2 comments/ 25289 views/ 9 favorites Wolf's Bane Ch. 01 By: Mr. Marvel My name is William Harold Smythe and this is the story of how I became one of last true immortals. My life began in the year of our lord 1747, on March the fourth, on a small farm outside of Trenton, New Jersey. I was the fifth son of a wheat farmer named Caleb Smythe. My father was a second-generation immigrant when his father brought his pregnant wife over to the New World from Surrey, England to make a better life for his family. Grandfather died of a heart attack after my sister Sarah was born and Grandmother Smythe lasted only another year or so after his passing. Father worked the fields from sun-up to sundown, along with my older brothers; Samuel, Nathaniel, Martin, and Steven. Yes, I was the baby of the family, though Sarah was born five years before me and was my mother's pride and joy. As the weeks passed and became months, I learned to crawl then walk and finally talk. Once I started talking no one in the family could get me to stop. They always referred to me as the chatterbox and if they yelled at me to be silent, I just kept going as if nothing was said. As the years passed I grew into the spitting image of my grandfather, black hair that shown almost blue and sea green eyes, though a little taller than he was at the end of his life. At the age of fifteen I started growing taller and ended up at the height of six feet four inches. Because of the work that I did on the farm I developed strong, lean muscles that belied my true strength. By the time I reached eighteen I was trapping and hunting in the forest surrounding our home, so we had fresh meat every few days. It all started on a crisp April morning, a Sunday if memory serves me correctly, I had risen with the sun and dressed quickly to start my chores. Poppa was working in the fields already, tending to the matters of various pests. I walked down the familiar stairs of my home, hearing the clinking, hustle and bustle of breakfast being made. As I walked into the kitchen, Mother scolds me for sleeping so late, though I know she is only teasing me, as is her custom to do so. "Morning Momma." I said with a small smile. "Good morning sleepyhead. What are your plans for today?" asked Samantha. Samantha Smythe was always a chipper sort of woman with a pleasant sense of humor. "Well, after I finish my chores Martin and I will be going into the forest to hunt." He had prepared his hunting rifle and all of their supplies the night before. "Be careful, William. You know I don't like you going into that particular forest to hunt. You've heard the rumors, same as I have. Something is very queer about those woods." Samantha said as she hugged her son. The fabric of her homespun dress always felt scratchy against his skin. "Yes, Momma. I always am and you know it." I stated. After I ate my breakfast of porridge my siblings decided now was the time to make an entrance. I cleared my bowl from the table as everyone was murmuring good morning to each other. I told Martin to hurry up but my older brother told me that 'Rome wasn't built in a day.' I rolled my eyes at him, as was my custom, whenever he tried to impart little pearls of wisdom to me or anyone else. As I walked outside onto the front porch I called out good morning to Poppa, to which he waved from the golden field. A few more weeks and the wheat would be ready for harvesting, then we would rotate other crops in it's' place. 'Better get started on my chores.' I thought. I made my way to our chicken coop, checked on their water, threw a little feed on the ground outside the coop but still inside the fenced area for the chickens. They all ran out of the coop to get to the feed first, and while they were feeding, I managed to scoop out all the dropping with a shovel before they were finished. The chickens seemed a little off today for some reason, they were acting very strange. I just couldn't put my finger on what was off. Anyhow, I headed towards the barn to move a few bundles of hay. I've been putting it off for a few days and Pa would take his belt to me if I didn't get it done today, before I left. Ten bundles of hay, weighing about thirty pounds apiece, tied in sturdy twine, by the time I was done moving them I was lightly covered in sweat. I then hear Martin calling my name so I hollered back that I'd be there soon. I ran out of the barn as soon as I was finished with my chores. Martin was standing on the porch with his rifle and his rucksack full of supplies for our expedition. I looked around the porch and didn't see my things. "Marty, where is my stuff?" I asked my brother. "Do I look like your body servant? Get your things yourself." Martin said smartly. I stomped back into the house, letting the door slam behind me. "Don't slam the door William!" My mother exclaimed. I cringed inwardly; her yelling was like sharp nails on a chalkboard. I quietly walked back up to my room and gathered his gear. I gathered my flintlock rifle, gunpowder, paper wadding, lead ammunition, hunting knife, bedroll, and a few blankets. 'I'd only need the last two if Martin decided to camp out in the forest.' William thought. Martin was in charge of packing other supplies for a few meals and some bandages in case one of us got hurt. I stuffed my gear in my rucksack, which had seen better days, and carried my rifle over my shoulder. The early morning sun streamed through the dust covered window. His small bed sat along the wall, the duck feathered mattress showed the odd feather poking through here and there. I rushed out of my room and clipped my elbow on the doorframe as I passed. Martin was still smirking when I finally made it out the door. As I passed him I jabbed him firmly in the ribs. We started walking towards the forest, as we passed poppa we waved at him. "You boys be careful. Martin, mind your brother while you're in those woods." Caleb called out to his sons. "Yes, Poppa." replied Martin. I just rolled my eyes at Martin; he was such a suck up at times. We started off again and soon we left our fields behind as we neared the edge of the forest. Tall pine trees made up much of the woods near their home, of course there are oak and birch trees sprinkled throughout the woods but the pine trees with their coarse bark dominated the landscape. Brown-orange pine needles littered the ground everywhere they looked and small undergrowth made their way very difficult. After walking for an hour, they found a small clearing. "Martin, I think this is as good a place as any to wait. It's only a matter of time before something comes here to graze or forage for food." I said. Martin agreed with me. Besides, if we went any further it would take us longer to get back home carrying our meat and equipment. I took off my rucksack and laid it near the base of an old oak tree. I made my self as comfortable as possible against my rucksack and waited. Martin found a nice spot behind a pine tree, about fifteen feet away. I took my rifle and started to prepare for the prey to come. I half cocked the striker on my rifle and loaded a small amount of gunpowder in the chamber through he muzzle. I then loaded my paper-covered ammunition down the spiral barrel chamber with a ramrod to make use it went in all the way. I then prime the flash pan with a bit of fine gunpowder and then set the striker to full cocked. When that was done I looked over at Martin, to see that he was just finishing loading his own rifle. 'And now we wait.' William thought. The minutes seemed to tick by slowly, the birds chirped off in the distance, crickets were singing on a nearby log. Waiting was the worse part of hunting, there was nothing to distract you while you wait. Soon, I began to get tired. I tried in vain to keep my eyes open but it is a losing battle. I finally gave out and nod off. The sound of a twig snapping brought me wake almost instantly. I looked over at Martin and saw he was awake too. I picked up my rifle and checked the clearing. There in the middle were five deer, two bucks with twelve point antlers, one adult female, and two little baby deer's. I motioned Martin with my free hand and indicated the two bucks as targets. He nodded his head and pointed to the one on the right for himself and then pointed at the left one for me. I nodded briefly, raised my flintlock, and sighted the left most deer. I was aiming at its chest while I slowed my breathing and steadied my rifle. My vision narrowed until all I saw was the buck I was aiming at and counted to ten silently. I closed my eyes at the last second and pulled the trigger. The lead ball fired perfectly from my rifle and struck the buck right in the chest. I heard a second shot half a second later and noted that Martin's buck staggered then fell. My buck was no better; it just dropped instead of staggering. The other deer ran as soon as the first shot was fired and vanished into the surrounding woods. I got up from my hiding place and slowly walked towards my kill. I kept away from it for fifteen minutes, just to make sure it was done with its death throes. I looked up through the trees noticing that it was getting late. "Martin, I think we'll need to spend the night here. It took nearly an hour to get here through unmanageable underbrush and pricker brushes. Plus we got two bucks to carry back with us." "Yeah Willie, your right. I'll set up camp and you field dress the carcasses. I'm going to go look for some dry fire wood." "Fine. Don't wander too far though. You might get lost." I said sarcastically. "Can't hide behind mother's apron now, can you little brother? You don't want me to thump you now." Martin said with a little laugh and walked off to find some firewood. He came back five minutes later carrying a large bundle of wood. While he was setting up the fire I dressed the deer as best I could. They should be fine until tomorrow. I unrolled my bedroll and laid two blankets on top and pulled the corner of one blanket over for later. Martin was starting to prepare dinner, some beef jerky, a few rolls of bread, and four pieces of peppermint sticks for later. We ate our dinner in relative silence and sucked on the peppermint sticks before turning in. As soon as the covers were over me I was asleep like a log. I had no dreams that night, just a peaceful sleep where time didn't matter. Suddenly I awoke, not quite sure what had woken me. I didn't move out of my covers but I did listen to my surroundings. Something was stalking our camp, by the sound of it was big. I risked looking over at Martin to see him already awake, looking into the woods, trying to find whatever it was that stalking them. I locked eyes with Martin and arched my eyebrow, indicating that I was up to something. He shook his head no but it was too late to stop now. I reached for my hunting knife, pulled it from the sheath and gripped it firmly in my left hand, the blade turn under my forearm. I hoped to keep it hidden until Martin could load his gun. I heard a branch snap closer to the camp, directly behind me. 