“I hope you keep an eye out for the wild animals. I always remember my father telling me to be careful of big cats and wolves. He even mentioned seeing a polar bear there once, but I think he was a bit too far south to see one of those.”
“Just a bit,” Molly chuckled.
“Have you always wanted to be a nurse?” Hayden changed the conversation.
“I’ve always wanted to help people, and this is the perfect way for me to do it. It’s taken quite a bit of learning and one big shock when I arrived here, but I’m still feeling good at the moment. What about you? Have you always wanted to be in the army?”
He shook his head. “Not at all, but the army is sort of a family tradition that I’m following for the time being. This is probably going to make me sound like a complete nerd, but I really love archeology. Eventually, I want to travel the world on digs and discover the history buried beneath the earth. I did get the chance to assist an archeologist a few years ago when he went on a dig for dragon bones.”
“Wow,” Molly exclaimed, “Did he find any?”
“No, it turned out to be a dinosaur, but it was still fabulous to find all the little bones and match them together. Maybe one day I’ll discover a dragon. I’m sure there are still creatures out there we don’t know anything about. I’ve always been fascinated by werewolves. If they do exist, I don’t believe they’re as evil as people say.”
“Interesting theory. If you ever find any mythical creatures, I’d like to see them as well. It would be amazing. I love animals. I would have considered training to be a vet if nursing hadn’t worked out, but it’s not really practical. Most vets are men, and it’s just so hard for women to get into. Hopefully, I can use some of my nursing skills on animals in the park when I return.”
“Again, I say be careful of the wild animals.”
“I will. They don’t scare me.” Molly laughed, and Hayden got the sense from her that she really wasn’t scared of them.
They both fell silent for a few minutes and finished their beers as they swayed in their seats to the music.
“Would you like to dance again?” Hayden asked as he placed his finished beer on the table.
“Yes please.”
They returned to the dance floor and spent the next few hours together showing how well they could move. By the end of it, Hayden was exhausted, but he was also the perfect gentleman and escorted Molly back to her sleeping quarters.
“I wanted to ask you something?” Hayden stopped her just before she went inside.
“Of course.” Molly stared up at him.
“I really enjoyed tonight. I’m here for a day or two before I go back to the front line. I was wondering if you’d like to go on another date.”
Molly smiled. “So is that what this was, a date?”
Hayden suddenly felt a little presumptuous. They didn’t really know each other.
“I’m sorry,” he started to apologize, but Molly put her finger to his lips.
“I’m joking. I enjoyed our date a great deal, and I’d love to do it again.”
Hayden took Molly’s fingers in his hand and kissed them. He thought he heard her let out a little purr. It excited him.
“Let me know when you’re free tomorrow, and I’ll see if I can get us a picnic.”
“I will.” Molly pulled her hand away and placed it at her side. “Goodnight, Hayden.”
“Goodnight, Molly.”
She disappeared into her sleeping quarters, and he made his way back to his with a spring in his step. He may have lost his best friend from his side for a while, but in Molly, he was discovering something completely different, and it excited him beyond anything. Had he just found his partner for life? Maybe true love at first sight wasn’t a myth after all.
Chapter Three
Molly had really enjoyed the previous night with Hayden. She was attracted to him and couldn’t wait to spend more time with him. First she had a more pressing issue to deal with—her puma was going crazy, which had led to her making a mistake while she was on duty earlier. Thankfully, it didn’t cause a major incident, but she was very aware, as a nurse, she held her patients’ lives in her hand.
She’d crept out of the sleeping accommodation and was in the depths of the jungle area surrounding the camp. It was dangerous, and her heart beat wildly. If she was caught by the enemy, it could mean death, and if she was caught by her colleagues, it would be a court martial, but she couldn’t deny the wild cat within her anymore. It was going insane. She hadn’t thought about this being a consequence of aiding in the war. It was stupid really—it should have been her prime concern as a puma shifter.
When she found a quiet clearing, she listened out with her enhanced hearing for anyone nearby. She could sense nothing so quickly removed her clothes and folded them up neatly. She hid them under a pile of leaves in the hope that if anyone came that way, they wouldn’t find them. She had to wear dog tags at all times to identify her, and they were tucked into the pocket of her pants, so it would be easy to identify the clothes belonged to her.
She listened out again before she shut her eyes and allowed her body to change. She went down on all fours as her legs sprouted the tawny brown hair of her species. Her hands and feet changed to those of a cat’s, and her nails shifted to sharp claws. The fur now covering her entire body spread over her face as the bones changed and cracked to reform into a puma’s features. Her nose changed, and her sight intensified. Sharp canine teeth grew longer in her mouth until the transformation was complete. Her wild animal wanted to let out a loud roar, but she knew she needed to be silent until she’d run as far away from the camp as possible.
She’d studied a map earlier of the surrounding area, so she knew where the armies were stationed. She was aware that if she went North East the jungle would be denser, and there’d be less chance of being discovered. Pumas weren’t native to this part of the world. Only the Indochinese tigers and leopards lived here, so she really needed to make sure nobody spotted her. There was also the added threat of there being explosive booby-traps hidden in the jungle. She’d learned from Hayden it was in an area such as this where he and Trent had been injured. Until she was away from civilization, this was going to be more of a slow and steady run for her puma. She really didn’t mind. After a week of not changing, it was a blessing to have even a few minutes in her natural form.
Quietly she made her way North East and was lucky enough not to encounter anyone. It was almost as though people knew she needed to be free. She climbed higher up the Rào Cỏ mountain region on the border of Vietnam and Laos. It was the perfect place to escape with only indigenous tribes living there and no dangerous explosives.
When she sensed she was in a safe area, she let go and allowed her puma to run. She bounced over rocks and ducked under branches. She scratched her claws on the trunks of tall trees and even dared to let out a series of growls. She didn’t attempt her high pitch yowl, though. A puma was known for that noise, and it could be heard for miles around. It was too much of a risk.
Eventually, she grew tired and made her way back to where she’d left her clothes. Her large, fur covered paws trudged through the wet jungle. Monsoons seemed to unleash their torrential downpours most days here, not that they brought much respite from the heat. Still, her puma was satisfied now, and she could look forward to enjoying her evening with Hayden.