An Evening with Betsy

For this night under the full moon I had asked for a special favor. No running through the wilderness this time. No attending the festival with the other werewolves. This time it'd actually just be us. Me and Betsy. I couldn't think of any other way to do this properly. We couldn't let Susie have any idea. Oscar probably didn't want to stay out all night. Besides that, I didn't know how he would feel about this. Because I didn't even know how to feel about it. I took the time to sneak away after Susie called lights-out, so I could already be at Betsy's home when I transformed. All I had to do was push down my urges and enter the cabin. I was barefoot as always on these nights. It saved me the trouble of having to get a new pair of shoes every month.Taking a deep breath, I walked inside, making sure to shut and lock the door behind me.

The first thing I noticed was that she had everything moved around. The furniture was arranged against the walls with a large space in the middle to wander around in. A smooth rock sat in the center of the room, flattened on the top and looking like a nice place to lounge.Betsy was laying peacefully atop it, reading one of her favorite books. A skylight let in plenty of moonlight on us, while the normal windows were sealed shut and covered completely. As my eyes took her in, I felt that same sensation as before. The aura she had around her was inescapable. I couldn't deny it. It rolled off her like waves, and everything there smelled of her. I felt like I wanted to be there with her. To be at her side all night, read with her and maybe sleep beside her, like I had with Oscar all these years. Except with her it was different. With Oscar it always had just seemed like the thing to do, but with Betsy... it was a connection I couldn't describe. Something pulled me towards her.

As my fingers pushed the lock into place I saw her ears flick in my direction. Her expression shifted from its neutral state to a warm smile. The look of Betsy's eyes whenever they met mine was enough make me shiver, and my tail swished eagerly. I didn't know why. I felt like a plant being gifted with sunlight. She made a motion for me to come over, something I was all too happy to oblige to. It only took me a few seconds to scramble on top of the rock. Once I was up there I got an idea for the real scope of the perch. About a full five foot radius, and with plenty of room for both of us, I didn't need to get too close. That wasn't what I wanted though. I craved proximity.

For once in my life I didn't listen to my inhibition, and let my wolf come out. I sidled up to Betsy, resting right beside her. I felt her soft fur on mine. My heart fluttered in my chest. How could I ever live without this? The thought came to me that one day, I'd have to be without Betsy. Once I went back home I'd never see the camp again, probably. I barely got to stay for this summer. I looked at my hands, unable to think of what to say. I felt her looking at me. I knew she was curious about what was on my mind. It hurt though, thinking about it.

"Betsy... I have something I want to say." I whispered, knowing that she'd hear. "For the last full moon, and this one too, I've thought about us. As friends. As best friends."

She flicked her ears forwards, her attention taken fully by my words. She knew Oscar was my best friend in every way. So for me to use that term for her was extremely important. Knowing this, I continued.

"Since I became a werewolf, since I got this gift from the werewolf queen, you've been there for me. Every time I needed advice or was panicking about something new. Even before, you were always on my side. You stood up for me, Oscar and the other campers. You stand up to Susie when we can't do anything. Most of all, you taught me to look at following my instincts as a good thing. I wanted to say... thank you."

Betsy looked away a moment. She waved a paw to dismiss it as nothing too big. She was humble like that.

"Hedgehog I was just doing what's right, you don't have to thank me for all these things." She spoke softly, a smile on her face.

I knew she would do that of course. My instincts told me the moment I finished talking that she'd want to try and downplay things. That was her nature. I didn't feel like that was what I wanted though. Like maybe she didn't understand the gravity of the effect it had on me. The next time I spoke my voice cracked a bit. I tried my best to make sure she really knew how I felt. Sitting up, I rested my hand on her fur covered shoulder. I watched her expression change. It went from humble and satisfied, to alert, caring and empathetic.

"This isn't coming out right... I want you to know that I care about you. A lot. As much as Oscar. I thought just now about how things would be without you, and I'm actually really scared. Nobody understands this part of me like you do. Oscar can sort of try, but he hasn't walked in our shoes. He doesn't know what you smell like, he can't ever know how the moonlight feels when we lay under it. I can't explain how badly I want to stay with you..."

I broke off, feeling myself starting to break up a bit inside. The look on Betsy's face had changed again. She looked me in the eyes, watching my tears well up. It wasn't possible for us to stay together. The only girl to really understand how liberating this form was, couldn't stick around for me. At least I thought so. There was no way I could say goodbye to Oscar. To my family. The tears in my eyes spilled over as I listened to her speak. I felt her arms wrap around me, pulling me into her embrace. She let my head rest on her shoulder as she comforted me. My heart leapt up into my throat. One of her soft hands began to pet my ears, letting me know that she understood. I started crying, unable to contain it.