'Crap, why me?' I thought. Like a flash I was up and turned towards the sound I heard. I strained my eyes, hoping to see where the hell it was. The next thing I know a large blur of fur shoots out of the woods faster than lightning striking the ground. Before me drew up the largest animal I had ever seen. It was at least seven feet tall, brown fur covering its body from head to toe. The only thing that I could compare it to was a wolf, though not like any wolf I've ever seen. It stood on two legs and had a human like body, the rest was pure wolf. Its muzzle held razor sharp teeth, at least half an inch long. It paws or hands had stubby fingers with razor sharp claws almost an inch long. Then I noticed its face, which held an almost human intelligence and had a mane of shaggy hair topped off with two pointed ears on the top of its head. The eyes held me for the slightest moment, the color of the sky on a bright sunny day. The growl was what brought me out of my investigation; it was showing hostility towards me and my brother. I acted before it was too late. I charged the beast and swung my left arm out in a wide arch catching the creature off guard. My knife slashed the beast across the chest, leaving a small river of blood dripping down its fur. That got it mad. The beast lunged and snapped its jaws, enclosing my arm in a forest of sharp teeth. Its jaws tighten on my arm, breaking with a sickening wet snap. I screamed in agony as stars exploded behind my eyes. I heard a gun going off and the beast released its grip on my arm. It staggered back a few feet and once it got it's wits about it the beast renewed its attack. My left arm lay at my side, bloody and useless, my knife laid on the ground in front of me. I reached for my knife, picked it up and stabbed the creature with all of my might under the jaw, driving the knife right into its brain. It pawed at the knife trying to grasp it for a few fleeting moments, then fell forward and stopped moving. I moved forward, grasped the handle of the knife, and yanked it free of the beast. Once I had my knife everything went black and fell to the ground. ________________________________________________________________ I was dreaming, the most vivid dream that I have ever had. I was dressed in old clothes, wearing a tall hat with a gold buckle on it. I was siting in a chair in what appeared to be a formal meetinghouse or church. Before me were seven people, the village council or elders. Their ages ranged from late thirties to early seventies and were all male. They were all dressed in black robes and had adored, white wigs upon their heads, as a sign of their office. I was beginning to feel nervous as I looked at these grim looking men sitting behind a large table facing me. One from the middle of the table stood up and cleared his throat in order to speak. "Benjamin, you have been charge with witchcraft, consorting with minions of the devil, and for bringing this darkness into our fair town of Salem. Do thou have anything to say in your defense?" Said one of the men. I stood up slowly, taking my time before answering, though I had no idea why these people were calling me Benjamin. I was thinking of ways to stall them, when I suddenly started to speak against my own aversion. "I have done nothing of the sort. Who here has accused me?" An old man at the end of the table spoke up. "The widow Parkins claims that she saw you three nights passed, in the pale light of the full moon, and watched as you changed form into that of a wolf beast. We know that is one sign of witchcraft, shape shifting, and witchcraft comes from communion with the devil, there fore you are guilty of the crime of witchcraft and consorting with the devil. You have sinned Benjamin, against God himself and only he can grant you salvation. Admit to your crimes and we shall make your death as painless as possible. If you don't, well then we will make you suffer unimaginable agony until you die of a slow death." "What say you?" asked the first man. I took a slow steady breath, while on the inside I was afraid of what would happen, but I gathered my courage and stood as straight as I could and replied. "My answer is this gentle sirs; fuck you. I do not recognize you as lawful elders of this community and there fore you cannot judge for these so called crimes." There were gasps from behind me and I heard the sudden thudding of bodies hitting the floor. The old men in front of me singled to two strapping young man-boys to take hold of me but I did not fight their grasp. "For your insolence Benjamin, you shall be marked as a witch, and then burned at the stake tonight, where you wither in the fires of hell for all to see." Replied the old man again. The seen slowly faded and became nighttime. There was a huge stake surrounded by old logs, which they're being covered in pitch and oil. The entire town was there to see me burn. Vendors were going here and there selling their wares to the crowed spectators, making a profit off my death. Soon they marched me out of the town hall, shackled by my wrists and ankles, towards thew stake. The town council was standing in front of the stake waiting for my arrival. The blacksmith came forth with a branding iron, glowing brightly in the night like a star. The iron held the emblem of the witch, which was a huge star inside of a circle. My guard forced my hand open and the blacksmith branded my right hand, throughout the entire process I did not scream nor did I make a sound. My forehead was covered in a light sheen of sweat and I was re-shackled to the stake. I noticed that clouds covered the night sky and wish one last time to see the moon in all her glory. "Benjamin," started one of the council members,"you have been found guilty of Witchcraft and have of consorting with the devil. The town council of Salem, Massachusetts has sentence you to death, to burn at the stake." With that one of the council members threw down a lit torch. Flames leapt up the logs and started to consume them, I could smell the sickly sweet smell of the pitch burning beneath me. The flames soon spread and started to burn my cloths and me. I struggled against my bonds and started to scream, which turn into a roar of fury. All of the townspeople cringed back from the stake and watch in horror as I began to change. The sounds of clothes tearing and bones popping out of place only to be rearranged into a different position. I looked up and saw the moon breaking through the cloud cover and its rays shone directly on me. The crowd scream in horror as I change from a human to a werewolf of lore. It was easy enough to snap my bonds, like dried out kindling. I leapt down from the stake and tore through the nearby council members with my razor sharp claws. Before the rest of the towns people knew what was going on, I rush out of the square leaving behind a trail of death and destruction in my wake. Never to be by these pathetic people again. ________________________________________________________________ I shot straight up in bed and began screaming at the top of my lungs that is when I felt many hands trying to restrain me. I thrashed in bed for a good ten minutes, cursing and swearing at those around me. I managed to throw someone a good five feet from me. The next thing I know I'm strapped down to my bed and its early morning, judging from the light shining through my window. I look down to see that I'm restrained with belts. I try to move but the belts would not budge, so I quit trying to move. I look to my left and see my father sitting next to my bed, sound asleep with bags under his eyes. I did not expect him to have his gun in his lap though. "Pop, what going on?" I ask. That seemed to wake him up and he eyed me wearily, like I was going to eat him whole or something. "William, how are you feeling? You had us sacred there for a while." Pa said. "Well," I stopped and searched for how I felt and then I realized I felt really great for some reason. "I feel really good, but the last thing I remember was being attacked by a wolf." I decided to leave out the part about the wolf being a complete monster. "That's what Martin said. He dragged you out of the forest by himself and in the dark too. He is lucky he found his way home at all. It must have been a big wolf by the size of the bite marks. Nathaniel and Steven went and retrieved the deer, they were perfectly fine so don't worry about it. Though they didn't find the wolf's carcass, strange really, you'd think the deer carcasses would have been drug off by a predator and not the wolf's. You've been asleep for three days with a high fever, you've been rambling on and off since you got back, then you started cursing and hitting everything within reach. You threw Samuel across the room." Pa said. Wolf's Bane Ch. 01 "Can you let me up then?" I asked. He untied me and I sprang out of bed like a leaf on the wind. The next few weeks were the best of my life, everything seemed sharper in my eyes and I could hear a pin drop in the kitchen from my bedroom. I went through my chores quicker then my siblings and they started to notice a change in me, like I had this cloak of confidence wrapped around me at all times. While I was alone I noticed that I was almost three times stronger than before and all of my senses were remarkably heightened to the point like they were those of an animal. Then everything took a turn for the worse, as the entire family went to the nearest town for supplies and to visit friends of the family in Burlington. It took us better part of a day to reach Burlington by horse drawn wagon. The Barnes were a family of sweet-hearted people, shorter then my sister at 5'5, but sweet hearted none the less. All of the young people hung out and talked most of the day and went to a church carnival to enjoy ourselves to our fullest. We laughed and ate to our hearts content and they began the campfire tales of wicked witches and creatures of the night under the cloudy sky. Old man MacClintock was sitting at the place of honor in front of the bonfire, preparing to tell his last story of the evening, usually his best. The locals said that his ending story was always the best, but never the same one twice. "Gather 'round, gather 'round little ones, for this is the last story for tonight. Your wondering what it will be about. Witches, warlocks, demons within the woods, shape shifters, evil kings, grand wizards, fairy princesses, but what shall it be?" the old man wheezed out. He sat there scratching his bearded chin, a picture perfect image of contemplation. Then he clapped his hands in a gesture of supreme pleasure, as a broad grin spread across his face. "This years' story is about a man, cursed forever to live his life in the light as a man, while in the darkness he walked the path of the beast." Old man MacClintock went on for an hour, describing the most pained filled story about this man who is curse to take the shape of a wolf in the night. The man was killed in the end by a silver handled cane and was buried in a shallow grave filled with wolf's bane. Everyone screamed when one of the parents came running up to the fire wearing a home made mask and howled like a dog. I laughed at these antics and remembered them from my childhood. As everyone was getting up, I felt the strangest sensation rippling all over my body, starting from my toes to the very top of my hair. I looked about; trying to discern what was causing this, and notice my shadow on the ground. 'What's this?' I thought to myself. I was acting like a fool and realized it was just moon light. I slowly looked up into the cloudy sky and saw the moon trying to peek through the cloud cover. After a minute the moon finally came into plain view and my body was locked in its place, unable to move feeling the blood pumping through my veins. Soon I was able to hear my heartbeat, and then other heartbeats joined mine. I realized I was hearing the heartbeats of those around me. I felt myself start to change as I stared directly into the moon. My two upper and lower canine teeth elongated, my skin was aflame like it was covered with ants, my bones start to grow and shift. I heard screams throughout the campsite; one of them was my own. The sound of tearing cloth was in my ears, as my face changed into a muzzle and my hands became claw like. The scent of unwashed bodies came to my nose, along with the pungent odor of fear. I look down and see dark fur sprouting all over my body, the same as the color of my hair, except an area across my chest that had a diagonal silver swath. I looked around and saw all of the people running in all directions and began to fear what I might be. But something didn't seem right to me. 