• A Meeting with a Teenage Werewolf

    Clouds were hovering slowly in the dark night sky, casting rounded shadows upon the buildings below. The light from the crescent moon filtered between the clouds as they passed, illuminating the small town that slept beneath the gentle, silver rays.
    It was the perfect night for a walk. Katrina Silver always took her time at night to stroll through the park located on the outskirts of the rural town. It was her time to think and reflect, once her homework and chores were all done. Sometimes she came with a friend, but she would rather travel on her own and listen to the sounds of the nocturnal animals waking to the pale moonlight upon their eyelids.
    The sixteen year old girl found her favorite place in the park, a bench overlooking a thin stream, and sat upon it. She grouped the strands of her ebony hair in her hand and pulled it away from her neck in order to lie upon the bench. Her eyes gazed up at the sky, which was beginning to clear, revealing millions of bright stars.
    As she closed her eyes, Katrina listened to the sound of noisy crickets singing in the brush. She could locate one of them right beneath her head. She chuckled softly, and the sound stopped for a brief moment before starting up again.
    It was times like this she enjoyed. It was great to escape from the stress of the day, and today was unusually stressful. Things were going terrible at home. Her mom and dad were beginning to argue again, and it looked like they were nearly at the breaking point. She hoped and prayed that they wouldn’t split up…not when she loved them both. It just wasn’t fair…
    Realizing she was starting to tense up, Katrina closed her eyes and took in a deep breath of fresh air, letting it out in a delighted, peaceful sigh. She came here to enjoy herself, not worry about things back home. The night was hers, and the calming effects of the wild were starting to take effect, settling her nerves and allowing her to relax.
    As the moon rose higher into the air, the start of midnight, Katrina gave a start as a low, strong song echoed through the seemingly empty park. She recognized the call of a wolf, and out of alertness, she sat up on the bench. It was close…too close. She had never heard a wolf call so loud and clear before. The animal was in the park with her.
    What shocked her was that she was used to hearing more than one howl at a time. Was this a lone wolf, searching for a pack to join with? She knew wolves wouldn’t come in direct contact with humans for fear…but her emerald eyes darted back and forth, scanning the woods around her for any signs of movement.
    Her breath caught. Appearing through the woods across the stream, two glowing dots above a long snout peered out from between two bushes. As though it were a ghost, the wolf stalked slowly forward, its fur seeming to slip around the leaves without brushing against them.
    Katrina watched, transfixed, as the beautiful creature crawled forward and arched its neck backwards. Its mouth formed a perfect “o” and the sudden sound of its wild cry caused the girl’s heart to beat rapidly. The howl vibrated through her ribs, sending mixed feelings of panic and awe through her mind.
    She was so caught up with the fading echoes of the song, that she was oblivious of the wolf prowling closer, its paws pressing against the current of the stream. The water came up to its elbows, but it would not break from its path. Its gleaming eyes were set upon the girl, and the beast’s lips were lifting to reveal its shining fangs.
    As the howl finally faded, and Katrina got her bearings, she was suddenly aware of the closeness of the wolf. It was looking up at her with hungry eyes. Gasping in fear, she stood up to bolt. However, the canine was already prepared and with a great pounce, it struck its paws against her shoulders and shoved her roughly back against the bench. A feral growl escaped from its lips, and Katrina gazed up in fear into the eyes of the beast.
    The wolf almost seemed to grin as it opened its mouth slowly to reveal inch-long fangs. The girl’s breath caught and fear flooded through her as the creature lowered its mouth and turned its head to cradle her throat in its mouth. A weak cry escaped from Katrina’s lips as she felt the wolf’s four fangs press against the back of her neck. One violent motion from the wolf and it would be over. However, it seemed to be toying with her as it increased pressure, almost taking enjoyment out of her helpless position.
    “Please…please let me go.” She pleaded, as if the wolf could understand her. She wasn’t sure if she imagined it or not, but the beast seemed to chuckle as it gave a gentle whip of its head. Katrina felt panic well up within her as the bones in her neck cracked, nearly snapping from the force. She wished the wolf would just get it over with and bite through her skin.
