Gina the Wolfgirl - Part 1/4

Meanwhile, way out at the outskirts of town...

They called it Shadowville, a place where Shadow Peak's homeless population fell away out of sight into the darkness of the forest. People of all ages had at one time or another fallen to Shadowville, some as a temporary spot before rebounding back into society or, unfortunately, to stay. Some people just had nowhere else to go. A withered middle-aged man sat around the small campfire with a few other men and a single girl. He took a swig from his "liberated" bottle of wine as the girl stood up to take her leave of the group. "You goin' out alone 'gain, Jo?" he slurred, having been through a lot of wine today. "You sho' you don't want no protecshion?"

"I can handle myself, Calzo," she said.

"You know we worry about ya," another of the men said as he ate from a can of beans 'n franks that he'd cooked over the fire. "Animals prowlin' around and all."

Joanna Baker didn't reply, instead heading off into the twilight with her frayed backpack. At the age of seventeen she'd taken off from home after a fight with her parents... god, it'd been so long she didn't even remember what they'd been fighting about... and wound up on the streets. Too proud and too angry to go home, she evaded search parties and police for weeks, keeping her nose clean and staying out of sight for the most part. Eventually her desire for a hot meal and a warm bed outstripped her pride, so she returned home after a few weeks, only to find her old house empty and up for sale. Her parents had moved away, and although she never found out why, it just cemented in her mind that her family didn't really care about her. If they had, why'd they move so suddenly? Her life at an all time low, Jo wandered the county and eventually fell back to Shadowville at the age of twenty, and as far as she was concerned she could stay there. Who'd want to go back to a world where nobody loved you? At least in Shadowville she had a loose collection of friends, and when they weren't too drunk or too desperate they could at least be sort of decent. Nobody had ever forced her legs open or shot her full of junk the way most girls were treated on the streets. Calzo, Frank, and Gummy Joe may be down and out, but they were basically helpful.

Jo kept up a tough front around her adopted family, mostly because she feared if she ever fell into the role of helpless little girl someone may well take advantage. Nice guys, sort of, but totally trustworthy? Jo wasn't about to test that. Before dinner Gummy Joe had given her a little gift he'd swiped from the drug store for her: "mountain rain" body wash. She gratefully accepted it; tough front aside, she still had her moments of girlyness. One can't have indoor plumbing without having an indoors, of course, and this particular evening found Jo headed to the river that ran through Shadow County for a bath. She knew the guys' offers of protection was just a pretense for them to ogle her naked body as she bathed, and after a few weeks of "no means no" the offers stopped, but Frank's offer tonight made some kind of rational sense. As Calzo had shown her earlier in the day with the newspaper he'd found, there was supposedly some kind of wild animal running loose in the forest. Jo felt she was prepared though. Her old backpack that had once housed schoolbooks tonight held a change of clean clothes (thank you, laundromat!) as well as a sizable knife she'd "borrowed" from a creep back in Cooper City and just never bothered to return. If some bear or wolf came at her she'd show it who was the boss of this forest. At least, she hoped so.

It was nearly dark by the time she reached the river. Turning around and looking from side to side, Jo didn't see any peeping eyes. She peeled her sweaty t-shirt over her head, unclasped her tattered sports bra, and dropped her frayed shorts and underwear in a single motion. Body wash bottle in hand, she waded into the river, the cold water hardening her nipples and making her shiver, goosebumps springing up on her skin. Eventually she reached to where the water was waist deep and opened the bottle. She took a sniff of the soap; god, it always smelled so good. She squirted some into her hand and began lathering herself, enjoying the sensation of becoming clean. Bathing in the river were always the high points of her week.

And that's when Jo realized she wasn't alone after all. She'd checked for people hiding on shore, but not in the water, and just ahead in the darkness where she couldn't quite see, Jo heard some splashing that wasn't coming from her. As her eyes adjusted to the growing darkness she could see something large taking a swim just off in the near distance. Jo was not alone.

She stood perfectly still, and soon the shadowy figure splashed clumsily out of the water. It stretched on the bank and shook itself dry like a dog, before bringing itself up to its full height of well over 8 feet tall...and howling at the moon. In the bright glow of the moonlight, Jo could see its face - it was a wolf. A towering, powerfully-built bipedal wolf.

