Chapter 267

"Oh dear!" Mae exclaims, jumping up to her feet first. "How do you feel about running all the way back home?" She grins to her daughter, already packing up the picnic basket in a hurry.

"What are you saying? We'll not make it in time!" Shana hops to her feet to assist her girlfriend with the packing.

"Who says we want to?" Mae responds with a sneaky smile, folding up the blanket.

Ruby easily catches on and stars light up in her eyes, silky hair blowing around in the wind that was picking up. "Yes! I'll race Ma and Nana all the way home!" She squeals, doing a little spinning dance. "I'm so fast, I hope you can keep up." She teases them, looking particularly smug.

Shana smiles at this, easily getting swayed by Ruby's excitement, she had been worried that her daughter would be devastated with the rain ruining their long awaited run but she easily saw the positive side of things - that was a lot to do, considering what she had been though.

The wind picks up as well, the smell of damp earth and wet winds blowing through the trees, the creek steadily flowed, quiet and slow although the rest of the world was in its own little circle of chaos.

Leaves got blown off their perch on waving trees, pine cones dropping with the lethality of flung rocks, the clouds a swirling mass of darkened puffs.

The basket is ready to go in no time and Shana shifts first, Ruby squealing and clapping at how pretty her Nana's fur is, she allows Mae to carefully place the handle of the basket in between her jaws, not missing the chance to lick her first and Ruby who had drifted close to hug Shana.

Mae goes next, wanting Ruby to be comfortable with shifting, knowing that there was a possibility that seeing a human in her wolf form might trigger her, well she hoped it wouldn't but with the oncoming rain they didn't have the luxury of time anymore to check like they wanted to.

Mae shifting is met with the same enthusiasm from Ruby as Shana, her dark brown fur almost black in the darkened light of the day.

She slowly walks over to Ruby to nudge her lightly, sneezing happily when Ruby grabs her snout in a hug and steps back slightly to shift.

There were still speculations on the shade of Ruby's fur, the old couple that had rescued her hadn't really seen her wolf, most of the workers back at the clinic had easily gone with black like the shade of her hair.

Shana didn't care what color it would turn out to be, she already knew that her daughter would be a beautiful wolf.

Ruby shifts as well and after the soft white glow fades away, if Mae could gasp she would have done that instead she settles for letting her lower jaw hang open to portray her shock.

Shana was also currently experiencing the same emotions, her silver eyes wide open as she looks down at their beautiful daughter who was sitting on the ground staring up at them.

Her furry tailing swinging vigorously behind her, tongue hanging out in a happy expression, her fur was an absolutely beautiful shade like white sand, the edges trailing off to the desert brown of her eyes, eyes which were now a glowing silver to show her Beta status.

'How do I look mom?' Ruby asks mentally, expression expectant.

'So, so pretty!' Mae gushes, clearly short of words.

A light drizzle starts off almost immediately.

'I'm pretty sure your Nana feels the same way but now we have to get going.' She says, walking over to nudge a much smaller Ruby to her feet. 'Stay between us, okay? If you trip I won't hesitate to pick you up...'

'Make it if I fall twice, Ma.' She bargains with her mom, shaking her head ever so slightly.

'Ruby...' Mae starts to say.

'Nana..' Ruby nudges one of Shana's front legs, giving her puppy eyes.

Shana glances over to Mae. 'One more chance won't hurt, babe.'

'Yes Ma.' Ruby quickly backs up.

Mae's sigh floated through their heads, the rain was starting to pick up, they didn't have the time for this discussion. 'Fine.' She agrees, inclining her head to call Ruby over to her side.

They start off running in the direction that they had come from, keeping their strides slow and small to accommodate Ruby's shorter gait, the rain falling down now, the cool drops easily kept from their skin by their coats of thick fur.

That didn't mean they wouldn't get wet, if they ran around in the rain long enough or the rain increased, they would definitely get soaked through, Mae wanted to avoid that.

She had to hand it to her daughter, she was trying her hardest to keep up and manage to not fall at the same time, it was so adorable and Shana had her eyes fixed on Ruby most of the time, worried with how often Ruby kept stumbling over tree roots and rocks.

But what was most important was that Ruby was clearly having the time of her life and Mae had never been happier that Pine Creek was a Werewolf dominated town because no one would bat an eyelid when three wolves come charging out of the woods, one holding a picnic basket between its jaws and all dripping wet.

They hurried down the street, howling quietly in happiness and relief that they were almost home.

Shifting back to human form was done as quickly as possible, all rushing inside, dripping wet and shivering, good thing the basket was water proof.

"We're all showering together, no one is catching a cold on my watch!" Mae announces importantly as they hurry up the stairs, trailing water everywhere but that would be a problem for a later time.

Shana is quick to set up the shower while Mae helps Ruby out of what little clothes she still had on, the poor baby too cold to move.

They all bundle into the steaming bathroom, cleaning up in record time, the hot water replacing the cold rain water.

They tumble out of the bathroom after drying up and Mae is quick to wear Ruby one of her sweaters, Shana helping with pants. They all cuddle up on the bed, under the blankets, rain still falling.