Lycanthropy and Me: The First Semester(mlm)

Day 70. Friday, Waning Crescent/Saturday, New Moon (Part One)

Day 70. Friday, Waning Crescent/Saturday, New Moon (Part One)

In the last few months, Grayson had seen things that he had once believed to be fantastical. Metamorphosis under the full moon. Snarling beasts battling in the dark. The human form bending and twisting into something else entirely.

But this being...this wasn't like the others. It was just human enough--the right size and shape for a grown adult, around 6 feet and stocky in girth. But the silhouette's edges were jagged as if were covered in hair...or leaves? There was something enveloping its exterior from head to toe.

Grayson had stilled under Hunter's touch, and Hunter watched as his supine expression morphed into horror. He heard a branch snap behind him and somehow the young lycanthrope knew it wasn't Ashley. Hunter turned around slowly, just as Ashley had looked over her shoulder.

The figure stepped forward, and the axe in its hand glinted in the light.

Ashley screamed. Grayson grabbed hold of Hunter's arm. And the three of them ran for their lives.

Self-preservation led the trio to flee into the night, darting through trees and bushes, scraping against branches and rocks.

Hunter wasn't sure when he had slipped out of Grayson's grasp. His heightened senses had propelled him forward, his body more agile due to the new moon.

Eventually, Hunter stopped running, catching his breath as he crouched behind a tree. His ears told him that he was alone in this spot, but the distant cracking of twigs suggested Grayson or Ashley were probably a yard or so away. He squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again, waiting for them to adjust in the dark.

Hunter had always had good eyesight in low or dim light--something he had relished in his younger years when the youth of his pack played games of tag and hide and seek at night. Even if he wasn't the fastest runner, or couldn't sit still in a hiding spot for long, he could always find his friends.

Okay, Reeds. He told himself. Focus. Separated from the sounds of the trees and the wind he could hear someone moving. Heavy footsteps thunked across the ground, adding traction between dirt and...something thick. Rubber? Hunter tried to distinguish the noise. It reminded him of rain galoshes or combat boots. Something man-made. Something human.

But human or not, the one following them could still pose a threat to Grayson or Ashley.

He had to get to them first.

Hunter peered around the tree. The stranger was still far away, not yet in sight. But someone was nearby. He crouched down and tried sniffing the air. It was more difficult than usual, but not impossible.

There was a woody scent from the campfire, salmon from the foil packets he had made for dinner, and the faint smell of cologne--

Grayson. Hunter tried to make as little noise as possible, eyes watching for sudden movements, ears listening for anything out of the ordinary.

There it was. Muffled breathing. Grayson kneeled next to a tree, his breath coming out in strained gasps. He felt dizzy and hot, as sweat caused his layers of clothing to cling to his skin.

Something touched his arm.

A hand covered his mouth as Grayson started to yell.

"Shhh! Shhhh." Hunter kept one hand clamped over Grayson's mouth as he braced the tree behind him with the other. He leaned forward and whispered, "It's me."

Grayson couldn't see anything, but he could feel the heat radiating off of Hunter as he crouched in front of him.

Hunter leaned back, listening as the stranger grew closer.