J.A.W.S. (Just Another Werewolf Story) Tale of Ophelia Bane

[RikkuGirl]

^_^ Here is what I have for Nan so far. Please feel free to post corrections, comments and Ideas! Thank you guys and much love! *hugs*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I did not choose for this to happen. I didn’t even know about it until today, September 15, 1790. It all kind of hit me, literally. I was knocked unconscious by a large animal, about the size of a bear but far less weighty. It was a dog like creature, standing a solid 8 to 9 feet tall with long, overly muscular arms and legs. Each muscle was perfectly defined, the glow from the moon made each ripple as it moved. Bright neon green eyes pierced through the dead air and focused on me as its body hurtled towards me, its nails digging up the dirt floor in the alley behind the butcher store. Teeth bared and ears pinned back, the dog creature jumped from the dirt and tackled me, pinning me to the floor.

I tried to move when it lunged at me, I really did but just the sight of that massive animal caused me to stiffen. My voice died and my limbs went numb, just something about a 300 or more pound animal lunging towards me that just makes me forget how to move. None the less, I was out cold. The pain I should have been feeling did not grace my nerves nor did it wake my now sleeping mind. Teeth pierced through flesh as blood dripped down and mixed with the already orange-red dirt. The warmth from my own blood sent my mind to another place, almost as if I was trying to keep myself from going into full on shock.

Though such a horrible thing was happening to me, a smile seemed to appear across my tightly closed lips. In my mind I was being ravished by a gorgeous man, the one who came to pick up bread every morning from my family’s bakery. A gorgeous man he was; early twenties, tall, blonde, and muscular with those piercing blue eyes that make every girl melt. His outfit was normally the same and consisted of the powdered wig that covered his gorgeous blonde hair, uptight blue unlimited button vest, tight trousers, white leggings, fluffy white chest piece and of course, the black shiny shoes with the buckles. He was a spitting image of George Washington himself, who was president at this time.

His lips kissed my shoulders as his hands clutched onto my head and other arm, the weight of him was overwhelming. The pain that was once being overlooked was now beginning to show signs of impression. My face began to turn from pure bliss to sheer terror. The once beautiful man turned into a horrifying wolf. My eyes opened to see this sight and my face went white. I fainted again.

“Miss… miss… wake up… wake up…are you ok?” the voice asked me, its face was nothing more than blurred colors of the rainbow with a black background. “Are you ok? We need to get you to the doctor” the blur said again, I could feel my body moving. The dirt that had cushioned my fall was no longer supporting me. Crickets were chirping and the sound of bats wings fluttered through the night air. “P…put me down” I said to the blur hoping it would release me; its grip was beginning to hurt. “I’m… fine, now let me go” I said as I began to struggle to get free, my words slurring as I wiggled.






“Stay still woman.” The now manly voice said. Darkness befell me again only to release me from its grip as another voice spoke up. “Miss… miss… swallow this”. My eyes opened wide as a liquid was poured into my mouth. It tasted horrible. Like a mixture of onions, prunes, olives and garlic, it was quite the horrible concoction. I swallowed it quickly but the aftertaste lingered. “She will be fine. Leave her and I will let you know her progress upon your wake in the morning” the voice said as another spoke. “Fine, take care” the voice disappeared into the night, the door slamming after its retreat. My eyes saw only the back of the man who had just left; his blue vest seemed so familiar.

“Your awake, how wonderful my dear. Stay still; you were attacked by an animal of some sort…” The voice was sweet and radiated from the mouth of the 50 year or so old woman doctor, Lenore. Her face was happily worn with wrinkles that defined mostly when she smiled and her hands were just as un-pressed. Her grey and white curly short hair flowed over her wrinkled face and was about shoulder length. Her green and brown dress was quite worn but still looked well groomed and fitted. She was of normal height and weight but had a small limp on her left side when she walked, a cane sat by the fireplace in the corner.

My shoulder was pounding with pain. With each heartbeat I felt the pain shoot up my shoulder and paralyze my brain; I had never felt anything like it before. “It hurts…” I said to the old woman, her hand gracing my head as her mouth opened to say “As it should, just rest and relax and the pain should subside soon my dear… Do not move, I will have your parents fetched as soon as the sun rises”. Her face pruned up into a smile as she continued to pet my head. “Sleep precious… sleep” her voice seemed to sooth away the pain as my eyes closed once more, darkness enveloped me.

The door flies open and the creature stands in the doorway, its neon green eyes staring right at me on the cot parallel to the fireplace. The moonlight glows eerily behind the creature as leaves and debris fly nimbly into the room. I lay sleeping, motionless, dead to the world, as the fire is quashed with the wind of the door flying open. A small bit of smoke stemmed from the now dead logs in the stone fireplace, the smell radiated through the room. The once two legged monster then walked into the cottage on all fours, its tail swishing back and forth as its eyes searched the room. Its ears pointed straight up and moved from side to side as if it was waiting for the unknown to happen. The wood under its human like paws creaked with each of its steps, the sound almost like nails on a chalk board.

Its fur was jet black, a total contrast to its bright glowing eyes. Its mouth was open a little and its breathing was low and controlled. With each creak of the floor the monster came closer, overlooking the old woman who slept on the other side of the room. It stopped at my cot and stood on two legs again. Drool dripped from its semi opened mouth as its teeth began to show. I turn my head and open my eyes to see the creature standing there. My mouth opened to yell a cry of help but to no avail, my voice was lost again. The creature gave a menacing smile and lunged at me once more.


“Ophilea!” screamed my mother as she gripped onto me, pulling my upper body off the bed into a tight embrace, my arms hanging like a rag doll to my sides. My eyes opened to see the familiar loving face, a huge change from the nightmare that was just ravaging my mind.
“My baby…are you alright?” She asked as she noticed my eyes open.
“Let the child breathe Malorie…” my fathers’ voice piped in. Still in a daze I tried to speak. “Mama…” I said as I gained use of my limbs. Realizing I’m no longer in danger I grabbed onto my mother and held her tight. She smelled of lavender and mint. I sat there hugging her for a minute consuming her smell and warmth. She was always there to make things better, even a simple scrape was no match for her healing embrace.

I was a spitting image of my mother; from her pure blonde hair to the freckles on her shoulders. People used to ask if her and I were sisters, our resemblance was that close. We both stood just a little over five and a half feet tall with sparse freckles on our cheeks and noses. Green eyes allow us to see the world as our rosy red lips help us to speak in it. We did not have the normal highly pale skin as all the other women. We had fair but tan skin that barely ever showed blemish.

“Now tell me, what happened?!” she said as she pulled me away from her body, her hands gripping my upper arms. Her green eyes stared into mine; their expression was a mixture of emotions, worry, annoyance, happiness and relief, just to name a few. The cottage was now well lit with the suns light and seemed to envelope those in it in euphoric warmth. The cottage was quaint and just one room. A kettle sat over the fireplace that was made of grey rock, its contents creating a wonderful aroma. A table was neatly arrange next to the fireplace and supported a bible and cross on its surface. A chair sat tucked under the protective table, one of its legs shorter than the rest. The cot across the room was neatly made and supported the large man I called father, Jamison Bane.

I looked at him for reassurance, his clean cut face and powdered wig always seemed to make me think he had more authority than he did. He nodded to me in a subtle gesture before he took another sip from his cup.
“I… I don’t remember mama…” I said as I played with the blanket that still slightly covered me after my mothers’ rude awakening.
“It all happened so fast…I was leaving the butcher with the bacon for breakfast in the morning… and it…” My voice died and my eyes closed as my mind relived the horrible experience. Those eyes, I just couldn’t rid them from my mind, forever staring.

My mothers face was confused, her eyes seemed to plead for a full answer but her mouth clenched knowing there was none.
“I’m sorry… The animal took the bacon…” I said. I was more worried about breakfast than the bite, which was quite a horrid scene they said. The bandage on my shoulder overtook my upper left shoulder and chest, making it hard for me to fully move my left arm. Every movement with my left side sent chills and pain up my spine. I touched the bandages with my right hand only to remove it just as fast when the pain shot up my spine. I muttered a curse under my breath as the pain subsided a little.


My mothers’ hands dropped from my arms as she stood up and walked to her husband, her arms hung loosely at her sides.
“Let us go Jamison” She said as she took the cup from his possession and handed it to Lenore.
“Thank you for your help, please send word of her status throughout the day” She hugged the old woman and turned to me.
“Do not fret about the bacon my child” Her fingers delicately held under my chin as she kissed me on the forehead, her lips were warm. I smiled and nodded to my father; he nodded his political nod back and stood to walk out of the room. He brushed off his auburn vest and trousers and opened the door to the cottage.
“Good day” He said to Lenore as he walked through the doorway, my mother shadowed his moves. They were gone, the door closed softly behind them.

Within seconds of the door closing the old woman, Lenore, pulled up a chair in front of my cot, her beady eyes staring at me oddly. She sat down delicately in the chair and folded her legs, her hands rested on her knees. Her lips seemed to quiver as if a question or comment was just dying to escape. She cleared her throat and said.

“What really happened my dear, I know there is something you remember…”
“No…There really is not more…” I said, my voice shaking as my heart pounded.
“Nothing? Really? Nothing more to tell? That gash on your shoulder leads me to believe differently. You did not bump your head, you just fainted from shock my dear. Now… Tell me what happened” her wrinkled face came closer to mine, as if one inch would make a difference in the story.
“I… I it just attacked me. A dog… or wolf, I can not remember, but it attacked me. I was just trying to go home… Maybe it was the bacon in my hands… that… made it attack me.” My eyes stared into the designs of the blanket, my mind rethinking the past.
“Those eyes… It had these green eyes…I’ll never forget them…ever” I said, my gaze rushed up to the woman, our eyes locked.
“Sounds to me… you had a run in…” She sat back in her chair her hands still on her knees, one overlapping the other.
“A run in? With what? What was that… thing?” I asked, my grip on the blanket got tighter with the thought of knowing what evil creature attacked me.
“Well… considering the size of the bite in your shoulder and you say it is a wolf… or dog. Sounds like you had a run in with a werewolf to me…” her voice sounded sad yet intrigued.

She was a woman of medicine but kept a bible despite her lack of religious devotion. It was kind of like a failsafe… incase she was ever accused of witchcraft. Many of the town folks saw her as more of a witch doctor than a town healer, her natural remedies and procedures didn’t seem kosher. They always seemed to give her dirty looks and gestures in church, not very religious like but who was she to judge. She just continued to help anyone in need and did her best to provide the best health care she could.


“A werewolf?” I asked. My eyes were wide with fear. I couldn’t believe that a beast of myth could have attacked me. How did it get into town? What was going to happen to me? How did none of the soldiers see it at the boarders of the town? Will I turn into one? My mind flooded with questions and concerns, I didn’t want to die or change into some weird monster only to curse another. It was hard for me to believe that no one saw such a large creature enter our quite town, Smithfield; A quaint town just south of Jamestown, a Virginian colony.

“Well…We will see soon enough if the legends are true… Maybe it was just a stray wolf. Listen to me, an old woman scaring a young child of lore and legend. Pay me no mind my dear, just an old minds imagination.” She stood up from her chair and went to the kettle that was still bubbling over the fire.

“Tea dear?” She asked me as she grabbed cups from the mantle above the fireplace. She then grabbed a towel that was hanging over the kettle and used it to grab the ladle that was already in the pot. She ladled out two cups of tea and placed them on the table. She neatly placed the items back where she had gotten them and grabbed a few reads of sugar cane that were laying on a larger wooden table that was used as a countertop. She then took a large block of wood that was sitting on the top mantle and crushed the bottoms of the reeds, placing them into the cups after.

She turned and walked back and sat in the chair once more. “Here you are” She said as she placed the cup within my reach. I grabbed it and held it in my two hands, the cup was very warm and the smell was wonderful. I sipped it and burned my tongue a little, but the pain disappeared quickly as the delicious liquid poured down my throat. Though hot, it was a wonderfully thirst quenching beverage.

“How will I know if it was a… werewolf?” I asked Lenore as I put the cup on the bed, my fingers wrapped around it for safety.
“Not till the full moon… that’s what they say…” She sipped her tea and stirred the reed in the liquid, steam rolling up from her cup.
“What more is there that you know of them?” I asked. It was always better to know and see the light than to not know and be left in the dark.
“Well, it has been said that once some one goes through the change… they can never reverse it. My grandmother used to tell me stories of them, the wolf man she called them” She laughed to herself as she spoke, thinking of the past made her enjoy telling the story more.
“She used to say; on the first full moon of the month is when the change takes effect. One touch from the full moons light triggers the effect and once it starts there is no looking back. She said once they changed, the next morning they would be normal again… as if nothing had happened. But…They feel different; stronger, faster, improved eyesight and smell. She always said that they have the ability to change at will, moon or not…” her voice cut fast as she realized her tea was gone.



“Fancy another cup?” She asked her face no longer so intense. She stood up and grabbed the cup from my hand. She then repeated the same routine from before, returning with two fresh new cups of tea.
“Here you are my dear, drink up… it is good for your immune system” She said with a smile as she sat down again.
“Now where was I? Oh yes…Werewolves. There are many myths and legends about them. I have heard all too many, some good and some bad. They are said to be the protectors of the shadow realm, the land of the unknown and the creatures of the Dark. Though such nonsense has never been proven nor will it ever. Now then it is time to sleep. Enough stories for today…” She then proceeded to down her entire cup of tea in one gulp, releasing a sigh of content after she finished swallowing. I quickly did the same and gave my cup to her open hand.
“Thank you” I said as I placed the cup into her wrinkled hand, whipping my face of the tea remains.
“You are welcome. Now lie down and get some rest.” She waddled over to a big wooden bucket by the door and placed the dishes in it. The sound of the dishes clinking together in the bucket made me cringe. I hated that sound almost as much as the creeks in the wood floors. I shrugged and got comfortable in the bed, it was feathered and soft. The blanket was thick and quite warm. I pulled it over my shoulder and turned on my side, my eyes slowly closing. The once light room went black.


A few days went by and I healed quickly. Within a mater of days my wounds healed and I was like brand new. I left Lenore’s cottage two days after my attack and went back to my own home. It was nice to sleep in my own bed again. On Saturday, 3 days after my attack I decided that I felt well enough to start helping my parents with the bakery. The smell of warm bread and sugary sweets filled the air of the attachment to our house, the bakery. It was a simple store that had many tables upon which our baked goods were displayed. I had finished breakfast just in time to walk into the store to see that gorgeous man from my dreams.

