The Wolves ✓

21; friends

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Greg kept his hands in his pockets as he walked aimlessly past the trees. He searched for an opening where he could get out of the wilderness and back on track to finding Freya. It was quiet and even the birds had fallen silent that day, at least what was left of them.

In the slippers he'd been given, he wandered freely. It was rare to feel warm but ever since he'd become a werewolf, he didn't seem to have that problem anymore. Almost always, he felt hot but it was rarely a nuisance. Walking outside in the damp weather, he was grateful for that at least.

After what seemed like an hour, he stumbled upon a landing and looked down. He squinted, trying to understand what he was looking at.

A large building, or a skeleton of one came into view. At first glance, it looked like a prison but the more Greg observed it, the more it looked like a small community had been set up. 

He felt a chill run down his spine as he thought he heard someone. Crouching down, he stayed still and watched one of the doors open. A tall dark man walked out, dragging something along with him.

Greg watched him struggle with whatever the large object was in the bag until he finally tossed it into the large blue dumpster. The man then turned and walked back into the building through the same door, unaware that there was anyone watching him.

Greg didn't move from his spot for a long time, too paralysed with fear to move. He kept watching the building, waiting for anyone else to come out but nobody ever did. He wondered if there were more people like him inside but then he reminded himself that he was a werewolf and not a human anymore. Would he ever be welcomed into a sanctuary or was it too late for him now? These questions lingered in his young mind.

He sat up and crossed his legs, sitting on the grass. Looking across the landscape, he couldn't see much except for more woodland area. Then he looked back at the building. 

Greg began to slide down the slope and eventually made it. Running to the fence, he was terrified someone would see him. He looked around for a gate but when he found none, he began to panic. Clearly, he hadn't thought it through.

He walked to the back of the facility, in search of a gate but froze when he heard some voices from the back room. Unsure of where to run to, he was too late and the men walked out. They spotted him standing behind the fence and their eyes widened.

"Hey you! Stay where you are!" one of them yelled and Greg immediately started running in the opposite direction.

He could hear the men jumping over the fence and running after him. Greg ran faster, feeling his heart thumping against his chest. He ran down the road, aware that more had joined the chase. However, when the yells began to change into howls, Greg's heart stopped.

They were wolves.

He stopped and changed into his wolf, hoping they'd stop when they saw who he was; That he was one of them.

But they didn't and continued to charge after him. Greg didn't know which way he was going anymore, he'd run into different streets in an attempt to escape but they were closing in and finally at the corner of Rose St. they surprised him.

Greg looked at the heinous wolves, their fur covered in dirt and debris. A man approached him and Greg cowered away from him. "Change back to your human form," he said.

Greg didn't know what to do.

"I said change!" he roared.

Greg's heart was thumping. He didn't want them to see him stark naked in the middle of the pavement.

"Are you fucking deaf?"

Suddenly, the man's neck snapped to the side and his body fell limp to the floor. Greg jumped back in shock and the other wolves began to look around, confused by what just happened.

Slowly, the wolves began to disperse in panic. Greg looked back at the dead man's body.

Looking near the houses, he spotted someone standing in the front yard. Greg moved closer and realised it was Ace. He was standing there, smugly looking down at him. "Am I always going to have to save your ass?"

Ace looked behind him to see that the wolves had left.

"Don't worry kid, you see that?" he said, looking at the smoke that had started to spread.

"They'll be dead before they get back."

Greg felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. It couldn't even be that late so how did the smoke come so early.

"I bet there's some clothes inside, get in and change."

Greg did as he was told and later joined him in the living room. Ace was looking through the pantry, stepping over a decomposing, middle aged woman's dead body as he did.

Greg looked away from the woman and sighed, making his presence known.

"I thought you said you weren't in trouble."

Greg leaned against the wall. "I'm not."

Ace turned around and walked over to the counter top, his hand resting on it. "That's twice I've saved you. You don't have to keep lying, you know? I'm not a bad guy."

Greg stayed silent.

"Okay, fine. Well, this house has absolutely nothing useful, so I'm going."

"Where?" Greg asked, straightening up.

"Don't know yet."

"The smoke is here, you can't go outside."

Ace shook his head, "Kid, the smoke can't hurt me."

"What? How is that even possible?" he stammered, following him.

"Because I know how to control it."

Greg was bewildered.

"Can I go with you then?" he asked, afraid of being alone in the smoke again without protection.

"You'd have to go outside with me then."

"I'll die out there," Greg said.

"What if I told you that I can make you immune to the smoke? What would you say to that?"

"What?"

"Think about it. Look, I don't trust a lot of people but I've got a good feeling about you."

"You'd protect me in return for my trust?"

"Trust is so underrated especially in these troubled times."

Greg felt pressured but it was a difficult situation.

"But that means no running away and no more antics. I think we need each other, at least to survive. We're completely alone in this."

Greg decided not to say anything about Freya or his mum and slowly nodded, perhaps not realising the weight of his promise. "Okay."

Ace smiled and held out his hand, raising his eyebrow. "Friends?"

Greg stared at his outstretched hand and finally shook it. "Friends..."

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