Lauderhill do your best

looks without orange thingie

---

Was there such a thing as ethical stalking?

Levi very much thought so as he parked in the Lauderhill street where his new... he didn't like to think victim, but what else could he call her?... acquaintance. Let's go for acquaintance. The street where Ms Fhaumnuaypol lived. (Yes he looked how to pronounce this name correctly, also yes he practiced out loud in his car on the way there.)

He hadn't followed her home! Well yes technically but a solid maybe sixteen hours since then? Delaying stalking wasn't-

Oh, who was he kidding. He was stuck once again tracking down someone the coyote had bullied. Twice was starting to look like a pattern. Perhaps the 'bite but no infection' pattern would bless him as well?

So it was the next day, and he only stopped at the mall to get the closest thing possible to the wallet his beast had stolen. He had meant to replace it monetarily, but the mere idea of returning the ruined leather thing had earned him a growl. The 'yote did not return his toys. So in the new wallet the IDs went, and he also changed the chewed bills for less damaged one. Hey, who knows, maybe she was just a little bruised and he wouldn't even have to tell her what happened. Just a, hey, I found this, have a great day!

Levi got out of his car and walked to the address, holding one ID to make sure he didn't hand it over to the wrong person. Then took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Please be wounded was a horrible yet fair thing to have in mind in this situation.

Malai’s next shift wouldn’t start until tomorrow, but already she was questioning if she should call out or if she should continue as scheduled. She didn’t know how the infection worked, she knew it couldn’t be transmitted to others through the air, but she also didn’t know if she was potentially infectious right now.

Online didn’t hold solid answers for her either, and with her not knowing if she was especially infectious during this stage, she didn’t want to risk spreading it to their patients.

Still, this was the time in her life where she was supposed to be most diligent, the time where she was supposed to work her hardest so that when she grew older, she could rest easy. This was her steppingstone, and now it felt like she had been thrown off into some new abyss.

She could recall Grace offering something in times like this, but bothering her after just one encounter seemed wrong, and what if Malai wasn’t actually infected? What if this was just a case of hypochondria? Doubtful given the wounds had closed, but there were still too many ‘what ifs’ in this whole situation.

Sighing for the millionth time that day, Malai threw her head back onto the edge of the couch, staring at the ceiling when a knock sounded at her door.

No one knocked on her door…

Brows furrowing, she would promptly rise, peeking through the peephole to find some strange man that she had certainly never seen before, or at least didn’t recall seeing. Confused, she’d open the door just a crack, poking a head out to offer the man an equally confused look.

”Can I help you?”

She looked like such a nice, polite lady. Why did the coyote always bothered nice ladies? And this was clearly the woman on the ID, and obviously he recognized her scent too, duh. Sometimes Levi forgot stuff like that.

"Well hi, you certainly look like a Ms Fhaumnuaypol!" He greeted with a suspiciously jolly tone. "This is yours!" He extended the hand that held the wallet, with the ID on top to hide the fact it wasn't exactly the same model.

Now please reach out with the hand that was bitten so he could see if running away forever was an option or not.

The confusion would only deepen with his response, mixed with a good amount of surprise too because she had never heard anyone here say her last name correctly before. Well, outside of other Thailand natives of course, but never someone that looked... Like this man currently standing in front of her.

"Thank you?" A lift to her voice as she took in the ID. Definitely the one that had been taken, perhaps dropped by the dog soon after it had run away? "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

She would take the wallet, though unfortunately for the man her dominate hand was her right, and the wolf had bitten her left.

Levi considered playing keepaway with the wallet and maybe pull her out, but that was... something the beast would do. He would use his words. But not his eyes, these would be staring into the ground with intensity that could have dug a hole.

"The reason I have this... is... well. I. I'm the one who stole it from you yesterday. I'm sorry."

She didn't look too feverish, too, right? Not that he had really looked beyond the 'oh yeah right person' thing.

Malai couldn't see herself getting out of this confused state any time soon, not with the words that this man was saying.

"How could you be the one who-" And then it hit her, because the only way that she could be infected was if it had been a Were that had attacked her yesterday, and if it had been a Were, that meant that there was a whole other side to the animal. A human side. "Oh."

A brief pause as she pulled in a controlled breath.

"You're a Were."

cw reminder of death

---

You're a Were. There had been only one other time when someone told him that, and it was after his own turning. The coyote that had came out of nowhere to chomp at his thigh. Almost immediately, the body breaking into a human form. A dead human form.