The soap slipped from her hand and landed in the water with a splash. The beast turned its head, looked right at her, and Jo felt her blood run cold.

Whatever it was, it was waiting for her to make the next move.

"W-what are you?" she gasped hoarsely. When there was no answer, she asked again, but still the creature would not react. "I'm Jo." she explained, as if the hulking great beast could possibly be interested in her dinner's name.

It began to advance on her. Slowly, it waded back into the water towards her...and Jo knew her time was up. She'd be found days, perhaps weeks from now, mauled to death by some monstrous animal and all because you're too scared to turn and run for that knife on the shore...

The creature reached out for her, with its long boney claws that would be ripping into her flesh any second -

The bottle of body wash. Jo hadn't even realised she'd dropped that too, but it must have floated over to the creature and now...it was giving it back to her. Cautiously, she reached out and took it from the creature's clawed grasp. "Thank you." she said, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt. The creature nodded, then took a few steps back in the water, so as to not seem so threatening.

Jo managed a grateful smile, despite her nerves. Suddenly, a breeze whipped up from nowhere, and she shuddered as the cold air hit her dripping wet body. Already, the beast was moving, heading for the shore. "Wait!" Jo called, not really sure why she wanted the monster to come back. "Please, I..."

She stopped, as she could see the creature had no intentions of leaving her just yet. Rather, it had grabbed her towel, and was already sploshing back towards her, obviously concerned that she not catch cold.

"I wasn't done yet." Jo protested, as the towel was thrown around her. The creature instantly took it away again, and gestured to the water. You wash, and I'll dry, it seemed to be telling her.

Jo finished bathing, and then headed back the shore, the creature following close behind. She shivered, and once again it wrapped the towel around her. "Aren't you sweet?" Jo asked, as it helped her dry off and get dressed again. But again, she began to have doubts - why was it being so nice to her? "You're not, um...going to eat me...are you?" The creature shook its head, and reached out to take hold of Jo's hand in its huge paw. "Oh...good..."

Now reasonably confident that this creature meant her no harm, Jo managed to ask the other big question; "Who are you?" When it didn't reply - how could it? - she asked "You are real, aren't you? I mean, I'm not dreaming, or-" The creature suddenly tore a clump of its fur out, grunted, and handed it to Jo as proof of its own existence.

"Thanks." she said. "But...I'd much rather stroke you. Can I?"

The wolf knelt down, allowing Jo to make a fuss of it...and as its tail began to wag happily, she realised this thing was actually enjoying being stroked. Now that she wasn't straining to look up at it, Jo could see that it had breasts - large, perfectly formed breasts.

"You're a girl wolfy." she realised. "Oh, wait til I tell my friends-"

The creature grunted. "No?" Jo asked. "You'd rather I didn't?" It nodded. "OK, sure...but they wouldn't be afraid of you..."

The wolfgirl tapped Jo on the chest, as if to say You were. "That's different." Jo protested. "I mean...you startled me..." The creature nodded wearily, as if that was an everyday occurence...and Jo realised sadly that it probably was. "But not anymore." she added. "You're a good girl...yes, you are." The wolf's tail began to wag again.

"Look...you understand what I say to you." Jo said. "And mostly...I mean, aside from your face and claws and all that fur...you look almost like a human girl. Were you...once? Or are you a werewolf, or-"

Frank's voice suddenly carried across the night air. "Jo? Jo, you out here?"

The creature got up, and turned to run. "Wait!" Jo called quietly. The creature stopped, and turned back to face her. "Don't just go...come back with us." The creature shook her head sadly. "But...I'd like to see you again..."

The wolfgirl stepped forward again. She pointed first to the ground, and then up at the moon. "Same place...when? Tomorrow night?" It nodded. "I'll be here."

Then the creature raised a finger to its lips, in a 'ssh' gesture. "What?" Jo asked. "Oh...yeah, sure...I won't tell anyone about you. I promise."

"Jo!"

