AN- Dedicated to my wonderful sister, only ten years old but can still out sass me any day of the week.

Me: "Get down! What happens if you fall and hit you head?

Her: *Eyes me pointedly* "Well, that'll be an interesting day, won't it?" *Walks out.*

Me: "Series 1, Episode 1, Lone Wolf."

Impossible to stay mad at her when she's quoting Wolfblood.

Disclaimer- I do not own Wolfblood.

...

Her First Moonrise.

Rhydian's POV.

I watched Maddy closely as we climbed the bank away from the village, trying to figure out just how much trouble I was in.

I shouldn't have kept her from spending tonight at home, even if I had justified that the teachers would get her back, I shouldn't have chanced it... I should have known how important it was to her... I hadn't fully understood it at the time, I didn't have 'parents' so to speak. I hadn't been in one placement longer than six months since I was twelve, 'parents' came and went, and I didn't let myself form lasting relationships with any of them, after all I only needed them until I aged out of the care system.

Spending tonight with her parents had been important to Maddy, her parents were important to her in a way I'd personally never experienced, and as she so rightly put it, in that infuriating, yet strangely endearing Geordie accent. 'I'd gone and ruined it.'

The only memory I had of my first transformation was the overwhelming feeling of fear as I watched my hands turn to claws... It was the first time since I was eight that I'd wanted my mum... My real mum... And I'd taken Maddy away from hers...

"You coming?" I hadn't realised that I'd stopped walking until she spoke, she stood about five paces ahead looking down at me.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry Mads... I shouldn't have..."

"Your not freaking out on me now, are you?" She cut me off, walking back over to my side and smiling softly. "Forget about it, what's done is done." She reassured.

"I don't want you to be scared, you would have felt safer at home wouldn't you?" I said quietly

"I'm nervous" She admitted. "But I'm not frightened, like you said, you'll look after me."

I grimaced. "Like you said, I've only done this twice... Both times..." I trailed off, shaking my head and pulling nervously at my sleeves, I didn't exactly have any fond memories to share for either transformation.

She watched me closely and I tried to shy away from her gaze. "You're scared aren't you?" I looked away, I had been excited for this full moon, excited to spend it with another wolf, with Maddy, but now, with the change so close, all those bad memories from the last two full moons were all coming back to me... Losing control... Sitting alone in the dark that second time, just waiting for the wolf to take hold... The pain as I tried to resist turning... "Talk." She said simply

She did this sometimes, it was her way of getting me to open up whenever I tried to go back to blocking people out, since she knew I'd rather stay quiet than have the spotlight on myself. Part of me wanted to talk to her, because at the end of the day she was the only person that understood, and wouldn't lock me in the nuthouse... but to push all my fears onto her, just seconds before her first change. "Do we really have time for this?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

She laughed. "As me mam would say to me dad, you better hurry up if you don't want t'end it growling." It took me a moment to decipher that particularly Geordie sentence, since her dialect still threw me a little sometimes.

There was so much I could say, but in the end I picked one sentence I thought summed things up pretty well. "Last month... I tried to hide under one of the rock faces up on the moors... I thought that maybe if the moonlight couldn't hit me, if I couldn't see full moon, I wouldn't be forced to turn." She was quiet for a few moments, but even though she tried to hide it, I could see the pity in her eyes, I turned away, scuffing my toe in the dirt. This is why I didn't tell her, it made me sound pathetic.

She nudged me softly with her shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "It'll be alright, Rhydian. I'll look after you." She said finally, the side of her mouth lifting in a smirk. "We'll look after each other. You know what you are now, tonight's going to be fine, and I want you to enjoy it too."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I thought I was supposed to be the one reassuring you, not the other way around."

She gave me one of those looks, the one I'd just about figured out meant she thought I was being an idiot. "We're going to have fun." She said decidedly, nodding up the bank as she walked. "Come on, we're going to watch the moon, this time you don't have to be afraid of it, this time it's a good thing.."

I scoffed and jogged after her.

Once we reached the highest point on the bank, the moon finally came into sight, just watching as it slowly made its way out from behind the clouds made the wolf restless, but rather than the dread that followed both times before this, I did as Maddy told me to, I let myself enjoy it.

It felt strange at first, to feel the wolf in my veins but not the anger and the fear, the two had always come hand in hand with me, the pull the moon had on the wolf was irresistible though and I could feel the change getting closer and closer. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Maddy look up at me so I looked over at her, she didn't speak, but I could tell she was checking on me. I nodded ever so slightly to reassure her, and she smiled, I couldn't help but smile back.

We turned back to look out at the sky again, mesmerised by the source of that incredible feeling that was starting to pump its way through us... Right here, right now, I couldn't remember what I'd been so scared of.

