The snuffling and whining were only increasing the longer Tony tried to ignore it. The scratching was becoming more insistent as the animal at his laboratory door continued to paw at it. Turning his eyes to the ceiling, Tony willed some patience. The shadows under his door shifted as the animal prowled back and forth before the whining and pawing increased.
Suddenly it stopped and the distinct plop of the wolf sitting on its rump instinctively made Tony quickly cover his ears. A second later a sad, desperately lonely wolf’s howl echoed through the house and out into the woods making birds take startled flight. A couple more equally tragic howls followed from the wolf and as soon as it had stopped Tony dropped his hands and stomped over to the door.
The wolf was back to whining pitifully while it pawed at the door when Tony yanked it open and glared at the wolf. Undeterred, the wolf bounced to his feet and made a happy noise before licking across Tony’s face and dislodging the black pointed hat on his head.
“Steve! You are supposed to be frolicking in the woods, not being dramatic at my door!”
The big wolf didn’t seem to hear, nosing around Tony and using his big head to herd him towards the front door. Tony stumbled and tried to fight the insistent werewolf but Steve successfully got him through the front door (which Tony had left open for the darn werewolf to use while Tony brewed potions!) and out into the front garden. Giving in he huffed while the wolf sat down in front of him, tongue lolling out of his mouth in delight.
“Fine! I want my hat,” Tony demanded, grabbing up the basket he used to gather herbs and plants in the forest.
Steve loped off back into the house, clearly happy to get his way. He reappeared and presented Tony with his hat clamped in his jaw. Tony took it, wrinkling his nose at the wrinkled brim and saliva while Steve danced away playfully. The wolf lowered his chest to the ground, his butt in the air and tail wagging furiously. After fixing the hat as best as he could, Tony tugged it onto his head.
“You are supposed to be a werewolf, Steve, not a dog.”
Tony tried to sound stern but it was hard to stay mad, especially when the wolf let out a few barks in imitation of a domesticated dog - clearly sassing him even in wolf form. Rolling his eyes, Tony headed out into the forest. The full moon was closer to the earth this time of year and Tony’s eyes quickly adjusted to the dimness of the moonlight filtering between the trees. Some flowers only bloomed in moonlight, maybe he’d be lucky and find one.
As soon as Tony had accepted his fate to be frolicking in the forest during the full moon Steve had taken off into the trees. He’d come running back to Tony every few minutes, rubbing up against him or giving a lick before darting off again. Tony supposed it wasn’t exactly a bad way to spend the night, especially when Steve came darting back with a clump of verbena in his mouth, roots and all.
“Shoo, go be a werewolf, I’ll be out here for you to keep an eye on,” Tony said, adding the plants to his basket.
For his response, Steve sat on his rump again and lifted his massive head to the sky. Tony covered his ears just as the wolf let out a howl of pure joy and happiness.