"You'd better g-" She stopped. The beast was already gone...but Jo still held the clump of fur in her hands. Whatever that thing was, it was real...and she wanted to see it again. "I'm here!" she called to Frank.

Frank stumbled down the bank to the water's edge, flashlight in hand. "Heard a wolf howlin'...you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jo replied. "Didn't see nothin'. Sounded like it came from way over the other side of the river..."

"P'raps it's best we get you back anyhow."

"Sure." Jo gathered up her things and the pair headed back, but she couldn't resist glancing over her shoulder, just for a moment...and she saw a large clawed hand, waving at her from one of the bushes.

She smiled, and waved back...then her new friend was gone.

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Jo considered herself lucky this evening. All day long she'd been thinking of a way to sneak off from the encampment without drawing the concern or curiosity of the guys, and here they went and all got blind stinking drunk on stolen liquor all by themselves after dinner. All three were passed out, sleeping it off until morning. Jo was on her own for the night, and right now that was just the way she wanted it. She grabbed her trusty backpack, figuring as long as she was walking back out to the river she might as well bathe again, and quietly strolled off into the woods.

As she walked Jo felt her heart thumping in her chest. Something about this wolf... girl... whatever... excited her. Was she a person? A pet? Some lab experiment gotten loose? There were so many questions and the answers were hopefully waiting for her at the agreed-upon spot. Jo reached the riverbank as the last of the fading sun dipped below the horizon, the only light in the area coming from the appearing stars and rising moon. "Hello?" she quietly called out. "I'm here..." A rustle from the bushes turned Jo's head and she saw the creature rising up from its hiding spot. "Hi," she said as she rose, and Jo was again overwhelmed by her large size yet graceful movements. The wolfgirl gave a friendly-sounding grunt and waved hello as she approached Jo. "How... how are you?" Jo asked, and the wolf grunted again, but Jo had no idea what she was trying to convey. "I'm sorry, I don't understand," and the wolf made a frustrated noise. "I have so many questions," Jo said, and the wolf nodded her head and grunted, as if to say I bet you do. She gestured to a large rock next to them and then sat down on the ground. Jo got the invitation, sitting on the little boulder. The wolf held its paws out, as if waiting to take Jo's questions. "What's your name?" Jo asked.

The wolf was noticeably surprised. She'd encountered a handful of people since she'd decided to roam free and all of them had the same reaction: frightened screams, running away, and shouts of "What are you?!". Not once had anybody asked her about her name. "You do have one, don't you?" The wolf nodded happily and grunted again, but of course Jo had no hope of understanding her. In excited desperation the wolfgirl looked around for a branch of a stick or something, and then, snapping a twig from a nearby plant, she began to scratch letters in the soft dirt. Jo looked down, her eyes having adjusted to the dark, and watched her new friend write her name in the soil. It took the wolf some effort, as her large paws with big claws weren't really fit for holding a makeshift pencil. Jo sounded out the letters as they appeared: "G....I....N...A... Gina?" The wolfgirl grunted an affirmative and nodded happily. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Gina. So I guess, if you had a name...you were human once, weren't you?" Gina nodded. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

When the wolf didn't reply, Jo addded "Gina...I'm not afraid of you. What if I went to someone, told them about you...maybe they could help you?"

Gina shook her head. "Do you like being like this, then?"

Gina shrugged, and made a little 'so-so' gesture with her paw. She pointed to her own body, and gave a thumbs-up...then she held up one finger, and shook her head sadly.

"You like what you are...but you don't like being alone. Is that it?"

Gina nodded. "Do you have any friends at all?" When Gina didn't reply, she added "Aside from me?" Another quiet growl. "You're all by yourself...that must be so lonely..."

Gina growled in agreement. Then she shooed Jo off the rock, and picked it up, lifting it high over her head without any difficulty at all.

"Wow." Jo gasped. "But I guess, with these muscles, that's only to be expected..." Gina shook her head. "No?"

Gina set the rock back down, and as Jo sat on it again the wolfgirl picked up another large rock from nearby - and crushed it to dust between her paws. "Holy shit." Jo exclaimed.

