackled him with the shampoo. They wrestled for a few moments before the wolf finally settled down. Kaya spurted out the white liquid on his back. It smelled nice.

As her fingers combed through his fur, the wolf felt himself relax. Her fingers, whether she was aware or not, were massaging his tired muscles. When she was done with his torso, she moved to his head. She was careful where she put the shampoo and how lightly she scrubbed his fur. Next came the legs and finally the tail. Kaya washed her hands clean of the grim and stepped back. The bubbly heap submerged and reappeared as something that resembled a mop. Kaya rubbed his fur again, making sure all mud and soap was gone.

Satisfied, she let the wolf jump on the rug, laughing when he shook. She grabbed a huge fluffy towel, still warm from the dryer, and wrapped him in it. She rubbed him for a good two minutes before she stopped. When she took the towel away, the wolf looked like a poof ball. She snickered as the wolf shot her a glare then rubbed himself on the towel. Kaya snatched the towel from underneath him, much to the wolf’s irritation. She raked her fingers through his fur, testing for dryness. She grabbed a soft brush and combed through his fur. When she was done, his fur held a gentle shine. It was a deep brown, just as she imagined.

“It must be nice to be a wolf.” she sighed.

The wolf gave an yip, as if to further prove her statement correct. He wagged his tail enthusiastically. She scratched him affectionately, surprised he was so intelligent. The phone rang, interrupting Kaya’s attentions. After a few moments of speaking through the phone, her expression changed.

“How many times do I need to drill it into your head? I’m not going to the mall!” she yelled angrily into the phone. She slammed the phone back into its cradle with a frustrated yell. The wolf watched with interest as Kaya paced the kitchen, mumbling to herself.

“Who does she think she is anyway? I hate shopping! She knows that, so why would she bring me along? There must be some other reason...”

The front doorbell rang moments later, forcing Kaya into a state of panic. Quickly, she ushered the wolf through the backdoor. She opened the shed door dropped another fluffy towel on the ground. She put a bowl of water in the corner. Stepping out, she let the shed door hang open.

“You can go home now, if you want. But if you ever want to come back, this door will be open for you. Just be careful, okay?”

She hugged the wolf tightly, scratching his ears once more. She looked at him for a few more seconds, trying to ingrain the image in her mind. She went back into the house, saying goodbye once more before closing the door.