Page 27 of Glow

I like him too. Hell, I’m pretty sure I’m in love, Dan confessed. I want to keep him.

We’ll have our own pack, Wally replied.

I guess that’s true. He knows about you, and he’s okay with it. Someday, we’ll have to let him see us, Dan replied. It occurred to him that Wally might feel unwelcome and wanted to make sure his cryptid knew he was just as valued as always. Despite everything, Dan felt jittery, something he attributed to his last-minute relocation and not having shifted since then.

Maybe going out would help, Wally suggested. We always feel better after we’ve been in the woods.

The forest around Fox Hollow was new to Dan, but he got a map from the store across from the hotel and looked for sections where few trails ran. I’m up for exploring, but I’d rather not get lost.

Wally snorted at that, and Dan figured his cryptid had a better innate sense of direction than his human side.

Dan made sure he was well-coated with bug spray and sunscreen. He threw a bottle of water and a pack of cheese and peanut butter crackers onto the front seat for after the shift, then followed the map to the closest point he could park near the less-used area he had found.

He left the trail on foot and headed north, wanting to make sure he didn’t happen into any hikers. Once Dan felt sure he was alone, he shifted quickly and stashed his clothes, keys, and phone where he knew he could find them and headed out to explore.

The forest smelled different here. The woods in Massachusetts had oak, maple, and elm trees. The Adirondacks had towering, old-growth spruce and balsam, which put a brisk pine scent in the air. The trees here were much older, and the forest felt almost primeval.

They surprised a white-tailed deer, which leaped out of his way and ran into the brush. Dan spotted a few smaller creatures like porcupines and squirrels who stopped and regarded him curiously from the cover of the underbrush.

I wonder if Madden’s squirrel network will report us, he thought.

Would that be bad? Wally seemed to have his own issues with the relocation, and for a nearly immortal daemon, sounded surprisingly vulnerable.

No, not at all, Dan hurried to reassure his other side. Madden’s a shifter too. I’m pretty sure Liam already figured out we’re not like the other shifters, and Quinn says that’s okay. Now we just have to settle in.

For a while, Dan did his best not to think except to keep track of his location and the time as Wally explored. In his cryptid form, he was much more attuned to the natural energies permeating the forest and opened himself to the healing power. They replenished Wally and him, and he realized how much the last few days had taken out of him.

Dan noted the sun’s position and figured it was time to head home. He heard something large rustle in the brush nearby and Wally froze.

What is that? Wally yelped, sounding genuinely uneasy.

The creature looked like a huge snake with legs and the head of a bobcat, not something Dan could even name. It reared back and hissed at Dan, although they both kept their distance.

Wally rose up to his full height, making his daemon self as imposing as he could. They had no desire to fight the creature but didn’t want to be mistaken for easy prey.

The creature gave him a baleful look and hissed once more, then turned and escaped into the brush with an undulating movement that was part slither and part running.

Quinn said something about people sighting a dragon. Is that what they saw? Dan wondered.

They weren’t in a busy section of the forest, well off the trails and several miles from any town. Still, the idea of hikers or campers confronting the creature worried him. Dan figured the sighting spooked Wally as well, since his other half didn’t protest going home. After shifting back, he reclaimed his clothing and phone, then hiked back to his car and sat for several minutes, trying to catch his breath and sort out his impressions.

Dan thought about calling Quinn but realized they would be back together for dinner in a couple of hours and decided to hold off. Maybe in the meantime, I can find something online so I’m not just dropping a problem in his lap. Dan was pleased that his hands were steady on the steering wheel.

He drove back to the hotel, still shaken by what they had seen. A hot shower helped, and after that, he made sure to eat and drink to offset the stress of shifting. Then he sat down with his computer and got busy.

Dan figured that Quinn and Liam would have access to academic sources, so he logged into the Monster Network, hoping someone would be online.

Dan, Boone typed. Are you okay?

I think I saw a dragon, Dan replied.

I…what?

Dan typed out a detailed description. It hissed at me and then ran off. I don’t think it’s native here. What is it? And how dangerous?

I have to admit that’s not what I expected when I logged in, Boone replied, but it is interesting, I will give you that. I have no idea what it is, but we can ask the others on the network for ideas. As for being dangerous, if it has teeth, I would steer clear.

Okay, thanks. Dan took a deep breath and saw Boone’s next question.