After a few minutes of waiting for everyone to settle, Jenna walked over to me.
"It's time" she said.
The female alpha took me over to the middle of the clearing. She stepped back to the others and in a split second, they were all in their werewolf form. Before I could wonder what was going on, they started to howl. Just a few seconds later, I looked to the sky.
As if it was meant to be, the clouds parted and the full moon, in all its radiant glory was revealed. If I had bared any thoughts it wasn't going to be that bad, they were gone in a second.
My entire body went to spasm. I screamed in agony and convulsed. I could hear my bones cracking as they changed shape and I could feel every muscle being torn and reshaped. The process was uncomfortable but it wasn't as painful as I had anticipated.
After a second convulsion, my arms flailed out to the sides as did my legs. Thick chestnut brown fur began to grow all over my body and after another spasm, a bushy tail erupted from just above my rectal area. My face tingled once more and it reshaped into a muzzle. I yelled in pain which came as out as a mix between a scream and a whine.
My voice box suddenly snapped into place. I tried to let out another scream and this time, it came out as a whine. My hands and feet snapped and in a second, they were paws. My ears stretched and relocated to the top of my head. The fur stopped growing and after a final convulsion, I stood on four legs, as a fully transformed werewolf.
The new instincts flooded my mind. I wanted to chase, I wanted to hunt, I wanted to have sex, I want to chase my tail. Okay I made that last one up. Somehow, I seemed to know how to work my new body and within a few seconds, my tail was wagging from side to side on command and my ears were able to prick whenever I wanted them too.
The flooding stopped and I was able to focus once more. My vision was in colour which was a surprise. A nice surprise mind you. I looked around at the pack, who had stopped howling. Doug ran over to me and rubbed his muzzle against my face. I repeated the gesture and then, he yipped and started to run away from me.
If I had been human, I would have been worried. But my new instincts told me to chase him, so I decided to appease my curiosity. After a few careful steps, I started to run on all four of my new legs. I can say without a doubt, it was the biggest thrill of my life.
Just when I got close to him, Doug jumped into the air and ran further away. I followed and without knowing it, I yipped out of pure ecstasy. Doug barked in delight and without hesitation, I repeated the gesture. I was grateful that my new body knew how to perform these actions because I wouldn't have known where to start on barking. Or yipping.
The other werewolves slowly started to join in and eventually, the whole pack was playing the game. After about fifteen minutes, Campbell howled and the game stopped. He and Jenna stood away from all of us and cleared their throats.
"Now that we have welcomed our new brother, it is time to hunt" said Campbell in a very gruff tone that was similar to his human voice.
I gulped. This was going to be a test. Not just of my wits, but my guts.
I hoped I didn't look as nervous as I felt. But I reminded myself that as a rule, canine faces seldom showed real emotion so a werewolf face wouldn't either. It stood to reason. But I cut myself some slack. After all, I had never transformed before so there was a lot of learn.
A few of the wolves left the group and entered the woods. The only ones left by me were Campbell, Doug and Stephen. They seemed to be both anxious of how I was coping and excited to be starting their hunt on the night they loved the most.
Doug walked over to me and nuzzled my neck. I did the same to him and his tail wagged in pleasure. Campbell cleared his throat and we both turned to see what he wanted to say to us.
"The others have gone to a hiding place in the woods. When you go in, find a place where no one else has hidden and mark your scent"
"How do I do that?" I asked.
This was the first time I had heard my voice in werewolf form and for a minute, it completely threw me off balance. But once I was calm once more, Campbell continued.
"I think you know" he said.
After a brief thinking stint, I realised what he meant. It was lucky that I hadn't been to the toilet before I transformed otherwise it might have been difficult to undertake the task he had in mind. Let's just say that one outranks the other two, if you catch my drift.
"Then, when you hear my howl, go around the woods and find any prey you can. When you do find and bring something down, howl and I'll come and take the first bite and then you can finish the rest"
The look of confusion on my face brought Stephen to the rescue
"It's a mark of respect for the alpha to eat first" he explained.
