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Baylee mostly kept quiet the rest of the way. He noticed Nick’s nervous glances and had expected Nick to interrogate him about what happened, but Nick was silent. To be honest, Baylee had never expected it. His father wouldn’t just storm out on a camping site full of people and kill a squirrel and lash out at a total stranger. That wasn’t his Dad. That was something far, far from it. The thought that they had a potential wild beast lying on the backseat was making his stomach churn.

“Bay?” Nick finally whispered, and looking in the rearview, Baylee could see that the wolf and the dog had both fallen asleep. He bit his lip at the sight of the still pinkish hue of the wolf’s fur.

“Yeah,” he mumbled.

“What was that back there?” Nick questioned. Baylee shrugged, curling his fingers around the handles of his bag and biting his lip. He was not going to cry right now. Not gonna happen. Not with Nick right next to him.
“That wasn’t really your dad, was it?” Nick’s tone was friendly and soft and Baylee looked up at him.

“He can’t control it,” Baylee whispered, his voice shaking.

“Will it get worse?” Nick asked slowly.

Baylee sighed, “The witch in the swamp said that it is a dangerous curse and that we had to hurry. If the transformation is complete, he will be a wolf for real.”

Nick nodded, biting his lip thoughtfully, “You might have wanted to warn me of that earlier.”

“I was scared you were going to leave.”

“And let you deal with a potential monster all on your own?”

“He isn’t a monster,” Baylee mumbled, “He’s just acting on instinct sometimes. Wolves are predators, you know.”

“They’re unpredictable, Baylee,” Nick said quietly, “They can kill.”

“He wouldn’t do that,” Baylee replied stubbornly, “He’s still my dad.”

“Tell me,” Nick said, hesitating, “when the transformation is complete, would there be anything of Brian left?”

Baylee closed his eyes and let a sob escape his throat, then shook his head slowly. “I’m scared,” he admitted, feeling like a five year old.

“I understand,” Nick mumbled; then he sighed. “Why did you do it, Baylee? Why did you get him cursed?”

Baylee looked at his hands and shrugged. “I don’t know. I never thought it would work. I was just... stupid, I guess. I mean...” he paused, looking up at Nick, “I love my dad, but I sometimes hate him as well, you know?”

To his surprise, Nick nodded in understanding. “That’s why he’s your dad, that’s what they’re for.”

“I know, but... it’s so much more. I just wanted... I guess I wanted to not be referred to as the son of that Backstreet Boy for once. I guess I wanted him to be something else so that I could be my own man and be who I am, not whose son I am. Does that make any sense?”

Nick nodded again, “Pretty much. But that’s not his fault. You took your frustration out on the wrong person.”

“I know,” Baylee whispered, “I just wished he would spend time with me some more. He’s gone all the time, you know? It isn’t the first time he’s gone missing.”

“Do you know where he goes when he leaves?” Nick frowned.

“No,” Baylee shook his head, “He never tells me or Mom. Do you know?”

“I’m not sure,” Nick said, chewing his lip, “I don’t think it’s my place to tell you, even if I did know.”

Baylee studied him for a little while. Nick had changed a lot from when Baylee had gotten to know him. He was more mature and responsible. Mom would be proud if she knew. Dad would be too. Baylee smiled through his tears, “Thanks,” he said.

Nick’s eyebrows shot up, “For what?”

“For not treating me like a little kid,” Baylee said.

“Oh no, I’m terrified of you,” Nick smiled, “I don’t want to end up as a camel.”

“Camel?”

“Definitely a camel.”

Baylee laughed a little too loud and noticed his father jerk awake on the backseat. Baylee smiled at him, “Nick wants to be a camel,” Baylee informed.

The wolf blinked at him sleepily; then turned to Nick questioningly, “It’s not as much that I want to be a camel, but more that I think that’s what’s going to happen regardless.”

“We’d have to travel all the way to the Sahara to turn him back,” Baylee laughed.

“Yes, be glad it’s only a wolf we’re dealing with here,” Nick sighed before cursing, “I don’t think we can tread this terrain with a car anymore.”

“This is where we start to walk then,” Baylee mumbled.

Nick nodded, gripping the steering wheel tightly before letting it go. “I’m not exactly much of a hiker.”

“Neither am I,” Baylee admitted, “Do you have your walking shoes on?”

“Yes.”

“Then we should be fine.”

They got out of the car quickly and Baylee looked around as Nick locked the doors. The forest was large and dark, not a place for a young child and a popstar, but definitely for a wolf. It was cold up here and he shivered, looking at the tall pine trees that seemed to touch the heavens. He noticed the wolf pricking up his ears and saw the longing in his eyes. Should they keep him on leash? Probably not. That would only cause aggression. Baylee turned around as Nick splayed out the large forest map over the hood of the car. He pointed towards a blue spot on the map.

“There’s the Poplar lake,” Nick said. “We’re supposed to go there, aren’t we?”

Baylee nodded slowly, “How far is that?”

“Far,” Nick sighed, “We’ll have to go around a lot, because the mountains are too steep to climb. It’ll take us like four or five days. Maybe more, if mister Squirrel Catcher over there has any more surprises in store for us.”

Dad looked up curiously at the word squirrel; then glared in annoyance. Baylee frowned at him, “You know, his hunting skills would come in handy if we want to have fresh rabbit for dinner.”

“Ew,” Nick shook his head, “No thanks. I think we’re packed enough to not need to rely on your father’s wildlife killing talents.”

Their journey began with Nick leading the way, holding the map in front of his face constantly and pointing out where they needed to go. To his credit, the wolf stayed close to them and followed obediently, slinking behind Baylee and insisting on carrying Keeko on his back. Keeko was ecstatic at the sight of the large forest and squealed in delight every now and then. The further they got into the forest, the darker their surroundings became and it didn’t take long before they needed to take the flashlights out of their bags. The wolf obviously saw perfectly without a flashlight, but Baylee could barely make out two trees in front of him without it. It was getting very cold now and he tightened his coat around him. He looked up, only barely being able to see the sky through the thick foliage. They’d been walking for maybe two hours and his legs already felt sore from climbing the hills.

It was going to be a long way.