Grimm Fantasies: The Woodsman

Sick

A few weeks passed after Mara and Karen left, Haven and Hunter had returned to their apartment and silence filled every room as their relationship was slowly sinking into the abyss. They weren't sure where to go, Hunter wasn't sure if he could continue to mate with Haven if the mating wasn't complete. Unless Fury howled things looked bleak for them. Lexi made a few house calls to talk with Hunter and on the night of the full moon Hunter and Haven agreed to go with Lexi and Jack to the forest for the New Wolf Ceremony.

It was cold in the darkness of the forest as the four of them trekked out to a secluded area. Haven kept close to Hunter out of a year of developed habit. Neither seemed to notice the closeness or they didn't mind if they did. Jack kept glancing over to them and would sigh loudly as if he were trying to start a conversation but didn't want to be the one to talk first.

Undenounced to them, they were being followed.

A dark figure kept down wind and close to the ground as if kept its gaze on one individual in the party of four. They finally stopped in a small clearing where the moon could be seen overhead, with light over cast. Jack and Hunter started a fire while Haven and Lexi watched.

"So...You met your wolf when it wasn't a full moon huh?" Lexi asked as she pulled her coat. closer to her. She wore a large coat with fur rim while Haven and the others wore light jackets. Haven had his usual red worn hoodie and didn't seem at all bothered by the cold. He glanced over to Lexi and nodded.

"She says I'm her brother." Haven responded, "Her twin brother." He added as an afterthought. Lexi nodded thoughtfully.

"So, she really does speak to you, like...for real? Err...Like actual words? I mean- well it's just Jack says Crisis communicates with him but it's not like we communicate...you know...with words...Oh boy..." She rambled off and looked down in embarrassment. Haven smirked at that.

"Yeah, with words like right now she says you're cute." Lexi looked over to him and blushed lightly. Haven gasped. "Uh She said your cute! I don't think your cute- wait no you're attractive yeah but I-" Lexi stopped him before he could dig himself deeper.

"Yeah I know you're gay." She giggled. Haven frowned at that.

"I am not." Lexi looked over to him and blinked a few times before responded.

"But you and...Hunter...and Jack..."

"I've dated girls too." Haven said.

"So you're bi." Lexi inquired. After a moment of thoughtful silence he responded with, "...I don't like labels." Lexi nodded in understanding and dropped the subject.

"...Do you know why I wanted the Bite so bad?" She glanced over to Haven who shook his head. "Hunter never told you?" She asked and Haven shook his head again. Lexi sighed and was surprised that she wasn't surprised that Hunter wouldn't have said anything.

"I'm dying..." Lexi said after a moment of hesitation. "I have a heart condition, it's kind of like I've got a whole in my heart. I've already had a transplant but this one's failing too. The doctors said another transplant would keep me alive for a little while longer but it wouldn't last long either. So another surgery would be a waste of a good heart that could go to someone else." She looked down. "...I didn't want to admit defeat and just bow out, I don't want to die...Then I met Hunter, a real life werewolf. He said he was too young to turn me then and would come back when he was." She smirked at that. "I know now that it was all bull shit and that he didn't want me to be like him, without a pack for protection and alone. But I was dying and it was my last resort. So I looked for someone else that could help me."

Lexi looked up at Jack and smiled. "Jack's my saving grace. Sure I had to pay him two thousand just for a measly bite but it was worth it." Haven stared at her quietly. "But my condition isn't the only reason I wanted the Bite." She smirked and looked over to Haven deviously. "There are some people that have wronged me, like the worst kind of wronged and I want to kill them." Haven frowned at that but said nothing in return.

"Alright Lexi," Jack called as the fire finally roared up emitting warmth and light into the small clearing. "It's almost time, you need to get ready." Lexi nodded and walked over to him, her spot was then taken by Hunter. Haven glanced at him but said nothing.

Fury sighed almost sadly, "I wish I could do something to make this better." She spoke up Haven looked down at his feet then decided to focus on the fire. He said nothing to Fury but that did little to deter her. "You should have never received the Bite, at you're twentieth birthday you're powers would have awoken on their own." Haven frowned but still said nothing. Watching as Lexi disrobed and complained about the cold. Jack made a few snarky comments about her being a wimp.

It didn't take long before Fury pointed out the scent of wolf on Lexi and moments after the shift started. Lexi dropped to her knees as her body popped and snapped. She let out a yelp of pain digging her nails into the snow and dirt as she arched her back. It looked and sounded painful and Haven didn't remember his first shift being like that.

"You're a born werewolf, even if your parents were mortal you as a Star child you're body was already prepared for it." Fury said. Haven nodded slowly then remembered the first time he saw Hunter shift, the way it looked like it hurt, and then the next time he shifted it was fluid and painless. He wondered what that was about but Fury made no comment on these thoughts.

Finally a triumphant howl rose up bringing Haven's attention back to Lexi, who was replaced with a small and slim grey pelted wolf. Like she'd been white but was heavily dusted with ash. Haven smirked lightly and things seemed just a little better.

But the feeling didn't last long when a red blur jumped out of the shadows and attacked Jack.

~~~~

Oh Shi- Err I mean Oh no...heheh... Well isn't it a damn shame things were cute and fuzzy for a moment there, Haven found a new friend in Lexi who might be a little nuts.

Oh which reminds me and update on Lexi's wolf's name. Lexi is sick and dying so she goes to find a werewolf to help her out and have a new beginning. So her wolf's name, Ash, is kind of similar to Mara's, except the name Ash literally means new beginning. Since ash is the byproduct of a disaster but fertilizer for new growth later on...does that make sense? It makes sense to me...

But yeah things are...well...Mara and Karen aren't there so...Yeah...two more chapters before the end of Haven's story arc is finished and one more for the epilog.