It was the elderly were's bandmates that had informed him of his new life. That their spiritual grandmother had made a new coyote with her last moments. The final shift before her body gave out.

He always thought his beast didn't like him because his sire had been this strong and powerful were. What a pathetic excuse for one he was. Nearly cowering in the gaze of a mere human, while he could easily have killed her yesterday. Like he could have killed the manul girl.

Levi squezed his eyes shut, trying to bury the spiral that would help no one right now.

"Yes." He replied gently. "I'm a coyote."

Or a mangy fluff, as Indigo had called him, but he doubted present company would find this funny.

It made sense why the dog had seemed so big, why it had been so wild, it had not been a dog at all, or not entirely at least. It had been a coyote, and with how appalled its human counterpart currently looked, not a very tame coyote.

She wasn't sure if she should be mad at the man, or angry. Sure, a part of her wanted to scream, to slap at his shoulder and demand what right he had to attack her, what right he had to potentially send her back ten years in her life. The other part, the section of her that she had been trained to listen to since birth, told her that it would do her no good. Screaming would only make her feel foolish later when she had time to think on it, and this man would not be able to change the past.

What was done was done, and while she wanted to do all those things, she would keep her face void, nodding her head in understanding of what the man spoke. "A coyote." She repeated, more for herself than needing any actual clarification. "And was the bite intentional?"

"No!" He replied instantly, purple staining the blue in his eyes as he offered a rare instance of direct eye contact, if she would have it. There was pain in his expression, pain for her, pain for himself. "It's like... two minds in one body. I..."

He pressed a hand to his chest, grabbing the front of his jacket.

"I never want to hurt anyone. But the beast has its own... will." And you did slap him. Irrelevant, brain.

The coyote had been nibbling at his own paw for a while, but the surge of emotion had him raise his head, aware of his human's disorganized heartbeat and ready to take advantage of it if he could.

Two minds in one body, it was scary to think that it could be a fate she would also be experiencing in the near future. A fate that this man had bestowed upon her without even intending, a fate that he now clearly regretted.

But regret was one thing, while change was another.

"I see," she offered softly, opening the door more fully. "Then its best you come inside; we have a lot more talking to do." And a lot of decisions to make.

He had expected shouting and slaps, but instead he was invited it. The door revealed what he already felt: his damage had been undone, only to herald more chaos. You made a puppy, asshole. He thought to his beast, who didn't react until Levi thought about baby coyotes. And damn, it was a cute image.

The reality was much worse, much harder.

"Thanks." He muttered, getting inside and taking off his shoes because he was not about to ruin her floor on top of her life. "I'm Levi."

It was only fair that he told her his name, as he already knew hers. He purposefully left out his last one because Hunter was a little too on the nose in these types of moments.

Malai was thankful for the shoes, though she wouldn't say it aloud as she led him towards the couch. It wasn't large, more loveseat than couch, but it would have to do. Much better than standing awkwardly in the doorframe.

"Malai," he already knew it, but it felt right to introduce herself as well. "I'm not sure where to begin, but I suppose it's best to inform you that I believe that I might have been infected during our encounter yesterday." Almost certain, but she wanted to hear it from the expert's mouth.

That was much too close, but it would be rude to deny the couch and sit crossed legged on the floor, so he took the offered seat.

She spoke so formally. Like she had the experience of delivering bad news and was composed enough to do it even when it concerned her. Factual and polite. Like. Oh, oh no. Was she some sort of health professionnal? Did he just ruin the carreer of a much needed hero?

His eyes fell on her wrist. It should have been angry-red, swollen, bandaged. It was none of that. In fact, there was absolutely nothing. If he didn't clearly remember the taste of her blood, he could have conviced himself it had been a vivid dream.

"You're all healed up, so yeah, unless you had the visit of a healer during the night, you're, uh..." Doomed. "On the other side already. That's weird, though, you really don't even have a mark while I kept the whole scar, it's not..." Fair. "...the same, huh."

His hand fell on his right thigh, where the pant fabric hid the angry scar that had not faded even a little in two years.

Bodies were rude.

A strange way to reference a doctor, stranger though was the fact that apparently it was more common to have a scar.

Or not normal to retain one? It didn't seem like Levi knew very much, and she felt some pity towards herself for having had been bitten by someone that wasn't as much the expert as she had been hoping. Still, he knew more than she did, and so he would prove to be useful all the same.

