You ball your hands into tight fists, launching yourself at Elan and preparing yourself mentally to change into your wolf form if the need arises.
The vagrant recoils, stepping back into the shadows, staring at you from beneath his ratty ball cap.
"There's no need for that, Decaarr, I'm not here to harm you," the wolf says, giving your path a wide berth. "I wanted to prepare you for what's to come, but it seems my intervention was unnecessary. I think you'll survive quite handily. Mind yourself though—the world may favor the bold, but it could favor you with a bullet as easily as providence."
You circle Elan, backing away to continue along your original path without averting your eyes. More crazy babble, you think to yourself. Just what I expected.
You brace yourself for more broken proverbs and useless advice, but the lone wolf offers none, instead turning around without another word, casually walking in the opposite direction. You wait until he's gone before turning your back, continuing along the path back home.
Next
You look up at the sky as the sun starts to wane and Haven's omnipresent streetlights flicker to life. Their dusky glow filters a haze of orange and yellow on the cracked sidewalks and pavement under your feet as the long shadows of crumbled buildings crawl slowly eastward.
You've found over the years that the days seem to pass more and more quickly as childhood curiosity gives way to the more mundane nature of adult life. Recent days have been an exception, the hours creeping by with an obstinate reluctance as you attempt to fill the time with distraction to keep the memories of the warehouse experiments at bay.
You're halfway back to your apartment when a commotion erupts from several blocks away. You give in to curiosity and start toward the sound. Curiosity turns to concern as you grow nearer and recognize the barked orders of what could only be the human military.
Unsure whether you should keep your distance, you pause by an alley. Someone nearly collides with you, sprinting out of the dark away from the shouting humans. He turns to you, eyes wild with fear, short blond hair streaked with sweat.
"Lapu?"
"We've got to find help, Decaarr—the humans have gone mad! They came out of nowhere, threatening us with guns and clubs, demanding that we go back to our homes. Tiva told them what they could do with their clubs, and they started beating her! She told us to run while she holds them back, and I didn't think. I just ran. I left her there, Decaarr, and I'm too scared to go back!"
You grab Lapu by the scruff of the neck, trying to force him to turn around, but the boy pulls out of your grip and snaps at your hand.
"You need to come with me," you yell. "Now!"
Lapu's eyes have glazed over with fear. You're not getting through to him. "You don't stand a chance," he wails. "They have guns! I have to go get the adults!"
And with that, he's gone though another alley, leaving you alone to face the humans.
I need to get there faster, you think as you run. What are humans doing in the pack's territory? You push through the transformation into your lupine self, joints popping as arms and legs elongate and thick, bristly red hairs sprout from your skin, first in patches, then in an uninterrupted wave of fur.
As you drop to all fours and propel yourself down the alley, you can hear something through the blood rushing in your ears. Was that a scream? Tiva? And then you hear something else, a wolfish growl followed by an uncharacteristic whimper of pain.
Next