Book One: A Wolf Among Beasts

Prologue

Eli Howlett wakes with a jerk, face down in her bed, still dressed from the night before. This is nothing new. She yawns and stretches, listening to her spine and limbs crack. She flops back onto her back and looks at the ceiling of the small cabin. This is her home now. A small house in the Rocinha Favela in Rio. Normally she'd stick to heavily forested areas but she rather likes the Brazilians. The people here know there is something different about her, but they never call her on it, they just let her do her thing. She's been here 3 months now, doing the odd job around the Favela, the things they can't do themselves. Repairs. Supply runs. Heavy lifting. Even the odd fight here and there when it can't be avoided. Usually some of the gangs picking on the locals, of course it's more then picking on them but she doesn't care, as long as her message is heard loud and clear. Eli eventually pulls herself out of her bed and to her feet, despite the desire to stay. Her inner wolf loves sleeping in during the day and prowling at night, but she is part human too, mostly human actually. Though she shares a lot of attributes with the feral canines she for the most part keeps it all inside and private. It's not like she goes pissing around the house to make sure it's known to everyone that it is hers or anything. She strips down to her underwear and moves to her wardrobe. Unfortunately the was she lives, the moving from place to place, it means she has little practicality for lots of clothes, so she doesn't have a lot. And this is Brazil. She's not exactly going to be silly enough to wear a leather jacket, even if she happens to love the one she owns. She grabs a cleanish white-ish, more grey now, tank top from the floor and gives it a sniff before pulling it on. It's seen better days, but then so has she. She cut up Jean shorts are neck, shimmied up her legs as she steps into her boots, left loose around her ankles. Comfortable in the heat. She heads into the next segment of her little home, kitchen, living room, dining room, not that it looks like any of those things. It's mostly a fridge, a cooker and a table with a chair. She moves towards the food cupboard and taps her teeth together in annoyance when she finds them empty. She needs food and possible new clothes. She knows she doesn't have much left that aren't dirty or holey. She's been saving up for this shop, she supposes she can put some aside for a new shirt or underwear. She grabs her roll of cash from the tin hidden in the cupboard and slips it into her bra before leaving the house. The streets of the favela are always busy, and this morning is no different, Eli has to dodge a throng of children laughing and screaming as they run past her home, she smiles a little watching them go before she heads off towards the markets.

........

Eli finds the off licence that she usually stocks from but unfortunately they have a new cashier girl which means she has to go through her usual order again. The last guy just knew what she wanted.

"Tres?" Eli asks testing her Portuguese holding up three fingers, the woman behind the counter nods and sets three bottles of Brazilian beer into a shopping bag. "Cachaça, um" Eli points to a bottle of the Cachaça on the shelf. "Oooo....Quatro of the Black Jack whiskey" the woman casts her a look. "I'm paying" Eli points out. "Please....Por favor" the sales woman gathers the four bottles and sets them in the bag with the rest. Another reason she liked the other guy, he never questioned how much she bought. Eli sniffs at the air and then turns her head. A slight shift in the air. Something different. She pulls the right amount of money and sets it on the counter before grabbing her shopping and heading out the door. Her eyes scan over every single person trying to find the one that is standing out. And when she sees him, he is so clearly out of place. Tall but not overly, brown mousy slightly curly hair, greying but seemingly more with stress then age. His scent is powerful, but earthy and warm, slight chemical undertone but...effective. He's trying to hide from the world but he doesn't look like he fits in the neighbourhood no matter how hard he tries to. He has her inner wolf shifting inside of her. Her eyes shift to yellow and then return to normal before she is moving through the crowd of people to follow him. Something about him is....bothering her about him. He doesn't smell completely human. But he doesn't smell mutant either. And she doesn't like not knowing things that feel that powerful.

............

Eli watches, stalks even, this man as he moves around the market buying supplies, the bare minimum, no smiles, just politeness when he has to. He's so withdrawn and quiet. Why is her wolf interested? She asks herself, this is not the usual man she's attracted too. The wolf likes confidence and strength, and this man is the opposite of that. There is no logical reasoning for her wolf to want her to follow him.

"What are you doing?" she asks herself, scolding herself, she's actually resorting to stalking now. She shakes her head and walks away, still mentally berating herself. So much so she doesn't see him turn to watch her walk away. His eyes changing to green and on her.

...............

She unpacks her shopping, setting the food in the cupboard, less then she should have gotten, instead opting to buy more to drink on her way back from stalking the new guy. She sets the many bottles on the counter and takes a deep breath. She can still smell him. Feel his scent on her.

"I need to shower" she complains. Of course she doesn't actually have a shower, she'll have to go down to the beach or something. Too far. She really should install a shower, it'll just be easier. She looks to the space she has and then groans. Yeah, like she has the space for that.