His name was Adam Stone. He walked through the door at the same time every day. His blue eyes glowed and shimmered in the morning light that shined happily through our windows. A few strands of his normal blonde hair stuck out through the bottom of his powdered wig. His face lit up when Ophelia entered the room.


“How are you feeling?” he said with a smile as he did a generous bow and kissed my hand. He was neatly pressed and all of his brass buttons shined with each ray of light. He looked up from his bow and held his hands behind his back.
“I am fine thank you Adam. The usual today?” I asked after quickly answering his question. I felt so uncomfortable around him, even though my heart melted every time he was around. He was for lack of a better word, perfect; to me at least. I just couldn’t get my emotions under control.

I mean, how can you feel uncomfortable around the one man who you want to be with? I turned to grabbed two loafs of freshly made bread and placed them in brown paper. I wrapped them up neatly with twine and handed them to Adam before he could even answer.
“Thank you” He said as he received the bread quite expeditiously. “I don’t suppose you remember what exactly happened to you a few nights ago…” His face changed to interest. His eyes never left me.

“Well… It all kind of just happened at once. I don’t really know. I just fainted” I said as I started messing with the ribbon that tied around my dress. I kept my eyes down; I didn’t want to look at his face. I was too afraid of what I would say or do.
“Well… I’m glad I found you when I did, you might not have made it” He said as he cleared his throat. Obviously he knew he did the heroic deed and he was looking for congratulations and appreciation.
“You were the one who found me?” I asked with surprise. My eyes shot up and met his in a dead lock.
“Yes, it was me. You know you’re pretty good with that elbow of yours… You got me good in the face” He smiled and rubbed the right side of his face with his hand. He laughed a little after he was satisfied with his face rubbing.
“Id do well not to get on your bad side” He laughed even harder now, his laugh was contagious. Within seconds I started laughing, he was just too adorable to resist.

I stood behind the counter and felt a weird sensation as I laughed with the gorgeous man. My nose started to tingle. I inhaled through my nose and a huge array of thoughts entered my brain. I could see everywhere he has been that day! It was amazing, my brain was refreshing each action he had taken just that very morning. I could smell the linens he slept in, the steak he had for breakfast, the salve he used on his shoes and the dust from the carpenter shop his father ran. It was so strange yet so wonderful at the same time. As my mind flooded with information he began to speak to me again but his words were nothing more than gibberish.

“blah blah blah… blah blah blah… Ophelia… blah blah… are you listening to me” My mind snapped as I heard my name, the thoughts vanished and I realized I was staring at him strangely, very uncomfortable.
“Did you hear anything I just said to you Ophelia?” His face was annoyed now and almost cross. He obviously didn’t like it when people paid no attention.
“Yes, I’m sorry… Flashback…” I said putting my hand on my head as if a headache had overcome me.
“Best if I go lay down now…” I said turning. I walked away from him without even saying goodbye. The door closed softly behind me, he just stood there confused.







It didn’t even occur to me that he might have taken that whole situation as if I didn’t have interest in him. I rushed back into the bakery only to find he had left, his 2 gold pieces on the counter, I never got the money from him for the bread. I muttered a curse and grabbed the pieces, throwing them into a box that was under the counter. It jingled as I picked it up only to place it back again. I sat down on the stool that was to my left and placed my elbows on the counter top. My hand squished my face as they supported my heavy head. My face was sheer boredom, the thought of sleeping just didn’t appeal to me anymore, and it was the beginning of the day.

I sat there for hours, just looking out the front windows. People would walk by, their conversations quite louder than normal. Miss Applegate walked by talking of her cat and Mr. Winston spoke of his farm.
“Strange…” I said out loud as I realized I had never heard people outside of the store when I was inside before. I watched as Mrs. Nimble walked by with some of the local snobs. Their overly flamboyant dresses always made them stand out. I watched as she got closer to my store, her voice was normally quite soft and proper but not today. It was as if she was yelling at the top of her lungs. I could hear every word she spoke perfectly!

Though I was not one for eavesdropping, this was a perfect situation. I sat up in my chair and turned my ear towards the front windows, hoping to hear what she was saying to her gaggle.
“Seems to me this town is going to hell. The odd girl from the bakery is attacked only to be found by the towns pride and joy. I don’t see what that boy sees in her when he could have a catch like my Mary. Besides, that girl is nothing but trouble. I made it a note not to invite her to…” Her voice faded out as my mother walked into the room.

I sat up quickly as if I was cheating and was trying to cover up my dastardly deed.
“Ophelia my darling, how are you feeling so far?” She smiled warmly and kissed my forehead, she paid no mind to my jumpy antics.
“Great mama, I feel like new. There isn’t even a scar” I said as I pulled down the sleeve on my dress to show her where the wound had been. It was clear and smooth. As if I was never attacked at all.
“Amazing…” She said as she put her fingers on my shoulder. “Just amazing” she repeated. “Well, your one special girl… Just keep an eye on the shop and pull your sleeve up. I need to stop by Mr. Winston’s farm for some milk. Bye my darling” She then walked out of the shop, the smell of lavender and mint leaving a scent trail behind her.

My brain began to race again as smells rolled off my mother and filled my nose. I closed my eyes and drowned the visions out. It was not as easy as I thought it would be. This new feeling would take some time to get used to. I snorted out of my nose and went back to my spy attempts, my face supported once more by my hands. My eyes searched out the windows only to find the gaggle had flown.




“Drat” I said aloud as I stood up and grabbed a close by loaf of bread. I broke it in half and ate the piece hungrily. Though I was not too hungry, I ate it anyways. It was just something to do to pass the time. You think I would be fatter than I am, though my body was slender and neat. I shrugged at my thoughts and continued on watching over the store.

The normal patrons came in, bought their wares and left. The day was like all others. I put the wood over the door to lock up for the day, it was not very heavy, I just made it seem that way. I swept the floors and took the left over bread to our kitchen just in time for dinner. Dinner was Roast with potatoes and leek. I ate hungrily and then went to my room. There was no real dinner conversation. We ate and separated. My parents nodded happily as I went to my room. They then sat in front of the fireplace like normal. I closed my room door behind me and sat on my bed. The night took over outside my window and the sun was just about to disappear fully. A chill ran up my spine as a howl crept out of the darkness outside. It seemed so eerily familiar.

The moon hung high in the sky it had only a sliver left till it was engulfed by the darkness of the night sky. A few more days till full. I looked out the window, wondering what exactly would happen to me, if anything at all. My ear started to wiggle as sound entered its cavity.
“She’s going to be fine dear, no need to worry”
“I know Jamison but I still can’t help but worry… She was attacked for heavens sake”
The voices of my mother and father talking filled my ears. How was it that I could hear them talking normally in the other room, any other day it would still be silent in this house. The bite; the stories had to be true. All that the little old woman had said was starting to happen. I could hear things I couldn’t before and smell things too. What was happening to me?! The only way I could think to conclude this was to see if my vision was as good as my hearing. If it had improved then its official, I was bit by a werewolf.

I decided to test myself in the morning, before the normal shop chores. I got into my bed and pulled the covers over me. Warmth and comfort overtook me and cast me away to another world. My eyes closed and my mind dreamed; the moon watched me sleep.


Thick trees fly past as I run. The sound of howls and feet pattering follow my every movement as I bob and weave through the trees. Leaves and branches hang down from the dark trees attempting to hit me with every pass. The moon glows down on me, its once crescent line was no more, its full body was full. The light cascaded through the thick trees as I made my way, running. My heart beat fast as I leapt over a downed tree and under another.
“You can’t escape me!” a chilling voice yells from behind me.
“Leave me alone!” I screamed, never looking back.






As I began to see the end of the trees the sounds from behind me stop. The patter of feet was no more. My heart told me to stop and forced my legs to obey. I stopped momentarily, panting hard. My hands were on my knees as I bent over to catch my breath. As I looked up to start running again there they were, those green eyes. They were staring at me, right in front of my face.
“Going somewhere?” the voice from behind the eyes spoke. It was terrifying.

I sat up in bed with a gasp. My eyes flew open and my heart kept beating just as fast as in my dream. Who was this creature and what did it want with me? I could hear my mother in the kitchen banging around pots and items. The heat from the ovens started to radiate through the house. I jumped out of bed and grabbed my dress. I had laid it out on a spare chair I had in my room, I had picked it out the night before. After dressing and preparing, like any other day, I ran into the kitchen. My mothers back was turned to me, her hands in an oven. I did not say anything in hopes she would not notice me stealing a yum bun from the counter, she didn’t. I tiptoed past her and out the door to freedom. The sky was still beginning to brighten. Birds were flying high above and other creatures were carrying on as usual.

I walked past the few lining houses to mine and out into the field out back. With the bun still in hand I walked up to a stump that was normally used for archery practice. I shoved more of the bun in my mouth, the walnuts and cinnamon mixed perfectly with the sugary drizzle that went on top of it. I was never any good at archery, father always tried to make me learn. It just wasn’t what I thought fun was. Though on this occasion, I might have some fun. I grabbed an old piece of fire wood that had been forgotten and placed it on the stump, my hands still sticky from my breakfast.

I walked away from the log and went into the shed that was not too far away, just behind my house. Inside there were many tools and items our neighbors stowed away in our shed. My fathers’ tools and supplies were all neatly in one corner of the shed. His bow and arrows sat nimbly to the side. I grabbed the bow and a few arrows and walked outside. The sun was peaking out now and the valley seemed to glow. The stump and wood piece sat about 10 meters from me. I strung one arrow, looked down its wood frame and pulled the string. I held my archer position like my father had showed me, lined up the shot and released.

The arrow when whirling into the air and hit the wood dead in its center. I had hit it! I have never hit a target before. Normally they fall short, go too long or just miss the target all together. I was quite proud though last year when I hit the other person’s target. It may not have been mine but I still got it. I thought to myself for a second and then strung another arrow.
“There is no way…” I said out loud as I repeated my actions from before.
The arrow whizzed again and penetrated through the previous arrow shattering it to bits, taking its previous place.
“Holy cow!” I screamed out loud. Ducking down after forgetting I was not supposed to be outside yet.
“What’s wrong with you Ophelia?” I asked myself as I ran up to the stump with the log on top of it.

I peered over my handy work, quite amazing. My eyes were enhanced. No doubt. I smiled big and picked up the log. Any other time my father would be the one to remove the arrows but not this time. I pulled it out as if it was nothing. I was actually excited. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. It was a secret I would have to be careful with sharing.

I dropped the log on the ground and cracked the arrow in half with my fingers on my right hand. The arrow snapped like a twig. A huge smile appeared on my face as I dropped the pieces to the floor. I had a little more strength too. I turned and walked back towards the house, my smile still branded on my face. I walked into the front door just as my mother turned around from putting more bread in one of the ovens.

“Where have you been?” She said as she stopped everything she was doing. Her eyes were warm and inviting. A smile appeared on her face as she noticed mine.
“Just getting some fresh air” My voice wavered a little but held firm. I smiled awkwardly hoping she would appreciate the fact that I’m smiling again. She eyed me for a second.
“Well then. Now that you’re all freshened up you can help me open the shop” She dusted flower off of her hands onto her apron and then got back to kneading dough.
“Ok…” I said as I grabbed a few loaves that were on a large wooden cutting board. I took them into the addition, Bakery, of our house and placed them on one of the open tables.

I removed the wood lock from the front of the door and placed the long plank next to the door frame, out of the way. I then opened the cloth that we had over the windows to let some light in. The store was just like any other. There was a main counter to the back as soon as you walked in and two very large tables to each side of it that ran the length of the room. The floors and walls were wood and made that annoying creek when you stepped wrong. The whole place smelled of fresh bread and wood.

Within seconds of unlocking the door and lighting up the place, there he was; Adam. On time like usual. I stood behind the counter and watched him as he said
“Good day my lady” He said as he mimicked himself before, bowing down and kissing my hand.
“Good day to you Adam” I said as I smiled big, my usual discomfort was not present today.
“Are you feeling better since yesterday? You left quite sudden. I hope you got the gold I left for my bread… You were gone before I could” He was cut off quickly by my own words. He stood there like normal, his hands behind his back and his posture immaculate.
“Yes. I got it. Thank you very much for your honesty. I made sure to tell my father and he thanks you greatly.” I lied. I said nothing to my father of the incident, would have meant instant death had I. I smiled through my white lie and then began to prepare his normal order.
“If you don’t mind…” He said as he placed his hands over mine, stopping me from grabbing the bread on the counter.
“I would like to buy something else today. Actually… I need a special order” he said with a charming smile as he leaned over onto the counter, his elbows supporting his upper body.
“There is a recipe that I would like you to try for me.” He then stood up from his leaning pose and grabbed a perfectly folded piece of paper from his vest pocket and handed it to me.
“I would like you to make it for me” his eyes were intense as he watched me open it.

I unfolded the paper to recreate its once un-creased form. The handwriting was beautifully scripted, every I was dotted and every T was crossed. I read the title of the recipe and almost fell back. My legs got weak and my eyes got blurry as the name registered in my brain.

Wolf’s Bane Bread

I read the title about three times until I thought of what to say.
“I can’t make this…” I said as I tried to return the paper.
“Of course you can…” He said as she smiled his normal charming smile again. My heart melted.
“No…I can’t. Why would you want this? Its poisoned bread… pretty much” I placed the paper on the table, my head hung low. I couldn’t understand why he would want me to take a plant that we used to numb and kill to make bread with. It was suicide!
“Well…If cooked correctly it actually helps to get rid of toxins in the body…” His voice sounded flustered. He seemed to be making things up almost. He had a different need for this bread and I was going to find out.

“What are you up to?” I asked flat out. I was tired of doing the run around. Yes I liked him but I was not about to go and cook him up his death. Both my hands were now flat on the table, my elbows locked along with my eyes. I stared dead at him as he tried to fumble another answer.
“Well… I … I thought you could… Spend the day with me.” He said as he placed both his hands over mine, his face just inches away from mine. He stared into my eyes as I did his.
“No” I said and moved my hands out from under his. My heart began to beat fast as I thought of him touching me. It was strange. The things that would normally send me into a heart attack all but had little effect now.
“No? I will no accept that. Come with me and I will tell you or I will take my sales to the Gibbons.” His once savvy smile turned into an evil smirk of vengeance. He knew we needed his business in my fathers’ store. He knew we were in direct competition with another family, The Gibbons. I sighed big and nodded in acceptance.
“I have to tell my mother.” I said as I turned and walked into my house, the door to the bakery almost slamming behind me. He had won this time.