"Hedgehog, I think that what we share together is special. And there's something I wanted to tell you too." She whispered to me, one paw rubbing my back. "We're both tied to the moon. I was there for you pretty soon after you were introduced to this new life of yours. That's irreplacable. I wanted to tell you that I thought of us as even more than best friends. We're closer than that. I never had anyone there when I became a werewolf. When I was 'born' I guess you could say. So I want to help you through all the problems I had back then."

I couldn't help but let a small smile cross my face. That was without a doubt the nicest thing that anyone besides Oscar had said to me. She wanted to help take all my problems away... to hold me there. Still, I reached up to wipe my eyes. That didn't change the fact that I'd be leaving. Maybe not soon, but I would be. That was all that really mattered to me. The idea of leaving it all behind hurt. Adding in everything she'd just said made that idea even worse to me. I didn't talk though. This moment was precious. Pushed against her with her arms around me. This was everything I wanted. Because someday soon I wouldn't be here. Once summer ended I couldn't cry in her arms. There would be no laying against each other reading books until the sun rises. The feeling of the mooonlight on my skin with her beside me. Her voice when we howled at the moon. The soft fur I knew so well, and the smell of her would fade into my memories. All of it made me cry even more... burying my face against her chest.

Feeling me starting to sob, Betsy wrapped her hand around my head. I heard her hushing me, petting my ears, telling me it'd all be okay. Her lips pushed to my forehead in a comforting kiss, and she pulled me as close as she could, trying to comfort me. It only made the idea of seperating from her worse... but I loved her for it. Making this moment so special to me. After a few minutes of this, I felt her lean in. She began whispering to me as quetly as she could, her voice gentle and caring.

"Shhh... I can't stand to see you cry, Hedgehog. If you really want, you can stay here on the island. Forever."

My eyes widened. What did she mean I could stay forever? I absolutely needed to return home. What would my parents think if I simply vanished? Even worse, that meant that I'd have to say goodbye to Oscar. Could I do that? I had to admit just in the moment... it sounded so tempting. To shrug off that responsibility. She saw the shock on my face and hugged me a bit tighter.

"You don't have to decide right now Hedgehog. I just wanted to tell you. Because me and you are both werewolves, now. Under the moon, both of us are gonna live a long, long time. Even if leaving what you know behind hurts, if you stay... you'll never have to say goodbye again. I can make sure you never have to cry. Never, ever again."

I couldn't bring myself to say anything. She brought a hand up to my face, brushing my tears away. She rested her forehead against mine, and stayed like that. For a while we sat there in each other's arms. I let the smell of her drown out everything else, while my mind wrestled with the idea of saying goodbye to what I knew. My family, Oscar, the world outside the island. All of it gone. What would it be replaced with though? A long... no, an eternal life with the person who would come to understand me just as well as Oscar, and already understood a part of me better than he ever could when it came to being a werewolf. It'd be an eternity of the island and all its mysteries. An eternity of living out a life a lot like Betsy's. What would I be giving up long term? Boring business work my father wanted me to do, mostly. Dull adult life.

Once I totally calmed down, and thought about it rationally, the more Betsy's offer tempted me. The ones that stayed in my life would mostly be the inhabitants of the island, whom seemed to mostly be timeless. The witches, the other werewolves, the monsters, all of them would be there for me still. I didn't have many friends in school. I was always busy studying. One thing kept coming back to me, though. Oscar. Would he understand? Who would go to his birthday parties? Who would stand up for him? Would he be okay on his own? Had I done enough to let him get along without me? That was what ate at me. The idea that I'd be giving up my friendship and all my support for him, so that I didn't have to experience the pain of letting go of Betsy. Who was the only person who had any hope of fully understanding me.

Hours passed. I didn't move at all. The only thing I heard was our hearts beating as one. The occassional brushing of our fur against each other. The adjusting of her arms around me, whenever it was needed. We spent most of the night like that together. At last, I spoke.

"I'll talk to Oscar. I want to stay."

As the sun started rising, Betsy leaned in and pushed her cheek against mine. The smile she wore said it all. I'd made her happier than I'd ever seen her. Knowing I'd eased the aching in her heart, I felt special. I knew that the feelings I had weren't one sided. She was willing to go really far for me. To help me adjust to a new life... a new beginning. She was probably going to get in trouble with the other witches, too. All for me. We'd be best friends... no, even better than best friends, forever. As the daylight flooded in, we returned to normal, our fur and hair in a disheveled mess like it always was at the end of the night. I felt her hand close around mine, as exhaustion flooded us. Suddenly the stone we were sitting on wasn't comfortable, in our normal forms. She guided me to the couch, and together we laid down to dream about our new life together.