Arrow Inferno
Chapter 16: Stanley ‘STAN’ Norris vs. Ian ‘WILL’ Williams ~ Danger and charm… The party!

**

"Changing your routine now?" Rosanne rolled her eyes.

"Not really," Will muttered as he fixed his holster.

"Don't want to cramp his style."

"Yesterday you went running after training." She pointed out. "You're going again today. Maybe you should have gone with Stan."

Two days after his encounter with the wolf, Will had gone into the jungle for a run after the evening session. He wanted to see the beast again. His heart had been pounding the entire time he ran deep into the jungle. He couldn't tell whether it was from fear or excitement. But he hadn't seen it. Well, he'd decided to go again that evening. He had to see it one more time. Maybe he needed some confirmation that he'd actually seen it.

They were done with the evening's training. Because he was there to help, they'd started closing earlier than usual. Stan had already left for his run. For some reason, Will hadn't told anyone besides Stan about his encounter with the wolf. Somehow he didn't want the wolf to be hunted by the soldiers or the townsfolks. But he'd warned Stan to be careful out there whether he believed him or not and personally ensured that he took his firearm along anytime he went for his runs. He couldn't believe the fool hadn't been taking a gun along all that while.

"Don't stay out there too long, yeah?" Rosanne cautioned.

"Yes, mother." Will laughed and then took off.

This time, he didn't have to get too deep into the jungle. He heard the low growl after running for about thirty minutes. He stopped running and stood very still. Standing right in front of him was the gorgeous furball. The two stared at each other until Will broke the silence.

"I come in peace." He said, raising both hands in a gesture of surrender. He hoped the beast understood him.

He heard another low growl and slowly reached for the buckle of his holster. From their last encounter, he had a feeling the wolf knew it was a weapon. How it knew, Will couldn't tell. But it seemed like one hell of an intelligent animal. He took off his holster and dropped it on the ground.

"See? I mean you no harm." He said and then waited.

Almost warily, the wolf started coming closer to him. When it got very close, it sat on its haunches and stared up at Will. Will slowly got on his knees before the wolf and smiled.

"Hey." He laughed softly when that huge tongue came out to lick his face. "How have you been?" Will murmured, reaching out to run his fingers through that soft fur. "I wanted to see you again. I came here yesterday but didn't see you. I hope you haven't been naughty."

When the wolf got off its haunches and got into a more relaxed position on its belly with both hind legs on the same side, Will grinned happily. From what he'd read about wolves, getting into that position meant the wolf was relaxed, comfortable, and trusted his surroundings. Will got off his knees and sat closer to his new friend. Then he reached out and began to pet it. He stroked the wolf's chest, the base of its neck and finally, behind its ears. He talked to it the entire time, enjoying the intermittent licks. Anytime he laughed, the wolf would lick him. It was almost as if the beast was laughing with him. The whole experience was calming and almost therapeutic. After about two hours, he reluctantly told the wolf he had to go. He gave it a quick hug and then got to his feet. The wolf stood too and watched as Will fixed his holster. Then with a last forlorn look, he left.

And since then, Will had been meeting his wolf in the jungle every evening. On two occasions the animal had actually whimpered pitifully when Will made to leave, making him spend an extra hour with it. It amazed him how much he'd grown so attached to the beast within that short time. He didn't even have time to visit Akua anymore. Fortunately, he always managed to get back to camp before Stan returned from his run so the instructor hadn't caught on to his nocturnal activities.

Will was thankful for that.

**

"Care to dance?" Will heard the voice and started smiling even before he turned to look at the owner of the voice.

"Damn, you look good enough to eat." He grinned at Akua. She looked really good in a sexy black bodycon one-shoulder cutout mini dress which stopped just beneath her nicely rounded bum.

"Is that a promise?" She smirked. "I've missed you." She wrapped her arms around Will's neck and pulled his head down for a long kiss. "Now let's dance."

The pair moved onto the dance floor, never letting go of each other even though the song playing was fast-paced. They stayed on the dance floor for a long time, swaying, kissing, and drinking. At some point, Will took his seat and drew Akua onto his lap. He'd had enough to drink so was feeling no pain. But even in that sluggish state, he felt it. Will felt eyes on him. He raised his head from where it lay cozily on Akua's chest and glanced around curiously. He jerked visibly when his gaze clashed with Stan's.

The fun-loving instructor was no longer dancing. He was leaning again a pillar, staring intently at him. Stan's expression was cool, but his eyes were angry. Those eyes looked hot with fury, their blue orbs meeting his without their usual light of teasing mockery. The intensity in his look almost frightened Will. He sobered up at once. Why was Stan so angry, Will wondered. He couldn't even tear his eyes away from that arresting gaze. Even when he felt Akua dropping tiny kisses against his temple he didn't feel the usual excitement. And when he saw Stan turn towards the door, he felt panic claw at his guts. Will couldn't fight the need... the hot rushing demand to get to Stan's side. "Hey, Akua you'll have to excuse me." Will got to his feet, holding Akua so that she wouldn't fall.

"Where are you going?" She whined, wrapping her arms around him.

"I need to see to something important." He muttered glancing around. He was looking for either Robert or Sarkodie. They were to head back to Accra after the party.

"But I thought you'll be coming home with me."

"Baby, I'll come immediately after I finish with what I need to do. Drive safe." He saw Sarkodie then. He was with Rosanne. "Hey, I've got to go handle something important. I will come back." "Is everything alright?" Rosanne asked with a frown. "I noticed Stan leaving."

"Nothing to worry about." Somehow he had a feeling whatever it was, was between Stan and himself. "Sark, if I don't see you before you hit the road, I'll talk to you in the morning."

"It was great seeing you again, Charlie." Sarkodie grinned. "We'll drop Rosanne off when we're leaving so don't worry about her." The guest house was not too far from the camp. "Great. Hey, thanks for an amazing day." He hugged Sarkodie. "I appreciate it. Have a safe trip back."

Then he went after Stan.