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“Okay, so we send her a text, saying you’ll be home soon and not to worry,” Baylee said, clutching his father’s phone in his hands. He’d taken it with him when he’d let Dad out of the basement. There was no need in Mom finding it and freaking out; assuming Dad had gone missing without taking his phone.

Dad looked at him from where he was laying on the ground. “She’ll be pissed at you for sending a text and not calling her, but that will have to do.” Baylee stared hopelessly at the eighty missed calls from the last six days. About seventy percent were from his mother, and the others were either angry managers or the guys themselves. “Do we tell her where you are?” he asked his father, who seemed to think about that for a moment, “I mean, where do you usually go?” It sounded a bit accusatory, but that was how Baylee felt about his father just randomly leaving now and then.

The wolf made a whining sound and Baylee sighed, not for the first time wishing that his father could just speak with him. He’d like to know where his father went when he left and put an end to the mystery, but for some reason, Dad never disclosed his location. And it was not like he could tell him now. “We can’t tell her,” Baylee mumbled, “we mustn’t tell her we are going to leave.”

The wolf whined again, putting a paw on Baylee’s leg. “She’ll never believe me,” Baylee whispered, “She’ll have you taken away or killed.”

Dad tilted his head and then looked down, nodding. “You wouldn’t believe it either,” Baylee said quietly. The thought of a young boy conversing with a wolf in the backyard would set any parent off. “Do you think they’ll send search parties after me?” Baylee smiled, “Backstreet Boy’s son runs away from home; parents are unavailable for commentary.”

A noise that sounded a suspicious amount like a human groan left the wolf’s throat and he lay back down.

Baylee laughed. He was pretty sure he’d make the news, but it was the least of his concerns, as he still had no idea how to make it all the way to Minnesota with a wolf in tow. The witch in the swamp had said they’d needed allies and friends, but Baylee was pretty sure no one in their right mind would believe him when he told them his father had transformed into a wolf and he needed to break the curse by travelling into the woods of Minnesota. Jason, maybe, could be a companion, but that would mean two children ran away from home and Baylee wasn’t sure if he wanted Jason to get involved.

And could he convince somebody to go with him without knowing what the journey was for?

Maybe.

Baylee’s eyes lit up when he got an idea. He stared at the names on the phone that had been calling repeatedly. They were desperate to know where his father was and if Baylee could provide them with even the vaguest answers, there might be a chance of an ally there. So Baylee decided to call the first name that appeared on the missed calls besides his mother. The phone rang only once before it was picked up.

“Brian?” The voice sounded astonished and maybe a little bit angry.

“No, it’s Baylee,” Baylee replied.

“Bay?” Nick sighed, the disappointment evident in his voice, “wait, you got your dad’s phone? Do you know where he is? I’ve been trying to call him for days.”

“I-I kinda know where he is,” Baylee stammered, wondering if this was such a good idea after all as he looked at the angry wolf’s face. “But I can’t tell. We gotta go get him.”

“Wait, what?” Nick sounded incredulous and Baylee sighed. “Is this a joke?”

“No! It’s... it’s complicated, alright? But we gotta go get him, he is in Minnesota.”

“Why can’t he come by himself?” Nick replied and Baylee could tell Nick no longer took him seriously.

“He’s kinda... stuck there,” Baylee said and saw the wolf shake his head and grumble from the corner of his eye.

“Baylee, are you okay?” Nick asked, a hint of concern now in his voice.

“I’m fine!” Baylee barked into the phone and tried to ignore the wolf’s snort. Nick was making him look like an idiot. “Can you just come over here?”

He heard Nick sigh on the other end, and although he knew Nick was practically at the other side of the country, he had never been able to deny Baylee anything. “There’s something up with you.”

“Whatever,” Baylee mumbled, “Just come up here, please,” he pleaded now, “I have something to show you.”

“Fine, it’s not like we’re working now anyway,” Nick sighed and Baylee felt a sense of relief. If he could tell his mom he was going with Nick, she wouldn’t freak out as much as she would when he just up and left. Nick was probably curious enough now to take a plane trip over here just to see what Baylee had to show him.

After saying goodbye, Baylee turned to his father, who was staring intensely at him. “What?”

