《Moonlight: Crimson Moon》


 New Moon part 1

    Moonlight


    Crimson Moon


    Chapter 1-New Moon part 1


    Tranquility was a large town located in North Dakote in the central region of the Amaya Republic. It gained its name for the tranquil scenery of the large forests that surrounded the town, and the amazing view of the mountains in the distance that tourists got a glimpse of when passing through. Of course, Tranquility was far from some national landmark or historical location of great importance, but many couldn¡¯t deny that being surrounded by so much nature helped make the place feel fresher in a way. Not too secluded that it felt like an isolated shit town but not too large that it felt disconnected from its surrounded. Tranquility was just right.


    Sherman High School was just like any other high school, a relic from the 1950s. With its six story window and impressive six story height, it would have been passed on as a combination of a cathedral and a college to anyone else. However, the school was also equipped with the most advanced security system known to most security companies. It wasn¡¯t much of a secret considering the school faculty liked to brag about it like it was their best feature, and not the fact that the school could probably pass for a college, but that¡¯s beside the point.


    It was just a few minutes before first period began and Daniel was spending it doing some reading while he waited for the bell to ring. He sat on one of the front benches in the courtyard, his eyes scanning the pages while the rest of the world moved around him. The other students paid him no mind, he was just another face in the crowd.


    Daniel was just a regular sixteen year old, slim but not gangly, with messy black hair that fell over his storm grey eyes and a small light pink scar that sat just under his left eye. He wore a black short-sleeve shirt with a great undershirt and jeans with black sneakers. His grey sweater was tied around his waist, forgotten as he read the latest volume in the book series he was reading.


    ¡°Danny!¡± A girl called out. Daniel briefly looked up with a smile before returning his gaze to his book.


    ¡°Hey, Sahira.¡± He greeted her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    The attractive girl that plopped herself beside Daniel pouted at his lackluster greeting. ¡°That¡¯s no way to greet your best girl friend in the whole wide world.¡±


    Sahira Quadir was a young woman of Indus descent, with tan skin and short black hair tied back in a simple but still elaborate ponytail. Despite it being early fall, she wore a light pink tank top and tight blue jeans that highlighted her figure (the result of daily exercise and proper dieting) really well. She was one of Daniel¡¯s best friends, in fact, she was one of the few friends he had in this school.


    ¡°We see each other every day, Sahira. Running into you isn¡¯t that out of this world.¡± Daniel said.


    ¡°You ass.¡± She grinned and nudged him with her elbow.


    ¡°So where¡¯s Heather?¡± He asked.


    ¡°In the library, where else? She heard about the recent string of lycanthrope attacks in over in Sherwood and wanted to check out the news before first period.¡± Sahira said.


    ¡°Sherwood? As in the town right next door to us?¡± Daniel said, surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they were having lycanthrope attacks.¡±


    ¡°It was just confirmed by the hunter¡¯s association after they did tests on the bodies they found. And this is only a few days after they found the remains of that man in Tranquility last week.¡± Sahira said. She gave Daniel a look and said, ¡°You know, Danny, you¡¯d be gobbled up by a werewolf in a heartbeat. A scrawny kid like you wouldn¡¯t even notice a werewolf if it was right on top of you.¡±


    ¡°Fat chance of that, considering even lycanthropes avoid Tranquility.¡± He said.


    ¡°How do you know? You can¡¯t tell a lycan from a regular human.¡± Sahira said. She waved her arm at the crowd around them. ¡°They can be anyone, and you wouldn¡¯t even know. I¡¯ve heard that even experienced hunters have problems identifying lycanthropes apart from humans.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably like that saying where if you¡¯re close enough to hear a mountain lion growling, then you¡¯re already dead.¡± Daniel said.


    ¡°Hey, if you were a lycan, what kind would you be?¡± Sahira suddenly asked.


    Daniel blinked at her. ¡°Why that question?¡±


    Sahira shrugged. ¡°Just curious. I¡¯d have no problem being a weresnake. They¡¯re really popular over in Indus.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to answer that question because I¡¯m totally not interested in being any kind of lycanthrope.¡± Daniel replied. ¡°Having superhuman strength is moo when you¡¯re being labeled as shoot on sight in some states.¡±


    The bell rang and all the students began to flood into the school. Daniel packed up his things and stood up. ¡°That¡¯s the bell. Let¡¯s go before we¡¯re late.¡±


    Sahira smirked and got up as well. ¡°I¡¯ll have your answer at lunch, Danny.¡±


    ¡°No you won¡¯t!¡± He called back to her.


    The two friends entered the school together, instantly lost in the sea of students as they made their way to class. Neither of them noticed the pair of intense eyes following them with disdain before looking away in a huff.


    XXXXXX


    Class 3-A was one of the most active classrooms in Sherman High. They had a reputation for being composed of the most rambunctious, mischievous, smartest and loudest students in the 6<sup>th</sup> grade. That, and they had a reputation for taking in exchange students from other schools both in-country and abroad.


    When Daniel and Sahira made it to their class, Daniel¡¯s eyes immediately gravitated towards the girl sitting in the desk near the window. She was a beauty, not like the makeup coated mean girls commonly found in high school, but a sweet, almost petite kind of beauty that you¡¯d suddenly run into inside a coffee shop. The cream-colored dress she wore complimented her dark lavender hair, and she wore a thin pair of glasses over her coal black eyes.


    Her name was Veronica Dare. She moved to Tranquility last year and had instantly enchanted the boys in her grade with her kind smile and sweet disposition. She was also a member of Daniel¡¯s book club and he enjoyed the long, in depth conversations about books they liked and different genres they wanted to try out. Daniel was man enough to say that he was a member of her fan club. Hard not to be after having one conversation with her.


    ¡°Trying to ice skate uphill, dork?¡± A mean voice said behind him before Daniel found himself being roughly shoved forward.


    ¡®Wonderful.¡¯ Daniel drawled in his mind as he caught himself and sent a glare at the taller boy behind him.


    ¡°Hey, watch it, asshole!¡± Sahira growled.


    ¡°Back off, girl. This is between the big boys!¡±


    Roland Zellinski was your typical high school alpha male who had yet to get his dose of reality. He was, as expected, a member of the football team, and a very good player at that. The only thing this big guy had against him however was that his attitude was crap all around. He tormented people like Daniel and his friend Heather for months since they started the school year, but Daniel was more exasperated than afraid. The high school bully act had gotten really old really fast.


    ¡°What do you want now, Roland?¡± Daniel sighed, leaning against his desk. ¡°It¡¯s too early in the morning for this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act all innocent, Blake. I saw you looking at my woman.¡± Roland hissed, towering a head taller than Daniel.


    ¡°Since when was Veronica your woman? You haven¡¯t even spoken to her at all since she came here!¡± Daniel said.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean she isn¡¯t into me. Girls like her are always looking for an alpha male!¡± Roland said arrogantly.


    ¡°Only the brain dead bimbos on the cheerleading squad, Roland.¡± Sahira sighed, heading to her seat. ¡°You¡¯re hardly the biggest fish in the sea.¡±


    ¡°In more ways than one.¡± Daniel grinned.


    Roland¡¯s face turned red at the witty comeback and he gnashed his teeth. As he watched Roland raise his fist, Daniel idly thought that if anyone would be a lycanthrope in disguise, it¡¯s Roland. Daniel braced himself for the punch he knew was coming, but before Roland could do anything, someone spoke up behind him.


    ¡°Move.¡±


    Both Roland and Daniel turned to the speaker. It was a girl, clad in a short dark grey t-shirt that left her stomach bare, a plain skirt, stockings and heavy black boots. Her skin was pale, but not sickly, and her long black hair was tied behind her head but still left flowing. Her hard black eyes stared impassively at Roland, not at all intimidated by his size. Daniel recognized this girl as Morgan, another odd flower in the class.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    Morgan¡¯s black painted lips turned into a frown by a only a fraction. ¡°I said move. You¡¯re standing in front of my desk.¡±


    Roland, who was still angry at Daniel and Sahira for showing him up in front of his ¡°girl¡± wasn¡¯t really thinking straight when he made a threatening move toward Morgan. To the pure amazement of the onlookers watching the scene, before Roland could even grab Morgan¡¯s arm, her hand shot up faster than Daniel could process and she chopped him in the throat. The burly football player crumpled to the floor coughing and hacking, holding a hand to his throat.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Sahira muttered. ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen her do that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always the quiet ones.¡± Daniel muttered to her.


    Morgan easily pushed the choking Roland aside before taking her seat and closing her eyes. Daniel stared at the girl for a moment before following Sahira to his seat, near the back of the class.


    ¡°That girl confuses me.¡± Sahira hummed. ¡°She doesn¡¯t talk to anyone in any of her classes unless it¡¯s related to school, and she barely says a word even to the teachers. I¡¯ve never seen a person move that fast either. You think she does material arts?¡±


    ¡°Sahira,¡± Daniel sighed. ¡°Just stop prying. The last thing we need is her knocking you out for asking too many questions.¡±


    Sahira snorted. ¡°Bitch, please. I can take her.¡±


    Suddenly a girl burst through the door, nearly crashing into the teacher¡¯s desk before bending over to catch her breath. She was a slender girl with short blond hair that reached just below her ears and had two bangs framing her face. She had dark brown eyes with a pair of bottle lens glasses over them, and wore a short sleeve blue striped shirt with jeans and sneakers.


    The girl finally caught her breath and stood up straight, calmly walking over to her desk behind Daniel. ¡°Hey, guys.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Heather,¡± Sahira grinned, waving her over. ¡°Nice of you to finally join us.¡±


    The bell rang for the last time and Daniel sent a grin back at Heather, the third and final member of Daniel¡¯s inner circle of friends. ¡°Made it with time to spare. Cutting it close, Heather.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I lost track of time in the library.¡± Heather smiled sheepishly. She saw Roland stumbling over to his desk while rubbing his throat and asked, ¡°Um, did I miss anything?¡±


    ¡°Nothing important.¡± Daniel said.


    Soon their homeroom teacher, Mr. Talbot, entered the class and they began to take attendance. But as the day started, Morgan sent a discreet glance at Daniel before turning her eyes back to the front.


    XXXXXX


    Come lunchtime, Daniel, Heather and Sahira got their trays and sat at their usual table, away from the rest of the rabble. No one else sat their table, but that was fine with them. The three friends only needed each other, and that was all that mattered.


    ¡°So Sahira tells me you were reading up on that lycanthrope attack that¡¯s on the news.¡± Daniel said. ¡°I didn¡¯t peg you as someone who watches ID in the evenings. I know how you are with all that gruesome stuff.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but I was just a bit curious.¡± Heather said, munching on her burger. ¡°Sherwood is practically next door to Tranquility. You think they¡¯re going to come here?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound so excited, Heather. This is a murder we¡¯re talking about.¡± Sahira said.


    ¡°S-Sorry. I just got a bit too excited.¡± Heather blushed and looked down at her hands. Sahira reached over and pinched her cheek.


    ¡°I know you like Lycans, but not everything about them is glamorous and cool. Keep in mind that the criminal lycans on the news are the bad guys.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, got it.¡±


    Daniel smiled and took a sip of his soda. Heather was crazy about lycanthropes ever since she saw a group of wereleopard performers do an act at a traveling circus when she was little. They always fascinated her, and when she got older she aspired to study more about them, eventually planning on studying lycanthrope biology and sociology in college once she graduated.


    ¡°The only thing that bugs me is that those psychopathic yahoos in Humanity First are going to be starting up again. You¡¯d think they¡¯d learn.¡± Heather sighed.


    ¡°When it comes to zealots, they¡¯ll never learn.¡± Daniel told her. ¡°Don¡¯t expect anything from a group of people who think waving a pitchfork in a wereleopard¡¯s face is going to scare them off.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Heather nodded.


    As they talked, the speaker phone was sounding off, and the principal¡¯s voice came over the intercom. ¡°Attention students. This is Principal Lane reminding you that today is the last day to sign up for the Wolfcreek Spring Break Camping Trip. Remember, it¡¯s your Spring Break, what better way than to spend it outdoors?¡±


    The three friends looked at one another, and the two girls shared a crafty smile before turning to Daniel, who was munching on his pizza in confusion. Then he realized their intentions and vehemently shook his head.


    ¡°Oh hell no, I¡¯m not¡ª¡°


    ¡°You¡¯re coming along on the camping trip.¡± Heather said, pointing her half-eaten burger at him playfully. ¡°If I¡¯m going, then so do you.¡±


    ¡°But Sahira made you go!¡±


    ¡°Damn right, and I¡¯m going to do the same to you too.¡± Sahira said shamelessly, calmly taking a bite of her salad.


    ¡°For heaven¡¯s sake, I¡¯m not interested in spending time out in the middle of a forest. Roland¡¯s going along and I¡¯m not dealing with his crap all day for the entire break.¡± Daniel shook his head. ¡°You two are welcome to go, I¡¯m going to spend some time with auntie and chill at home watching anime, thank you very much.¡±


    Sahira shook her head at him, but before she could say anything, there was a loud yell that made them jump.


    ¡°HALE!¡±


    They looked to the middle isle and saw a very angry Roland stomping towards a disinterested Morgan, who was heading to a table with her lunch tray in hand. Roland¡¯s football buddies were trying to stop him, but he pushed them all away and stopped in front of the shorter girl.


    ¡°Did you think I was gonna let you get away with that stunt you pulled in class earlier?¡± Roland growled in her face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had the mental capacity to even form a thought.¡± Morgan replied easily.


    ¡°Listen you bitch, you better apologize or I¡¯ll¡ª¡°


    ¡°Do what? Do your alpha male act on someone smaller than you? Wow, you¡¯re a piece of work. No wonder our team keeps getting beat every year. They have your dumb ass leading the team.¡± Morgan said scathingly.


    ¡°Oh shit.¡± Daniel muttered.


    His shock was shared by the rest of the crowd as they laughed and taunted Roland, who was sporting a red face. The football player gnashed his teeth together and snorted like an angry bull before he raised his arm. Daniel¡¯s eyes widened when he saw what Roland was about to do.


    ¡°Look out!¡± He called out to Morgan.


    As it turned out, Morgan didn¡¯t need the warning. As soon as Roland¡¯s fist shot at her, she sidestepped his punch, spinning around his arm and reaching out to chop him once again in the throat. Roland stumbled back, coughing and hacking, but he didn¡¯t go down this time. He charged at Morgan and started throwing several punches at her. To amazement of everyone present, Morgan was dodging every single one of them, all while still holding her tray!


    ¡°Wow,¡± Heather breathed. ¡°She¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°And she¡¯s not even throwing a punch.¡± Sahira said.


    Morgan practically danced around Roland and her avoiding his punches only made him madder. He faked a left hook and lashed out with his right, trying to catch her off guard. Morgan saw this, but she immediately dodged it, leaning to the left to let the punch sail over her shoulder. Roland¡¯s fist landed in the face of a poor boy at full force, and he was sent flying back into another table.


    ¡°Hey, he didn¡¯t do anything!¡± The girl next to him shouted.


    ¡°Get him to the nurse, his nose is broken!¡± A boy called out.


    Roland looked around and saw that everyone was looking at him with anger right now, even some of his buddies weren¡¯t smiling anymore. What did he do? He didn¡¯t mean to punch that kid, though his face was very punchable. He turned to Morgan, who had put her tray down and was shaking her head.


    ¡°You bitch!¡± He roared and charged at her, ready to knock her face out, but before he could take another step, a loud shout made everyone freeze.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough you morons!¡±


    The crowd backed away to allow another young man to walk through. He was a tall, burly man in his early forties, physically fit for his age and had a very noticeable accent, one of Eurian origin. He was Paul Vincent, the Biology teacher and coach of the school¡¯s Lacrosse team. And the normally easy going man looked absolutely living.


    He pulled Roland close by his shirt and snarled, ¡°Roland Zellinski, what exactly have we discussed about your behavior? If you have aggression, work it out on the field, not the students!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t being aggressive!¡± Roland lied. ¡°That bitch¡ª¡°


    ¡°Had done nothing to you, while you just broke a boy¡¯s nose!¡± Coach Vincent growled. ¡°Attacking a girl out of nowhere and seriously injuring a bystander. You think that gets you all the hot chick? Huh?¡±


    Roland remained silent, knowing better than to talk back to the coach. Vincent shrugged and said, ¡°Okay, fine. Expect to have a cold Spring Break, because you¡¯re going nowhere. I¡¯m putting you on school community service duty¡­as my janitor for the gym stadium, the locker room, and anything else I can come up with!¡±


    Roland balked at the idea and turned to his friends for help. However none of them, not even his cheerleader girlfriend, looked at him. He gritted his teeth and looked down at his feet.


    ¡°My parents will tan my hide for this, Coach.¡±


    ¡°Should¡¯ve thought of that before you tried attacking random people with half the staff watching you.¡± Vincent said and pulled him along towards the doors. ¡°Now let¡¯s go give your folks a call. I¡¯m not wasting my afternoon dealing with you.¡±


    Daniel, Heather and Sahira watched them go with wide eyes. Daniel then turned to Morgan, who had retrieved her lunch and was now sitting at a table away from the muttering students.


    ¡°Well that was something.¡± Heather said.


    Sahira clapped her hands and smiled. ¡°So who¡¯s excited for that camping trip, huh?¡±


    XXXXXX


    The rest of the day went fine. Daniel, Heather and Sahira finished the rest of their afternoon classes, but throughout it all everyone was talking about Morgan¡¯s display with Roland earlier.


    It wasn¡¯t as if no one knew Morgan existed, it was just that she wasn¡¯t the talkative type, and rarely socialized with anyone. Obviously no one knew she could fight, and fight that damn well too. To the girls who¡¯d seen how toned she was in the locker room during gym weren¡¯t as surprised.


    But that wasn¡¯t the only surprising thing Daniel witnessed that day.


    Right after last period, Daniel saw the girls off and headed to his book club, and just as he was entering the clubroom, he almost ran into Veronica.


    ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Daniel said.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t looking where I was going.¡± Veronica laughed.


    Daniel looked at the book in her hands and smiled. ¡°Oh you¡¯re reading Tatsuki Kaneki¡¯s new horror?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am! His stories are especially visceral when it comes down to it.¡± Veronica said. ¡°A story about humans fighting against man-eating monsters called Ghouls, and one boy waking up as a ghoul after a vicious accident one night. I won¡¯t tell you any spoilers, but it gets pretty action-packed later on.¡±


    ¡°Horror isn¡¯t usually my cup of tea, but I¡¯m willing to give it a look if you like it.¡± Daniel said.