'From all of the stories I've heard, were-creatures are supposed to be mindless minions of the devil. Evil through and through. Yet I don't feel evil. I still feel like me, except different. Powerful even.' I thought. I started to walk and almost stumbled. I looked down and saw the ruin tatters of my shoes and other clothing. I kicked off the remains of my shoes and flex the toes of my paws and started to run. I slowed down looking at everything with new eyes. I saw my father, not far off, trying to rouse some woman that had fainted. I approached slowly not wanting to startle him. He spun around suddenly, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Stay back foul beast!" he shouted. "Father, please." I spoke for the first time since the change. My voice sounded hoarse and gravelly. "William, my son. What has happened to you?" My father said with tears running down his face. "It's still me, papa. I'm just different now, but I'm still your son on the inside." I said pleadingly. "I know that, my boy. But you can't come home again. Word of this will spread like wildfire and the local church followers will come looking for you at home with torches, pitchforks, and flintlocks. They'll kill you, after their done torturing you in some damnable witch trial. I love you son, now go before they gather in force." My father was openly crying now and turn his back on my. I stood their unable to move for a minute. "Good bye father, I love you all." I whispered. And with that I ran off into the woods. Leaping over large tree falls, dodging large predators here and there. In the distance I heard the baying of hunting dogs and the sent of pitch torches wafted on the breeze. I kept running in the direction that I thought was east, towards the morning sun. Once in a while I would cross streams, small rivers, and cut across fields when I came upon them. Soon the sound of the dogs fell behind as I headed deeper into the forest, as the moon started to sink behind me. Two hours later I came upon a small creek and I stopped to rest and drink my fill. I lapped at the water with my tongue, causing ripples to spread out in the running water. Once they settled, I saw my new face for the first time. 'Not bad. Still have my green eyes though.' I thought. I reached up and scratched my pointed ears, which had shifted near the top of my head. I noticed then that I still had my hunting knife attached to my belt. I touched the knife with one stubby, padded finger. I drew myself out of my revelry and started to run again. Hours melted together and soon the sky began to turn a deep blue with the beginning of the rising sun. Soon I found my self-standing at the base of a small mountain that bordered a rather large valley. It was a steep climb, which I did on either two legs or four that seem completely natural. 'Those stories must be wrong. I don't feel evil at all, just free and powerful. Well, according to the church, if it feels good, it must be wrong or evil.' I mused. All too soon I found a small cave niche in the side of the mountain faces towards the inside of the valley. As the sun peeked out from the horizon, I felt myself change and when I looked down I was 'normal' again. I crawled into the cave and laid down on the rocky, uneven surface. After a few minutes of staring out into the new morning light, I drifted off into a deep sleep. Sweet darkness greeted me and I was at peace. Who knows what the new day could bring. Wolf's Bane Ch. 02 Chapter 2 I slept through the entire day, waking up now and again to cry softly then fall back into slumber. On the second day in my cave I finally roused myself up from hunger pains and the need to urinate badly. Once that was taken care of I went in search of breakfast; which turn out to be a rather small hare. It was pretty easy to kill it, as I just threw my hunting knife at it and struck it in the head, handle first. It was dead after that blow so I took it back to my cave then gathered some dry wood and made a small smokeless fire. After that I looked around my little home, looking in all directions, nothing but tall pine trees as far as the eyes could see. Down in the valley there were small herds of deer and other wild game. Mostly turkey vultures, quail, turkeys, and even pheasant. Wandering down the mountainside into the valley I found an oak tree fall which had seen many summers. I broke off a branch, about four feet in length, and sat on the oak log. I pulled out my hunting knife and started to sharpen one end of the branch, pulling off offshoots as I went. Once that was done I repeated the process twice more and carried my three spears back to the cave. The days passed with a steady pace, slowly turning into months then finally years. I now stood outside my cave the last remaining shreds of clothes had long been turned into a loincloth. I was leaner than a mountain lion but stronger than a bear. There were quite a few of these creatures in the area but not for a long time for some strange reason. I had watched many winters in my cave, nearly freezing to death once or twice. My skin was now tanned to a nice golden bronze, my hair held back in a tight thong made out of animal skin. I notice over time that my senses, speed and strength had been increasing in leaps and bounds. My mind seems sharper than it was and my overall intelligence seems to be increasing year by year. And as the years passed, my monthly changes came with them until one night not so long ago that I willed myself not to change and I didn't. It took a while of practicing and now I was able to change into my wolf /man form whenever I chose. To me, it has felt like many a year has pasted since that fateful night. Surviving here was difficult at first but then it got easier over time. After the first couple of years I stop even counting the days for I no longer cared about things like that. That is until I noticed people. At first it started innocently enough, a man walking through the woods wearing a strange rucksack and odd clothing. Time pasted and on the far edge of the forest, my eyes strained to their limits, I could see the beginnings of a road. From my cave to this road was at least a few days away on foot. Time pasted again and the road expanded further into the woods, driving most of the wild game further away than usual. Soon a building went up, no more than a shack, which in time became a larger house. Then a second house was built, then a third, and then a fourth, until dozens of house lined the outside of the forest. Other buildings soon went up and these groups of houses and buildings became a town. Still I stayed in my cave; I really didn't want any part of that town. Usually I would watch this town, unable to see the odd-looking black road. 'Must be a new form of cobblestones.' I thought. Time passed yet again and the town expanded only a little, but the animals stayed away from the town and only went into it at night. On some days I could see some odd looking horse-less carriages on black wheels but that was only if I climbed to the highest point of the mountain. Other strange machines started to appear, ones that could fly high up in the sky. At times they flew low enough so I could see people travelling inside and other times they were so high that they must have reached the top of the world. All was peaceful on my mountain, that is until the townspeople started to clear a good portion of the trees from the forest. They used ugly, foul smelling, yellow metal monstrosities to push and trample trees and undergrowth. The animals fled these machines, driving further and further into the forest, and soon my supply of game will be gone. The trees that were knocked down were placed in the back of a huge metal cargo hauler and disappeared down the winding road into the distance. Machines with claws dug into the earth, tearing, ripping it apart until it was flattened course sand. These people were coming into my territory; soon I will not be able to stay hidden. That came to pass rather quickly. It happened on one of the moonlit nights and I heard strange noises off in the distance, near the base of the mountain. I drew my weathered hunting knife, years of maintenance kept my knife relatively sharp, but the passage of time was taking its toll on my ever-useful tool. I went to investigate this noise, so close to my home. After thirty minutes of walking in the shadows I came upon a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was a large bonfire, a few dead falls lay scattered around. I then noticed a large group of people, around the age of eighteen if I had to guess. They were laughing and singing but their was no instruments in sight so I knew not where the strange loud music came from. There was a strange curved 'box' near one of the dead falls, where a rather short guy with dark hair and metal piercings through his nose and ears. I then smelled liqueur in the air, a very pungent odor which told me these people were drinking or drunk at the moment. I peered closer and saw them hold flimsy cups. As I watched I noticed that the young women in this group were unchaperoned and dangerously close to being taken advantaged of. Lust filled the air and I saw a small splinter group of three boys watching the young women like foxes inside a chicken coup. The way these young women dress was near scandalous. 'Those pieces of scum, they're planning something. Maybe they're going to take advantage of one of the young ladies.' I thought. One of the girls staggered to her feet and shuffled out of the clearing, wobbling on her unsteady feet. The three boys watched her leave with what I could only describe as a predator's gaze, cold, calculating, and excitement. I made my way around the clearing, avoiding the firelight, ducking behind bushes and trees. My progress was slow but eventually made it to the path they took and followed stealthily not making a single noise. Soon the woods thinned out and I came upon the area where the large metal machines were clearing the ground. The three boys had the young lady cornered against one of the machines and from the distance I was at I could clearly see fear on her face and smell it on the breeze. They blocked very escape route, forcing her to remain where she was. As I approach I could hear snippets of what they were saying to her, their tone harsh, their body language threatening. "Come on you little bitch. Your going to give it up to us one way or another." Said the leader of the group. The other two laughed at her apparent fear. "No, please, don't do this. I'm begging you not to do this." The girl whimpered. This only spurred them on, filling the air with the scent of their lust. "Oh, yeah we're going to have some real fun with you. I'm going to claim that tasty as of yours'." Sneered the one to the left while the last one remained silent. The girl began to cry, unable to stop what was going to happen to her. Then they started to grope and prod her flesh, making her cry out in pain. All the while I remained in the shadows, getting very angry with these fools. No one had the right to take advantage of someone like that. I walked forward, still being silent and the girl continued to cry. They were laughing now, clearly enjoying their fun. One pulled out what appeared to be a handle of some sort and with a flick of the wrist the blade of a knife shot out. The knife wielder started to cut the shirt of the girl and was very rough with the knife cutting into the fabric. I finally reach the trio, still quiet as a church mouse. They were laughing, enjoying their fun, almost sadistic in nature. I reached out with my right hand and grabbed the leader by the scruff of the neck. He stopped laughing immediately, as did his two friends. I threw him to the ground roughly and slid four feet away. His two friends realized what was happening and lunged for me, one going for my legs, while the other went for my midsection. I saw this coming a mile away and easily sidestepped the pair. As they passed I threw a right hook into the temple of the nearest fool and he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The other one scrambled to his feet and spoke finally. "This is none of your business motherfucker, this bitch is ours." He spat out. I was then that he notice my appearance for the first time and stared opened mouthed at what he saw. "You are a fool and a braggart. You will come to a bad end some day, in which it may be painful to the bitter end." I replied. I lashed out with my bare foot, connecting with his left knee. I heard a wet snap coming from the knee and he crashed to the ground screaming in pain. The girl all the while watched in