With the wolf so close to the surface, our senses were heightened, I could feel it when Maddy's excitement turned to nerves, and looked down at her, she was staring down at her hands as her veins started to turn black, and the wolf ran through her. I reached out and gently turned her towards me, slipping my hand into hers, and giving her the support I wished I'd had two months ago, I was going to stick by my word and look after her.

She looked down at our hands then up at me, and I was so glad she did, because at that exact moment her eyes turned, and I was met with those eyes, the same yellow eyes that held mine that first day in the dark room at Bradlington high. I'd seen them only a handful of times since, during her panic in that maths exam, then again during the fire in the science lab on the same day, but this time was so much better. This time she wasn't glaring, or frightened or worried... This time they were just Maddy's eyes.

We both turned back to the moon once again, it was kind of hard not to when it was right there and your whole body felt as though you were being drawn towards it, I found the whole experience more enjoyable now that I wasn't fighting it.

Maddy's hand tightened around mine and she whimpered ever so slightly, her body rocking back and forth and her muscles tightening, I knew that feeling... she glanced up at me in panic, veins beginning to reach up into her cheeks, but what caught my attention more was her scent, as her veins grew darker it became more prominent. She smelt less human and more like... Well her parents... I had to fight hard not to laugh at that, though it would have come out more of a bark at this point, now wasn't the time.

I pulled my hand from hers and reached around press one against the back of her neck and the other against her waist, urging her down to her knees then into a crouch, that had been the bit I'd struggled with the first time, it was difficult to interpret what your body wanted you to do for the first change. I rearranged her hands slightly to make her more comfortable, before standing back to let her transform.

She growled softly under her breath and slowly began to take her wolf form...

She was beautiful... Small just like her human self, she stood around mid thigh, her coat was long and smooth and took on the same earthy brown colour her hair had been. She panted, shuffling around a little awkwardly as she tried to get a good look at herself and I watched her fondly.

My thoughts were starting to jumble together as the wolf rushed through me, but I managed to make some of them out... When her wolf eyes met mine I knew, I knew right then that I'd broken my number one rule, don't let anyone close, because I'd never be able to push Maddy Smith away... I don't think I ever wanted to.

She lifted her paws up to see them and I smiled softly at her before my eyes were pulled back to the moon, I wish they weren't, Maddy was so much more interesting to watch. She howled softly, and by the way she looked up in shock, I honestly think she'd just forgotten she couldn't talk.

She looked up at me and the urge to crouch took over, but this time I didn't resist it, and I felt all the more better for that. The last two times I'd pressed my back up against the wall and fought it, the more you resisted the more it hurt, it made white hot pain sear though your spine and your hands and mouth throbbed like someone was taking a hammer to them, until eventually you doubled over in pain anyway... I didn't feel that this time, this time the change felt nice... natural.

Maddy turned her face towards mine, she was so close now that I could now see the small flecks of white fur that framed her face. I looked down at the ground and let the wolf take over. To be able to take wolf form and still feel so calm was a foreign feeling to me, I didn't feel like I had to take off or get ready to fight, I felt peaceful. I looked over at Maddy, a little unsure how to interact with her now we both had a wolf form, I didn't know if the human boundaries still stood, I didn't know how to behave with another wolf at all, this was the part Maddy understood better than I did. She nudged her head softly against mine almost as if she was answering me so I nudged her back.

She was a little unsteady on her feet, which I think was natural, because I'd been the same way. Getting all four paws to work simultaneously was a bit difficult at first, and it wasn't helped by the fact that the rocks we were on sloped downwards, lifting our back legs above our front ones. I moved around so she could move to flatter ground, staying close just incase she fell.

She nuzzled against my face gently and I stayed statue still while she did. I don't think I'd ever been this close to another person before... Another wolf... She moved around until there was room on the flatter rock for both of us. As I turned the long, island beaches in the distance caught my eye. That almost constant urge to run was there, but I quelled it, sitting down beside Maddy and urging her to sit with me, letting her get used to her new form.

I lowered my head down, closer to her height and she turned to nuzzle against me again, nudging her nose against my jaw, before we both turned to look out at the moon once again. She was entranced by it, but I had to admit most of my attention was on her, and I was just as entranced...

She tilted her head back and howled and as much as I wanted to join in, I let her have this one for herself.

I hadn't howled before, I didn't have anyone to howl with or to before tonight, but I found that with her howling, it was hard not to do it with her. I waited for her to finish before howling back to her, she joined in with a different pitch to that we sort of harmonised and it sounded amazing.