    As they took their seats, Veronica said, ¡°Oh you¡¯ll love it. It makes you think about our own world, and how we live with our own monsters. In the book, humans live in conflict with ghouls, but in the real world, we live alongside lycans, yes?¡±


    Daniel blinked at her. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say we were in total conflict with them¡­¡±


    ¡°But we do still have issues with lycanthropes in this country, despite the government¡¯s best efforts not to demonize them. Groups like Alpha Luna don¡¯t just appear out of nowhere.¡± Veronica said. ¡°Some states still have shoot on sight orders for wereanimals, and that doesn¡¯t fare well for local lycan groups.¡±


    She lifted the book in her hand. ¡°What I like about this story is that it puts into perspective on what truly makes a monster. Is it their behavior, their looks, their aggressiveness? Or maybe something that we can¡¯t see immediately. Humans have a way of surpassing lycanthropes when it comes to committing atrocities.¡± A look came over her eyes that somehow made them more enticing. ¡°For lycanthropes, being violent and savage is within their nature. But what¡¯s our excuse when we do the same thing? Good question, yes?¡±


    Daniel didn¡¯t know what to say, and he didn¡¯t really want to comment on something that deep. Veronica laughed at his expression and put her book down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been reading a lot of thought-provoking stories lately and I needed someone to vent my thoughts to.¡± She said smiling. Thankfully she changed the subject. ¡°Hey, are you going on the camping trip coming up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still thinking about it.¡± Daniel replied. ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I love the outdoors, and I rarely get a chance to go camping.¡± Veronica said. ¡°What better way than to spend it with friends?¡±


    Daniel wanted to say that it¡¯d be better if half the school wasn¡¯t going, considering that there were a good amount of kids whom he saw as wastes of space going on the trip just to hook up or make out, but he refrained. He was never an outdoor person, but now that Roland was stuck in school serving out his punishment, going along seemed so much better.


    He jumped when Veronica reached out and gripped his hand, looking at him earnestly.


    ¡°You should go on the trip, Daniel. Camping is something that you¡¯d have to do at least once in your life.¡± Veronica urged him. ¡°Especially with how busy our lives will later on.¡±


    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± Daniel¡¯s brain short-circuited, not expecting a pretty girl to actually get this close to him. Thus, when the door swung open and Heather¡¯s face popped in, he was too frozen to do anything at the time.


    ¡°Daniel, are you there yet? I think I left my¡­¡± Heather¡¯s face went blank when she saw Veronica sitting really close to Daniel, and her eyes slowly slid down to their clasped hands.


    ¡°H-Heather!¡± Daniel exclaimed.


    ¡°Hello, Heather.¡± Had Daniel been looking at Veronica, he would¡¯ve seen the little smirk she was sending Heather. ¡°Did you need something?¡±


    ¡°¡­No, I was just checking on Daniel. Seems like he¡¯s doing just fine.¡± Heather said with a dark look. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Daniel.¡±


    Before he could say anything, Heather was gone and the door slammed shut behind her. Veronica smiled sympathetically at him and patted his back.


    ¡°Oh my, I wonder what has her so cross.¡± She said.


    XXXXXX


    Outside the school building, Morgan was heading down the street with some other students on their way home. She never found any interest in afterschool clubs, as she saw them as relatively pointless. Her personal life was a hell of a lot more active than whatever chump club that school could spit out.


    As she turned a corner, a blue sports car drove down the street and slowed down to match her pace. The dark tinted window rolled down to reveal a tall, muscular black man with short black hair and bright blue eyes looked up at her. He gave her an easy smile and whistled at her.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Hey, girl.¡± He said. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Leo. Out on patrol again?¡± Morgan asked without looking at him.


    ¡°Yeah, and still not finding a damn thing.¡± The man named Leo sighed. ¡°I hope you¡¯re having more luck than I am.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve hit a dead end. I¡¯ve smelt wolves in the area, mostly around the school, and I have a good idea who they¡¯re watching, but once they shift to human form, I can¡¯t smell their scent anymore.¡± Morgan growled low in her throat.


    ¡°Only powerful lycans are capable of doing that.¡± Leo said, losing his smile. ¡°We¡¯re dealing with a professional here.¡±


    ¡°That was obvious from how the missing people were hunted down and attacked and then kidnapped without anyone ever realizing who or what did it.¡± Morgan said. ¡°Tell Mina not to expect any progress until later on. If I find anything, then I¡¯ll act.¡±


    ¡°Just try not to get anyone killed, all right?¡± Leo said. ¡°I hear that the police are sending for hunters from the National Preternatural Department. If that happens, then we¡¯re going to be worrying about things other than rogue lycans.¡±


    ¡°You let me do my job. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Morgan glared at him. ¡°Now get going before someone jumps you for harassing a teenage girl.¡±


    Leo cracked a smile and waved her off. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tonight, Morgan. Try not to be late this time.¡±


    Morgan flipped him off and Leo drove down the street laughing his head off. She grumbled under her breath and continued on her way. There were better things she could be doing instead of playing cat and mouse with a wolf.


    XXXXXX


    Jason Lancaster stood outside of his new home, trying not to let his look of distaste show on his features. He was a handsome young man of seventeen, not too muscular, but toned enough to show the results of his daily exercise and combat training. His dark blond hair stopped at his ears, short and curly, and made his dark green eyes shine. He was a handsome young man, and he knew it, but he didn¡¯t like to flaunt it like other boys his age.


    His new house was big, but not too big that it could be classified as a mansion. It belonged to some family that descended from old money, but vacated the place in the late 1890s due to a sudden increase of lycanthrope violence in the area. The Lancasters, ever the ones to utilize their money for every occasion, bought both the house and the surrounding land, effectively isolating themselves from the rest of the neighborhood. It took months to renovate the house and the land, and almost as long moving from their old home in Zona Arida, but like the great Tybalt Lancaster always says, a true hunter moves with his prey.


    ¡°Please stop glaring at the house like it killed your pet cat.¡± Someone whined behind him. ¡°You¡¯re going to set it on fire with your eyes, and I doubt dad is going to like that very much.¡±


    Jason looked over his shoulder. ¡°Fire slinging is your thing, Jane, not mine.¡±


    Jane Lancaster, his twin sister, shared her brother¡¯s long blond hair and striking green eyes, but that was where the similarities ended. She was a slender, pretty little thing but her face was molded in a way that even when she was smiling it was almost a sneer. Her uppity attitude and needlessly high opinion of herself and her family didn¡¯t help either. Jane was the prime example of beautiful things that were dangerous.


    ¡°Whatever, just keep your grumbling to a minimum, okay? Dad¡¯s not here to shut you up and I¡¯m not in the mood to deal with you and the little monster at the same time.¡± Jane said carelessly.


    ¡°Would it kill you not to refer to Damien like that?¡± Jason hissed. ¡°I don¡¯t need you starting shit up in school like the last time.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you fight his battles for him, big brother?¡± Jane mocked and walked past him to enter the house. Probably to make sure the movers didn¡¯t drop her things.


    Jason sighed and ran a hand through his hair. No matter where they moved, things will still remain the same. The scathing remarks of his sister, the cold indifference of his father, and protecting his little brother from the cruelty of others. All in a day¡¯s work for the greatest hunter family in the Amayan Republic.


    XXXXXX


    ¡°Stupid Veronica, of course she makes a move on him.¡± Heather grumbled angrily as she got ready for bed. She was still fuming from seeing that girl all over Daniel in his book club, and at the boy himself for looking so clueless. ¡°I thought she wasn¡¯t interested in dating anyway!¡±


    Heather yanked on her nightshirt with an angry huff and sat down at her computer. Why was she even mad? By rights Daniel was free to date any girl he wanted, she had no monopoly on him. Granted, her crush on him was almost well-known enough that most girls would think twice about going after him, though that was just wishful thinking on her part.


    With a sigh, she switched on her computer from sleep mode and clicked on the lycanthrope news website that she was subscribed to. It was a fansite made for people who wanted to know more about lycanthropes and their society, and had a huge archive of almost every lycanthrope news article and broadcast on file. For a girl who was interested in taking lycanthrope biology when she got into college, it wasn¡¯t terribly accurate, but it was all she really had to curb her obsession with shapeshifters.


    Seeking to take her mind off of Daniel and the seductive fox he got himself caught up by, Heather scrolled down the page and frowned when she spotted the most recent article.


    Today¡¯s Top Story: Hunter¡¯s Association uncovers and neutralizes wererat drug smuggling ring with no civilian casualties.


    Heather looked through the blurry images of HA soldiers clad in black body armor fighting off a group of fully formed wererats attacking them. Large, humanoid rats jumping through the air, hissing and squeeking as they fought the local authorities in November City, Washington.


    ¡°Wonderful, more news about indiscriminate killing.¡± She muttered and scrolled the page down to read the rest of the article.


    Were these wererat criminals accomplices in the anti-human bombings in New York and Washington? Police say the evidence is undeniable, but human rights group Amnesty International have condemned the recent surge of HA raids as ¡°inhumane and unconstitutional¡±, provoking a stern response from Vivian Taylor of the Department of Supernatural Defense¡­


    The article cut to a photo of a rather pretty red haired woman in a crisp black suit with thin glasses over her cold blue eyes as she addressed the public at a press conference. ¡°How can anyone question the PRD¡¯s actions after the Washington Annihilation is beyond me. Our job is to protect the country from nonhuman threats and the president, as well as myself, believe that is exactly what we¡¯re doing. The president wishes to reaffirm his support for the project and offers his most sincere congratulations to the federal employees behind it.¡±


    The DSD Chairwoman was of course referring to Alpha Luna¡¯s devastating bomb blast on Capitol Hill only seven days ago, and the recent broadcasts from Dante Raines, the death cult¡¯s self-proclaimed leader¡­


    In the middle of the page there was a video showing the blurry image of a man clad in white armor sitting regally on a throne of animal bones and skin. He was a young looking man with pale skin and dark grey hair, but despite his advanced age, he still looked strong and powerful.


    ¡°This is only the beginning. Some would say that I¡¯m a terrorist, but I like to think of myself as a savior, a savior who looks out for man¡¯s superior predators, lycanthropes, the children of the moon. No longer will we live in fear of those inferior homo-sapiens¡ªsoon, it will be the humans who will know fear. Naturally, our attacks on this cesspool of a country will continue until you cede this land to its rightful owners. But we grow impatient, and you don¡¯t want to know what happens when our patience runs out.¡±


    Heather stopped reading at that point and just sat back in her chair. She always had a strange fascination with lycanthropes since seeing a woman transform into a massive wolf as a child. Heather wasn¡¯t afraid to admit that it bordered on obsession; wanting to know all about their society, culture, biology, what exactly makes lycans so different from humans aside from their physical abilities.


    Daniel and Sahira thought her little obsession with lycans strange, but they supposed it was better than hating them at least. There was too much of that already, with anti-lycan groups like Humans First, or that lycan terrorist organizations like Alpha Luna. Her interest in lycanthropes was something that was hard to really explain, other than wanting to know more about the things that people don¡¯t see on television. She didn¡¯t care how people saw her, she just enjoyed learning more about them.


    Unfortunately for her, not even lycanthropes could get her mind off of earlier. That damn floozy Veronica just had to go all over Daniel like some innocent maiden and not the vixen she was. Just thinking about her made Heather ¡°grr¡± under her breath.


    ¡®Ugh, she¡¯s not worth it. Daniel¡¯s smart enough not to get fooled by her.¡¯ Heather thought. ¡®Maybe¡­hopefully¡­¡¯


    With her mind still on possibly having the beautiful Veronica Dare as competition, Heather stood up and headed out of her room to wash up for bed. She didn¡¯t notice the pair of red eyes staring through her window.


    XXXXXX


    When Spring Break finally came around, it was time for the overhyped camping trip that Daniel totally didn¡¯t want to go on but had to so his best friends weren¡¯t jilted and mad at him till the end of time. Though he had to admit that he was a bit excited at spending time in a forest.


    Camp Wolfcreek was a famous campsite for highschoolers. There were two-story cabins built there, complete with working plumbing and electricity, making outdoor fun a bit better than usual. The lake a mile from the campsite was clean, with a waterfall jump to it, which was also an added benefit. Food and drinks were available at the mess area of the building, not too far from the cabins, and there were plenty of sweet places to do some stargazing. All in all, it was a pretty lovely place to have a camping trip or party, the perfect spot to spend Spring Break. Which was exactly what the bus filled with teenagers was here for.


    Once the bus came to a stop and was parked, the door opened and the teens came flooding out. They all went to their cabins, and Daniel was the last one out. He looked around at the lush evergreen scenery that was all around him and took a deep breath of the fresh air.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll admit that this isn¡¯t so bad.¡± Daniel said. He picked up his bags and headed towards his cabin.


    When he passed by the girls¡¯ cabins, he spotted Veronica amongst the girls entering their cabin. She spotted him and gave him a short wave, which Daniel returned. Honestly he wasn¡¯t sure why veronica had taken such an interest in him, but he wasn¡¯t complaining. Then he spotted Heather and Sahira glaring at him and started complaining again.


    ¡°Daniel!¡± Someone called out from one of the cabins. ¡°Hey, Daniel, over here!¡±


    Daniel looked to the Boys side and grinned when he spotted Terrance, another friend he had in seventh grade. Terrance was a tall black boy with long black hair put into braids and a muscular physique that was the result of him playing basketball. He was an overall friendly guy and got along with almost everybody, even a social wallflower like Daniel.


    Daniel walked over to Terrance and they gave each other a high five. ¡°Yo, Terry! You ready for the best trip of your life?¡±


    ¡°You bet I am!¡± Terrance laughed. ¡°Man, I can¡¯t wait until we actually get to hiking. We just need to get past the lame stuff first.¡±


    ¡°And hiking¡¯s not lame?¡± Daniel remarked. Terrance lightly punched him on the arm.


    ¡°Only because you¡¯re a bookworm who doesn¡¯t like to move around too much. You need to get out more, same for Heather.¡± He said. ¡°Thank god for Sahira being the team mother.¡±


    ¡°You should see her during study group.¡± Daniel replied. Both boys laughed a bit, feeling just a bit better after joking around as usual.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s your aunt doing?¡± Terrance asked as he unloaded his backpack on the bottom bunk.


    ¡°She¡¯s doing fine.¡± Daniel said, climbing onto the top bunk. ¡°Aunt Cassie¡¯s having more time at the hospital lately, but it¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±


    Daniel¡¯s family situation was a unique one for him. He was raised by his aunt Cassie since he was a baby, brought over to live with her by his father, who died mysteriously. Daniel never got a straight answer from his aunt as to why his father was halfway around the world only to be mauled by a werewolf. He knew little to nothing about his mother, and only had an inkling that his aunt didn¡¯t like her at all. It wasn¡¯t too bad, as Daniel loved his aunt and she loved him just as much. They were all they had in this world.


    Once he was unpacked, Daniel went to the main room and plopped down onto the couch, taking out a thick paperback and flipped through the pages until he found his place.


    ¡°I know you didn¡¯t bring all of your books with you, bro.¡± Terrance chided. ¡°Come on, man, we¡¯re in Camp Wolfcreek. You just gonna spend the entire day¡ªno¡ªthe entire week reading?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only going to read a couple of comics and hit a few novels. Heather brought her laptop with her so I¡¯m not that bad.¡± At his friend¡¯s credulous look, Daniel sighed and closed his book. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to pass the time. Sports isn¡¯t my thing, and I¡¯m not going to spend this camping trip getting new bruises to replace my old ones.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what we¡¯re doing today.¡± Terrance scolded him.


    ¡°Okay then, what do they have planned for us?¡± Daniel asked.


    ¡°You name it.¡± Terrance said enthusiastically. ¡°Hiking, fishing, rafting, hell, there¡¯s even an old quarry near the lake where we can go rock climbing. I was able to get my harness and a second set of climbing equipment for you. I¡¯ll even pull you up for most of the climb if you want.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m good.¡± Daniel refused instantly. Rock climbing was hardly his forte, but he wasn¡¯t going to take a handout like that from a friend. This trip was going to be hell.


    ¡°But that¡¯s later this week. For tonight, it¡¯s¡­¡±


    They both smiled as they said together, ¡°Ghost stories!¡±


    XXXXXX


    That evening they lit a large bonfire that was big enough to light up the campsite, but not too big to be dangerous. Long benches were placed around the area and all the kids from Sherman High were present. It was the perfect night for telling all kinds of scary stories, especially with the forest as deathly quiet as it was.


    At the moment, it was Thomas¡¯s turn to tell a scary story, but the one he chose wasn¡¯t very¡­riveting as he thought it was.


    ¡°Suddenly, they heard something down the hall, in the dark. It came into the flashlight,¡± Thomas said as he was halfway through the ending of his story. He smiled evilly, trying to be scary but only serving to look rather goofy in his attempt. ¡°And as the hulking figure came into view, the couple knew¡­that Machete Sam was hunting them all along! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    Everyone looked at Thomas completely unafraid and unimpressed by his story. There was even a girl lying on a log fast asleep.


    ¡°I think I liked ¡°the Hockey-Masked killer with a machete for a hand¡± better than this.¡± Heather said.


    Sahira nodded. ¡°Not gonna lie, but this scary story session isn¡¯t as scary as it should be. So far everyone¡¯s stories sucked.¡±


    ¡°Like you could do better, Quadir!¡± Thomas sneered.


    ¡°After seeing your performance, maybe I could.¡± Sahira shot back.


    Terrance clapped his hands to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Be nice, children, the night¡¯s still young and there are people who haven¡¯t had a chance yet. Like¡­Daniel!¡±


    Daniel jumped at being the center of attention and everyone¡¯s eyes turned to him. He sent Terrance a glare. ¡°Really, dude?¡±


    ¡°Come on, man, I¡¯ve heard from a credible source that you tell some pretty wicked stories.¡± Terrance grinned.


    Daniel sent a look at Heather, who rubbed the back of her head. ¡°Well, you do tell some pretty scary stories when we were younger.¡±


    Thomas snorted and sat back down. ¡°Fine, Danny boy, tell us a story! I doubt you could do better than me.¡±


    Seeing that he wasn¡¯t getting out of this, Daniel decided to just go with it and cleared his throat. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve got one. This is a true story that happened in a small town in Eastern Eura.¡±


    One of the girls, Ashley, sighed and looked at her nails. ¡°Is this one of those fake true story things that you got from a cousin, Blake? Or is it your remake of The Wolfman?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s actually a little folktale that my grandmother told me when I was around seven.¡± Daniel stated. ¡°A little girl in a red hood was walking through a forest alone to visit her grandmother. Along the way she met a man, who was covered in dirt and leaves, like he¡¯d been running through the bushes without a care. The folks from the girl¡¯s village called him a wild man, a savage, because he would rather spend time acting like an animal than a human and had blamed him for the deaths of their livestock.