fascination, as her would be hero mopped the floor with these three losers. "Hey, dumbass!" I heard behind me. The leader had gotten his second wind and somehow found a strange sledgehammer. He swung with all his might, in a wide sideways arch and landed a heavy blow to my shoulder blade. He was surprised to see the hammer bounce off my back, only leaving a small, barely visible bruise. It hurt for a few seconds but it wasn't that bad though, it did piss me off though. I stared at the confused boy and I decided his life wasn't worth a bucket of piss and started to change into the beast. Loud popping noise could be heard several feet away, and my fur rippled along my muscles. As soon as it started, it was over. Where once a wild man stood now a werewolf took his place. I popped my claws out and slashed his neck out, blood spewing everywhere covering my black fur in blood. I turned to the other one that had regained his senses; he stared at me with open horror. He tried to stab me with his knife which I caught easily in my paw. I grabbed him with my other hand and hoisted him up nearly three feet off the ground. He was helpless now, at my mercy, which at the moment I had very little in store. I heaved with all of my inhuman might and he went sailing through the air, hitting a large oak with a loud sickening thud. Definitely dead, his neck crushed down into his body, his head split open with the chewy center leaking out. The last one was still on the ground screaming in pain and fear; I could see madness clearly in his eyes, spittle coming out of the corners of his mouth. I turned back to the girl, she was staring at me wide eyed, unable to decide whether to be scared or awed at what she had just seen. Our eyes met and I stared deeply into her dark blue eyes. "Are you ok?" I asked, my voice a deep timbre. She nodded her head once unable to speak for a minute. While she decided whether to speak or not, I changed back into my human form. Yet again she stared in awe and saw my face for the first time. "My God your gorgeous!" She said and then blushed as she realized what she said. "Um, thank young miss" I replied, very unsure for the first time in a long while. "Do you know you're naked?" she asked. I looked down and it appeared she was right, my transformation had apparently took it's toll on my loin clothe. "Yes, well, as my grandpa used to say 'Shite happens.'" I replied with a hint of humor on my lips. But the girl seemed preoccupied looking at my crotch. I lowered my hand to waist level and gestured upward and she blushed when she realized she was caught. "You speak very oddly, you know." She stated. I nodded my head sagely. "Been hearing that since I was born. 'Course my brothers said that very often." I said. Memories of my family came to the surface of my mind. A lone tear slide out the corner of my eye. "Well, my name is William Smythe. What is your name my dear?" I asked the girl. "My name is Tessa Martinez. Glad to meet you Willy." She said with a smirk. A bark of laughter escaped my lips and really looked at the young girl in front of me. She was very beautiful. Shoulder length brown hair with blond streaks, large blue eyes starring at me with something I couldn't identify, her skin was the color of honey. 'Yes, very beautiful.' I thought. "Martinez? That's a strange name. Where does your family hail from Tessa?" I asked. She gave me an odd look, but shrugged a second later. "My family originally came from Puerto Rico, we moved here a couple a years back. It's just me and my mom now. Dad was killed in a car crash not long after." She said looking down at the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry for your loss." I said, she seemed to be sad for a moment. I didn't exactly know what a car was, but I assumed it was something mechanical. "So Mr. Smythe, where does your family come from?" she asked. She wiped her hand across her face, smearing a little of her makeup. "My grandfather came over from England with his wife and started a farm. My father became a farmer too and started breeding like rabbits with my mother. Five siblings in all." I said with a smile on my face. For reasons beyond me, we were getting along famously, though a few words were strange. "I think Tessa, that I should escort you safely home." I said to her. She nodded her head and gave me a huge smile. She grabbed my hand, feeling the rough calluses on them and we started to walk away from the cleared area, leaving the broken boy on the ground long since passed out. We avoided the other clearing and made our way towards the town, which I had avoided like the black plague. "You know you're the first werewolf, I've ever met. Tell me William, how long have you been out here in the woods?" Tessa asked. "Well I been out here a long while. Don't know for sure. Last time I check it was the year of our lord 1765. Why, what year is it?" I asked almost fearing the answer. I may have been out here at least twenty, twenty-five years. What she said next shocked me to my core. "William, it the year 2006." She said slowly. Looking at me very cautiously. "So, apparently I'm...a two hundred and fifty-nine year old werewolf, walking in the moonlight with a very beautiful young women." She beamed a smile at me that could have light the entire forest. "Hmmm, two fifty nine. Wow, you're older than the damn country." She said. I was a little surprised at the language she was using, but then again this isn't my time. Everyone I knew was dead and buried. And I barely looked older than twenty-two. "Well, you, Sir William, need a shower, a hair cut and most definitely a shave." Tessa said with a twinkle in her eyes. With that one look I blushed like I hadn't done in years. We continued walking into the woods drawing closer to the town. Twigs and grass were crunched underneath my feet, a light breeze blew threw the trees, lifting up Tessa's hair every so often. I then notice what she was wearing; dark colored breeches, bright blue shoes, a short-cropped tunic with lettering on the front though that was now unrecognizable from the attack earlier. I took in her other features as well; long legs, wide hips, slender arms, an almost swan like neck, she nearly came level with my shoulders, and though I tried not to look, her bosom was very 'abundant' and nearly popping out of her ruined shirt. But I'm naked so I didn't have much to talk about and I wasn't wanting to be a hypocrite. We continued to walk in a comfortable silence, still holding hands. The woods thinned out and we reached a stretch of grass that bordered one of those very strange cobbled streets. The road was still warm from the afternoon sun and felt refreshing from walking the forest floor for so long. "Tessa, what is the name of this town?" I asked. "Well you wouldn't know the name of this little burg but then again, nobody outside of it would recognize its name. The town is called Fox Hollow; it isn't even on a map it so small. The nearest neighboring town is a good thirty miles away but basically were in the middle of nowhere on the back end of the Pine Barrens." Tessa said with a little humor. We continued walking for little less than a mile into the town, Fox Hollow, now that I knew the name. Most of the houses that they pass were dark but others had lights shinning threw their windows. Finally we reach our destination, a fairly large house, two stories at least, painted a pale blue color with white trim and a white front door. All of the lights in this house were blazing, as if a hundred torches lit the inside of the house. "Oh, shit." Tessa whispered. The fear came back to her face and returned to air once more. "What is something the matter?" I asked, concerned at her reaction to her home. Unconsciously claws popped out of my fingers and my hands sprouted dark fur. It took a second to calm down and my hand returned to normal then I looked into Tessa's face presenting a calm exterior. "Yeah, you could say that. My mom is up and is waiting for me to come in. I didn't exactly tell her I was going out and snuck out. I can tell you right now she is going to be pissed." She said. "I think she'll be happy you weren't killed or raped tonight. But you might want to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. And don't worry I'll be right there, right beside you." I flashed what I considered to be my most charming smile, though I probably didn't even come close to charming at the moment. I held her hand and walked towards the house, Tessa stop at the front door for two minutes, gathering her courage for the fight she knew would be ahead. She reached out, turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, we moved silently into the house. Just as I closed the door, I heard the most ear-shattering scream, which hurt my sensitive ears, and was repeatedly hit by a blunt object. Then the yelling began as I was being hit, the yelling was mostly in another language, which thankfully I couldn't understand. I threw up my hands to shield myself form the blows, and turned to she an older version of Tessa, whom appeared to be extremely pissed at the moment and was glaring daggers at me, and then at Tessa. "What the hell do you think your doing young lady!? Where have you been? It's nearly two thirty in the morning!" Mrs. Martinez screamed in fluent Spanish "Momma, please calm down! I can explain everything, if only you stop hitting William." Tessa responded like wise in Spanish, her eyes glazed over with fear. "Who the hell is William?" she screamed in Spanish. "Hum... the guy you're hitting right now." Tessa said meekly. Mrs. Martinez stopped hitting me and got her first good look at me. "Why the fuck is he naked?" she said and then noticed the condition of her daughters' clothes. "What the hell happened to you!? You son-of-a-bitch! If you hurt one hair one on my little babies' head I'll fucking kill you." Her eyes were blazing with rage at the thoughts that I had done something to Tessa. Of course I didn't know what she was saying to me, but I could under stand her body language and the hostility she was showing me. "Ma'am, if you will only give me a chance to explain you'll be happy to have your daughter back safe and sound." I said with all of the sincerity I could muster. "Alright, but you have ten minutes to tell my your damn story and if I'm not satisfied with it your going to end up as a human piñata in my living room. Then I am going to call the cops on you dumbass." She said fiercely and walked down the hallway to another room, Tessa and I followed and once there we sat down. Mrs. Martinez was pacing back and fore, muttering under her breath every now and again. She stopped suddenly and lock eyes with me, her hazel eyes bore right into me, but I was unaffected by it and its' intensity. Her gaze flickered down to my crotch and stared for a few seconds longer than necessary. She looked back up and saw that she was caught in the act, and blushed beautifully just like her daughter. Wolf's Bane Ch. 02 "Ok, gringo, out with it." She said with a small smile on her lips. It took nearly half an hour to explain everything. To say she was shocked didn't even come close to what we saw expressed on her face. When I got to the part about the rape, her face paled quickly then she almost fainted when I told her I killed two of the bastards and left one crippled and nearly insane with pain and horror. "How could you kill two people and cripple another just by yourself?" she asked, sounding very doubtful. "It's very simple, Mrs. Martinez. I'm a werewolf." I stated as a matter of fact. She looked at me like I was crazy and was on the verge of running for the phone to call the 'cops' as she put it. "I'll show you if you don't believe me." I said "This I got to see. Whenever your ready crazy man." She said. Tessa had been strangely quiet throughout the entire conversation but now showed signs of excitement at seeing me transform again. The change only took a minute. The fur spread quickly, the bones realigned themselves with their popping sounds, my snout formed, my claws popped out of my fingers, and then it was done. I stretched to my full