I was almost tempted to tell him that she said no but something in my head told me just to go with him. As I rounded the corner to the kitchen my mother looked up and said “Of course you can go…” She winked at me and then continued what she was doing. She must have heard the conversation, or at least the end of it.
“Are you sure?” I asked her with wonder. Normally she would drill me with questions of where I would be, how long, with whom and so on. It was just my lucky day.
“Have fun. I will hear if some one comes into the store. Get some more fresh air” She smiled sweetly and waved her hands for me to get out. I kissed her on the cheek and rushed back to the front.

He was still there when I opened the door. His bright face and powdered wig made him look almost out of place. He wore the wig to please his father. He had said once before that his father wanted him to be a political man. He was destined for an education, unlike me. I eyed him as I walked into the room, goofy smile and all.

“If I am to go anywhere with you, you must remove that wig” I stood stern and my eyes focused on nothing but that white wig. His face went from gay to annoyed. He must fancy it for some reason.
“Why?” He asked as both his hands were placed on his wig. He seemed torn.
“Because, that is what I require for my end of this deal” I grabbed the wig and tore it from his head, his hands did not try to stop me. His beautiful hay colored hair flowed out from the now removed wig. It was not too short but not too long, long enough to be seen from under the wig. The wig was left on the floor.
“Good. Can we go now?” he questioned. His hand grabbed mine and pulled me out the door.

The sky was clear and the sun was bright. Birds flew over head and sang songs of their lives. The clouds floated by nimbly as the wind bullied their every move. Trees danced in the distance, their once green color was confiscated by red, orange and yellow. The air was a little chilly but was quickly caressed by the suns warmth making the overall atmosphere comfortable.

We walked past many stores; butcher, wood worker, blacksmith, fashions and the cheese vendor. All were local families that had artisan in different areas. I never really had a chance to just walk around anymore, a lot had changed and I never even knew it. People waved to us as we walked down the street, especially Mary, Mrs. Nimbles daughter. She made an extra special attempt to foil my unexpected frolic with Adam.



“Adam my dear!” she screamed as we walked by her mothers clothing store, Mrs. Nimble herself was staring from inside. Mary rushed up to us and curtsied as she came close to Adam. Her focus was solely on him, as if I didn’t even exist.
“Good day Mary” He said as he bowed. He did not kiss her hand though which made a smirk appear on my face. She was not special enough for a kiss. I laughed inside as I eyed her trying to curtsy like a full grown woman. She was awkward; too tall and lanky for her own body. Her red hair flew in her face as she awkwardly curtsied. Her legs wobbled a little as she tried to stand back up again. Her brown eyes were focused on him and only him. She was very pale and made me think of ghost stories my mother used to tell me. Yes, she was the ghosts in my nightmares.

“Good day?” I blurted out as she began to step closer to Adam. I was not about to let her steal away my only chance to be alone with him; His own asking no less.
“Yes… it is” She snapped at me then turned and said “So Adam my dear, I pray thee will be present at my birthday tomorrow.” Her invitation was solo. I frowned and walked behind her and began to leave. I was not going to stand there and let her drool all over him. If he wanted to stay and talk to her, that was his choice.

My move worked. As I started to walk away he realized I was not going to stand there while she ignored me. He began to rush Mary.
“Yes… yes… I will be there. Good day my lady” He said as she pushed to get around her. She tried to keep his attention but was left standing alone in front of her mothers’ store. I would have killed to see her cry but I decided it best not to turn.

“Wait…wait. Ophelia! Wait” He yelled as he began to jog. I kept walking, my nose to the sky. As he came up next to me I stuck my finger in his side.
“So lover boy… When will the wedding be?” I asked him jokingly.
“Never!” he said with a stern look as if I had offended him. He squirmed a little when I poked him and smiled. I laughed out loud. I was almost expecting him to agree with what I said but was relieved with his answer.
“What? You don’t find the LOVELY Mary… well… lovely?” I turned my head away and giggled under my breath; the blurt of laughter from before subsided.
“She is lovely… no doubt but she is not the woman I prize” his face looked forward but his eyes were on me. I pushed a piece of my hair out of my face and tucked it neatly behind my right ear.
“Oh? Who do you prize then?” I asked inquisitively. It was burning a whole in my heart to wonder who it could be. I secretly hoped it was me but knew better.
“I prize no one right now…” He scuffed his feet on the ground, his black buckled boots began to dust.

We kept walking till the edge of town, small paths lead from one town to another. We were heading west. The forest was cut in a perfect circle around our town, trees were on all sides. There were only two made paths out of our town, one to the west and one to the east. Each path made its way through the thick forest to the main roads that lay hidden in the forests deep embrace.

Step after step lead us closer to the forest. My nose started to go wild as we came closer and closer to the wall of trees. There was a rabbit near by, water and I thought I caught the scent of a raccoon. I kept my secret to myself. My mind told me to tell him my secret but I resisted for fear of exile. I leaned close to him and sniffed a little, he didn’t notice. He smelled of shaving lather and dust but there was another smell I couldn’t put my finger on. It was a different smell then I had never smelt before. It was so sweet it drove me crazy. I relaxed and wiped my mind, trying to just get a black clean slate.

So much was happening to me. I looked at him and said.
“Do you ever feel like your different? Like… You are meant for something more?” My questions were sincere and serious. My tone said it all.
“Yes… I do.” He said simply. His eyes traveled to my face then back to the road. He kept scuffing his feet on the ground as we walked, he didn’t seem to mind that his shoes were getting dirty.
“I believe we are all meant for something. That is why I chose you” he smiled and winked at me. I stopped dead in my tracks. Did he mean that HE was the one who bit me? Or is he saying that about dating me… How did he find me that night? Questions flew in and out as I stood there in a daze.

“Are you ok Ophelia?” He asked me, his hand reached out to me. I grabbed it softly and started to walk again. His touch was exciting. It was almost as if electricity flew through my body through his. I smiled and walked hand in hand with him. As we got to the first tree of the forest I stopped again.
“I don’t want to go in there…” I squeaked as he tried to pull me on, I resisted and put my feet in a firm position.
“Come on. This is what I wanted to show you… please” His eyes begged me to go. My brain said stop but my heart said go. There was something suspicious about this guy and I wanted to find out.

“Why wont you just tell me… I don’t understand why your keeping whatever this is such a secret” I released my pull and followed him into the woods. The trees were beautiful and cast shadows on the forest floor. Light shined through from the heavens and gave the forest a beautiful glow. Birds flew under the canopy of the trees and other critters went about their daily routines. A huge purple butterfly flew by my head and made me turn to watch it fly. It was so beautiful; I had never seen one like that before. Butterflies were always orange or yellow, blue even… but purple? I watched it flutter away.
“Now what was it you wanted to show…me” I turned around to realize I was alone. Adam was no where in sight.
“Adam?! This isn’t funny. Come out… where are you?” I called into the open air. No answer was heard.
“Seriously… this isn’t funny. Where are you?” I called out again with the same reply.




As I turned around to look again I was met by my fear; those green eyes.
“Hello Ophelia” said the voice behind the large neon green eyes. Large teeth lay under the muzzle of the tall werewolf that stood before me. I gasped for air and tried to scream. Dejavu overtook me and I was stuck again, numb and silent. I started to step back, finding mobility in my legs. My hand was over my mouth as I stared in horror at the creature that has plagued my life for the past week.

“Get away from me!” I said as I started to back up faster.
“Ophelia… please… don’t run” The wolf said as I turned and began running. Move legs move! I ran as fast as I could only to be stopped as the werewolf jumped in front of me. I doubled back where I came from, my legs going as fast as they could.
“Wait. Don’t make me pin you again. Please” The werewolf’s voice sounded so familiar but the sheer terror of seeing it again made me only think to run. I ran down the path, farther and farther away from town. The animals in the forest seemed to get louder, their chirps and groans seemed to be saying something.
“Run girl run!” I heard singing in the forest. The animals were talking?! I ran faster. This was too much. My heart was beating and I could hear the thuds from the werewolf’s paws hitting the ground as it ran after me.

Why hasn’t it caught me yet? I thought to myself, making sure not to look back. I looked to my side to see a deer running in the same direction. I passed it.
“What is happening to me!” I yelled as I pushed myself harder. I left the werewolf in my dust. I kept running till I heard the thuds no more. The forest got quiet as I stopped to catch my breath. My ears tingled as I listened. No werewolf. I leaned over with my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath again. What is going on? How did I just outrun a werewolf? Did I? Or is it just playing a game on me? I just couldn’t understand.

A leaf fell in front of my face from the tree above. I sniffed the air and smelled that sweet scent of Adam. He was close by. I looked up as I heard a twig snap. There he was. The wolf man stood in the tree above me, panting.
“Damn it to hell woman, I said wait!” It jumped on me from the tree and pinned me down just as when it first attacked me.
“Leave me alone. Please don’t hurt me!” I said putting my hands up in front of my face, my eyes closed tightly. I gritted my teeth and tensed my whole body as I waited for it to bite me like before.
“I’m not going to harm you Ophelia!” My eyes opened as the creature said my name. I didn’t realize it had before, I was so scared. I put my hands down to see Adam on top of me. He was naked! I kept my eyes at his face, I blushed a little.
“Please. It’s me…I’m sorry I scared you. Please… It’s me” His eyes pierced mine. His eyes were still the neon green! I stared at them as they changed into his normal blue eyes.

“I’m sorry I did not explain this to you before. I had to make sure you were healed and well enough to accept it.” He spoke softly and calmly. He balanced himself on his left hand and took his right hand and placed it on the side of my head. He ran his fingers through my hair as he spoke again.
“I had to have you…” I stared up at him confused. I didn’t know what to say or do. I was lying in the woods with a naked man on top of me telling me he had to have me. What was I supposed to do? I blinked my eyes a few times, hoping this whole scenario would just go away; Epic fail. My face went from shock to anger as I finally put the pieces together.

“YOU Bit me! You’re the one who did that to me?! Then you took me to the doctor to heal me right after?! You’re sick and crazy and… and…a wolf!” I pushed and fought for him to get off of me. He got up quickly, tearing off the bottom length of my dress and wrapped it around his waist.
“You don’t understand. Just give me a second to explain.” He said as he tied a second knot in his new loin cloth.
“Explain?! How can you explain something like this?!” I yelled as I rose to my feet, my back hurt from the impact with the ground. I stood up and brushed off my now shorter dress.
“And you could have asked to rip my dress!” I then growled. Not grumbled or mumbled. I growled! I growled as if I was a dog!

I put my hand over my mouth as if I had said something wrong. My eyes started to well up with water as I thought of becoming like him. I didn’t want to be big and hairy and mean. I didn’t want to infect other people and animals with this… disease.
“Why did you pick me? Why did you do this to ME?” tears rolled down my face as I began to cry. My hands cradled my face as I stood there and cried. Adam put his harms around me and hugged me tight. That sweet smell was there. It was probably the only smell in the world that could dry up tears. Within seconds I had finished crying and hugged him back.

“I picked you cause… well… I like you and I just couldn’t bring myself to bite Mary. Have you seen her? Would you bite her?!” His face was pure sunshine. I smiled looking up at him, his arms wrapped around me.
“Well… I wouldn’t touch her with a stick… but that’s just me” I laughed out loud and put my head on his chest.
“So…Why did you bite me? Why … how are you what you are?” I looked up and a tear fell down my face. I was so angry yet so happy at the same time.
“My parents are both like me. I didn’t choose this Ophelia. I was born this.” He smiled and his teeth went a little sharp, it was scary and charming all at the same time. I smiled back and then walked out of his embrace.
“So what is going to happen to me Adam? I’m going to be like you? I still can’t believe all this. What am I going to tell my mom?!” I started pacing around. I left arm crossed over my waist and my right elbow rested on top of it, my right hand on my head rubbing my worries in more.

“Your going to be like me. Yes. It’s going to be alright. Don’t worry. You won’t be alone. I’ll be here to help you through it. It’s pretty neat. I don’t really know EVERYTHING that is going to happen… I mean, I’ve never done this before. My dad wanted me to find a pure blood but…” He looked down.
“You wanted me…” I said turning to see him staring up at me.
“Ya…” He held out his hands.
“I’m sorry I had to do this but I couldn’t risk getting close to you without it. It’s hard enough living in this town without wanting to tare some people apart. I feel the need to feed Ophelia. It’s a hunger. I’m always hungry. I can’t help it. I pretty much live in a constant food supply but am not able to eat it. I have to pick off the cows and other local animals when I’ve eaten all that is normal from…” He began waving his hands about as he spoke his gestures were simple and flowed with his words. He stopped mid sentence and looked dead at me.
“Will you be with me Ophelia Bane?” He got on his knees and stared up at me. His skin glistened in the suns sparse light in the forest. The wind started to blow as I walked up to him.

Hell why not. Why would it hurt me to do this? I’ve already found things out about myself that I never thought I could possibly ever do. I can’t turn back; at least that’s what Lenore said. What’s the worse that could happen? I get fur and claws? My bones stretch and I get a snout? I always wanted to know what the stray town dog felt like. I cheered myself up inside; trying to think of the good in the bad. At least I had Adam. I smiled.
“Yes”

He stood up so fast I almost fell backwards. He picked me up under my rear and lifted me in the air. He twisted in a circle then let my feet touch the ground again. Then he kissed me. My eyes opened wide as his lips touched mine. My first kiss. I felt weak in the knees and almost fell down, his hands were wrapped around my waist tighter to keep me from falling. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pushed myself on him then pulled away and started walking, a smile on my face.

His eyes opened and he looked around, only to see me walking in the other direction.
“Hey you… get back here…” He said as she jogged back to my side. My arms were entwined behind my back and I looked up at the tree tops as I walked.
“So…When is this going to happen to me?” I asked gingerly.
“The day after tomorrow” he said simply. His demeanor was neutral.
“Oh… so I will see you on that day?”
“Night” He laughed out loud.
“But you will see me tomorrow as well as the rest of today. You are mine for the day my lady and I will have my time with you” He tickled my side and made me squeal. I was really ticklish. I walked a little faster away from his silly fingers.
“Good. So… what now? You’re half naked and you have a lot of stuff to tell me” I poked him in the stomach.

“I have clothes just this way. Follow the path and ill let you know when we have to turn” He was a very laid back person. Why would he choose me? Why didn’t he choose one of the other girls in town? I’m not the only good looking female; plenty of the other girls are higher standard than I. I just listened to him speak, his voice was soothing.

