Meat

Chapter Seven

Blood. Meat. Prey.

Carson jumped, his back legs launching him from the soft tilled earth. There was only a light breeze and yet his fur ruffled and rippled all the way down his back. He sailed easily over the wooden fence. Beside him. Jack kept stride. He pressed his front paws down on the top rung of the fence and pushed off from it, flicking his back legs up. His teeth snapped as he landed and Carson gave a growling bark in return.

The two of them raced on, claws digging into soil and spraying it up behind them. His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth as he pulled in heavy pants. The taste of the night air was cool and refreshing. A string of drool dripped from his gums and ran down his tongue.

Sweat. Fear. Chase.

Ahead of them, losing ground with every stride, the three humans ran. The ground vibrated with their footfalls, the air heavy with their fear-drenched sweat. Puffs of breath left clouds of tang behind them. Carson flicked his tongue against his teeth and pulled the taste into his mouth. He didn't want that one.

The scent he was after was heady and thick, though found less often than the other two. His breath came even, strong, and in time with his strides.

Carson's nostrils flared, his ears pricked. The boy was sweating and with it came the dizzying taste he was familiar with. In his wolf form it was twice as strong, dragging him into a swirl of air and soil. He barked and shook his head. The weed had had its time to wear off from the boy's consciousness, but not enough to make him indistinguishable from the other two humans.

A small yap came from behind him and Carson didn't need to look back to know who it was. He knew the voices of his pack under the moon as well as he knew them in person. Zeke was right on his tail, young and fast, far more boisterous as a canine than he ever was as a human. The young wolf was a rocket like Priya. Given the chance, the two of them could shoot around the fields, unrestrained and uncontrollable. There would be time for that later, to enjoy the moon and the gifts it brought them. First though, there was only one thought on all of their minds: Food.

Bite. Feed. Kill.

Carson veered off to the right, away from Jack and his brother. Zeke streaked after him, just holding back from passing him. The boy knew his place. They may make a game of who caught first but Zeke had not earned the right to eat before those higher in the pack.

The girl was at the back of the pack of running humans. Each breath came with a whine, a crying pain of exertion and fear. Carson snapped at her ankle. She screamed properly this time, her scent sweet and intoxicating.

Carson raced on. The others would take care of the girl and the other man.

The track star had made it to the second jump in their race. He splashed through the stream. Scrambling up the bank on the other side, he huffed in pain. His trousers were drenched from knee to ankle, sure to slow him down.

Carson took it in a single leap. Landing on the wet mud, his back paw slid into the frigid water. He launched himself up the bank and rounded in front of the boy. Skidding to a stop, the boy held up his hands, stepping back towards the stream again.

Zeke and Priya splashed happily through the stream, yapping all the way. Their coats hung wet and heavy under their bellies and down their legs. They slowed as they came up the bank, stalking up the mud and blocking the track star's retreat.

"Back!" the boy shrieked.

His calm at running had cracked, lost now he had been caught. The scent of his blood was as thick as the water dripping from the young wolves' coats.

Carson growled and bared his teeth. His tail flicked through the cool air. He paced in a slow circle, followed by Priya and then Zeke. The boy crouched, digging into the dirt. When he came up, a small rock was clutched in his fingers.

Priya shook the water from her coat, her slick dark fur bristled and bushy. Her ears fell back against her head as she glanced at him. The girl may be bolshie and bright, but she was as subservient as Zeke. Carson barked his approval.

The track star attacked. He sent the rock sailing through the air. Zeke yelped and spun away, the stone hitting him on the muzzle.

Carson launched forwards, powerful back legs sending him sailing as smoothly as the stone the boy flung at them. He caught the star in the side, knocking him down. Priya moved in, keeping just enough distance. Carson snapped and growled as the boy kicked out, grabbed onto fur and drove his knuckles up.

Claws raked into toned flesh and all too sudden the world was full of blood and marijuana. He drove forwards, his teeth clamping down on the boy's shoulder. His scream was so loud that it rang all the way through Carson's body.

He bit again, ignoring the pain of a knee being driven into his stomach, a foot at his back leg. Blood spurted in torrents over his teeth and tongue.

The screams fell away as the boy's neck came away in Carson's jaws.

His body lay still in the grass.

Priya crept forwards, her ears flat and her shoulders dipped. He snarled loudly, sending the girl whimpering away. She nuzzled Zeke's flank, bringing the young wolf back to his senses. He shook himself heavily and padded in a circle.

Carson sniffed his way across the body, nose buried into the material keeping him from his prize. Claws tore the shirt into ragged strips. Buttons popped off into the grass. Blood and meat dripped from the air and earth.

The two young wolves crept forwards again, their bodies low and careful. Zeke went to work on ripping away the boy's trousers. Priya simply sniffed, her bright eyes inquisitive and excited.

A low growl rumbled all the way from Carson's stomach. Priya immediately flattened herself against the bloody soil, turning her gaze on him. Zeke froze, a piece of denim hanging from his jaws. Carson's ears pricked, his nostrils flared.

They weren't the only ones here.

He turned in a circle, drawing in scents from all around them. The blood was overwhelming but there was something else, something... off. There was a slight rotten smell in the air, meat left out too long, but it wasn't dead. It was clean and alive, just off. He knew that smell.

Turning in another circle, he pressed his paws deep into the earth, clawed up the feeling from the soil. Vibrations rippled his fur and he barked Priya and Zeke off the body. They sniffed at the air, their ears pricking once they caught the scent.

He saw the eyes first, hidden in amongst the trees. Even in the dark those eyes were bright. Green and brown flecked together. When he grinned, his teeth were white and shone in the dark. His fangs were as sharp as Carson's.

Carson barked twice at Priya and Zeke. They had to protect the kill. He bounced into his stride and that smile was gone in an instant. The man turned and set off, far faster than the track star. He zipped in amongst the trees at an alarming speed and there was nothing but for Carson to run after him.

Chase. Catch.

Kill.