    “You’re not struggling…your pretty smart for a human…”
    The girl’s heart skipped a beat. Was she going insane from fear? Or did the wolf actually speak?
    “Well, you’re not responding. Maybe I should cut this conversation short? Pity…I’m not very hungry right now.”
    The wolf’s voice was muffled by its death grip on the girl, but it came out distinctly like a young male human’s. A growl toned the voice, giving it a more menacing quality.
    “I…I don’t understand…how are you speaking?”
    The wolf snickered, “Ahh, I see there are still those who are oblivious to our existence. Well, it doesn’t matter. It shows that we hide quite well.” He loosened its grip briefly to speak, but when his comment was finished, he returned his normal grip, the tips of his smaller teeth poking against her soft skin.
    It took a few moments for the words to sink in. She hated to admit it…she would’ve thought she was crazy if she said it out loud. But she realized in fear that she was in the clutches of a werewolf…
    “I…I don’t mean you any harm.” The girl stuttered as she felt the wolf dig its teeth deeper into her neck, “Please…just let me go home and I won’t give you any problems.”
    “Ahh, but you are unaware of the first rule of Lycanthropy. Once a human sees a werewolf, they must be disposed of.” The wolf dragged its fangs over the location of the girl’s jugular veins. It began to apply pressure, ready for one well-placed chomp to end it.
    “Then why have you attacked me?!” Katrina was growing bold with fear. If she was going to die, she was going to die with answers, “You could’ve just left me alone and this whole ordeal would have been avoided!”
    The wolf growled and dug its claws into Katrina’s shoulders, “You have some nerve…You really wish to know? I’ve seen you here before, and every night I watched, waiting for the right moment, where you would be at your most relaxed. I wanted to meet the girl who is so fascinated with nature, that she would venture out on her own in the late hours of the night.”
    “You…wanted to meet me?” Katrina closed her eyes, taking in a shaky breath as the grip began to loosen
    “Yes…In fact, I was quite interested…” The wolf lifted his jaws away and lowered his snout to lick at the spot where his teeth only managed to place small indents on her skin. The girl shivered, but began to relax at the gesture, “I’m sorry for the rude meeting, but interaction between humans and werewolves are forbidden to my kind.”
    Katrina suddenly felt confused as the wolf lowered its paws back to the ground and sat before her, gazing at her with a kind look.
    “So…was all of that…an act?” She asked, shaking slightly from the experience as she rested her hand on the side of her neck.
    The werewolf grinned at her mischievously, “Not entirely. I was going to see if you had enough courage to speak back to me instead of running away like a frightened child.”
    “And…if I did?” Katrina asked, gulping softly.
    The wolf shrugged, “You don’t want to know.”
    The girl looked away, and the werewolf did something a normal human teenager would do, he coughed softly against the awkward silence, “Umm…I’m sorry. I never properly introduced myself. My name is Damien.”
    The girl turned her eyes back towards his own and was caught within their golden gaze, “I…I’m Katrina.”
    “Ah, my appearance must be confusing you. One moment…” Damien twisted around as lithe as a fox and vanished quite suddenly into the brush. Katrina’s brow lifted in a confused gaze, but within moments, the sounds of rustling bushes were heard and a young man, looking about her age, stepped out into the light of the moon. His silver hair curled in long, messy strands to frame a sharp-featured, handsome face.
    As his golden eyes met her own once again, Katrina felt her jaw drop, “D…Damien? That’s you?”
    The boy nodded, “Yes…I ate some wolfsbane to show you what my true human form is. The effects are temporary…but I will become this whenever the sun rises.” He motioned towards the horizon.
    Katrina looked where he pointed, and another question intrigued her, “Don’t legends say that werewolves transform when the moon is full? It’s only half way tonight.”
    A kind, growl-like laugh burst forth from the boy’s mouth, “Nah, it happens every night. People believe what they want to believe. Apparently they think it’s more mystical when the full moon is involved. We transform once the sun completely sets, and turn back when it rises.”
    “I see…” Katrina held a hand up to her forehead. This was a lot to take in one night. So much for relaxing after a stressful day…
    Damien smiled and took a seat next to her. He then rested a hand on the other side of her face and turned her eyes towards him, giving her a kind, comforting smile. Katrina gazed back, her heart beating wildly once again. Though it wasn’t from fear, it felt like something else entirely.