height, which reach to nearly seven feet tall, and hit my head on the ceiling of the room. I growled at it for just being a nuisance and turned my green eyes down onto Mrs. Martinez. She covered her mouth with her hand struggling to stop the scream from coming out of her mouth and looked like a deer caught in a trap, unable to move or turn away. Ever so slowly I changed back; a light film of sweat covered my body. Mrs. Martinez sank down into the couch looking utterly exhausted, like she'd been through ten rounds of bare-knuckle boxing. Tessa rose from her seat and pulled on my hand. I followed her to the front of the house and then up a plight of stairs. The feel of some strange fabric beneath my feet, a rug of some sorts that covered every inch of the second floor. Tessa lead me to a small room with a tile floor and a medium sized bathtub against the far wall. There was an odd-looking metal nozzle coming out of the wall in front of the tub. Tessa walked forward and turn a knob near the top of the tub and water shot out of the metal nozzle. She felt it for a few minutes with her hand and adjusted the knob, then stood up and gestured me forward. I had the strangest feeling that she was the predator and I was the prey for some reason. Butterflies seemed to have sprung to life inside my stomach and I was nervous for the first time in a long while. I walked forward and she placed her hands on my shoulders. "William, I just wanted to thank you for what you did for me tonight and I'm feeling some things that I really want to show you." She said. She pulled down my head and kissed me on the lips. She tasted amazing to me and I encircled my arms around her, pressing myself against her body. She broke the kiss soon and nuzzled my neck licking the salty sweat away and inhaling my 'scent'. I moaned at the contact and ran my hands down her back, softy caressing her side, and I swear I could hear her spur in response. I kept going and she ran her nails down my back slowly, slightly painful but very erotic nonetheless. She pushed me away for a moment and was breathing heavily, then started to remove her clothing posthaste. First the shirt then her breeches hit the floor; she wore silk white undergarments, which contrasted nice with honey skin. Soon those last garments hit the floor and it was like I was staring at a goddess from olden times. I reached out for and we kiss passionately, my hands roaming her body, stroking every bit of skin my hands came in contact with. My member was hard as stone now, reaching almost nine inches long and six wide, was now trapped against the muscles of her stomach. I broke off the kiss this time and attacked her neck with feather like kisses, bringing a soft giggle here and a moan there. I trailed these kisses done her body stopping at her breasts to pay homage to all their glory. I stuck out my tongue and slowly ran it around her left areola and backed off a little, then blew some air on the moist area. Her nipple hardened like a diamond within seconds and then I latched on to the little nubbin. I gently suckled it for two minutes; her moaning filled the small room. Her passion was filling the room fast and Tessa held my head to her breast encouraging me to continue. I carefully bite down on her nipple, with enough pressure to be almost painful and she groaned loudly grabbing handfuls of my hair. I decided to move on and went lower sucking and nibbling her skin. Tessa was shaking with excitement and it filled my nostrils with the scent of honey and lavender. I went to the source and stared at her vagina, which was deep red and leaking fluid down her leg. I ran my tongue from her leg and went north slowly savoring her taste, sweet yet heady. I ran my tongue around her vagina and sucked on her lower lips, her moaning got louder and I insert my finger into her honey pot. It was warm and tight; Tessa screeched when my finger entered her and I lick her faster and worked my finger in and out of her hole. Her pearly nubbin peeked out of its' hood and I flattened my tongue out and ran it across her nubbin. Tessa moaned louder and started repeating the same words over and over again. "More, more, yes, yes, almost there, oh god, don't stop, please don't stop." Tessa whimpered. I took this as my cue and suck her nubbin into my mouth and flicked my tongue across it back and forth and Tessa came like there was no tomorrow. "Oh my ggggggggggoooooooooooddddddddddd!!!!" She screamed and a stream of fluid shot out of her vagina into my mouth. At first I thought it was urine but it was her essence that was flowing into my mouth and I lapped at it until she stopped shuttering and spasming. "Christ, William where have you been all my life." Tessa finally responded. "Waiting to find you my dear." I smiled up at her face with my wet face. I stood up and kissed her full on the lips and our tongue intertwined in our mouths. I felt her hand on my member with was beyond hard and slipped me into her tight hole, and felt resistance when I got a quarter of my member in. I looked at her with some concern. "Please, just do it. I want you all the way inside of me Willy." Tessa said with mischief in her eyes. I pushed forward and broke threw her barrier and held painfully still, waiting for her to adjust to my size, she had yelped when I was through. Tessa nodded her head and I moved until I hit bottom. Our eyes locked and she jumped up, wrapped her legs around my back and held onto my shoulders. I held her hips and slowly moved her up and down on my member. She ground her pelvis into mine rubbing her nubbin against my skin as I thrust deeply into her. Her moans were climbing again, indicating that her climax was close and I picked up the pace driving in and out of her. Now she was screaming me to go faster and harder and then she locked up her entire body and her orgasm rippled threw her. Her hole clamped down on me and massaged my member. I began to shoot off into her, while she had another mini-orgasm from feeling me shot inside of her and she squirted more fluid onto my crotch. When our climaxes finished we were sweaty and satisfied. "Damn, I'm definitely going to keep you around as long as I can William Smythe." Tessa said with a glowing smile. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Tessa Martinez." I responded. It was then that I realized I just fell for this girl, which I had just met. I could see in her eyes that she felt the same way for me and I felt whole at last and didn't even know something was missing. A loud groan shocked us out of our little world and we snapped our heads towards the doorway where Mrs. Martinez had her robe open, her hand buried into her hole and her essence shooting onto the floor. "Oh God! That was hot. Tess, do you think you could share you stud with me?" asked Mrs. Martinez. I was too shocked to speak, but Tessa wasn't. "Yes, Momma. I would love to share him with you." Tessa responded with more mischief in her eyes then before. 'Well, My life just got very interesting.' I thought with a smile. Wolf's Bane Ch. 03 After my 'shower', as Tessa called it, I felt more refreshed than I've felt in a dog's ago. Tessa's mother, whom I found out was named Lena, had raced off after realizing the comment she had said to me and her daughter to lock herself in her bedroom, refusing to come out. She had managed to say that I could sleep on the 'couch' down stairs, through the closed door. Tessa helped me back into the 'bathroom' and into the 'shower', and joined me under the hot spray. She washed me very thoroughly, paying particular attention to little William and I returned the favor when she was done. After the shower it was time for my first haircut and shave in over two hundred years. She practically scalped me, leaving behind spiky black tendrils of hair, and trimmed down my beard so she could shave it. When she started the shaving process she used a pink, razor-like device, at which I arched my eyebrow at her. "Well, it's the only brand we have in the entire house." Tessa said sheepishly. After the shave was complete, I washed my face with warm water, feeling refreshed by this simple act. She led me downstairs to the 'couch', and retrieved some bed linen to make the 'couch' appear more comfortable. She had disappeared while I was trying to put a pillowcase on the pillow, which seem hopeless for the first minute or so. She came back with a pair of Grey breeches. "You can wear these for tonight, they belonged to my dad." Tessa said a little sadly. "Thank you, dearest Tessa." I said with my own sad smile as I remembered my own father. Her smiled lit up her face like a sun. She then told where the 'bathroom' was and how to operate everything inside. I thanked her and she went to bed. I sat on the couch and thought about what I was going to do now. Nothing came to mind; I had no clue as to where my life was going. I slipped the 'jogging pants', as Tessa called them, on and went out the front door. I was standing in the darkness starring up at the stars, trying to clear my head. That was when something unexpected happened. I looked to my left and felt a presence, walking slowly down the road. I melt back into the shadows, hidden in the darkness. A small group walked passed the house, but I saw that these 'people' were different. They melt of decay and fresh blood. They looked pale, almost gaunt, in the night and their eyes flickered when light shown off of them, like cats eyes in the dark. I stood there quietly, unsure whether or not I should follow them, but I decided against it for now. As soon as they were out of sight I walked slowly and calmly back into the house. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out cold, almost dead to the world. The soothing sounds of crickets on the night breeze lulled me in my slumber, one of the side windows must have been left open. Some time later I was awaken by a hand on my shoulder. My eyes snapped open and were focused in an instance. The shadowy figure of Tessa was before me, a pink robe wrapped around her. I could tell she had been crying, her eyes were red rimmed and slightly irritated by rubbing away the tears. "William, could I sleep with you please?" Tessa asked very timidly. I slid back in the couch and beckoned her with open arms. She untied her robe and molded her voluptuous body to mine. I stroked her hair as she shuddered and silently sobbed against my shoulder. "Tell me, Tessa. I'm here for you and not going anywhere." I said soothingly. "Oh William. I had a nightmare about the attack, only this time it was worse. You weren't there to save me and those bastards raped me and left me for dead." She broke down again, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm here and nothing will stop me from protecting you. Nothing. So dry your tears and take comfort in the fact that they are dead or dying and cannot harm anyone else." By the time I finished speaking, I realized she had fell to sleep in my arms. Soon sleep claimed me as I rested my head against hers. I was awaken again, but this time it was the early morning sunlight shinning through the window. Tessa's face was nestled in the crook of my arm, softy breathing through her nose. Some of her hair spilled over her forehead covering half her face; the half that could be seen was peaceful without a care in the world. 