While that was still sinking in, Gina crouched, then leapt into the air. Up, and up, and up...and up...until Jo couldn't see her any more. Then gravity took over - Gina fell from the sky and landed in the river. Before Jo could even react, the wolfgirl was back on the shore, shaking herself dry apparently none the worse for wear.

"How did you do that?" Jo gasped. Gina flexed her muscles. "Yeah, but there's strength, and there's superstrength...oh my God, you have...superpowers?" Gina nodded, and Jo detected more than a hint of pride from the wolfgirl. "How?"

Gina's tail stopped wagging, and her whole attitude seemed to change - that subject was either impossible to explain or totally off-limits. "We don't have to talk about that." Jo told her soothingly, and tried to change the subject. "So...are you from around here?"

Gina glanced around, and shook her head. "A long way from home, huh? Yeah, me too...do you have a home, somewhere you stay?" Again, Gina shook her head. "Just travel around? Yeah, I used to do that..."

Gina stared inquisitively at Jo. "What?" she asked. Gina pointed a long boney finger at her.

"Me? You wanna know about me...I don't really know what I can tell you..."

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Twenty minutes later, Jo finished telling her story. She hadn't reallly meant to tell Gina so much so soon, but it just seemed to come flooding out. By now, Gina had rolled off the rock, and lay next to it so that Jo could stroke her more easily. "I mean, they're great guys n all, and they've looked after me, but I don't know if we're great friends. I think I've told you more about myself than I've ever told them..." She shook her head. "And as nice as they've been to me...I'm lonely too."

Gina sat up now, and began licking Jo's face with her big wet tongue. "Stop it!" Jo giggled. "Your nose is cold."

Gina did stop licking, but the movement of her body told Jo that her tail was still wagging. "Gina, I would really like us to be friends." she said. "But..." Jo instantly felt Gina's paw take hold of her hand, as if 'But' wasn't a word the wolfgirl wanted to hear.

She's all alone. Jo thought to herself. And so am I, really. If we stuck together...could it work?

Jo had always been impulsive. Her knack for making quick spur-of-the-moment decisions had defined her ever since she was a little girl. Impulse had made her shove that bratty Kathy Abernathy off the swings in kindergarten. Impulse had made her sweep Danny Burton into her arms and kiss him at the seventh grade dance. Impulse had made her run away from home. Now impulse was guiding her again. "There's nothing keeping me here," Jo said. "If you want, maybe you and me could travel together?" That was exactly what Gina had hoped to hear. The large wolfgirl was overjoyed, standing up and picking up her new traveling companion, pressing her into a tight hug. Jo found her face pressed against Gina's big furry breasts and struggling to breathe. "Oxygen," she stammered, "Becoming an issue!" Gina let her go and put her down with an embarrassed grin. Jo held out her hand and Gina took it, the two of them shaking on their new partnership.

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"Oh, hey!" Cammy said, surprised. She sat up on the bed, not a stitch on. "I thought you and Nat were out patrolling tonight."

"Megan's taking my place tonight," Aly said, coming into the bedroom. "I thought you and I-"

"Popcorn's ready!" Katie chirped, entering the room stark naked and holding a big bowl of popcorn. "Oh, hey Aly."

"You two had plans already," Aly figured (and a little disappointed).

Cammy patted on the bed and said "Well, now the three of us have plans."

Aly whooshed into bed with Katie following and laying between the two. Katie rested the bowl of popcorn between her legs and she and Cammy began munching as a movie came on TV.

"This is what you do when we're not around?" Aly asked.

"What'd you expect?" Katie asked.

"Well, sex."

"Oh, we'll get to that," Cammy teased, tracing a piece of popcorn around Aly's nipple before popping it into her mouth.

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"We'll get to that," Natalie promised her protege.

"I just expected more, y'know, action," Megan said. The two of them were standing atop the bank right in the heart of downtown. The city had gone to bed, but Natalie encouraged Megan to keep her ears open. Someone may need their help tonight.

"The waiting is the hardest part sometimes."

"How are you liking it so far?"

"It's alright. You're great company."

"No," Megan corrected, "I mean, going public. Is it what you thought it'd be?"