She shuffled restlessly and nudged at my face some more, but I got the message, she didn't want to sit still anymore. I moved around so that I was closest to the cliff edge, since I still didn't trust her footing, and herded her away onto the bank.

Now she was purposely trying to walk I could see just how wobbly she was, she tipped and swayed and basically looked a little drunk, so I moved at press my side against hers so she could lean on me. She watched my legs as we walked, syncing her steps with mine until she could lift her weight off me. She made a noise then, a happy one I think, since I didn't have much to judge it on, and trotted off by herself.

The expression, 'Don't run before you can walk' came to mind only seconds before her tail got caught between her back legs and she tripped over it. I let out a sound like a bark, which I assumed meant amusement, since I would have been laughing if I was human. She scrambled to her feet, and twisted around quickly, looking for her tail as though she'd just realised she had one, her feet tangled together and she toppled over again.

I remembered one time in one of my care homes, when the little kids were watching Bambi and the deer was trying to walk on the ice with the rabbit, she kinda reminded me of that. I bark/laughed again and she gave me what looked like a wolf glare.

I took pity on her and ran over to her side, crawling under her and pushing myself up to help her stand. She found her feet and pranced off excitedly again and I ran after her, she spun around and swayed but stayed standing. I watched in confusion as she lowered herself down, kind of like a bow and growled at me. At first I thought I'd done something wrong but then I noticed her tail was wagging. I turned my head to the side, trying to tell her I didn't understand, but she jumped on me, tackling me to the floor.

It wasn't until she began nipping at me, not biting, that I realised that this was a play fight. I turned, using my front paws to push her down, and we tumbled around together on the grass. The more excited she got the rougher she became, and I don't think she realised that some of the nips were actually starting to really hurt. I remembered reading somewhere that pups learnt how hard to bite others while they were in the litter, because their litter mates would yelp when they bit too hard, I guessed that that was the only way I was going to get the message through so when she bit my neck a little too hard, I tried it.

I don't think I'd ever see her back away faster, her head dropping down guiltily. I got up and nuzzled her face hesitantly. Trying to tell her that yes it had hurt, but not to worry, I was alright. We stood for a moment, panting quietly, we were going to have to work on the whole communication thing. I nudged her head with mine, putting my teeth by her neck and pinning her down before running off towards the lime kilns...

Okay, so running away from Tom and Shannon wasn't exactly part of the plan, we'd been so close to being caught. Knocking them over was a dangerous thing to do, so many things could have gone wrong... But that didn't mean I didn't have fun doing it. That was the thing with the full moon, it made us reckless, dangerous things became our next adrenaline rush.

Maddy and I ran towards the beach, both giddy with excitement, we'd have be laughing if we were in human form but as it was we were wagging our tails and bounding through the long grass banks. I skidded to a stop and crouched low, hiding from her. I listened as she continued to dart through the grass, she was so caught up in the new scents and sounds it took her nearly thirty seconds to realise I was missing, when she finally did she froze. Her ears pricking up to listen before she dropped her muzzle to the floor and began sniffing.

She tracked my scent back, but I kept moving, circling her until I managed to creep up behind her. I stepped softly and silently until I was close enough to nip her tail with my teeth. She yelped and spun around, so I turned and took off towards the shore with her hot on my tail.

I yipped excitedly and scampered onto the sand but instead of chasing me Maddy clung to the grass banks, skirting the edge, she looked reluctant to step closer. I turned my head to the side in question and she shifted awkwardly on her paws, whining softly and jerking her head back towards the mainland. I was confused but went back over to her, I wasn't sure what was wrong but she refused to get any closer to the sand so I stayed with her.

We trekked and explored well into the night sniffing around in the rocks and ruins, we wrestled and raced and chased each other all around the island until we were panting in exhaustion. Finally when we couldn't run anymore we found a small nook hidden in the hills and cliffs, and settled down.

The moon was starting to descend towards the horizon and the sky was lightening but we still had around two hours of full moon left, it was around about now that the rush started to wear off and your body seemed to remember that you hadn't slept in nearly twenty four hours. I lay down resting my head on my paws and Maddy followed my example.

There were things I wanted to do, cuddle against her, take in her scent, but I didn't know whether they were acceptable, even in wolf form. I licked her muzzle gently and waited nervously for her response, I wasn't sure how close that was to a kiss in wolf terms, wolves licked each other all the time right?

She watched me for a few moments before shuffling closer and curling up against my side. I nuzzled her jaw and she turned her face towards me, I found myself nipping her ears gently, I wasn't sure why I did it but it felt right. She returned the gesture and I curled myself around her to keep her warm before resting my head by hers.