    On the first day she met him, the wild man was watching her walk by and was following her down the path. She didn¡¯t notice him at first, always keeping her red hood over her face. When she stopped, she asked him something.¡± Daniel changed his voice so it was more high-pitched. ¡°She asked, ¡®Sir, why do humans have eyes?¡¯. The man took a moment before answering ¡®To see the darkness in men¡¯s hearts.¡¯ The next day, as she was returning home, the girl met the man again and asked him ¡®Why do humans have ears?¡¯ and he answered ¡®To hear men¡¯s lies¡¯. On the third day, the girl asked the man, ¡®Why do humans have teeth?¡¯ to which the boy replied ¡®To rip out men¡¯s black hearts.¡¯ When she heard this, the girl looked up at the man who stood threateningly over her, yet she was not scared. She asked him one final question.¡±


    No one said a thing as Daniel reached the end of his story and were watching him intently as he told it in vivid detail. ¡°She asked him, ¡®Sir, is your heart black?¡¯ and he replied ¡®Why do you think that, little girl?¡¯. She answered, ¡®Because I can see it in your eyes.¡¯ ¡®Then I must have a black heart as you say, for the eyes are windows to the soul.¡¯¡± Daniel said. ¡°At this, the girl smiled, exposing a line of teeth so large and sharp that they couldn¡¯t have possibly belonged to a human. She lunged at him, digging her claws into his flesh, ripping his chest open with her teeth and tearing his heart out, devouring it in a single gulp. Now covered in red from head to toe, the little girl with the red hood and red eyes stood over the dead man and said ¡®Then you should have looked into my eyes, for they are the windows to my soul, which is hell.¡±


    The other kids were more than a little freaked out by that, including Thomas and Ashely. Even Sahira was a bit creeped out by the story, and Heather was huddle close next to her.


    ¡°W-What was she?¡± Thomas asked in a shaky voice.


    ¡°She was the beast hiding in plain sight, killing livestock and wayward travelers on the path to her grandmother¡¯s house. No one suspected her, after all, who would suspect a little girl of being a fearsome beast. My grandmother told me this story to teach me that not everything is as it appears, and often times the most innocent creatures are also the most dangerous.¡±


    Everyone was silent, and the only sounds were the flickering fire and the whistling of the wind blowing through the campsite. Then, just as everyone was starting to settle down, a howl as heard from afar.


    A wolf¡¯s howl.


    Everyone screamed and zoomed over to Daniel, who looked more than a little scared himself. They trembled in fear for a moment before Sahira pushed Thomas off her with a kick and stood up, clearing her throat.


    ¡°That was a good one, Danny.¡± She said, trying to regain her composure. ¡°And you said you weren¡¯t good with scary stories.¡±


    ¡°I only told the story. I wasn¡¯t planning to have sound effects.¡± Daniel grunted. His neck was in a choke hold by a terrified Heather. ¡°Heather, could you please let go?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, sorry!¡± Heather quickly released Daniel, who took a deep breath and massaged his neck.


    Another howl echoed throughout the dark forest, this time it was louder. Some of the students couldn¡¯t take it anymore and quickly left the bonfire, while others began shivering in fear. Even Daniel wasn¡¯t feeling very brave as the atmosphere of the place grew darker.


    ¡°All right¡­now I¡¯m scared.¡±


    XXXXXX


    Once the scary moment passed, everyone was heading back to their cabins, calling it quits for the night. But in reality, they were a bit freaked out by Daniel¡¯s story and were quick to get out of the open. Only Daniel, Heather and Sahira remained outside, talking to each other.


    ¡°You know, Daniel, that story was actually pretty good.¡± Heather commented. ¡°A little too good.¡±


    ¡°It was one of many freaky stories that grandma read to me growing up. I think it was supposed to teach me a lesson on top of scaring the ever loving hell out of me.¡± Daniel said. ¡°She was a hard ass, but she loved her family.¡±


    They stopped by one of the girls¡¯ cabins, and Daniel let out a sigh. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about you guys, but tomorrow I¡¯m just going to sit around, avoid contact with the so-called alpha males and just chill on my bunk reading manga.¡±


    ¡°And how is that different from what you¡¯re doing at home?¡± Sahira asked, chuckling. ¡°Danny, real talk, I¡¯m not one to deny some manga and chill, but you have better things to do than lounge around in the middle of a forest on a camping trip. Come on, just try something new. It doesn¡¯t have to be hardcore rock climbing or anything, just take a dip with us in the lake or something.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right, we should do something that friends can do together, other than chat online or play online RPGs.¡± Heather said. ¡°And this is coming from a shut-in like me.¡±


    ¡°What friends?¡± Daniel sighed. ¡°Everyone else at school is either a jock, mean girl, arrogant spaz, or just doesn¡¯t want to get involved with each other. It¡¯s literally the Wild Kingdom out there! All I¡¯ve got are you two and Terrance.¡±


    ¡°What about Veronica?¡± Sahira smirked, which grew when she felt Heather¡¯s glare on her.


    ¡°Veronica just shares the same interests as me, Sahira. There¡¯s nothing going on.¡± Daniel rolled his eyes.


    Sahira chuckled and walked past her friends to enter the cabin. ¡°Well, I¡¯m done for the night. See you two nerds tomorrow. And I expect to see you with us at the lake, Danny. That¡¯s unconditional.¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s unconditional with you.¡± Daniel remarked.


    Heather glanced over his shoulder at Sahira, who gave her a wink and a thumbs up before closing the door. Now the two were alone, and suddenly neither of them knew what exactly to say to each other.


    ¡°You know, the only reason I came with you and didn¡¯t stay behind to binge watch sci-fi movies is because I wanted to urge you to try something new.¡± Heather said. ¡°Come on, give it a chance. For all you know, you might actually grow some muscle and like something. Maybe even fall in love with camping. You can¡¯t deny that this is a pretty cool place.¡±


    Daniel looked around at the forest, taking in the cool air and quiet atmosphere. He nodded after a moment. ¡°Okay, I admit, the forest is a cool place. Maybe I¡¯ll go swimming with you guys tomorrow. I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to get my feet wet.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She smiled and ran back to her cabin. Before she entered, she turned around and said, ¡°As an added incentive, you get to see me and Sahira in a bikini. Enjoy!¡±


    She was gone before he could even say a word. Not that he had anything to say. The thought of seeing his two friends, both girls, in bikinis was actually a damn good reason to go swimming. A smile came over his face as he left the camp.


    ¡°Clever girl.¡± He chuckled.


    XXXXXX


    ¡°You didn¡¯t kiss him?!¡± Sahira yelled in Heather¡¯s face.


    ¡°Sahira, would you keep it down?¡± Heather hissed at her. She didn¡¯t want the girl blabbing her business to the entire cabin!


    ¡°Girl, that was the perfect opportunity to lay one on him. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Sahira growled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mad at me! I¡¯m the one trying to snag my crush, not you!¡± Heather said. ¡°And it totally wasn¡¯t the time to up and randomly kiss him. You¡¯re the supposed to be the romantic one!¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m the headstrong girl power advocate trying to get her best friends together! Which is hard when one of them won¡¯t make the first move.¡±


    ¡°Both of you shut up!¡± Ashely yelled from her bed. ¡°Some of us are trying to sleep!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re better off dead, Ashely!¡± Sahira yelled back before turning back to Heather. ¡°Look, girl, you¡¯re not getting anywhere by dancing around the subject. I¡¯m not asking you to rip off his clothes and bone him on the spot, though that would be both epic and awesome, but just take the first step. He¡¯s certainly not going to.¡±


    Heather sighed and slumped down onto the couch. ¡°Sahira, it¡¯s not that easy. How do you go from being friends to being a couple? It¡¯s not that simple.¡±


    Before Sahira could reply, someone tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    Both girls turned to see Maya, the resident goth forced onto the trip by her parents to exorcise the ¡°weirdness¡± from her, standing there.


    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about Daniel, he just walked off with Veronica just a few minutes ago while you were talking.¡± She said.


    Heather and Sahira were quiet for several seconds before they both muttered the same word. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    XXXXXX


    ¡®Okay, so maybe this camping trip isn¡¯t a total waste of time.¡¯ Daniel thought happily as he walked alongside Veronica.


    The girl had blindsided him as soon as Heather had gone into her cabin and shyly asked if he wanted to go for a walk¡­just the two of them. Now Daniel was planning on burning through his manga collection as soon as he got back to his cabin, but it¡¯s hard to deny the request of a pretty girl who knows her way around literature.


    It was night now, and they were strolling through the dark forest like they were taking a walk through a flower garden. Daniel flinched at every noise he heard, and he could barely see what was in front of him, let alone take note of his surroundings. Without the lights of human civilization, the natural world got pretty dark for a human. It was honestly terrifying.


    Yet Veronica just walked on without a care. He could barely see but she had no trouble navigating the small plants and branches that nearly tripped Daniel a couple of times. She was even humming a little tune, smiling serenely, like this place wasn¡¯t home to dangerous predators. Why did he agree to this again?


    ¡°You¡¯re not enjoying this, are you?¡± Veronica said smiling.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± He asked.


    ¡°The look on your face. You¡¯ve been tense ever since we entered the forest.¡± She noted.


    ¡°Well, there are a lot of dangerous animals, and bugs, around here. I¡¯m just trying not to get caught off guard.¡± Daniel said. ¡°And how can you see my expression? I can barely see the hair in front of my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Despite the glasses, I actually have pretty good eyesight. I just use them for reading, which is very often thanks to my hobbies.¡± Veronica looked up at the sky and spotted a crescent moon hanging in the clear night sky. ¡°What a beautiful night. The forest really comes alive when night falls. Creatures that sleep in the daytime come out to play as soon as the sun goes down. It¡¯s like a different side to the forest awakens and the contrast between how things are during daylight is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Very poetic.¡± Daniel smirked. ¡°Honestly, it just screams me a bit. I¡¯ve never been the bravest person.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s natural, Daniel. Humans, despite all their advancements and achievements, know that when left alone in the wild, they are no longer in control. They are no longer the baddest thing on two legs.¡± Veronica said eloquently. ¡°It¡¯s an almost instinctual fear that no one can shake, not even the strongest hunter.¡±


    ¡°But what about lycans? I hear some like to wander the woods in animal form hunting for prey and sometimes attack humans.¡±


    ¡°Oh I wouldn¡¯t worry about that. We¡¯re nowhere near the places where those people were attacked. And if you¡¯re still afraid,¡± She reached over and grabbed his arm, holding it close to her chest. She smirked when he started blushing. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you safe.¡±


    XXXXXX


    Over an hour had passed and Daniel and Veronica had yet to return to camp. Heather and Sahira were starting to get worried, especially when the teachers said that there were wolf sightings just reported thirty minutes ago.


    ¡°Daniel!¡± Heather waited for a response, and then shouted once more. ¡°Daniel!¡±


    Her cry went unanswered. She stared into the dark forest, anxiously rubbing her hands together to remain calm. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Sahira and Terrance approaching her, a flashlight in hand. Sahira¡¯s normally calm and easygoing face was wrought with concern and worry.


    ¡°I asked around, but no one¡¯s seen him or Veronica since they left.¡± Sahira said. ¡°And there was no sign of them recently either.¡±


    ¡°How long has it been?¡± Heather asked shakily.


    Terrance looked at his watch. ¡°About an hour.¡±


    ¡°Where could they have gone off to?¡± She murmured, rubbing her forehead.


    ¡°They probably just went off for a little stroll. Once it got dark, they probably got lost along the way. It¡¯s easy to do that in a forest this big.¡± Terrance said.


    ¡°Oh god, no.¡± Heather whispered. ¡°Ms. Sanders just told us that wolves were spotted a few hundred miles from here. What if they run into them?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Heather.¡± Sahira said. ¡°There are other campsites out there, and plenty of people have fires going. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll stumble upon one of them and find the way back.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I mean, we¡¯re camped on the very edge of the park.¡± Heather pointed out. ¡°What are the chances of them running into those wolves?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a fifty-fifty chance.¡± Sahira said, though she didn¡¯t sound very sure. ¡°I mean, probably. Maybe.¡±


    XXXXXX


    ¡°Um, Veronica, shouldn¡¯t we be getting back now?¡± Daniel asked, looking around him nervously. ¡°It¡¯s really dark, and I don¡¯t think I know where to head back to camp.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just enjoy the peace and quiet, Daniel.¡± Veronica sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, enjoying the silence of nature. It really was comforting.


    Daniel didn¡¯t try to convince her again, but he wasn¡¯t feeling as relaxed as he should have been with a girl on his arm. It was late at night now and the forest was nearly pitch black. There was not a cloud in the sky, but aside from the half-moon hanging above them, the only other light source were the stars, which were admittedly cool to look at.


    Veronica had led Daniel over to a little field overlooking the wider forest. It was a great view to look at, and Daniel spending over an hour looking out at the landscape was probably what had led to him losing track of time in the first place. But as beautiful as this place looked, Daniel knew they had to get back to camp.


    ¡°Seriously, Veronica, we need to get back to camp. I¡¯m sure everyone¡¯s wondering where we are.¡± Daniel said.


    ¡°Oh fine.¡± She sighed. ¡°I hate to leave a moment like this, but it¡¯d be better than listening to the rest of the class whine about us.¡±


    Daniel stood up and helped Veronica to her feet. He turned to the path they came down earlier, but paused when he realized that aside from a few feet, he had absolutely no idea where to go.


    ¡°Oh crap.¡± He whispered.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Veronica asked.


    ¡°I¡­I think we¡¯re lost.¡± He said. ¡°I have no idea where to go!¡±


    ¡°Relax, Daniel, I know where we need to go.¡± Veronica said smiling. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But how¡ªwait!¡± He called out, but Veronica was already running ahead of him. with no other choice, he chased after her, straining his eyes to follow the outline of her body as she danced between the trees, giggling like a little girl.


    ¡°Veronica, wait up!¡±


    ¡°Come on, Daniel, you¡¯re no athlete, but I know you¡¯re not that slow!¡± She yelled back, still laughing.


    Grumbling he ran harder, trying to match her unfairly fast pace. That girl could run. He chased after her as best as he could, but eventually he lost sight of her. He slowed to a stop and leaned against a tree, panting. He looked up and saw no sign of Veronica. Did she seriously run off without him and left him there?


    ¡°I¡¯m so dead.¡± Daniel groaned. He didn¡¯t know where the hell he was and Veronica was out there alone as well. There weren¡¯t supposed to be any dangerous animals in these woods, and there was bound to be a ranger or two out there. Heather and Sahira could probably have the teachers call for him.


    But no matter how much he reassured himself, there was still a nagging uncertainty, that unsettling but undeniable possibility that he could be in real danger. He had never experienced anything like this in his entire life.


    ¡°Veronica!¡± He called out into the darkness. His voice echoed throughout the forest, but he heard nothing. ¡°Veronica, are you still out there! Answer me!¡±


    Daniel cursed and shook his head. If anything happened to her, he didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d do. Then he heard a branch crack and looked up. Something entered the periphery of his limited vision. Daniel turned and squinted his eyes to better look through the darkness. For a moment he thought that it was Veronica¡­but Veronica didn¡¯t walk on all fours and was certainly not covered in light grey fur!


    ¡°Oh shit!¡± He whimpered. It was a wolf! And a large one at that.


    The wolf was larger than any wolf Daniel had seen. It had light grey fur, and was probably about the same size at a pony. The wolf was slowly walking around Daniel until it was standing right in front of him, watching him intently with dark eyes that reflected light right back at him.


    ¡®I thought there weren¡¯t any big predators out here!¡¯ Daniel thought. His heart was pounding in his chest and he struggled not to make a noise as he kept his eyes on the wolf. Steeling himself, he slowly took a step backwards, and then another, and another. After a few more cautious steps backwards, Daniel took a deep breath and spun around, bolting into the woods.


    Leaves and dirt were kicked up in his wake. Daniel ignored the burning of his lungs as he ran like hell, praying to the gods that the giant wolf was following him. Daniel mustered up the courage to look over his shoulder, and cried out when he saw the massive wolf chasing after him, and quickly gaining on him!


    ¡°Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,¡± Daniel cursed repeatedly. The wolf was moving faster than he expected and was already upon him. His eyes widened when it lunged at him. ¡°OH SHIT!¡±


    He jumped to the side and just narrowly dodged the wolf, but its large body hit his right shoulder and he spun around into a tree. Daniel¡¯s face slammed into the rough bark and he grunted in pain, stumbling back. He got some scratches on his face from the impact, but he ignored them as he looked at the big wolf, who had righted itself and was running at him again.


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡± He shouted, as if that would save him. The wolf clearly wasn¡¯t impressed as it lunged at Daniel again. This time however, it opened its large jaws and sank its teeth into Daniel¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°AAAAHHHHH!!!¡±


    The wolf¡¯s maw was huge, nearly encompassing Daniel¡¯s entire shoulder. Daniel screamed as he felt those sharp teeth rip into his flesh, felt blood run down into his shirt and down his chest. The wolf lifted its head, actually pulling Daniel along with it, before throwing him aside like a discarded toy. It eyed him for a moment before it turned away disappeared into the forest.


    Daniel laid on the ground, slowly passing out from blood loss and the intense pain. He was barely conscious, but he heard someone call out his name in the distance as he lost consciousness and his eyes slid closed.


    ¡°Daniel!¡±


    XXXXXX


    Sahira sighed as she put the phone down. She looked over at Heather, who was sitting on the steps of their cabin with her hands on her face.


    ¡°You¡¯re not helping anyone by acting like that, you know.¡± Sahira said.


    Heather lifted her head and gave her a hard stare. ¡°What do you suggest I do, aside from worry about my best friend?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not stress yourself out to the point of exhaustion?¡± Sahira replied. ¡°The teacher said that the rangers could search the entire park in a day or two. I¡¯ll be you he¡¯ll be with us before tomorrow night.¡± Then she frowned. ¡°Although, I have to admit, this isn¡¯t like him. He wasn¡¯t too thrilled to come here, so why¡¯d he run off?¡±


    ¡°Why else? Because of that black widow he¡¯s so enchanted with.¡± Heather spat.


    ¡°Heather¡­¡±


    ¡°No, she dragged him off and those two got lost in the forest in the middle of the night while there¡¯s a murderous werewolf in the next town over. Daniel didn¡¯t do anything wrong, she¡¯s the reason he¡¯s gone!¡± She shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go blabbing that to the police.¡± A weak voice joked.


    Both girls looked to the camp entrance and saw a pale and tired Veronica, who was limping into the cap with something hanging off her shoulder. Only it wasn¡¯t something, it was something.


    ¡°Daniel!¡± Heather cried out and ran over to them. She looked them over and gasped at the massive blood stain on Daniel¡¯s shirt. ¡°Oh god, what happened to him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think he was attacked after we got separated.¡± Veronica said, looking scared. ¡°He was on the ground bleeding when I found him, so I covered his wounds and got him back here.¡±


    Sahira noticed that Veronica had used a large piece of her shirt to staunch the bleeding, exposing her stomach, which was surprisingly firm and toned, showing signs of intensive training. Sahira took note of that for later, more concerned about her unconscious friend.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get the teacher. Keep an eye on him!¡± Sahira ran off to get help, leaving Heather alone with Veronica.