'How'd I end up so lucky?' I thought to myself. I heard footsteps moving from the second floor and then the sounds of running water. Soon Tessa's mother came downstairs into the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks as she stared, opened mouthed, at the both of us. I gestured for her to be silent, while I carefully removed myself from the couch. She noticed that I was wearing the jogging pants and went to sit at the table in the kitchen. She was dressed in some kind of suit, a dark red in color with a white dress shirt showing underneath the coat. She gestured me to sit, then got up and started to rummage through cabinets over the counters, getting two cups and tiny packages of something. After five minutes the kettle came to a boil and she poured water into the two, rather large cups, and a strong bitter smell drifted from the cups. She brought both cups over and placed one in front of me and I looked down in the black brew. "Is this coffee?" I asked. "Yes, it is. What would you like in it? Cream, sugar, milk?" She asked. "Just milk and some sugar, if it's not too much trouble." I said politely. After she brought me the items in question and a spoon, I mixed it to what I thought was a good combination. "So, how long since you've had coffee William?" She asked. "Well, I think, it's been around two hundred and forty-one years since my last cup, now that I think about it." I said stirring the contents of my cup. "Just how old are you?" She asked with a surprised look on her face. "Oh around two fifty-nine. And you?" I asked with a small smile. She blushed rather prettily and said she was thirty-five. "And how old is Tessa?" I asked. "She's seventeen but she'll be eighteen in a month." She said a soft smile played on lips. "And, what is your name, milady?" I asked with a little mirth in my voice. A look of concentration passed over her face for a few seconds. "Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you my name last night. It's Sandra, but most of my friends call me Sandy." She said, but a look of worry crossed her face as she recalled last night events. "Well, that is a very beautiful name, Sandy. But you shouldn't worry about last night. One I'm guessing it's been a while since a man has made his acquaintance with you. Tessa told me very little about her father, but it sounds like there has been no one else since his death." She nodded her head sadly, looking a little surprised by my bold statement. "Secondly, I think I'm falling in love with your daughter. I know it's kind of fast, but I've never felt like this towards anyone. Not ever. And her statement about sharing me with you might have been her lust idled brain talking and not her rational brain. But if she still wants to share me, well who am I to argue with the beautiful, intelligent, love of my long life." I said a lecherous grin showing, at which point she did a full body blush. "Good answer. I knew you were a smart one from the get go." Tessa said walking into the kitchen tying the sash of her robe. "And my offer still stands anytime you want mom." She said as she kiss her mother's cheek and then walked over and sat in my lap. Tessa put leaned her head against my shoulder and drew me down into a very deep, passionate kiss. Her mother screamed a second later and my Tessa nearly jump through the ceiling. "Tessa Martinez, you had sex last night with a complete stranger! My God, he could have knocked you up." Sandy exclaimed and stared to pace around the room. "Don't worry, she's not pregnant." I said very calmly. "How would you know?!" Sandy turned on me. I pointed at my nose, as if that would explain it all, but it looked like I was going to have to give a full explanation. Even Tessa looked confusion by my statement, until she realized the implications of my nature and started to giggle. That did not help her mother at all and she gave her daughter a seething look. "Because of my nature and the extreme sense of smell that comes with it, if she was having her monthly visitor, I would know. Before I left my family, just after I was bitten I could tell when my mother or my sister would have theirs." I said stroking Tessa hair to sooth her. "Oh, well never mind then. I still can't believe how you acted Tessa; you didn't even close the door to the bathroom to even hide it." Sandy scolded her daughter. "I'm sorry mom, but I just couldn't take another moment without being with him. That's just how I feel and I won't apologize for how I feel." Tessa said defiantly. "Alright, but your going on birth control pills as soon as I can get you a appointment with Doctor St. John." Sandra said looking at the pair of us. "Thank you momma." Tessa replied sweetly. "William, you can stay here if you wish, we have a spare bedroom that you can use. I don't suppose you have any other clothing besides what you got on right now?" Sandra asked raising an eyebrow at me. "Yes, that would seem to be about right. I don't even have any money to purchase clothing." I said a little sheepishly. "Well, I guess Tessa can take you shopping for some things. And Tessa, you will not be going to school today or tomorrow. Do you understand me young lady?" Sandra asked her hands balled into fists resting on her hips. "Yes, momma. Can I have the credit card for the shopping William and I will be doing?" Tessa asked a little pleadingly. "Yes, you may, but don't run the bill too high. There is a limit on those things." She said. Tessa jumped off my lap and headed up stairs to her room, while Sandra look straight at me until her daughter was gone. "I will tell you this right now William. If you hurt my baby in anyway, shape, or form I will cut off your balls and feed them to you for supper. I'm putting a lot of trust in you, so don't make me regret it." Sandra said with a very stern voice. "You don't have to worry Sandra; I'll protect your daughter with my life." I said meaning every word of what I said. ______________________________________________ We arrived at the 'mall', as Tessa called the huge structure, and explained purpose of the building. The way she explained it four or more major merchandise outlets operated inside the huge building, but was located in opposite positions within the huge building. While other smaller businesses or eateries took up the rest of the storefronts. Having it described to me did not prepare me for the reality, that was the 'mall'. Young and old, tall and short, fat and thin, plus everything else in between was present. "What are the younger people doing here? Don't they have to work or to be schooled?" I asked "Some do go to school most of the time, but on a few occasions have left early or skipped school entirely. If they have work, it's not till later in the afternoon." Tessa said as she grasped my hand. I was still dress in jogging pants and a plain white shirt with short sleeves. Finding footwear for myself had been almost too difficult, but looking in a closet turned up a pair of 'slip-ons', which were size thirteen and fit comfortably. "So they are skiving from what they're supposed to be doing." I said. "Well, not all are, but a good few definitely doing it. Don't let it bother you, we're here to have some fun and get you some clothes." My sweet Tessa said. "Yes, my dear. Where to first?" I asked. We went to a store that was called 'Boscov's', and I was shocked at all of the clothing that they handled. There must have been enough clothing here for at least a thousand people. Tessa directed me over to 'jeans' and I browsed for twenty minutes looking for the style I liked. Polo jeans were too tight in the hip region, South Pole jeans were too long, Levi's were just too tight all together. I thought I wasn't going to find anything, until I came upon the second to last rack. The jeans were the right length and a little baggy but that was alright by me, and they had colorful designs on the legging and rear. The brand was JNCO's and I grabbed a couple of ones that looked promising, three blue, two black, and a pair of khaki's. After two and half hours shopping in this store, I now had the beginnings of a wardrobe. We went to some other shops, some with hilarious gifts for all occasions, a few with loud harsh music with a dark theme to the place. We were nearing the eating establishments, when it happened. Tessa and I came face to face with a handful of girls around her age and they recognized right off, it seemed Tessa knew them too and she looked very angry. "Look who we have here. I thought they deported you and your family, Tessie, otherwise I wouldn't have given your mother the day off from cleaning my house." One blond girl said with a nasty sneer on her face, which made her look ugly. The others in her group laughed at her joke, a few seem to be forced, but the rest were enjoying the torment. "Hey, Barb. Don't you have to go and bleach you hair, I can almost see you roots." My Tessa said with equal contempt. I smiled at the way she fired the rebuff. Barb seemed to be getting angry now and the few of her cronies looked the same. "I'd watch your mouth wetback, if you know what's good for you." Barb said in a menacing voice. This seemed to be getting out of hand, so I took the initiative. "Tessa, let's go. We're wasting our time here talking to her." I said. That seemed to draw their attention to me. The entire group of girls took one look at me and their eyes bugged out. A few gasp, while some looked with longing, but the core of the group looked at me with distaste that bordered on hated for speaking to them. Barb looked like she was about to hit me with her opened hand, but I looked directly into her eyes and mine became narrowed chips of green ice. She froze; her hand raised waist high, the first signs of fear creeping out from her eyes. She dropped her hand to her side and backed away slowly, which nearly made her stumble into her pack of followers. Outside the corner of my vision, I saw a trio of girls standing outside an old bookstore. They appeared to be watching the confrontation very intently. While the other girls scampered off, the trio's focus was upon me. I turned towards them and focused my entire attention just on them. Tessa followed my gaze and watched curiously as my pupils dilated, until they appeared black discs. When my gaze fell upon the trio, they had this cloudy mist surrounding their entire bodies in the color of vermilion. They looked startled, as I stared at them, fear of being discovered they turned and fled in the opposite direction. "William, what's wrong?" Tessa asked concern filled her voice. Slowly my eyes returned to normal and I turned to face her. She looked so beautiful in the sunlight. "Nothing to worry about for the moment." I said and took hold of her hand to continue our shopping experience. _______________________________________________ We finished our trip to the mall and headed back to her house. When we arrived I was made to carry all of the many purchases up to my 'room', like a pack mule, but did it nonetheless. Tessa then came and retrieved me and sat down in front of what she called the 'computer'. "What's this then?" I asked, not sure what to make of the thing. "This is a computer, William. It is a tool for learning or working, which ever the case may be. I give you a quick crash course on it and then show you where you'll find any information that you could want. History, science, politics, law, aeronautics, and a few other things you'll find interesting." My Tessa said and the instruction only took thirty minutes. After that I was browsing the Internet, absorbing all of the information I could find about any topic. After two hours of browsing, I had to stop as my eyes felt like they had grown fuzz on them. At that point I realized I had read over a thousand pages worth of information, under two hour time frame and could recall everything that I read word for word. I first started with history and had caught up with current events in no time and now boast a large cache of slang terminology. After which I move on to mathematics, then English literature, sociology, psychology and a few other subjects. To tell the truth, I was in awe at what 'our' country had achieved and ashamed at some of the other low-handed practices that were going on elsewhere in the country. I also learned that the Internet had a LOT of sex on it. I decided to go see what my lovely was doing or I was going to see what I could do to my lovely. I found her in her room, down on her knees, trying to reach for something under her bed. She was wearing a very short skirt and an even shorter shirt. Tessa was muttering to herself as she was trying in vain to find whatever it was that she was searching for. I slowly crept up behind her and got down behind her and saw that she was wearing any undergarments. I slowly lifted her skirt and looked at her honey pot, which was completely bare, as no hair was present. I swooped in and licked her nubbin