“Its going to hurt you know. The first time you change hurts. I was lucky enough to do it as a pup…child. My bones were still young and flexible. You’re a grown woman, its going to take a lot for your transformation. But don’t worry… It won’t last long and you’ll heal fast. You won’t even see a scar, promise.” She stopped me and kissed me once more, his teeth did that sharpening charming thing again. This was all too much, a dream. How could this happen so quickly…there was something missing.

“I don’t want to be in pain” I said as I pushed him off me. His kiss was not as sweet this time.
“How can you be ok with putting me into pain?” I asked him, my face angry.
“I don’t want to. It’s just how it goes. Trust me, it’s worth it. I wouldn’t make you do it if I didn’t think you could. That’s why I wanted you Ophelia. I’ve been watching you for a while. Hell, that’s why I’ve bought so much bread from your store, I don’t even eat bread! It wasn’t to be nice. I wanted to get close to you. It allowed me to see you every day, even if for only a short time. I had to observe every possible female and you are the most capable female in this town. I need a warrior by my side Ophelia. Things are going to be happening soon and its going to run right through this town. I need a partner by my side… I need you.” He was holding me in his hands. Each of my upper arms was gripped with his hands. His eyes pierced into my soul as he spoke his story.

“I…I don’t know what to say” I said staring down. I knew it. There was more to this than he was telling me. Things? Between who? Why? For what reason? I looked down at the floor.
“Just say you trust me. I will be with you and will come for you wherever you are. If you ever need me all you have to do is howl. Weird I know… Just try it some time when I’m not with you. You’ll see” He winked and released me from his grip. He started walking off the path.
“Ok.” I said softly. I was still so confused and in wonder over this whole situation. It must all be just some long extensive dream. This was a dream. I shook my head and walked over to where he was.
“Over here” He said as we walked up to a large tree with a huge hole in its trunk. Adam walked into the trunk and returned out of the dark crevice with some clothes he stored there before. He then proceeded to get dressed. I turned my back to him. I know I wouldn’t want someone staring at me change. My face blushed a little at the thought of turning around really quick. I resisted.

“You had better get a new dress” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a soft looking red velvet bag. It jingled as he handed it to me. I opened my hand and he dropped it onto my palm. It was heavy, full of gold coins.
“A dress?” I asked confused.
“Buy yourself a beautiful dress and meet with me tomorrow. You and I have a party to go to.” He smiled big and grabbed my hand. My face was sheer terror. I had to go to Mary’s birthday party. I sighed and walked with him back to town. Tomorrow was not going to be a good day. We split up before we got to town and went our separate ways. I walked past Mary’s shop again. She eyed me as I walked by. I stared back at her, giving her the evil eye in return.

I stopped dead in front of her store and made my mind up. I turned and walked up into the clothing store. Mary and her mother were both behind the counter. They were both red heads with long lanky bodies. Their voices mimicked their awkwardness and made me want to crawl into a whole and bury myself.

“Hello Ophelia” they said in unison as I closed the front door behind me.
“Hello” I said, releasing my hand from the door knob. The store was neat and well lit. Clothes of all sorts were folded on tables and hung from the rafters. Mannequins made of wood stood all over the store, dressed in beautiful gowns and suits. I didn’t find anything I wanted right off the spot. The clothes they made just seemed too… gaudy. I was about to leave when my eyes fell on a beautiful green dress in the back of the store. It was on one of the wood mannequins and was floor length. Designs of birds and flowers draped down its long front, the white lace gave it accent.

I walked over to the dress and felt its fabric. It was a silk like fabric and felt almost waxy to the touch. I took a breath and closed my eyes. The fabric was from another town. It smelt of the ocean. I turned to the two women who were just staring at me.
“Id like this one please” I said as I walked over to their counter.
“I doubt you have the gold to pay for that my dear, how about this one” Mrs. Nimble said as she walked over to an overly red dress on the other side of the room.
“I said I would like this one. How much is it?” I asked with force. She was trying to degrade me and I would not settle with that.
“30 gold” She said with an evil grin. Her eyes went to her daughter where upon an evil grin emerged as well.
“Thank you” I said as I took the velvet bag and opened it. The gold in its center practically spilled out of its opening. I grabbed a hand full of coins and placed them on the counter.
“That should be more than your asking” I then grabbed the dress from the Mannequin and walked out of the store.
“Good day” I said as the door slammed behind me. Both women stood there confused with jaws open. They couldn’t believe the bakers’ daughter just bought their most expensive dress.

I snuck back into my home through the bakery; my mother was busy in the kitchen still. The day was almost done and the sun was beginning to retire. I went into my room and placed the dress on the spare chair. It was beautiful.
“Ophelia” My mother called.
“Coming mama” I said as I left my dress and followed her voice.
“Lock up please” She pointed at the door to the store. I walked into the store and placed the wood plank over the door.
“I wonder…” I said out loud to myself. I closed the door to the house and sat in the closed bakery. The stale smell of bread filled my lungs as I breathed deep.
“Awwwwooooooooooo” I called out. The howl was not loud at all. I laughed out loud to myself.
“This is silly” A banging happened on the door. I jumped at the unexpected noise.
“We are closed” I yelled at the door.
“You call me and then deny my entry? What kind of woman are you?” called back to me from beyond the door.





“Adam?” I said as I took the wood from the door and placed it in its normal spot. The door creaked open and there he was. He was not joking. Everything he said must have been true. I squealed a little with joy as I pulled him into the bakery and replaced the wood lock.
“What’s wrong my love? Why did you call me? Are you hurt?” Adam began to inspect me, my torn dress still dirty from earlier. His hands found their way around my waste and I quickly slapped them off.
“I am fine. I wanted to make truth to your promise” I smiled and kissed his cheek.
“You came… just like you said you would” He put his hands on my face and kissed my lips.
“Always” He gently kissed me again and smiled. As I stood there with his lips on mine, a question rolled back into my head. I opened my mouth as he kissed me; the awkwardness was exciting and funny.
“What are you doing?” He said as he stepped back and shown down his smile on me.
“What about that bread? You never did tell me what you need it for…” I eyed him as his demeanor changed. He was uneasy.

“It’s for me to eat…” He laughed out loud at how ridiculous that sounded.
“To eat? You can’t eat that though… you’ll die. We can’t eat wolfs bane…” I just couldn’t deny reality. Wolf’s Bane is poison. It’s a beautifully deadly flower. To anyone and anything that eats it. I knew where it grew and I knew it was attainable. I just didn’t want to kill him.
“Trust me… It’s good. Make it and try some. I promise you won’t die… just don’t let anyone else eat it…Though I hope you will save some for me” He leaned on one of the now empty countertop tables.
“So…WHY do you eat it?” I asked him inquisitively as I picked up his powdered wig. He had left it here from earlier. I handed it to him and then leaned on the counter next to him, our arms were touching.
“Well…I don’t know exactly WHY we eat it. It’s just good…” He put his hand behind his head as he smiled, a bead of sweat rolled down his face.
“My mom used to make it… she said that only our kind could enjoy it fully. All other races were too weak to withstand the power of the wolf …” his nervousness was showing.

I decided to drop the subject. I walked to the door and lifted the wood plank one last time.
“My father will be home shortly…” I said hoping he would understand.
“Did you buy a dress?” he asked me as he stood up and began walking to the door.
“Yes… Mary about died” I laughed a little at the thought of the snob crying over the dress.
“Good. I can’t wait to see you in it. Please be ready by sun down” He kissed me on the lips one last time and left. He raised his hand in the air to wave goodbye.
“Sweet dreams my love” he whispered as he was almost out of sight. I heard him perfectly.
“Good night” I whispered into the darkness. I know he heard me.

Light flooded my room as the sun peaked over the distant tree line. Its raise penetrated the thin membranes that protected my eyes causing them to fly open. I had overslept. I jumped from bed and grabbed my clothes. I rushed from my room half dressed to the kitchen. I grabbed a yum bun from the counter and rushed into the bakery, not even giving my mother a chance to say hello and good morning. She watched as I flustered through the house and into the bakery. She shook her head and continued rolling dough.

I opened the windows in the bakery and took the wood piece from the door. I opened the door expecting Adam to be there smiling like normal. Nothing. I poked my head out the door and looked both ways. Nothing. Where was he? I closed the door and went behind the counter. I sat there pouting. Why wasn’t he here? I crossed my arms and sat there for a minute.
“He did say he doesn’t even like bread…” I shrugged and realized the paper for the wolf bread was still sitting on the counter. Luckily my mother didn’t see it. I opened it once more and got a paper cut. I squealed a little and stuck my finger in my mouth. Paper cuts were always the worst. So small but yet they hurt so much. The taste of blood filled my mouth and disappeared. I pulled my finger out of my mouth and stared at the wound. It was gone! I wiped it on my dress and looked at it again. The wound was gone! How was I able to heal so quickly? I shrugged again and stood up.

I started pacing, my mind whizzing with information. Mrs. Nimble walked through the front door. Her nose was up as normal. Mary followed in toe.
“Good morning” I said with a nod, very respectfully.
“Hello” They both said in unison as they approached the counter I was behind.
“Did it fit?” Mrs. Nimble said with a snort. Her face looked stern and annoyed.
“Excuse me?” I asked, forgetting I had purchased the most expensive dress in town.
“The dress. Did it fit you?” Mary said picking what he mother had left off.
“Yes. Its perfect. Thank you” I said shortly. I was starting to get annoyed by their forcefulness.
“Good. Now I need ten loaves of bread, forty pastries and one large cake for the festivities tonight” Mrs. Nimble barked as she placed enough coins on the counter to cover the costs. I expected her to pull out exactly thirty gold coins as I did yesterday but she did the correct amount, forty. Though they were snobs, they weren’t dishonest snobs.

“Thank you Mrs. Nimble. Now please, what kind of cake were you looking to have?” I gave a fake smile through my teeth as I got a quill and ink ready to write down the order on a blank piece of brown paper. I dipped the quill into the ink and then looked at Mary while she thought. Mary tapped her finger on her bottom lip as she looked up into the sky. The decision was not that hard but I guess she really had to think about it.
“Well… Adam likes strawberry and I like Blueberries… Sadie likes pears and… mama you like apples…so… Lets be creative” She looked at me with an evil grin. It was hard to make fruit cake with multiple kinds of fruits. They always tend to mesh together too quickly. I decided id have to be the one to make the cake just a few hours before the get together.

“No problem” I said writing down the different fruits.
“Is there any ingredient that you are not able to eat?” I asked simply. I made it a note to ask all my customers just in case. I didn’t want anyone’s death on my shoulders.
“No…” She said with a snap. I nodded and wrote down the whole order.
“Thank you. I shall have your cake done just before the festivities and I will have your bread and other delights delivered to…” I paused and waited for her instructions on where to take the items.
“My shop girl” Mrs. Nimble said as she turned and left the store, her daughter mimicking her every movement. The door slammed and they were gone.
“What a bunch of snobs…” I said as I threw the coins into the money box and went into the main house where my mother was, as always, in the kitchen.
“Mama… big order for the Nimble families party tonight” I handed her the paper with their order.
“Great. Did they pay you?” She asked as she looked down at the paper. She then started grabbing handfuls of dough and setting them aside.
“Yes. Forty gold. I put it in the box under the counter.” I watched as her hands got to work.
“Ophelia my darling. Please. Get me some supplies. I do not have enough to cover what I need at the moment. Take some of the gold she gave you and pick me up some things. Grab a quill please” She said as she waved her hands at me to rush.

I ran into the bakery and grabbed the quill and ink I had used before. I walked back into the house and wrote down all the ingredients she needed; eggs, milk, flour, brown sugar and salt.
“Thank you. Now be quick” She said with another hurried wave of her hands. I rushed from the house without a second thought. Almost all of the items were easily gotten at Mr. Winston’s farm. The sun felt wonderful on my skin as I walked down the dirt road to the farm. It wasn’t a long walk, just tiring. The farm was quite large and had different pens that contained different animals and their offspring. I walked up to the barn, its doors were open.

Mr. Winston sat on a wooden stool, his face lit up as I walked up to him. He was an older man, late sixties, with grey hair and a larger nose than the average person. His vest and trousers were that of the common folk and was quite the opposite of the political clothes people like my father and Adam wore. He wore a simple brown vest with no buttons and matching trousers. His black shoes had no buckle and were quite faded and worn. He wore no wig but looked as if he could have been. His face was generously wrinkled and sported beautiful hazel eyes. He was not a large man but did carry a little bit of weight in his mid section.

“Good day young lady” his chipper voice sounded.
“Good day Mr. Winston!” I said with a wave as I approached him. A horse whinnied in the back as I approached its message was clear.
“I’m hungry!” the black horse belched from the back of the barn. I winced and began to speak.
“I’m looking for these items” I handed him the paper and 20 gold coins.
“I got all of this… Hold on one minute” He stood up from his chair and walked into the barn and out its other side door. I began to look around, my eyes enjoying the sights. The horse from before began to whinny again. His voice was loud and prominent.
“I’m Hungry!” he yelled into the air. To all those around his voice was like any other horse, just a whinny. I walked into the barn and up to his stall. He was a larger almost draft looking horse with a white streak that went from his forehead down to his nose and under his chin. All four of his legs had white stalking markings that went up to the knees. The white stood out perfectly to his pure black coat. His eyes were a beautiful brown and watched my every movement.

“Are you going to feed me or just stand there?” he whinnied to me.
“I have no food for you. Now quite down and be nice” I looked at him and gave a grumpy look as I read the name plate that was faceted to his stable door, Donte.
“What did you just say to me?!” the horse replied as he stomped the ground beneath him. Air flew out of his nostrils as he began to make a scene.
“I said, Donte, I have no food. Now hush up and be nice. The naïve don’t get rewarded” I eyed him and stomped my foot as well.
“How dare you speak to me in such a manner…. Wait. How do you know what I’m saying?!” the horses demeanor changed from angry to excited. He pushed his head over the door and into my face, he snorted air out again.
“I… um… I’m special…” I said not knowing the right answer to say. The horse began to smell me as I placed my hand up to its nose. Its eyes grew wide and it started to lifts its head up and ears back as it started to walk back in its stall, its rump hitting the back wall.
“You’re a wolf! Get out of here! Get out!” he said as he began to rear in his stall. His body language changed from curious to defensive.