    Heather¡¯s earlier anger towards Veronica was forgotten as she took Daniel from Veronica and cradled him in her arms. He looked so still, so pale, it was like he was dead. She prayed to the gods that Daniel would be okay. She didn¡¯t know what she would do if she lost him.


    Little did anyone know, this night would make a turning point in their lives when everything changed. For better, and for worse.

 New Moon part 2

    Chapter 2-New Moon part 2


    Daniel groaned as his senses came back to him. He raised a hand to his head, which felt like it was a pounding drum.


    ¡®Damn, what the hell happened?¡¯ He thought. The last thing he remembered was¡­that large wolf, and the pain. Then darkness soon after.


    ¡®That voice, was it Veronica?¡¯ Daniel winced and held a hand to his head. He hoped that she didn¡¯t run into that thing. Since when did wolves grow that large?


    Massaging his head, he realized that he was sitting in the middle of a forest. Tall trees loomed over him, and the area was covered in mist, making it hard to see very far. He quickly stood up and brushed his pants off, only to find himself completely clean. His bite wound wasn¡¯t even there!


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Daniel muttered. ¡°Is this¡­a dream?¡±


    It was dead silent, not a sound to be heard save for his heavy breathing. The silence unnerved him more than any sound he could hear in this place.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± He asked, looking around for a way out. He closed his eyes, thinking that if this was a dream, then he should be able to wake up. Scrunching his eyes, he then opened them.


    Still in the forest.


    Sighing, he tried to figure out what to do now. He couldn¡¯t be in this lace forever. Sooner or later, he had to wake up.


    Then he jumped at the loud growl behind him. Daniel spun around and saw nothing at first, but then he spotted the faint outline of a wolf in the mist, just a few feet away from him. Daniel felt his heart stop, but strangely, he didn¡¯t feel afraid. He could barely see the wolf through the fog, but he knew it was standing there watching him. What did it want?


    ¡°Um¡­hello?¡± Daniel called out to the wolf. He felt a bit silly trying to talk to a wolf, but he wasn¡¯t going to stand there playing the staring game with the beast.


    He took a step forward, but the wolf retreated into the fog. He took another step and the wolf backed away again. Daniel narrowed his eyes and ran forward, which caused the wolf to sprint away. Before Daniel knew it, he was chasing after the mysterious wolf, chasing after something that he couldn¡¯t bear to be parted from.


    ¡°Wait!¡± He yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t run. I won¡¯t hurt you!¡±


    The wolf was faster than him, and Daniel had already lost sight of it, but he still ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He needed to find that wolf. He needed to¡­


    Then his vision went dark.


    XXXXXX


    Snapping his eyes open, Daniel gasped hard for air. His heart raced and his forehead was covered in sweat as his mind stilled on the last image he ¡®saw¡¯. That wolf, why was he trying so hard to catch it? Panting heavily, he slowly began to calm down.


    Once he settled down, he realized where he was. The white walls and medical equipment let him know he was in a hospital room. With a grunt, Daniel sat up, wincing at his sore muscles. He looked down at his shoulder and saw that it was heavily bandaged. He winced as he tried to move it, it felt sore and stiff.


    Just then, the door opened and a young nurse walked in to do her checkup. Looking in his direction, she stopped in her tracks when her eyes connected with him. Daniel stared right back at her, not saying a word. Then he cautiously raised a hand to wave at her.


    ¡°Yo.¡±


    Gasping, the nurse dropped her clipboard and ran out of the room, making Daniel sweatdrop.


    ¡®Was it something I said?¡¯ He thought.


    Several minutes later, the nurse returned with a few doctors and Daniel spent the next half hour being examined by them. It was annoying being ignored as they flashed lights in his eyes and poking him, but luckily they were finished and left as fast as they arrived.


    ¡°What the hell was that about?¡± Daniel muttered.


    Later on, the door swung open and Daniel was happy to see not just his Aunt Cassie, but also Heather and Sahira flood into the room. All three ladies were both happy and relieved at seeing him awake and well again, almost to the point of tears.


    ¡°Hey, guys.¡± Daniel said, smiling at them. He grunted when Cassie and Heather tackled him in a tight hug, and wrapped the two in a hug while Sahira reached over and ruffled his hair. She¡¯ll hug him later.


    Once Cassie and heather got a hold of themselves, they sat in chairs beside his bed, with his aunt sitting right next to him, running her fingers through his hair, as if making sure he wouldn¡¯t disappear.


    Cassie Blake was Daniel¡¯s paternal aunt, meaning that her brother was his father. She looked surprisingly young for her age, which was 35, with short black hair and dark brown eyes. Her features were mature, with only a wrinkle here and there, with laugh lines around her eyes. Cassie had raised Daniel like a mother, and he would forever love her for that.


    ¡°So what happened¡± Daniel asked. ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°About six days.¡± Heather said softly. ¡°You were hovering in and out of consciousness. Veronica brought you back to camp, and you were covered in blood. The teachers called the nearest hospital and they operated on you. They said you were lucky to have survived that attack, since wolves usually go for the kill with a bite to the jugular.¡±


    Daniel looked down at his sheets, remembering how the wolf attacked him. he was surprised at well that he survived that, considering that all the wolf did was bite his shoulder and throw him away. That was a bit odd. Looking to his left, he blinked when he saw a large assortment of gifts gathered at the front of the room.


    ¡°Your friends from school sent you gifts to wish you well.¡± Cassie said, knowing his question.


    There were Get Well cards, balloons, even a giant teddy bear and even a gift basket from Terrance. Sahira grinned at Daniel¡¯s surprise.


    ¡°The teddy was from me.¡± She said.


    ¡°You had me worried sick, Daniel.¡± Cassie said. ¡°I rushed here as soon as I got the call about you. Your temperature was rising and falling, and your heart rate would randomly spike¡­it was a miracle you didn¡¯t get an infection from that bite alone.¡±


    Daniel frowned at her tired face and took her hand to comfort her. He knew that she still took his father¡¯s death hard, and he knew that she couldn¡¯t handle losing him too. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. You¡¯re okay now, and that¡¯s what matters.¡± Cassie smiled.


    The rest of the afternoon went by pretty quickly. When visiting hours were over, Daniel said his goodbyes to his aunt and friends as the doctors came by to do a checkup. He was healing nicely, and showed no side effects from the medication given to him.


    His doctor explained that a few days of rest will do him fine, but his bandages stay on for at least another two weeks. Thankfully, it wouldn¡¯t be long before Daniel was allowed to go back home.


    When night fell, Daniel laid in his bed staring at the ceiling. His thoughts were still occupied by that dream, and the wolf that eluded him. Why did it feel so familiar?


    ¡®Another question for another day.¡¯ Daniel thought with a sigh. He closed his eyes and put his arm over them to lessen the headache he was having. Right now, it was time for sleep.


    XXXXXX


    The Counter-Shapeshifter Agency, also known as the CSA, was a government paramilitary force dedicated to handling crimes and incidents pertaining to lycanthropes in the country. They were seen as Amaya¡¯s primary anti-lycanthrope force, with its members trained to fight lycanthropes using all of their abilities at their disposal, not just silver.


    The field agents of the CSA were called hunters, for obvious reasons. They were the vanguard of the country¡¯s efforts to limit lycanthrope crimes and attacks. Training as a hunter was intense work, and not everyone was suited for the job. Lycanthropes were incredibly varied and so were their abilities, if you were training to fight them, you had to be flexible yet strong.


    Despite this, there was a high mortality rate amongst hunters, especially field agents. Those who survived and learned from their experiences grew to be powerful fighters and smarter warriors. Some reached a whole new level of power in their long careers.


    Tybalt Lancaster was one such hunter. He was descended from a long line of hunters, trained from childhood to fight and kill, much like his father, and his grandmother, and so on. His family had trained for countless generations to combat the beasts that think they could terrorize them in their own homes without consequence. Hunters like the Lancasters were a special breed born in a time when humanity had enough of being beat down and fought back against the monsters.


    It was why he was put on the case of the growing werewolf attacks in Central Osea. The problem was getting out of hand, and the higher ups in the CSA realized that whoever was behind this was a pro and shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly. Lycanthropes who were essentially professional killers were the kind of criminals Tybalt was sent to handle.


    Tranquility was relatively untouched, but the string of attacks were steadily getting closer to the town. As Tranquility had no CSA branch of their own, the local police department requested some hunters from the Agency based in Rickshaw City. The agency had only sent out a couple of dozen hunters they could spare, but most of them were experienced agents, along with Tybalt¡¯s veteran status. But Tybalt was no fool to think that finding this lycan would be easy.


    ¡°Jenson.¡± Tybalt greeted his partner as soon as he walked in through the door.


    Almost everyone in the police station turned to him, which was becoming a common thing with him. Tybalt had an imposing presence that was more than just his long career of being a field commander in the CSA. He was a tall man, and his black suit hid his muscular body that he honed from years of training and fighting powerful lycanthropes. His blond-white hair was short and well-kept, and his eyes were a deep green that could make the healthiest tree go red with envy. The wrinkles on his face and hands showed his age, but it did little to hinder his overall abilities.


    ¡°Mr. Tybalt, good morning!¡± Agent Timothy Jensen greeted his partner. He was a hunter of average ability, but his intelligence on lycanthrope sociology and biology was very acute. Jensen was also a competent man, and Tybalt liked to have competent people on his team. ¡°How are the kids?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re doing well. Jason and Jane are settling in well enough, despite the long ride here.¡± Tybalt said, making no mention of his third child. ¡°Do we have everything set up?¡±


    ¡°Yes, everyone¡¯s moving in smoothly. The police department¡¯s been a lot of help too.¡± Jensen replied brightly. Way too bright this early in the morning.


    The hunter team was being assisted by local authorities in keeping the peace between humans and lycans in the area, but the team¡¯s primary objective was finding the cause behind these attacks and kill the lycanthrope leading the case. As long as the police stay out of their business, then this partnership will go smoothly.


    Once he was seated at his desk, Tybalt got down to business. ¡°I hear there was an animal attack at Wolfcreek Park.¡±


    ¡°Yes, one of the students from Sherman High, Daniel Blake, age 16, was attacked by a large wolf in the middle of the night while he was with one of his friends.¡± Jensen reported, handing the report to Tybalt.


    ¡°How large was the wolf?¡±


    ¡°Big enough to match a horse in height. It ravaged his shoulder before running off, and he was rescued by his friend and brought back to camp.¡± Jensen saw the look in Tybalt¡¯s eyes and added, ¡°The doctors already ran a blood test and he tested negative for lycanthropy. His wounds are healing at a normal rate too.¡±


    ¡°That so,¡± Tybalt said. ¡°But that wolf is definitely a werewolf.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Lycanthropes are larger than regular animals in their animal form. But normal werewolves aren¡¯t as big as the one the boy described.¡± Tybalt explained.


    ¡°If that¡¯s a werewolf, then shouldn¡¯t he have contracted lycanthropy?¡± Jensen asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing about lycanthropy, it¡¯s fickle. Wolf lycanthropy is incredibly infectious, but there are cases of people not getting it even after an attack. Others could contract it from a single scratch. Trying to apply logic to a supernatural virus is futile, and I¡¯d advise against trying to understand it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that.¡± Jensen nodded, and continued his report. ¡°The wolf hasn¡¯t been sighted since the attack, even though the rangers are searching every corner of the park. The wolf probably took human form and vanished.¡±


    ¡°If they can change shape without passing out for a few hours, then the culprit was possibly a powerful werewolf, maybe even a pureblood.¡± Tybalt said.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t match up with the other attacks, though. The boy was only wounded in is shoulder, while the other victims were practically mauled before they vanished.¡± Jensen said.


    ¡°This may have been done by a different individual. Either way, we won¡¯t know until we learn more about the incidents in this area.¡± Tybalt rubbed his stubble in thought. ¡°We¡¯ll keep an eye on the boy for about a week, see if anyone makes contact with him. If nothing changes, then he¡¯s safe.¡±


    Tybalt looked at the case file with a hard frown. He was taking this case seriously. As a professional hunter with his reputation, many people thought that having him on the team would be enough to handle any lycanthrope, but that was pure arrogance and stupidity at its finest. To underestimate lycanthropes would be to invite disaster. They were not mindless beasts that could be tricked and beaten, they were intelligent beings who could think and feel, and share a bond with one another that humans could only hope to achieve.


    The werewolf behind the attacks and kidnappings was amassing an army for something, and the lack of information was troubling. Something had to be done, or the situation will spiral out of control and turn into something chaotic.


    XXXXXX


    About a week after he woke up in the hospital, Daniel was finally given a clean bill of health. On the day of his release, his doctor, Patricia Mikaela, did one final examination of him. He sat on the bed with his shirt off, with Mikaela running some tests on his bandaged arm. Cassie, Heather and Sahira stood on the side watching him with mixed expressions.


    ¡°How are you still able to use that arm?¡± Sahira groaned. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a bite wound look so¡­bad.¡±


    ¡°Guess I got lucky.¡± Daniel grinned. He got a good look at where the wolf had bitten him, and he wished he didn¡¯t see it. The wounds where the wolf¡¯s teeth sank into his flesh were still red and tender, though they were slowly starting to heal over. Didn¡¯t make it any easier to look at, though.


    ¡°The wolf¡¯s fangs didn¡¯t bite deep enough to cause any tissue damage, but your arm will be a little stiff.¡± Dr. Mikaela said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I doubt your arm will be fully useable again.¡±


    Daniel rolled his shoulder and winced. ¡°Considering the alternative was having my throat torn out, I think I¡¯d take a weak arm. At least I can still write.¡±


    ¡°Daniel, please don¡¯t joke about it.¡± Heather said. ¡°You almost died.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He nodded. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Sahira reached over and pulled at his cheek. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to apologize for being attacked by a wild animal, dummy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m apologizing for being a bit of an uncooperative jerk back at camp. You two were just trying to get me to have some fun, and I realize that.¡± Daniel smiled. ¡°Really, thanks for trying.¡±


    Heather blushed and looked away. ¡°It was nothing, Daniel.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you two head down to the lobby. Daniel and I just need to talk with the doctor about a few things before we leave.¡± Cassie suggested.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Heather nodded and left the room with Sahira.


    Once the girls were gone, Cassie and Daniel¡¯s expressions turned serious as they turned to the doctor. ¡°So what¡¯s the results?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s clean.¡± Dr. Mikaela said, surprising aunt and nephew. ¡°Your son is clean of lycanthropy.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you sure?¡± Cassie was speechless.


    ¡°Ran the test three times. All three blood samples were clean.¡±


    ¡°But¡­but wasn¡¯t that animal a werewolf?¡± Daniel breathed. ¡°I should¡¯ve been infected by now!¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. Remember, there are cases of people being ravaged by werewolves and coming out without contracting lycanthropy.¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s incredibly rare, but sometimes a person can get off scott free after an encounter with a lycanthrope and remain human. For easily infectious strains like wolf and rat lycanthropy, it¡¯s even rarer. You were lucky.¡±


    Daniel sagged in relief. He had been informed by one of the rangers that rescued him that the large wolf that attacked him was probably a werewolf in animal form, due to its abnormal size and unusual actions. Daniel had nothing against lycanthropes, but if it got out that he was infected, his social life from now until his dying day was gone. Osea was one of the leading countries that recognized lycanthropes as citizens, but that didn¡¯t stop the discrimination against anyone even suspected of having lycanthropy. People have lost their jobs and had their careers ruined over something most of them had no power over, and that didn¡¯t even factor in the hate groups.


    Cassie was of the same mind, but it was more along the lines of not wanting her nephew being dragged into the werewolf attacks going on. She promised herself to take care of her brother¡¯s body, and she was going to do just that.


    ¡°Well crisis averted, yes?¡± Dr. Mikaela smiled. ¡°Remember to keep those bandages on until I tell you to. We wouldn¡¯t want that arm infected, would we?¡±


    Daniel laughed and shook his head. ¡°No, we don¡¯t. Thanks a bunch, doc. You¡¯ve been a great help.¡±


    Dr. Mikaela smiled. ¡°Just doing my job, Daniel.¡±


    XXXXXX


    Later that day, Cassie drove the children back home. The three friends spent the ride home talking and laughing about mundane things. It felt good to talk something else other than the attack, though Daniel¡¯s mind was occupied by other things the girls didn¡¯t know about.


    They finally made it to the Blake residence, which was just a modest house that Cassie had managed to snag with the help of her brother. Two floors, two bed rooms and a guest room, with a pretty spacey living room and kitchen. There was nothing special about the house, other than the fact that it was bought by Daniel¡¯s father and aunt together when she was just starting out as a doctor in Tranquility.


    ¡°Home sweet home.¡± Daniel breathed, smiling up at his house.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have lunch ready in a few minutes.¡± Cassie said. ¡°I know everyone¡¯s hungry by now.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Ms. Blake. Heather couldn¡¯t eat at all this morning because she was so nervous, so it¡¯s about time she ate something.¡± Sahira said.


    ¡°Sahira, please, don¡¯t tell her that!¡± Heather growled.


    Daniel sighed and touched his shoulder, which was already starting to feel sore again, and walked towards his house. Unfortunately, someone else was already walking in his path and he bumped into them.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Daniel said, reaching out to keep the person steady. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you there¡­¡±


    Daniel trailed off when he saw that the person he bumped into was a girl. She looked no older than fourteen, and had long blond hair tied into pigtails. She wore a stylish black dress that brought out her fair skin, and large red eyes that stared at him in mirth.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I shouldn¡¯t have been walking in front of you.¡± The girl said politely. Daniel quickly let go of her arms with a blush.


    ¡°Um, are you new in the neighborhood? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you around here.¡± Daniel said.


    ¡°I live on the other side of town. Tranquility¡¯s nowhere near as big as a city, but it¡¯s still pretty big.¡± The girl smiled sweetly at him. ¡°I better get going. I actually have a meeting I have to get to and I don¡¯t want to be late.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let me keep you.¡± Daniel said.


    The girl watched him jog over to his house and send her one last wave before going inside. She smiled and strolled down the street, humming a tune to herself.


    ¡®Looks like Tranquility has a new wolf pup amongst its herd.¡¯ She thought. ¡®I better have Morgan watch over him just to be safe. What luck that we would run into each other like this?¡¯Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    XXXXXX


    Cassie had Daniel stay home for a couple more days before allowing him to go back to school. Staying at home wasn¡¯t too bad, but not being able to hang out with his friends was hard. It was almost a relief that he got to head back to school again¡­almost.


    As expected, Daniel learned that news of his attack had spread like wildfire throughout the whole school and as he walked through the halls for the first time since his recovery, he noticed everyone give him weird or concerned looks.


    ¡°Hey, you hear what happened to Daniel?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard he was attacked by this huge ass wolf on the camping trip. It was pretty bad.¡±


    ¡°I heard he almost died.¡±


    ¡°You think he¡¯s gonna turn into a werewolf now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised he can still use that arm. I heard the wolf nearly tore it off.¡±


    The gossip in high school could give the political whispers of medieval courtiers a run for their money. Daniel sighed and reached his locker, where he lightly banged his head against it. Not even first period and he was already tired. That must be a new record.