The wolf rolled his eyes and shook his head, clearly not happy with the situation. Baylee just shrugged, “Well, it seems like I’m the one that has to make the decisions now,” he told his father. The wolf’s eyes narrowed and a low grumble left his throat. “I’m not scared of you,” Baylee said, although knowing it wasn’t the truth. The witch in the woods had said his father would eventually turn into a normal wolf and wolves were dangerous beasts. Baylee shook whenever he thought about the notion that his father could turn on him, without meaning to. He hoped they got to their destination before that could happen. But still, he felt a shiver run over his spine whenever he reminded himself of the dead rabbits he’d found in a neat little pile outside of the fort. His old Dad would never have been able to kill a rabbit with his bare hands, but this wolf seemed to have zero problems whatsoever.

Baylee knew that they didn’t have nearly enough meat in the house to satisfy a wolf’s diet, but the dead rabbits were an unwelcome sight.

He’d already packed his bags at the time Nick showed up in his rental car. He’d kinda hurt his mother when he said he needed to go with Nick to do some ‘guy’s stuff.’ First Dad had left, and now her son was leaving as well. Baylee had promised he’d be home by the end of the week and although he didn’t exactly know if it was true, it had made his mother a little less tense. He ran over to the backyard when he saw Nick pulling up in the front lane and pulled his Dad out of the fort with the dog leash. Dad was absolutely furious that Baylee had put a leash on him and although Baylee had tried to explain that it would help with the illusion that he was a dog, rather than a wolf, it didn’t make his father less pissed. The wolf shook his head wildly as Baylee pulled him out, growling and grumbling, his sharp teeth bared. Baylee rolled his eyes and decided to just drag the wolf over to the car then, if he was going to make a fuss.

“Can you just behave, it has to look like you’re trained properly,” Baylee hissed as they neared the car. Once Nick was in clear sight, the wolf suddenly stopped struggling and walked next to Baylee perfectly.

“Holy fuck!” Nick screeched out when he caught eyes on them. The color in his face drained away immediately and he fell back against his car, bracing himself.

“Baylee, for fuck’s sake, what the hell do you think you’re doing with that?”

“Relax,” Baylee said, “It’s just a dog.”

“That,” Nick replied, pointing a finger, “is not a dog. Get away from it!”

“It’s a hybrid and he’s really friendly,” Baylee defied, “A cross between a husky male and a wolf female, if you must know. It’s from a friend who can no longer take care of it.”

“Why? Because it’s too dangerous?” Nick questioned, although he seemed to calm down somewhat. “I don’t believe your parents would just let you have an animal like this.”

“Well, my Dad’s not here and my mom.... doesn’t exactly know about the dog.”

“Oh, for crying out loud,” Nick sighed, bringing a hand to his face and sagging against the car, “Is that what you called me over for? To get rid of a dog?”

“Sort of,” Baylee replied, biting his lip.

“Your Dad’s not really in Minnesota, is he?” Nick grumbled.

“Not exactly, no,” Baylee admitted, staring at the ground, “But he said he’s going there.”

“How do you talk to him if you have his phone?” Nick wondered.

“I, eh, he emailed me,” Baylee said. Lying was hard. Couldn’t he just tell Nick the truth? No, not yet. Nick would laugh at him and call his mom. And then he’d be in even more trouble than he already was.

Nick looked at him sceptically, “Whatever. I’m guessing this dog is going to Minnesota as well then?”

Baylee nodded silently and Nick looked at him sternly, “Bay, you don’t have to lie to me, alright? If your Dad is not in Minnesota, that’s fine. I’ll help you get rid of the dog, just keep it away from me.”

Baylee nodded again, opening the car door. A loud yapping sound cut through the air and he looked up. A small ball of white raced towards him and then jumped up into the car. “I guess Keeko is coming too,” Baylee mumbled.

“Oh God, we’re gonna have a canine invasion here,” Nick muttered. “Wouldn’t that wolfdog eat her if she as much as breathed his way?”

“No no,” Baylee said, getting into the passenger side after letting the two animals into the backseat, “They’re actually best friends.”

“Unbelievable,” Nick grumbled. “Does he have a name?”

“Thomas,” Baylee replied carelessly. “But you call him Thom.”