"If you say so," she answered, twisting her arm so that he could get full view of her now clear arm. "It stopped bleeding pretty soon after the attack, and by the time I woke this morning, the wound was gone entirely." But now it was clear that she was indeed infected, an infection that couldn't be fixed unless she went to Grace, a woman that she had not spoken to in over a year.

It was probably best not to bother a stranger with these issues.

"What happens from here?"

Why was he seemingly more stressed than her? Maybe she just had a thick cool exterior and was panicking inside, or maybe she was the type of person to take things in stride. No screaming would be better for everyone.

"Alright, so." He started with a deep breath. "First you'll get the fever and your body will keep healing if it has anything else to fix. Then the next full moon... the 15th." He added, as most non-weres probably didn't keep count of the moon phases. "You'll, uh, transform. It's not very pleasant." That was a terrible euphemism, Levi, and not one he was willing to correct just yet. "I can, uh, be there. So you're not, you know, alone. There's a group of us too, if you'd rather not deal with me directly."

It didn't sound that bad, right!

As he spoke, Malai would check the clock on her phone. November 4th, eleven days until the virus took hold and she was left with the same infliction as Levi. Eleven days to figure something out with her job, and eleven days to figure out her life.

Such a short amount of time, and yet she knew that the days would stretch and slow. Drag and push her to the brink of a nervous breakdown while anticipation ate away at any peace that she could muster.

”I appreciate the offer,” she answer for his presence. ”It would be comforting to have someone else there, but” a pause as she gathered the right words, failed. ”What happens after?”

Levi almost mentioned the possibility of unturning. He wanted to, really. She deserved to know. It had felt obvious to mention it to the manul girl, but this one was going to be a coyote, and he didn't want to kill a coyote, even indirectly.

Also she didn't tell him to get lost yet, so he was probably doing okay?

"It will probably take a few months to get used to it. Your coyote will want a lot of meat." He hoped she wasn't vegan, that would make the adaptation period worse. "But you won't be alone, unless you want to."

He did have an empty room in his house, but how creepy would it be to offer her to move in with a stranger? What story would that make? Like "how did you meet your roommate, Malai? Oh he bit me and ruined my life but I get to live rent-free in his house now!"

This was not what he had in mind when he bought the house. Well, yes he had made sure there would be room for another coyote, but one that had been found, not literally made by him.

A few months to get used to what? The hunger? The fever? New scents? All of the above most likely, though she was starting to realize that Levi wasn’t necessarily good at this whole explaining thing, or perhaps Malai just had higher standards when it came to these things.

Most likely the latter.

”I’ll admit that I know very little about Weres, I never imagined that I would ever be in this sort of situation so I had never taken the time to learn.” It felt foolish now, but it was not as if she could see into the future.

”Having help would be ideal.”

Help was accepted. And she didn't know much about weres. Got it. He didn't want to assume she didn't, but now with a confirmation...

"Okay, so, uh." He stammered, then started counting on his fingers. "Were stuff. Hunger, I mentioned that already. Senses. The world is amazing with higher senses, but it can be a lot at first. You'll hear everything. Then, uh. Healing. Super fast. And after the fever, you won't be sick ever again. Community. The other coyotes are very nice, I'm sure they'll want to meet you when you're ready."

Was he forgetting something? That seemed pretty good. It occurred to him that he was painting a nice portrait of it all. The positive things. The details to look forward to.

Because despite the challenges... it was a pretty damn good life.

Malai nodded for each point, mind working through the new details. The most concerning two at this point being the shifting itself and the enhanced senses. Working in a hospital meant that there were a lot of smells and sounds going on constantly, and having acute senses could both be useful and bothersome in that sort of environment.

A difficult job potentially made even more difficult.

Worry ate at her core, though Malai kept both her face and tone neutral as she spoke. ”You’ve mentioned others a few times now, how many of you are there?”

"Four. Well, five now, with you." A tentative smile. A bit crisped, but sincere. "The... headquarters of sorts is in Camp Baron. It's our territory. There are territories. But, uh, don't worry, you can go anywhere. Just try to avoid shifting in cities."

He looked down at his hands at this.

"I always get out of town but then my coyote just runs back in. He likes cities."

So many people had taken him for a dog, present company included.

Four, and like animals, they had a territory out in Baron, a place that she didn’t visit often but perhaps one that she would begin frequenting soon. Once she was fully turned, would she have a drive to mix with the other coyotes? Would she need to move closer?

