Wild Bonds

The figures in the storm

The night was dim with a heavy rainstorm sputtering down on Paxton heights. Roofs and glass windows howled under the incessant lightning strikes and the violent blow of the wind.

While the potholes were pooled, the roads of Salenbrook lane were puddled.

Tap! Tap!

Two figures ran through the streets, covering themselves from the rain with their hands above their heads.

Their boots clicked with an echoing loud splash as they hurried through the desolate puddled street under the white noise of the rain. While rushing to safety, alas, the flickering streetlights could only do so much to outline their feminine figures.

Save for the few people with umbrellas above their heads whom they passed by earlier, there wasn't anyone else around.

This didn't seem to bother these two, considering how late it always was when they returned home from work.

Everyone would have turned in at this hour without doubt.

Hence, they totally missed the sight of a hooded figure following behind in their trail from a distance...

The two figures took a swift turn by the sidewalk regardless, taking quickened steps down the pathway that flowed in rivulets, towards a five-storey walk-up apartment complex.

With a simple rectangular design and bland stucco exterior walls, the complex seemed ghastly in the turbulent stormy night.

Creak!

The aluminium-framed glass entrance door made a low squeal in staccato with their click-splashing heels as they pushed and burst into the building, escaping the torrential rain altogether.

Arriving inside, they didn't pause on their steps. They took wide strides into the small foyer, shivering along the way.

The building was a simple complex with no-frills. And thus, the fact that there wasn't any lighting in the foyer didn't bother them. Instead, they paced up the stairs to the left afterwards, heading to the second floor.

Arriving in the grim hallway, they walked past the rows of doors with their boots softly tapping on the floorboard in haste. Only to stop when they got in front of a door that had '27B' written on it.

Despite the fact that the place was dimly lit by small passage lightings embedded in the ceilings, it was still quite dark in the hallway.

Cling!

Click!

After a short moment of feet-dragging in front of the door, one of the two figures stepped forward and unlocked the door that opened to a room. There was nothing but pitch darkness in there.

However, it didn't seem like the figures had trouble seeing in the darkness as their eyes glowed a golden ring.

The lady in front calmly walked in and reached to press on the wall to the side of the door, flickering the light switch on.

Clack!

Their private apartment is a two-bedroom unit with an open-plan living, and a balcony. It wasn't too grandeur in style, but the setting was quite understated and unassumingly of a cozy charm...

" Shut the windows, Iris!" with the lights on, the slightly bustier honey-brown haired lady turned to say to the brunette who followed behind her into the room in a vigilant tone!

Dripping wet, she hurried to put off her black leather jacket. Revealing a succulent, yet fit figure in a linen blouse and tight-fitting pants. She furrowed her brows, making her porcelain round face appear stern as she headed for the wide open window on her own initiative.

Making her way around the sofa and the small wooden center table in the middle of the room, Jinx soon reached the window.

Under the strong influence of the raging storm, the wet white curtain fabric flailed about violently. It didn't stop until Jinx had the windows shut.

" Why don't we ever go out with an umbrella, Jinx?" Iris sighed exasperatedly and whined. She stood right by the door, shivering in spot with her hands wrapped around her while staring at her best friend from childhood with an accusatory glare.

Despite how pale her face was, her innocent beauty still remained obvious.

Wearing just a beige barely-there cardigan over a white crop top and a bum short, Iris obviously had it worse. If it weren't for the fact that it was a bit cold at nights at times, she wouldn't even have the cardigan on.

After shutting the door behind her, Iris decided to stand there to let the wetness drip off of her first.

Instead of pulling off her clothes on spot, she'd rather wait it out.

Crack!

Rumble!

A small thunderclap resounded causing the lights to flicker once again.

Jinx who had just shut the windows turned around to face Iris and smiled wryly, " Wouldn't that be absurd? Just where have you ever heard of a werewolf walking about with an umbrella?" She jested at the trope surrounding werewolves.

' Not to speak of two Werewolves...' Seeing the blank expression on Iris's face and the way she trembled helplessly, Jinx chortled and made her way to the bedrooms to shut the windows in there as well.

Iris just rolled her eyes and dragged her feet to take a seat on one of the two couches in the room, not minding the fact that she left Jinx to do all the window-shutting. She was too cold and tired to care at the moment.

She reclined on the couch and shut her eyes close to envision warmth while still wrapping her arms around herself, taking in the fresh yet musty and damp air in the room in slow breaths.

" Dammit!" Iris cursed out loud and sat up not long after. She couldn't focus with her damp clothes sticking to her skin irritatingly. And thus, she started to pull them off.

Just then, Jinx returned from her bedroom. She held two towels in hand and threw one at Iris in passing. " Here, don't get the chairs soaked. And go change when you're done!"

" Hmph! What a way to treat your alpha..." Iris grunted, pulling the white piece of towel off of her face and wiping herself with it afterwards.

Jinx who stopped behind the couch while drying her hair with the towel in her hands couldn't help but pause hearing Iris. Something about what she said just now, as well as the damp smell in the room gave her a nostalgic feeling.

It reminded her of their hometown and their past lives. Something they've sworn to put behind them when they had both fled away from home together.

Something Jinx had been far away from keeping a promise...

Jinx's face turned solemn at this thought. She stared at the floorboard, seemingly lost in a daze.

She felt a rooted prong in her heart, as though something was digging out the feelings that she'd hidden deeply inside, away from Iris and herself...

The truth is, she's always had lingering emotions related to her past traumas, and she'd been hiding it from Iris behind smiles and fake promises.

Time after time, it kept eating at her... and Jinx was slowly nearing the verge of collapse.

She had trouble sleeping these days, and felt so insincere. Both with herself and with Iris.

Jinx felt as though she were two-faced, pretentious , and hypocritical...

Most of all, she struggled with an authenticity gap.

Jinx found it hard to accept her true self, and was starting to feel repulsive towards her presented self. Wondering if she should confide in Iris about this times without number.

However, she feared that Iris would despise her for having keeping it a secret from her all along. Jinx didn't want Iris to see her for who she was, she was scared to speak out the truth within her.

She yearned for closure, and she couldn't bring herself to stop thinking about her past. Feeling the need to revisit.

Her face darkened as she fell into dismay and confusion. Jinx felt guilty for having been lying to her best friend for a while now.

' This whole running away from home to start a new life was great at first, but I truly can't help this feeling, this yearn for answers inside of me...' Jinx knew she should discuss this with Iris. But she didn't want to be seen as having some sort of traumatic bonding issues.

But it was proving difficult to hide away from the truth now. She just couldn't help these feelings any longer.

' Should I... return home?' Jinx was uncertain. But it remained a fact that it was the only cue she knew to finding a way to set herself free from the lingering shackles that holds her back.

She needed to return to her hometown... To face her fears and lingering emotions!

But when the thought of meeting with her abusive mother once again crossed her mind, Jinx's heart tolled heavily.

' No!' Her lips quivered as she struggled to shake the thought away. Although she's grown independent now, Jinx just couldn't bring herself to face her fears.

" Hey, is something wrong?" Jinx was suddenly startled out of her trance hearing Iris' concerned voice. She stared at her best friend, left at a monetarily loss and didn't know how to respond for a second.

" Nothing. I was just wondering about something" Jinx hurriedly said dismissively shortly after. She just couldn't bring herself to tell Iris about her problems... Not yet.