    “You’re really beautiful…you know that?” The boy asked, gently caressing her cheek.
    Katrina blushed and found herself relaxing at his touch. She had never felt this way about a guy before. Yeah, she dated every so often, but it felt nothing like what she was feeling now.
    Damien pulled her close and watched as her eyes began to close. He pressed his lips gently against her own and Katrina leaned forward into the kiss. The sweet moment lasted only a moment, but Katrina pulled away slowly, feeling as if it had lasted much longer. She wished it never ended.
    “Wow…being a werewolf…I had never kissed before.” A hint of red appeared on the boy’s face. It was quite cute after his sudden change in character. Katrina chuckled and gently stroked the side of his face with the back of her hand, “Did you enjoy it?”
    Damien nodded and gave her a sincere smile, “Yes…I enjoyed it very much.”
    Smiling back, the girl pulled him closer and once again locked her lips with his own. The gesture shocked him slightly, but he closed his eyes and rested one hand against her back and allowed the other to stroke her silky, black hair. Lost in their tender kiss, the two were completely oblivious to the dark figures closing in around them.
    “Damien…you knew the rules, and deliberately broke them…”
    The low, gruff voice spoke clearly through the park, causing the two lovers to jump with a start. Katrina gasped and leapt to her feet as they were surrounded by a pack of wolves. Seven of them stood silently, larger than any normal wolf she had ever seen. Their fur appeared lined with muscles that bulged at every motion. Damien had a horrified look on his face, and he stood protectively before the girl, looking at the alpha male, who gazed at them with angry, red eyes.
    “Now…you and your friend will suffer the consequences.”
    The boy shook visibly. Something was horribly wrong. These werewolves weren’t like him in his wolf form…they were large, muscular, and built to fight. Katrina gasped. They wouldn’t stand a chance against them.
    “Your father wishes to speak with you. You may get away with your life…” The black wolf, the leader of the group, cast his eyes towards the girl, a hungry look in his eyes and on his smirk, “But your friend…she may not be so lucky.”
    Damien growled, his eyes narrowing, “You won’t lay a paw on her!”
    “Ah, you don’t have to worry about that. Your father wishes to rip her throat out himself.”
    Anger seemed to overcome the silver-haired boy and his appearance suddenly began to change drastically. Silver fur sprouted all over his arms and face. His spine lengthened and he fell to all fours, stretching his neck forward as his face grew and stretched into a snout. Unleashing a loud howl, Damien glared angrily at the black-furred wolf and growled.
    “You touch her, and you’re dead, Shade!” The silver wolf snarled and leapt into the large wolf. Shade snapped at Damien’s throat, but the wolf pulled away and swiped at the enemy’s face with a paw, the powerful blow dazing the larger beast for a moment.
    Katrina watched in fear as the other wolves began to close in. She had nothing to fight back…she could only watch as they advanced. The second in command, a golden colored wolf started to come forward. She didn’t show her teeth. However, her eyes caught the girls and Katrina stood entranced, her gaze sliding in and out of focus as the werewolf’s eyes seemed to draw away her strength and concentration.
    Shade barked loudly as he threw Damien off of him with a kick of his powerful hind legs and rolled back onto all fours. He then spun around and rushed towards the wolf, tackling into him with the force of a large bull. The silver wolf yiped in pain as he was flung into the trunk of a nearby tree. His legs shook as he tried pushing himself back up to all fours, panting softly. The five remaining wolves surrounded him.
    It seemed like the entire forest went silent. The battle-ready pack kept a watchful eye on the weaker wolf as Shade made his way towards the human girl, a malicious smile on his face.
    The golden wolf broke her eye contact, and the girl suddenly regained awareness to what was going on around her. She looked at the black furred wolf as it chuckled darkly and suddenly crouched. Katrina barely had time to blink as the beast lunged and tackled into her, pinning her against the ground. As her head struck the earth, she felt her vision swirl and was barely aware of the familiar feeling of jaws clamping around her neck. Stars seemed to circle before her eyes as she felt herself being dragged swiftly through the woods. She could feel warm blood streaming down her throat. Now she knew Damien was playing before…this wolf’s grip was tighter. He didn’t seem to care if she died in his grip or not.
