”Oh.” he nodded at her explanation. ”I mean, I kinda thought werewolves were more hardy compared to humans in general… But that does answer my question, yeah.” Frankie admitted with a smile as he plated the next pancake for himself and starting another.
Selina nodded, leaning back on her arms and leaving her now empty plate resting in her lap. One pancake wasn't nearly enough to fill her up, but she wasn't going to ask unless Frankie had enough batter to make both of them two pancakes. "Do you have any more questions? I'm sure I can answer them as best I can."
Frankie nodded a little as he continued cooking. He had enough batter to make three pancakes for both of them. ”Actually… I do have a couple more questions if you don't mind.” he admitted with a soft blush. ”Umm, about the full moon… Does that actually affect you in any way? And is it true that… Umm, if someone wanted to become a werewolf, they would just have to be bitten by one?”
"To put it simply, yes to both of your questions," Selina started, her voice a little bit softer and almost less gentle as she let her gaze flick to the ground, "Yes, the full moon does affect us. We shift full to our wolf form for the night, and it takes over. We're very aware of everything that we do in the night, but we have no control over it. It gets messy sometimes. We get very territorial, and hungry, from a full night of a wolf's appetite unless we eat a ton beforehand." She paused at this, glancing up at him with a gentle smile, "The next full moon isn't for a while though. And that's the only time a bite from a werewolf will cause a human to shift. Any other time and theres no power in the bite."
Frankie met her eyes and nodded a little respectfully as he absorbed the information. He was honestly amazed by what she told him… Granted, he had already suspected some of that from old legends and lore on werewolves but hearing it confirmed…
”Y-yeah, I think I remember the last full moon was a couple days before I got here.” he said softly. ”I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't get to see it here at the time but…” he shrugged, ”I’m glad I got to meet you.” he ended with an encouraging smile, trying to cheer her up for the only biological downside of being a werewolf. He couldn't imagine how it felt but it sounded both powerful and a little terrifying to be so primal and out of control.
"I'm glad I got to meet you too, Frankie," Selina replied, seeming to relax slightly as she looked up at him, "I hope learning more about me isn't enough to scare you off..but if it is, I understand." She pulled a hesitant smile onto her face, looking now towards the pancake that was cooking instead of meeting his eyes. It didn't seem like he was frightened enough to leave, but at the same time, knowing that she had no control over herself during full moons could've been the breaking point.
He shook his head with a soft smile as he flipped the pancake. ”I’m not scared of you.” he assured her. ”I was just curious and I knew it was probably a… sensitive topic but I still want to learn more about you. It's not your fault… During the next full moon, I’ll just stay in the cave or off pack lands.” he offered, since he was now planning to spend his whole vacation here. He remembered that he would have to move his camp around the park so the Alpha didn't think the young blond was a threat.
Selina nodded, a soft smile on her face as she offered, "I can show you the places that would be safest if you'd like, and where is safest from the other packs that live in the park." She was more than relieved to hear that he wasn't scared of her, and a soft blush appeared on her face when he mentioned wanting to learn more about her and her kind. That was something she could help with.
Frankie felt his ears grow warm at her smile but tried to hide it as he carefully served her the fresh pancake. ”That would be great, Selina. Thank you.” he smiled back, nodding at her suggestion. ”How many packs live in this park?” he wondered. It sort of made sense that there would be more than one in a park of this size, he just hadn't thought about it until now.
"Five or six, if I remember correctly..it's been a while since me and Alpha have met with pack leaders." She smiled, nodding her head in thanks and only letting the pancake sit on her plate for a moment before picking it up. Within minutes she was happily eating again, waiting patiently to answer any more questions that Frankie could have.
His eyes widened slightly at the number since it was higher than… Well, he didn't really know what to expect but six packs seemed like a lot. ”Wow… Do you and your Alpha meet with them… routinely? Or is it just when you can get together?” he asked, picking up his first pancake which had finally cooled enough for him to eat.
Selina shook her head, "There's no routine to when we meet. Normally its when pack members have intruded on other's land, or when we're asking permission to hunt near other's lands when food is scarce. We're all small enough packs that we don't take up much land, and that's why theres so many of us here…it's one of only a few safe places." She smiled gently, trying her best to savor the remaining part of the pancake and not scarf it down like she wanted to.