to the bottom of her vagina and continued to her little puckered hole. She moaned at the contact and then squealed as I wiggled my tongue into her rear hole. She pulled her head out from out under her bed and gave me a very smoldering look. "Naughty boy, it's not nice to sneak up on people and shove your tongue up their ass, but don't stop." She said around a moan. I really didn't mine the taste I found there and just borrowed deeper making her thrash about. The smell of her excitement was over powering in the room. My member was as hard as an iron nail and straining against my new jeans. "Of course my dear, the better to corrupt you with." I said, after I pulled my tongue from her rear and turned her over onto her back. "Please, don't stop, I was sooo close that time." Tessa panted. This time I went right to her honey pot, running my tongue up her thigh along the way. Her vagina was filled with blood and throbbing to her pulse rate. I licked her lips and nibbled on them and pulled them slightly. Her body arched off the floor and I tugged on her nether lips and her moaned could have woken the dead and I reveled in her taste. I released her lips and continued to explore her entrance and eventually slipped my finger into her hot hole. I felt around with my digit looking for her g-spot, which thanks to the Internet, would now exploit to my advantage. Once I found it, I came up with a idea and removed my finger. Tessa moaned in frustration and yearning. I concentrated on my tongue changing it from a normal human tongue to the longer, broader wolf version and buried it into her honey pot until I could touch the roof of her sheath and focused on her g-spot. "Ohh shiiittt, you bastard, don't stop, please don't stop." Tessa wailed loudly. I continued to work her g-spot and then used the remaining part on my tongue and enclosed her nubbin and sucked for all my worth. "OOOHHHH, GGGOOOODDDDD!!!!!!!!!!! I'm Cummmming." She screamed as her vagina contracted on my tongue. A stream of glorious fluid erupted from her, completely soaking my face and hair, and I lapped what I could with my tongue stuck in her entrance. Tessa continued to thrash, but was starting to slow down and soon stop. I slowly pulled my tongue out and change it back to the way it was. Tessa shot up like a cork and tore off her clothes and then forcibly yanked my off. As soon as I was naked she, and saw my member she grabbed it and aimed it for her vagina. She then slid down on my member, her pussy swallowing all my nine-inchs. She sank her fingers into my flesh leaving long scratch marks on my skin, but soon disappeared, though I didn't know it at the time. Tessa rode me for forty minutes straight, sweat covered her body and mine, her panting echoed off of the walls. Her honey pot clasped me on every upward thrust and I enjoyed the sensation very much, plus it stimulated her nubbin every time our pelvis bone met. Then it was over. Wolf's Bane Ch. 03 "HHHHOOOLLLLYYY SSSSSSHHHIIIIIIITTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!" Tessa exclaimed and more of her sweet fluid soaked our bodies. She collapsed against me passing out, her wet hair covered my chest and I wrapped my arms around this woman. "I love you." I said to my precious angel in my arms. She snuggled closer to me, secretly aware of what I just said and didn't want to spoil the moment. Soon we were both asleep, but unbeknownst to us, Sandy had been watch us again. Feeling ashamed of herself for feeling the way she did. If she was honest with herself, she would know that she was in love with her daughter's boyfriend and with her daughter at the same time. But Sandra couldn't deal with how she felt yet, and instead went to her bedroom cry her eyes out while she masturbated to a tremendous orgasm that soaked the sheets with a large stream of cum. And fell into a fitful slumber as visions of William and Tessa filled her head, wanting to be with them more than anything else in the world. Wolf's Bane Ch. 04 I woke up as the sun rose in the early sky, my angel spooned up against my side, her hand wrapped against my hard member. I pulled her closer to me and nuzzled my face into her hair, breathing deeply the scent of her hair products mingled with her scent. A sigh of contentment came from my Tessa as she awoke from her slumber. Her eyes cracked open and looked around her room. "'Morning, big boy. I see we didn't make it to the bed last night." Tessa said with an amused grin on her face. "It appears so my lovely angel." I said, stroking the side of her arm. "What time is it?" she asked. I braced myself on my elbow and looked for her clock, one of those 'electric' ones, finding it on her nightstand. "It's close to seven." I said. Tessa bolted upright and ran from the room, still naked. I heard the water running and was wondering what that was all about. I laid there and waited for her to come back, the floor was oddly comfortable. Fifteen minutes passed before she walked back in wearing nothing but a towel. "Why are you running like that?" I asked watching her as she got dressed. "I have school today and if I want to be on time then I need to be there in the next fifteen minutes." Tessa said, pulling on her undergarments and hastily rummage through her drawers. "Didn't your mother say you could have some time off?" I remembered Sandra saying that. "Yeah, except that was for yesterday, not today. I am going to have to run all the way to school since mom left already. That means I going to be late for my first period class." She said desperately. "How far is your school from here?" "Um, three miles at least. Why?" Tessa asked while she pulled a long sleeved shirt over her head. I got up and walked out of the room without answering and took a quick shower, not as fun without company. When I got out I pulled on a pair of jeans and a red shirt featuring a burning skull. When I was ready I found Tessa putting on her shoes and picking up a small blue rucksack. "Where are you going?" she asked. "I'm taking you to school." I replied simply. "How? I know you can't drive yet and besides, there isn't even a car here for you to drive." Tessa stressed, pouting a she said it. "Trust me love, I have my ways." I wiggled my eyebrows and received a giggle from Tessa. We locked up when we left and Tessa looks at me, trying to figure out what I was up to. I turn my back towards her and gesture for her to get on. She hesitated at first, but then climbed on. "Which direction is your school?" I asked. "West, northwest. Three miles." Tessa says as she firmly holds on to me. "Any wooded area near it?" I ask. "Yes, there's a patch of woods behind the school with a creek running through it." She said. "Ok, love. Hold on tightly, this is going to be fast." I said to her and hooked my hands under her knees getting a good grip. I started out slow, walking the first five steps. Then started jogging for ten feet before going full speed after that. I ran like the wind, running down the street, faster than any person could have. Tessa buried her head in the crook of my neck and tightened her grip on me. My vision narrowed and everything outside the corners of my eyes became a blur. I bobbed and weaved my way through the light traffic, passing cars going faster than any horse from my time. I had to cut through a few backyards moving steadily towards the school. Soon the houses fell back and a large wooded area sprung up. Slowing down to a more manageable speed, I worked my way to the other side of the woods and came to the back of the school. I slowed to a stop and tried to catch my breath as Tessa climbed off my back onto her wobbly legs. "Damn, that was fast William! I had no idea that you could do that." Tessa exclaimed as she was coming down from her adrenaline high. "Yeah, it's been a while since I've run like that. That wasn't even full speed." I said. "So thanks for the ride, you are indeed a life saver. What are you doing today?" She asked. "I need to find a library with a good assortment of books. I pretty much depleted the Internet of all the information I could find. What I need is a text book, which I learned, are used in modern school systems. I figured if can start with the high school texts then I could work my way up to college level and beyond." "Well, the school library was a storage room full of text books plus whatever is on those shelves that you find interesting. I don't know what the librarian will say when you start going through the library like a speed demon." Tessa said, arching her eyebrow at me. I smiled and said, "I'll just make up a lie, make them believe I'm a new student. They can't remember every students name or face." "That might work." She said and looked at her timepiece. "Let's go before I'm late. I'll pick you for lunch, 'kay?" Tessa grabbed my hand and we walked towards her school. _____________________________ "Holy shit! Did you see that Beth?" said Chloe still watching from their vantage point across the grounds. "Yeah, it's that guy from the mall alright, with Tessa Martinez. He can't be human. I mean, he saw us as something different too, but he just isn't human to move that fast. Not even a spell could give a human that amount of speed." Said Beth. "Well, he can't be a vampire, it's still daylight out. A wendigo maybe?" Stacy said. "Maybe. But I doubt it; wendigos are rare for these parts. Also, they hunt down their prey in the woods, sometime driving them insane, and they don't carry them around piggyback style. Plus they are deformed and tend to look like Bigfoot with frostbite." Beth said. "Hmm, that leaves only a few options as to what he could be." Chloe said as she watched the two disappear into the school. "We'd better go or else we'll be late. We'll talk at lunch and try to figure out what this guy is." Stacy said a she walked out of the clump of trees towards the school. _____________________________ After a parting kiss with Tessa, which earned us few wolf whistles, I managed to find the library all by myself. The librarian, on the other hand, eyed me like a hawk the moment I walked in and was suspicious to boot. Though fairly attractive, she acted as if I was going to rob her the moment her back was turn and didn't stop when she asked me what I wanted. I told her I was doing some research for a project of mine and need a few books on several different subjects. "What do you need?" she asked abruptly. "Text books on; calculus, life science, chemistry, biology, world history, computer operations, computer programming, website design, and a few others, that will fill my needs." I replied. If nothing else, that made her even more leery of me. Her attitude was starting to get on my nerves or grate on my nerves. She briskly led me to the back of the library, to a solitary table, which reminded me of an island in the middle of nowhere. "Sit. I'll be right back with a few of your requests." I could swear that a look of disgust past her face as she said 'requests'. I waited patently, looking at my surroundings, a few rows of book shelves to my left, the shelves facing me. While a few book cases to my right had there decimal system clearly displayed to me. Then I looked down at the floor and was revolted at my discovery. I saw what had to be the ugliest faded neon orange carpeting ever creative, which bordered close to crimes against humanities. About that time a rather large stack of thick books landed near my hand, if it had been any closer I'd be sporting a nasty looking bruise later. I did a full on glare with this spinster woman and she gave as well as she got. This lasted for two minutes, neither one of us giving in, until some unfortunate boy interrupted us with a question for the librarian. That led for a three minute 'ass-chewing' and I thought the boy would pee himself if she didn't stop soon. "Thank you for your help, I'll let You know when I need further assistance." I said with as much contempt as I could muster. That earned me a withering look, after which she stormed off, red faced, daring anyone with her eyes say something. The boy looked at me then back at the retreating form of the spinster woman and let