"Yes and no," Nat answered honestly. Some elements were the same as the horrible alternate timeline she'd experienced (such as her mother's contacts and Officer Jordan), but most everything else was thankfully different. "But I still think we did the right thing. Would you believe someone asked me for my autograph today?"

"Well of course," Megan said. "You're everybody's hero now."

"And then he asked me for a date."

"I guess that's to be expected too. What'd you say?"

"I told him I was spoken for," Nat said, thinking of Katie. "You know, just between you and me, I'm going to a-"

A loud manly shout rang out suddenly nearby, cutting Natalie off and causing Megan to excitedly yell "Let's go!" Shadow Peak needed its heroes.

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"I don't wanna say goodbye," Jo said as she gathered up her few belongings from the camp. Frank and the guys were still passed out drunk, so this seemed the perfect time to just slip away. "They'd never let me go off by myself." Gina nodded her understanding of the situation and cast a glance at the men lit by the dying fire. Jo scribbled out a note on the day's newspaper to say her farewell. "I'll tell 'em I'm goin' away for a while. Thank 'em for everything. Who knows? Maybe I'll see 'em again someday." Packed and ready, Jo held her arm out and said "Ready?" Gina held her hand and the two walked off into the forest with no particular destination in mind.

Not for the first time in her life, Jo Baker was questioning the value of acting on impulse. No sooner had she and Gina set off to who knows where, than the rain came down. Hard. Back at Shadowville, she would at least have had the protection of a makeshift shed with a tin roof, but out here...she was soaked, and things were getting worse.

"Gina," she said, "Is there anywhere...y'know, some shelter?"

Gina nodded, and pointed through the trees, towards a cave. "You were already leading me here." Jo realised.

Inside the damp dark cave, Jo could just about make out a makeshift bed, made out of branches and leaves, flattened through regular use. "Somebody's been here already." she noted. Gina pounded on her own hairy chest. "Oh, right...sorry...might help if we could see. I got a lighter in here somewhere." Rummaging through her bag, she eventually found it and tried to flick it into life. "Empty."

She tossed it aside, but Gina held up her finger, in an 'All is not lost' gesture. "What are you doing?" Jo asked, as she sat down on Gina's bed.

Snapping a large branch from a tree just outside the cave, Gina held it up and set it aflame with a burst of her heat-vision. Handing it to Jo as a torch, she then rounded up enough branches and sticks for a small fire, and set that ablaze in the same way.

"You're incredible." Jo whispered, before giggling as the wolfgirl actually took a bow. Jo clapped, and Gina came to sit down next to her. Almost instantly, Jo's stomach growled, and the wolfgirl looked concerned.

"I didn't have much supper." Jo explained. "Y'know, having the same things every night gets pretty boring..."

Gina stood up, pointed outside and patted her belly, then pointed to Jo. "You'll get me something?" Gina nodded. "Thank you...oh, but not an animal." Jo said suddenly. "I mean, not one that you've killed or something..."

Gina shook her head, then gave a little wave. Before Jo could even wave back, Gina was gone in a burst of superspeed. "Unbelievable." she whispered...

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"Easy now." Nat said soothingly, as she helped the man to his feet. "I've got you."

Without saying a word, not even in thanks, the man shrugged himself free of Nat's grasp, gathered up his belongings and walked off as fast as he could. Nat watched him go. "You're welcome, I guess." she said.

Megan suddenly landed on her feet next to Nat. "The police are closing in on those guys who attacked him." she said. "They'll have em in a few minutes."

"Will they need our help?"

"Nah. Their guns weren't even loaded." Seeing that the man Nat had saved had increased his speed now that there were two naked supergirls behind him, she asked "Now what was his problem?...He must really fancy you..."

"I've noticed this before." Natalie said. "But I don't think it's fancying us...more likely, he was afraid."

"Of what, you just saved his life? If you hadn't been here to kick ass, those guys probably would have killed him..."

"I know." Nat replied. "It's just a feeling I get sometimes...like some people are disgusted with us for prancing around naked."

"You're not thinking of stopping already...are you?"

"No." Nat said firmly. "Never...but there are times, just occasionally, why I wonder why we ever started." With that, Nat leapt up to the rooftops once more. Megan followed close behind.