“Am not!” I proclaimed to him, gritting my teeth in annoyance.
“Your smell says otherwise! Get out of here!” the horse bellowed as it began to go wild.
“If you do not calm down I will eat you!” I screamed to the horse, my voice tart and sour. The horse stopped dead in its tantrum.
“You wouldn’t dare” the horse eyed me and snorted a loud snort of air out its nostrils.
“I would so if you keep carrying on like this. I don’t want to hurt you in any way. I just wanted to see you.” I smiled sweetly and held my hand out once more.
“Promise me…” The horse said as it put its head back over the stall door.
“I promise” I said as I bowed and looked up. I put my hand on his nose and rubbed the soft velvet like nose. He stomped his hoof and neighed.
“OK! Well… if you ever need anything don’t be afraid to call me” His eyes twinkled in the light that cascaded through the barns roof.
“Thank you” I said as I finished petting his face.






“I got your goods!” the old man said as he wheeled a wheel barrel around the side. I walked out to where he was standing and nodded in appreciation.
“Thank you so much, I must be going. Mother needs these as soon as possible.” I gave a quick curtsey and grabbed the barrel and wheeled it home. I left the wheel barrel on our porch as I walked in through the bakery and called out for my mother.
“Mama!” I called waiting for her answer.
“Ill be right out” She called back from the kitchen. I then turned and walked back out the front door to where the wheel barrel was sitting; behind it stood Adam.
“Hello there beautiful” He said with his usual charming smile. He had taken me by surprise as I realized who it was.
“Oh… Adam. You scared me. Hello” I smiled big after my mini scare and kissed him sweetly on the lips, he bent over the wheel barrel to meet my lips.

“Would you like some help?” He asked after he stood back up. He proceeded to picking up items before I could answer.
“Yes… If you could take them into the kitchen that would be wonderful” I began to help him take the items into the house. Within minutes the whole wheel barrel was empty, its wood frame seemed to be grateful for the release of weight. After dropping the items onto the counter and walking outside I turned to Adam who was behind me.
“Do you mind walking with me back to the farm so I can return this?” I pointed to the wheel barrel and smiled sweetly, I knew he would.
“Of course” he said as he grabbed the handles and started to walk, I took a close step beside him. We walked to the farm and up to the barn.

“Hello again” I said loudly to Mr. Winston as we approached him, still sitting on the same stool.
“Thank you for your business Ms. Ophelia” he said with a tip of his hand to his head, a bowing gesture. He got up from his chair and grabbed the handles from Adams hands and maneuvered the wheel barrel back around the barn.
“Thank you again. Have a great day!” I said as we turned and left. Donte neighed in the background but his words were garbled.
“That horse…” I said; my eyes on the road.
“What about him? He’s a real stubborn one and quite the sneak as well…” He laughed a little as he spoke.
“You know him?” I asked inquisitively.
“Yes. I see him every time I go to the farm; beautiful creature but very unruly. Winston can’t even ride him…” He put his arm around my shoulder and walked with me back to the bakery.

“Did you make my bread?” he asked me as we got to the porch.
“Not yet. I have to go get the flower first”
“Lets go then!” he said happily as he pulled me off the porch and back onto the road in the direction we took the other day, I didn’t resist. We walked past all the shops as before, the Nimbles eyeing us as we past. Mary’s face was complete shock and anger as she saw Adam with his arm around me. I smiled at her and kept walking, vengeance was so sweet. He and I walked happily to the forest and under its canopy. The animals were doing as normal and the air was crisp.
“There’s some!” I rushed out from under his arm as I went to the plant. It was a beautiful shrub with wonderful purple flowers on it. It was so beautiful but yet could kill a man with one flower. I picked a few of them from the plant, making sure to get portions of the stems as well. I put them in the pocket of the apron I was still wearing from working in the bakery earlier.
“Ready?” I said as I stood up and turned to him. He was standing there with a big grin on his face.
“Of course. I can’t wait to eat that bread” He began to lick his lips as if he could taste the bread already.
“I better get back. I have a cake to make” I gave an evil smile as I grabbed his left hand in my right.

We walked back into town and were stopped abruptly by Mary who flew from her store at the sight of us.
“Adam…Adam!” She squealed as she walked in front of us, hindering our progress to the bakery.
“Hello Mary” Adam said with a bow. He did not particularly like her but he was not going to be rude or disrespectful, he was raised better.
“Hello” I said snidely. She always had to ruin my parade.
“You will be present at the festivities tonight, right?” Her voice sounded almost desperate, she eyed me as if I was scum. I shrugged.
“Yes dear Mary. I will be present.” He flashed her a convincing smile and spoke again.
“We really should be off though. Ophelia has to make your cake for tonight” He moved his head to motion me on his arm. I smiled and nodded. The less conversation with her the better.
“Oh…” She said and paused as if trying to think of the right thing to say.
“Thank you. You had better get going then. My party is soon” She gave a fake smile and turned to walk into her store.
“See you tonight” I said as Adam and I turned and walked away. Her face was priceless. Pure shock and anger mixed all into one. I heard her mutter under her breath.
“Devil woman” She muttered.
“Same to you” I said out loud knowing she couldn’t hear me, I was too far away.

“Don’t take it to heart my lady. She is young and selfish” Adam kissed me on the cheek and put his arm back around my shoulder and hugged tight. I kissed his back as we walked.
“Ok… I will let you get to work and Ill be here at sunset to get you for the party” He waved to me and turned down the road just before the bakery. I waved back and kept walking to my shop. The day was long and the baking was excruciatingly annoying. I finished her cake within two hours and was finishing decorating it as my mother came into the bakery from the kitchen.
“Beautiful my dear! Just stunning.” She hugged me as I placed more fruit on the top of the cake. Each layer of the cake was a different fruit that Mary had requested. It was decorated with all of the fruits on the top and had decorations of flowers and other semi edible leaves. It was beautiful.
“I have sent word for the courier to take the supplies for the party there. I have them in the kitchen in a basket. They know they are there and will let themselves in to retrieve them…and the cake as well.” She kissed me on the forehead and then stopped in the doorway as she began to walk back into the house.
“I will be getting ready” She smiled sweetly and was gone. My father walked through the bakery door within seconds of my mother’s retire. His face was worn with time and he seemed happier than normal today.
“Hello my daughter! How is the bakery today?” He asked as if he had no idea. He didn’t. He was never in the shop. His love was for politics. He was the head of the board in our courthouse and was second in command under the judge.
“Hello papa!” I said as I placed what I had in my hands down and got up from my chair. I greeted him with a warm embrace and a kiss upon the cheek. He hugged me back and returned the gesture.

“Now… where is your mother?” He asked me as he released me from his arms.
“She’s in the bedroom getting ready. Better hurry papa or she will beat you there” I joked as he walked away; his voice erupted into laughter as he went into the house. I put the finishing touches on the cake and took it into the kitchen, placing it on the center table. The kitchen was clean as crystal and smelled of lavender. My mother always had a knack for keeping things clean. I wiped my hands on the apron I had on and removed it. I placed it next to my mothers on the hook in the hall.

After cleaning off and preparing my hair, I walked into my room and put the dress on. It fit like a glove, perfect. I lit a candle in my room just as the last of the light from outside died. The sky was total black, no moon. I looked up at the sky, the stars blinked and sparkled as if they were diamonds in the sea. I stared out my window at the night sky. My heart skipped a beat as a knock tapped on the front door. My parents had already left to the center of town where the party was being held. I put my shoes on and walked to the front door. Adam stood on the other end, I could smell him. I opened the door to see him standing there with a bouquet of Wolfsbane flowers.

“Wonderful. Your ready.” He handed me the flowers and held his elbow out. I grabbed the flowers and placed my arm through his.
“Shall we?” He asked as he began to lead me to the center of town. The walk was quick. The lights from the fire in the center of town made the houses and stores glow. Tables were set up all over the town square. One table went almost the whole length of the square and had all sorts of foods and delicacies on it, my cake at its end. Music was playing from a live band and people were dancing all over. Mead and other alcoholic beverages were in almost every mans hands as the party progressed. Mary sat on a make shift thrown at the head of the largest table. Her dress was bright red and had gold dressings all over it. The lace that was used for it was made from the same gold material. She almost looked regal. My face turned sour as I realized the dress she was wearing.

It was one from the next town over. I had seen it there a few months ago when my mother and I took a trip there to see her sister. It was so expensive and had been in their shops since I can remember, no one could afford it. How did she end up with it? I thought as I muttered.

“She just had to upstage me…the one time I want to shine and she has to shine brighter” I said out loud to Adam, he could tell I was upset.
“It’s just a dress.” He said unknowing of the true reason for my anger.
“Yes but…” I shrugged and decided not to get upset. It would only cause me stress. I shook my head and placed my flowers down on the closest table. I grabbed Adams hand and pulled him to where others were dancing.
“Dance with me” I said as I began to move my body. Almost like a river dance people were all dancing in unison. It was a wonderful experience. The night went on as a party should and by the time the fire had died people were all but passed out from the refreshments. Most, like my parents, had left after the food was done but some still stuck around. Adam and I were some. We sat at one of the tables talking of the days happenings and simple talk. Our time was interrupted though by the infamous Mary.

“You were not invited” She said as she approached the table Adam and I was at. She placed her hands on the table rather loudly as she stood before us.
“Why are you here?” She said snidely. Her face was beginning to turn beet red as she stood there staring at me.
“I was asked to come by Adam” I said happily as I smiled at him and took one of his hands in mine on top of the table. Mary got uncomfortable as she saw me do that, her body shifted uneasily.
“Adam?” she said turning her head to look at him. It was obvious she was not happy with his and my acquaintance.
“Is there a problem Mary?” Adam asked as he stood up at the table. His eyes pierced through the darkness into hers as if he was telling her without words to back off.
“No. No problem at all. Next time be sure to make it known you will be bringing guests.” She did not let up her anger, even for Adam. She stomped off with a huff as he sat back down.

“Women…” He said shaking his head.
“They always have to make a scene; Even at their own party… Now do you see why I couldn’t?!” His face switched from anger to comic as he started laughing at his own joke, referring to biting her. I joined in merrily. I sighed a bit of relief as I thought. It was better that she approached me this way after most had left. It would have been more embarrassing had she done it while the party was still in motion.

The fire died indefinitely and signaled that the party was over. Mary and her family had left minutes before Adam and I. We walked together to my house and he walked me up to my door. A kiss was placed on my lips. They were warm and wonderful.
“Now...You must meet with me tomorrow before night fall. You cannot be home at dusk.” His voice had urgency in it as he spoke to me.
“I promise. I will meet you at the tree where you keep your clothes” I said kissing him one last time and going into my house.
“Goodnight” we said simultaneously as I closed the door behind me. I removed my dress and all my other items and just fell into bed. Darkness consumed me.


“Ophelia! Ophelia! Wake up! Come we must go!” Adams face was filled with fear. He grabbed me from my bed and pulled me through my house, my feet stumbled as I tried to keep up. My eyes had not focused yet as lights and shadows danced around me. Doors slammed and the sound of the night erupted into my ears as I ran half blind, lead by Adam.
“Hurry we have to go. Now.”
“Where… are we going?”
“Away. Not here. Keep up”
I could hear something I had never paid much attention to before, Fire. My eyes began to clear as I kept running; the thoughts of my family began to run through my head. Howls of all sorts radiated through the air. Howls of wolves and something else.
“What’s wrong…?” I mumbled still half asleep.
“Just run” He said, pulling my arm as hard as he could.
“NO!” I said stopping dead in the road, our town to my back. I turned and opened my eyes wide to see my town in flames.
“What happened?!” I screamed as I fell to my knees.
“Mama! Papa!” I called out into the night, my voice straining as I screamed. Tears began to well up in my eyes as I watched the glow from the orange flames as they consumed my home and town.
“They can’t hear you my love. Please come. Please” He lifted me off the ground and I started to run back, pushing against him to release me. He caught me by the waist and began to carry me. I began to hit him to let me free to no avail. He lifted me off the ground and began to run. I dug my face into his chest and wrapped my arms around his neck. My tears fell like rain. My world went dark again.

“Ophelia… Ophelia… wake up” A familiar voice said to me. My eyes opened to see Adams face smiling, his hand caressed my face and hair.
“Are you hungry?” he said as he turned and got some food that was on a table behind him. Fruits and bacon sat on the plate that was now in front of me.
“What are you doing here… that was a horrible dream… why are you in my roo…” I sat up and looked around. I was not in my room. It was not just a dream like I had thought.
“Where am I Adam!” I said in a very mad tone, my face backing up my feelings. His eyes opened wide as I spoke to him in such an angry tone. He had not been used to me angry and didn’t know how to react.
“Well… it’s a long story…” His voice wavered as if he had bad news.
“Spill it Adam” I said in the same tone as before.





“I’m sorry Ophelia…It all just happened. I couldn’t help fight…” His eyes found the floor as he sat there disgusted with himself. He was mourning.
“I had to get you. I couldn’t stop for anyone else. I had to get you…” His eyes found mine as she grabbed me and hugged me tight. He seemed scared, as if something would have taken me in the night. I sat there dazed.
“Mama? Where is mama?!” I said snapping out of my loss of reality.
“Ophelia” He said as he held on to my arms.
“I’m sorry my darling… I could not save them…” His face was full of grief and woe. I burst into tears as I realized what he was telling me. They were dead. Killed. Murdered. By who? Who could have done such a terrible thing?! He grabbed me and held me tight, hoping such an action would make my tears stop, they only went more.

“Who did this Adam!” I said with a snarl, my teeth gained pointed edges and returned to normal, a lot like Adams did with his charming smile. I was angry. My mind focused on only finding out who did this horrible deed. Adam whimpered a little as he cleared his throat, I had scared him.
“Ok. I have a lot to tell you. I don’t know where to start but… Here goes.” He adjusted himself in the chair he was in and leaned over, his forearms were rested on his knees.
“There are many creatures and things in this world that you don’t know about.”
“The shadows?” I asked as I whipped the tears from my eyes. Adams face was shocked when I said that. He sat up straight and his face turned stern.
“Who told you about that?”
“The old woman you brought me to… the healer lady, Lenore”
He went silent. His eyes moved from side to side all over the room, as if he was searching for the words to say and they were just loosely hanging around the cottage.