out a sigh of relief. "Jesus, what the fuck was that about? I've never seen her get like that before." "And I thought she had a switch shoved up her arse." I said dryly. "You're new, aren't ya?" he asked. "Something like that." I replied, with a slight smirk on my face. "Welcome to Pemberton Twp. High School, also known as the third circle of hell. I'd watch your back, if I were you." "Why is that?" I asked. "I need to explain the social dynamics in order to answer your question. In this school alone there are three social classes; The Rich, The Popular, and The Dreds or Outcasts, if you prefer. The two upper classes rule this place without question, while a large percentage of these two groups have a vicious and nasty streak running through them. The Dreds are basically shunned by the other groups and are the focal point of the cruelty dished out by The Rich and Popular. Otherwise they're pretty mellow and fun to hangout with, plus an overabundance of sharp wit and boundless sense of humor. That's the gist of it." "That's a very colorful hierarchy, you've got here abouts." I said with a small smile. "I'm Jan by the way. Your accent sounds a little odd, where are you from?" asked Jan, cocking his eyebrow up as he finished his question. To be honest I said the first thing that came to mind. "I'm from Canada. Alberta to be more specific." I was really shoveling the bullshit thick on this one. "That's cool. I went to Canada a few times, lovely country. Little pollution from what I've heard." "Yeah, it's very clean." I said and was becoming desperate trying to remember as many facts about Canada that I had read. "Look, I gotta go before the book Nazi comes back. It's been nice talking to you." and he turn to go, but hesitated for a few moments. I was going to ask him what was wrong when he turned back to me, "And by the way, if you happen to see anything strange, anything at all, come track me down and we'll talk about it." He turned yet again and rushed from the library. What he said got to me and I wondered if he knew more about what was going on in this town than he let on. After that I turned back to my 'light' bit of reading and began with World History. Close to a thousand pages long but I was able to finished it in thirty-six minutes. I was amazed and appalled by a few of the things in the text but was even more confused by the concept of 'Reaganomics' and how President Bush could screw up so much without really trying. I moved on to both Chemistry and Biology, which took the better part of an hour but I had a better understanding of the ecology of our planet and how delicate it really is. Plus I simply breezed my way through the Calculus and Life Science books as if they were nothing. It seemed that the more that I read, the speed at which I was reading would increase at an alarming rate. Now the computer books were indeed a challenge because I was working from the book without any practical experience, except browsing the Internet. After I was done with those I went to the computer section of the library, where all of the manuals and/or in dept computer textbooks were sorted by relevance. Before I realized it I was quickly flipping the pages of a book and remembered everything discussed in it or any detailed picture, without really stopping to look at the pages. 'If I keep going at this rate I'll have read every book within the library by the end of the day.' I thought to myself. I surprised myself yet again when I realized I finished the last book on the subject of computers and was being watched closely by the librarian. I moved over to a computer terminal and logged on to the Internet and was happy to find out the school system sported a T3 line. I called up the local DMV website and searched for what I wanted. I closed out the window and pulled up the basic computer modem program on the computer and dialed the DMV's computer system line. The sound of the line making a connection filled my ears as a DOS window popped up. Now the hard part, I began typing furiously, entering commands accessing the DMV mainframe, avoiding security features and found what I wanted. I made an order for a new driver's license to be issued for one William H. Smythe and was to be mail free of charge to the Fox Hollow post office for pickup. When I was finished I backed out of the system carefully covering my tracks making sure no one would know I had been there. I then found access to the INS database, which was a devil to get past their security programs, and created a history file for myself, creating a green card and so on and so forth. I managed to close out the file and send it to processing before I got caught, but managed to get out before they could track me. I sat their thinking on what to do next, which didn't take long to think of something that needed to be done soon. My passport could be done without risking going through a computer, I'd simple apply for a new one saying the old was lost when I was mugged arriving in the country. I could also use that excuse for my birth certificate and social security card. I could think of nothing else that needed to be done so I logged off and went back to reading. Two and half hour later, and some eighteen thick books on various subjects, my sweet angel came into check up on me. "Hey baby, time for lunch!" Tessa exclaimed, a huge smile on her face. I looked at the clock and was surprised to see that I have been cooped up for over four hours. I smiled sheepishly and took hold of her hand as we walked out of the library; the librarian, meanwhile, gave me a sour look that could have curdled milk. Tessa noticed the look right away and was amazed at the expression that the older woman had given me. When we were out in the hall she asked what that was all about. "To be honest my angel, I have no idea why she acted like that. It started the moment I walked in there and hasn't stopped till we just left." I responded to the question. "That's really freaky. Ms. Hoover has never acted like that with anyone, not even the people who are real assholes get that treatment. She's always bright and chipper." "Maybe it's just me then. I might just rub her that wrong way." I said, sounding a little sour myself. "Well, maybe if you're good I'll let you rub me the right way later." She said, with a lecherous grin that told me everything I needed to know. "Oh, that's always something to look forward to!" I said with a small smile on my lips while I waggled my eyebrows at her. "Stop that or I won't abuse your body anymore." She said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. With that one comment I stopped almost immediately, which earn me a laugh from Tessa as we headed towards lunch. I wrinkled my nose as I got the first sniff, at what I presumed was, 'lunch' and we were nowhere near the cafeteria. "What in the name of god is that retched smell?!!" I exclaimed with shock as my nostrils were assaulted. "That would be lunch, trust me it doesn't look any better." She said and then looked at me and realized that I wasn't joking. Sudden realization at what was wrong was almost instantaneous. "Oh, your werewolf senses are more sensitive than a mere human's nose. It really must bother you if you acting like this." Tessa said with as much compassion in her voice as I have ever heard in anyone person before. "Don't worry I can shut off my sense of smell, if need be, but I'll miss your scent even more if I do it." I said, being truthful with her. She really smelled divinely. "Ok, now you're going to get really lucky. Just you wait." She said as we enter the cafeteria. _____________________________ Lunch was more or less edible, if you tried not to look at it that is. Otherwise it was pretty good; of course the company wasn't that bad either. When we first entered their was nothing but silence, which from Tessa expression was not normal, and continued to make our way to get some food. Most of the people just gawked at Tessa, while others showed nothing but contempt for me. A few were eyeing me like a piece of roast though in a butcher shop window, some looked like a hungry expression. Some looks were unreadable. Otherwise no one person had bothered us while we ate, which ended when we had finished. My ears perked up when I heard a whispered conversation from across the room. "Jesus, was that Tessa Martinez? I thought I never see the day when she would hook up with someone. I thought she was a lesbian anyway." Someone said, male from the sound of his voice. "Well obviously she's not. And you only said she was a lesbian after she turned you down for a date, repeatedly." Another male voice said sounding very amused at his friends' discomfort. "Shut the fuck up you little asshole! She's just like that other bitches around here that don't put out. I thought Ricky, Mike, and Dan would take care of her at the party the other night." The first one said, sounding very arrogant for the moment. "Dude, what hell are you saying? You paid those three idiots to rape Tessa?" The other said sounding genuinely shocked. "Well, I'd thought that would bring her down a peg or two. But unfortunately both Ricky and Mike are dead. Someone killed their ass in the woods the other night, the night that they were suppose to take care of her." The first one said. "Fuck, what the hell is wrong with you? How could you try to do that to someone? She's never done anything wrong. She only turned you down for a date. Nobody deserves that, especially her. You're lucky I don't go to the cops and tell 'em what you did!" The other voice said sounding very indignant at the moment. "Go ahead, try me. But before you do you'd better think about your family first. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them would you? You're their only protector now Steve, now that your Dad's dead. So I would watch what you say to me or else." The threat was very clear, even to my ears. "Ok, ok just don't hurt my family. Please." Steve sounded very cowed at the moment. "Good." The first said with a huge amount of amusement I his voice. "You only told me what happened to Ricky and Mike. What happened to Dan?" Steve asked. "Well, from what the paper said he's in critical condition. Someone fucked him up good and proper, left him in the middle of the woods like a broken rag doll. Looks like whatever happened drove him insane. Cause the paper report that when he was taken to the hospital, he kept going on and on about a werewolf attacking him and his friends. Police think it was a wild animal attack and his mind couldn't handle the shock of it." The first one informed Steve. "Still, you've heard about all the weird shit that goes on around, couldn't it be possible that what he was saying was true?" Steve said. "Christ, are you fucking retarded? Werewolves? You still believe in the Easter Bunny and Santa, don't ya?" The first one retorted. "Shut up Craig. But you have to admit that strange things happen around here?" Steve said. "Yeah, yeah, so what? It's not like it really matters to anyone in this room right now, now would it? They'd rather bury their heads' in the sand and pretend they don't see anything. Even if it came straight up to them and bit them right on the ass." Craig said sarcastically. "Yeah, I guess your right... _____________________________ "Baby? Are you okay?" Tessa asked, with a look of concern on her face. I realized that my breaths were becoming very ragged and that a light sheen of sweat had broken out on my forehead. When I looked down at the table I noticed that my fingers had craved long grooves across the tabletop while I had been listening to Steve and Craig. Tessa's question finally sank in and I jerked with a start that I wasn't ok; in fact I was far from ok. For the first time in my life I wanted to intentionally cause someone a great deal of harm, no matter what the cost might be. When I looked up into Tessa's eyes I knew that I was going to kill this Craig and that he was going to suffer for as long as I could make it last. Wolf's Bane Ch. 04 'I just hope I don't sell my soul in the process.' I thought, with a little bittersweet emotion running through me.