He nodded, listening closely as she talked. ”That makes sense.” he said before biting his pancake so he had a free hand to pour the next one. ”Probably one of the best places to hide too.” he commented with a small smile, not hiding his love for nature. ”No offense but I can't see a werewolf hiding successfully for very long in the city… Even if they prefer it.”
"Some have tried, not many have suceeded," She shrugged, a soft smile on her face, "It's too difficult to have to leave the city at least once a month and make the drive out to somewhere secluded. Plus, hiding from government officials, and making excuses to leaving is a hassle." Selina popped the final piece of her pancake into her mouth, then leaned back on her arms again and continued, "It's much easier to just make trips there, live somewhere like here and not have to worry as much, or at least live in a house out in the woods where you know you'll be safer."
”I can imagine.” he couldn't help but chuckle a little. It made so much more sense to live outside of a city, or better yet a town, and just visit when you needed supplies. ”It definitely sounds easier that way. Of course, campers seem more likely to be a slight problem.” he joked, mostly referring to himself but he knew there were a few other nature lovers who would camp the same way. ”Do you have just one person who goes into town or do you take turns?” he asked as soon as the question came to mind.
She nodded, laughing gently and winking at him, "Yes, campers are an issue, but like you, they're normally nice and won't tattle on us." Selina glanced around as she paused, then shrugged, offering him another smile, "Normally I would go with another pack member to the city, but there are occassions that I go on my own." Talking about her pack was fun, and she didn't mind the amount of questions he had for her.
His smile grew as he heard her laugh. It was a nice sound and he was glad that she was feeling better now that they weren't on a topic that was obviously uncomfortable for her. ”That’s good to hear.” he tried not to blush again, why he wasn't sure… Until he smirked a little. ”So, am I going to be filling in for your packmate when we go to the city together?”
"Yes, you are an honorary pack member when we go to the city," She replied, smiling at him and feeling her cheeks heat at his smirk, "As long as you'd like to be one that is." Selina sat up straight again, crossing her legs and watching him with a bright smile and another wink, "It's a lot of responsibility, are you up for that?"
Frankie was honestly regretting the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. Yes, he had been teasing but… He felt his face turning redder as he waited for her to laugh at him. His ears perked up when that didn't happen. She… She took it seriously? He looked at her in some degree of surprise and shock before nodding. ”Yes. I would like that. Very much.” he smiled genuinely. ”Thank you… My Beta. I promise I can handle it and I’ll keep you safe.”
Selina laughed gently, her own face growning more red at his use of her formal title, "I'm supposed to keep you safe, I'm Beta, you're a pack member." She looked him in the eyes with a smile, a mix of amazement and genuine happiness on her face. It almost suprised her that he had accepted the offer, but she didn't mind. Frankie being a pack member was going to be fun, and exciting.
Frankie smiled a little shyly. ”Yeah, I know… but I’m the one who knows about what cities are like.” he reminded her gently. ”I mean, I'm sure you've been to this city before but… If I’m going to be showing you around then I guess I feel responsible for making sure you get back to the park safely.” he explained as best he could, his face still warm as he plated the next pancake.
"I'll be responsible for keeping you safe if you're responsible for keeping me safe, how about that?" She suggested with a smile, "You need to get back to your family as much as I need to get back to here." Selina watched him plate the pancake, though let him keep it in his hands, he probably needed the food much more than she did. Even if she did want another one of the delicious pancakes.
”That sounds like a fair deal to me.” he nodded briefly in agreement, smiling at her. Frankie couldn't help but chuckle a little as she stared at the food. ”You can have another one if you want. I’m just eating slower because I'm cooking at the same time. Three pancakes is usually enough for me anyway.”
"I'll eat it if there are any left over, you eat as much as you need," She replied, nodding to the pancake, "I'll always find something else to eat if I'm hungry." It was true, she wanted the pancake, but it was Frankie's food, and she was very able to find something else to eat in the woods. She wouldn't have as much of a hard time as he would with trying to catch something.
Frankie smiled at her and rolled his eyes before picking up the warmer pancake. ”Go ahead. You can have it. I got enough batter left for one more.” he insisted, holding the pancake out to her. He understood that she could easily hunting and find more food if she wanted but he could tell how much she enjoyed the fresh food.