    He felt a nudge at his side and looked up to see Heather and Sahira smiling at him. ¡°Glad to see you back in the open world, Daniel.¡± Heather said.


    ¡°Yeah, we were getting worried.¡± Sahira said.


    ¡°Yeah, well, other than a slight headache, I¡¯m totally fine.¡± He said, grinning at them. Heather however frowned when she heard about the headache.


    ¡°Headache? I thought you were better enough to walk around.¡± She said concerned. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re¡ª¡°


    ¡°Heather, I¡¯m fine.¡± Daniel said, though she didn¡¯t look convinced. He smiled and threw an arm around her shoulders. ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m obviously not going to be a hundred percent even after getting out of the hospital. I wouldn¡¯t joke about this.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right. He¡¯s going to need more than a week or two to get back into fighting shape.¡± Sahira said and looked at Daniel critically. ¡°Speaking of which, how¡¯s the arm? Is it still giving you problems?¡±


    ¡°Actually, no.¡± He said. ¡°It¡¯s still aching and feels a bit sore if I strain it too much, but it doesn¡¯t feel as bad as when I woke up at the hospital. I don¡¯t think that will be as bad as I thought it would.¡±


    While not totally reassured, Heather nodded, knowing that Daniel wouldn¡¯t push himself too hard and worry those close to him. Smiling, Sahira moved to Daniel¡¯s other side and wrapped his arm around her too. The three shared a laugh and moved out to head to class.


    Suddenly, Daniel felt a strange sensation. It felt like a buzz at the back of his head, and reverberated throughout his entire body. Eyes widening, his body seemed to react before his brain did, and pulled Heather and Sahira down a bit with him, making them yelp in surprise. Two seconds later a football sailed over their heads and hit a teacher in the back of the head.


    ¡°AH!¡± The teacher shouted in surprise. Daniel stood up with the girls, who looked at him in confusion. They turned round and saw Roland with his arm outstretched, looking just as surprised as them.


    ¡°Mr. Zellinski!¡± The teacher roared, marching towards the terrified footballer. While Roland was being grilled on the spot, Heather and Sahira looked at Daniel.


    ¡°Nice moves.¡± Sahira commented. Daniel just blinked at her, still surprised and confused at what just happened.


    ¡°Yeah, that was pretty fast. How¡¯d you do that?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Daniel looked at her, eyes wide. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    XXXXXX


    Things only got stranger during English class.


    Being interested in reading and writing in general, Daniel didn¡¯t mind English all that much. Sure it got boring in some parts, but he was probably one of the few students who wasn¡¯t immediately put to sleep once it got started. But for some reason, Daniel was having a hard time focusing.


    Leaning his head on his hand, Daniel was suffering in silence as he massaged his aching head. It felt like an earthquake was rumbling in his skull. And was it just him, or was the teacher talking very loud, even though he was in the back of the classroom? From where he was sitting, it was like the teacher was talking right next to him. And it wasn¡¯t just that.


    Brow twitching, Daniel looked at the clock on the wall.


    Tick-Tock¡­Tick-Tock¡­


    It was like listening to a mega speaker!


    Then he heard a deafening buzzing in his right ear and spotted a fly buzzing around on the other side of the class. Though in his state, you¡¯d think it was hovering right over his ear. Blinking at the tiny insect, it started to look like it was slowing down right before his eyes. His vision was also very strange, as his eyesight suddenly magnified as he focused on the fly. He was even able to track the slow pattern of its flapping wings, the twitch of its legs, and the slow, echoing buzz.


    Grunting, he grabbed his head as he was assaulted by another wave of pain. His ears started ringing, and every little sound felt magnified in his ear drums. The ticking of the clock, the teacher¡¯s voice, the tapping of a girl¡¯s pencil against her desk, and the screeching of the chalk against the board¡­it was all so loud!


    Gritting his teeth, Daniel struggled to block it all out, but it was easier said than done.


    ¡°¡­iel¡­Dan¡­Daniel!¡±


    Eyes shooting open, the boy shot his head up. At that moment, all the noise and extrasensory overload just disappeared. He looked around and saw the whole class looking at him. Daniel spotted Heather looking at him with concern, as well as Ashely struggling to hold back her laughter.


    ¡°Mr. Blake, while you are doing very well in my class, it does not give you the right to daydream.¡± The teacher scolded. Daniel groaned and rubbed the back of his head.


    ¡°Sorry, Ms. Masters. Um¡­can I got to the bathroom for a bit? My head¡¯s a bit woozy.¡± He asked.


    ¡°You may go, but if you¡¯re not feeling well, please go to the nurse¡¯s office.¡± She told him. She knew that he wasn¡¯t a hundred percent yet and had been keeping an eye on him to see if he was feeling well.


    Daniel thanked her and stood up, shooting Heather a smile before leaving.


    Once he was out of class and walking down the empty hallway, Daniel massaged his temple. He then let out a gasp as a jolt of fiery pain ripped through his skull. Gritting his teeth, he caught himself from falling by leaning against the lockers. Reaching up to feel his forehead, he felt his skin slick with sweat, and he felt warm to the touch.


    ¡®Damn it, am I getting a fever?¡¯ Daniel thought, closing his eyes to block out the pain.


    ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡±


    Daniel jumped and nearly fell over, but someone gripped his arm and helped him upright. He looked up and saw a handsome boy with short blond hair and emerald green eyes standing there, a look of concern on his face.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Daniel said dumbly.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± The boy asked again. ¡°You¡¯re looking a bit¡­no, really pale.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­fine. My headache just got worse and I got dizzy.¡± Daniel took a deep breath, relieved at feeling the throbbing in his head lessen. ¡°Sorry if I worried¡­wait, who are you?¡±


    The boy grinned at Daniel¡¯s confusion. ¡°The name¡¯s Jason, Jason Lancaster. I just moved here with my dad. My sister and brother also go here too. You would¡¯ve ran into me a week ago had you been here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, welcome to Tranquility, Jason. Sorry you had to see me like this. Daniel said. ¡°I¡¯m not usually this¡­bad.¡±


    ¡°No need to apologize.¡± Jason said, slowly letting Daniel go but ready to catch him if he fell again. ¡°Do you need help getting to the nurse¡¯s office? I¡¯m on free period and¡ª¡°


    ¡°I think I can handle it from here, Jason.¡± Both boys turned to see Veronica standing behind them and they jumped in unison. They didn¡¯t hear any footsteps coming behind them!


    ¡°Veronica!¡± Daniel exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re¡­okay!¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m okay, silly. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s been bedridden for more than a week.¡± Veronica giggled. She took his hand and pulled him along. ¡°Daniel here just needs some fresh air, Jason. He¡¯ll be fine in a few minutes.¡±


    Jason, feeling a bit out of his element, looked to Daniel, who said, ¡°Actually, Veronica, I really do think I should head to the nurse for this. Besides, we can¡¯t just leave the school and do whatever.¡±


    Veronica gaped at him, but Daniel turned to Jason and smiled at him. ¡°Hey, if I¡¯m free we should hang out sometime. My friends and I know a few places in town you might like.¡±


    ¡°That sounds great.¡± Jason smiled. ¡°Now get going before you pass out. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve worried enough people already.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea.¡± Daniel said and walked away. ¡°If I¡¯m feeling better, I¡¯ll see you later, Veronica!¡±


    As Daniel disappeared around the corner, Jason turned to look at Veronica, only to see that she was gone. And without a sound again!


    ¡°How did she¡­?¡± Jason muttered.


    XXXXXX


    Heather dragged Daniel¡¯s backpack in her hand. It was heavy with books, some for school, but most were those chunky fantasy books that were hell to shove into a bag. She and Sahira had just left the nurse¡¯s office, where Daniel had been resting at for the rest of the day. He had already left once school was out, and now they were trying to find him at his usual places.


    ¡°He really must not be feeling well if he¡¯s running from us like this.¡± Sahira said.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be running around in his condition unless he was hiding something.¡± Sahira crossed her arms. She tried to hide her worry, but even she was starting to lose her composure. ¡°Danny¡¯s really starting to worry me here, Heather.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡± She replied, checking her phone. Heather was just about to call Daniel when her phone rang, almost making her drop it.


    Sahira¡¯s hand shot out and caught the phone before flipping it open and answering it. ¡°Yeah¡­wait, Danny?!¡±


    ¡°Daniel? What¡¯s he doing?¡± Heather shouted, but Sahira clamped a hand over her mouth.


    She talked softly into the phone for a little bit before hanging up and tossing the phone back to Heather, who fumbled with it a bit before catching it. ¡°Daniel said to meet up at our usual hideout.¡±


    ¡°At the old factory? What¡¯s he doing there?¡± Heather asked.


    ¡°No idea, but he sounded a bit shaken up.¡± Sahira said seriously. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The girls ran out of the schoolyard, running past Morgan, who tracked their movements intently before discreetly following after them.


    XXXXXX


    The factory district near the edge of Tranquility, locate just across the river from the downtown area, was full of uninhabited and abandoned buildings that were once used for the production of vehicles and machines. Some of them were still standing, mainly because of their historical value, and the factory building closest to the river was where Daniel, Heather and Sahira had made into their own little base.


    It wasn¡¯t anything grand or special, just a place where the three friends could hang out in peace, away from the rest of the bustling town. A place where they could be private in public. And private was definitely what they needed right now.


    Heather and Sahira pushed the heavy metal doors of their hideout open and ran inside. They found Daniel sitting by the window, sitting by the window on an old couch they hauled there from a junkyard. He looked spooked and deathly pale, which didn¡¯t make the girls feel any better.


    ¡°Daniel?¡± Heather called out.


    He jumped and looked up. ¡°Heather, Sahira?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s us.¡± Sahira said, looking at him weirdly. ¡°Danny, what¡¯s going on? You looked terrible at school earlier and we didn¡¯t find you at the nurse¡¯s office either.¡±


    ¡°Is it your arm?¡± Heather said, running over to Daniel. Up close she could see the sweat on his forehead. ¡°God, Daniel, you look sick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sick all right, but not in the way you think.¡± Daniel muttered and looked away. ¡°At the nurse¡¯s office and was on my phone looking up what I might have. Something told me that these¡­episodes I was having weren¡¯t normal.¡±


    ¡°What symptoms?¡± Sahira asked.


    ¡°Headaches, sensitive hearing, high body temperature, blurry vision¡­in English class every sound I heard was magnified to the tenth degree, and my eyesight was zooming in on every little thing I could see. I nearly passed out in the hallway from sensory overload.¡±


    ¡°Sensory overload?¡± Heather was sitting next to Daniel on the torn couch, with Sahira sitting on the other side. ¡°Daniel, how¡¯s that possi¡­¡± She trailed off when she slowly began to make the connection.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Sahira asked. ¡°What am I missing?¡±


    ¡°Sahira, all those symptoms are common reactions of the body when it¡¯s been infected by lycanthropy. Sensory overload is a sign of the body¡¯s physical state changing.¡± Heather explained. She looked at Daniel¡¯s worried face. ¡°Daniel, don¡¯t tell me you actually have¡­lycanthropy.¡±


    Daniel was too nervous to really say anything, so he just nodded.


    ¡°You were infected? How? I thought your doctor said you were clean after three blood tests!¡± Sahira yelled.


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know. I was fine before and after I left the hospital. My wound was healing at a normal rate and¡­¡± Daniel froze and reached into his shirt to tear at his bandages, startling both girls.


    ¡°Daniel, what are you doing? Stop it!¡± Heather cried out.


    Daniel ignored her, throwing off his shirt and tearing away his bandages. He was expecting to see the tender, ugly pink flesh of his bite wound that was still healing and was probably even bleeding a bit. What he got instead was a small lining of pink flesh but no bite marks. His wounds had been completely healed over, and even the soreness was fading away.


    No one said anything for several minutes as they processed the implications of this discovery. Daniel had contracted lycanthropy and was probably already on his way to being converted into a werewolf. Any sense of calm Daniel had starting that day had completely gone out the window, and ow he was trying to figure out what to do.


    ¡°Daniel,¡± Heather began. ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s not the end of the world. You can make it through this.¡±


    ¡°How? There aren¡¯t any werewolf packs for miles of Tranquility, and I don¡¯t fancy hunting down the bastard that bit me to be accepted into his, or her, growing army of kidnapped wolves.¡± Daniel said. ¡°And what if this gets out? What if Aunt Cassie loses her job because of me?¡±


    ¡°Danny, calm down.¡± Sahira ordered him. ¡°Don¡¯t lose your cool over this.¡±


    ¡°How can I not lose my cool? I¡¯m going to turn into a giant bloodthirsty wolf at the next full moon!¡± He shouted.


    Heather raised a hand and slapped him hard across the cheek. Not expecting it, Daniel nearly fell off the couch, his face a look of shock. Sahira also was surprised by Heather¡¯s uncharacteristic action. She beat her to it!


    ¡°You are not going to turn into a monster.¡± Heather growled, her voice shaky. ¡°You¡¯re going to be fine, we can get through this together. But panicking isn¡¯t helping anyone get anything done.¡±


    Daniel stared at her with wide eyes for a minute before he calmed down. He looked away from her and slowly stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to head home. I need some time to think.¡±


    He avoided their gazes as he picked up his bag and walked away. Heather tried to stop him, but Sahira held her back and shook her head.


    ¡°Let him have some time to process this.¡± She said. ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll feel better tomorrow.¡±


    Heather sighed sadly and looked at Daniel¡¯s retreating form. She didn¡¯t want him to go through this alone, and even though she too wanted to give him some space, with everything that¡¯s been going on in the news, she was afraid for him now more than ever.


    XXXXXX


    Daniel walked down the empty streets leading out of the factory district towards the bridge that connected the two halves of the town together. He didn¡¯t want to be around people right now, especially with his senses going haywire at random like that.


    He knew he shouldn¡¯t have exploded at his friends like that, but he was running on an emotional high right now. Osea was one of the leading countries in giving lycanthropes rights, but that didn¡¯t stop the social stigma it brought. There were plenty of cases of working class men and women suddenly getting laid off once it got out that they had lycanthropy. Soldiers infected by a wereanimal on the job were similarly giving medical discharge as if they were crippled in the line of duty.


    As for teenage lycanthropes, well¡­the treatment was only slightly harsher. Thanks to Heather, he saw plenty of news reports of teen lycans going berserk in their own schools out of revenge for how they were treated by their fellow students and even the teachers. Daniel was lucky that Heather and Sahira went like that, but he honestly didn¡¯t know what to do when it got close to the full moon.


    Even now, with his emotions running all over the place, he felt his anger rising. Anger at that damn wolf for biting him, anger at how unfair this whole situation was, anger at how few options he had. It was all so stupid!


    ¡°This is such bullshit!¡± Daniel yelled and swung his fist at a nearby wall. His punch was hard enough to make the bones in his arm rattle, but it wasn¡¯t as jarring as seeing the wall actually crack from the force of his blow. And the thin scratches on his knuckles actually healed over in a second. ¡°Whoa.¡±


    ¡°Whoa is right.¡±


    Daniel spun around to see who spoke. Standing just a few feet away from him was a teenager. He looked like a stereotypical biker dude, with black leather pants and a black jacket over a white shirt. He even had sunglasses on! The jacket didn¡¯t fully hide his muscular, yet slender physique, and despite his lazy posture, something about him put Daniel on his guard.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Daniel asked.


    ¡°Name¡¯s Johnny, and I¡¯m going to have to ask you to come with me. My boss has her eye on you and she doesn¡¯t want you getting all banged up before you meet.¡±


    ¡°Boss? Look, I have no idea who you are, but if you could leave me alone, that¡¯d be great.¡± Daniel said and turned to walk away.


    ¡°You sure you wanna do that, little wolf pup?¡± Johnny asked. Daniel froze and turned back to him, eyes narrowing in anger at the smirk on Johnny¡¯s face. ¡°That caught your attention, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°What are you¡ª¡°


    ¡°You know exactly what I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about.¡± Johnny interrupted. ¡°You know, newly infected lycans are a danger to themselves as well as the people around them. If someone ticks you off, you could get violent and seriously hurt someone. Do you really want that?¡±


    ¡°No, but as I said, I don¡¯t know who you are, and I¡¯m sure as hell not going anywhere with you just because you say so.¡± Daniel said.


    Johnny shrugged. ¡°You know, ordinarily I¡¯d agree with you. Not my fault if you rip your mom¡¯s face off in a blind rage or something before the full moon.¡± He said carelessly. ¡°But my boss is very insistent that I retrieve you. Nothin¡¯ personal, bro, but the minute you were bitten was the moment you were conscripted.¡±


    Daniel¡¯s heart was racing a mile a minute. ¡°For what?¡±


    Johnny took off his glasses and opened his eyes, revealing a pair of bright amber gold pupils that took up most of his eyes. The eyes of a wolf. ¡°Our army.¡±


    Daniel literally had no time to react before Johnny was immediately in his face. Moving faster than Daniel could follow, Johnny¡¯s arm shot up and snatched him up by the throat. Daniel was pressed up against the wall of the building next to him, held off his feet by the lycanthrope with only one hand.


    ¡°Sorry I have to be this rough with you, kid, but my boss can be very persistent when she doesn¡¯t get what she wants. You¡¯re one of us now, a wolf, and that means you¡¯re a part of this grand army we¡¯re making to take back this world.¡± Johnny said over Daniel¡¯s choking noises. ¡°It¡¯ll be fun, at least after you get past your first few full moons. But whatever the case, I¡¯m not letting you go. I¡¯d rather it be your ass than mine on the chopping block.¡±


    Daniel tried to breath with the tight grip around his throat. Johnny wasn¡¯t choking him, but his grip was tight enough to partially constrict his airways. Seeing that Daniel was trying to speak, Johnny loosened his grip a bit.


    ¡°What¡¯d you wanna say, kid?¡± He asked grinning. ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    ¡°F-Fuck you!¡± Daniel spat, coughing. ¡°I¡¯m not one of you! I¡¯m no criminal!¡±


    ¡°¡­Criminal?¡± Johnny lost his smile and now wore a deep frown on his face. The look in his bestial eyes made him look rather terrifying to be honest. ¡°You think we¡¯re criminals? Take a good look at the poster boys in the CSA and tell me if they¡¯re heroes if you really knew about the shit them behind the scenes!¡±


    Johnny slammed Daniel harder into the wall, lifting him up again. He raised his free hand and Daniel watched horrified as the bones in Johnny¡¯s hand shifted, his fingers growing longer, and his nails sharpening into claws. Johnny pressed a claw against Daniel¡¯s cheek and lightly tapped it.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to get violent, kid, but if you¡¯re gonna resist this much I might have to beat you down a bit. As a newblood, you¡¯re at the bottom of the food chain, and the boss won¡¯t mind if I rough you up a bit to teach you some manners.¡± Johnny¡¯s fingers curled as he lowered his claws to trace Daniel¡¯s chest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll heal from almost anything as a werewolf. Can¡¯t say that you won¡¯t feel pain?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got balls pulling that kind of shit in this town.¡±


    Johnny froze and looked behind him. The voice came from atop the roof of another building right across the street. A girl was sitting there, glaring down at him like he was trash. She wore a short sleeve grey shirt and torn jean shorts with black combat boots. Black bracers hugged her toned arms, and her black hair was tied back out of her face. Daniel recognized her coal black eyes and deep gaze almost immediately.


