Forsaken, A Werewolf Story (Rewrite)

Chapter 16

Okay, Maybe google-ing werewolf wasn't the best idea. My search had mostly led me to contradictory mythology articles, some cliché YA books, and most questionable of all; weird male-preg werewolf gay kink.

Movies made it so easy, you just looked up something and bam you got all the answers, instead, I wasted a night wading through bullshit.

I left the computer and just grabbed my sketching pad, I drew the only thing I knew; that wolf that had bitten me, the one who'd seemed so friendly, with the red mane.

Who was it? Werewolf mythology 101 said bites would turn someone into a wolf too.

My guts told me it was Miriam... Who else would want to turn me? It hadn't been a chance encounter, I'd seen the wolf twice, but how many times had it followed me without me noticing it?

But if Miriam was a werewolf, she'd decided to turn me without my consent... And when I'd given her the chance to come clean she'd lied...

In the end, I only had more questions than before, and the suspicion I might have just been going nuts...

***

As the next week passed, my head started feeling foggier and foggier. I'd get lost in the fog and spend a long time drifting in and out. The dreams were getting stronger and more frequent.

I even fell asleep in class one morning, which the teacher wasn't all too happy about, sending me to see the principal just as the class ended. The principal however was understanding, being aware of my disability, and let me off without any punishment.

Rather than go to my afternoon classes, I slipped out of school, somehow finding my way home despite the confusion having taken over my mind.

I think I made it to the couch before passing out, or someone put me there because that's where I next woke up, along with a blanket on my lap. When I awoke, it took me a long time to remember where I was and what was happening.

I heard steps on the stairs near me.

"Dad?" I called out.

"Hey, Juno," Nico said.

"Nico, aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Juno, it's well past dinner time."

"But..." He was right, it was dark out.

"We tried to wake you but you just moaned and went back to sleep."

I tried to breathe but couldn't, my lungs were burnt. I stumbled to my feet.

"Juno, you're burning hot with a fever you need to rest," Nico said, grabbing my arm and stabilizing me.

"I need air," I said.

He supported me and got me outback. We didn't have a yard proper, just a small area of turf before our backyard gave in to the forest beyond. Nico set me down on one of the lawn chairs. As we made it outside, the only thing I could notice was the moon. It was full again.

Something in me itched, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Let me get you some water," Nico said, leaving me alone.

I got up again, feeling the fresh air of the October night on my skin. It had rained somewhere in the day. I got up, I was already feeling better now that I was on my feet. I didn't think and started walking toward the wood, I just felt like I had to, it was like a siren's lure that couldn't be resisted.

I don't know when I passed out, but I somehow found myself back in the dream. This time however it felt so much more vivid, I wasn't just experiencing the wolf, I was the wolf.

I was standing in the middle of the wood, my paws on the wet ground, and left with the overwhelming urge to run. So I did

A thousand new smells light up my nostrils; the earthy smell of fresh rain, the sweet and pungent aroma of ozone, the sweet, sour, and bitter smells of the various trees. Every one of my senses screamed with brand new information; the soft wet earth beneath my paws, the feeling of wind in my fur, the odd raindrop coursing down my body. There was the coppery tang in my mouth brought by the adrenaline that fuelled me as I ran.

I ran, as long as I could, until my breath became ragged and heavy. Stopping in a small clearing. Above me, the full moon shines with all its glory, soft golden light basking the surrounding. And then I wasn't alone, a new wolf had joined me.

The other wolf approached, the red maned wolf from before, ears forward and grinning, tail up and wagging. I could feel it wasn't a threat. Instinct took over, I smelled her — my guts told me it was a girl — and she did the same. There was something that felt so familiar about her, but I couldn't quite pin it.

She then bowed before me, head and front of her body laying flat on the ground and butt playfully wiggling. As she rose up, she gently licked my muzzle and I let her. I wanted to return the favor, but she didn't let me, running away.

When she reached the edge of the clearing she turned toward me, something I took as an invitation to chase her. Together we ran, with her in the lead, but never too far that I lost her. I tried to catch her, it was as if I had to, but she was faster, more agile, and knew the terrain better.

We kept this game for only God knows how long. When I finally caught up with her, we stood at the edge of a small stream, it's water reflecting the light of the setting moon. The wolf girl walked to the shade of a tree and lied down. I joined her and licked her muzzle before giving her a wolfy grin. Together we lied down, cooling off from the chase. Her neck resting atop my body.

It felt so strange and yet so right.

When the last light of the moon faded, I returned to normal, my human body naked and lying against the tree. The wolf girl transformed as I had, becoming a familiar silhouette nested against my shoulder. She stirred from her position and our eyes met for a moment before she got up. Even though she was also naked, there was no shame, no embarrassment in her behavior.

There was Miriam, proud, and naked, smiling to her heart's content as we laid against one another and the tree.