After he had explained, I relaxed. But it also occurred to me that I had no alpha. I was in effect a lone wolf. I explained this situation to the others and for a moment I thought they were angry. But Campbell smiled as well as a wolf man can.
"We'll sort that out later, don't worry about it" he said.
For a moment, I absorbed his words. Then I realised that it was all very well hunting, but for how long?
"When does the hunt end?" I asked the other wolves after a brief hesitation.
"Listen out for three howls from Campbell, one after another. When it's over, come to the middle of the woods where we sleep until sunrise" Stephen answered.
Sounded like a plan to me. I just hoped I could find where they meant. But after remembering I could now find werewolves easily thanks to my enhanced senses my fears were subsided. For now.
"Right, let's go!" Campbell said and he ran into the woods, quickly followed by his son. Doug licked my cheek.
"You ready Tay?" he asked.
"As I'll ever be" I replied.
I carefully placed one paw in front of the other at first to regain the feeling of walking on four legs. When I was comfortable, I broke into a run and yipped in joy. Doug ran beside me and with a wink, sped off in an entirely different direction to me.
For a second after he left, I was slightly nervous but my new instincts eased my worries. Wolves were meant to hunt in groups only with larger prey. For a wood like this, there was no sense to overcrowd things. If I had been human, the idea of hunting innocent animals would have sickened me slightly, but now I was a werewolf, I was excited by it, I needed to hunt, run free and eat my spoils with relish.
Running through the woods with all the sights and smells was the best feeling I had ever had. I yipped several times to let out my excitement and finally, I decided to find a place to hide. It was definitely harder than I thought, being as thought there were about thirty werewolves including myself in the woods.
Eventually, I managed to find a small hollow. After carefully checking for another scent or other signs of life, I decided to set up camp.
There was a large pine tree by the hollow so I cocked my leg and marked it with my scent. It took a while for me to feel comfortable enough to do it but eventually I relaxed and it trickled onto the bark with the pressure of a fire hose.
When it was over, I lay down on the bed of leaves and waited for Campbell's command. I heard several of the others running about the woods still looking for hiding places. A few tried to make my hollow their place but instinctively I growled to warn them away. Once they detected my scent and my warning, they left.
About five minutes later, a long loud howl echoed from the throat of Campbell. I took a deep breath and left my hollow. The hunt had begun.
-
It suddenly occurred to me I had no idea how to hunt. Kicking myself for not asking Campbell or Doug about it, I decided the best way to learn was to try. Sniffing the air gently, I was overcome by the amount of smells I obtained and sneezed several times.
I wondered if werewolves blushed, because right now I felt more embarrassed than I had done in a very long time. I shook it off and finally, I managed to get myself walking in the opposite direction from where I came from.
Just at that moment, it started to rain. I whined in exasperation and shook my fur to get rid of the water but it was coming down too fast to make much of an impact. I gave up after a minute and charged through the woods in an attempt to keep myself mainly dry.
Sheltering under a fallen tree that had moss growing all over it wasn't glamorous, but until I got used to the rain I was going nowhere. Just as I had settled, I heard an angry buzzing noise and turning, saw I had nearly sat on a wasps nest. Thankfully the wasps didn't pay any attention to me but I left my shelter faster than I could think and barked to release the pent up emotions that came from the shock.
I happened to stop just in time because a white wolf went past me at an incredible speed. I didn't recognise him but I knew better than to chastise him. That was asking for trouble seeing as how I didn't know him on a personal level.
At that moment, a rabbit came out its borrow and ran by me. I picked up its scent almost at once and my instincts told me to chase. When I had let it get far enough away to be a challenge, I started to run after it. The rabbit noticed I was there within two feet and started to move as fast as it could.