    ¡®Morgan?¡¯ He thought.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Johnny growled.


    ¡°I should be asking you that.¡± Morgan said. She leaned forward and fell off the side, falling down onto the street before landing on her two feet as if she didn¡¯t descend from a story tall building. ¡°What the hell are you trying to pull? This is the territory of the Crimson Moon clan. Forcefully recruiting unwilling newborns is against the rules.¡±


    ¡°Fuck your rules. Your clan isn¡¯t even a real lycan group.¡± Johnny spat, dropping Daniel onto the ground. ¡°And since when did you fence sitters get involved with what happens in your territory? You bastards are more concerned with playing human than living is up as a lycan.¡±


    He shoved a finger in Daniel¡¯s direction. ¡°This kid is a werewolf, and thus he belongs to us. And no smart mouthed little bitch is going to stop me!¡±


    Morgan snorted and shook her head. ¡°You know, I really hate assholes who think they¡¯re better just because they bark louder.¡±


    Johnny¡¯s patience finally ran out as he was suddenly lunging at Morgan, slashing his claws as her face. Morgan swiftly dodged his attack with just as much speed, leaping up and kicking him in the chest. Johnny flew back and slammed into a tree, nearly knocking it over. Morgan was already charging at him, and before Johnny could move, she was on him, throwing a kick at his head. Johnny ducked down and her leg smashed through the tree trunk like it was plaster, completely smashing it apart.


    Daniel pulled himself to his feet, watching the fight with wide eyes. He always knew that lycanthropes were stronger and faster than humans, but seeing it for himself was something else entirely. It wasn¡¯t like in the movies where they just blink out of eyesight and they¡¯re right on top of you the next second. It was more like they were moving too fast for the human eye to follow, not quite blurs but too hard to track with simple human perception. Despite this, Daniel could clearly see that Morgan was completely dominating Johnny in this fight. Go Morgan.


    Morgan chased Johnny around the street, deflecting his punches and claw strikes while delivering punishing blows. Each blow that connected made Daniel wince, as his enhanced senses could pick up the faint cracking and crunching of bone.


    Eventually Johnny got sick of being chased around like a calf and stopped running. He spun around and threw all his weight into his next punch, his face marred by an enraged expression that seemed vaguely wolf-like.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me!¡± He roared and focused all of his strength into his punch, which move too fast for Daniel to follow.


    Morgan wasn¡¯t even that concerned, not even trying to dodge as she tilted her head a bit to let the punch sail over her right ear. Johnny¡¯s punch had missed, and now he was left completely open to her counterattack, a wicked right hook that caught him in the jaw and sent him spinning through the air.


    Even without his growing senses Daniel could hear the loud crack of Johnny¡¯s jaw being broken. The werewolf actually spun around in the air in a full rotation before sliding across the ground, hitting the wall of the building near them head first. He didn¡¯t get up.


    Morgan kept an eye on him to make sure he wasn¡¯t getting up before finally letting her guard down. She smoothed her shirt out and looked at Daniel.


    ¡°You okay?¡± She asked curtly.


    ¡°Morgan, that was¡­holy shit.¡± Daniel breathed. ¡°I¡¯m¡­Morgan, you¡¯re¡­you¡¯re a¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a werewolf, Daniel. Just come out and say it.¡± Morgan snapped.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, I¡¯m just¡­wow.¡± He gave a shaky laugh. ¡°That was awesome and terrifying at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up.¡± She huffed and marched towards him. Daniel stumbled back in panic.


    ¡°Whoa, what are you doing¡ªhey!¡± He shouted when she grabbed his shirt and pulled him along. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking you home. You don¡¯t want to be out at night when you have lycanthropes hunting you. That¡¯s just asking for trouble.¡± Morgan said, not looking at him. ¡°Get some sleep, go to school tomorrow, but after that, meet up with me at the courtyard. I¡¯m taking you to see someone who can help you get your shit together.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m not going anywhere with you!¡± His resistance would have been more impressive if she wasn¡¯t dragging him around like a ragdoll. ¡°How do I know that you¡¯re not in the same group as that greaser wannabe? How can I trust you when I¡¯ve got werewolves trying to induct me into some fucking criminal syndicate?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t.¡± Morgan stopped and turned to face him. ¡°But you don¡¯t have any options. The full moon is in a month, and you don¡¯t have a damn clue about what to do to prepare for it. That prick Johnny? He¡¯s a part of the group that¡¯s been on the news. The werewolves turning and kidnapping people. You¡¯re on their list and you need protection. Something we can provide.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s we?¡± Daniel asked.


    ¡°Come with tomorrow and you¡¯ll find out.¡± Morgan said, giving him a little smirk.


    Daniel was at a loss. He didn¡¯t really trust her after seeing that little display (no matter how awesome it was) but she was right. He had no options. He had nowhere else to go.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you afterschool tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s get you home, it¡¯s getting late.¡±


    She placed a hand on his back and led him out of the district. It was going to be a long night.


    XXXXXX


    It was night when Jason was finished packing.


    After running into Daniel and Veronica, the rest of his day had been relatively normal. He was still a bit worried about Daniel, but he seemed okay so it was nothing to be too concerned about. Which was good, since he might have made his first friend at Sherman High since moving to Tranquility. It¡¯ll give him a reason to stay away from home at least.


    Afterschool he returned home and went straight to doing his training regimen down in the basement. With Jane downtown, he might have some peace and quiet while getting some work done without worrying about his punching bag being lit on fire. He basically wasted time until everyone got back home. Tonight was a special night. It was going to be his first hunt.


    ¡°So you¡¯re going out?¡± A quiet voice asked from the doorway.


    Jason looked up and saw his little brother, Damien, standing there looking nervous. Damien was just two years younger than him, but his frail and skinny body made him look younger. Damien was the only other child aside from Jane who got his features from their mother, with darker blond hair and heterochromatic eyes, his left eye blue, his right eye green.


    ¡°Yup. Tonight Jane and I are going to accompany dad on his hunt.¡± Jason said. It wasn¡¯t information he was supposed to be sharing with civilians, but Damien was smarter than he looked. ¡°We¡¯re taking out a group of werewolves that might be involved with the recent attacks going on.¡±


    Damien nodded, and looked down at his feet. Jason sighed and got up to walk over to him. ¡°Damien, I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve been training for this since I was little.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but this is the real deal. Training with other humans doesn¡¯t compare to fighting a lycanthrope in real life, especially professional killers.¡± Damien said. ¡°If you go in thinking that they¡¯re going to run upon hearing dad¡¯s name, then you¡¯re going to end up as another name on their scoreboard.¡±


    Jason had nothing to say to that. Damien was right, he needed to rein himself in before he got into trouble. Lord knows that he heard enough of his father¡¯s lectures and horror stories to know what happens to cocky hunters.


    ¡°I wish I could go with you.¡± Damien said, taking Jason out of his thoughts. Due to complications of his birth, Damien had a frail constitution and had asthma for most of his life. Any type of serious exertion was a hassle for him. Not the type of person suited for hunting supernatural creatures.


    ¡°I wish you could too, but then you¡¯d have to deal with Jane.¡± Jason joked. That got Damien to smile, which was all that he needed. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later, little bro. Be good, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Damien said and the two brothers hugged each other before Jason went to get his things, hefting a large leather case onto his shoulder and heading downstairs.


    Tybolt and Jane were waiting outside by their van. Like Jason, Jane was wearing black body armor that was a mess of composite materials and Kevlar, something that would¡¯ve weighed down a regular human, but not someone as well trained as Jane. His father was also decked out in hardy but flexible body armor, armed with a sheathed longsword he was placing into the trunk.


    ¡°About time you got down here.¡± Jane huffed. ¡°We¡¯re on a time crunch, Jason. We don¡¯t have time to wait for you to fool around with that little monster.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re acting like I care about what you think, Jane.¡± Jason shot back and placed his weapons into the trunk.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Tybalt said, silencing his children. ¡°We have a long night ahead of us, and we¡¯re wasting time with our childish arguments.¡±


    ¡°The only one being childish is him.¡± Jane muttered.


    ¡°Get in, the others are waiting and I will not keep them waiting.¡± Tybalt ordered.


    The siblings nodded and got into the van. Once everything was in place, Tybalt started the van and drove off. For most of the ride, neither Jason nor Jane said a word, saving their energy for their first mission as provisional hunters. Tonight, they were going to do what their family did best. Tonight, they hunt.

 Born Anew

    Chapter 3-Born Anew


    The status of hunters had changed a lot in the recent centuries. Originally, they were just men and women who were little more than bounty hunters, hunting and slaying lycanthropes that terrorized people in remote communities or large cities for money. In those days, lycanthropes were greatly feared, especially in the west. Of course, the life expectancy of hunters was short, even for veterans, who would either find themselves killed by their prey or turned into the very beasts they hunted in an ironic turn of events. The stronger the lycan, the higher the pay.


    When the world became more modernized and interconnected, attitudes towards lycanthropes changed little, though many governments took a more proactive stance in handling lycanthropes. Namely in the creation of government sponsored groups like the Night Witches and the Silver Cross, though they did hire private hunters when the situation called for it. Things changed when some countries began legalizing lycans as citizens, beginning with Britannia and spreading to Osea, and then across Maztica and some countries in Western Eura.


    There was a time you could kill lycanthropes on sight if you could prove what they were. Even in modern times there were still some countries that allowed people to kill lycanthropes on sight. But as lycanthropes came to be seen as legal citizens, hunters suddenly found themselves facing murder charges, being treated as criminals for breaking the law. Now you needed a license to properly hunt lycanthropes, and only convicted individuals at that. Being a private hunter didn¡¯t make you more popular than the larger, more professional organizations like the CSA.


    There were few hunter families like the Lancasters that survived into modern times. Mostly because many of them were wiped out in one way or another by a lycanthrope clan that got the better of them, or just stopped hunting entirely. The Lancasters were one of the few that maintained their ancient monster hunting profession. They didn¡¯t fight the tide, they went with the flow, accepting the new status quo of hunters in a more civilized world. The adults passed on their fighting techniques to the next generation, training them until they were old enough to get their licenses before sending them out into the field.


    Jason and Jane had already taken their registration test and became licensed hunters, but this was their first real hunt. They¡¯ve never actually hunted convicted lycanthropes before, never been in the field against a real shapeshifter that could kill them at any moment. With the recent rise in werewolf attacks going on, Tybalt decided this was the perfect opportunity for them to earn their stripes.


    Jason knew Jane was ready. She was the apple of their father¡¯s eye, a born killer who took a little too much joy in training to kill the ¡°monsters¡±. Her skills were precise and deadly, her abilities finely trained and honed. No reservations in the heat of battle, just like their father. Jason was a capable fighter too, but he knew he ranked lower than his older sister.


    Tybalt drove them through downtown and to the section of Tranquility that was home to a group of abandoned factories slated to be demolished. The entire area had been isolated as a hideout by a pack of werewolves, but that was all Tybalt told his children. They pulled up beside three other vans, where Tybalt¡¯s associates were waiting.


    Standing in front of the factory were four people, all wearing the same black body armor as Tybalt¡ªthe standard combat uniform for hunters of the CSA. Jason recognized them from the one time they visited his house for dinner. Emmet Lee, Rosaline Mercer, Darien Jones and Lao Fan. They were the only four hunters that Tybalt trusted personally to help him on important missions like these.


    ¡°About time you got here, Tybalt.¡± Lao said. She was a slender woman of oriental descent, with short black hair cut just below her ears and piercing green eyes. Strapped to her forearms were two long sheaths, which hid her primary weapons. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but there is no such thing as being stylishly late.¡±


    ¡°Your opinion matters little to me, Fan, I¡¯m here and that¡¯s what matters.¡± Tybalt said as he got out of the car.


    ¡°Jason! What¡¯s up?¡± Emmet grinned at the boy. He was a large, broad shouldered man who looked more suited to being in a football game than in combat gear. Emmet had short brown hair and matching eyes, with an expressive face that just seemed naturally happy outside of his work environment. ¡°Ready to do some wolf hunting?¡±


    ¡°You know it.¡± Jason smiled, trying to hide his nervousness. Jane saw through it immediately.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to the man, Jason, you were sweating the entire ride here.¡± She smirked, taking out her crossbow and strapping her sword to her back.


    ¡°Shut it, Jane.¡± Jason hissed.


    ¡°Children, this is neither the time nor place.¡± Rosaline said. She had brown hair tied back into a bun and her cool blue eyes shined in the darkness. Her main weapon was a rather large hammer held in one hand with surprising ease, though no one called her out on it.


    Once the Lancasters got their weapons, they joined up with the rest of the squad and began their planning phase. ¡°Now that we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s get the operation started.¡± Tybalt said. ¡°Darien, what are we dealing with?¡±


    Darien was the team¡¯s tactical officer, the man with the plan. He was an average looking man with short brown hair and grey eyes with a short, slender build. A double-bladed axe sat on his back, his main weapon of choice. He nodded to Tybalt and began the debriefing.


    ¡°We have a single group of werewolves inside the area, thermals show seven in all, three females and four males, though there may be more in hiding. Judging from the strengths of their auras, only two of them are strong enough to shift.¡± He said. ¡°We¡¯ll take out the weaker members first before going after the stronger lycans. We have to move in fast and hard, because they¡¯ll hear us coming before they see us.¡±


    ¡°Emmet and I will take point.¡± Tybalt said. ¡°Darien and Jason will take up the rear, Jane, you go with Rosaline and use your fire to drive them towards us for the kill.¡±


    ¡®Of course I¡¯m stuck watching the rear. Should¡¯ve expected this.¡¯ Jason thought, but he didn¡¯t dare start an argument right now. It wasn¡¯t the time, not with seven werewolves so close by. ¡°Dad, do we capture or kill them?¡±


    ¡°Normally we¡¯d kill them all and that¡¯d be it, but we need at least one wolf alive to get some information out of them.¡± Tybalt said. ¡°They are just a very small part of a larger group, so we must get as much information as we can from them. Is everyone ready?¡±


    They all nodded, and Tybalt grunted before sliding his steel grey face mask into place. ¡°Then let¡¯s begin the hunt.¡±


    XXXXXX


    ¡°A half-moon.¡± Mina whispered, gazing out the window of her study. ¡°Wasn¡¯t expecting to see you tonight, sweet moon.¡±


    She was the only one awake aside from her personal assistant. It had been a long day, and an even longer night. Since Morgan returned to her with news of the boy, she had been feeling a sense of foreboding that made it hard for her to fully relax. Bad things were happening in and around Tranquility, and she knew it was only going to get worse from here.


    ¡°Mistress?¡± There was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Come in, Laura.¡± Mina said, still looking at the moon.


    The door opened and Mina¡¯s personal assistant and closest friend, Laura Iliana, entered. She was a beautiful and mature woman with pale skin and long black hair tied back into a tight bun. She wore a black dress that hugged her curvaceous form, with the skirt split at the sides to reveal her tight stockings underneath for better movement.


    ¡°Are you still worried, mistress? It¡¯s not like you to get so hung up on issues like this.¡± Laura said, placing a tray carrying a glass bottle of red liquid onto the table and poured her mistress a glass.


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯ve been listening to the news lately and none of it sounds very promising.¡± Mina sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know where these rabid dogs came from, but they¡¯re starting to get on my nerves. They¡¯re already causing the CSA to move in on Tranquility, my territory. I don¡¯t need government stooges going through my things.¡±


    ¡°I doubt the CSA will be looking in our direction unless we give them a reason to.¡± Laura noted.


    ¡°Please, Laura, those clowns will shoot at anything that turns into a creature with fur. The stark majority of those morons in the CSA aren¡¯t the type to discern an innocent lycanthrope from a guilty one until everything¡¯s said and done.¡± Mina frowned and took a sip from her drink. ¡°Morgan managed to rescue one of the victims, a boy who goes to the same high school as her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate.¡± Laura commented. ¡°I take it we will be meeting with him tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Of course. He looks like a smart boy, and knows when he has no other options that don¡¯t involve eternal servitude or painful death.¡± She smiled. ¡°It will be a long talk, though. Better make sure your schedule¡¯s clear tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°My schedule is never clear when you¡¯re involved, mistress.¡± Laura smiled back. Mina laughed and leaned back in her seat.


    ¡°True, true.¡± She replied and closed her eyes. ¡°Things are going to get lively around here, Vera. Tranquility won¡¯t be so tranquil anymore.¡±


    Laura sighed and looked out the window at the dark forest beyond. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good thing, mistress.¡±


    XXXXXX


    Tybalt had always taught his children not to get caught up in the thrill of hunting something bigger and stronger than you, but Jane always broke that rule. Hunting and slaying another living creature that was by all rights weaker than you had its own little flare, but going after something that was strong enough to rip you in half was something else entirely. It was like giving the finger to Mother Nature, saying that even though you¡¯re weaker and slower, you can still kill the hunter.


    It was a mentality that Jane had cultivated over the course of her training. Hunters like her father were legendary because they proved that ordinary humans could beat down the monsters that treated them like prey. Jane wanted to be like that. She wanted to be feared, to be seen like an apex predator, and this was her chance.


    She followed Rosaline deeper into the factory and as they got closer, she could hear the wolves down below talking loudly. They were holed up in the center of the factory, where the largest machinery lay broken and decayed from years of neglect. It was clear from the tones of their voices that they were panicking. Afraid of the big bad CSA that had cornered them.


    ¡®Good.¡¯ Jane thought with a grin. ¡®Let them shit their pants in fear. That¡¯s how it should be between us and them.¡¯


    She could hear them better now thanks to the earpiece she had. Just from the way they were walking to each other showed how little cooperation they had with each other.


    ¡°I hear them coming. We need to move now!¡±


    ¡°No, if we run they¡¯ll just drive us into their guns. We need to fight them on our terms.¡±


    ¡°What terms? These guys are fucking professionals for Ruin¡¯s sake! We¡¯re dead!¡±


    ¡°Shit, where¡¯s that bastard Brahe when you actually need him? I thought he was supposed to meet us today!¡±


    Jane and Rosaline were right above the group now. At this range, they would¡¯ve heard the two women approaching, but they never heard their footsteps. For instead of standing on the hard metal catwalk, they were standing on small, circular stepping stones made of energy generated from their own bodies.