“She had no right to say anything to you. I told her to keep her mouth shut” He snarled a little as he spoke. He was angry.
“Was she wrong to say that? What is it? Who is it? What happened Adam?!” I cried out as he began to get upset. This was not about him, it was about me. My family was dead because of secrets and lies. I didn’t hold him accountable but I did have spite for him not telling me the secrets before hand. He took a deep breath as if to calm himself and his voice spilled out of his mouth like water.
“The woman is like me. She is a wolf as well Ophelia. Half this town is. Hell Mary would be if she was not already on the opposite side!” His voice grew angry as he thought of that female. His eyes began to turn neon green.
“Mary?! What does that hussy have to do with any of this?!” I barked.
“Ok… ok. Let me start again.” He held his left hand on his head and held his right hand up to tell me to stop. He then began to speak again, using his hands to help him tell his tale.
“There are many things you don’t know about yet. You can’t see them yet. Your eyes have not changed. There are demons, monsters, creatures and beings of all kinds in this world Ophelia, you just have not been able to see them because of what you were born to be, a human. So many secrets I have to tell you…” He let out a sigh. This job was much harder than he had thought it would be.

“You’re a wolf. You will forever be a wolf. We are in a war with others like us. They are not wolves but bears. There are more than just them in this world… but they are our main threat. Their species has been around longer than us but their numbers are far fewer. They are called Ursidarians. Proud warriors, shorter than us but far more powerful, Ursidarians are very aggressive. They have the ability to turn into creatures like us, not as easily but they are able to change as well. Since their true form is very large it’s harder for them to make the change from human form to bear. Us on the other hand, we use our forms more often, I personally prefer to be in my true form… but that’s just me.” He was now looking at his hands as if he was about to make them change. He spoke again.

“Mary did not know what she was yet…But she is on their side. When we are born, Ursidarians and werewolves alike, we all have a ritual our parents have to do with us for our forms to be released when we are young. This ritual allows us to know about our true from and be able to use it at will. All those stories you hear about the moon is the only way we can change… rubbish. We have the ability to change at will, day or night. If we do not go through the ritual when babies our bodies adapt to human life and cause us to become full human. The part of our body that would have made us different just dies out…The Nimbles are bears. The whole family is Ursidarians. Mary however did not receive the ritual. Her true form has never been released and her family kept it from her. She was just as human as you.” He spoke so much information in such a short time. It was almost hard to keep grasp on it all. His tone changed though as he began to speak of Mary.

“I speak of her my love because her and I were planned to be wed.” His face folded into disgust and regret.
“Her mother, who is the matriarch of the bear clan decided to join the two races in hopes our quarrels would subside. Both kinds wanted to be in this human settlement because it meant unlimited food and mates. Since both kinds were living in the same town, it was hard to keep the peace and her and my father thought a marriage between both kinds would change that. Since Mary had never changed and knew nothing of her kind, by me biting her it would change her to wolf but being as she was bear born she would still be thought of as a bear by her kind. It was a horrible idea. Last night was the last straw…”
He gritted his teeth as he had thought of what he did. Adam had severed the only possible peace that could have befallen the town of monsters.

“I guess Mrs. Nimble decided to wake her child’s mind. After seeing you and I together and after her daughters tantrum over your attendance she must have bit her. Because after I walked you home I went back to the square. No one was there and I jumped to the roof of the courthouse and watched the sky and the town as it slept. I heard a roar of an Ursi that I had never heard before, it was Mary. She went crazy!” His voice strained as he talked, his enthusiasm was ridiculous.
“She was still in human form and went into frenzy, screaming and throwing things about her house. I saw her run from her house and into the street. She fell to her knees and I watched her as she changed. I had never seen one change in front of me before… it was actually pretty scary.” He gave a small laugh as he told his story, his hand going behind his head as he got nervous.

“She just went crazy… I don’t know what to say. As I saw her change I decided it was time to get out. I knew the first place she would look for me was with you. I had to get you out Ophelia… She would have killed you. I don’t know… Bears go nuts. They don’t have reason when they change. They just jump back to primal instinct…That is what sets them apart from us…For our kind… if you have a problem with some one or something, you fight till death…” His words scared me. Just the thought of another kind of animal that was worse than a werewolf gave me the shivers. I knew that Mary was angry with him and me but I never knew exactly why. I had always thought she was an attention whore and had a crush on Adam. Now knowing that I had just stole her arranged lover made me almost feel bad in a way. I know if I was her I would have wanted to do the same. For Mary it wasn’t for war or peace, it was for love or what she thought to be love.

I sat there quietly listening to his story, thinking to myself. Things started to fall into place and just seemed to click.
“I got to your house just as she finished changing. I heard her mother yelling to her in Ursi… It’s hard to understand but I knew what language it was. Her mother did not help the situation.” He cursed Mrs. Nimble under his breath then started speaking again.
“She bit her and woke the bear inside. I should have just married her…” His voice grew cold and his face went pale. He seemed to regret picking me. Though had he just done that, my parents would still be alive along with half the town. I didn’t know what to say to him. I wanted him, from the start but I didn’t want my family dead. I didn’t want to lose my home town. I sighed out loud and just looked at him. My mind finally came up with words to say.
“No…I’m alive…” I grabbed his hand and held it in mine, hoping to give him comfort. There was nothing I could do now. My parents were gone. My home was gone. I had nothing but Adam now. I wanted to cry but something inside told me not to, I listened.

“Thank you for keeping me safe…” My mind was still in a blur. I didn’t know what to say to help the situation nor did I know what to say to get my feelings across, I was at a lack of words.
“Yes. You are” A huge smile washed over his face as this reality struck. I was still here. I was still in a kind of shock over this flow of information.
“I need to lay down… I’m not feeling too well” I laid down on the bed and got comfortable. It was a lot for me to deal with at one time. My head started to ache and forced my eyes to close. I felt his hand on my head as he pulled a strand of hair from my face and placed it to the side. His hands were soft and gentle. It was hard for me to believe that such a beautiful, kind and gentle man could be such a huge scary creature.
“Sleep my darling. I will have food for you when you wake” his voice was like a lullaby and sent me into my dreams instantly.


“Ophelia my child… Ophelia” my mothers’ voice called to me. The room was dark and Adam was asleep on the floor in front of my bed. He was curled up like a puppy on the rug below him. His clothes were normal every day wear and his shoes were still on. His stomach went up and down with each of his breaths as he slept. I stepped over him and walked outside the cottage. The wind was cold and froze me in place as soon as I walked outside. The moon was full. I walked into its light, nothing.
“Ophelia… this way my baby” My mother called to me, her visage was nowhere to be seen.
“Follow my voice. I’m here…” I didn’t think and just walked in the direction of the voice. The forest was all around this little cottage keeping it safe with a natural fence of trees. I walked into the trees and followed the sound of Mama’s voice. As I entered the woods and kept walking the shabby dirt path there stood my mother in front of me.
“Mama” I shouted as I began to run forward. The figure stood with its back towards me. There was no sound in the forest but my own voice, absolute silence. I ran towards her and grabbed her left hand to turn her around.

Her wonderful face was there at first and changed as she turned to face me. Her face grew long and her skin began to rip off her body. Teeth jutted out of her mouth as her face elongated and a dark black nose took over her once dainty nose. Eyes of pure black took over her once green eyes and eclipsed her eye sockets. Her body began to grow, larger and larger. Gold fur protruded from her once tan skin that was now hanging loosely from her body. Blood dripped from the skin as my mother tore it off her body and cast it to the side. Her hands turned into large paw like hands and claws began to stretch from her fingers. She ripped off both of her ears and threw them on the pile of skin that lay to her side. Small bear ears grew out from under the now removed human ears, blood dripping where they protruded. My once mother had changed into a bear.
“MAMA!!!!”

“Ophelia! Wake up… your having a dream. Wake up!” Adam yelled to me as he began shaking my body, my mind reluctant to release the nightmare I was in.
“O…” I grabbed Adams arms as I woke, my eyes opening up like a bullet from a gun.
“Adam!” I screamed as I hugged him, the sweet smell radiated through my nose.
“Your ok… its ok…” He reassured me.
“Are you hungry?” He pulled me away and stood up, grabbing a new plate of food that was not there before. He handed it to me and I finished it within minutes. The sun was out and shined through the windows of the quaint little cottage. It was bare of furniture but had a weird homey feel to it. A man sat on the other side of the room in a chair with a pipe and a book. He made no noise and kept reading as if all the commotion was not even in the same room with him. He looked just like Adam. His face was rougher and had more stubble on it then Adam, it showed his age. He had blue eyes as well and the same golden hair. His face seemed cross and his eyes did not move from the book, he took puffs from the pipe as he flipped the pages.

“Who is that?” I whispered to Adam as he sat on my bed again.
“I am his father” the man said before Adam could reply. He looked up from his book and stared at me, the pipe in his unused hand.
“Forgive me… I …”
“No need to apologize girl…You can call me Nicholi” He then replaced the pipe in his mouth and began to read again. I sat there in awe as to how he heard me. He was indeed a werewolf as well. Adam laughed out loud as his father went back to reading. He found it quite hilarious that his father had answered before him.
“Yes… that he is. My father Nicholi Stone” He nodded respectfully to his father then looked back at me. He winked and smiled.
“Don’t worry… he won’t eat you” He laughed harder than before and took the now empty plate from my hands. He placed it on the table and then offered me his hand.
“Come… we have stuff to do” I grabbed a hold of his hand and walked out of the cottage. I looked to Nicholi as I passed and said.
“Thank you” He smiled but his eyes never left his book, smoke escaped from his pipe.

Adam and I walked outside. The sun was high in the sky and the grass was green all around. Trees jutted from the ground all around the cottage, hiding it from the world. A small worn path went from the front door of the cottage into the woods, another lay a few feet away pointing in the other direction. We walked to the path on the other side of the front of the cottage. Adam and I began to talk. The experience was nice, the air cool and the creatures were relatively silent.
“So… what do you want to know?” Adam said bluntly.
“Everything…” I said sarcastically, waving my hands and looking up at the sky. He laughed.
“Well what do you want to know first?”
“When I change… What exactly is happening?” I looked at him with my hands clenched behind my back, my feet scuffed the ground.
“Well… It’s actually a really gross process…” He scratched the back of his head with his right hand like he normally does when he is nervous or is about to be embarrassed.
“Your bones will break, I know it sounds bad but it’s not as bad as it sounds. Your skin will come off. There will be blood but not too much. Your face will start to break as well and reform into a muzzle. Your teeth will enlarge and your hands and feet will grow claws. Your hands and feet will also enlarge along with the rest of your body…but you’re a girl… you wont bee too big.” He winked at me and put his left arm around my shoulders.
“Fur is under your skin that just came off and it dries pretty quickly. Your ears will dis-attach and float to the top of your head as your skull enlarges. The hair on your head will come off and a tail will come out of you’re um…” he leaned back and looked at my butt. I hit him playfully and he reacted as so. He laughed and looked forwards quickly.
“It just sounds painful. Trust me. Once you’re in form, you’ll Love it.” His eyes closed as his smile took over his face. He was so excited for this night. He gripped me closer in his arm as we walked.

“Um…Will the bears find me before I change? Does Mary know my scent?” I asked him with desperation in my tone. I didn’t think of that before and my brain just kind of spit it at me. I gripped onto Adams shirt as I looked at him for reassurance.
“You’ll be fine. Trust me. I won’t let her or anyone hurt you” stray hairs from his head fell in his face as he spoke. His dimples vanished and reappeared like magic.
“Good. I expect nothing less” I said sticking my nose up in the air and giving him a sly smile. He kissed me on the cheek then ran forward.
“I know you can run! Catch me if you can!” He began to run as he yelled. His speed was amazing. His body seemed to float over the ground as each stride he took was larger than the last. I shrugged and bound after him. Surprisingly I caught up to him relatively fast. It was no mistake; I was way faster than him. My frame shifted with each step as I ran right past him. I laughed out loud as if taunting him to go to the next level.
“You can’t do that!” he said as he ran harder.

“Oh yes I can!” I said as I increased my speed a little more. The trees flew by me as I ran through the woods. My vision was perfect. I could see every tree as it approached and I could see every way to get around it. I stopped dead in my tracks. The dust from behind me now hovered in the air around me.
“What’s wrong?” Adam said as he jogged up to me. I stood there looking around.
“My ear twitched” I said simply.
“And… what does that mean?” he eyed me oddly as he looked around with me to see if he could see what I saw.
“I don’t…”
“Ssshhhhh!” I demanded as I interrupted his words. My eye caught something moving out of the right of my eyes.
“It’s just a rabbit… why are you acting so strange?” He placed his hand on my shoulder as if to reassure me there was no threat. My eyes looked over the area again and saw it was in fact a rabbit. I sighed and release the air with relief. My heart was pumping a little more than normal but as I breathed in it went back to normal. It was amazing how easily I could control my body now.

My mind cleared and I looked at Adam. He stood there panting like a dog. He was so cute when he did that.
“You said before… that I would heal and be back to normal by tomorrow…Why?” I stared at him with doubt.
“Because that’s how it is. You’ll change and have your first night in your form. Once the sun starts to come up you’ll change back into you. This happens because you have to heal your body. It’s a natural defense. Once you change for the first time you MUST rest the day after. So… tomorrow will be boring for you.” I shrugged and walked on.
“So what do we have to do out here?”
“Nothing really… I just wanted to get you away from my father…We should be going back now though…” He looked up to the sky and saw that the sun was almost gone.
“Race you!” I said as I dashed into the direction of the cottage. Without a word he burst into chase after me. We ran all the way back to the cottage and my hand touched the porch first.
“I win!” I said as I leaned over to pant.

“We need to get you ready” Adam grabbed my hand and pulled me into the washroom in the cottage. He gave me soap and told me to take a bath. There was a big metal tub in the room filled with hot water. Steam rolled off the water and evaporated into the air. It was nice. The water was warm and soothing. I cleaned myself and dried myself with the towel that was by the door. My skin almost glowed as I dried it off. All clean and fresh, I walked out and looked for Adam.
“I’m ready…” I said out loud in the cottage.
“He’s outside girl” Nicholi called from in the main living room.
“Thank you” I said to him as I walked into the room and out the front door.
“There you are!” Adam said turning to look at me. He stood on the porch watching the sun finish its descent.
“Ok… Get ready” He said as he took my hand and lead me into the front area of the cottage. The grass was cool and the air was humid. Birds and bugs made their ways through the skies as the moon slowly rose in the sky.