    Damien groaned and blinked as the wolves around him suddenly ran off. He saw Katrina’s frail form being dragged deep into the woods and a gasp tore from his fang-filled maw. As fast as his legs could carry him, he rushed towards the trees, panting as he tried keeping up with the fleeting forms of the wolves.
    Branches tore at Damien’s fur as he ran, but his legs kept moving. His paws stung with sharp rocks that poked at them as he rushed forward. He breathed heavily as the forest began to clear out again. He was almost there…and he would have to face his father and save his friend. He should’ve never gotten her involved. He was just so curious...and he felt something different around her that he had never felt before. Had he fallen in love? He wasn’t sure…All he knew was that he had to rescue her, and fast.

    Katrina groaned as she came to a stop. The wolf’s jaws pulled away, and she shuddered as she felt his teeth withdraw from the skin on her neck. Pressing her palms against the ground, she lifted herself up, her arms shaking as she forced her head up to look into the eyes of Damien’s father.
    The wolf’s fur was a beautiful red shade. Black stripe-like markings ran down his sides and along his face, giving him a regal look. His eyes were emerald in color, and seemed to gaze into the girl’s soul as she shook from fear. He didn’t look happy, and his teeth gleamed brightly in the moonlight as he looked down at her.
    “So this is the girl my son has taken a liking to? I guess she’s not bad looking as humans go. However, rules are rules.” The wolf spoke with a royal air, and as he stood on all fours, he seemed to tower even Shade.
    “Leon, we have seen them together ourselves. Damien dared to kiss the girl. He has no respect for you or our pack.”
    “He did what?!” Leon snapped his jaws near the girl’s face and she cried out in shock, scrambling to her feet in order to stand above them. However, the red wolf looked up at her, his eyes keeping her paralyzed, “You will die tonight…” The wolf gave a jerk of his head and Shade smirked before shoving into the girl, forcing her to a sitting position. Katrina clenched her teeth. She wanted to fight back, she wanted to defend herself, but she had no weapons, and werewolves of all shapes and sizes were watching her, each armed with razor sharp fangs and claws.
    “Father! Please don’t harm her!”
    Damien crashed through the brush, appearing more wild and feral than any of the wolves in the general area. His fur stuck up in unruly strands like his hair in human form, and his eyes were glowing with a hidden fire. He took his place before the girl, hackles raised as he glared venomously at Leon, “You have to get through me in order to get to her. I love her, and as long as I’m breathing, I won’t let any harm befall her!”
    Leon growled angrily at his son, “You wish to die in order to save this human?” He said the word with such hatred that it sent chills down Katrina’s spine, “You know the law! Any human who sees a werewolf must be killed!”
    “Well I don’t follow your laws, Father! I’m through with listening to you!” Without warning, the silver wolf leapt at the larger, more experienced enemy and bit at his shoulder, his fangs piercing through his father’s flesh.
    Leon gave a roar of pain and grabbed his sons throat before throwing him roughly against a nearby tree. Damien coughed before pushing himself back on all fours, blood dripping down his fangs as he glowered at his father, “I will not stand by and let you hurt Katrina! She’s innocent!”
    Howling loudly, the silver wolf rushed forward and circled around to the back of Leon. He then lunged for the larger wolfs leg, but the red furred beast was prepared and he easily sidestepped the attack and leapt onto his sons back, chomping down hard on his spine.
    Katrina felt her heart jolt as her hero let out a pained yelp before he tried shaking off his father. However, the larger wolf retained his grip and his weight began to force the silver wolf down to the ground. Leon continued to chomp down on his son’s back. Each howl of pain tore through the girl’s heart. She couldn’t stand it anymore…
    Standing up, the young girl turned her head and saw a fallen branch nearby from when Damien hit the tree. She was ignored by the other wolves as she ran towards it and took it into her hands. All the attention was focused on Damien’s losing battle. With a battle-cry, Katrina rushed towards the larger wolf and with all the force she could muster, whacked the side of his head with the branch. A sickening “crack” resounded through the clearing and the leader of the wolves released his grip as he was flung off of his son’s back.