    Jane glanced at Rosaline, who had drawn her hammer and was holding it in a two-handed grip. Rosaline looked back at her and nodded, signaling for her to wait. Jane hung over the edge of the railing, waiting for the signal to strike. Rosaline looked over at the far corner of the room and saw Tybalt and Emmet edging closer to the werewolves.


    Once they were in position, Tybalt gave the signal¡ªa small flash of light in the dark corner. Rosaline looked to Jane and nodded. This time, Jane couldn¡¯t keep her excitement down and a savage grin spread across her lips as she raised her hands and pointed them at the werewolves. She felt that familiar burning sensation in her chest, and it spread to her arms, and then to her hands. As the power built up within her, she unleashed it all at once.


    And a large wave of fire burst from her hands.


    The opening salvo was fast and strong. Only the designated stronger werewolves, a large, muscular black man and an equally muscular woman, were fast enough to escape the inferno. The woman grabbed one of the other females close to her, and the second male had stumbled back just out of range, but the last three women were completely engulfed in flames.


    ¡°William!¡± The older woman called out.


    ¡°I know!¡± The black man took something out of his pocket. Jane saw that it was a detonator.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Jane and Rosaline jumped from catwalk just as the entire left wing of the factory erupted into multiple explosions that shook the entire building. Both women landed on the ground and Jane shot a few fireballs at the man, who swiftly dodged them and went to protect his surviving comrades.


    William looked at the two women, his fellow co-team leader Anise and one of the newer recruits, Sonya. He grimaced at the sight of the other women burning alive, but there was nothing that could be done for them now. Fire was one of a lycanthrope¡¯s worst weaknesses, a direct counter to their awesome regenerative abilities. They were already dead.


    ¡°Anise, Sonya, I have the entire factory rigged to blow. Follow me out of the building and don¡¯t stop running until you lose their scent.¡± William said. ¡°Once you get the chance, call for backup. We won¡¯t win against these people like this.¡±


    Jane and Rosaline were already moving through the flames, which parted before them as Jane manipulated them to not burn. Rosaline spotted the three werewolves and sprinted at them, readying her war hammer. She skidded to a stop and waved her hand, manifesting a blue energy shield in front of her that blocked a rapid fire assault of bullets fired by the other male werewolf.


    ¡°Go!¡± He yelled, maintaining fire on Rosaline.


    ¡°James!¡± Sonya cried out, but Anise pulled her back.


    ¡°Come on.¡± She said and followed William to the secondary entrance to the room.


    ¡°Not so fast, doggy!¡± Emmet charged at them, a dark green energy drill forming around his right arm as he thrust his weapon forward.


    William spun around the drill and threw a punch at Emmet, who leaned back just enough to let the lycan¡¯s fist graze his nose before ramming his shoulder into his chest. William stumbled back only an inch before wrapping his arms around Emmet¡¯s waist and lifting him off his feet, easily throwing the large man over his head and into the wall.


    Anise pulled Sonya along, but she spotted a flash of light at the corner of her eye before her instincts took over and she ducked. It was fortunate she did, as a bright white lance flew over her head and shot straight through the wall behind her. She froze and looked to her left to see Tybalt walking out of the thick smoke with an assault rifle in hand.


    ¡°Stop resisting. It¡¯s only going to end badly for you.¡± Tybalt said, keeping his gun trained on Anise. ¡°Surrender and you will be fairly treated in accordance with the law¡ª¡°


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Anise spat. ¡°I know exactly how the law treats our kind and there¡¯s nothing fair about it. Save your breath old man, because you¡¯re going to need it.¡±


    ¡°Stop acting brave, it makes you look stupid.¡± Tybalt said. He saw a large plume of flames erupt on the other side of the room and knew it was Jane. ¡°My daughter just finished off one of your comrades. You can¡¯t fight against her and you certainly can¡¯t fight against me. Surrender now and no one else will have to die.¡±


    Anise was about to curse at when she heard something behind her and quickly pulled Sonya out of the way. A large body flew past them and almost hit Tybalt had he not summoned an energy wall to block it. Tybalt let the bod drop to his feet and saw that it was Emmet, dazed and sporting a nasty bump on his forehead.


    ¡°You will get no weakness from us, Lancaster.¡± William said, marching up to him. In his hand was another detonator, which he pressed and the wall behind him was blown out with a loud bang. ¡°Go, I will handle him.¡±


    Anise didn¡¯t try to argue. She took Sonya¡¯s hand and ran out through the hole. Tybalt didn¡¯t follow them, concentrating on William, who tore off his shirt and rolled his shoulders.


    ¡°Are you trying to be a martyr, werewolf?¡± Tybalt asked, taking a few steps back. ¡°What do you hope to gain from continuing the fight?¡±


    ¡°Noting, but we¡¯d be poor revolutionaries if we didn¡¯t fight for our beliefs. Not that you¡¯d know anything about that.¡± William taunted.


    Tybalt opened fire at William, shooting silver bullets at the werewolf. He was only a little dismayed when a shield of bronze energy appeared to deflect the bullets, showing that the werewolf was stronger than he gave him credit for.


    Protected, even momentarily, William underwent the change. His body rippled and convulsed before bones shifted and muscles rearranged themselves beneath his skin. Fur sprouted across his body and his head lengthened into a snout, his teeth sharpening into fangs. The transformation was fast and smooth, smother than the average lycan shift, which showed his skill. Within seconds, William now stood as a large brown furred wolf man, a hybrid form some lycans could achieve through years of proper training.


    Tybalt raised his rifle, but discarded it, knowing that William could just dodge them. He reached back and drew his sword, a legendary blade he forged himself with silver and reinforced with his energy. William snarled and crouched low, his muscles tensing up like coiled springs. Tybalt raised his sword and got into a wide stance.


    Both men waited for a hair¡¯s breadth before lunging at each other, predator against predator.


    XXXXXX


    Anise and Sonya ran as fast as they could from the smoking factory, which was pretty fast. The two werewolves quickly gained some distance from the factory and the other hunters. They made it as far as the inner parts of the district before Anise just barely dodged a wall of silver bullets that blew holes into the wall inches from her.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Jason and Darien appeared, leaping down from their rooftop perch to land in front of the two women. Jason pointed his assault rifle at the two werewolves while Darien stood by him, already holding his battle axe ready. ¡°Surrender peacefully and¡ª¡°


    Anise was already lunging at him, her hands shifting into claws and her lips pulled back in a snarl. Jason fired off a few rounds, but they bounced off her skin, which he just noticed was coated in a light energy field that deflected his bullets. Jason leapt back, but Darien rushed in to keep her off him, swinging his axe in a wide arc and forcing her to flip over it.


    She kicked his gun out of his hand, smashing it apart in the process, and brought her claws down on him. Jason drew his sword and blocked her attack with the blade of his weapon, which just barely held up from her bestial strength. The silver burned at her flesh, similar to touching a hot metal pan that slowly got hotter, but Anise did not relent.


    She heard the air shift behind her and ducked under an axe swing that would have beheaded her had it hit. She slashed at Darien, who deflected her claws with the shaft of his axe and kicked her in the back. Anise barely moved and launched a kick to Jason¡¯s chest, sending him flying back a few feet. She dodged another axe swing from Darien and grabbed his arm, throwing him over her shoulder into the ground. Anise gripped his arm tightly and with great ease, twisted the limb until she heard a sickening crack.


    Darien¡¯s screams brought Jason out of his pained daze and he saw Anise twisting Darien¡¯s arm like a corkscrew. ¡°Darien!¡±


    Pumping energy into his legs, Jason leapt forward and slammed his entire body into Anise, using his weight to throw her off balance. Anise grabbed him and threw him aside, and she followed up with a thrust of her claws at his chest, intending to gore out his heart in a single motion.


    Jason was running on adrenaline at this point, so when he saw her going for a direct attack, he reacted almost immediately. With only inches to spare, Jason weaved his body out of the way of Anise¡¯s claws, and spun around so that he was on her left. Too extended to properly avoid him, Anise wasn¡¯t able to pull away when Jason brought his sword down on her outstretched arm, severing it just above the elbow.


    The pain was immense, and Anise let out a howl so loud that it made Jason¡¯s bones rattle. He stumbled back as she glared at him, her features shifting right before his eyes. Her bones cracked and shifted and she grew taller with grey fur sprouting all over her form. The transformation to her hybrid form was almost fluid and she stood before him as an enraged wolf woman, her clothes in tatters as she stalked towards him.


    ¡°Oh shit.¡± Jason panted and raised his sword to attack, but before he even took a step forward Anise charged into him, slamming her shoulder into his chest and sending him crashing into a tree. The breath was knocked from him and he slid to the ground coughing and wheezing as Anise marched up to him.


    ¡°And you call yourself the son of Tybalt Lancaster.¡± Anise spat, her voice deep and savage. ¡°I¡¯ll take your head as a trophy before showing it off to your daddy!¡±


    Anise raised her large clawed hand and prepared to tear Jason¡¯s face apart, but she never got the chance as a burning pain erupted in her throat. Jason looked up and saw a large blade sticking out of her throat from behind. The blade belonged to the sword of his father, Tybalt.


    Tybalt looked no worse for wear as he pulled his sword free of Anise¡¯s throat and slashed her across her neck, the silver blade smoothly cutting through flesh and bone and beheading her in one stroke. Jason jumped a bit when the head fell beside his foot. The wolf head slowly lost its fur and reverted back to human form, a sure sign that the werewolf was dead.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°D-Dad.¡± Jason stammered.


    ¡°Never show hesitation when fighting a lycan, Jason. Never give them a chance to breath if you have them on the run.¡± Tybalt said. He looked over at Darien, who was being tended to by a very bruised and sore Emmet. ¡°Still, you did well against a werewolf of her power, though there are other lycans that are far more powerful than she. What you saw tonight was just a small taste of the strength they can achieve.¡±


    Jason nodded, though he felt a bit bitter that his father didn¡¯t at least inquire as to whether he was hurt or not. There was just no pleasing this man.


    ¡°We¡¯ve neutralized most of the werewolf terrorists, but as I recall, two women had escaped¡­and only one of them is dead.¡± Tybalt gave his son a hard look. ¡°Where is the other werewolf, Jason?¡±


    Jason froze. He had completely forgotten about the other girl! ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Tybalt¡¯s eyes narrowed, but he said no more on the subject. ¡°The girl has had a large head start on us. Jane and Rosaline are searching the area for her, but she is probably long gone by now.¡± He sighed and sheathed his sword. ¡°We¡¯re returning to the station. Gather your gear and regroup with the others.¡±


    Without another word Tybalt turned and walked away, answering a call on his radio as he passed a semi-conscious Darien and Emmet. Jason remained sitting against the tree, feeling worse than he did when this mission started. His first mission as a hunter and he didn¡¯t even manage to kill a werewolf!


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him get to ya, kid.¡± Emmet said, helping Darien to his feet. ¡°No one expects you to kill an A-class werewolf on your first mission.¡±


    ¡®My father does.¡¯ Jason thought bitterly. ¡®He expects his children to be powerful warriors just like him, and everyone else thinks that too. Unless I become a closet sociopath like Jane, I¡¯m not getting any approval from him.¡¯


    Jason sighed and got to his feet. The mission was over for him at least, but now he¡¯ll be stuck listening to Jane give snarky taunts about killing three werewolves in a single shot. Gods this night sucked so much.


    XXXXXX


    The next day, Heather and Sahira met up in front of the school, waiting for Daniel. Heather barely slept a wink because she was so worried at what Daniel might do when he was alone. She liked to think that he wasn¡¯t that distraught enough to do anything drastic, but she wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°You need to stop thinking the worst.¡± Sahira said. ¡°As soon as you get a negative thought in your head, you start falling to pieces.¡±


    ¡°But this is our friend, Sahira. Aren¡¯t you worried about him too?¡± heather said. ¡°He looked like a mess yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he did, but he just needed some time to process things.¡± Sahira replied. She reached over and placed a hand on her friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Have faith in him, Heather. He¡¯s not going to go off the deep end because of this. He¡¯s not that desperate.¡±


    ¡°I know, but¡­¡± Heather gave a helpless shrug. ¡°There are tons of stories all over the internet about people committing suicide after learning they had lycanthropy. Normal, everyday people like us who just suddenly went off the edge and just¡­ended it. The possibility of having their entire lives ruined by the social stigma was too much for them.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t believe that Danny¡¯s like that, and you shouldn¡¯t either.¡± Sahira pressed on. ¡°Am I right?¡±


    Heather breathed a sigh and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I guess you have a point. But I can¡¯t help but worry, you know?¡±


    ¡°Worry about what?¡±


    Heather squeaked and jumped in her seat before spinning around and glaring at Daniel, who stood behind her without a sound. ¡°Daniel!¡±


    ¡°Morning, guys.¡± He said, giving them a lazy wave.


    ¡°Danny, what¡¯s up?¡± Sahira asked. ¡°You okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m feeling better now. Had some time to myself, thought on a few things.¡± Daniel said, trying not to go into details about his near kidnapping. ¡°Um, sorry about blowing you guys off yesterday. I was getting hyper and panicking¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you were in a dark place before.¡± Sahira smiled and sent Heather a look. ¡°Worried Heather something fierce though. She couldn¡¯t sleep a wink last night.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not true!¡± Heather stammered.


    ¡°Sorry for worrying you, Heather. Hopefully I won¡¯t do it again.¡± Daniel promised.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re doing alright.¡± Heather said smiling.


    ¡°Yeah¡­alright.¡± He muttered, sending a glance over at Morgan, who was sitting by herself. He knew she was keeping an eye on him, probably to make sure he made good on his promise to keep her secret.


    When school started, Daniel went about his morning in a mechanical fashion, not really putting too much effort or emotion into what he was doing. To the people who knew him best, it was clear that his mind was on something else, though no one thought to ask him what worried him so.


    This pattern continued throughout the morning and into lunch, when Daniel sat at his table with Heather and Sahira. They too noticed his mood and wanted to know what was wrong.


    ¡°Seriously, Danny, we¡¯re getting worried about you.¡± Sahira said. ¡°Are you going to be like this all the way to the full moon? Sherman High really doesn¡¯t need an angsty teenage werewolf right now. Got enough of those in the movies.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m¡­well, yeah I¡¯m still a bit worried about the whole turning into a bloodthirsty monster at the full moon deal, but I think I¡¯ve found a solution to that little problem.¡±


    ¡°Does it have something to do with Morgan?¡± Heather asked, crossing her arms. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that you¡¯ve been glancing at her whenever you two are in the same room together.¡±


    ¡°How did you even notice that?¡± Daniel asked perplexed.


    ¡°I notice a lot of things when it comes to you. We grew up together, remember?¡± Daniel was really not liking the icy look she was giving him. ¡°So what¡¯s going on between you two?¡±


    ¡®Damn, girl, that wasn¡¯t what I meant by being aggressive.¡¯ Sahira thought with raised eyebrows.


    Daniel¡¯s mouth opened and closed several times before he thought of something to say. ¡°I¡¯m¡­it¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking, for one. Second, it¡¯s not something I can just tell you unless I¡¯m given the OK.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so important that you can¡¯t tell us?¡± Sahira asked, now really curious.


    ¡°Guys, seriously, it¡¯s not something I can talk about. Only that it might be a possible solution to my furry problem.¡± Daniel whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem if you don¡¯t let it be one, Daniel.¡± Heather muttered.


    Daniel sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off another headache again. ¡°Look, just trust me on this, will you? I can handle it, and if things get dicey I¡¯ll call for help. Is that cool?¡±


    ¡°¡­As long as you understand that.¡± Sahira said. ¡°But can you at least tell us where you¡¯re going?¡±


    ¡°Um, I¡¯m not too sure. I was just going to meet up with someone and wing it from there.¡± He said sheepishly. The girls gave him deadpan looks and he raised his hands in exasperation. ¡°Look, I¡¯m just going with the flow while looking over my shoulder, okay? I¡¯ll watch myself.¡±


    Heather still looked a bit worried but a nudge from Sahira made her sigh and relent. ¡°Okay, we won¡¯t get into your business. At least when things do turn south you¡¯ll be able to run faster than an Olympic athlete.¡±


    Daniel looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Wait, I can do what?¡±


    Sahira was nearly yanked out of her seat holding Heather back from strangling Daniel.


    XXXXXX


    The rest of the day went by in a flash, faster than Daniel expected or wanted. As soon as last period was over, he left the classroom to find Veronica, to see if she was doing alright considering she looked rather¡­tense the last time he saw her. Surprisingly she was nowhere to be found, and she wasn¡¯t even in the book club room, which was a bit troubling. Not wanting to waste any more time, Daniel just left the school and met up with Heather in the schoolyard.


    ¡°Heather, for the last time, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Daniel sighed, but his exasperation did not curb the young woman¡¯s worry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like I¡¯m being a bother, Daniel. I¡¯m pestering you because I¡¯m worried.¡± Heather said. She ran around him and stopped him from walking. ¡°Don¡¯t go all distant on us because of your condition. You were never one for the ¡°lone wolf¡± routine.¡±


    ¡°Haha, lone wolf.¡± Daniel grinned. ¡°I see what you did there.¡±


    Heather made to punch him, making Daniel jump back and apologize profusely. After a minute they parted ways at the front gates, where Daniel said his goodbyes to Heather.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Heather. It¡¯s a Friday, so we have Saturday all to ourselves.¡± Daniel said smiling. I¡¯ll make it up to you and Sahira, promise.¡±


    ¡°I know, Daniel, you don¡¯t have to promise anything.¡± Heather sighed. ¡°Just take of yourself, alright?¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± He nodded and walked away. Looking at his retreating back, Heather couldn¡¯t help but pray that Daniel didn¡¯t get himself into trouble trying to deal with his lycanthropy.


    Daniel walked down the block and turned the corner, going out of sight. He nearly jumped when he saw Morgan there, leaning against a sign post, playing on her phone.


    ¡°You done flirting with your girlfriend?¡± Morgan asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s not my girlfriend. Heather¡¯s just worried about me, that¡¯s all.¡± Daniel said.


    ¡°That¡¯s what they all say.¡± Morgan said and walked past him. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re losing daylight.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Daniel asked. ¡°We going to see your pack or something?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that so loudly, moron. And I¡¯m not telling you anything until our ride gets here.¡± Morgan hissed. ¡°And I don¡¯t have a pack. It¡¯s a bit hard to explain, but the clan I¡¯m a part of is a bit different from the norm.¡±


    When he saw that she wasn¡¯t going to say anything more, Daniel wisely didn¡¯t ask anything else and just followed after her. They walked down a couple of streets with no real destination in mind, though Daniel did notice they were entering the downtown area. Morgan didn¡¯t say a word and Daniel was starting to feel a bit anxious at what she had planned for them. When he worked up the courage to say something, she spoke first.


    ¡°Calm down, idiot. I can smell your nervousness a mile away.¡± Morgan said.