After a few minutes the sun was gone and the moon took its place in the sky. I looked up to the dark sky to see the full moon. The light shone down on me. I felt nothing. I looked at Adam hoping for an answer. He shrugged and howled to the moon. His voice turned from human to wolf as he howled. He then began to rip away his skin. His body doubled in size as he grew into his natural form, a werewolf. His eyes closed blue and opened neon green. His teeth elongated and caused his once beautiful face to have a menacing smile. His transformation was quick and seemed painless. His skin lay in a pile on the floor. It was gross and crude but hey… what could he do? I watched almost in terror. My face reacted, as anyone else’s would have. I started to step back but remembered; it’s Adam. I stared at the large male in front of me, his fur was jet black.

I started to walk towards him when a sharp pain shot through my body. It started in my stomach and radiated all the way up to my head. My feet stuck, planted to the ground. I looked up to the moon and felt the need. I took a deep breath and howled. My once female voice changed into the song of the pack. My voice traveled through the land and transformed into that of a wolf. I could feel the power take over me. I bent over, my hands crossed over my stomach. I fell to my knees and began to breathe deeply. I could feel my bones. They began to snap; first it was my back.

Each of the bones along my back began to pop loudly. My back began to expand and become more muscular. It was almost like a firecracker. First the bones at the base of my back began to pop then up and up and up until my neck sounded as if I just had my neck twisted. My muscles all tensed as more and more pain shot through my body. I couldn’t move. My ribs began to crack next and my chest grew double its size. The cracking of my bones echoed in my head. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it was just the pain or the cracking but both seemed to make it worse. I screamed in pain as I felt each of my bones crack one at a time. The pain was ridiculous. I kept thinking to myself that it would end soon but it was all in vain. It seemed like years. My eyes changed from green to neon purple and my face began to elongate. My nose fell off of my face as my muzzle began to grow. A tear ran down my face and my new muzzle as fangs and k-9’s grew from my once humanly teeth. My skin started to itch and I could not help but scratch.

My skin tore off with every scratch of my nails. I threw the pieces behind me and looked at my hands as my nails grew into claws. The skin made a loud thud as it hit the ground. There had to be multiple pounds of skin just sitting in a pile on the floor. All of my human features fell off of my body with the skin. I howled again from the pain. Blood dripped down my hands and arms. My once tan skin was replaced by very dark tan fur. I growled loudly as my hands and feet grew. It was almost too much. I wasn’t sure if I could take this anymore. As more tears began to fall I heard his voice.

“Your beautiful” Adam said as he stared into my now purple eyes. His tongue hung out of his long snout and his teeth were showing. He picked up his paw from the ground and put it under my chin, his hands were still like human hands, just bigger.
“How do you feel?” He said as the cracking of my bones stopped.
“Horrible! Adam it hurts!” I screamed. My voice sounded strained and weak.
“I know… It wont be like that in the morning. Get ready… this is the hardest part…” He eyed me and then leaned back, he was staring at my rear.
“No…no” I said as all the pain from before began to well up in my lower back.

The cracking began again but this time it didn’t hurt as much. I turned my head to my back, a foot I had never done before. I watched as bones began to protrude from my rump. One after another began to create itself from my body, until I had a full bone tail. Once the bone tip of the tail was done making itself, large pieces of red muscle began to grow up the bone till from my rear. It was so gross yet so amazing. I watched as the muscles formed my tail. Next the veins made spider web-like designs up the muscle, some blue and some red. Finally once the veins were done my fur began to consume the tail until it was all real. I wiggled some muscles in my back and found that my tail moved with each clench.

“Adam! I have a tail!” I squealed happily. I had always wondered why dogs wagged theirs when they were happy… it was just natural. My tail began to wag furiously as I looked at Adam.
“I know and it’s a nice one” He winked at me and laughed. His voice and laugh were quite different when he was in his true from. His human voice and laugh were sweet and comforting. In his werewolf form they were deep and scary. His laugh sounded like what you’d picture the devil to sound like. It sent a shiver up my spine. I shook my head and walked forward for the first time, on all fours. It was odd, yet it seemed to take much less effort. I lost my balance and wobbled to the ground. It was odd. I got back up and lept forward. I landed perfect, my tail shifted to help me keep balance.

“Wow!” I said without hesitation. It was the only thing I could think to say. Adam laughed and strolled up next to me.
“Perfect” He said as he licked my face with his tongue. It was strange yet comforting.
“So what now? Is there anything else that’s going to happen?” I asked almost expecting him to say yes.
“Nope…Now its your time to heal… you cant do too much now. Your fresh and new. I you push yourself you might never change back. Into the house” He said firmly. My eyes widened as he said his words. Never change back? What!? I decided not to push it. That was a scary fate. I whimpered a little then turned to walk back into the cottage. Adam led the way. He pushed the door open with his huge human like paws and entered the cottage. His father sat in the same spot as before, with the same book and the same pipe. He looked up as we entered. His nose twitched, as he smelled the air.

“Better keep an eye on her boy” He said with a stern look. He snorted out his nose. Adam looked at his father then sniffed the air as well. His eyes got really wide as he turned to me. He swallowed hard. I eyed him oddly as his antics were done.
“What? Whats wrong?” I asked. I was almost scared.
“You um… wow…You’re a girl… and girls do things boys don’t… um… “ He looked on the floor under me. Blood dripped into a puddle under where I was standing. I had gotten my period. I clenched my muscles to make my tail go between my legs. I was so embarrassed. But how did I know this would happen? I wasn’t due to get my period for the next few weeks.

“I um… I…” I was at a loss for words. Adam shifted into human form and grabbed some pants that were folded on a table. He put them on then turned to me.
“Well. Your anatomy has changed my love. When you changed into form you altered your bodies composition. When in form your body metabolizes faster and your functions are all faster. So in turn… what should have happened in the future to you” He cleared his throat, referring to the blood. “Has happened faster and is here now.” He seemed very uncomfortable about speaking of the subject. I didn’t blame him. My body tingled as I shifted.
“First we need for you to change back. Its not that easy and you’ll have to focus, ok Ophelia?” He said as he knelt down. I was still on all fours. I dared not stand up, especially since I was bleeding all over. He put his hands on my cheeks and looked into my eyes.
“Think of your body, your human self. Close your eyes. Think! Dream about it. Miss it. Love it. Think of Human Ophelia… Ophelia… Ophelia… Ophelia.!” My eyes closed as he started to speak His voice rang in my head. As he finished speaking I opened my eyes. They were green again. I was me! I lifted up my hand in front of my face and observed how it was back to normal, skin and all. Adams face was in front of me. I put my hand on his cheeks like he just had me and I kissed him on the lips, hard. I was so happy. I finally got to be different. Not only that but I had a hot guy too! I smiled to myself as I tried to stand on my feet. I couldn’t. I tried again and just stayed on the floor. My legs were weak.

“Why cant I get up?” I asked alarmed.
“Because you just got done lifting roughly… oh… two hundred fifty pounds?” He was guessing how much I weighed in form. He sounded about right. I was only one hundred forty pounds naturally.
“Oh…” I said as I tried to get onto the cot I had slept in.
“Here! Let me…” Adam said as he put his arms under me and lifted me easily off the ground. He placed me into the bed and kissed my forehead.
“Better. Now get some sleep. You and I are going to have fun tomorrow” His menacing smile appeared again. He turned and disappeared down the only hall in the cottage, Nicholi was still in his chair. His eyes barely even budged from his book.

I looked at him with wondering eyes. What was he reading? I decided to ask him.
“What book is that?” I said bluntly. Smoke puffed out of his pipe as he creased the top page and closed the book and put it on his lap. He looked at me and spoke.
“It is in a language you do not know…” He then puffed his pipe again, took it out of his mouth, blew out smoke and returned it to his lips. He then picked up his book and began reading once more.

My face went sour from the lack of direct information. He totally blew me off! I loosened my face and asked again, quite sarcastically.
“Is that the title of the book?” I smiled sweetly hoping he would not see through my fakeness.
“No” He said just before taking a breath and removing the pipe from his mouth. He then spoke in a dialect I had never heard before. It was almost a growl mixed with words. It was beautiful. I began to move the muscles in my back. I surprise myself. I still reacted to happiness as if I was in my form and had a tail. I giggled to myself.
“What does that mean in my language?” I asked. He smiled.
“Welcome home soldier” He then began to read again.

I decided to let him be. It must be a werewolf made book. He must have been speaking the language of the wolf. My mind raced with thoughts of what new and interesting things I would encounter. I laid down in my cot and pulled the covers over my body. I stared at the ceiling. It was wood. Very well made. Looking at the ceiling reminded me of home. When I used to watch the ceiling before going to bed. It was just a way to relax and think. A tear rolled down my face as I turned to my side, my back to Adams father.
Blackness.

A kiss was placed on my cheek. It woke me softly. My eyes opened to see a wall; Not what I was hoping but at least it wasn’t a bear. I turned to see what I had wanted, Adam. He was standing over he cot his hand was on my arm.
“Wake up beautiful” His smile was gorgeous.
“What’s on the schedule today?” I asked as I rolled my legs over the side of the bed. I sat up and took my hair and pulled it back. I tied it with the green ribbon that was tied to my ankle. I always tied one there just incase of emergencies.
“Fun” He grabbed a loaf of bread that was sitting on the table. He pulled it in half and handed me the piece.
“Eat this” He said as he placed the piece in my hand.
“What is it?” I asked, skeptical of him giving me bread. I still didn’t trust his ideas for cooking.

“You know what it is. Now eat it.” He took a big bite out of the piece he had and chewed it happily. He closed his eyes as if he really enjoyed the taste of that bread.
“NO! Your crazy!! Spit that out!” I jumped from the bed and smacked the bread from his hand.
“What did you go and do that for?!” He said raising is voice a little. His teeth sharpened as he looked at me, his lip in a growl. He quickly removed the face and walked past me to pick up the bread. The chair Nicholi was in yesterday was no bare.
“That will kill you” I said raising my voice a little.
“No it won’t. Just eat the damn bread woman!” He brushed the bread off and took another bite.
“Good thing I cleaned this morning” He said with his mouth full of bread. I sniffed the bread and shrugged.
“Here goes nothing” I said as I took a bite of the bread. It was good. My eyes lit up and my eye brows bowed. I took another bite hungrily. It was a very strange flavor. Almost meaty. I finished my half and smiled.
“Lets get going!” I said to Adam as I ran out the door. He quickly followed.
“Wait your clothes!” he said as he dashed behind me.
“No need” I said as I came to a small hill just before the trees. I jumped from the hill and closed my eyes. Now! My body morphed into form and I became a golden haired she-wolf. I switched to all fours as I landed. It was amazing! I just thought about it and bingo! Change was instant, painless. I could hear Adam running behind me. His feet imprints changing from boots to paws.

“Catch me if you can” I growled as I jumped out of his grasp.
“I have a surprise for you” He sung as he stopped chasing me. He stood in the middle of the light that shown down from the trees. The forest had sweet smells in the air and the animals were quite silent.
“Surprise?” I said stopping to look back.
“Yes. You will like it a lot. Please my love. Lets play later.” He winked at me and flexed. He was so much more intimidating in werewolf form; I loved it. I walked up to him and wrapped my tail around his hind leg as I nuzzled up to his neck. He smiled and let his tongue hang out.
“Lets go” He said as he rushed forward. He was fast. I rushed after him and found it easier just to run on two legs. I switched and used my front legs only to help guide myself. I mimicked his moves. Jumping from one tree to another, rushing on the ground and through the treetops, until he stopped. I almost ran into him, inches.
“Warn me next time” I snarled baring my teeth. I didn’t want to get hurt nor did I want to hurt him. I wasn’t quite sure of my full strength yet. He licked my face, completely ignoring my annoyed attitude.
“Look” He said as he pointed down below. We were in the treetops looking down. Adam laughed his deep laugh and sat up proud. It was Donte, the horse. I smiled as I saw the horse begin to lay down. He must have been running for days. I shifted into human form and jumped down from the tree. Though naked, I didn’t feel too uncomfortable. Besides it was only a horse.

“Who’s there!?” the horse said as he lifted his head up from hearing the impact of my feet and the ground.
“Its me Ophelia! The wolf girl” I said with a laugh mixed it. I walked up to the horse and patted him on the head, my other hand offered to him to smell.
“I know that smell. Hello girl. How did you escape?” he said curiously. His eyes began to focus.
“I don’t really know. I guess I have an angel” I replied gracefully.
“Next time leave my gate open. Good thing I got first place in jumping last year” Donte said out loud. He sighed deeply and laid his head back on the ground.
“That girl needs to get a grip, she destroyed the whole place”
“Mary?” I asked
“Yes; The lanky girl. She’s not so nice but she does have wonderful carrots” The horse began to dream of the good food he used to consume. He hummed a little to himself.
“So she did go nuts…” I said aloud but technically to myself.
“Yup” He swished his tail at the annoying fly that tormented his rear.

“What are you going to do now?” I asked him, hoping for a sentimental reply.
“Dunno” he said with a whinny mixed in.
“Your quite the stubborn horse. Just stay here with us. I may have need of you later. The horse paid no mind to the fact that I was naked and nodded as he picked his head off the floor. He stood up from the ground and knelt down a little. I jumped on his back and held on to pieces of his mane.
“I would have bit him by now…” Adam said aloud. He was not afraid to say what he thought. He looked down from the trees still in wolf form. The horse stood on itss hind legs and neighed back. He did not like wolves. He reared again and almost knocked me off.
“Adam Stop it!” I screamed for my life. The horses nostrils flared with fear as it continued to buck and act out.
“Calm down friend… calm down” I said as I patted the horse on his neck. He began to relax a little as he realized I was conversing with the wolf.
“You know that… thing?!” The horse said staring at Adam.
“Yes I do. He is my mate” I said sternly.
“I knew it! You are one of them!” The horse went wild.
“Calm down or I will strike you down” I said forcefully, a growl escaped the back of my throat as I spoke. It almost scared me but not as much as it scared Donte.

He stopped.
“Please… don’t kill me” He said, his head up in the air and his teeth bared as I pulled on his reins more.
“I wont if you just calm down” I patted him on the neck again hoping he would understand. With a stomp of his hove he finished his tantrum.
“Ok…what do you want?”
“Your friendship. I feel I might need you in my future and well… your frisky and I like that. You’d make a perfect companion for me.” I rustled my fingernails on his shoulder and lower neck.
“As long as you don’t kill me and I may come and go as I please I will only be a call away”
“Deal. I will call you in the air if I need you. The cottage is just north of here. If you need shelter or food please don’t hesitate to come by.” I smiled at him and jumped from his back up into the trees. Adams face disappeared as well. The horse was now alone.
“Well… That was pleasant…” the horse said as he walked north.

