"Book One: Caleb"
(Written by Lacey Grant ©2009)

Chapter 1. Truth Be Told

The change came on unexpectedly this time. I was completely unprepared to phase. This thing is becoming harder to control.

The transformation only took a manner of seconds, and the pain was minimal, but the real me, almost got lost in the process, and I’m still pissed about the whole tail thing. “I thought this was only supposed to happen under a Full Moon, but it’s the middle of the day! Good thing I’m already deep in the forest. That could have been bad!

I never realized it was triggered by emotions too. This might become a major problem. I wasn't really known for having the mildest of tempers, usually, controlling my anger was next to impossible. So I’d say I’m pretty much screwed at this point. It's a good thing we moved to the boonies. I don't think this would have been the best "condition" to have in the city. Too many people, nowhere to hide, no where to hunt!

My thirst for human blood is growing more and more intense. That’s why I’ve been spending so much time in the forest. It feels safer here. I don’t have to worry about running into people along the trails. At least, not this time of year, but I hear that even when the weather is nice, people don’t spend too much time here, just the occasional hunter. Lots of wild animals live here, big ones, and I’m not just talking about me. I’m pretty sure people are smart enough to stay away from this place, if they want to keep all of their limbs intact. If only they knew what ghastly creatures are lurking inside, just waiting to take a bite out of them.

They need to stay out and I need to stay in, and everyone lives happily ever after, kind of. They will eventually be forced to kill me, burn me at the stake, however they handle this type of thing now-days. I can't say I’d blame them; I wouldn't want to cross my path either. I would try to shoot me too if I did already know that my skin was nearly impenetrable. They wouldn't have a chance at survival, and I doubt I would be able to control myself enough to stop the beast.

My human senses are becoming less dominant when I'm in wolf form. It’s very hard to mix the two personalities; they both want completely different things. It becomes too frustrating, so I mostly let him take over. I try my hardest to keep some control, other wise it would be too easy for me to slip up and let the urge take over. I could snatch me a human in no time! This mountain is full of bears that could take the fall for my indiscretions. No one would be the wiser. It’s not like anyone would actually think a werewolf could be responsible, or better, suspect me of being a werewolf. I’m about as “real” as Bigfoot himself. We don’t exist, well, not to the untrained eye anyway. “Silly humans! Victory would be sweet, but the taste of human blood on my tongue would be even sweeter. Which reminds me, I’m starving! What shall I have for lunch today, a mountain lion perhaps?” I jetted off into the thick brush, I was on a mission to kill.

My sense of smell was especially keen today and there was something new in the air. Something my new nose hadn’t yet tasted. The strange musk was familiar, but it had a sweeter aftertaste.

I stopped dead in my tracks and took in my environment with extra caution. It was weird, I couldn’t figure out where the aroma was coming from. One minute it seemed to be a mile away, then, it was as if it was brushing its windy fingers through my hair, causing a chemical reaction that made my fur stand on end. I scanned the forest but I still saw nothing. I felt as though I was playing a game of “Hot & Cold”. Only it was my nose doing all the searching.

I continued surveying the icey field that stood before me. The scent was very strong here. I noticed a small pond that was only partially frozen over. Beside it sat a small wooden bench frosted with fresh snow.

I phased back to my human form before emerging out of the shadows – just encase any humans were wondering around of course. Slowly, I made my way over to the bench. The closer I got, the stronger the smell became. Whatever it was, it had to be close. I noticed a butt print that was left on the far left side of the bench, it looked human enough I guess, and the smell did seem to be coming from that spot. I bent my nose down to the packed snow and took in a big whiff. “Yep, that’s definitely where its coming from”, I said to myself. “God, I probably look like such a weirdo, sniffing butt prints in the snow“, I laughed to myself. “I was a dog after all and that’s what dogs do!”




TO BE CONTINUED...