Once on a full moon

Chapter 1

Ezekiel POV

A howl. I jolt awake. A cold sweat coats my brows. My once blonde hair has now turned light brown because of the damp. Those bloody memories claw away any chance of getting back to sleep. Ugh! As I reach for my phone I notice the time is 6.00 am - I guess the day has started.

Today is a day I have thought about over and over again in my head for what feels like years: picturing how I want it to go, how it's probably going to go and how it would have gone if life had been any different. Today is my first day of uni and I'm going to major in art - more specificity drawing and painting.

Many people say that I was born with a talent and mysterious aura like Banksy - well everyone I know does anyway, which comes to the grand total of 3 people: me, kind and caring old Mrs Jones who runs the local book shop down the road and Kit, my best mate and the only other person who has ever acknowledged my existence.

We are basically brothers and have been together since the age of 15, a week after that god awful night, when he found me dirty and frozen in the outskirts of the woods snarling with my hair on ends. He calmed me, fed me, showed me that I wasn't alone with the marvellous ability to shift. Luckily, he was a wolf like me. He saved me. Our friendship after that was effortless and unconditional. We created our own pack. At the start he had told me that he ran away from his parent and the Night Star pack but I later found out that they had died in an attack a year before. He had been surviving off of odd jobs and living in a run down shed away from town. After a couple of years, he had taught me everything he knew and together we had saved up enough to buy a mini apartment. It was small but would do the job. And now here I am; waking up to the horrendous nightmares of my past. Reminiscing. Reminiscing what? Who knows?

•••

I get up and start my morning with a warm shower, which helps ease my muscles and get the nervous energy out for the first day of uni. The water is refreshing as it trickles down my face, the steam filling my lungs. Most might find this suffocating as it engulfs me but I find it freeing - it transports me to the forest and running wild with no boundaries. The wind blowing through my hair, the humidity a unique but welcoming comfort. The sharp, sweet smell of pine consuming my body enveloping me in pure bliss.

The instant chill of cold air brings me back to reality as I get out and dry myself off. I'm not the best looking guy I'll admit but my messy, sandy-blonde hair contrasting and yet working in perfect harmony with my deep grey eyes helps me in some aspects of society. I don't work out but have some natural muscle from all the wild running and shifting I do - it's in my nature.

I change into some black jeans and a regular, plain, white T-shirt as I wonder into the living room/ kitchen and notice that my best mate has already left, probably out on a run. I grab a breakfast bar and skim through my school stuff, that's scattered out on the table, as I put on my tired, warn out trainers, grabbing my bag and walking out the door. I lock it behind as well as all my things, thoughts and drama ready to start fresh. A clean slate where no one knows me and I'd like to keep it that way if I can.