Lycanthrope

Chapter 8

The beast had disappeared. Quite literally, one moment it was before me, nosing into my hand with obsessive affection, the next it was gone. I swivelled my head around trying to recapture sight of it but it was for nothing, the beast had vanished without sound.

It was rather unnerving to be honest. Nevertheless I steadied my mind with the assumption that if it truly thought I was its 'mate' it would not draw a drop of blood from me- hopefully.

The fire was dying out, with it the light in the den started to dwindle. I rose to add another log to the fire; not necessarily because I disliked the dark, but the fact that the floor was scattered in all sorts of debris and I would prefer not to twist my ankle in my inability to see in the dark.

I nudged a piece of what looked like charred bone with the tip of my foot. The whole place smelt musty and mostly everything was covered in a layer of dust. This would have to change, especially being near a spring, I wasn't going to give some kind of poisonous fungi a chance to grow if I had to stay here for an extended period of time.

I began pushing all of the clutter to one side, I would pick through it later and determine what was salvageable. As I went I found a sizeable chest of which I hauled into the centre of the room. The lid was barely hanging on by its rusted hinges, it was hardly a surprise when I opened it only to have the top break off with a resounding clatter against the stone floor. The contents consisted of a few towels, blankets and male clothes. Pulling out a faded shirt it looked suited for a giant, regardless I took off my torn shirt and replaced it with the newer one. Reaching my thigh it looked more like a dress so I ripped the unneeded fabric to a modest length, after all I could use the excess as a makeshift cloth.

This did however strengthen the thought that this lycan could have a humanoid form, this would probably make conversing much easier, the problem was trying to get the beast comfortable enough to show me it's more vulnerable side...

As I pondered I reassumed cleaning, from dusting to airing out the furs next to the spring. The den looked considerably bigger now it was cleaner and it didn't smell nearly as old and damp, I was pleased to acknowledge that even the floor had a nice shine to it after the scrubbing I'd given it.

Now I felt more comfortable as I sat and picked through the pile of, more or less, rubbish- one of the thin blankets from the trunk served as a kind of bag of the unwanted. A good ways through the sorting, the beast reappeared.

Much like when it had disappeared it was sudden and quiet. It stood in the arch of the corridor, a skinless carcass, which I assumed was a deer, slung over its shoulder whilst itself was covered in a mix of mud and blood; the stuff basically dripping from its muzzle and claws. It made a gruesomely frightening sight in the glare of the fire.

To my surprise it was not fear nor repulsion that came to the front of my emotions but over anger. The damned thing was dirtying my clean floor!
I stood in a flurry, "What do you think you are doing!?" I shouted.

The beast's head turned to me with a snap and the carcass fell to the floor with a thump- causing blood to spray across the wall.
I stormed over, finger poised in an accusing gesture; the beast cocked its head and began a whine but stopped when I jabbed one of its fury pecks.

"Bath, now."

The beast looked at me oddly.
I pushed my palm against its chest and glared up into its black eyes. Slowly, as if knowing there would be repercussions to pay otherwise, it moved in an awkward backwards walk towards the spring.

I heaved a sigh of relief when I found the furs to be unsullied by the mess caused by the beast, only to be followed by a shriek when the beast abruptly hoisted me into the air.
"What are you doing?" I asked, a reflexive cringe shuddering through me as the blood seeped through the shirt and onto my sides.

The beasts thick brow twisted in what looked to be confusion, it's eyes searched mine as if looking for the meaning of my words. "Bath...?" It rumbled.
"Yes, bath." I repeated slowly, as if talking to a child.

Suddenly it's ears perked up and it looked at me as if it had had an epiphany. I looked at the lycan sceptically. "Bath." The words basically chirped out of its throat. Then I was in the spring, the movement too fast for me to comprehend and the shock of being suddenly submerged to my neck in hot water stunning my brain into a standstill. At first I thought it had thrown me in, but the hands resting on my sides told me that the beast had joined me.

I craned my neck to look behind me, the beast stood innocently panting as if nothing had happened.

Sighing I slumped into the chest of the beast and let its arms wrap tighter around me. I must've been tired as I let the beast hold me like that for quite a while in a doze like state, just listening to the occasional splash of condensated water that dropped from the ceiling. When I decided to be productive again, I slipped out of the beasts now lax arms and waded to the side of the pool. Before I reached my destination, I was caught and swept into the arms of the beast once more; this time it sat in the shallows and reclined to lean on the edge of the spring, with me seated between its legs.

One of its hands fiddled with the frayed hem of my shirt that billowed out in the water whilst the other combed through the knots in my brown hair.

Then I noticed the thick scar that circled the beasts wrist. I took the beast's hand in my own to inspect it, gently moving aside the wet fur that partially concealed it; it was gruesome, healed but still I could tell the relentless tugging and pulling that had caused the deep wound. Chains. Ones that had held him for a long time. The water suddenly felt cold compared to the rage I felt boiling inside me.

What was the beast to the wolves? Some kind of war machine? It would make sense considering the threat that the vampires posed - and me, what was there purpose for me, most likely to gather intel then dispose of me. They had tricked me... I bet that Cathy isn't even pregnant, it was all a ploy to get me onside! Maybe that is too far fetched but I can't wrap my head around the fact that they would chain and seclude the creature that is currently grooming my hair.

The poor beast was probably so lonely that it tried to make a connection with the first thing it saw not to be a threat, me.The beast seemed to notice my distress and softly whined whilst nuzzling into my hair, both hands moving to run the length of my sides in a soothing manner.

It was then that the question niggling at the corner of my mind decided to voice itself.
"Do you have a name?"

AN: Exams are over and the holiday is upon us! I hope any students out there are feeling good about the exams and if not don't worry they do not define you xxx
Hope you're enjoying this book as much as I am xx