Adam and I jumped through the treetops. It was nice having large claws. They always helped when it came to hanging on.
“We are heading east Ophelia. I want to show you something…” I did not speak and just followed him, I was excited to see where we ended up. The day went by fast as we traveled what seemed to be like millions of miles. The sun was beginning to retire as we came to our destination.
“Shh…” He said to me as he raised his pointer finger to his lips, telling me to keep quiet.
“What is it?” I asked in a whisper.
“It’s the gate. I need you to stay here till I can see who is guarding it today…” He began to turn to walk away when I grabbed his arm.
“Please… tell me what your doing first... I’m worried.” I crouched down more in the tree that overlooked a cave. It was quite large and seemed to be made from limestone. It sparkled in the moons light. There were two figures at each side of the entrance to the cave. Still in wolf form Adam and I exchanged gestures. He nuzzled my face as I licked his. I was worried and confused.

“Don’t worry. You’ll see in a minute. I’m pretty sure Zubanda is on guard tonight.” He hugged me quickly and released me to move down the tree. He dropped from the canopy and walked casually up to the figures in front of the cave. I watched closely as he stood on two legs and approached them. I squinted my eyes to get a better look at them. As I focused more I could see that they were in werewolf form. Both had metal plating all over their bodies and they had spears along with shields. Their shields had designs of a ferocious wolfs face with teeth bared. Tribal designs of different colored metals were scattered all around the wolfs face on the shield. Both guards were almost identical except their fur color. One was dark brown and the other was grey.

Adam strolled up to them, his chin up and his chest puffed up. He howled just before he approached them. The one on the right howled a quick bark back and he stopped in front of him. Adam did a handshake with the guard and bowed to him. The guard snarled a welcome and hugged Adam happily. They knew each other. Adam turned to where I was hiding and whimpered to me. I slowly dropped out of the tree and walked up to his side. My tail naturally went between my legs. This Zubanda was massive. He was easily two times larger than Adam and had to be at least twelve feet tall. He was much scarier up close and his guard friend was just as fearsome. I gave a small whimper as I grabbed onto Adam, I buried my head into his chest a little.

“Beautiful female” The large brown werewolf said to Adam. He must be Zubanda.
“Isn’t she? Nothing like Sheilani but I find her to be a keeper” Adam looked at me and winked. I figured he was referring to some one Zubanda knew, wife or sister perhaps.
“Better keep an eye on her. Beauties like that tend to get… “ He cleared his throat and began to laugh with the grey werewolf on the other side of the opening.
“Eh Nathan?” Zubanda said aloud to the grey were.
“Ya… hehe she is very purty… hehe hehe” The grey wolf didn’t seem to be the brightest candle in the shop. His voice was sporadic and so were his brain waves. He reeked of idiocy.

“I have no worries my friend. No one can take what is mine” He reassured as he held me tight.
“Just be careful boy. Your still young…” Zubanda moved back infront of his side of the cave and let Adam and I through. Adam nodded to them both and said one more thing.
“Tell the pack I said hello” He waved to the males as we entered the cave.
“Will do. Keep your eyes open…” Zubanda’s voice said as his visage disappeared. The cave was wet and smelled of cold wet water. There were dim lights hanging on the walls that were illuminated with small creatures that moved very fast. I released myself from Adams grasp to take a closer look. It took me a second to fully see what the captive creature was but finally one of them stopped for a quick second. They were fairy’s! Things of legend and mystery. They were not real but yet here one was. I was so amazed I almost took the lantern cage with me.

“Fairy’s. They are a great way to make natural light” Adam said from over my shoulder. My face and his danced with green and yellow light. Each of the lights on the wall was a different color. As I focused a little harder I could see the outline of the spunky creature. As it flitted from one side of the lantern to the other it was obvious they looked like humans. Hands, legs, feet, eyes, ears, etc. They were just like people just smaller and they could glow through their skin. I stepped back from the lantern cage I was looking at and began to walk again. Adams hand met mine and embraced it.
“Just a little more. Come on “ He pulled on my arm and I walked on. Within seconds we entered a large room within the cave. It was lit with hundreds of th lanterns in all colors and shapes. The ceiling was high and had the lanterns hung above as well. Gave it the illusion of a night sky.

In the center of the room there was a cat. Just your normal average everyday housecat. It was black with white on its paws and sat contently licking its paws. Its eyes glowed orange as it happily cleaned itself.
“I seek entrance” Adam said aloud to the cat. He bowed low to the ground and nodded for me to do the same. I mimicked.
“What business do you have” The cat said in a very knowledgeable voice. He sounded very educated.
“Visiting” Adam said as he looked up. I looked back up from the ground to see a male in the cats position. His ears were long and his nails were claws. He had the tail of a cat and the skin of a human. His ears were that of a cat and his hair flowed down from the center of his head, covering the connection point of his ears to his dome. His hair was medium length and was wrapped with ribbon and had feathers hung from pieces that were tied into his head.

His eyes were still the same though. Cat eyes; Orange and eerie. He had a sharp smile ad grasped onto a tall staff. The top of the staff had a very shiny stone that seemed to change color with each wave of the stick. I was amazed. He could change too! I sniffed the air but smelled no scent. He was in large elaborate robes that spanned down to the floor and around him in a perfect circle. Purple, black and white mixed perfectly along his robes. The tips of the outfit were colored more with purple to give the outfit accent. He was quite stunning. From his perfect black hair to his perfect purple shoes. I smiled at him as he sneered down at me.
“What a beautiful she wolf…” he said as he stared down at me.
“Thank you” Adam said as he helped me up from my bow.
“Now… may we pass” He said with a snarl. Cats versus dogs was a very old feud.
“Sure…” The man said as he turned, his cloak flew up in the air and made his figure disappear. His robes disappeared into the skin of a black cat that was walking away. He had changed back into the feline. As the cat disappeared the ground began to quake.

I tried to gain balance as the ground began to split beneath us.
“Adam what’s going on!” I said as the cracks broke light into the cave. Light shot up through all of the cracks, making it seem as if heaven was down below.
“Just stay close and keep your balance” he said as he dug his nails into the dirt under him. I decided to do the same. The floor then began to move lower and lower. The ground moved higher and higher above our heads. We were going underground. He ground we were standing on made a soft thud on the ground below us. We had just been lowered into an underground city. Werewolves, everywhere! Everywhere I looked there were fury large wolf people! Hundreds maybe thousands were just walking about their lives down below the surface.

My eyes got bigger as I saw the whole place. It was beautiful. I had always thought werewolves would be dirty or messy people but it turns out the were quite the opposite. They even seemed to be cleaner than cats. A white werewolf female stood in front of us on the dark dirt floor.
“please watch your step and step down” She motioned for me and Adam to step down from the big dirt cut out we had just been on. Adam hopped down and then took my hand and helped me down after. There were streets that lead in every direction from where we were. It seemed that we had come down right in the middle of their square. It was a huge cave that spanned for miles under the surface. Huge wall pillars were naturally made to help hold the surface from falling below. Stores were carved into the walls and little businesses took up the streets. Wolves of all shapes and colors walked the streets.

Adam led me down the street in front of us. It seemed that I was the center of attention. As Adam and I started to walk, everyone began to stare at me. Their multi colored eyes stared at me and kept on me as I walked past.
“Adam… why are they staring at me like this?” I asked as he held me tighter and led me forward.
“Because your different.”
“How?” I asked and looked up to him.
“Just look around.. you don’t notice anything?” He said as he looked around himself.
I opened my eyes and scanned the now attentive crowd. Their glowing eyes staring back at me. All of their eye colors were green, blue, red, yellow and orange. No purple. Also all their fur was different as well. Black, brown, white, and grey. No Tan. I was like a sore thumb. I stood out like a star in the black sky. I put my head down as if ashamed. No wonder the guards were making such a big deal about my beauty. I must be a rare find here I thought to myself as I walked forward. We passed a few shops that caught my nose, a meat and cheese store in particular. I shook my head and kept walking.

“Here we are” Adam said as we stopped in front of the largest building in the place. It was carved out of marble and had statues of werewolves and wolves alike in its courtyard. I looked up to the top of its doors where a plate sat that stated:
“By the moon. For the moon!”
It was the library.

Adam left me in the library while he went to do his own bidding in the city. He wanted to leave me somewhere where he knew no one would mess with me.
“No one goes here anymore” He had said when we walked up to the library.
“They are too wrapped up in material possessions and the pursuit of the enemy. Knowledge has almost been forgotten in this city… it’s a shame but what can you do?” Adam said and shrugged when we walked into the large entrance to the Library. It was a huge building that was made out of solid grey rock. It had pillars with wolves and people carved all the way up their bases. Statues of werewolves stood in the library’s lobby. The floor was marble and there were bookshelves of beautiful wood all over.

They had lanterns of fairies all over the place to keep the air lit. Lights of all colors danced all over the buildings interior. Though so many different colors were all over the total light in the place was just normal white/yellow. It was weird. We walked past an old Werewolf who sat in a chair behind a large desk. The desks legs were carved to look like that of a wolf and its engravings were remarkable. It was a dark cherry colored desk that had gold adorned on various places of its molding. The chair the old wolf was sitting in was even more remarkable than the desk. It looked like that of a king. Red velvet and gold created its whole frame. It was just as glorious as the desk. Adam nodded to the old wolf as we walked past. The grey haired were looked up from its desk nodded back and then placed an optical on its face. It needed glasses to read. I giggled inside and kept walking.

We walked to the back of the library where some tables were, each with a different colored fairy lantern on it. Simple chairs sat around the tables, they looked as if they had never moved before. He gave me a kiss before he left.
“Just read a book or two. I must take care of some things. I will be back to fetch you within the next few hours. Don’t talk to anyone except the old one at the front.” His voice was stern, he meant it. I nodded. I watched his back disappear down the long book case hallway. Even in wolf form he had a nice rear. I blushed a little and turned away.

I slowly paced through the library, up and down each isle. My wandering did not stop until I saw a sign that just made me gitty, History. I squealed inside as I grabbed one of the biggest books on the top shelf, my hands, though humungous, did not even take up half of the length of the book. Its bind was made with purple velvet that had signs of real wear at its corners. The fabric that covered its bind was still in rather fine shape; its color was still beautifully bright. Molds of gold were webbed all over its cover, bind and back. Tribal in design the gold made the book look regal yet ancestral. The werewolves were a tribal like nation. They prided themselves on tradition and the old ways. It seemed I had found a very old and knowledgeable book. I smiled to myself and used a single claw to open its cover. I took a deep breath and enjoyed the old smell of paper. Knowledge always smelt so good.

“Past, Lore and Legend”

Read the first page. The pages were a cream color and had water stains throughout all portions of each page. The words though were still in perfect condition, as if the water had never touched them. Some sort of magic I thought to myself. I flipped another page as I pulled a chair out and sat down, my muzzle hitting the book. I whimpered for a second, I still wasn’t used to this face. I snorted and then shifted my eyes to the beginning of the page. I sat and read for quite the while. The book was extensive and had a lot of information.

The werewolf city was known as Moonveil, home of Jurinilye (Jur- in- lie). Jurinilye was the father of the wolves and leader of the High clan pack, the elder pack. I guess you would call him the “King”. The High clan pack comprised of the beginning pack, they were the first and the oldest of were kind. There were millions of packs of were’s throughout the city and the land. Each pack contains a “father” who is the pack leader. He is the one who makes all decisions for the good of the pack. Next in line was the “Den Mother”. Most referred to this female as the “Den”. Her duties comprise of knowledge and betterment of the pack. Normally she is responsible to make sure everyone was properly fed and taken care of. Packs can consist of many families together or just one large family. There were a lot of rules and things to know about but it was to extensive. I had decided to skip the rest of that chapter.

The book spoke of Jurinilye’s first fight with Untiniro (U-nin-tin-nero), the bear ruler. In lore, they both came together to speak of peace but something went wrong. The book did not say what but the negotiations were abandoned due to a misunderstanding or actions against one another that was unforgivable. I cursed the book for lack of detail.

As I scanned through the pages one picture jumped out at me, literally. The one picture in the book popped up into the air. I fell back in surprise, my head hit the ground. I held my hand to my head and began to get up. I rubbed my head with my large paws. I felt my ears for the first time. My eyes got big as I touched them with my paws. They were not too long but they were longer than my human ears by far. I then wiggled them forward and backwards and in all directions. It was like a toddler finding its nose for the first time. I giggled to myself and then focused back on the book, my ears still wiggling back and forth. I sat back with surprise as a picture of me stood in front of me floating above the book; a hologram like vision. It was magic of some sort. I smiled and let my tongue hang out as I eyed the magic vision above my book.

I read the text that was on the book below the see through hologram.
“Life bringers” was the title of the column. I began to read more as the hologram began to rotate, giving me a full view of the werewolf. It looked just like me, tan fur and purple eyes. A shiver ran up my back. What was so special about me? I kept reading.

“Life bringers are a special breed of werewolves. They are able to switch into actual wolf form and they have the ability to return the soul to the body.”

I put both of my hands on my head to help support the mass as I looked over and read the book.

“For alternative information seek out Nanilinali (Nan – nil- I - nailee)”

I snorted loud as the words ended.
“How am I supposed to find her? She could be anywhere?!” my voice echoed in the library. I then quickly put my hands to my mouth as if it would take back what was already said. I looked around, no one. Good. I then grabbed a quill and paper that was on one of the other tables. I sat back down and wrote down the name. I had to tell Adam when he came back. I flipped through the pages. I almost fell back again but this time remembered the previous picture. This book had more than just the one of me. I settled into my seat more and stared at the second picture I had found.

Just as before, it did the holographic vision above the book. I stared at the picture. It was an Ursidarian. The creature was huge. It had the full look of a bear. Face, hands and body were all large and over developed, a characteristic of the bear. It wore a lot of feathers and had white war paint painted on its body. The picture started to rotate just as the one before. Weapons of all sorts were hanging from a leather strap that wrapped around the bears body. They seemed to be axes and staves of some sort. Necklaces of beads and bones decorated the neck of the bear shown. Its eyes were pure black and its nails were the same.

[CosmicDragon]

Very nice, Rikku! My nano is about werewolves too.
Keep working at it!

[RikkuGirl]

Cosmic! XD Thank you! Id love to read yours too :3 Mine is going to take you to a whole nother level. XD Like, there will be werewolves, gargoyles, vampires, and other such fun stuff :3 *wiggles*

Im so excited, this stuff is fun ^_^