The Lycan

Chapter 4

Katie stared blankly out her bedroom window. She's had a dream about the events last night. Not exactly a nightmare, but a rather unsettling dream, a replay of the disturbing transformation she witnessed.

Pushing it to the back of her head, she got out of bed. She dressed herself up, and headed out the door.

She walked through the quiet town, greeting those who greeted her, forcing a smile. She walked into the local cafe, ordered a coffee and muffin, and prepared to find a seat. To her surprise, Matthew was sitting at a table in the corner, alone and sipping his coffee. She walked to his table to sit across from him.

"Good morning! I didn't think I'd see you here," she greeted as she sat down. "We didn't talk much last night did we?"

Matthew looked up at her and smiled shyly. "I guess not. Ah, you okay? You seem a bit, off."

Katie blinked. Darn. He figured it out, kinda.

"Oh! Uh, just been a crazy night is all. Crazy stuff going on, heh." Her breakfast made it to the table, and she thanked the waiter. "Crazy, huge werewolf out there..." she muttered as she took a sip of her own coffee.

"Werewolf?"

"Ah!" Katie snapped out of her thoughts, realizing what she said. "Just saw a werewolf movie, really crazy!" She stopped talking. Matthew looked different. His eyes were wide, but not in the "you're crazy" way. He looked shocked, as if some sort of memory had been unlocked for him. He straightened up in his seat, and called the waiter over.

"Excuse me," he said. "I've read some things about this place, you said people would hear a wolf howling every month?"

The waiter nodded. "Yes, for the past 10 years or so. Very loud. The kids 'round here would come up with these stories and say there's a werewolf roamin' around. Of course, they don't exist, but people said it was always strange 'cause of the fact that they would hear it during a full moon. I really think it's just a pack of wolves though."

Matthew caught a glimpse of Katie's wide eyes, and thanked the man. He looked at Katie with serious eyes. "I'm gonna pay, when you do, I need to speak to you. Somewhere private, like behind the building."

"What?"

"I need to talk with you about something really important, trust me, please. Behind the building." He got up from his seat, and put his money on the counter. When he left, Katie's mind raced. What was she to expect? What would she say? She's never heard an urban legend like that, probably because she moved here just recently. Did Matthew know something? Reluctantly deciding to follow him, she put her money on the counter and left the cafe.

When she got to the back of the building, Matthew was waiting for her. It was just them, as a lot of people were still asleep or in their homes.

"Okay, listen," he whispered. "Please be honest, did you really see a werewolf?"

Katie didn't know what to say, or if she could really answer that. Matthew saw the skeptical look on her face and sighed.

"Okay. The reason I'm here is because I heard the stories about this town, how there's howling being heard here every full moon. I came here because... I'm looking for someone. Please be honest, I'm kinda begging you here. Did you see a werewolf? Not a regular wolf, a werewolf. Please."

Katie looked down to the ground. He sounded pretty desperate, like he really knew something.

"Yes," she finally said quietly.

"What did it look like? Do you know what color his fur was?"

"Oh, uh, really dark blue, darker mane- he?"

Matthew's eyes lit up, and he was trembling. But only for a brief moment, before composing himself again.

"Listen. I know about this werewolf. I need you to keep this between you and me. No one else can ever know. Do you think we can talk more about this at your place?"

"I, uh, I live in a cabin, by the forest. Do you really know him?"

"I really think I do, but we can't keep talking here, people will start walking by. Do you think we can go over there and talk?"

"Yeah," Katie said. "Let's go."

...

Nero slowly opened his eyes, struggling to keep them open despite the morning rays shining into them. Slowly, he lethargically brought himself up from laying on his stomach to a kneeling position. He slowly arched his back, trying to relieve the heavy tension in his muscles. He winced in discomfort as he heard a quiet crackling sound, accompanied by the groaning in his muscles as they stretched back into their original positions.

It always took him a bit to get himself to his feet and start walking after reverting. His whole body ached horribly, and he looked over to the clear stream ahead of him. He walked over to it, dropped once more to his knees, and began to drink. He always woke up parched after reverting. As he drank, he crawled into the stream, submerging his lower body into the cool water. He cupped his hands and began rinsing dirt and dried blood off his face.

Blood?

Nero's heart skipped a beat, his eyes widening, seeing his bloodied hands. He whipped his head around to look behind him.

A bloody deer carcass, eaten down to the bone in various places, a hole in its neck where its throat would've been.

Disheartened at the sight, Nero looked down to the ground, silently cursing himself. He never fully remembered what he did the nights he would take on his monstrous form. He knew he hunts for survival, but he hated having to kill animals for food. When he hunted during the day and moonless nights, he would hold a silent vigil for his prey, and always made sure to kill them quickly.

Thank god he didn't kill...

Color drained from his face, looking in the direction where he came. The woman. The woman saw him. He remembered that.

"No. No, no, no, no, no, no..." he whispered as he clutched his hair in distress. She knows.