For about thirty seconds, I seemed to be within good chance of catching it, but unfortunately fate took a hand. My back paw on the left tripped on a tree root and I feel muzzle first into the mud of the woodland path. The rabbit clicked with some kind of laughter from a safe distance and ran out of sight.
When I got up, I snorted in frustration. But before I could move, I heard a howl coming from just round the corner. Curious to see what the ceremony of the alpha eating first looked like, I sped ahead and came to where the noise had come from.
It was Hax who had howled. He had caught a rabbit. The same rabbit I had tried to catch, I could tell by the smell. But what was most surprising was that he was eating it, before Campbell had arrived.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Eating" Hax grumbled.
"But what about Campbell?"
"He won't care, I'm one of his favourites" he replied and continued eating his prey. Just then, Campbell emerged from the clearing. When he saw what Hax was doing, he snarled in anger.
Hax spun around completely taken aback.
"What did I say?" he asked Hax calmly.
No answer.
Campbell repeated himself three times, each time his voice raising in volume and the level of his patience decreased. Finally, he walked over to his beta and swung his paw at his face.
Three long cuts appeared on his muzzle and Hax whined, clearly begging for pity. But Campbell had none, an alpha couldn't afford it.
"Get out of my sight" he barked.
Hax left before he could say another word. Campbell turned to the prey and nibbled a piece of its foot. When he had swallowed it, he turned to face me.
"How you doing pup?" he asked.
"A little shaky but not bad"
Campbell nodded. Another howl sounded through the woods and he left to inspect another hunt.
A short while later, I had caught nothing and my stomach was growling. If I didn't eat something soon, I would go back to the rabbit Hax left behind, or eat a large breakfast tomorrow morning.
Eventually, I caught a rabbit. Purely by chance, I managed to chase it onto a straight path where I had the advantage. I pounced and slammed it against the tree where it splatted against the rock, breaking its neck and dead as a dead thing could be.
I raised my head into the air and howled. I waited but Campbell didn't come. For five minutes he didn't arrive. I tried twice more but it was no use, he wasn't coming. Not willing to risk what Hax had, I sniffed the air to find his scent.
A scent can tell you the direction a person is in, the emotions they are feeling and in rare cases, memories that are deep within their mind. After searching the area, I picked up Campbell. I ran in his direction but I was taken aback when I saw a crowd around him. They cleared aside so I could see what was going on and I gasped.
Campbell was feeding on something, as were Jenna and Drake. But what shocked me most was what they were eating.
It was Hax. And he was definitely dead.
For a second, I was paralysed, in both shock and disgust. They were eating another of their kind? The animal in me told me it was natural but the human half was stronger, at least at that moment. I turned on my heels and ran out of the woods, tears falling from my eyes. I reached the stream halfway between the woods and my car and stopped.
The tears fell on the water and made my reflection ripple. If they had been raindrops I would have thought they were beautiful but now, they only reminded me of the sight I had seen.
I heard a howl echoed through the woods. It was Doug, asking where I had run. I ignored him and continued to release my emotions into the glistening water. Eventually, I heard the pattering of wolf paws and turned to see him running full pelt toward me.
I growled at him to stay back. He ignored me and came closer. I barked and he still didn't stop. Eventually, I roared and ran away. He kept up with me with ease being the stronger wolf and pounced me to the floor, holding me down by the throat.
Eventually I calmed down and whined. He released me and I let him nuzzle me.
"Why did you run away?" he asked me gently.
It took a while to answer through my tears but eventually I did.
"You're heartless cannibals" I blurted.
Doug looked surprised.
"Why would you say that?" he asked.
I rolled my eyes the best I could in my new form.
"Don't play dumb, I saw Hax being eaten. Just for disobeying Campbell"
Doug realised what I meant and sighed.
"We didn't kill him Tay, we found him dead"
That was a surprise, my whole body stiffened. Even my tail stopped moving.
"What?" I burst out, a little more forced than I planned.