    Damien coughed at each breath as he struggled to get back to his feet.
    “Oh no…please be okay…” the girl whispered, frightened, as she wrapped her arms around the wolf’s chest, helping him to his feet. Damien whispered his thanks before he looked back at his father, his vision blurring.
    Leon still seemed to be in a state of shock. No human had ever dared strike at him before. And yet this girl, not yet an adult, had selflessly put herself in danger to save a werewolf…his son.
    This confused him. He always thought humans as selfish and cruel, caring only for themselves. It was why werewolves tried to remain only legend, hiding from the eyes of those who would give away their existence. It was why they killed any person who discovered them, fearing that they would be revealed, and be sought after.
    As he looked upon his wounded son, and the girl who held him in his arms, he realized that he must’ve been wrong. Not all humans were bad…and his son truly loved this girl. There would’ve been no other explanation for him to fight him, knowing full well he wouldn’t stand a chance against his own father in a fight.
    Leon made his decision. He crawled towards the two lovers, watching as Katrina looked at him with angry, yet terrified eyes. She appeared as if she would fight him to the death in order to keep his son safe. But she had no reason to fear. The red wolf lowered his head and gently licked at his sons wounds to clean them.
    Katrina watched in amazement as the father gave his son the affectionate gesture. She felt her heart skip a beat as he looked up at her with those deep, green eyes, and lifted his snout in order to lick the side of her neck where Shade’s teeth had cut through her skin. Then, realization set in. They were no longer in danger, Leon was accepting them, and her heart soared as the wolves all gave relieved sighs. Apparently they were all thinking the same things.
    “Father…you…you forgive us?” Damien asked weakly, turning his silver muzzle towards his dad.
    Leon gave a fatherly smile and nodded, “Yes…you are forgiven.”
    Damien smiled and licked the side of the red wolf’s face, “Thank you…so much.”
    After given a few minutes to regain their composure, Katrina looked at the sky, and noticed it was brightening, “Oh no…it’s almost morning.” She gave a long yawn. She had been up all night, “I need to get back home…”
    Damien smiled kindly, “I’ll be glad to escort you back. We all need to get to our rightful places as well.”
    He looked at Leon, who gave a small nod, and started to push the girl in the direction of the park, “Come on, we don’t have all morning.”
    Katrina chuckled softly, more out of relief than anything, and waved goodbye to the wolves. As if on cue, all of them lifted their heads to the sky and unleashed a chorus of sweet, melodious howls that echoed through the land. The sound continued all the way to the edge of the park, where the town began.
    An awkward silence fell between the two as they stood before the gates. Katrina looked down at the wolf before kneeling down, stroking the side of his face with her smooth palm, “I’ll miss you, you know? When will I see you again?”
    Damien smiled and gently licked at her chin, “We will meet again soon I suspect. Just wait patiently, you will see.”
    Catching the wolf off guard, Katrina wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug, “Please, please don’t let it be too long. I really enjoyed the time we had together. It was quite an adventure.” She smiled and wiped a tear away from her eye. The wolf nuzzled her gently, his nose pressing against one of the tears.
    “I promise we will meet again.” The wolf rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered softly, “I love you Katrina…”
    The young girl smiled, blushing slightly, and rested a hand on the back of his neck, “I love you too…I’ll see you again soon.”
    The wolf smiled and pulled away, “You can count on it…” With a quick turn and a leap, the wolf took off towards the woods, his sleek, silver form gleaming in the rising sun.
    Chuckling softly to herself, Katrina pressed her hands into her pockets, thinking about the many events that happened in that night, and headed back towards her home, hoping things have settled down since the night before.

    Like she hoped, her parents began to get along once again and things became normal in the day. As she kissed her mother and father and left to go to school, she had a feeling things were going to look up for her.
    Her feelings were confirmed as she entered her first classroom. Standing at the teacher’s desk with a note was the silver haired boy she fell in love with. Her heart skipped a beat and a smile came to her face as the teacher signed the note and smiled.
    “Welcome to your new school, Damien. We hope you’ll enjoy your stay.”