I’m back on schedule if not up to full speed quite yet. These are the words I wrote last week for the #ThursdayThreads flash fiction challenge, based on the prompt:”There is no simple answser.” This little snippet is short. There’s a reason I didn’t expand it beyound ther 250 words of the challenge. It’s not a new scene, but an addition to a previous scene, if that makes sense. I’ve got to backtrack to find the scene where Kin explains what he is to Meg. It’ll take quite a bit of reworking but it’ll be a better scene when I’m finished. Also, I got tagged for an honorable mention in the challenge so yay!
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Meg stared at him, head slightly tilted, her expression not quite incredulous but close. “So…I’m not crazy.”

“Not in the least.”
“

Good to know. Because…yeah, I was wondering there for a bit.”

“I’m sure.”

“You aren’t exactly talkative, are you?”

“No, lass. I’m not. Never have been.”

“Also good to know. That said, there’s a whole lot I do want to know.”

“Ask. I’ll do m’best to answer.”

“What are you?”

Kin offered her a rueful smile. “Shoulda been expectin’ that one. T’tell the truth, lass, there is no simple answer.” He pushed off the ground to pace. Deep conversations of any sort had never been his forte and this one? His life—or at least his happiness—depended upon his answer.

“I’d think the simple answer would be, ‘hey, Meg, I’m a werewolf.’”

“Except I’m not. I’m a wolf shifter. There’s a big difference—the main one bein’ that werewolves don’t exist outside of literature, movies, or television.”

“So what makes you a wolf shifter?”

“My kind carries an extra gene attached to the Y chromosome. It’s called the lupi versi pellis gene.”

“My Latin is a bit rusty but…wolves turned into skins?”

“Close. Add the Latin word homo in front and it translates as a man dressed as a wolf.”

Her eyes followed as he paced. “Maybe it should have been a wolf dressed as a man.”

“Yes. Our inner wolf is often very close to the surface.”

She grinned. “This is so freaking cool!”
****
There you have it. You can see why it needs to be “backtracked.” I might even work on that this afternoon after I get back from the follow-up appointment with my surgeon. It depends on whether or not they dilate my eyes. If I get dilated, I can’t see cannoli so I’ll be headed to bed with an audio book. Writers, jump in if you are so inspired. Readers, any questions that need a simple answer? I’m pretty sure I can’t handle complicated at the moment. 😝