Howl For It
Page 15
You do know this is my house? When Eggie saw a flash of fang, he quickly raised his hands. All right. All right. No need to get testy.
He stood. But if you need me for anything
Youll hear my howl a mile away, I promise.
Taking her at her word, Eggie walked out of his house, stripped off his clothes, and shifted to wolf. He was just trotting down the porch stairs when his brothers came out of the woods. Something told him that theyd been ordered from their homes as well. The Lewis sisters did like to bake when angry.
Bubba Ray barked and they followed him deep into the woods until they ran across an elk and chased it down. Unfortunately, they crossed into bear territory, aka Collinstown, and right into the Buck brothers. Twin polar bears that hated the Smith boys.
The fight was ugly, but nicely distracting.
Around eight, Darla walked onto the porch of Eggies house. She wiped her hands on a rag and called out, Eggie!
Before she could even turn and head back inside, Eggie charged out of the woods. He dived into the dirt in front of his porch steps and rolled around there for a few seconds, jumped up, shook the excess dirt off, and charged into the house.
Darla ran after him, yelling out, Dont you dare get on that couch, Egbert Ray!
He was in mid-jump when she yelled at him but, as Darla had done the other night, he jerked himself back, landing in the unused fireplace. At least he didnt end up with a deadly wound. Because that would definitely ruin dinner.
Go on upstairs and get showered, she told him, unable to stop herself from turning up her nose at all the blood on his muzzle. Messy eater. Yuck! Dinner can wait.
His head cocked to the side and he turned, but instead of heading to the hallway and the stairs that would lead to the only working shower in the house, he traipsed into the dining room. Putting his front paws on one of the chairs, he looked over the table shed set up for their meal. She hadnt had much to work with, but Darla had managed to dig up a tablecloth, decent plates and glasses, and tolerable silverware. She also found some candles shoved in a drawer and some wild flowers near the house. Considering the circumstances. . . shed done a really good job.
Eggie looked at her, turned away from the chair, and headed upstairs.
Deciding not to worry about the strange ways of Smith wolves, Darla returned to the kitchen.
One look at the little kitchen table told her how angry shed been after the argument with her sisters. She had way too many pies and pastries for one wolf to ever eat. Even a wolf Eggies size. Even a bear couldnt eat all this. Although a lion male could, but that was neither here nor there.
Well, she could give whatever was left over to Eggies family. Not her sisters, though.Damn heifers.
See? Now they had her cussin. Heifers!
No matter how far Darla went, no matter what she did with her life, no matter her individual accomplishments, her sisters still saw her the same damn way. As a weak Omega pup they had to care for. Her parents respected her. Her brothers. But not her sisters. They couldnt just watch out for her, no. They had to make fun of her, not take her even the least bit seriously. When shed turned eighteen, her daddy finally gave her the option of moving up north to work at one of the Van Holtz restaurants. Although the Smiths and Van Holtzes considered each other enemy Packs due to some murder rampage from ages ago, the Lewises didnt bother with all that. At the end of the day, they were business wolves and liked to make their money. They had ice-cream shops and candy stores all over the U.S., and they didnt care who bought their products just as long as their products were bought. And the Van Holtz restaurants were big buyers of the Lewis Familys Old Time Ice Creamthe grizzlies loved their Honey Nut Brittle Strawberry and the polars loved their Caramel and Sea Lion Fat Vanillaso it had been easy for her father to get Darla a job at the restaurant.
Hed just wanted to give her a break. What no one expected was that Darla would become a really good pastry chef. Of course, because of her age, shed had to start at the bottom, assisting the full-time pastry chefs and doing all the grunt work with bread dough. But within the year, the head of the Baltimore restaurantWulgar Van Holtzoffered to pay for her to go to France for some training in actual French patisseries. Always wanting to travel, Darla had jumped at the chance to go. Theyd also sent her to Italy, Spain, England, and Germanyshe made the best Bienenstich or bee-sting cake this side of Bavariaand when she finally got back stateside, theyd put her in the San Francisco Van Holtz restaurant. A really great place for her because of the interesting people she met. As a pacifistand no, her fight with her sisters didnt countand feminist, Frisco was a good fit for her. At least for now.
Some days, though, it could be a little too hectic, a little too loud. And so big that the Van Holtzes were planning to add two more restaurants over the next few years. Shed thought about moving back to the South where she felt most comfortable and maybe opening her own little pastry shop, but the thought of dealing with her sisters every day . . .
No. Just the thought of it made her shudder. She loved them. She really did. But some days she just wanted to slap the living shi . . . tar out of em.
Starting to feel a little peckishwhich meant her anger was beginning to drain awayDarla glanced at the clock on the wall. It seemed like ages since Eggie had gone up to take a shower.
