Lycanthropy and Me: The First Semester(mlm)

Day 35. Sunday, Waning Crescent

After a day spent studying, drafting, and finally completing his papers, Hunter was awoken from his sleep by chanting. With some annoyance, he shuffled into a pair of sneakers, put on a random beanie, pulled on a hoodie, grabbed his keys, and headed out to give the Therians a piece of his mind.

The Therian society was back on the grass, but their numbers had grown. About thirty students sat in a wide circle, surrounding a lone woman dancing around a tin lantern. The woman was dressed in a tank top, yoga pants, and barefoot. Her arms were covered in symbols, but they didn't seem to resemble any actual religion or indigenous group. To Hunter, they looked more like the vague, possibly made up tattoos of Coachella bound influencers trying to feel 'tribal' and 'earthy' that graced the social media circuit. But aside from her unusual appearance, there was chanting, whispered prayers, yips, howls, and whines.

On the other side of the circle, a few feet away, he saw Tom, who wore a spectator's stare. He gave the other Lycanthrope a nod before heading his way.

"So what's all this?" Hunter asked, looking back at the group.

Tom shrugged. "I dunno. I just got kicked out of the computer lab and heard the noises."

"Working on test stuff?" Hunter put his hands in his pockets. It was warmer than it had been in days, but still chilly enough for him to wish he had a coat.

Tom shrugged. "Project stuff. Building a website for one of my classes. The midterm is a mockup and sitemaps. The final is getting the thing to work."

"I don't envy you there." Hunter rocked on his heels. He felt one of his leg muscles quiver and he stopped. I've just got papers and tests, but at least I don't have to build anything.

They watched the woman gyrate for a moment.

A familiar scent made Hunter's pulse quicken and he turned. Grayson broke away from a small group of students and jogged towards them, phone in hand. "Hey!" He stopped in front of them panting. "Did you get called out here too?"

"For what?" Hunter gestured towards the group. "This? No, they woke me up."

"What're they doing?" Tom asked.

"The head of the Therian society got in touch with the contemporary literature club, who spoke with the crochet club, who spoke with the anime club president, who texted everybody. It's called an awakening. That woman in the center is a part-time shaman. She's trying to direct everyone's energy to Ashley, so she can come back to school."

Among the chanters, Hunter could see tear-stained faces, stares of resolve, and glances of uncertainty.The desire for sleep suddenly seemed trivial. Here, in front of the many whose lives had been impacted by her presence, Hunter realized, he didn't know Ashley Smith at all. And yet he had claimed to act not only on his own behalf, but hers. He felt shame and self-loathing.

"Well, I'm going to go join everyone," Grayson announced, He saw the distress on Hunter's face and halted his progress. "What's wrong?"

"Me." Hunter replied, his hands clenched into fists. "I've been doing this all wrong. I've been running around, treating this like a game. And I don't even know her." He stared at the grass beneath his feet. "I thought it was okay, because if I figured things out, I would be helping her too. But I have no idea what she would want."

A breeze passed by, blowing right through Hunter.

Tom shivered and rolled his shoulders. "Good."

Grayson gave Tom a warning look and Hunter gave Tom a sad glance.

"To be honest, I thought you were just being a selfish dick before, but I'm glad you're turning around on your own." Tom shifted his weight and adjusted the strap on his bag.

"Gee, thanks," Hunter replied. "But now I don't know what to do."

"Well, ideally, what do you want to accomplish?" Grayson asked.

"I want to help," Hunter responded, new conviction spawning. "But I don't want to just light candles and show support. I want to fix the problem."

"Okay." Grayson crossed his arms. "Then, in a sense, nothing has to change. But for now..." He gestured to the group. "Showing a little support won't hurt."

Hunter sighed in relief. "Great."

Tom shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do."

They took their place among the others. Amidst the yips and sobbing, with his fingers laced with a friend and a stranger, Hunter finally felt connected to something worthwhile.