Only Human (Sample)

Chapter Three

When we get back to our territory I'm in a better mood, after saying hello to everyone at the house I quickly duck out and head towards the lake. From there I head towards James's house, James is the pack doctor. I knock twice before entering, the first floor of his house acts as a medical clinic for the pack the second floor is James's personal living space You wouldn't guess it from the outside but the small clinic inside has top of the line medical supplies and equipment.

Even though werewolves are immortal with incredible healing abilities, it doesn't mean they can't be killed. If they sustain too many wounds or if an injury is too severe, they can die without any help. That's where James comes in, he's the best pack doctor in the region, other pack doctor's come to learn from him. But the main reason werewolves need a doctor is for pregnancies. Werewolves have a low birthrate, finding it hard just getting pregnant in the first place. Even if they do manage to get pregnant the birthing process can still be dangerous. The first nine months of the pregnancy are just like that of a human's, but once it's time for the actual birth it becomes a bit more difficult. A werewolf's body is in a constant state of regeneration and is always trying to keep the body in peak physical condition. So once the baby is fully developed and ready to be born the body begins trying to revert itself to its natural state. Which can end up hurting or even killing the baby, it's a delicate balance, one that needs a doctor's help. Since James is the best, other packs and expecting werewolves often ask for his services during pregnancies. My father sometimes uses this to curry favor or even use it as a form of payment to other packs and werewolves.

Needless to say, werewolves take pregnancies very seriously, and is the only other reason a human female may be allowed to join a pack. It is extremely difficult for humans and werewolves to get each other pregnant. On the off chance, a male werewolf does get a human female pregnant they must wait until the baby is born to see if it's human or wolf. If the baby is human nothing happens depending on the wolf if the mother wishes for financial support, the male will usually help, and it ends there. But if the baby is a werewolf, the pack claims the baby. The mother is vetted and if she seems capable of handling the truth and keeping the secret they are both integrated into the pack. If not, the pack will go through different options until they get the baby. This can happen smoothly without problems or it can go very badly, usually for the mother. If a female werewolf gets pregnant by a human male the baby is always a wolf, so the male is never a factor. But all of this is extremely rare and almost never happens. With all my years living with my family and interacting with other werewolves and packs. I have yet to meet or even see another human pack member, I've only heard the rumors and stories.

The reason I'm going to see James is because over the past few years I have been secretly studying how to be a pack doctor from him. When you join a pack, you need to contribute something, most often a wolf will just join in as another fighter or guard for the territory. Seeing as how I'm human that particular route is out of the question for me, nobody in the pack expects anything of me when I join, and I hate that. So, I decided to go the opposite route and would help to heal instead, just like my birth father. No one knows about this yet and James has been kind enough to keep it a secret. This is what I'm hoping to contribute to the pack, another doctor. When I first came to James and asked him to teach me he looked at me like I was crazy, but after explaining to him my feelings and how this was the only real way I could help the pack he relented and started to teach me.

As I walk into the clinic I see James going through and checking all the medical supplies and equipment.

"Hey James, need help with that?"

He looks at me with a jolly smile on his face, his red hair and grizzled beard along with his large physique make him look more like a lumberjack than a doctor. "Caden, I didn't know you'd be coming today. If you don't mind start with the cabinets behind me."