Phoenix Drop University- Freshman Year

12: Intruder

Waves of long, green grass sway gently in to wind, the breeze moves through the trees and flutter the leaves as they drop, ever so carefully to the ground.

The sun rays beam onto an old smooth stone, perched atop of it, a fur covered black figure, dozing peacefully, his yellow eyes shut tightly.

Suddenly the werewolf moves, and sniffs the warm air, he stretches and lumbers off into the woods, climbing the hill effortlessly.

A rustle in the brush excites him, he gets close to the ground, his teeth bared and ears close to his head, a roar in his belly.

Suddenly the stench of ink and oil roll through the lush forest, sending a chill down the black werewolves spine, he growls louder, standing on two legs, he looks around, a black mist corrupting the air.

The wildlife is eerily silent, the smell getting worse and worse, until it surrounds the werewolf, he couldn't pinpoint the smell it is everywhere at once.

The forest seems to get darker and darker, blackness engulfing the foliage around him, suffocating all sound, endless howling echoes around him, his vision swirling.

He snaps at everything, trying desperately to get the inky wave to release him, but he sinks further into it, oil and ink filling his lungs as he tries to call out to somebody, anybody! He howls and snaps, barely staying afloat, until something grabs his hind leg and pulls him under the inky black surface...

Aaron awakes with a start, his teeth sharpened, eyes yellow and ears and tail showing, he had kicked all of his covers off the bed, his heart pumping with fear, and adrenaline.

He glances around quickly, taking in gulping breaths, the dream felt so real, he could feel the ink filling his lungs and drowning him.

He sees Aphmau sleeping soundly in her bed, unperturbed by the nightmare that just plagued him, he calms himself, reminding himself that it was just a nightmare.

But then he smells it, the horrible stench of oil and ink, he starts to panic, he growls, he pinpoints the smell...

It's at the window.

He whirls around and gazes into the window, yellow eyes staring back at him, he yells and jumps backwards waking the room, the figure at the window seems to disappear, nowhere to be seen.

Aaron lay paralyzed on the floor with Aphmau rushing to his side, Aaron grips her arm gently pulls himself up.

"It was there, the werewolf. It was at the window." He heaves, Aphmau holding him up, she is shaken to, but is a little skeptical.

"Are you sure you just didn't see your reflection?" Aaron glares at her with such intensity that every doubt she had in her mind went away, and took her breath with it.

"Yes. I could smell it, ink and oil, just like last time." Aphmau holds onto him, now scared for their safety. And Aaron holds her close, not attempting to hide his wolf-ish features.

"We need to tell the headmaster. Or Professor Wyatt." Aphmau starts to tug on Aaron's arm, as he had been sleeping shirtless.

"Wait, listen..." A slow ticking noise came from the roof, like claws on a stone floor. And a howl rips  through the air, so loud and so high that it makes Aaron hit the floor in pain.

"Agh!" Even Aphmau held her ears, she's not as sensitive to high frequencies, but it still jarred her bad enough to make her eyes water.

The howl ends and Aaron lay holding his ears and rolling in pain, he look up at the window, his yellow eyes now tinted crimson with anger.

He sprints out onto the roof, not caring it is raining and not caring if what he's doing is dangerous, he is not going to let anyone hurt Aphmau, or anyone else.

On the roof he fully transforms, his size ripping his clothes and ruining his sneakers, but ready and willing to throw something off the roof.

He searches the entire area six times, sniffing and prodding the air, but whatever it was seems to have gone now, washed away in the rain.

He jumps back inside, lumbering into the bathroom on all fours, his fur getting everything wet and damp, he pulls off what's left of his clothes and shakes vigorously to get himself dry.

Aphmau knocks, and he uses his hind leg to open the door for her, she has a towel and starts drying him off, having an unamused and almost mundane look in her face.

She ruffles his fur, and once he is semi-dry, she sighs and looks into his yellow eyes, he whines and prods her with his snout, his ears laid back in an apologetic whimper.

"We still should tell the headmaster, he should know someone is getting into our room and onto the roof." Aaron nods with his shaggy head, but he leans on her, gently pushing her over.

"Awwww...  You're so cute!" Aphmau massages his fluffy cheeks and he wags his tail, making a low growling noise that sounds a little like a purr.

"Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?!" Hearing this Aaron tackles her, wagging his tail and wrestling on the ground, he lets her win, as he is a little scared of accidentally hurting her.

She lays on his enormous chest when the door creaks open, Professor Wyatt glances at them and they part immediately, staring at him.

He's in his night robes, a big floppy cap perched precariously atop his greying head, he must have been sent to check up on them.

He chuckles and the lights flicker on, he stares at Aaron with interest and pats his head.

"Hmm... Not many of our kind can still become a true werewolf." He presses gently on Aaron's nose gently, and his eyes return to a dark steel.

He stands on two legs, his head scraping the ceiling, and stares at his professor, it is the first time he's been able to fully control his werewolf form.

"Thank you." It doesn't pain him to speak anymore either, and he smiles as widely as he can.

"You are very welcome." He turns to leave, but takes a glance at Aphmau, who is pale and still a little shaken up from what happened.

"You look pale, is everything alright?" Professor Wyatt asks his wrinkled brow folding into a concerned expensive.

"There's been someone sneaking into our room when we are asleep, or not her." She explains, and suddenly Professor Wyatt's face, which had been previously pink, went white.

"Does this someone happen to smell like ink and burning oil?" He asks slowly, his expression turning grave when Aaron nods, still experimenting with his newfound control over his body.

"I see, have either of you two been in the passageway that leads to the main hall?" Both Aphmau and Aaron nod slowly, and Professor Wyatts tail seems to furl in pain.

"Then you saw it? Yes, the creature of ink?" Again they nod, Aaron sitting down so he could be eye level with his professor.

"Come to the headmasters office in the morning, we have much to talk about." He turns and closes the door behind him. His face white and yellow eyes wild in fear.