"Because you're doing good." she said. "Think of the lives you've saved already, think of the lives you will save. If people can't see past the nudity, then there's something wrong with them...cos a naked girl is the most wonderful thing of all..."

Nat smiled. Her protege's illusions about the reality of superheroing weren't always accurate, but they were infectious. "What about you?" she asked.

"What about me?"

"Y'know...think you'll ever go public like we have?"

Megan thought for a moment. "No." she replied. "Not the way you have...see, what I'd like to do is do it exactly the way Supergirl did in the comics. Have a double identity, so that I can still carry on a normal life...then turn into Super Megan when I'm needed." She paused. "Do you think I could do it? Be a proper superhero?"

Natalie smiled; she'd seen Megan become just that in the alternate timeline, and she was still very proud of her. "I know you could do it." she said. "And that would be as Supergirl, would it?"

Megan nodded eagerly. "You're Superwoman." she replied. "You need a Supergirl...but then, what name does that leave for Aly?"

"I dunno. Superbabe, Superchick, Superslut...or something else. We'll let her decide." She smiled. "Katie's working on something right now. She won't tell me what it is...but she does seem to think it's a way around what happened with that other serum. Y'know...maybe it's a way to wear clothes again."

"But you couldn't use your powers when you had clothes on..."

"I know." Natalie replied. "And if it's going back to the way things used to be, I don't want it. But I don't think Katie would do that...like I said, it could be a way around that..."

"Superslut." Megan giggled. "That's cool..."

"Speaking of sluts, if you'll pardon the expression, have you...y'know, has there been anyone for you yet?"

"You mean a girlfriend?" Megan shook her head. "No...no, I wish. There are so many cute girls around...but the boys have got them all. There is this one girl, though, Wendy. She's on a writing course, and she is so dedicated to what she's doing...it's so sexy. I guess I fancy her."

"Is she taken?"

"No, that's the thing...I thought she would be, but she's not and she doesn't seem to be looking. That kinda set my gaydar off..."

Nat laughed. "Gaydar? Megan...you've only been like this for, what, 2 months?"

"I know, I know." Megan replied. "Anyway, we have hung out a bit...y'know, lunch breaks and that. I think she likes me."

"Ask her out."

"If I was naked, I would, but when I put my clothes back on the confidence fades..."

"Want me to ask her out for you?" Nat teased.

"Oh yeah, that'd go down well..."

"Seriously, if you think there's something between you, then go for it. Life's too short, and you don't wanna be kicking yourself if someone else takes her away. But if you're really desperate...and you find yourself needing something that no ordinary human can provide....well, I'm here for you. And so's Aly."

"Oh, it isn't desperation that makes me want to make love to you." Megan replied - before realising just what she'd said. "I mean...it wouldn't be, if I were desperate, which I'm not, and that's not to say I wouldn't want to...because...oh hell."

"It's alright." Natalie smiled. "Like I said, just remember...I'm here for you."

"Thanks Nat." Megan replied. "Now...some of us still go to college, and still need to sleep. I think it's time I headed home." Megan kissed Nat gently on the lips. "Good night, Nat."

"Night, Megan."

Megan didn't leave. Instead, she kissed Natalie again...for longer, much more affectionately. Both girls opened their mouths, their tongues touched...and their two month friendship suddenly became something more.

"Megan..."

"Please?" Megan gasped. "Nat...I'm sorry, but it's getting harder and harder for me to think straight...I masturbate all night long, but it doesn't do any good, and I crushed my vibrator, and -"

"Ssh." Natalie placed a finger on Megan's lips. "I'm not a slut." she told her firmly. "And I wouldn't make this offer to just anyone..."

"I know..."

"But you're my little sister, and I know what your needs are...and I love you very much..."

"Oh!" Megan gasped as Natalie gave her another long, passionate kiss. "Let's do it, right now, please..."

"Not here." Natalie whispered. "We're too exposed."

"The forest?" Megan suggested.

"...are you sure about this?"

Megan nodded. "I want you...I have done for a long time. Please be the one...be my first..."