He stood. But if you need me for anything
Youll hear my howl a mile away, I promise.
Taking her at her word, Eggie walked out of his house, stripped off his clothes, and shifted to wolf. He was just trotting down the porch stairs when his brothers came out of the woods. Something told him that theyd been ordered from their homes as well. The Lewis sisters did like to bake when angry.
Bubba Ray barked and they followed him deep into the woods until they ran across an elk and chased it down. Unfortunately, they crossed into bear territory, aka Collinstown, and right into the Buck brothers. Twin polar bears that hated the Smith boys.
The fight was ugly, but nicely distracting.
Around eight, Darla walked onto the porch of Eggies house. She wiped her hands on a rag and called out, Eggie!
Before she could even turn and head back inside, Eggie charged out of the woods. He dived into the dirt in front of his porch steps and rolled around there for a few seconds, jumped up, shook the excess dirt off, and charged into the house.
Darla ran after him, yelling out, Dont you dare get on that couch, Egbert Ray!
He was in mid-jump when she yelled at him but, as Darla had done the other night, he jerked himself back, landing in the unused fireplace. At least he didnt end up with a deadly wound. Because that would definitely ruin dinner.
Go on upstairs and get showered, she told him, unable to stop herself from turning up her nose at all the blood on his muzzle. Messy eater. Yuck! Dinner can wait.
His head cocked to the side and he turned, but instead of heading to the hallway and the stairs that would lead to the only working shower in the house, he traipsed into the dining room. Putting his front paws on one of the chairs, he looked over the table shed set up for their meal. She hadnt had much to work with, but Darla had managed to dig up a tablecloth, decent plates and glasses, and tolerable silverware. She also found some candles shoved in a drawer and some wild flowers near the house. Considering the circumstances. . . shed done a really good job.
Eggie looked at her, turned away from the chair, and headed upstairs.
Deciding not to worry about the strange ways of Smith wolves, Darla returned to the kitchen.
One look at the little kitchen table told her how angry shed been after the argument with her sisters. She had way too many pies and pastries for one wolf to ever eat. Even a wolf Eggies size. Even a bear couldnt eat all this. Although a lion male could, but that was neither here nor there.
Well, she could give whatever was left over to Eggies family. Not her sisters, though.Damn heifers.
See? Now they had her cussin. Heifers!
No matter how far Darla went, no matter what she did with her life, no matter her individual accomplishments, her sisters still saw her the same damn way. As a weak Omega pup they had to care for. Her parents respected her. Her brothers. But not her sisters. They couldnt just watch out for her, no. They had to make fun of her, not take her even the least bit seriously. When shed turned eighteen, her daddy finally gave her the option of moving up north to work at one of the Van Holtz restaurants. Although the Smiths and Van Holtzes considered each other enemy Packs due to some murder rampage from ages ago, the Lewises didnt bother with all that. At the end of the day, they were business wolves and liked to make their money. They had ice-cream shops and candy stores all over the U.S., and they didnt care who bought their products just as long as their products were bought. And the Van Holtz restaurants were big buyers of the Lewis Familys Old Time Ice Creamthe grizzlies loved their Honey Nut Brittle Strawberry and the polars loved their Caramel and Sea Lion Fat Vanillaso it had been easy for her father to get Darla a job at the restaurant.
Hed just wanted to give her a break. What no one expected was that Darla would become a really good pastry chef. Of course, because of her age, shed had to start at the bottom, assisting the full-time pastry chefs and doing all the grunt work with bread dough. But within the year, the head of the Baltimore restaurantWulgar Van Holtzoffered to pay for her to go to France for some training in actual French patisseries. Always wanting to travel, Darla had jumped at the chance to go. Theyd also sent her to Italy, Spain, England, and Germanyshe made the best Bienenstich or bee-sting cake this side of Bavariaand when she finally got back stateside, theyd put her in the San Francisco Van Holtz restaurant. A really great place for her because of the interesting people she met. As a pacifistand no, her fight with her sisters didnt countand feminist, Frisco was a good fit for her. At least for now.
Some days, though, it could be a little too hectic, a little too loud. And so big that the Van Holtzes were planning to add two more restaurants over the next few years. Shed thought about moving back to the South where she felt most comfortable and maybe opening her own little pastry shop, but the thought of dealing with her sisters every day . . .
No. Just the thought of it made her shudder. She loved them. She really did. But some days she just wanted to slap the living shi . . . tar out of em.
Starting to feel a little peckishwhich meant her anger was beginning to drain awayDarla glanced at the clock on the wall. It seemed like ages since Eggie had gone up to take a shower.
