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It’s been a bit late coming, but here is the backstory to Tim. If you notice issues with links in other parts, please do comment. I have been distracted by homeschooling lately. Thank you 🙂
If you missed Part 1, please find it here. For Part 2, click here. Part 3 is here. To read Part 4, click here.
Tim implored Meredith to follow him back into the cabin. He looked at her with sorrowful hazel eyes; darker than the lake had been only the previous day.
Once they were in the lounge, Meredith crossed her arms defensively before asking Tim to share his story. He motioned for her to sit down, though she didn’t want to, so he sat and rested his chin on his elbows.
“My mother met a man when she was travelling as a young trainee nurse. She fell in love with him; he loved her too. But every month she had to witness him transforming into a wild beast. It broke her heart to see him in pain and out-of-control. He was never violent with her, but he did sometimes destroy furniture. A few doors had to be replaced at home.
After a few transformations, they discussed the option of chaining him to a post in the garage, so that he could not wreak any havoc. Whilst she was reluctant to do this at first, she soon came to realise it was the only way they could live together without the risk of him potentially harming her.
When my mum passed away, I had to chain my father up to that post. But I had no one to do the same for me. If I was able to, I’d sometimes restrain myself. There were occasions that I was too late though. I caused some damage like my father had in the past.
Once I completely trashed my bedroom, ripping up my mattress and clothes. I decided that I couldn’t put another person through seeing my ‘inner wolf’ once a month, so I stayed alone after my father eventually passed.
My uncle had the same affliction. He’d bought this cabin so he could live in relative isolation. He left it to me so that I could have a place to go away from my family home at transition times.”
Tim trailed off at this point. Meredith was stunned, but she could see there was no damage to the lounge furniture. “How did you manage not to destroy anything last night?” she questioned him incredulously.
“As I’ve grown older, I think the instinct to rip things apart has lessened, in all honesty,” Tim surmised. Meredith recalled the grisly murders Cal had been working on the autopsies for. Her blood drained from her face as she considered whether Tim was responsible.
“What about the three young women who were found dead, with human teeth marks on their necks?” Meredith demanded to know.
Tim looked wounded, as he realised that she suspected foul play on his part.
“The truth is, I’ve been nowhere near those places the women were found,” he replied earnestly. “I’m figuring they were on dates with a guy who got a bit overenthusiastic with rough and tumble.” Meredith considered Tim’s reasoning. It was not implausible; the women had engaged in consensual sex, and perhaps the deaths had been an accident.
“You’ve really been alone this whole time?” Meredith asked, almost pleading.
“Yes. I didn’t want anyone suffering like my mother did.”
“What about now?” Meredith queried, saying, “You said you didn’t want anyone suffering.“
Tim looked at her carefully, before replying, “I’d leave it up to them to decide if they could handle it or not…”
He looked directly at her when he said ‘if they could handle it or not.’
Meredith knew he was challenging her. She needed to get some rest after the disturbed sleep she’d endured last night.
“I’m going to head back to my cabin and get some sleep today. But how about you come over later this afternoon? I’ll repay the favour with dinner at my cabin, and you can tell me more about your wolfish ways.”
Tim smiled, genuinely happy that she didn’t tell him to just drop himself off a cliff. “I’d really like that, how about 5 o’clock?”
“Sure,” Meredith answered, before she told him where her cabin was.
It was 9:30 a.m., so she’d get nearly 6 hours sleep if she headed off now.
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About quarter to 4 in the afternoon, Meredith woke from her restful sleep. She showered and tidied up her cabin. Just before 5, there was a knock on her front door. Tim was early. He smiled at Meredith, shyly, and held a small bouquet of wild flowers out to her.
“They’re delightful,” enthused Meredith, as she welcomed Tim inside. She’d started preparing some chicken fillets with a buttermilk and breadcrumb coating. There were some corn cobs and fries in the freezer to go with the chicken.
While they waited for dinner to cook, Meredith took some beers from the fridge and offered one to Tim. They drank and talked about Meredith’s plans for her last few days by the lake. “I know some good walks,” Tim mentioned, before continuing, “there are some great views from the ridge that’s about 5 miles north of here.”
Tim told Meredith that he’d be heading back to his family home in a few days. He had to return to his work, making furniture. Jokingly, he added, “when you destroy a table and chairs you can only buy one new set before people start to question what you’re doing with them. I learnt to make some new ones with wood I got from here.”
They enjoyed another beer with their dinner, and then washed up the plates. When Tim looked at the time and said he’d best be heading off, Meredith looked at him inquisitively. He realised what she was about to ask, and reassured her, “I only turn the once, on the night of the actual full moon. That was last night.”
Meredith asked him to stay awhile. She was enjoying his company and wasn’t even missing her favourite show, much to her amusement. Tim’s response came hesitantly; he had another secret that Meredith didn’t know, and he wasn’t quite sure how to broach it. Seeing her looking at him expectantly, Tim swallowed nervously, before replying,
“I’ll stay for another drink, then I’m going to head back to my cabin. If you wanted to go for a walk up to the ridge tomorrow, we could pack a picnic and make a morning of it. The walk itself is about 2 hours, and the trail is reasonably maintained, so some sturdy trainers ought to do the job. I usually take my radio with me as the signal is virtually non-existent. Would you like to join me, Meredith?”
The question threw Meredith off-guard momentarily, though she remembered her parents having a few maps with local trails stowed in the bookshelf. Seeing as she had no other plans, she decided a walk would allow her to find out more about Tim.
“How does a 9 a.m. wake-up call sound to you, that’ll give us time to prepare the feast, right? I’ll bring some bread, cheese and meats, that’ll cover the carbs, fat and protein requirements, and how about you bring the fruit and veg and anything else you’ve got?”
Tim seemed happy with that, “Sure, I have some apples, grapes, melon, cucumber and tomatoes. Maybe even some cereal bars too, they contain nuts and are pretty nutrient-rich.”
Meredith smiled. Whatever Tim wasn’t telling her, she was sure it could wait until the following day. Tim seemed about ready to bolt, so she yawned to give him the release he needed to break up their evening. She figured wolves and dogs would communicate with behavioural cues rather than verbal ones. This was her way to tell Tim ‘it’s ok if you need more time.’
He sensed her need to know more, and with a furrowed brow, he earnestly looked into her eyes and wistfully bade her goodnight. He’d waited his whole life to find someone who could accept his identity. Heck, he wasn’t completely comfortable with it, despite living like this the last 42 years. His pack had been limited to his father, uncle and himself. Ever the lone wolf, Tim felt wary trusting other people. Including Meredith…
Part 6 has been written at last; find it here.
Want to read another story? Here’s one that has a kinky/ voyeuristic theme 😉
Enjoy my writing? Why not check out a story I self-published on Amazon, called Explicit Theatrics under the pen name Zoe Adams (I chose that as it has the initials Z.A., like a backwards A-Z, and it rolled off my tongue when I said it aloud to myself. 😉
Excellent story so far could almost be a mini series
It’s a work in progress, so I must admit, I’m developing it as I go along. Part 6 isn’t written yet, so I’m sitting on it so to speak, seeing what folks make of it and then put my thinking cap on when I shut myself off in my writing cave 😝
a wonderful development. I look forward to continuing 🙂
I loved reading more about him, and am curious to know what else he wants to tell her. Looking forward to part 6 🙂
Rebel xox
Thank you Marie. Part 6 will be written as soon as I can get time amongst Zoom meetings, organising home stuff, keeping the family happy during lockdown. Looking forward to some quiet time where I can sit and think in my own head 😝xxx