Werebeasts

Chapter Three:

I successfully managed to catch a big fat boar out in the wilderness. We were fairly far from civilization, and that made me wonder why the human girl was way out here anyway. The clan had females, sure, but none that were purely human. She was the first true human that we'd seen in near to a decade. Let alone someone that wasn't pack.

I dragged the carcass back to the cave, and she looked to still be asleep. Remembering how humans generally liked their food cooked, I started up a fire, making the smoke go to the back of the cave where it was going to air out better later. While smoke generally didn't bother clan-or humans for that matter-I did not want the pack to come and find us so easily. Especially my father, of whom would be quite furious once he regained conciousness. 

"What are you doing?" She asked, yawning as she was obviously waking up. Though she startled me, I barely showed it, instead tensing as I began to turn the pig over the fire with the stick that I had gotten it onto to. "Are...are you making me dinner?" She asked, sounding surprised-and hungry. I'd been right, then. She needed food. 

I said nothing, and she seemed frustrated by my silence. 

"Why won't you talk to me? I promise, I won't hurt you..."

"That is a promise that few people keep," I said, surprising myself at saying it aloud, and abruptly kept my mouth shut. She narrowed her eyes. 

"Are-are you in a bad situation? I can-you can come home with me, if you need it. I live in the city. I was here for a research trip with my father, and got lost..." Her eyes then went wide as she remembered something. "My father! He'll be so worried-"

I withheld a growl, not wanting to scare this human farther. Surprisingly, she was acting the kindest that anyone I'd ever met had acted towards me, and-I didn't want to loose that.

"We will search for your father. After you have eaten." I said, in a dismissive tone. Though, inwardly-I was worried. If she'd gotten lost, and there was another human-an older male-out there...then clearly, he was likely to run into the pack. 

Would I be able to fight-and win-against my father a second time? 

I doubted it. 

 She laid against me, looking at the fire that roasted the large boar. She felt...warm. Soft. And she was shaking. 

"What is it?" I asked, softly, so as not to startle her. 

"I'm...worried. About my father. He might be in danger. And...then there's you. You-you seem so...so lost." She said, softly. 

i resisted rolling my eyes, because while what she said was true, it also didn't make much difference what I felt. 

A howl set up in the pack, and I stiffened as I heard it. 

A howl like that could only mean one thing.

Death.

"What's wrong?" She asked, sounding terrified. 

I turned towards her, and without even having a mirror to see myself, knew that my eyes were the deep blue shade of the jaguar. 

"Nothing."

But even as I said the word....

I knew that something was about to change.