A more concerning question first, Levi stated that the coyote ran back to the town, said as if he didn’t have a choice in the matter…

”What do you mean, the coyote likes cities?”

What did she mean? He wasn't sure how he could convey it more clearly, but he had to try. All questions were good.

"Uh, well... Like, I know wild animals should be in the wild, for everybody's safety." Ah, ah, wasn't he right on this, maybe he shouldn't have said that, too late now carry ooooon. "But he likes exploring the streets and finding stuff to play with." Or humans to bite. Luckily he didn't say that part. "It's the, two minds thing I mentioned. We don't always agree. But maybe yours will be super sweet and never want to mess with people."

Or maybe hers would be even more vicious, who knew. Well, he would know, but only in eleven days.

Wait.

Wait.

She must have totally skimmed over that last part earlier in their conversation, Malai blinking in surprise as she shook her head. ”I apologize, I think-“ A sharp intake of breath as she worked her emotions back into a state of calm. ”I missed that part earlier. Two minds?”

Everything else she felt she could understand and take in stride, but this part, this part she wasn’t quite sure she could wrap her head around that.

"No need to apologize." Levi replied gently. "I've been dumping a lot of info on you. It's okay."

He was the one with eternal apologies to deliver.

"The animal has its own... wants. Meat is one. Getting plenty of outside time is another. These are simple ones, it's easy to deal with that. With time, you'll figure out your coyote's personality. Mine can be... mean. A-as you noticed. I personally would never... never do that. Sometimes I can stop him." His voice got quieter. "Sometimes not."

In hindsight, maybe he should have let the coyote hunt the other girl. Were on were violence would have sated the beast. Malai didn't deserve to get bitten over this.

It made more sense why the man was apologizing to profusely then, why he seemed to hold so much guilt for what he had done. It hadn’t been his intention to change her, he hadn’t meant to attack her, or even to take the wallet that he had now returned. It had been that other mind. The coyote who apparently held their own wants and desires.

A mind that held their own personality as well, one that couldn’t be predicted until it appeared.

”Is it safe to assume that the coyotes mind is still present even while you’re human?”

"Yes." He nodded. "Like right now, he's... lying down in a forest patch. In my mind. Staring, but relaxed. Sometimes he sleeps. I think I bore him when I rant."

A chuckle. He felt a bit self-conscious, and never really explained that in detail how this was for him.

So, it wasn’t just thoughts of another creature, but visuals as well? An inward sigh as she realized that this whole thing was going to be even more difficult than she had originally thought, which said a lot because she had already assumed it was going to be extremely difficult.

”That’s going to be distracting.” She said more to herself than to Levi. ”And there’s no way to shut the animal off?”

Distracting was certainly a word for it.

"Well, keep it well-fed and it shouldn't bother you too much. Sometimes I forget he's there. It's just... getting used to it. But, no, you can't, like, put it in airplane mode or something."

He tried not to chuckle at his own joke. Emphasis on try. This was not funny.

She didn’t like that, her frown becoming more prominent as her lips pushed inward in thought. How was she supposed to manage her own thoughts while in the hospital along with the thoughts and wants of a coyote? Keeping well fed would be easy enough, but other desires, she wasn’t quite sure.

It didn’t help that she had no way to predict if she would have a laid back coyote compared to Levi, or one that was even more hectic or aggressive.

Too many unknowns.

”And the shifting, how does that work? I know it doesn’t only happen on the full moons, but who decides in the times outside of that? You or the animal?”

The coyote showed his teeth at that, and Levi assumed the beast was laughing at him.

"I'm at a point where I can choose the where and when. But the if... it's on him. And at first, well, it's harder."

The big downside of it all. But if she could get over this hurdle, she would be great, he could feel it. She would be better than him. This calm exterior of hers, it would be an asset. He had been panicking way too long.

"I don't know you much yet. But I'm sure. You'll be great."

He had to say it out loud. And the coyote rose and stretched, giving a sniff to the human.

It wasn’t the news the news that she had been hoping to hear, but she would keep the disappointment clear from her face as she offered another nod for the answer that she had been given.

”I think you have already put too much faith in me.” She answered with a rueful smile, ”I work in a hospital.” She was sure he would be able to pick up what she was hinting at there.

The coyote was going to be an issue, there was no way around that.

His hunch had been right, but he couldn't be happy about that. His hopeful face fell for a moment, but he bounced back. If Mr Eli could still work in healthcare, so could Malai!