"We found him hanged, someone had set a trap" Doug explained.
Even though Hax had been annoying, he didn't deserve that. I suddenly remembered the fact he was being eaten and my temporary phobia of the pack returned.
"So why was he the main course?" My voice had a bitter quality that I did nothing to disguise.
"It's a mark of respect. Whenever a werewolf is killed by means beyond our control, we eat his remains to honour his memory"
"Did you eat?"
"No, I prefer not to if I can help it"
That was a relief. I just hoped Doug would never have to do it for anyone, or come to think of it neither would I. But the fact it wasn't senseless violence calmed me down somewhat.
"You ready to go back?" he asked.
"Sure" I replied and together we ran back into the woods, gently snapping at each other on occasion. After a quick sniff, we found Campbell and a few of the others had congregated a mile or so ahead.
We ran the entire way but came to a stop immediately once we saw what was happening. The pack was standing in a circle, and in the middle of the circle were Campbell, and Drake. The alpha was clearly furious with him, and judging by his scent, he had done something unforgivable.
"Why did you set the trap?" Campbell growled.
"He was competition. I wanted to be second in command, not that worthless sprig" Drake spat.
"He was your mate!" Campbell roared. "Why in hell's name would you do it now?"
"You have to crack a few eggs to make an omelette" Drake said.
He clearly felt no remorse for what he did. It was clear that he didn't feel anything for his so called 'mate'. I assumed imprinted and mate meant the same thing.
"Yes" Campbell snarled. "But what you did earned no respect. In fact, you don't deserve to have any respect from me or the pack"
Drake had been nonchalant before now, but now he looked slightly scared.
"Drake, your sentence is decided. For the crime of killing a pack member with no justifiable reason, I hereby take your life as punishment"
Campbell pounced forward. Drake tried to move but he couldn't. He was too afraid. The alpha’s claws slashed at his throat and his back as he landed on him. His blood spilled onto the floor and in a few seconds, Drake was unconscious.
Campbell raised his head and snapped his neck. The guilty werewolf went limp. In a second, I realised he was dead. Campbell shook his fur clean of the blood and looked around at his pack.
"Justice has been served. Do not discuss it" he ordered. And no-one did, including me. Because you didn't dare argue with an alpha, unless you wanted a pre-mature end. At least that's what I had come to realise.
Clearly Drake had overestimated his importance. And it cost him.
The alpha wolf raised his head and howled three times. The hunt was over. I suddenly remembered the rabbit but somehow I didn't feel hungry for it anymore. The shock of both events had directed my attention to another place.
The pack began to shift back into their human forms slowly and lay down together in small groups to sleep. I suddenly realised that I didn't know how to change back.
I walked over to the alpha and bowed in respect. He repeated the gesture so I felt safe to ask.
"I forgot to ask. How do I shift between?" I asked.
Campbell suddenly realised he hadn't told me. I could tell he found it both amusing and embarrassing at the same time.
"Just think of wanting to be human and will yourself to change back. Your body will shift after a few seconds. Same thing when you want to shift into a wolf"
Taking his advice, I willed myself to change. In a second, I was surrounded by a haze of heat and pheromones and I suddenly grew back into my human form. Checking myself over, I found no traces of wolf remained. What I did notice however, was that I was filthy and smelled of the wilderness. And not in a good way. I also felt slightly nauseous.
But I assumed that it was because it was my first time.
An idea formed in my head at the moment, I just get used to shifting otherwise it would be tricky if I needed to on a whim. I thought of being of a human and willed myself to change. After a few seconds, another invisible haze issued and I was human again. I laughed in victory.
"Nice shift" came the familiar voice of my lover.
"Thanks" I said and kissed him.
After meeting with Stephen and Kari, Doug lay down and I lay next to him. The change back had exhausted me more than realised so I forgot I hadn't eaten.
Within moments, I was asleep. And because I was so tired, I felt nothing but peace for the whole night long.
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