By Moonlight (P.P + M.J)

32. How I Survived

*Werewolf pov*

Jack didn't know how, but he somehow survived his rigorous plunge through the drain after being thrown off the ledge. He was dumped into the dark waters of the Hudson, sparkling faintly by the light of the city, and he floated out with the current. He regained enough conscience in time to drag himself to a dock. With immense effort, he hauled himself over and lay limp on the deck. His shoulder was still bleeding heavily from the gash Connors had given him during their confrontation in the sewers, and he was soaked to the skin. His fur color had turned from black to a soft brown, which was his natural pelt. He wasn't too focused on hiding anymore since the whole state was now aware of his existence.

He stared at the night sky, his eyes hurting from the water and his body wracked with exhaustion. All he wanted to do was sleep off his bad experience, but he knew what nightmares would await him. He wasn't even sure if he could get back to his apartment without being arrested. Then again, it was Connors that had rented that place for him. It might not be safe to return. That kind of pissed him off because he had left his iPod there.

After a couple minutes of resting, he forced himself to his feet and shook himself dry, sending both water and blood everywhere. As he walked up the dock, he held onto his shoulder, blood continued to run down his arm. He went into a nearby park, crouched against a tree and bled for a few a while until his healing factor finally returned.

Back in the present, Jack stopped at the edge of the drain, looking around. Below him was a few feet of shore with the East River in front. There was nobody around as he sat down, his arm bleeding. It was the same shoulder that Connors had torn into last time, but at least it wasn't that bad this time around. His bullet wound was another story. Bullets usually dissolved when they penetrated his skin, but because his healing factor was impeded, it would sit in his ribs for a while until it kicked back in.

He couldn't believe that Connors had went after Spiderman while he was still in school. He was just a kid! A teen! Granted, Jack was a kid too, but at least he had the advantage of being a somewhat mature lycan.

Jack shook his head with a sigh. He knew Connors, or Lizard as he liked to be called, was sadistic and crazy and straight up out of his mind with crazy fantasies, but Jack never thought he'd go as far as to hunt down a kid in his own school! What can of psychopath would do that?

He grunted when his shoulder stung, and he cursed Lizard's silver claws. The thought of changing back into a human then entered his mind, but he quickly shook it off. If he transformed, his shoulder and bullet wound would only be more gruesome, and heal far slower than it already was. Jack knew better and took his chances. Though being a wolf made him more vulnerable and more likely to be seen, he knew that no one would think twice about messing with him. It was only his second appearance out in the daylight, and he wasn't necessarily doing any good at the moment. Besides, he did just get shot for trying to help. Who knows what the police might do if they found him just sitting there?

Shaking his head, he swiped his tongue over his new fang, testing its durability. He would have to be careful about it, because if he bit anyone, he might kill them. He knew biting Lizard would change him back into a human, but if he bit an actual person, they would definitely die. Even though he was aware of its lethal effects, he relished its non-metallic taste like his other tooth.

Steeling himself through his pain, he jumped down from the drain and looked around, making sure no one was wandering the shores or walking the popular sidewalk that went along the East River. After making sure all was clear, he went to the water and tried his best to wash his wound. He wasn't a fan of being out in broad daylight, but he didn't want to sit in a drain either. As he tossed water onto his shoulder and ribcage, his ears flicked backward when he heard movement behind him. He turned his head slowly, for whoever it was, he didn't want to scare them. The stranger were leaning casually over the rail, looking at him. The guy was holding a plastic bag in one hand, staring at him with a tipped head.

"You okay, bro?" He asked, and Jack heaved a sigh of relief when he recognized his old friend.

"Davis," Jack acknowledged his friend, his ears flicking forward as he looked at him over his shoulder. His tone was hoarse as he explained, "just ran into some trouble, is all."

"Yeah Russ, I'd say so. The cops are looking everywhere for you, man, after what happened in the Square," Aaron agreed, not moving from his position on the rail.

"Yeah," Jack sighed. Aaron Davis was one of the few individuals who knew of his lycan form, and they had done a few jobs together in the past. He was probably the only person Jack considered an actual friend.

"How's your nephew?" Jack asked, trying to divert Aaron's attention away from his injured shoulder.

"He's okay. The kid's obsessed with Spiderman. Keeps going on about how he's gonna be him one day," Aaron answered with a shrug, "he was pretty impressed when I told him I met the guy."

Jack chuckled softly, and then he felt the pain start to subside from his arm. He looked at his shoulder and saw that the wounds were beginning to close.

"How's the scientist guy you work for?"

"Me and Connors stopped seeing eye-to-eye," Jack huffed as he watched as one of his scratches healed completely, "had a bit of a falling out recently."

"Damn Russ. Is that why you look so beat up?"

"It's hard to explain, but let's just say that his plans weren't what I agreed to."

"You gonna do something?"

"Not at the moment," the lycan replied with a firm shake of his head, "I'm more or less indisposed."

"Yeah, I'd say so," the small-time criminal said, "should I ask what happened?"

"Best not to," Jack responded, testing his arm as his bullet wound healed, "it's a long story."

"Ha, I'll say," Aaron said, crossing his arms while still holding his plastic bag, "it looked like you got mauled, bro."

"One could say that that's what happened."

Aaron raised an eyebrow, giving Jack a curious look. He shook his head, dismissing the lycan's words.

"Hey, uh, but if you need somewhere to crash, you can come hang at my place," Aaron offered, beginning to back up toward the sidewalk, "but I gotta go pick up Miles from school though, because there was some kinda emergency there, if you don't mind coming along. I think I got a shirt in the car for you to wear."

Jack nodded, appreciative of his friend's hospitality. He got to his feet, giving his legs a stretch, and began to follow him. He shed his wolf form as he leapt up on the rail, and when he jumped over, he had returned to a human by the time he hit the ground. His black shorts were the only ones that conformed to his ever-changing shape, but he would need a shirt, which he hoped Aaron would have. He also hoped he had a pair of shoes to wear too.

Jack then looked up at the sound a familiar whipping sound. Sure enough, Spiderman was swinging through the skyscrapers. As he whizzed by, Jack wondered if the web-slinger would try to look for him, but Jack thought that maybe he shouldn't. Spiderman had already worked against the police to help him escape, and it might look bad if a superhero was seen actively hanging out with a presumed bad guy. It might damage his sparkling reputation, and Jack didn't want that. He decided to lay low, out of sight and hoping that Spiderman wouldn't come searching for him.

"Was your hair always red?" Aaron then asked, and Jack ran a hand through his hair, noticing a few strands were a light auburnish color.

Jack sighed. He wouldn't have the chance to dye it again for a while. Then again, he somewhat missed his red hair. Maybe he'd leave it this time.

He never did care for the blonde.

I was wondering where I was gonna put Davis, so this worked out. But where is it going to go from here? You don't know, I don't know, nobody knows. I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see!

~Fargone5