Witch Wolf (Chaelisa)

Chapter 3-4

The phone rang, drawing me out of my memories. I put the mug of coffee down on my desk and leaned over to grab it. "Manoban Preternatural Investigations," I said in the best courtesy voice I could muster. 

"Heya, Lis. How's it going?" It was Ten's cheerful voice leaking over the line. I frowned. "It's going. What do you want?"

"Is that any way to talk to an ol' buddy ol' pal?" he asked and tsked softly. "Why do you always think I want something?"

"You never call me just to talk. There's always a string attached. So, go ahead and tell me what the catch is. What's going on?"

I picked up a pencil and began tapping the eraser rhythmically on my mug. "Harsh," he said, pretending I'd wounded his pride. "We need you to come out and take a look at something." I took in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. I looked at the large calendar on my desk. "Shit," I said out loud. "What?" he asked. "You're in luck."

My voice was flat. "There's nothing written on my calendar to help me get out of this. Tell me what happened, and why exactly I need to come out and take a look at it. You know, just because you guys treat me like I'm still a member of the team doesn't mean I am, Ten. I've got my own business now," I reminded him. He laughed. "You tell me that every time I call you."

"Then perhaps you should stop calling me?"

"You break my little heart," he said, and I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything. "Trust me, you'll want to take a look at this. They're keeping everything on the down low, but no one can decide what the hell murdered a man like this..." He sighed. "It's gruesome, Lis. I hope you haven't had lunch."

"Oh goody, a gruesome murder mystery." I mocked being thrilled. "You know I run strictly on coffee until around five or so." Ignoring my sarcasm, he asked, "Will you come take a look?"

"Tell me where it is." I turned the pencil around and dug through my desk for a Post-it pad. Ten gave me the address. "Good Lady," I said, "the boonies? It'll take me forty minutes alone to get out there."

"I know, but we need you to take a look at this."

"Why, exactly?"

"I told you... No one has figured out what did this. We've got people running around talking about a bear. We need your preternatural expertise," he said making it sound oh so important by emphasizing the word "expertise." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again. "How does one get a bear killing and preternatural in the same sentence?" I asked. "Especially since bears are not native to Seoul."

"Exactly," he said. "So, yea or nay?"

"Yea," I said, "I'm leaving the office now." I hung up without saying good-bye. On my way out I stopped to do one of those little girly checks in front of the mirror that hung on the wall by my office door. I tucked the streak of white in my long brown hair behind my right ear, tucking the long side-swept bangs with it. Unlike most side-swept bangs, mine were long enough that they swept across my face and past my chin. In my profession, it's a must that I can keep my hair out of my face.

The white streak, on the other hand, wasn't bleached. It had begun showing up gradually after every shift I'd made into wolf form. Ironically, it was the same color as my fur. If someone asked me what the change was like, the melding of my human thoughts with those of the wolf and the sharing of my body with her, I would tell them it was beyond frightening. The first shift I ever experienced, I'd gone under alone, locking myself in the bathroom of my apartment on the night of the full moon.

It was that night that I knew without a doubt that I was no longer human. It was the first battle the wolf and I had. She ripped from my flesh as if she were tearing me apart. I'd passed out from the pain of it and when I came to on the bathroom floor it was morning.