Xaviers!

Stephanie had been feeling restless all day, and it didn't help matters that she was stuck inside in front of her computer for most of the day trying to hammer out a research paper. She'd gotten far enough for today, she decided, and headed out for an evening walk through the gardens of the estate to clear her head.

As she approached the hedge maze the moon, which had been hiding behind clouds finally made an appearance. It was full and bright enough to cast shadows across the pathways she walked, and Steph looked up at it, impressed at the beautiful orb.

The moon had no real influence on her, of course, unlike some of the other wolves on campus, but that didn't stop her other half from occasionally wanting an excuse to make an appearance. Like now.

She felt the familiar tingle of her change about to start just long enough to mumble a string of curses as she tried to stop herself, but there seemed to be no stopping it before the sharp, wracking pain of the change doubled her over. There was no time to even try to save any of her clothes before they started tearing as her body rearranged itself even more painfully than usual. She almost blacked out.

As the pain faded and her mind cleared she blinked several times and looked down at her hands which weren't the freshly manicured nails, or even the fearsome clawed hands of her other half--they were just paws. She let out a yelp of surprise and tried to call for help, but only barks came out.

Well this was new and shitty, and the panic was now setting in.

The large wolf sat in a pile of shredded clothes, tossed her head back and let out a miserable howl.

It turns out there is not a lot to do around school at night and when you spend all day either asleep, cowering inside or wielding an umbrella then wandering the grounds is... something to do at least. Plus she doesn't have to worry about her powers causing issues if they end up warping the hedge maze. If anything it feels kind of nice to imagine it as her domain. Comforting to pretend to be the monster in the labyrinth and not think about the less romantic ways in which she's been horrible to people.

And so the hedges have taken on a distinctive wilted look, thorny vines and dead yet still somehow dense leaves as Miriam's dark presence wanders through it's passages. Absentmindedly dragging on a cigarette and smoke curling behind her in swirling patterns that take just a tad too long to dissipate she reaches the entrance and cocks her head at the enormous wolf howling.

Stephanie smelled the smoke as she lowered her head from the plaintive howl, and as she turned her head towards the smell, sniffing, Miriam appeared around the corner of the maze. Stephanie cocked her head back at her.

"You're not one of the pack. Have they started adopting actual wolves now?" she frowns, tentatively taking a step back.

“No,” she replied. Or she thought she did. It came out as a bark.

She whined in frustration, pondered for a moment, before shaking her head, “no”

"I swear, if they bit another poor sod..." she mutters, picking up on the sentiment behind the bark even before the wolf tries to shake it's head in an all-too-human gesture. Walking up to Stephanie she reaches out to scratch the beast behind the ear.

The wolf recoiled a bit, but was proud of her restraint in neither baring her fangs nor even growling at Miriam.

How did this happen. I didn’t think I could do this.

The wolf just whined uncomfortably.

Miriam withdraws her hand and sighs, picking up vague impressions of confusion and fear behind the wolf's whines.

"You don't have to be afraid of me." she misinterprets what's going on.

The wolf paused for a moment, and looked around, spotting a patch of dirt not far from the path. She looked at Miriam, then to the dirt, then back before trotting over.

She dragged her front paw across the dirt, carefully making a line, then repositioning her whole body and repeating.

The end result wasn’t pretty, as she walked over her own work a lot, and the dirt was pretty hard, but it almost looked like it said “H E L D”

But maybe the D was a P.

"What's the matter, did little Timmy fall down a well?" Miriam rolls her eyes.

The wolf growled in annoyance and paced for a moment before returning to her pile of mostly shredded clothes, pawing and nosing through them, apparently looking for something.

"Okay, okay, bad joke. I get it." she says, kneeling down next to the wolf and helping it rifle through the pile of clothes.

The wolf bit down on something and started tugging, revealing a student ID that she held out to Miriam.

"Stephanie, is it." she says, glancing at the wolf, then up at the moon. "All jokes aside, you weren't bit by anything, were you? Or anyone?"

The wolf wagged her tail in response to her name, but shook her head at the question.

No bites.

She sat down on the remains of her clothes and sighed.

"Thank goodness..." Miriam mutters.

"Well, I'm frankly not much use in helping with whatever prompted this, but if you want company in bemoaning your state I can at least offer that much."

Stephanie wagged her tail, and picked up some of her things with her mouth, offering them to Miriam, and gesturing with her head towards the dorms.

Miriam picks up the clothes with her thumb and index finger, biting back a remark about dog slobber.

"You sure you want to go back to the dorms like this?"

The wolf hesitated a moment, but nodded affirmatively.

“I hate this.” she said.

Miriam just heard frustrated barking.

She might not understand the words (or barks) but Miriam does pick up the general gist from the human mind buried in there.

"Tell me about it. Nobody's got it easy but... some of us sure seem to have it harder."

Steph looked up at Miriam expectantly while they sauntered towards the dorms.

“Can she understand me? Is she one of the psychic ones?”

"General ideas. I'm better with emotions. The awful ones anyway."

The wolf looked up at her quizzically, “Better at the awful ones?”

"Feelings. They're just... clearer, more real, cut through everything else and coat it in... well, you get the idea."

Stephanie nodded in understanding.

Gosh, I hope I'm not stuck like this for a long time...

She was silent for the next few minutes as she padded alongside Miriam. She came to the door to the dorms and hesitated.

Shit. How will I open doors without hands if I'm not with someone?

She whined and pawed at the door.

"Doorhandles." Miriam points out, apparently fine just letting her work this out herself because fuck having to depend on somebody. "I swear you Americans and your idiotic 'knobs'." she does say, nodding her head at the much-more paw-friendly handle than what the frantic wolf might have expected.

Stephanie felt especially stupid, and hung her head, her tail between her legs. She was certain her cheeks would be red underneath the fur. Of course she could do that. Maybe.

She approached the door, looking up, and then putting her front paws on it and walking herself up to the height of the handle. She hooked one paw in and gave a tug. While heavy, she was stronger than your typical wolf, so it opened without too much difficulty. She opened it as far as she could and then dropped to all fours before scurrying around the now-closing door and slipping into the dorms. She sat and waited for Miriam.

"See? You don't need my help." Miriam says as she follows her inside. "Besides, if the past is any indication you wouldn't want my help anyway."

Stephanie cocked her head at Miriam, apparently largely unaware of Miriam’s past experiences at school.

"My attempts to help have by and large ended in disaster. The two Wills that were at each others' throats? That was me. Wanda losing it to the point she got talked into plunging the world into eternal night? Moi. Helping a Brotherhood splinter-cell abduct Tereza. Well... you get the point."

Stephanie whine-barked a bit. It sounded sympathetic and understanding maybe?

Mentally, it certainly felt like a “well, you’re helping me now, and I’m not freaking out since you’re here”

"Baby-steps, right? Coach you through opening a door today, maybe tomorrow I can lend someone a pen."

The wolf nodded enthusiastically and smiled . There was a definite impression of laughter.

She turned and padded down the hall, looking back and beckoning her to follow.

Miriam looks confused and points a finger at herself questioningly.

"What? You can figure out your dorm-room door without me, I'm sure." she says, dubious about the concept of someone actively wanting her company. Somebody who isn't of questionable moral character or being telepathically influenced anyway.

The wolf whined a bit.

But what if I’m stuck like this forever. Or if my roommate freaks out that a dog is walking in

"You're not going to be... You're probably not going to be stuck like this forever." she says, but she does follow Stephanie inside.