tonight i ran with the wolves. the leader of the pack howled at my doorstep and i put on a pair of shorts and went with him. he’d asked before but i’d always said no so “what was different?” my roommate asked me when i came home impossibly late with my shoes missing and my legs torn to up by brambles and thorn, droplets of blood pooling around what remained of my socks.

“well,” i said, “this time he asked nicely and didn’t assume i would say yes.” secretly it was because he looked so strong there at my door. no longer like the big bad wolf but rather the confident, strong leader wolf. his hindquarters shone in the moonlight and his fur glistened as if just coming from some sort of mythical wolf salon. “my body reacted before i even had a chance to think” i said. she chuckled and picked up her wine glass. “well,” she said, “while you were out running with the wolves i watched an entire season of america’s next top model.” i laughed and went into the kitchen to get a rag and a glass. i rejoined her in the living room and sat on the couch. i poured a glass of wine and began to tidy the cuts on my legs. she looked over at me, this time really looking at me for the first time since i walked back in the door.

“you’re going to do it again? aren’t you?” she asked after a moment.

“tomorrow. i’m going again tomorrow.”