    ¡°Smell? What do you mean by that?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Lycans can smell chemical reactions in the body related to certain emotions. We can tell when someone is lying, when someone is scared or anxious, or when they¡¯re angry. It¡¯s not foolproof, but it gets the job done.¡± Morgan said. ¡°But it has its drawbacks when you¡¯re near someone who¡¯s losing his shit for no reason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going off alone to a secluded place with a werewolf. How can I not be a little nervous?¡± Daniel said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. Showing weakness like that will get you killed, or worse, in our world. It is a sign of submission, and that could make you someone¡¯s bitch.¡±


    ¡°How quaint.¡± He said dryly.


    A black car pulled up beside them and Daniel paid it no attention until the driver lowered the window and grinned at them.


    ¡°Hey, kids. Sorry I¡¯m late, but I had some errands to run.¡± The driver said. He was a large black man wearing a white button up shirt that looked a bit tight on his frame. ¡°You threatened to kill the newbie yet?¡±


    ¡°I was getting to that.¡± Morgan replied. The man chuckled and nodded to Daniel.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Leo, and I¡¯m your ride for today. You¡¯re Daniel, right? The mistress told me to keep an eye out for you.¡± He said.


    ¡°Mistress? What mistress?¡± Daniel asked, but Morgan just grabbed his arm and dragged him into the car. ¡°Hey, wait! This is kidnapping! I need an adult!¡±


    ¡°I am an adult.¡± Leo retorted and sped down the street, kicking up smoke in his wake.


    XXXXXX


    ¡°So how¡¯d it go?¡±


    Jason had been waiting for Damien to ask that question all day, but the boy had waited until he was well rested to ask. Damien was smart enough to know not to ask sensitive questions when he was just getting off a mission. You never know if you brought up bad feelings unintentionally by asking the wrong question.


    The two brothers had the privacy of the training grounds in the small forest on their land. No judging stares from Tybalt, no sneers from Jane, just two brothers hanging out by their lonesome. The elder Lancaster was shooting silver tipped arrows at a target several feet away to both practice with the longbow and vent his frustration with his father.


    ¡°It went well, though we ran into two strong werewolves that stalled us. Dad took out one by himself, as usual, and I got the other one. I fought hard, got the shit kicked out of me, and dad had to come save me. All the while one of the criminals got away during my fight.¡± Jason said bitterly. ¡°Of course Jane gets top billing for killing three werewolves in the opening attack. The psychotic bitch.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel too bad. It was your first mission.¡± Damien said, skimming through his text book. ¡°Besides, I think you did pretty well against her. A lycanthrope that can shifts parts of their bodies is pretty strong.¡±


    ¡°I guess. But try telling that to dad. We lost a potential witness.¡± Jason sighed.


    ¡°If you spend every waking moment of your life trying to please that man, you¡¯re only going to end up wasting your time. Just do your job, learn from your mistakes, and move on.¡±


    Jason lowered his bow and looked at his brother. ¡°For a boy who hates dad, you certainly emulate him well enough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± Damien grinned. Jason smiled and shook his head.


    ¡°I try not to let it get to me, Damien, but it¡¯s hard. I¡¯d have a better chance fighting a werebear with my bare hands.¡± He said.


    ¡°If you practiced more on your aether training, you might actually be able to do that.¡± His brother said.


    ¡°I¡¯m good on that front, Damien, stop trying to pressure me.¡± Jason groaned.


    ¡°It¡¯s the only way to get you to do anything.¡± Damien replied.


    Jason pulled the string back and inhaled before preparing to release the arrow. But as his grip on the bowstring loosened, a flaming bolt shot over his shoulder and burned a hole straight through the target. Jason spun around and pointed his bow at Jane, who stood off to the side with her smoking finger outstretched.


    ¡°Try it. Bet you that you¡¯d miss at point blank range.¡± Jane smirked.


    Jason frowned and lowered his bow. ¡°What do you want, Jane?¡±


    ¡°Just wanted to see how my favorite brother is doing. Dad¡¯s still looking for the werewolf that you let escape, but so far we¡¯ve got no leads.¡± Jane finally noticed Damien and her face deformed into an ugly sneer. ¡°Hello, Damien.¡±


    ¡°Sister, you¡¯re looking lovely today. Shame your attitude doesn¡¯t match your appearance.¡± Damien quipped.


    ¡°Go drown yourself, you little demon.¡± She growled.


    ¡°Very original, sis.¡± Damien drawled.


    ¡°Both of you stop it.¡± Jason snapped. ¡°Jane, if you¡¯re not here for anything, then please leave us alone.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I do have a reason. Dad wants to speak to us about our next move. He wants you back at the house right now.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful.¡± Jason groaned. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±


    ¡°Good. Oh, and try to act cordial with him, okay? You¡¯re not going to get anywhere by growling behind his back every second.¡±


    ¡°As opposed to kissing his ass like you, I¡¯ll take the path of most resistance.¡± He replied.


    Jane huffed and left the training grounds, leaving the boys alone. Damien watched her go with a smile and turned to Jason, who looked at him disapprovingly.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t antagonize her like that. You¡¯re only going to make it worse.¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Then tell her to back off and I¡¯ll gladly lighten up.¡± Damien said. ¡°I don¡¯t start fights, I finish them.¡±


    ¡°Spoken like a true Lancaster.¡± Jason laughed. Damien smiled and nudged him along.


    ¡°Go see dad before he sends a hunter after you. It must be important.¡±


    Jason nodded and they left the grounds, with Jason already dreading what his father might have planned for them.


    XXXXXX


    The car ride was quiet and a bit tense for Daniel. He was sitting really close to Morgan, and his nervousness was making his heart rate skyrocket. He wasn¡¯t usually this nervous around people, but the idea of going into a den of lycanthropes alone and knowing he¡¯d be the weakest dude there didn¡¯t help his growing anxiety.


    His flaring senses didn¡¯t help either. Halfway through the ride, his hearing started growing again, and he could hear everything from Morgan¡¯s heartbeat to the rumbling car engine and loud squeak of the leather seats. A passing motorcycle shooting past them made Daniel wince and almost cover his ears.


    Just when he was getting sick of it, a soothing feeling came over him. A wave of some invisible¡­power washed over him and soothed is aching head while also calming him down. Daniel was nearly thrown off balance by it and he instinctively looked at Leo, from whom the power wave came from.


    ¡°What was that?¡± He breathed.


    ¡°Me using my power to calm you down. Power fluctuations for a newly turned lycan are hell, I know from personal experience.¡± Leo said. ¡°That was a trick I learned as well, to keep someone calm during times of stress. It¡¯s especially useful for lycanthropes with a bit of a temper.¡±


    Daniel stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t know lycans could do that.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot you don¡¯t know about us that doesn¡¯t get shown on TV or on the internet.¡± Leo looked at Daniel through the rearview mirror. ¡°Things that we can teach you if you¡¯ll allow us¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get to it.¡± Daniel said.


    They drove out of town, down the main road and past a few houses that lived outside of the main part of town. Daniel remained silent the entire time, just enjoying the nice, peaceful ride, but just when he was about to ask how much longer it would take, Leo turned abruptly onto an unpaved road. It was unmarked, barely visible among the ferns. The road twisted like a serpent around the ancient trees, and you¡¯d miss it if you didn¡¯t know where to look.


    And then, after a few miles, they came upon a small lawn, and not far from that was a house that was slightly shadowed by the towering trees that surrounded it.


    The house looked old yet modern at the same time, and was very large. Something told Daniel that it was built by hand, and had a lot of time and money put into it. There was a parking lot just outside with two cars parked there, and he could hear the faint sound of a river nearby out of sight.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Morgan smirked. ¡°Not what you were expecting, huh?¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t.¡± Daniel breathed. ¡°Holy crap, this place could pass for a mansion.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t that lucky, but the mistress is wealthy enough for one.¡± Leo said. ¡°Let¡¯s get going. I¡¯m sure everyone else is waiting for us.¡±


    ¡®Everyone else?¡¯ Daniel thought curiously.


    Once Leo parked the car in the driveway, he, Morgan and Daniel entered the house and Daniel was greeted by an opulent main hallway, with a staircase leading to a second floor, and another hallway to his right with a couple of rooms. On his left he could see what looked like a dining room too.


    ¡°You two live here?¡± Daniel asked in a whisper.


    ¡°Yup. This is where the magic happens.¡± Morgan said. Turning to Leo, she asked, ¡°Where are Nathan and the twins?¡±


    ¡°Nathan¡¯s working a shift at the bookstore and lord knows where the twins are.¡± Leo said. ¡°I think Jacob is somewhere in the garage doing some work on the cars.¡±


    ¡°Good, the less people where, the less questions asked.¡± Morgan said.


    ¡°Stop acting like I¡¯m some burden. I didn¡¯t ask to get dragged into this.¡± Daniel frowned.


    ¡°None of us asked to be here, but you¡¯re not the only one.¡± She shot back. Leo put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.


    ¡°Tone it down, Morgan. He¡¯s not a punching bag.¡± He said softly.


    ¡°That could be called into question, Leo.¡± Someone said.


    Daniel jumped and looked down the hall to see a young woman in a black dress walking towards them, her footsteps quiet on the soft carpet. She smiled at Daniel and nodded to him in greeting.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Daniel Blake. I¡¯m Laura, Mistress Mina¡¯s assistant and bodyguard.¡± Laura said. ¡°Welcome to our home. I¡¯m sure that you have a lot of questions at the moment, so we¡¯ll get started right away.¡±


    ¡°No need to rush on my account.¡± Daniel said.


    Laura just smiled and led him down the hallway, with Morgan and Leo following behind. Laura knocked on the door before opening it and allowing Daniel inside. His attention was immediately drawn to the large bookcases on both sides of the room, and then to the large oak desk sitting in front of the window. Then Daniel finally looked at the person sitting behind the desk, the person he was supposed to meet.


    She was immediately recognizable to him. A teenage girl with long golden hair tied into two pigtails and wearing a maroon dress that ended at her knees with matching boots. The girl looked completely no different from when he last saw her, but there was one notable difference he had of her. There was an energy about her, a powerful force that came off her and filled the room, making him feel small. Was she a lycanthrope too?


    ¡°Hello, Daniel, it¡¯s good to see you again.¡± The girl smiled. ¡°My name is Mina Tepes, and I welcome you on behalf of the Crimson Moon clan.¡±


    XXXXXX


    When the introductions were done, Daniel was sitting in front of Mina¡¯s desk. Leo and Laura stood by their mistress¡¯s side, while Morgan hung back by the door, leaning against it. It all felt so surreal that Daniel felt like it was all a dream.


    ¡°Are you okay, Daniel?¡± Mina asked. ¡°You look a bit dazed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to process this.¡± Daniel said. ¡°So you¡¯re the clan leader?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. I don¡¯t look the part, I know, but rest assured, I¡¯m the one calling the shots around here.¡± Mina said.


    Daniel stared at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say. So many things are happening at once since I got out of the hospital and I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± He groaned. ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°You were a victim of circumstance, Daniel. You were targeted by a werewolf who has a hand in the kidnapping and turning of hundreds of people across central Osea. This was only cemented by that ruffian who attacked you last night. If Morgan hadn¡¯t saved you, you¡¯d be another name on the missing person¡¯s list.¡±


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± Daniel asked.


    ¡°To help you.¡± She answered. ¡°You are a newly turned werewolf with no teacher and there¡¯s a full moon in a few weeks. I can¡¯t have a rogue lycan go nuts on my turf, not to mention a victim in an ongoing crime spree.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± He muttered. ¡°So was that why you were in front of my house? To see how much of a danger was I?¡±


    ¡°Actually, it was to see if any bozo tries to ambush you and your aunt when you returned home from the hospital. This werewolf business is happening in my territory, and now that you¡¯re involved, I couldn¡¯t allow you to get dragged into it.¡± She said. ¡°Which is why I had Morgan bring you here. We¡¯re going to teach you how to control your abilities before your first shift. It¡¯s an experience no lycan truly forgets, and can easily overwhelm you if you¡¯re not prepared.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to teach me¡­¡± Daniel muttered, unable to believe it. ¡°So you¡¯re werewolf too?¡±


    ¡°No, Daniel, the mistress and I are werebats.¡± Laura said. ¡°This is what separates our clan from most others. Our clan consists of more than one lycanthropes species.¡±


    ¡°A wereleopard, two werecats, and a weredog.¡± Leo listed. ¡°Morgan and I are the only other werewolves here aside from you.¡±


    ¡°Quite the family you¡¯ve got here.¡± Daniel remarked.


    ¡°They¡¯re the best.¡± Mina smiled. It was a sweet smile that was completely genuine and Daniel didn¡¯t feel as nervous as he was before this started.


    ¡°Look, I get you¡¯re trying to keep an eye on me to make sure I wasn¡¯t attacked or I didn¡¯t attack anyone in turn, but this is a lot to take in.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯m still cautious enough about joining you guys after last night. For all I know, you guys could run things like the mafia.¡±


    ¡°Get real, Daniel. There is nowhere else to go for you.¡± Morgan spat, walking up to him. ¡°You think you can handle the full moon by yourself? You¡¯ll go insane from the pain and kill everyone in sight once you change. Unless you¡¯re willing to go to the government and hole yourself up in a containment facility for the rest of your life.¡±


    Daniel winced. He heard about containment facilities. They were government run buildings made to contain lycanthropes before their first shift during the full moon. These places were meant to provide a safe and stable environment for newly turned lycans to undergo their violent transformations far from innocent people, as well as help them train to control themselves, but in reality they were simply prisons. People who went in never came out, and no amount of training mental or physical seemed to be enough to grant them their freedom. There was a growing movement to have these facilities declared illegal for unlawful imprisonment and illegal practices, which was starting to gain ground across the country.


    Morgan was right, of course, but that didn¡¯t mean he had to take her clout. And he made sure she knew just that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me out to be some coward!¡± Daniel yelled at her. ¡°I¡¯m just being cautious because someone tried to kidnap me yesterday. Sorry I¡¯m not some badass werewolf warrior like you, but I have friends and family who might get dragged into this shit because of me. I¡¯m the only living family my aunt has left. Did you think that maybe I¡¯m tip-toeing around this issue because I don¡¯t want her to go to my funeral or something?¡±


    Morgan snarled, a growl coming from her throat, but a sharp glance from Mina made her back down. The werebat leader looked back to Daniel and nodded.


    ¡°You are right to be cautious, Daniel. I don¡¯t blame you one bit for being so. But keep in mind you have no other options that don¡¯t lead to you being imprisoned or hunted for being a danger to humans.¡± Mina said. ¡°We can teach you how to control your bestial nature and guide you through your first shift when the full moon comes. We can protect you from anymore kidnappings, and if you want, I¡¯ll even have some of my people watch your aunt and your friends to ensure that no one makes a move of them.¡±


    Daniel sighed and sat back down in his seat. ¡°Why are you trying so hard to get me into your clan? We just met each other.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the only person who¡¯s has their entire life upended by a lycanthrope attack. I have some friends who were made that way against their will and were frightened at harming their loved ones when they transform.¡± She told him. ¡°The fact is that you were turned in my territory, and that means you are my responsibility, for no one else is willing to step up and fix their mess. I can¡¯t have a rogue werewolf running around. It¡¯s bad for business.¡±


    ¡°And you totally have a choice. Whether you join us or not is up to you.¡± Leo said.


    ¡°So will accept our help and guidance, Daniel Blake?¡± Mina asked softly.


    Daniel stared into her red eyes, which were quite enchanting the longer he looked into them, and shifted in his seat. Taking a deep breath, he looked her in the eye and made his decision.


    ¡°Okay, if you can help me and keep my family safe on top of teaching me how to manage my condition, then I¡¯ll join your clan.¡± He said confidently, or what he hoped came off as confident. ¡°I¡¯m, uh, at your service.¡±


    Mina giggled and smiled sweetly at him. ¡°Welcome to the Crimson Moon clan, Daniel Blake. I¡¯m pretty sure once your training begins you¡¯re going to hate every one of us by the end of next week.¡±


    XXXXXX


    Sonya didn¡¯t stop running until she was safely within the main part of town. The hunters had long since lost her trail, but she didn¡¯t stop looking over her shoulder for the entire day afterwards. She was a mess, her clothes dirty and in disarray, her hair shaggy, her eyes wide and terrified. It was an effort trying to look calm enough that someone didn¡¯t call the cops on her out of concern.


    Once she was sure that she was free, Sonya went to their secondary meeting place in the network of alleyways behind the stores and restaurants that were hidden from sight by the other humans. It was a backup plan in case their meeting location was compromised. Anise made sure Sonya knew where to go before letting her do anything else. It never hurt to be prepared.


    Sonya turned down multiple alleys until she found herself behind an apartment complex, which was thankfully empty. She trudged over to a bench and slumped down onto it before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her cellphone.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    Sonya froze and almost jumped up, but a slender hand pushed her back down with little effort. She panicked for a moment before recognizing the voice as one belonging to one of the group¡¯s field commanders. ¡°C-Commander, is that you?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is.¡± The woman said, walking around Sonya to stand in front of her. ¡°I saw the news about the attack. What happened?¡±


    ¡°They just came out of nowhere. They killed Layla, Abigail and Lauren, William stayed behind and Anise and I escaped. Anise stayed behind as well to take care of the hunters that were chasing us.¡± Sonya whimpered. She kept her head down, the woman¡¯s presence strong enough to make her almost cower in submission.


    The woman exhaled through her nose and crossed her arms. ¡°I can¡¯t blame you. They were professionals being led by Tybalt Lancaster. At least we know who we¡¯re dealing with now.¡±


    She sighed and looked back down at Sonya. Rolling her eyes, she said, ¡°Stop whimpering, you little fool. You didn¡¯t fail. Things were just out of your control. I¡¯ve already had to deal with someone failing me earlier, so you¡¯re getting a free pass.¡±


    Sonya nodded, feeling a little better, but only marginally. She dared to look up at the woman, idly noting her long lavender colored hair and pretty brown eyes for a moment before asking, ¡°So what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Lay low and wait and see what happens. That¡¯s all I can do thanks to Johnny fucking everything up for me. And now I have that werebat¡¯s little posse watching things in town.¡± She said. ¡°You head over to our safehouse and wait for further orders. I will keep an eye on my little pup to see how he¡¯s developing.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. Thank you.¡± Sonya said gratefully before scurrying away.


    Veronica watched the woman go with a blank look before sighing and rubbing her eyes. Pushing new recruits into the field was risky, but they were spread thin across the region, and her fellow commanders were busy handling their own divisions. Thanks to Johnny, not only did she lose control of Daniel, but she also caught the attention of the Crimson Moon clan. The last thing she needed was going up against an alpha¡¯s clan.


    ¡°Oh well, the full moon is in a few weeks, so let¡¯s see how Daniel turns out.¡± Veronica said to herself. ¡°He might actually be a success in this long line of failures.¡±


    Things were starting to kick off, but Veronica knew she still had some time before the other factions got involved. All she could do now is sit and wait while the world slowly burned around her.