"Well, then, you already know how to handle stress, you'll be fine!" Levi replied, trying to convince himself as much as her. "Just you see. In a year you will tell me I was right."

This was presumptious of him, but he was certain of it. Why? Maybe because this time the infection had worked. Some cosmic force or other had to know this one could handle it. Like it had known he could handle it. Even if he wasn't that good. But maybe he was?

He was over eager and overly optimistic, but Malai didn’t have the heart to lay out the very obvious fact that this would be a problem for her, and perhaps for all of the coyotes if she could not manage the stress as well as he assumed she would.

An amount of stress that would be determined the day that she learned how her coyote would act.

”I appreciate the optimism.” She supplied slowly, ”it seems that we will be playing a bit of a waiting game until the 15th arrives though.”

Levi nodded, glad to have convinced her.

"Yeah. In the meantime, I'll stock up your fridge. And freezer. And get you an electric fan. For the fever."

This delivered in a tone that would not accept any rebuttals.

It was a kind offer, and typically Malai would have offered some push back for it, not wanting to be the burden that she felt she was, however, it was due to this man’s animal that she was now in this predicament and so she would allow him to work to fix it in the ways that he felt he needed.

Plus, she wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do about work, especially after the full moon, and so some help was appreciated when it came to sating the desires that were to come.

”Thank you,” she offered with a small smile. ”Would it be best for me to relocate to Baron when I am able?”

He returned the smile. This was going much better than he thought it would.

Now that was a good question. Mr Eli hadn't been intent on him moving that close, but for a new were...

"Well... it's a good idea. But here is not bad. There's no territory in Lauderhill, so that's good. The closest you are, the fastest we can help. I live in Las Almas, right by the town line. There's not a lot of housing in Baron. I have a spare room though."

Whoops he hadn't meant to drop this last piece of info just yet, but rant man must rant.

The offer was kind, and made sense but she could just imagine how her mother would react if she ever found out that she was living with a man. Unmarried. It would be literal chaos and her head hurt already just thinking about it.

Probably best to just see how the coyote was first.

”I’ll stay here for now,” she answered, lips thinning in thought. ”But if it proves more useful to stay near a coyote, would that room be on the table?”

He was about to apologize for mentioning his own place when she seemed to consider it?

"Sure. Of course. Anytime." He quickly confirmed, all formulations fighting to get out first but ending up in a single file. "You can ask for anything."

Except the unturning information.

If she were to have any sort of luck, it was that she had been changed by a man that seemed to want to do right by her, and for that she would be grateful. It helped wish some of the impending anxiety and offered her options that she wouldn’t have if she had been attempting this alone.

”Thank you.” She repeated with a sigh, straightening as she turned to face him more fully. ”So where do we meet on the 15th, and do I meet the others before or after?”

Maybe he was being too much, but he didn't know how to be anything else. It was too much, or stangers, and they couldn't be strangers.

"Maybe at Dog Run, around 5? This is where the band- the coyote group, gathers sometimes. I will inform the others and keep you posted."

He took out his phone to save her contact information. He had the address already but not her humber.

It was a unique enough name that she doubted that she would have any trouble pulling it up on her Google, though it did make her smile. Meeting at a place called Dog Run after she had just mistaken Levi’s coyote for a stray.

Ironic.

”That works,” she agreed, offering him her number. ”Just message or call me if anything changes, I will keep you updated if anything changes in the days before the shift, though I imagine most of our trouble will come after.”

If she was holding on to some hope, he had to cut the strings.

"I doubt anything would change." He said. "Except, well, if you get scractched or bitten by something else. Then maybe you won't be a coyote."

And she wouldn't be his problem. Wow, that was harsh. She wasn't a problem, not really. Not yet at least.

She had no intention of undergoing another attack, so coyote would be the animal she was stuck with.

”It’ll be a coyote.” She answered firmly and assuredly, ”this won’t be happening again.” She had learned her lesson, and with there only being eleven days until doomsday, it was doubtful she would find herself in another encounter unless she actively went looking for one.

"Good. It's a good animal, really. Can pass as dog, and big enough to be left alone." Levi added, feeling the need to add more to this. "Very smart too, and can run for hours."

Like running back in toooown every time. Wait. Dog Run. Had the cafe been named after these facts?

”I guess I’ll need to start doing some research on them then.” She answered with a wider smile, and while she wasn’t looking forward to all the problems that the animal would bring, she did find some comfort that she would be doing it with others.

Found comfort that there were people out there who honestly seemed to enjoy the animal as Levi did.