When I woke up, I was human. Maddy and I had cuddled up to each other during our sleep and she was pressed against me, her face hidden against my neck and legs tangled with mine. I shifted awkwardly, I couldn't remember being this close to someone before, and there was something about her scent now, that deep, earthy, wolf scent that was making my thoughts go haywire.

I found myself noticing the curve of her hips and legs, and the dip of her waist. The way her chest pressed against mine...those lips and those wide, expressive eyes... I scrubbed at my face and put the arm that wasn't under Maddy's head across my eyes. The last thing I needed right now was a crush.

Up until now, I'd liked Maddy as a friend, yes. That sense of humour and that quick wit, same qualities I had if I let my guard down enough. I cared about her and I liked her as a person, but I hadn't liked her in that way. She'd gotten pretty much the same reaction as any other pretty human girl had since my first transformation... Nothing. Back when I was more human, Maddy would have been exactly my type, dark hair, dark eyes, but after that first change there'd been one more feature that no other girl had. A wolf.

Maddy had just gained that feature... And boy did it look good on her.

It was a bit of a shock to the system, to like a girl after two months of being so indifferent, and apparently that merited me turning into a hormone driven mess. I shook my head. I was being such a teenager.

I pulled away slightly, untangling my legs from hers and calming myself down. The sun was only just starting to rise, and I knew that now we were human, now would be the best time to sneak back into the hotel, while everyone was still asleep. I shook her shoulder gently. "Maddy... Time to get up, Mads."

I sat up, pulling her with me. Her head lolled backwards so I put a hand at the back of her neck to support it. She blinked rapidly, eyes darting around until they rested on mine, It was only then that I realised that they were still yellow, she still had black veins in her cheeks and her teeth and hands hadn't transformed back either. I could tell she was still half asleep, that first change took a lot out of you. I also remembered how hard it had been for me to fully change back the first time. The wolf was reluctant to hide away, especially after it had just been let free.

She shivered against the cold, now that we didn't have our fur coats or each other to keep us warm, my teeth started to chatter as well. She grumbled sleepily and whimpered, hiding herself against my chest again. I shook my head, I'd have to help her calm the wolf inside, it was too cold out here, and we needed to get inside before people started to wake up.

"Come on." I urged her, standing and pulling her to her feet, she stumbled around, a little disorientated and I scoffed. "Don't tell me you've lost your human legs." It was difficult to switch back and forth between the two at first, and she did seem pretty tired, but I enjoyed teasing her. She turned to try and shove me playfully but lost her footing, landing flat on her butt. She groaned and lay back down on the grass, curling up. "Maddy, you need to walk back to the castle, that's all I ask." I laughed.

She growled at me and turned away, so I finally gave in and picked her up, carrying her back. "You're really not a morning person, huh?" I jostled her in my arms to get a better hold on her and she pressed her cold nose against my neck.

I carried her quietly through the empty corridors until we reached the closet where my bed had been set up, I opened the door and slipped inside, lowering Maddy down again. She rubbed at her eyes and seemed to realise for the first time that she still wasn't fully turned back. She stared at her hands with wide eyes before looking up at me in panic, she opened her mouth to speak but all she could do was whimper. "It's alright. It took me a while the first time as well." I tried to reassure. "I didn't get home until eleven o'clock the next night because I couldn't lose the eyes, that's probably another reason why they kicked me out." I tried to joke.

She whimpered some more and I realised I probably wasn't helping with that last part. "You're better at this than I was though, and I didn't have a clue what I was doing then anyway." I shrugged out of my coat and sat beside her on the bed. I took her clenched fists, or rather claws at this point, rubbing her knuckles, wrists and palms gently between my thumb and forefinger until her grip loosened and the veins in her hands receded. She was starting to become groggy again so I turned her around and pulled her back against my chest, reaching around to press my fingers against her jaw.

I'd found out early on that the best way to calm down the teeth, was to work the tension out of your jaw, if she was clenching her teeth they'd never turn back. I waited until the veins in her cheeks disappeared before stroking her hair away from her face she leaned back to put her head on my shoulder, asleep again. "Really not a morning person." I laughed and lay back on the bed with her, we slept most of the night side by side anyway, and I couldn't bear to wake her up again. She mumbled happily and hid her face against my neck one more time. I pressed my nose to her hair and drifted off back to sleep in seconds.

AN- Thanks for reading! Like I said in the summary, this will be a two-shot, the next chapter dealing with the changes in the relationship between the two cubs now that they're both fully Wolfblood. Since I think you can tell they become a lot closer after 'Occam's Razor.' The next chapter should be up within the next week or so.

Please let me know what you think, I got so many lovely reviews for my last story and I love to hear your opinions!

-EndlessMoonrise X